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Category: Latin America

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s tariff gambit: As allies prepare to strike back, a costly trade war looms

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Bedassa Tadesse, Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth

    On Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to slap steep tariffs on imports from key American trading partners – 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China. His stated reason? To curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

    Both Mexico and Canada managed to buy some time. After urgent phone calls with Trump on Feb. 3, their leaders each secured a one-month reprieve. But Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Justin Trudeau also made it clear to their U.S. counterpart: If these tariffs go through, they’ll hit back with their own trade restrictions. The world is watching the opening moves of what could become another costly trade war.

    As a professor of economics, I can explain why this poses significant risks to the U.S. economy and American consumers. Economic theory suggests that tariffs distort market efficiency, raising production costs while limiting consumer choice and increasing prices.

    Who really pays for tariffs?

    While politicians often frame tariffs as a way to punish other countries, they actually hit domestic consumers and businesses hardest. Whether they’re facing higher grocery bills or disruptions in manufacturing, Americans will feel the strain.

    When tariffs are imposed, companies must either absorb the additional costs – cutting into profits and potentially threatening jobs – or pass these costs to consumers through higher prices. Small businesses operating on thin profit margins are particularly vulnerable, as many lack the resources to quickly switch suppliers.

    Tariffs trigger costly retaliation

    Worse yet, such measures commonly set off a cycle of retaliation. During past trade disputes involving the U.S., affected nations have responded with counter-tariffs on American products, including textiles, steel and agricultural goods. Such retaliatory efforts have led to sharp declines in U.S. exports.

    During the first Trump administration, for example, China imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports. As a result, the U.S. farmers lost billions of dollars, and the U.S. spent billions in government aid to offset those losses. China has already issued new tariffs on imports of U.S. goods and export controls on some of its exports to the U.S. to retaliate for Trump’s current move.

    History also shows that trade wars are self-defeating. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which imposed tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods, prompted swift retaliation from trading partners and contributed to deepening the Great Depression.

    Modern trade wars have other consequences

    Modern trade wars hit closer to home than most Americans realize. The recent tariff threat against Colombia reveals why. In 2023, Colombian farmers supplied US$1.14 billion worth of fresh-cut flowers to U.S. florists. In a near-crisis that lasted a weekend, Trump threatened to slap steep tariffs on the South American nation, right when flower shops across America were stocking up for one of their busiest seasons: Valentine’s Day.

    The same tariffs would have hit Colombian coffee too, affecting everything from neighborhood cafes to grocery store prices. This shows how modern trade disputes can instantly disrupt the everyday purchases Americans make.

    Other key trading partners, including the European Union, have also come into the crosshairs. On Jan. 30, 2025, the president issued a stark warning to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – the so-called BRICS nations – threatening 100% tariffs if they continued efforts to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar as their reserve currency.

    These threats can do more than alienate strategic partners; they risk accelerating dedollarization – pushing nations to develop alternative financial systems that weaken U.S. influence in global trade.

    A more effective approach

    Beyond causing immediate economic pain, constant tariff threats risk damaging America’s credibility as a reliable trading partner. The U.S. helped establish the rules-based international trading system, but regular tariff threats erode global trust and push trading partners to seek alternatives to the U.S. market.

    The reality is clear: No country in the modern era has successfully used tariffs to grow its economy or improve the well-being of its people. The countries that are most dependent on tariff revenues for their national budgets are among the world’s poorest and least developed economies.

    I believe the path to maintaining America’s economic leadership lies in embracing a smarter, more strategic trade policy – one that builds alliances instead of breaking them. A strategy that prioritizes negotiation, fosters innovation and enhances competitiveness – and that doesn’t rely on protectionist tactics more often used by developing nations – would strengthen cooperation and stability, ensuring long-term economic prosperity.

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

    – ref. Trump’s tariff gambit: As allies prepare to strike back, a costly trade war looms – https://theconversation.com/trumps-tariff-gambit-as-allies-prepare-to-strike-back-a-costly-trade-war-looms-248980

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s opening tariff salvo will hurt US consumers − following through on Canada, Mexico threats will increase the price pain

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jason Reed, Associate Teaching Professor of Finance, University of Notre Dame

    If U.S. voters reelected Donald Trump hoping for relief from higher prices, his recent threats to impose tariffs on America’s three largest trade partners might make them think again.

    On Saturday, Feb. 1, Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on China, which he said would take effect on Tuesday, Feb. 4. While markets braced for the news to some degree, they still saw a steep premarket sell-off on Monday, Feb. 3, followed by morning volatility.

    While Canada and Mexico negotiated monthlong reprieves on Monday, the new tariffs on China went into effect as expected Tuesday, Feb. 4. And while the ultimate shape of Trump’s tariff policy remains to be seen, the president warned that American consumers could feel “some pain” as a result.

    Given my training as an economist and finance professor, I think Trump could be right on that score. In fact, if the tariffs go into effect, they could spell disaster for the Federal Reserve’s inflation reduction efforts.

    From grocery stores to homes

    U.S. consumers might be surprised to find out that almost every economic sector could be affected by this opening salvo of tariffs, should they go ahead in March. Imports from Mexico and Canada reached close to US$1 trillion in 2024, almost double the amount the U.S. imports from China.

    The U.S. is particularly reliant on Mexico for fresh fruits and vegetables, and on Canada for lumber. So if the tariffs go into effect, Americans who have been waiting for home prices to ease may have to continue waiting, as tariffs on lumber and other building materials could worsen the affordable-housing crunch. And let’s not even talk about avocado prices.

    Meanwhile, the 10% tariffs on Chinese goods will likely boost the price of electronics, and China has already imposed retaliatory measures. Trump has also proposed 25% tariffs on Taiwan and its semiconductor industry, in an attempt to push Taiwanese companies to invest more in U.S. manufacturing. If that tariff were to go into effect, prices for U.S. consumers would be even higher.

    A tax by any other name …

    Tariffs are an import tax. They’re passed through the supply chain in the form of higher prices and are eventually paid by consumers. Traditionally, governments have used tariffs as a fiscal tool to encourage businesses and consumers to move away from foreign-made products and support domestic businesses instead.

    In theory, new tariffs could encourage foreign businesses to invest in the U.S. and make more stuff on American soil. Unfortunately, domestic manufacturing has seen a systemic decline since the 1980s, resulting in lower prices for consumers but severely limiting U.S.-produced products. In the short term, at least, import taxes on Canadian, Mexican and Chinese products would ultimately be paid by U.S. consumers.

    Although this round of tariff threats may seem arbitrary to some, the Trump administration says it considers tariffs deeply intertwined with national security concerns. Stephen Miran, Trump’s pick to chair the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, has laid out a path for Trump’s tariff plan, which he says is aimed at putting American industry on fairer ground against the rest of the world.

    In the long term, it’s unclear whether Trump’s threatened trade war will bring domestic manufacturing back to the U.S. and start a new industrial renaissance. In the meantime, American consumers will likely be stuck holding the bag.

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

    – ref. Trump’s opening tariff salvo will hurt US consumers − following through on Canada, Mexico threats will increase the price pain – https://theconversation.com/trumps-opening-tariff-salvo-will-hurt-us-consumers-following-through-on-canada-mexico-threats-will-increase-the-price-pain-248991

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Who are immigrants to the US, where do they come from and where do they live?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Van Hook, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Demography, Penn State

    Immigrants to the U.S. increasingly arrive like these people, seeking asylum at a formal border crossing, rather than trying to sneak across the border. Carlos Moreno/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Undocumented immigration is a key issue in American politics, but it can be hard to nail down the basic facts about who these immigrants are, where they live and how their numbers have changed in the past few decades.

    I study the demographics of the U.S. immigrant population and have seen how the data has changed over time. Here are some basics to set the stage as President Donald Trump begins his second term in office vowing to crack down hard on immigrants, including by conducting mass deportations.

    Immigration status

    My analysis of the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey data, in collaboration with the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit immigration research group, finds that as of the middle of 2023, approximately 51 million foreign-born people lived in the United States.

    Most immigrants are in the U.S. legally. About 49% have become U.S. citizens by a process known as naturalization. Another 19% hold lawful permanent resident status and are eligible to become U.S. citizens through naturalization. Still another 5% are in the country on temporary visas, like those for international students, diplomats and their families, and seasonal or temporary workers.

    The remaining 27% – around 13.7 million people – are outside those categories and therefore generally considered to be undocumented.

    My analysis shows that the number of undocumented immigrants held steady at around 11 million between 2007 and 2019. In the next four years, the numbers increased by nearly 3 million. This recent growth is mostly attributable to large increases in border crossings by migrants from Central and South America who were seeking asylum or other forms of humanitarian relief. Starting in June 2024, however, the number of people entering across the U.S.-Mexico border fell back to normal levels when the Biden administration implemented the Secure the Border rule, which suspends asylum applications at the border when crossings reach a seven-day average of 2,500.

    These changes were accompanied by changes in the undocumented migration process itself. In the past, undocumented immigrants often entered the country by slipping undetected across the U.S. border with Mexico. But increased border enforcement made the journey more dangerous and expensive.

    Instead of paying smugglers or risking their lives in the desert, growing numbers of undocumented immigrants now either directly approach immigration officials at airports or land-border crossings and seek asylum in the U.S. Others are initially admitted to the country legally on a temporary tourist, student or work visa – but then overstay the time period for which they have permission.

    Additionally, growing numbers of undocumented immigrants occupy what might be called a “liminal” or “in-between” status. The Migration Policy Institute analysis estimates this encompasses a range of groups as of the middle of 2023, including:

    • About 2.1 million people awaiting a decision on their asylum claims.
    • 521,000 parolees, allowed into the U.S. for humanitarian or national security reasons, like those paroled recently from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
    • 654,000 people who hold temporary protected status because it would be unsafe for them to return home due to armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies.
    • 562,000 who are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program because they were brought to the United States as children by their parents.

    The report estimates that just over one-quarter of undocumented immigrants currently occupy this type of “in-between” status. These immigrants are protected from deportation. Some even have a legal right to work in the U.S. Yet they do not possess a durable legal immigration status, and their rights could be threatened by policy changes.

    While Trump says he wants to deport as many as 11 million immigrants, analyses published by The New York Times and The Washington Post indicate that it may be difficult to remove many of them under existing U.S. law. The one group that is easy to remove – those with a criminal record – is relatively small, numbering about 650,000.

    Shifting countries of origin

    Since 1980, Mexicans have been the largest single national origin group in the United States. I found that 10.9 million Mexican-born individuals were living in the country in 2023, making up 23% of all immigrants. The second-largest group, immigrants from India, numbered just 2.9 million, or 6% of all immigrants living in the U.S.

    However, immigrants’ origins have been shifting away from Mexico.

    With the onset of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, work opportunities in U.S. construction and manufacturing evaporated. Many Mexican laborers had been working in construction at the time but went back to Mexico when the U.S. housing market collapsed.

    At that same time, Mexico’s economic conditions improved, its population growth slowed, and many would-be migrants opted to stay home. For the first time in decades, from 2007 to 2022 the number of Mexicans who returned home exceeded the number coming to the United States.

    This trend was especially pronounced among undocumented immigrants. I found that Mexicans made up about 51% of the undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country 10 or more years ago. Central Americans made up 20%, and the remaining originated from other regions.

    However, undocumented migrants now come from across the globe. Among undocumented immigrants who arrived within the past 10 years, 19% came from Mexico. Larger shares came from Central America and South America. While some of these new migrants seek work, others flee crime, economic and ecological disasters, and political persecution in their home countries.

    Duration of residence

    Most immigrants, whether they are in the U.S. legally or illegally, have lived in the United States for many years. Just under half of foreign-born individuals have lived in the country for two decades or more, and more than two-thirds have lived in the country for at least 10 years. Only 20% arrived within the past five years.

    This is a dramatic change from the early 2000s, when less than 10% of immigrants had been in the U.S. for more than two decades, and more than one-third had arrived within the previous five years.

    That means many of the people who are likely to be targeted for deportation in the coming months are settled, long-term members of American society.

    Place of residence

    As of 2023, 6.6 million immigrants reported on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey that they moved to the United States in the past five years.

    However, the effects of these new immigrants on American communities has been uneven. Although most communities are more racially and ethnically diverse now than in the past, the numbers of newly arrived immigrants are relatively low in most places.

    Fifteen states host fewer than 20,000 immigrants, and 33 states are home to fewer than 100,000. In contrast, over half of new arrivals live in just five states: California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas are the home of over half of new arrivals yet have only 37% of the U.S. population. Other states such as Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington also are home to large and growing immigrant populations.

    The U.S. immigrant population is changing rapidly. In the early years of the 21st century, Mexican immigrants dominated undocumented immigration flows to the United States. Decades later, many of these people continue to live in the country.

    In the past four years, however, the flow of undocumented people increased dramatically. These new arrivals tend to come from troubled nations in Central and South America, many of whom are protected from deportation and have a legal right to work in the U.S. Altogether, most undocumented immigrants either have lived in the country for decades or have legal protections.

    Neither of these groups fit the profile of undocumented immigrants who are typically targeted for deportation.

    Jennifer Van Hook receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. She is a nonresident fellow of the Migration Policy Institute.

    – ref. Who are immigrants to the US, where do they come from and where do they live? – https://theconversation.com/who-are-immigrants-to-the-us-where-do-they-come-from-and-where-do-they-live-247430

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New infrastructure research can aid disaster preparedness

    Source: New Zealand Infrastructure Commission

    New research from the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga shows how insurance can help us to manage natural hazard risks and choose how to prepare infrastructure for a changing climate.
    “New Zealand has experienced some significant natural events in recent years,” says the Commission’s General Manager Strategy, Peter Nunns. “In dollar terms alone, we’ve seen at least $10 billion in infrastructure rebuilding costs from two large earthquakes and two storms since 2012. And that doesn’t of course include the impact of these events on people’s lives and businesses or the economy.”
    Nunns says that not only is the likelihood and size of events such as storms expected to grow in coming years, but the replacement cost of infrastructure is growing too.
    “On an inflation-adjusted, per-person basis, public infrastructure is now worth 70% more that it was in 1990. So, the cost of replacing it after a natural disaster is rising at the same time as the likelihood of a disaster is rising. It’s more important than ever to make good decisions about when and how to reduce risks and minimise costs.”
    The Commission’s report Invest or insure? Preparing infrastructure for natural hazards looks at how insurance can help us decide if, when and by how much to invest in infrastructure adaptation or resilience.
    The report shows that insurance prices rise as risks to assets, like the chance of flooding, and the cost to repair or re-build go up. Investing to make infrastructure more resilient or adapt to changing risks can bring down the cost of insurance. When infrastructure providers measure their risks and price them through insurance, they can make better risk management decisions by looking at whether the cost of resilience investments are matched by benefits from lower insurance premiums.
    Providers must also factor in other costs – such as risks to public safety or damage caused by the failure of their infrastructure. These economic and social consequences can also be added to the providers’ insurance / resilience appraisal.
    However, Nunns says that overall New Zealand has an incomplete picture of the hazards it faces, the risks these pose for our infrastructure, and how these are being managed. For instance, the last time a review of insurance coverage for public assets was undertaken – over 10 years ago – it found that less than half of public assets were insured.
    “This is challenging, as our research shows that, in addition to helping to smooth out the costs of responding to natural hazards, insurance can also help infrastructure providers make better decisions about when and how to reduce risk and minimise costs.”
    “Risks change over time. A risk management decision made yesterday might not be the best decision for tomorrow. It’s important that infrastructure providers consider this in their long-term asset management planning.”
    Report key findings
    – There is no single best approach to managing natural hazard risk to infrastructure. Instead, the optimal approach will vary depending on many factors, including likelihood and consequence of the hazard, and the relative cost of different options in different situations.
    – To manage risk well, infrastructure providers need to have a good understanding of their assets and the risks to which they are exposed. They will also need the capability to assess their options and optimise their response to risks from natural hazards. However, at a national level, we lack comprehensive and consistent hazard data for providers to use to assess their risk.
    – Quantifying risk and/or pricing it through insurance premiums, can help clarify the optimal risk management approach for infrastructure assets. Optimal resilience investments should reduce risk management costs, compared to continuing to pay risk related insurance premiums. When resilience investments are more costly than insuring risk, they may not be warranted.
    – The optimal level of resilience will depend on the relative cost of resilience investments compared to the expected cost of (and the benefits we get from) the assets being protected. We can increase the case for resilience investment by focusing on keeping infrastructure delivery costs down. Conversely, rising infrastructure delivery costs will erode the case for resilience investments.
    Background notes
    – Our understanding of both the probability and severity of natural hazards continues to improve as scientific research progresses. Improving our scientific understanding and investigating hazards in more detail sometimes results in increased estimates of risk. For example, pre-2021 modelling estimated that there was a 30% chance of a major earthquake on the Alpine Fault over the next 50 years. More recent research has estimated the probability to be much higher, with a 75% probability of occurring over the next 50 years.
    – In some cases, the underlying risks are also changing as climate change is expected to make severe weather events both more frequent and more severe.
    – In recent decades, New Zealand has experienced annual reported losses equal to almost 0.6% of gross domestic product (GDP). These losses mainly reflect damage to residential property and businesses, as well as damage to infrastructure.
    – Already, natural disasters cost New Zealanders more as a share of GDP than anyone else except Chileans. Some hazards will grow significantly in their frequency and intensity as our climate changes over the next 30-80 years.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: The U.S. and Panama, Safer and More Prosperous Together

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    On his first official trip as Secretary of State, Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Panama. American leadership is back in our hemisphere and we’re ready to work with our regional partners.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwuYgvy9xJM

    MIL OSI Video –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: APEDA’s financial assistance schemes boosts 47.3% surge in India’s fruit and vegetable exports

    Source: Government of India (2)

    APEDA’s financial assistance schemes boosts 47.3% surge in India’s fruit and vegetable exports

    APEDA strengthens exporter growth with new schemes for infrastructure, quality, and market development

    India’s fruit and vegetable exports reach 123 countries, with 17 new market added in 3 years

    Posted On: 04 FEB 2025 7:58PM by PIB Delhi

    The Department of Commerce through Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) provides financial assistance to its member exporters of APEDA from across the country, for export promotion of its Scheduled products, including for Fruits & vegetables, under Agriculture and Processed Foods Export Promotion Scheme of APEDA for the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26) in following three broad areas:

    Scheme for infrastructure Development – Financial assistance for setting up of packhouse facilities with packing / grading lines, pre-cooling unit with cold storage and refrigerated transportation etc., cable system for handling of crops like banana, pre-shipment treatment facilities such as irradiation, vapor heat treatment, hot water dip treatment and common infrastructure facilities, reefer vans and missing gap in the existing infrastructure of individual exporters.

    Scheme for Quality Development – Financial assistance for purchase of laboratory testing equipment, installation of quality management system, handheld devices for capturing farm level coordinates for traceability and testing of water, soil, residues and pesticides etc.

    Scheme for Market Promotion – The assistance covers participation of exporters in international trade fairs, organizing buyer seller meets and developing packaging standards for new products and upgrading the existing packaging standards.

    The details of financial assistance guidelines are available at APEDA Website www.apeda.gov.in under the “Scheme” tab.

    As a result of these initiatives, there has been a growth of 47.3%, in the volume of exports of fruits and vegetables between the period 2019-20 to 2023-24.

    Export data of fruits and vegetables in last five years

    		  

     

    		  

    Country: All

     

    		  

    Product: Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

     

    		  

     

    Value In USD Million

    Qty In Thousand MT

     

    		  

    Products

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

     

    		  

    Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

    1,282.43

    1,342.13

    1,527.63

    1,635.95

    1,814.58

    2,659.48

    3,148.08

    3,376.25

    4,335.68

    3,911.95

     

    		  

    Source: DGCIS

     

    		  

     

    Growth in terms of Volume in the last five years =47.30%

    Growth in terms of Value in the last five years= 41.50 %

    The Government maintains the record of total exports of fruits and vegetables from India. The export figures of States are compiled on the basis of the State-of-Origin code reported by the exporters in the shipping bills. Thus, the state wise data of exports of Fruits and vegetables is not available as the same is not validated by DGCI&S. However, the major states producing Fruits and vegetables are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka.

    India’s Export of Mango and Onion to World (By Variety)

    Product

    Variety

    USD Million

    Qty in MT

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Mango

    Other Mangoes

    0.00

    25.42

    23.48

    33.26

    36.18

    0.00

    15795.09

    17448.90

    17257.28

    23786.16

    Kesar

    0.00

    2.92

    6.91

    4.97

    11.25

    0.00

    983.73

    2319.08

    1749.97

    3787.01

    Alphonso (Hapus)

    0.00

    6.08

    10.09

    7.84

    8.68

    0.00

    3195.86

    5994.86

    2829.76

    2673.39

    Banganapalli

    0.00

    1.46

    3.01

    2.00

    3.20

    0.00

    830.55

    1674.04

    856.91

    1081.68

    Chausa

    0.00

    0.05

    0.05

    0.03

    0.24

    0.00

    40.98

    25.64

    19.72

    488.26

    Langda

    0.00

    0.08

    0.16

    0.12

    0.19

    0.00

    48.99

    122.16

    70.02

    81.94

    Dasheri

    0.00

    0.09

    0.11

    0.06

    0.17

    0.00

    49.50

    75.92

    34.70

    75.54

    Totapuri

    0.00

    0.07

    0.17

    0.20

    0.16

    0.00

    47.47

    151.01

    116.60

    91.95

    Mallika

    0.00

    0.03

    0.09

    0.06

    0.07

    0.00

    41.40

    61.16

    28.81

    38.17

    Mangoes , Fresh/Dried,

    56.11

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    49658.68

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    Total Mangoes

    56.11

    36.20

    44.07

    48.54

    60.14

    49658.68

    21033.57

    27872.77

    22963.77

    32104.10

    Onion

    Other Onions Fresh of Chilled

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    434.78

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    1606683.97

    Rose Onions Fresh of Chilled

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    38.94

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    0.00

    110755.38

    Onions, Fresh/Chilled

    324.20

    378.49

    460.56

    561.38

    0.00

    1149896.84

    1578016.57

    1537496.85

    2525258.35

    0.00

    Total Onions

    324.20

    378.49

    460.56

    561.38

    473.72

    1149896.84

    1578016.57

    1537496.85

    2525258.35

    1717439.35

     

    Source: DGCIS

     

    Note :- ITC HS Code with (*) mark of the Commodity is either dropped or re-allocated

     

    In FY 2023-24, India’s exports of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables reached 123 countries. In the last 3 years, Indian fresh produce entered 17 new markets, some of which are Brazil, Georgia, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Czech Republic, Uganda, Ghana etc. This has been achieved through a host of measures such as participation in international trade fairs, actively pursuing market access negotiations, organizing buyer seller meets etc.

    Department of Commerce is working in close coordination with the MoA&FW in prioritizing agriculture products for market access negotiations to reach new markets. As a result, India has achieved new market access in following commodities in the last three years:

    • Indian Potatoes and Onions in Serbia
    • Baby corn and fresh banana in Canada
    • Pomegranate arils in Australia, USA, Serbia, and New Zealand
    • Whole pomegranates in Australia via Irradiation treatment

     

    The barriers in accessing new markets differ from product to product and are dynamic in nature. Some of the major barriers in accessing new markets for fruits & vegetables are:

    • Long geographic distance from India raising the costs of logistics.
    • Delay in grant of market access by importing countries for certain products.
    • Stringent Phyto-sanitary requirements imposed by some importing countries.
    • Delay in registration of enterprises in certain countries.

    To address the above issues, various steps are being taken by the Department of Commerce:

    • For expand market access to our products, MoA&FW & APEDA have identified key products and key countries for intensifying market access negotiations.
    • Development of Sea protocols for horticulture products to reduce logistic expenses and to enable larger volume of exports.
    • Regular follow up with the counterpart authorities of importing countries with support of our Missions abroad for registration of facilities and market access negotiations.
    • For meeting stringent Phyto-sanitary requirements, setting up of traceability system and a system of farmer and facility registration.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan/Asmitabha Manna

     

     

    (Release ID: 2099814) Visitor Counter : 20

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2025-14 AG NEWS RELEASE – AG LOPEZ JOINS COALITION OF 20 ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGING SENATE TO DEMAND ANSWERS ON RETALIATION EFFORTS FROM FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    2025-14 AG NEWS RELEASE – AG LOPEZ JOINS COALITION OF 20 ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGING SENATE TO DEMAND ANSWERS ON RETALIATION EFFORTS FROM FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL

    Posted on Feb 4, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

     

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

    KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
     GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

     

    ANNE LOPEZ

    ATTORNEY GENERAL

    LOIO KUHINA

    ATTORNEY GENERAL LOPEZ JOINS COALITION OF 20 ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGING SENATE TO DEMAND ANSWERS ON RETALIATION EFFORTS FROM FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL

     

    News Release 2025-14

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

    February 4, 2025

     

    HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general today sending a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, urging the Senate to require Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, to return for further questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The request follows alarming reports of politically motivated firings at the FBI and efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots.

    The attorneys general note how critical it is for Patel to address recent reports of politically motivated firings at the FBI. The joint letter states: “Shortly after his confirmation hearing, we learned from news reports that more than a dozen high-ranking FBI officials were fired and that the FBI is developing a list of all agents and staff who worked investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6th Capitol riots. It is critical for Mr. Patel to answer questions about this unprecedented attack on the FBI before Senators vote on his confirmation.”

    The letter raises additional concerns over reports that “the Administration plans to fire at least six high-ranking career FBI officials if they do not retire” and that “acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove directed FBI staff to compile a list of all staff who were ‘assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions’ relating to the January 6th riots.” The attorneys general state, “If true, this is a purge of FBI employees.”

    The attorneys general stress in the letter that before any confirmation vote, “the United States Senate should know what Mr. Patel plans to do with the list of FBI agents and staff that is currently being compiled.”

    The letter further provides, “Purging over 6,000 FBI agents and staff will have disastrous effects on public safety across the country and will make our communities more dangerous. FBI employees and staff protect America from the public safety harms that President Trump listed in his executive orders—fentanyl, the Mexican Cartels, foreign terrorist organizations, and harms to Americans’ pocketbooks.”

    “This threat to FBI operations will substantially harm Hawai‘i’s law enforcement ecosystem,” said Attorney General Lopez. “The FBI plays a substantial role in keeping the people of Hawaiʻi safe. The tight-knit relationship between the FBI and our state and county law enforcement includes investigating and prosecuting individuals for public corruption, internet crimes against children, and conducting joint operations to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking organizations and money laundering operations across the state.”

    Beyond the FBI purge, the letter condemns additional attacks on law enforcement by the Trump administration, stating, “The President’s efforts to undermine the FBI follow unprecedented attacks on our country’s public safety. In just two weeks, the President has fired United States Attorneys, pardoned rioters who killed and injured Capitol Police Officers, and attempted to cut off funding for law enforcement across the country.”

    The letter continues, “Further, Congress must question Administration officials on the scope of pardoning Capitol rioters, and its attempts to dismiss pending cases against January 6th rioters. At least one judge has already found that the dismissals will harm public safety and are unjustified.”

    Now is the time for Congress to act. Over the past two weeks, President Trump has taken actions that make our country less safe. Attorney General Lopez believes that Congress must act to protect Americans and hold the Administration accountable. The first step is requiring Mr. Patel to answer questions about the pending FBI purge before a confirmation vote.

    Joining Hawai‘i in sending the letter are the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington.

    A copy of the letter is available here.

     

    # # #

     

    Media contacts:

    Dave Day

    Special Assistant to the Attorney General

    Office: 808-586-1284                                                  

    Email: [email protected]        

    Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

     

    Toni Schwartz
    Public Information Officer
     Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
    Office:     808-586-1252
    Cell: 808-379-9249
    Email:     [email protected] 

    Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy Meets Saudi Minister to Strengthen Cooperation in Critical Minerals Sector

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 04 FEB 2025 7:16PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Coal & Mines, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, today held a high-level meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Mr. Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef, in New Delhi. The meeting aimed at strengthening cooperation in the critical minerals sector and exploring new avenues for investment and technological collaboration.

    A significant development during the discussion is related to the designation of Geological Survey of India Training Institute (GSITI) as a Centre of Excellence under the Future Minerals Forum. This initiative will facilitate specialized training programs for geologists from Saudi Arabia, Africa and Central Asia, contributing to capacity building in the global mining sector.

    Key points of the meeting included:

    Resilient Mineral Supply Chains: Both leaders emphasized the need to establish reliable and secure mineral supply chains to reduce dependency on imports.

    Investment in Value-Added Processing: Focus was laid on promoting joint ventures for processing critical minerals to support clean energy technologies.

    Technological Collaboration: Discussions also explored cooperation in adopting advanced mining technologies and innovation for sustainable mineral exploration and extraction.

    The dialogue builds on India’s engagement at the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) 2025 in Riyadh, where Shri Reddy highlighted India’s commitment to securing critical minerals essential for the energy transition and clean energy systems. At the FMF 2025, Shri Reddy also held discussions with representatives from Brazil, Italy, and Morocco to foster global partnerships.

    This meeting marks a significant step in India’s efforts to develop international partnerships for mineral security and sustainable development, aligned with the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM).

    India and Saudi Arabia are deepening cooperation in the critical minerals sector. Union Minister Shri @kishanreddybjp and Saudi Minister Mr. Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef discussed fostering resilient supply chains, investments in mineral value addition, and technological… pic.twitter.com/FuvDy9NhbW

    — Ministry of Mines (@MinesMinIndia) February 4, 2025

    Union Minister Shri @kishanreddybjp had a fruitful meeting today with Saudi Minister Mr. Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef in New Delhi. Discussions focused on designating GSITI Hyderabad as a Centre of Excellence under the Future Minerals Forum to train geologists from Saudi Arabia,… pic.twitter.com/6ik1KKtls6

    — Ministry of Mines (@MinesMinIndia) February 4, 2025

    ******

    Shuhaib T

    (Release ID: 2099793) Visitor Counter : 29

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: The National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Policy, 2012 lays down the regulatory framework for pricing of drugs

    Source: Government of India (2)

    The National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Policy, 2012 lays down the regulatory framework for pricing of drugs

    The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has signed agreements or memorandum of understandings on regulatory cooperation with other international agencies

    Posted On: 04 FEB 2025 5:50PM by PIB Delhi

    The National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Policy, 2012 (NPPP, 2012) lays down the regulatory framework for pricing of drugs. The key principles for regulation of prices in the said policy are (i) regulation on the basis of essentiality of drugs, (ii) regulation of prices of formulations only, i.e., medicines used by consumers and not the upstream products such as bulk drugs or intermediates, and (iii) regulation through market-based pricing as against cost-based pricing under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995. The details of the policy are available in the Gazette notification dated 7th December 2012 of the Department of Pharmaceuticals

    [https://egazette.gov.in/(S(cjt0i1uouyc1bl3ozo3jx3qk))/ViewPDF.aspx].

    As per the information provided by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has signed agreements or memorandum of understandings on regulatory cooperation with other international agencies, including with such agencies in Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Guyana, Japan, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Suriname, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States of America and the Drug Regulatory Authority of BRICS.

    This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Smt Anupriya Patel in Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question today.

    *****

    MV/AKS

     

    (Release ID: 2099706) Visitor Counter : 69

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson to Present at TD Cowen’s 46th Annual Aerospace & Defense Conference

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCAT) (“Red Cat”) (“Red Cat”), a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, today announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Thompson, will present at TD Cowen’s 46th Annual Aerospace & Defense Conference on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

    Thompson’s presentation is scheduled from 1:20 PM to 2:00 PM ET in Track 2 (Salon II, Conference Level) at The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, VA. He will discuss Red Cat’s latest advancements in drone technology and the company’s strategic initiatives within the aerospace and defense sectors.

    TD Cowen’s 46th Annual Aerospace & Defense Conference, taking place February 11-13, 2025, brings together industry leaders for a series of presentations, fireside chats, and panel discussions. Moderated by members of the TD Cowen research team, the event will highlight key trends shaping the aerospace and defense industries.

    Investors and attendees interested in scheduling a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Thompson are encouraged to contact the Company through the investor relations section of the Red Cat website.

    About Red Cat Holdings, Inc.

    Red Cat (Nasdaq: RCAT) is a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations. Through two wholly owned subsidiaries, Teal Drones and FlightWave Aerospace, Red Cat has developed a Family of Systems. This includes the Black Widow™, a small unmanned ISR system that was awarded the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Program of Record contract. The Family of Systems also includes TRICHON™, a fixed wing VTOL for extended endurance and range, and FANG™, the industry’s first line of NDAA compliant FPV drones optimized for military operations with precision strike capabilities. Learn more at www.redcat.red.

    About TD Securities

    As a leading corporate and investment bank, TD Securities offers a wide range of integrated capital markets products and services. Our corporate, government, and institutional clients choose us for our innovation, execution, and experience.

    With more than 7,100 professionals operating out of 34 cities across the globe, we help clients meet their needs today and prepare for tomorrow. Our services include underwriting and distributing new issues, providing trusted advice and industry-leading insight, extending access to global markets, and delivering integrated transaction banking solutions.

    TD Cowen is a division of TD Securities. As part of TD Securities’ broader suite of integrated capital markets products and services, our offering includes investment banking, research, sales and trading, prime brokerage, outsourced trading, and commission management services.

    We are growth-oriented, people-focused, and community-minded. As a team, we work to deliver value for our clients every day.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on Red Cat Holdings, Inc.’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 27, 2023. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Red Cat Holdings, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

    Contact:

    INVESTORS:
    E-mail: Investors@redcat.red

    NEWS MEDIA:
    Phone: (347) 880-2895
    Email: peter@indicatemedia.com

    The MIL Network –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tifton, Georgia, Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, Ga. – A Tifton resident faces up to 40 years in federal prison for distributing kilograms of Mexico-sourced methamphetamine after he was caught with a pound of methamphetamine while wearing an ankle monitor for a prior drug trafficking charge and attempted to flee from deputies.

    Travarious Deshawn Mike, 29, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner on Feb. 3. Mike faces a maximum of 20 years in prison per count, to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.

    “The defendant was transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from an Atlanta source into the Tifton community. Even after his initial arrest, he willfully continued to violate the law and traffic dangerous drugs into Southwest Georgia,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Shanelle Booker. “Our office collaborates closely with local, state and federal law enforcement to ensure that repeat offenders who are causing significant harm in the Middle District of Georgia are stopped and held accountable for their actions.”

    “This investigation resulting in the seizure of meth, heroin and firearms is a clear reminder of the dangerous networks we continue to dismantle,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “The GBI remains committed to disrupting drug trafficking and criminal activity, especially those tied to dangerous sources of supply. This is a significant step in protecting our communities.”

    According to court documents and statements referenced in court, GBI agents recorded Mike providing methamphetamine during a controlled buy utilizing a confidential informant (CI) on Aug. 15, 2022, at the Church’s Chicken in Tifton. A court-authorized tracking device monitored by the GBI captured Mike departing Tifton for Atlanta on Aug. 30, 2022. GBI agents observed Mike travel to two Mexican restaurants for brief periods, then immediately begin to travel back down I-75 towards Tifton. Crisp County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies initiated a traffic stop on his vehicle after it observed a defective brake light and a window tint violation. A CCSO trained K9 made a positive alert on Mike’s car. During a search of the vehicle, agents seized 502 grams of heroin in Mike’s bookbag.

    At the same time, GBI requested the Tifton Police Department’s (TPD) assistance to conduct surveillance on Mike’s Tifton residence. TPD initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle leaving Mike’s residence, locating 8,068 grams of 67.9% pure methamphetamine. The occupant was a drug courier delivering the narcotics from a Mexican source of supply near Atlanta to Mike and had made the trip before. GBI executed a court-authorized search warrant at Mike’s residence that same day and found four semiautomatic pistols, a revolver, rounds of ammunition, methamphetamine and a set of digital scales. A vehicle parked outside Mike’s residence and belonging to a co-defendant contained 783 grams of 80% pure methamphetamine, 168 grams of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, 97 oxycodone/fentanyl pills, seven grams of crack cocaine, plastic baggies and a digital scale. Interviews, evidence and text messages on seized cell phones belonging to Mike and co-defendants revealed that Mike was purchasing methamphetamine from a Mexican source of supply based in the metro Atlanta area. Mike subsequently bonded out of jail.

    On June 5, 2024, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) observed a white Dodge Charger driven by Mike commit a traffic violation in Monroe County, Georgia. MCSO deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Mike tried to escape and reached speeds over 125 mph. During the pursuit, Mike discarded a brick-shaped package out the window, which burst into a white crystal-like substance. Other MCSO officers secured the scene where the substance was discarded, finding approximately one pound of methamphetamine. Mike lost control of the vehicle and crashed onto the side of the highway. He attempted to flee on foot but was immediately apprehended. At the time of his arrest, Mike was wearing an ankle monitor and advised that he was out on bond for another drug trafficking incident.

    The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), the Tifton Police Department, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid is prosecuting the case for the Government.

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southbridge Man Convicted of Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Southbridge man has been convicted by a federal jury for his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed cocaine and fentanyl throughout the North Shore and Central Massachusetts areas.

    Ismael Maysonet, 40, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 4, 2025. In September 2022, Maysonet was charged along with 21 other co-conspirators.

    “Ismael Maysonet was a member of a large-scale drug trafficking organization that pumped fentanyl and cocaine into the communities of Massachusetts. We will continue to target and dismantle these groups to keep our communities safe and hold drug traffickers accountable,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “My office is committed to prosecuting all drug traffickers who prey on the vulnerable and addicted in our communities. We will continue to root out, arrest and prosecute those who violate our drug laws.”

    “Those who choose to distribute fentanyl and cocaine endanger their customers as well as the general public. Maintaining public safety requires that they be prosecuted aggressively,” said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “We work closely each day with our law enforcement partners to target those who seek to profit from the sale of these substances.”

    “Postal inspectors are committed to ensuring the U.S. Postal Service is not a mechanism to distribute deadly fentanyl and other illicit narcotics,” stated Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service. “Let today’s verdict serve as a reminder that postal inspectors, along with our law enforcement partners, remain steadfast in our resolve to combat the flow of illicit drugs impacting our communities.”

    In and around August 2021 through August 2022, Maysonet was identified as a member of a Southbridge-based DTO who distributed cocaine and fentanyl to retail customers and other drug dealers at the request of the leaders of the DTO, Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez. The DTO regularly used the United States mail to conduct drug trafficking activities. Specifically, the DTO obtained large quantities of cocaine through packages mailed from Puerto Rico to addresses used by the DTO and mailed packages containing fentanyl to recipients in Florida and elsewhere. On multiple occasions Maysonet was observed retrieving packages that were delivered by the United States mail that were known to contain drugs. Throughout the investigation, Maysonet was heard over intercepted calls discussing drug trafficking, payments and pickups, as well as the packaging of fentanyl in an electronic device to be mailed to Florida. Approximately nine kilograms of cocaine from packages sent through the mail and 800 grams of fentanyl were seized from various DTO members over the course of the investigation.

    Both Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez pleaded guilty in January 2025 and are scheduled to be sentenced on April 29, 2025 and May 12, 2025, respectively.  

    The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence offive5 years and up to life in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    U.S. Attorney Foley, DEA Acting SAC Belleau and USPIS INC Larco-Ward made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, Southbridge Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, Essex County Sherriff’s Department and Worcester County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Hassink and Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

    This investigation 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.

    The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Terren S. Peizer, through Humanitario Capital LLC, Acquires Proportionate Voting Shares and Proportionate Voting Share Warrants of Inspire Semiconductor Holdings Inc.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DORADO, Puerto Rico and VANCOUVER, British Columbia , Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — This news release is issued by Terren Peizer (“Mr. Peizer”) pursuant to the early warning requirements of Canada’s National Instrument 62-104 and National Instrument 62-103 with respect to proportionate voting shares (“PVS”) and proportionate voting share warrants (“PVS Warrants”) of Inspire Semiconductor Holdings Inc. (the “Issuer”).

    Mr. Peizer announces that, through his wholly owned corporation, Humanitario Capital LLC. (“Humanitario”), he has acquired PVS and PVS Warrants in connection with the conversion (the “Conversion”) of a C$10,000,000 loan made to the Issuer pursuant to a loan agreement dated September 23, 2024. The issuance of the securities described hereby was entirely contingent upon the delisting of the Issuer’s subordinate voting shares (“SVS”) from the TSX Venture Exchange which occurred on December 31, 2024.

    Pursuant to the Conversion, Humantario was issued 740,740.74 PVS and 740,740 PVS Warrants representing approximately 26.78% of the issued and outstanding SVS on a basic basis and approximately 42.25% of the issued and outstanding SVS on a partially-diluted basis, after giving effect only to the exercise of the PVS Warrants held by Humanitario.

    Each PVS is convertible at the option of the holder in 100 SVS pursuant to the Issuer’s articles. Each of the foregoing percentages assumes the conversion of all issued and outstanding PVS to SVS.

    Mr. Peizer (through Humanitario) acquired the Shares for investment purposes and may, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease his beneficial ownership, control, or direction over securities of the Issuer through market transactions, private agreements, treasury issuances, exercise of warrants, or otherwise.

    For further information and to obtain a copy of the early warning report filed under applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities legislation in connection with the transactions described herein, please go to the Issuer’s profile on the SEDAR+ website (www.sedarplus.ca) or contact the Company at invest@inspiresemi.com

    The MIL Network –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James and Coalition of 20 Attorneys General Condemn Planned Purge of FBI Agents

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in calling on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to demand further testimony from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director nominee Kash Patel following reports of a planned purge of thousands of FBI agents and staff involved in investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol. In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Attorney General James and the coalition expressed grave concern over reports that the Trump administration is planning to fire agents and staff who participated in January 6th investigations at the FBI, eliminating approximately 15% of the FBI workforce. The attorneys general warn that these actions could have dangerous consequences for the rule of law and public safety nationwide.

    “This effort to defund the FBI to fulfill a political vendetta puts the American people at risk. The FBI is critical to keeping Americans safe from violent crime, terrorism, and threats to our democracy,” said Attorney General James. “Any effort to retaliate against career law enforcement officials for doing their jobs is unacceptable and a direct threat to our justice system. Before the Senate votes on Kash Patel’s confirmation, the American people deserve to know whether he plans to carry out a politically motivated purge of FBI agents and staff. Our nation’s safety depends on it.”

    Reports indicate that more than a dozen January 6th prosecutors have already been dismissed and that the administration is considering the removal of at least six more high-ranking FBI officials. Additionally, the acting deputy attorney general has reportedly ordered the FBI to compile a list of all FBI employees who worked on January 6th investigations. If this list is used for its reported intent of firing all agents and staffers involved in the January 6th investigations and prosecutions, it could impact more than 6,000 FBI personnel and severely weaken federal law enforcement efforts across the country, in red and blue states alike.

    At the time of Mr. Patel’s confirmation hearing, reports of the alleged FBI purge had not yet been made public. The attorneys general are urging the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to seek answers from Mr. Patel on these matters before the body votes to confirm his nomination. Senators, as representatives of the American people, should know what Mr. Patel plans to do with the list of FBI agents and staff that is being compiled before they cast their votes.

    The attorneys general argue that purging more than 6,000 FBI agents and staff will have disastrous effects for public safety nationwide and will put communities in danger. FBI employees and staff protect the country from many of the public safety harms that the administration itself has identified as law enforcement priorities, including but not limited to fentanyl, cartels, and foreign terrorist organizations. 

    Members of the FBI’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces assist federal and local law enforcement agencies in stopping cartels from smuggling fentanyl and guns into our communities. These task forces also contributed to the recent convictions of five New York members of La Cosa Nostra. The FBI also runs the Joint Terrorism Task Force across the country, protecting Americans from terrorism and other security threats. The hardworking agents, prosecutors, and staff at the FBI keep Americans safe every day, and mass firings would have a disastrous effect, undoubtedly resulting in countless criminals roaming free.

    Attorney General James and the coalition are calling on Congress to take immediate action to prevent this ridiculous attack on law enforcement and ensure that the FBI remains independent and fully operational. Congress has a responsibility to the nation to keep Americans safe and hold the administration accountable. The attorneys general urge Congress to start by calling Mr. Patel back before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the purported FBI purge before voting on his nomination.

    Joining Attorney General James in sending this letter to Chairman Grassley are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Emilia Pérez: the film’s wildly unrealistic representation of Mexican narco-violence and trans lives is insulting

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ailsa Peate, Lecturer in Latin American and Museum Studies, University of Westminster

    You would think that Jacques Audiard’s 13-time Oscar-nominated Emilia Pérez was the most watched film of the year given the discussion it has generated. The Mexican-set, French-made film’s opening weekend in Mexico tells a different story.

    Emilia Pérez sees the eponymous antagonist-heroine experience a transformation, undergoing gender-affirming procedures in order to leave behind her former dangerous, violent life as a cartel leader in Mexico.

    It came eighth at the box office in Mexico, which is hardly surprising. The effects of narco violence saw 613 murders and 626 disappearances between September and December 2024 in Sinaloa State in northwestern Mexico as its eponymous cartel’s factions fight for territory.

    Considering the context in which it was released, little positive noise has been made about Emilia Pérez within Mexico given its sensationalist, reductive representations of violence. Internationally, its representation of trans experiences has been criticised.

    Though well acted, it is thoughtless. The luxurious life Emilia lives as a trans woman is far detached from reality of most trans people in Mexico, where the average life expectancy for a trans person is 35.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    We follow Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), an underappreciated lawyer who works hard only for men to take the credit. Rita is hired by cartel head Juan “Manitas” del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) to find a surgeon for her transition to start again as Emilia Pérez. After the transition, Emilia has Manitas declared dead, leaving behind her mourning wife, Jessi (Selena Gómez) and their two young sons who she has relocated to Switzerland for their safety.

    After four years, Emilia tracks down Rita to have Jessi and the children moved back to Mexico, posing as Manitas’ distant relative. Emilia then works with Rita to launch a non-profit, “La Lucecita”, that helps the families of missing persons after Emilia becomes appalled by how many disappeared people there are in Mexico.

    Emilia’s immediate reaction to such social injustice demonstrates a naivety on Audiard’s part. Despite Manitas having destroyed lives, Emilia wants to dignify them. We are asked to believe that she had no idea about these wretched, miserable souls. But thankfully, Emilia’s “La Lucecita” is here to rescue them. The NGO will find the remains of the disappeared, making them visible again. Good thing Emilia made all that (drug) money to fund the work…

    Trailer for Emilia Pérez.

    The sheer unbelievability of Pérez not knowing about the violent reverberations of her work aside, I was gratified to see the disappeared of Mexico centralised in the film. The stories of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Guatemala and Colombia usually dominate when it comes to the consequences of human rights abuses in the region.

    Political prisoners, state terrorism, death flights and extrajudicial murders date back at least as far as the 1960s in Mexico, with the Indomitable Memory Museum in Mexico City doing fantastic work to highlight this history and dignify victims. In particular, the story of the Ayotzinapa 43, who were disappeared en route to Mexico City for an annual march against state corruption and human rights abuses in 2014.

    But, considering its direction, Emilia Pérez takes on a white saviour narrative and our heroine simply throws (drug) money at the problem. Audiard’s (admitted) lack of serious thought given to violence ,wealth and power in this context is laughable. Ask “searcher” groups, who go looking for the remains of their disappeared loved ones, like Las Rastredoras de El Fuerte to conjure up money for their work at a fancy gala (and watch I Called for You in Silence, a heartbreaking documentary on their struggles) and see what the reaction is.

    Emilia Pérez had the chance to add some nuance to the violence in Mexico today, to demonstrate that this does not exist in a vacuum. It had a chance to go beyond what the transfeminist philosopher Sayak Valencia and the expert in feminist visual culture Sonia Herrera Sánchez would term a kind of sensationalist, colonialist “pornomisery” to present gender fluidity and sexuality in a troubled and troubling context.

    I was disappointed. I found it impossible to watch the film without seeing constant instances of what Sayak Valencia deems gore capitalism in action. “Death has become the most profitable business in existence,” according to Valencia.

    She outlines that in the era of drug war Mexico (2006 to the present) power is the new capital in a moment where hyper-masculinity and levels of violence are out of control. The lifeless body signifies a capital of fear and power.

    Rather than Emilia Pérez forming any coherent commentary on this, the film contributes to it – how much will Audiard make from a film about bodies, what is done to them and how they are destroyed by Mexico’s drug war? How many awards? How much (more) power gained?

    Zoe Saldaña sings “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez.

    Bodily transition – from living to dead; from male to female – is a motif in the film, and one used as a lazy plot device. Emilia is no longer Manitas; in fact, she’s Manitas’ antithesis, who, therefore, does good for society. This dichotomy between “giving woman” and “violent man” only serves to perpetuate outdated views of womanhood. Karla Sofía Gascón was strong in this role, though I must ask why a Mexican trans actress couldn’t have played Pérez. For instance, Nava Mau of Baby Reindeer.

    We know that Emilia Pérez isn’t that bothered about nuance, being one reason the film has been so ripe for satire. It is a narco-telenovela-cum-queer musical from the perspective of a 72-year-old white French man.

    If you are looking for a show or film that does what Emilia Pérez should have, I can only recommend the one-off series Somos, a thoughtful take on the 2011 Allende massacre to temper such thoughtless representation.

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

    – ref. Emilia Pérez: the film’s wildly unrealistic representation of Mexican narco-violence and trans lives is insulting – https://theconversation.com/emilia-perez-the-films-wildly-unrealistic-representation-of-mexican-narco-violence-and-trans-lives-is-insulting-249066

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Rubio holds a joint press availability with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio holds a joint press availability with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves in San Jose, Costa Rica, on February 4, 2025.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
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    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgAPkjNZS3U

    MIL OSI Video –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Statement on Voting Against RFK Jr. to Serve as Nation’s Top Health Official  

    US Senate News:

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

    Kennedy Has Profited Off Spreading Vaccine Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services:

    “Despite Mr. Kennedy’s troubling track record of peddling misinformation and conspiracy theories, Senate Republicans have chosen to advance his nomination to the Senate Floor. Mr. Kennedy is not only a dangerous nominee that will undermine public health, but he also has no real plan to lower costs or improve care for Americans, and elevating him to the nation’s top health position puts American lives and livelihoods at risk.

    “During his hearing, I asked Mr. Kennedy if he would stand up to President Trump to protect health care for children and families. Not only did he have a deep misunderstanding of Medicaid, he would not commit to defending it. It’s clear to me that he will answer to President Trump, not the American people.

    “Republicans and Democrats alike raised concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s nomination, yet his nomination continues to move forward. The American people deserve better.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Fentanyl Crisis

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    February 04, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “The Poisoning of America: Fentanyl, its Analogues, and the Need for Permanent Class Scheduling.” During today’s hearing, Democratic Senators will speak to the negative impact that the Justice Department purges of senior law enforcement officials will have on combating the fentanyl crisis, how dragooning U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents into mass deportations will take their focus away from their drug enforcement duties, how the Trump Administration’s proposed funding freeze will affect state and local law enforcement, should it go into effect, and the need to hold social media companies accountable for peddling fentanyl to our nation’s kids.

    Key Durbin Quotes:

    “In just a decade, this synthetic opioid [fentanyl] has emerged as the deadliest drug in American history. All it takes is two milligrams—that’s a fraction of the size of a penny—to cause an overdose. It is so cheap that dealers are lacing lethal amounts into street drugs like cocaine and heroin, and their buyers are none the wiser.”

    “There is an overdose crisis in America, but we’ve learned that evidence-based solutions reduce deaths. In fact, in 2023, overdose deaths actually decreased for the first time since 2018 – going down by more than 10 percent. We need to look at every factor that contributed to this reduction. Counseling and treatment, training for first responders, and getting Naloxone to our hardest-hit communities are all making a difference.”

    “We must also address how this poison gets into the hands of the most vulnerable people in America—our kids. Too often, fentanyl is peddled in the open on some of the world’s largest social media platforms.”

    “Last Congress, the Judiciary Committee advanced several bipartisan bills that would finally hold these companies accountable and demand safeguards be put in place to protect our children. One of those bills is the Cooper Davis Act. Cooper is a 16-year-old Kansas teen who tragically lost his life to a fentanyl-laced pill he bought through Snapchat. This bill would require Big Tech companies to take a more proactive role in stopping drug dealers from using their platforms… In the coming days, I will join Senators Marshall, Shaheen, and others to reintroduce what will now be called the Cooper Davis and Devon Norring Act. I hope the Committee will again advance this critical legislation on a bipartisan basis.”

    “And I hope that Congress will finally – finally – allow these companies to be sued by their victims’ families so they can be held accountable in a court of law. Enough teens have died due to Big Tech’s deliberate indifference.”

    “We must also acknowledge the role the U.S. has played in arming cartels to the teeth. We send hundreds of thousands of firearms south of our border in an ‘iron river’… and they facilitate the use of violence to traffic fentanyl into the U.S.”

    “The federal funding freeze, which we’ve been talking about, if it is going to stop the efforts of law enforcement to combat fentanyl is a bad idea. The same is true of the recent order diverting federal law enforcement agents, including from the DEA and ATF, away from combatting fentanyl and firearms trafficked by cartels and working, instead, on a mass deportation effort.”

    “I’m also gravely concerned about the negative impact of mass removals of senior career law enforcement at the Department of Justice and FBI, and our ability to hold traffickers accountable and cut off the supply of fentanyl.”

    “The recent actions we’ve seen distract us from the need to take a comprehensive bipartisan approach to tackle this crisis—including investing in addiction prevention and treatment, enforcing and strengthening our gun laws, and giving federal, state, and local law enforcement the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.”

    “Getting fentanyl off the streets is a herculean task that will require us all to come together and work across the aisle to make this country healthier and safer.”

    Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.

    Yesterday, Durbin and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) led the bicameral introduction of the Stop Arming Cartels Act. The bill would seek to stem this “iron river” of firearms trafficking from the United States to Mexico, enabled by weak American gun laws and dangerous gun industry practices. The deadly stream of firearms trafficking exacerbates violence, enables cartels who smuggle migrants to our southern border, and facilitates the illicit trade of narcotics, including fentanyl, across the border back into the United States.  According to a 2021 study from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), 70 percent of crime guns recovered in Mexico from 2014-2018 and submitted for tracing were U.S.-sourced.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: World’s First Holographic 3D Ad Network Launches at Simon Malls Nationwide

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, New York, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hologram Media Network (HMN) has launched the world’s first always-on holographic advertising network, built in collaboration with Proto Hologram. Featuring next-generation Proto Luma devices, the network spans Simon® malls across the nation, offering a revolutionary platform that merges the digital and physical worlds in dynamic, interactive ways. 

    The network – which has already deployed across 30 premier Simon locations – including Los Angeles’ Del Amo Mall, New York’s Roosevelt Field Mall, Atlanta’s Lenox Square Mall, Nashville’s Opry Mills, and Chicago’s Woodfield Mall – offers limited advertising inventory, featuring 3D creative advertising programmed alongside exclusive IP content collaborations. Each month’s holographic show is curated with captivating storytelling from major studios, creators, artists, and influencers, as well as live interactive hologram events with celebrities. Initial content showcased experiences for Paramount Pictures‘ Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in December and Sony Pictures’ Paddington in Peru in February, immersing customers in lifelike 3D encounters with beloved characters and creating unforgettable and interactive moments.

    A Proto Luma installed by Hologram Media Networks at Simon’s Del Amo Mall in Southern California. (Credit: Steven Hong). 

    Unprecedented Engagement Metrics and Cutting-Edge Experiences 

    Early data highlights the effectiveness of HMN’s installations, with viewers engaging with holograms for an average of 24 seconds— over 500% higher than video dwell times on leading social media platforms like TikTok. This extended watch time underscores the ability of HMN’s holograms to command attention in today’s crowded media landscape. Augmented Reality (AR) experiences integrated with holographic displays are driving impressive 35% click-through rates, with thousands of customers engaging in the first two weeks of campaigns. 

    “Today’s consumers live in a world where engaging with 3D experiences is becoming second nature,” said James Andrew Felts, CEO of HMN. “Platforms like Meta Quest, Fortnite, and Roblox have normalized interacting with immersive content. HMN elevates this trend by bringing experiential media to real world spaces at scale, bridging the digital and physical spaces in ways that match changing customer expectations.”

    A Game-Changer for Advertising 

    HMN represents a leap forward in advertising optionality in the Out-Of-Home space. Unlike conventional 3D illusions or anamorphic screens, HMN offers holographic experiences that are three-dimensional and with no headsets or special equipment needed, creating captivating communal experiences. These displays bring content to life with a level of depth and realism that hasn’t been seen at scale in high traffic media locations like malls.

    “I’ve witnessed the evolution of countless mediums, but nothing compares to this,” said Proto Founder David Nussbaum, who has spent over 25 years in marketing and entertainment. “Together with HMN, we’re not just delivering ads—we’re creating personal, unforgettable moments at scale. This is a new era for interactive media, where the lines between the digital and physical worlds disappear.”

    Augmented Reality (AR) is core to HMN’s offering, seamlessly integrated into holographic promotions and content shows. Viewers can unlock exclusive AR experiences, save them to personalized accounts, and reengage with interactive features. For example, viewers of the Sonic The Hedgehog 3 showcase could scan a QR code to unlock an AR scene with characters for photos and further engagement.  

    Technology Tailored for Retail 

    The Proto Luma, Proto’s latest innovation, powers the HMN network. Designed for retail, the Luma is more compact and cost-effective than Proto’s flagship Epic, while still delivering vivid 3D holograms. Its integration with Proto’s proprietary AI Persona tools and RetailSage fleet management system ensures seamless operation at scale. 

    Proto is the original hologram device and spatial compute platform already in use by Fortune 500 companies worldwide across enterprise, healthcare, education, entertainment and more. In the retail space, Proto has previously partnered with companies including Amazon, Burberry, H&M, Walmart, Target and Verizon. 

    HMN and Proto will execute monthly live events featuring celebrities, influencers and brand ambassadors. In December, comedian Howie Mandel delighted shoppers by interacting with them in real-time via hologram, turning a routine outing into an extraordinary experience.

    Simon, a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations, has a longstanding reputation for innovation and enhancing the shopping experience. Known for blending retail with entertainment and lifestyle offerings, Simon has consistently redefined what modern malls can achieve. From advanced digital wayfinding systems to integrating omnichannel retail strategies, Simon continues to lead in creating immersive environments that draw and engage shoppers. Their embrace of cutting-edge technology underscores their commitment to staying ahead in an evolving retail landscape.

    “Hologram Media Network (HMN) represents the next frontier of engagement for Simon,” said Dennis Tietjen, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Simon. “We’re excited to collaborate on bringing this revolutionary technology to our properties, transforming the way brands connect with shoppers and delivering an unparalleled experience for our guests.”

    Proto Founder David Nussbaum (Left) and HMN CEO James Andrew Felts with the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hologram. (Credit: Steven Hong)

    Future Expansion

    HMN will soon announce deployments with additional malls and plans to expand the network to 150 Proto units by the end of 2025. 

    “Our vision is not just to present holograms but to create a dynamic ecosystem where customers can interact with digital content in the real world,” Felts explained. “This is a glimpse into the future we envision, where consumers experience the blending of their online and physical worlds.”

    For Hologram Media Network distribution and ad sales contact: andrew@hologrammedia.net
    +1 818.385.5259

    For photos, videos, demonstrations, interviews and other press info contact: owen@protohologram.com 

    Proto investor Paris Hilton in one of Hologram Media Network’s Proto Luma mall installations. (Credit: Steven Hong)

    About Hologram Media Network:

    Hologram Media Network is a pioneering digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising platform specializing in immersive, 3D holographic experiences. With a mission to revolutionize consumer engagement in the real world, we deploy cutting-edge hologram units in high-traffic locations such as shopping malls and movie theaters. By combining innovative technology with strategic placement, we offer advertisers unparalleled opportunities to captivate audiences in dynamic, interactive ways. Our vision is to create a nationwide network of 200 premium hologram displays within two years, setting a new standard for DOOH advertising.

    To learn more about Hologram Media Network, visit www.hologrammedia.net

    About Proto Inc.:

    Proto Inc. is the patented leader in hologram technology and AI spatial computing. Proto devices and its platform are in use across enterprise, finance, healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, sports and entertainment. Invented in Los Angeles and with showrooms and distribution partners around the globe, Proto distributes the large Proto Epic and Proto Luma, the desktop-sized Proto M, and a suite of hologram AI and spatial computing services. Learn more at protohologram.com

    About Simon:

    Simon® is a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations and an S&P 100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE: SPG). Our properties across North America, Europe and Asia provide community gathering places for millions of people every day and generate billions in annual sales.

    The MIL Network –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall, Cassidy Lead Reintroduction of Legislation to Combat Illegal Fentanyl

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D., and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act. This legislation makes permanent the temporary classification of fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 66 percent of the total U.S. overdose deaths. The drug’s Schedule I classification is set to expire on March 31, 2025. 
    “Just last year, an estimated 359 Kansans were murdered through fentanyl poisoning – that’s a Kansan lost every single day,” Senator Marshall said. “We cannot allow fentanyl’s drug Schedule I classification to expire, and we must ensure law enforcement has the tools necessary to combat the overdose epidemic in our country. Lives depend on it.”
    “The Biden administration’s open border was an invitation to drug cartels smuggling Chinese fentanyl into the U.S., fueling the U.S. overdose epidemic,” Dr. Cassidy said. “Law enforcement must have the tools necessary to combat this trend. We cannot let this Schedule I classification lapse.”
    “Today, roughly 150 Americans will die from fentanyl poisoning. Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills. They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs,” Senator Grassley said. “Congress closed that loophole by temporarily classifying fentanyl related substances under Schedule 1. The HALT Fentanyl Act would make permanent fentanyl related substances’ Schedule 1 classification and ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to combat these deadly drugs.”
    “We’re losing more than 100,000 Americans each year to illicit fentanyl overdoses. I refuse to accept this reality, and that’s why I’m working to deliver tools law enforcement personnel need to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets and out of our communities,” Senator Heinrich said. “Permanently scheduling fentanyl and its analogues will help federal and local law enforcement crack down on illegal trafficking and allow prosecutors to build stronger, longer-term criminal cases. Our HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities and save lives.”  
    Senators Marshall, Cassidy, Grassley, and Heinrich were joined by U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-IN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-VW), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Kennedy (R-LA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Cornyn (R-TX), Angus King (I-ME), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in introducing the legislation.
    The legislation also removes barriers that impede the ability of researchers to conduct studies on fentanyl-related substances and allows for exemptions if such research provides evidence that it would be beneficial for specific substances to be classified differently than Schedule I, such as for medical purposes.  
    From August 2021 to August 2022, a record-breaking 107,735 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses. The surge was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China. In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), more than doubling the amount seized in 2021. 
    BACKGROUND
    According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023. This was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China. In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), more than doubling the amount seized in 2021. 
    The U.S. House of Representatives passed the HALT Fentanyl Act in March 2023. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mexican woman charged with illegal reentry, faces 2 years in prison

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    February 3, 2025Tampa, FL, United StatesEnforcement and Removal, National Security

    OCALA, Fla. – An investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami has led to the unsealing of an indictment in the Middle District of Florida charging an illegal alien from Mexico with illegal reentry after previously being deported.

    Elizabeth Ramirez-Medina, 39, faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison if convicted. She was arraigned on Jan. 28, 2025, and is currently detained pending the resolution of the criminal case.

    Ramirez-Medina was previously deported from the United States on one prior occasion, according to the indictment and, after her removal, did not receive the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. Ramirez-Medina was found to be voluntarily in the United States on Oct. 3, 2024.

    The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta, Coalition of 20 Attorneys General Urge Senate to Demand Answers from FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel Amid Alarming Retaliation Efforts

    Source: US State of California

    SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general today in sending a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin, urging the Senate to require Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director, to return for further questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee in advance of a confirmation vote. The request follows alarming reports of politically motivated firings at the FBI and efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the January 6th Capitol insurrection.

    “The Federal Bureau of Investigation plays a critical role in protecting public safety, and they are a crucial partner to state Departments of Justice as we work to tackle fentanyl, organized crime, white collar crime, and security threats to our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The disturbing reports of the Trump administration’s politically motivated firings and retaliation against FBI agents and staff who worked investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6th Capitol riots emphasize the need for answers, and for an objective, nonpartisan FBI Director. President Trump may say that he cares about law and order, but his recent pardon of 1,500 individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol tells a very different story. Not only did those individuals try to stop the peaceful transfer of power, many of them violently assaulted law enforcement officers. Retaliating against FBI agents and staff who did their duty is nothing short of an attack on our law enforcement and public safety. We urge the Senate to demand answers about the pending FBI purge before voting on Mr. Patel’s nomination.”

    In the letter, the attorneys general note how critical it is for Patel to address recent reports of politically motivated firings at the FBI. “Shortly after his confirmation hearing, we learned that more than a dozen high-ranking FBI officials were fired and that the FBI is developing a list of all agents and staff who worked investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6th Capitol insurrection. It is critical for Mr. Patel to answer questions about this unprecedented attack on the FBI before Senators vote on his confirmation.”

    The letter raises additional concerns over reports that “the Administration plans to fire at least six high-ranking career FBI officials if they do not retire” and that “acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove directed FBI staff to compile a list of all staff who were ‘assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions’ relating to the January 6th insurrection.” The attorneys general state, “If true, this is a purge of FBI employees.”

    The attorneys general stress that before any confirmation vote, “the United States Senate should know what Mr. Patel plans to do with the list of FBI agents and staff that is currently being compiled.”

    “Purging over 6,000 FBI agents and staff will have disastrous effects on public safety across the country and will make our communities more dangerous. FBI employees and staff protect America from the public safety harms that President Trump listed in his executive orders—fentanyl, the Mexican Cartels, foreign terrorist organizations, and harms to Americans’ pocket books.”

    Beyond the FBI purge, the letter condemns additional attacks on law enforcement by the Trump administration, stating, “The President’s efforts to undermine the FBI follow unprecedented attacks on our country’s public safety. In just two weeks, the President has fired United States Attorneys, pardoned insurrectionists who killed and injured Capitol Police Officers, and attempted to defund law enforcement across the country.”

    The Administration’s pardoning of over 1,500 Capitol insurrectionists, including those with serious criminal records, as well as its attempts to dismiss pending cases against January 6th insurrectionists, emphasize the need for an objective, nonpartisan FBI Director. At least one judge has already found that the pardons and dismissals will harm public safety and are unjustified.

    Now is the time for Congress to act. Over the past two weeks, President Trump has taken actions that make our country less safe. The attorney general believes that Congress must act to protect Americans and hold the Administration accountable. The first step is requiring Mr. Patel to answer questions about the pending FBI purge before a confirmation vote.

    Joining Arizona in sending the letter are the attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

    A copy of the letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduras Resident Charged with Illegal Re-entry into U.S.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A citizen of Honduras has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    The one-count Indictment named Luis Fernando Diaz-Garcia, 27, as the sole defendant.

    According to the Indictment, in August 2024, Diaz-Garcia was found in western Pennsylvania after having been removed from the United States on or about November 13, 2019. Public records show that Diaz-Garcia was charged by criminal complaint in Allegheny County by the Pennsylvania State Police for conduct allegedly occurring on or about August 19, 2024.

    The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.

    An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Man with Seven Previous Removals from U.S. Indicted for Illegal Re-entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Mexico has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    The one-count Indictment named Dario Fortunato-Torres, 37, as the sole defendant.

    According to the Indictment, in October 2024, Fortunato-Torres was found in this District after having been removed from the United States on seven prior occasions between September 2013 and October 2017. Public records show that Fortunato-Torres was charged by the Moon Township Police Department on October 8, 2024, for conduct allegedly occurring on October 1, 2024. He was arrested on November 19, 2024, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement related to this charge.

    The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.

    An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Joins Letter to HHS Officials Demanding Answers and Action on Disruption to Head Start Programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and a group of their colleagues in issuing a letter to Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Dorothy A. Fink, M.D. and Acting Director of the Office of Head Start Captain Tala Hooban expressing concern about the acute financial impacts and lingering uncertainty faced by Head Start programs across the country as a result of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) memo that imposed a government-wide hiring freeze. Senator Luján is a Head Start alumnus and has long advocated to fund and protect Head Start programs.
    While the White House later clarified that Head Start would not be targeted by the funding freeze and the OMB later rescinded memo, Head Start programs were temporarily unable to access the Payment Management System (PMS) to use their allocated federal funds. As a result, Head Start programs nationwide have not had funding disbursed in a timely manner – imperiling their ability to pay staff and keep educational and child care programs up and running.
    “Head Start programs cannot pay their teachers and staff and continue normal operations without the assurances of payment processing and notices of grant renewals and awards,” wrote the Senators. “This will impact children, families, and communities across the country, particularly the rural communities where these programs represent a large share of the child care options.”
    “Even if this issue extends beyond the Office of Head Start, we urge you to do everything in your power to ensure these programs receive transparent and frequent communication on the progress of their funds being released. Head Start programs operate on razor-thin margins and cannot survive without timely intervention. Children, families, employees, and educators all depend on these critical federal funds,” the Senators continued.
    In addition to Luján and Kaine, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Andy Kim (D-NJ).
    The full text of the letter is available here and below.
    Dear Acting Secretary Dr. Fink and Acting Director Captain Hooban:
    We are writing today to raise ongoing, urgent concerns experienced by Head Start programs in our states and across the country. These concerns include (1) a lack of clarity on the status of renewals and notice of awards in the February 1st grant cycle, (2) delays in processing reimbursements through the Payment Management System (PMS), and (3) a lack of clear communication with grantees throughout this confusing time.
    We request your immediate action and assurance on the following:
    All requests for disbursements of funds submitted through PMS to be promptly processed to allow all Head Start programs to draw down federal funds;
    Programs on the February 1st grant cycle will be notified of their renewal or notice of award before the deadline to ensure no lapse in funding or program operations; and
    Transparent and consistent communication with Head Start programs to address the ongoing challenges.
    Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has provided critical early childhood education and comprehensive services to nearly 40 million low-income young children and their families in communities across the nation. Today, Head Start programs are supported by 250,000 staff to serve nearly 800,000 children across the nation. Head Start’s comprehensive services ensure children receive age-appropriate health care, dental care, immunizations, and health insurance, and they provide referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support. For the last several years, Congress has worked in a bipartisan manner to recognize this longstanding federal program’s important work by providing increased appropriations.
    Since the morning of Tuesday, January 28th, the Head Start community has faced immense uncertainty and disruptions by the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) memo (M-25-13), directing federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.” While the Trump Administration later clarified that Head Start would not be the target of the funding freeze, many Head Start programs across the country were unable to access the PMS to draw down federal funds. PMS was reinstated, but programs across the country have not had funding disbursed in a timely manner.
    Head Start programs cannot pay their teachers and staff and continue normal operations without the assurances of payment processing and notices of grant renewals and awards. This will impact children, families, and communities across the country, particularly the rural communities where these programs represent a large share of the child care options.
    Even if this issue extends beyond the Office of Head Start, we urge you to do everything in your power to ensure these programs receive transparent and frequent communication on the progress of their funds being released. Head Start programs operate on razor-thin margins and cannot survive without timely intervention. Children, families, employees, and educators all depend on these critical federal funds.
    Once these issues are resolved, we request you provide responses to the following questions:
    What factors contributed to delayed disbursements to Head Start programs through the Payment Management System? What steps will be taken to ensure such delays will not occur in the future?
    How many Head Start programs were impacted by this delay and what were the immediate consequences on operations and services for children and families?
    What factors led to the lack of communication about grant renewals and awards for the February 1st cycle? What steps will be taken to ensure timely notices in the future?
    We thank you for your quick attention to this matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE arrests Salvadorian illegal alien after kidnapping and robbery conviction

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEW ORLEANS— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an unlawfully present Salvadorian national that was convicted of a robbery and kidnapping when officers arrested Juan Misael Canales-Garcia, 52, Jan. 23 after he was released by the Alabama Department of Corrections prison system, where he was serving time.

    Canales-Garcia illegally entered the United States at an unknown time and place and an immigration judge ordered him removed on March 30, 1992. He has reentered and been removed three additional times since then. The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama arrested Canales Jan. 13, 2005, for first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery. He was sentenced to serve five years for kidnapping and 21 years for robbery June 15, 2007.

    ICE filed an immigration detainer with the Alabama Department of Corrections on Dec. 10, 2024. Following his arrest, ICE issued him a reinstatement of a prior order of removal, and he will remain in ICE custody pending removal to El Salvador.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing theonline tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in Louisiana on X, formerly known as Twitter, at@ERONewOrleans

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE arrests Guatemalan illegal alien after DUI conviction

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    ATLANTA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended an unlawfully present Guatemalan national convicted of driving under the influence when officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations Atlanta’s Mobile Criminal Alien Team arrested Miguel Andres-Mateo, 20, Jan. 21 in Cornelia, Georgia.

    Mateo illegally entered the United States at an unknown time and place and an immigration judge ordered him removed on Oct. 7, 2014. Mateo then failed to appear for his voluntary departure.

    The Habersham County, Police Department in Georgia arrested Mateoa May 1, 2023, and charged him with driving under the influence. The Habersham County Court convicted him on May 22, 2023, and sentenced him to 12-months of probation.

    ICE officers issued Mateo a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge following his arrest, and he remains in ERO custody.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in Georgia on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROAtlanta.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Baltimore arrests Guatemalan alien with deadly weapons charges

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BALTIMORE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended an undocumented Guatemalan alien with criminal charges. Gener Pop-Cuz, 20, was arrested Feb. 1, after the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections declined to honor ICE’s immigration detainer.

    The corrections department released Pop into the lobby, instead of safely handing him over to the ICE deportation officer who was waiting for the exchange, and he resisted arrest during the initial encounter. However, Pop was eventually subdued and placed in handcuffs as corrections officers failed to intervene.

    “Nobody wins when jurisdictions fail to transfer custody of violent offenders,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore acting Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “Cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE is critical to ensuring the safety of our officers, the public, and even the criminal aliens in custody. I strongly encourage our local jurisdictions to evaluate their policies and look forward to the day when we can put aside politics and do what’s best for the people of Maryland.”

    The U.S. Border Patrol encountered Pop near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Nov. 13, 2017, and served him a notice to appear, transferring him to ICE custody on the same date. ICE released Pop on an order of recognizance Nov. 15, 2017.

    A Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Pop removed to Guatemala Nov. 16, 2022, after he failed to show for his immigration hearing.

    The Laurel Police Department arrested and charged Pop on Feb. 1 with possession of a loaded handgun, illegal possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm, and trespassing on private property. He was released on bond by the Prince George’s County Commissioner’s Office the same date. ICE then lodged an immigration detainer on Pop with the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections in Upper Marlboro.

    Pop will remain in the custody of ICE pending removal.

    ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR is a separate entity from DHS and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

    Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity. Detainers increase the safety of all parties involved — ERO personnel, law enforcement officials, the removable noncitizens and the public — by allowing an arrest to be made in a secure and controlled custodial setting as opposed to at-large within the community. Since detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they also minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend. Additionally, detainers conserve scarce government resources by allowing ERO to take criminal noncitizens into custody directly rather than expending resources locating these individuals at-large.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our Maryland communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBaltimore.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    The FBI on February 4 added Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He is the 533rd addition to the list.

    Meza-Flores, also known as “Chapo Isidro,” is the alleged leader of the Meza-Flores transnational criminal organization, which is based in Sinaloa, Mexico. The organization is allegedly responsible for the possession, distribution, and importation of large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the U.S.

    “For decades, the public has shared information with the FBI that has helped us capture dangerous criminals,” Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan said. “Today, we ask you to help us find Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores so we can bring him to justice and curb the flow of illegal drugs into our country.”

    Meza-Flores was originally indicted on May 2, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. On November 26, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Meza-Flores with drug trafficking violations and possession of a firearm. According to the indictment, Meza-Flores allegedly conspired to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the U.S. from 2005 to 2019.

    As the alleged leader of the Meza-Flores transnational criminal organization, Meza-Flores leads a group of heavily armed gunmen who use violence to maintain control of areas in Mexico used for the production and transportation of narcotics destined for the U.S.

    Meza-Flores is 42 years old. He has brown eyes and dark brown hair. He is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He likely resides in Mexico.

    The U.S. State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to Meza-Flores’ arrest and/or conviction.

    If you have information about Meza-Flores, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or submit a tip via tips.fbi.gov. You can also contact the FBI via WhatsApp at 571-379-3951. WhatsApp is neither a government-operated nor a government-controlled platform.

    FAUSTO ISIDRO MEZA-FLORES

    Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Distribute Five Kilograms or More of Cocaine, Distribute One Kilogram or More of Heroin, and Distribute One Thousand Kilograms or More of Marijuana for Importation into the United States; Use and Possession of a Firearm

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 5, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK’s Department of Business and Trade assists British companies in Guatemala’s Infrastructure Trade Mission

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    • English
    • Español de América Latina

    On February 4-5, the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) organized an Infrastructure Trade Mission aimed at increasing UK’s private sector participation in Guatemalan projects.

    Seven UK infrastructure companies are participating in this two-day event which will allow them to meet with government, municipal and private sector representatives; with a focus on multiple areas, which are critical to improving Guatemala’s infrastructure delivery and sustainable development. 

    The visit aims to better understand the Guatemalan authorities’ plans for infrastructure projects delivery at national and municipal levels, including mobility, water sanitation, hospitals and private sector led construction. It also seeks to create business opportunities between local and the UK companies participating, these are: 

    1. Andrade Gutierrez (engineering and construction) 
    2. Arup (design, planning and engineering) 
    3. Biwater (water treatment and solutions) 
    4. Gleeds (construction consultancy) 
    5. JCB (construction machinery) 
    6. QGMI UK (engineering) 
    7. Steer (infrastructure consultancy) 

    Whilst in Guatemala, the delegation wants to explore opportunities presented by the country’s plans to improve its critical infrastructure, including updated legislation, the use of Private Public Partnerships and the desire to continue building the UK-Guatemala economic relationship. This highlights the British government’s commitment to opening new overseas markets for UK firms, driving up prosperity and deliver national renewal.   

    The UK is committed to supporting viable green enterprises which help to promote green recoveries in urban transport, renewable energy and water and sanitation to help countries across the world pursue green and sustainable growth and economic development. 

    To mark the visit, the British Ambassador to Guatemala, Juliana Correa, said: 

    I am delighted to welcome the visit of some of the leading UK infrastructure companies that will explore the great potential of Guatemala. President Arevalo has put infrastructure delivery as a priority for his administration, and the UK is a global leader in this sector. This is a great opportunity to provide a platform to develop key partnerships that are useful to create cities that lead economic and social development.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 4 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    February 5, 2025
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