NewzIntel.com

Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fairport man who used Roblox to attempt to communicate with minors for sex arrested

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Tony Rodriguez, 40, of Fairport, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with enticement and possession of child pornography, which carry a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on March 12, 2025, the leader of an online community group, which exposes child predators, reached out to the Fairport Police Department regarding a message from the Facebook account “Tony Rodrigo,” later identified as the defendant. According to the community member, Rodriguez was told that the person he was communicating with was an 11-year-old girl named Emiry. The complaint states that the conversation began as causal small talk, but quickly turned sexual, initiated by Rodriguez. Rodriguez sent lewd pictures and offered to meet Emiry to have sex. On March 12, 2025, Rodriguez arrived at a pre-determined location, the Fairport Library, to meet Emiry. Instead, the community member arrived and confronted Rodriguez about his explicit online conversations with an alleged 11-year-old. The confrontation prompted the police to be called by a concerned citizen. The community member told police that Rodriguez admitted to meeting Emiry for sex and acknowledged communicating online with other minors between 13 to 16 years old in a similar manner. Prior to police arriving, Rodriguez left the scene.

    On April 15, 2025, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence located in the Town of Perinton for a report that a male named “Tony Rodrigo” was at the location to meet a 13-year-old for a sexual encounter. The report was filed by individual who oversees another online volunteer group on Facebook which exposes child predators. This individual poses as a 13-year-old girl. According to the individual, “Tony Rodrigo” reached out on Facebook to who he believed was a 13-year-old-girl. Rodriguez stated he wanted to meet up “”to have sex” with the minor. On April 15, 2025, Rodriguez showed up at the predetermined location and was confronted by the individual. Sheriff’s deputies located Rodriguez and detained him.

    Rodriguez utilized Roblox, an online gaming platform, to connect with the alleged 11- and 13-year-old girls on Facebook.

    A search of two cellular telephones seized from Rodriguez recovered approximately six images of child pornography.

    In addition to Facebook, an Instagram account associated with Rodriguez was located, on which he appeared to be communication with a 13-year-old minor. Rodriguez was also active on the social media platform Reddit, specifically a subreddit community associated with teens.

    Rodriguez made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was detained.

    The complaint is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, and the Fairport Police Department, under the direction of Chief Matthew Barnes.   

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.     

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kristofer Haken

    Source: US Marshals Service

    NOTICE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT: Before arrest, verify warrant through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). If subject is arrested or whereabouts known, contact the nearest U.S. Marshals Service office, American Embassy/Consulate, call the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or submit a tip using U.S. Marshals Service Tips.

    For More Information Scan Code Above.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rocky’s Road to Recovery

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Rocky, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, works as a Tactical K-9 for the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). On January 15, 2025, just a few months after finishing training, Rocky was tasked with finding a dangerous suspect in Houston, TX—who had shot and killed Brazoria County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesus Vargas earlier that day. Rocky is trained to locate suspects by tracking and other means. A small tactical team decided to conduct searches near the original shooting. Rocky found the suspect hiding in a dumpster and jumped in to apprehend him.

    That is when the suspect fired his weapon, hitting Rocky twice. Rocky caught the suspect, but in doing so, he took one bullet to the neck and another in his nose. While law enforcement officers neutralized the suspect, Rocky was carried to a spot where he was airlifted to Westbury Animal Hospital.

    The hospital had pre-established protocols for K-9 teams, ensuring the vets were prepared to triage and treat Rocky. He went into surgery, and it was determined that the bullets did not hit any of his vital organs, and one had narrowly missed his spine. After surgery, Rocky remained at the hospital to ensure his recovery went well. Two days later Rocky was released from the hospital and went home with his handler—who stayed at his side during all this—to rest and recover.

    Outside of the hospital, the narrative was clear: Rocky is a hero. He was able to find the suspect, alert the Deputy US Marshals with him, and be the first line of attack in apprehending a violent, armed suspect.

    “Rocky saved lives, he saved lives of deputies,” said T. Michael O’Connor, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas. “While that day was a tragedy for all of us in law enforcement with the loss of Deputy Vargas, it likely could have gone worse had Rocky not been there. He is a hero.”

    This was echoed by the city on April 16, 2025, when Rocky was recognized at the Crime Stoppers Houston’s Heroes Awards Luncheon. He was awarded the Johnny Klevenhagen Award recognizing heroism in law enforcement. This represents just how valuable an asset Rocky, and other K-9 teams, are in fighting violent crime as they go out to work and save lives. Rocky is the first K-9 to ever receive this award.  

    Everyone—from the city of Houston to his coworkers—is proud and grateful for Rocky, but he was merely doing his job, what he’s trained to do. The USMS Canine (K-9) Operations program provides dedicated protective, investigative, and enforcement K-9 support to US Marshals Service missions. Rocky went into that dumpster to do his job, to protect people.

    After leaving the hospital, Rocky went home with his family to rest and spend time playing with his family and just being a dog while healing. Once healed physically, Rocky still had to be cleared mentally. He had to pass testing after one week of training which created high stress scenarios to see if he was fit to go back to work. Rocky passed all these scenarios easily and was given a clean bill of both physical and mental health. The team he works with, the K-9 trainers, and his handler all agreed that just one month after the shooting, Rocky was ready to get back to work.

    For the past few months, Rocky has been back on the job as usual. He has worked on multiple searches and apprehensions with both the USMS Special Operations Group and the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force. He is back to his normal day to day life and living it to the fullest.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Woman charged with murder in Manurewa homicide investigation

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Police have made an arrest over the death of a man in Manurewa yesterday morning.

    A homicide investigation was launched on 6 May after emergency services were called to a Mahia Road property just before 10am following a report of a person seriously injured.

    Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers, from Counties Manukau CIB, says a man was located in a critical condition but despite the best efforts from first-aid responders, he died at the scene.

    “Our enquiries have progressed in identifying a person of interest in this case, and a woman presented at the Manukau Police Station this morning,” he says.

    “This woman has been spoken to and has now been charged with murder.”

    Detective Inspector Vickers says Police are not seeking anyone else in relation to the death.

    The 32-year-old woman will appear in the Manukau District Court tomorrow on the murder charge.

    Detective Inspector Vickers says the investigation team are still completing some enquiries as part of the investigation.

    “A scene examination has been completed and a post mortem has also been completed.

    “This in no doubt an upsetting incident for all involved and we are pleased to have been able to bring a quick resolution to this investigation.”

    As the matter is now before the Court, Police is unable to comment further.

    ENDS.

    Jarred WIlliamson/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Secretary Noem Requests Death Penalty Against Alleged Human Smugglers Whose Actions Resulted in the Death of at Least Three Individuals

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON—Today, Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will request the Department of Justice bring alien smuggling charges and seek the death penalty against two Mexican nationals whose human smuggling operation resulted in at least three deaths. Secretary Noem’s request is based on a thorough review of both the Immigration and Naturalization Act and the Federal Death Penalty Act.

    On May 5, 2025, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Sector San Diego received a report from the North County Dispatch Joint Powers Authority (North Comm) of an overturned panga-style boat that washed ashore in Torrey Pine, San Diego. USCG Sector San Diego engaged multiple DHS and local assets to assist, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), United States Border Patrol (USBP), and San Diego Fire-Rescue. USBP confirmed through interviews of surviving individuals that there were originally 16 persons on board, including 14 adults and two minors. Two surviving individuals identified as Mexican nationals were detained on suspicion of smuggling illegal aliens into the United States. Three deceased were recovered and identified as Indian nationals. Seven others remain missing.

    Statement Attributable to Secretary Kristi Noem:

    “Yesterday, off the coast of southern California, a panga-style boat capsized that was operated by Mexican nationals attempting to smuggle 14 aliens into the U.S. Tragically, three people were killed and seven are still missing. I commend the U.S. Coast Guard, and all Homeland Security personnel involved in the immediate response and ongoing investigation. Their professionalism and rapid action in perilous conditions reflect the highest standards of service and dedication to saving lives and upholding our nation’s laws.

    “This tragedy is a stark reminder of the inhumanity and lethal danger inherent to human smuggling at sea. Their deaths were not only avoidable but were also the direct result of the greed and indifference of smugglers who exploited them. Maritime smuggling is not just illegal—it is a violent and inherently dangerous crime. Those who knowingly place human lives at grave risk in furtherance of such crimes must be held fully accountable.

    “Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, alien smuggling acts that result in death are capital crimes punishable by death. And under the Federal Death Penalty Act, those who intentionally participate in conduct knowing that it could result in the loss of life may be eligible for capital punishment. Accordingly, I will be formally requesting that the Attorney General ensure that these two suspected smugglers are swiftly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will also be urging the Attorney General to seek the death penalty in this case. The Department of Homeland Security will not tolerate this level of criminal depravity or reckless disregard for human life. We will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure justice is served and our laws upheld.”

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NPCC creating Nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs)

    Source: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

    NPCC, in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), have funded £4.5 million to launch nine Policing Academic Centres of Excellence (P-ACEs) in October 2025.

    Working closely with Forces, the P-ACEs will drive collaboration among academia and policing. They will ensure that policing is shaped by the latest and best scientific expertise, and that the UK’s leading researchers are able to challenge and innovate in partnership with policing as together we strive to improve public safety.

    Each Policing Academic Centre of Excellence will be promoted across the policing sector as an accessible source of leading academic experts aligned with Policing’s Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and evidence needs. The P-ACEs will support policing with adopting new technologies, developing new tools and techniques, improving training and skills, and increasing public safety.

    Professor Paul Taylor, Police Chief Scientific Adviser, said:

     “Academia and policing have a long history of collaborative working on issues as diverse as forensic science, crime prevention, and analytical technologies. The P-ACEs will fortify this connection, providing a focal point for research and knowledge exchange.

    I’m particularly excited about what the P-ACEs can bring to early career scientists who are interested in tackling the complex challenge of keeping the UK public safe. The P-ACE community will, I hope, provide them more opportunities and greater support as we look to forge deep and lasting partnerships over the next decade.”

    Stian Westlake, Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), said:

    “The Policing Academic Centres of Excellence will forge closer relationships between police forces and researchers, providing the police with data and evidence to make the justice system work better. By bringing experts in policing practice together with social scientists and data scientists across the country, the centres will provide knowledge and insights to drive service improvement. These centres of excellence demonstrate our commitment to reducing crime and making Britain a safer place.”

    The two key functions of the P-ACEs are to:

    • mobilise, showcase and make accessible to policing key insights, findings and outputs from their work
    • respond to the evidence needs, questions and problems raised by policing and work with policing to co-develop new research and knowledge exchange activities

    The following universities have been selected to be P-ACEs:

    • Edinburgh Napier University, with Glasgow Caledonian University, University of St Andrews and University of Edinburgh
    • Lancaster University
    • Manchester Metropolitan University, with University of Manchester
    • Nottingham Trent University
    • University College London
    • University of Bath
    • University of Birmingham, with Aston University and University of Leicester
    • University of Leeds, with University of York
    • University of Portsmouth

    For updates about the P-ACEs visit: Policing Academic Centres of Excellence

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Urges AG Bondi, FBI Director Patel To Investigate Threats Against Federal Judges As They Continue To Receive Anonymous Deliveries As An Intimidation Tactic

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    May 06, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter today to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel urging them to investigate the ongoing and increasing threats against federal judges. Recently, federal judges and their family members have received anonymous deliveries to their homes intended to show that those seeking to intimidate the targeted judge know the judge’s address or their family members’ addresses. The targeted individuals reportedly include Supreme Court justices, judges handling legal cases involving the Trump Administration, and the children of judges. Some of these deliveries were made using the name of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel Anderl, who was murdered at the family’s home by a former litigant who posed as a deliveryman.
    Durbin wrote, “These incidents threaten not only judges and their families, but also judicial independence and the rule of law. It is imperative that the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate these anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and that those responsible be held accountable to the full extent of the law.”
    Durbin continued, “Accordingly, I request that you immediately investigate these deliveries. In the event you have already initiated investigations, I request an update on those efforts. I also ask that you provide information on any steps that DOJ or the FBI have taken to protect the judges and their families who have received anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and to prevent further anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and other threats.”
    In the letter, Durbin also highlighted the essential role that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) plays in protecting the federal judiciary and urged Bondi and Patel to ensure that the size of the USMS workforce is not reduced. USMS Acting Director Mark P. Pittella reportedly sent a letter on April 15 to more than 5,000 USMS employees offering them the opportunity to resign.
    Durbin wrote, “In the midst of increasing threats of violence against judges, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to reduce the size of the agency tasked with protecting the federal judiciary and the judicial process. Accordingly, I ask you to commit to fully supporting USMS and to maintaining or increasing its current number of employees.”
    To better understand these threats and how DOJ and the FBI are responding, Durbin asked Bondi and Patel to answer several outstanding questions and provide a briefing to the Committee by May 20.
    Full text of the letter can be found here and below.
    May 6, 2025
    Dear Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel:
    I write regarding a disturbing development related to the ongoing and increasing threats to the federal judiciary. In recent months, federal judges and their relatives have received anonymous deliveries to their homes. These deliveries are threats intended to show that those seeking to intimidate the targeted judge know the judge’s address or their family members’ addresses. The targeted individuals reportedly include Supreme Court justices, judges handling legal cases involving the Administration, and the children of judges. Some of these deliveries were made using the name of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel Anderl, who was murdered at the family’s home by a former litigant who posed as a deliveryman.
    These incidents threaten not only judges and their families, but also judicial independence and the rule of law. It is imperative that the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate these anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and that those responsible be held accountable to the full extent of the law.
    Accordingly, I request that you immediately investigate these deliveries. In the event you have already initiated investigations, I request an update on those efforts. I also ask that you provide information on any steps that DOJ or the FBI have taken to protect the judges and their families who have received anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and to prevent further anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and other threats.
    Additionally, I want to highlight the essential role that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) plays in protecting the federal judiciary and urge you to ensure that the size of the USMS workforce is not reduced. USMS Acting Director Mark P. Pittella reportedly sent a letter on April 15 to more than 5,000 USMS employees offering them the opportunity to resign. In the midst of increasing threats of violence against judges, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to reduce the size of the agency tasked with protecting the federal judiciary and the judicial process. Accordingly, I ask you to commit to fully supporting USMS and to maintaining or increasing its current number of employees.
    Finally, pursuant to this Committee’s constitutional obligation to perform oversight over DOJ and the FBI, please respond to the following questions and provide a briefing to committee staff no later than May 20, 2025:
    How many anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries, pizza or otherwise, have been made to federal judges or their families since January 20, 2025?
    Including deliveries sent to members of their families, how many federal judges have received an anonymous or pseudonymous delivery? Please provide what level of the judiciary each affected judge serves in, along with their relevant circuit or district.
    Has an investigation been initiated for each of these deliveries? If not, why not?
    How many suspects has DOJ or the FBI identified in connection with these anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries?
    Is there any reason to suspect coordination among these suspects beyond employing similar tactics?
    Is there any indication that the addresses of the affected federal judges or their families are being found due to data broker violations of the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act or similar statutory protections?
    Have delays in processing requests from affected federal judges to remove their personal information from being publicly posted online allowed any of these suspects to find the addresses of federal judges or their families?
    How many prosecutions has DOJ initiated in response to these anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries?
    What steps has DOJ or the FBI taken to taken to protect judges and their families from anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and other threats?
    What steps has DOJ or the FBI taken to taken to prevent anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and other threats?
    What involvement, if any, did DOJ or FBI officials have in the April 15 letter from USMS Acting Director Pittella to USMS employees in which USMS employees were offered the opportunity to resign? Please provide a copy of the April 15 letter.
    Considering the current threat environment with respect to federal judges, do you support the reduction of the size of the USMS workforce?
    Does DOJ or the FBI need any additional resources to investigate and respond to threats against judges and their family members?
    Please provide an unclassified, non-law enforcement sensitive response to all of these questions to the greatest extent possible, with any classified or law-enforcement sensitive material under separate cover.
    I look forward to your prompt attention to these important requests.
    Sincerely,
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Leads MOMS Act to Support Culture of Life, Empower Women and Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pro-life members of Congress like U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) have long recognized the importance of providing strong support for pregnant mothers. To honor moms across the country ahead of Mother’s Day, Cramer joined U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-AL) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) in introducing their More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act. The bill provides resources and support for women in the earliest stages of motherhood, including prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood.
    Notably, the MOMS Act includes Cramer’s Unborn Child Support Act which supports expectant mothers and their unborn children by giving them the option to receive child support from the father during pregnancy. It also authorizes the creation of Pregnancy.gov, a federal clearinghouse with information about adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers, and a national list of federal funding opportunities for non-profits and healthcare entities. The MOMS Act establishes a grant program to support women in carrying their pregnancies to term and care for their newborn babies. It also creates a grant program to expand access to pre- and post-natal telehealth appointments in rural and medically underserved areas. 
    Cramer is a strong supporter of life, co-chairing the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. Earlier this year, he received an A+ rating from Susan B. Anthony List for voting “consistently to defend the lives of the unborn and infants.”  
    “Supporting moms throughout motherhood is essential to fostering a culture of life, and we want moms empowered and supported,” said Cramer. “The MOMS Act will help provide them with the resources they need in the early stages of motherhood, and help them gain access to the child support payments they may need.”
    “The Republican Party is the party of life, the party of parents, and the party of families,” said Britt. “At the heart of the MOMS Act is building a comprehensive culture of life to give moms, children, and families the support system they need to thrive and live their American Dream. As a mom myself, I don’t have to wonder what other moms are facing – I’m living it. I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing in life than our children and I also understand the types of challenges that women face during their pregnancy journeys and while raising their kids. I’m proud to support women throughout these seasons of motherhood, and the MOMS Act is part of my continued commitment to fight on their behalf.”
    “Being pro-life and pro-family means valuing not only the life of the child but doing everything we can to support moms throughout pregnancy and beyond,” said Schmitt. “I’m glad to introduce this bill to help ensure moms have the resources they need and help set families on the path to achieving the American dream.”
    Cosponsors of the MOMS Act include U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Justice (R-WV), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
    Bill text can be found here, and a section-by-section of the bill can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Cut Taxes on Overtime, Deliver on Key Trump Campaign Promise

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced the Overtime Wages Tax Relief Act, which would provide much needed relief for overtime wage workers. This bill would create a tax deduction for overtime wages up to $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for married couples—targeting middle-income Americans. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the bill’s introduction. 
    “President Trump campaigned and won on a promise to cut taxes for millions of Americans working overtime—and we are delivering on that promise,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Thousands of Alabamians put in way more than 40 hours a week in order to save for retirement, put their kids through college, and keep the trains running. They should not be punished with higher taxes for working longer hours. Alabama was the first state to pass overtime tax exemptions, and I am hopeful that the federal government will follow suit. I’m proud to join Senators Marshall, Ricketts, and Justice in helping deliver on this critical piece of President Trump’s agenda, which will put American workers first.”
    “President Trump promised relief for millions of hardworking Americans, and we’re proud to help deliver on that with the Overtime Wages Tax Relief Act,” said Sen. Marshall. “Our legislation ensures Kansans keep more of their hard-earned wages and codifies a key pillar of President Trump’s pro-worker agenda as we work to pass our ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’ It’s time to put American workers first again, and I’m proud to work with Senators Tuberville, Ricketts, and Justice to ensure we do just that.”  
    Joining Sens. Tuberville and Marshall in introducing the legislation are Sens. Jim Justice (R-WV) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE).
    Read full text of the legislation here.
    BACKGROUND:
    Specifically, the Overtime Wages Tax Relief Act would:
    Introduce a tax deduction for overtime wages – up to $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for married couples,
    Include phase-out eligibility based on income:
    The deduction begins to phase out when income reaches $100,000 for individuals or $200,000 for married couples,
    The deduction is reduced by $50 for every $1,000 in income above the threshold, similar to the Child Tax Credit,

    Define overtime to include a wide range of workers such as law enforcement officers, nurses, trade workers, factory employees, and other eligible professions, and
    Require employers to report overtime earnings to ensure transparency and accuracy in claiming the deduction.
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Calls on Labor Department to Investigate Tyson Foods After Whistleblower Comes Forward

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)
    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, urging her to investigate Tyson Foods in light of new whistleblower allegations of illegal child labor practices at the company. His letter notifying Secretary Chavez-DeRemer of the whistleblower comes after she previously promised in her confirmation hearing that she would crack down on companies exploiting children.
    In the letter, Senator Hawley wrote, “As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, I have been contacted by a whistleblower who alleges that Tyson Foods used child workers at one of its processing plants—in likely violation of federal child labor law. I have opened an investigation in my Subcommittee. Given your role in enforcing federal labor law, I urge you to fully investigate these troubling allegations immediately.”
    He continued, “The whistleblower, a former Tyson Foods employee who oversaw plant safety, alleges that they personally witnessed underage workers and also received multiple reports from hourly Tyson employees about child workers in the plant. According to the allegations, these child workers were employed by a third-party entity contracted by Tyson for work in the plant.”
    Senator Hawley concluded, “In your confirmation hearing, you testified: ‘Child labor should not be accepted by anybody in America. The Department of Labor has the enforcement capability to double down if [companies] are knowingly breaking the law and exploiting children in their factories.’ I agree. We cannot allow children to continue to be exploited in the name of corporate profits. I therefore urge you to investigate all allegations regarding Tyson’s illicit child labor practices, including these new whistleblower allegations.”
    Senator Hawley has been a staunch advocate against child exploitation, from launching his full-scale investigation into Tyson Foods to introducing bipartisan legislation to bar federal contracts from going to companies with histories of child labor abuses.
    Read his full letter here or below. 
    The Honorable Lori Chavez-DeRemerSecretaryU.S. Department of Labor200 Constitution Ave NWWashington, DC 20210
    Secretary Chavez-DeRemer,
    As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, I have been contacted by a whistleblower who alleges that Tyson Foods used child workers at one of its processing plants—in likely violation of federal child labor law. I have opened an investigation in my Subcommittee. Given your role in enforcing federal labor law, I urge you to fully investigate these troubling allegations immediately.
    The whistleblower, a former Tyson Foods employee who oversaw plant safety, alleges that they personally witnessed underage workers and also received multiple reports from hourly Tyson employees about child workers in the plant. According to the allegations, these child workers were employed by a third-party entity contracted by Tyson for work in the plant.
    After reporting concerns to company superiors about child workers employed at the plant, the whistleblower was subjected to retaliation and a “toxic work environment.” Due to the toxic work environment, the whistleblower quit. Tyson is now pursuing legal action against them related to their departure from the company.
    This is outrageous. As you know, the New York Times has published a series of investigative reports detailing the experiences of children working in poultry processing plants, including Tyson’s. The reports document, among other things, how Tyson purposely uses subcontractors to avoid punishment for illegally employing children. As a result, Tyson has successfully avoided all liability and culpability for its clear violations of child labor laws.
    In your confirmation hearing, you testified: “Child labor should not be accepted by anybody in America. The Department of Labor has the enforcement capability to double down if [companies] are knowingly breaking the law and exploiting children in their factories.” I agree. We cannot allow children to continue to be exploited in the name of corporate profits. I therefore urge you to investigate all allegations regarding Tyson’s illicit child labor practices, including these new whistleblower allegations.
    Please keep my Subcommittee updated on the status of your investigation.
    Sincerely, 
    Josh HawleyUnited States Senator

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Best Online Casinos UK: JACKBIT is Ranked the Most Trusted Online Casino of 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

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    Disclaimer

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    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6dcee7c9-acff-4da4-9755-f9e074d09ee1

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: OP Financial Group’s Interim Report for 1 January–31 March 2025: OP Financial Group reports a good first quarter in an uncertain operating environment

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OP Financial Group
    Interim Report 1 January–31 March 2025
    Stock Exchange Release 7 May 2025 9.00 am EEST

    OP Financial Group’s Interim Report for 1 January–31 March 2025: OP Financial Group reports a good first quarter in an uncertain operating environment

    • Operating profit decreased by 31% to EUR 423 million (618).
    • Net interest income decreased by 11% to EUR 631 million (709). Insurance service result was EUR 2 million (-10) and net commissions and fees were EUR 206 million (205). Income from customer business, that is, net interest income, insurance service result and net commissions and fees, decreased by a total of 7% to EUR 839 million (904).
    • Impairment loss on receivables reversed came to EUR 24 million (-39), representing -0.10% of the loan and guarantee portfolio (0.15).
    • Investment income decreased by 88% to EUR 19 million (151).
    • Total expenses grew by 10% to EUR 590 million (537). The cost/income ratio weakened to 60% (45).
    • In the year to March, the loan portfolio grew by 1% to EUR 99.1 billion (98.4). Deposits increased by 5% to EUR 77.5 billion (73.6).
    • The CET1 ratio was 20.0% (21.5), which exceeds the minimum regulatory requirement by 6.9 percentage points. The changes in the collateral management process decreased capital adequacy. The changes in the EU Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR3), which took effect on 1 January 2025, caused a slight reduction in the capital adequacy of OP Financial Group.
    • The Retail Banking segment’s operating profit decreased by 23% to EUR 291 million (379). Net interest income decreased by 17% to EUR 464 million (558). Impairment loss on receivables reversed came to EUR 26 million (-27). Net commissions and fees increased by 2% to EUR 190 million (187). The cost/income ratio weakened to 60% (46). In the year to March, the loan portfolio grew by 0.4% to EUR 71.0 billion (70.6). Deposits increased by 4% to EUR 64.0 billion (61.8). Assets under management grew by 6% to EUR 94.4 billion (89.4).
    • Corporate Banking segment’s operating profit grew by 13% to EUR 145 million (129). Net interest income decreased by 0.5% to EUR 165 million (166). Impairment loss on receivables decreased by 89% to EUR 1 million (12). Net commissions and fees decreased by 10% to EUR 21 million (23). The cost/income ratio was 33% (32). In the year to March, the loan portfolio grew by 1% to EUR 28.2 billion (27.8). Deposits increased 14% by to EUR 14.2 billion (12.5). 
    • The Insurance segment’s operating loss was EUR -14 million (118). The insurance service result grew to EUR 2 million (-10). Investment income fell to EUR -17 million (129). The combined ratio reported by non-life insurance improved to 99.5% (108.9).
    • Group Functions’ operating profit was EUR 23 million (-5). Net interest income grew to EUR 2 million (-6).
    • OP Financial Group increased the OP bonuses to be earned by owner-customers for 2025 by 40% compared to the normal level of 2022. Additionally, owner-customers get daily banking services without monthly charges in 2025. Together, these benefits added up to EUR 104 million in value for owner-customers during the reporting period.
    • Outlook: OP Financial Group’s operating profit for 2025 is expected to be at a good level but lower than that for 2023 and 2024. For more detailed information on the outlook, see “Outlook”.

    OP Financial Group’s key indicators

    € million Q1/2025 Q1/2024 Change, % Q1–4/2024
    Operating profit, € million 423 618 -31.4 2,486
      Retail Banking*** 291 379 -23.4 1,328
      Corporate Banking*** 145 129 12.8 520
      Insurance -14 118 -111.5 578
      Group Functions 23 -5 – 19
    New OP bonuses accrued to owner-customers, € million -81 -75 7.6 -314
    Total income** 989 1,194 -17.1 4,844
    Total expenses -590 -537 10.0 -2,262
    Cost/income ratio, %*/** 59.7 45.0 14.7 46.7
    Return on equity (ROE), %* 7.5 12.1 -4.5 11.6
    Return on equity, excluding OP bonuses, %* 8.8 13.4 -4.6 13.0
    Return on assets (ROA), %* 0.85 1.25 -0.40 1.24
    Return on assets, excluding OP bonuses, %* 0.99 1.39 -0.39 1.39
      31 Mar 2025 31 Mar 2024 Change, % 31 Dec 2024
    CET1 ratio, %* 20.0 19.6 0.3 21.5
    Loan portfolio, € billion 99.1 98.4 0.7 98.9
    Deposits, € billion 77.5 73.6 5.4 77.7
    Assets under management, € billion**** 94.4 89.4 5.6 93.3
    Ratio of non-performing exposures to exposures, %* 2.48 3.04 -0.56 2.64
    Ratio of impairment loss on receivables to loan and guarantee portfolio, %* -0.10 0.15 -0.25 0.09
    Owner-customers (1,000) 2,121 2,095 1.3 2,115

    Comparatives for the income statement items are based on the corresponding figures in 2024. Unless otherwise specified, figures from 31 December 2024 are used as comparatives for balance-sheet and other cross-sectional items. 
    * Change in ratio, percentage point(s). 
    ** OP bonuses to owner-customers, which were previously shown on a separate line in the income statement, have been divided under the following items based on their accrual: interest income, interest expenses, and commission income from mutual funds. The line ‘OP bonuses to owner-customers’ is no longer shown in the income statement. Comparative information of Q1 2024 has been adjusted accordingly. For more detailed information on the change, see Note 1 to the Half-year Financial Report 1 January–30 June 2024, Accounting policies and changes in accounting policies and presentation.
    *** As of 1 January 2025, OP Asset Management Ltd, OP Fund Management Company Ltd and OP Real Estate Asset Management Ltd, including subsidiaries, are reported as part of the Retail Banking segment. Comparative information of 2024 has been adjusted accordingly. 
    **** The presentation of assets under management was changed at the beginning of 2025. Comparatives have been adjusted to correspond to the current definition.

    Comments by the President and Group Chief Executive Officer:

    Geopolitical tensions and the trade war are making the economic outlook uncertain

    In the first quarter of 2025, the business environment was marked by uncertainty and an exceptionally tense geopolitical situation. The war in Ukraine has continued for more than three years, no solution is in sight for the Middle-East conflict, and the trade war ignited by US tariff rises is creating exceptional uncertainty in the world economy. As the tectonic plates of geopolitics and world trade structures shift, it is difficult to see where they will settle. The golden age of globalisation, which began in the late nineties, already appears to be over for now; free global trade seems unlikely to return to its former course. Mounting trade barriers will slow global growth and increase inflationary pressures.

    Due to the uncertainty, the most recent analyses revise economic forecasts downwards: OP Financial Group’s latest projection envisages GDP growth of 1% in Finland this year. The world economy is expected to grow by only 2.5%, which is a relative slowdown in terms of global growth. However, given the exceptional uncertainty in growth prospects, positive changes in the outlook are also possible.

    Gloomy economic expectations have spurred cuts in interest rates and the markets expect short-term market rates to keep falling in the euro zone. Conversely, long-term rates have risen due to concerns that public debt will continue to rise in the euro zone.

    The uncertainty seems to be dampening consumer confidence and companies’ willingness to invest. Despite this, the housing market continues its gradual recovery.

    The trade war has magnified the unusual volatility in stock market prices. In many markets, the early-year rise in stock prices was wiped out as Q1 ended: in late March, the global equity index was 2.1% lower than at the end of 2024. European share markets defied this trend, rising by 5.2% after the year-end; the Nasdaq Helsinki closed 4.2% higher.

    OP Financial Group performed well, despite the turbulence in capital markets

    Regardless of the challenging business environment, OP Financial Group’s profitability remained high and its operating profit was EUR 423 million. This represents a decrease of 31% compared to the same period in 2024. Our strong profit performance will enable us to continue providing outstanding benefits for our more than 2.1 million owner-customers in 2025. This year again, we will use benefits to help ease the strain on households in economically challenging times. We will pay 40% extra (compared to the normal level of 2022) on OP bonuses earned in 2025 and will not charge our owner-customers monthly fees for daily services throughout the year. Together, these benefits will add up to more than EUR 400 million in value for our owner-customers. Being customer-owned, OP Financial Group will continue to share its financial success through a range of financial and other benefits for owner-customers.

    Strong capital adequacy and excellent liquidity provide security in the uncertain and often unpredictable business environment. At the end of March, OP Financial Group’s CET1 ratio was 20.0%, which exceeds the minimum regulatory requirement by 6.9 percentage points. OP Financial Group is one of the most financially solid large banks in Europe. Furthermore, our liquidity remained excellent. Strong capital adequacy, excellent liquidity and broad trust among customers and other stakeholders are vital for banks and insurance companies, particularly in these uncertain times. All of these are in excellent shape at OP Financial Group.

    Income from OP Financial Group’s business operations was EUR 989 million in January–March, which was 17% less year-on-year. In particular, net interest income fell by 11% due to decreases in market rates. Net commissions and fees were at the same level year-on-year.

    The insurance service result was a EUR 2 million profit, compared to a EUR 10 million loss for Q1 in 2024. This was due to a more favourable claims trend than a year earlier, although the insurance service result for this year’s Q1 was weighed down by growing operating expenses and the poor profitability of health insurance.

    Due to turbulence in the markets, income from investment activities was modest at EUR 19 million, compared to EUR 151 million at the end of March last year.

    Totalling EUR 590 million, OP Financial Group’s expenses were higher by 10% year-on-year, mainly due to rising personnel costs and higher investments in ICT development. At 60%, OP Financial Group’s cost-income ratio clearly deteriorated compared to Q1 2024.

    Of the three business segments, the best performer was Corporate Banking, which had an operating profit of EUR 145 million in January–March, a year-on-year increase of 13%. Despite a 23% decrease, Retail Banking’s operating profit of EUR 291 million was also a good performance. The segment was particularly affected by falling market rates: net interest income decreased by 17%. Due to a poor investment result, the Insurance segment recorded a EUR 14 million operating loss. This compares to the segment’s operating profit of EUR 118 million for Q1 in 2024.

    Both deposit and loan volumes are growing – impairment loss on receivables was exceptionally positive

    The deposit portfolio grew by 5% year-on-year, total deposits being EUR 77.5 billion at the end of March. OP Financial Group’s market share of deposits has been growing markedly over the last couple of years.

    Moreover, its loan portfolio, which grew by around 1% year-on-year, was EUR 99.1 billion: with this, the Group held onto its position as Finland’s leading provider of home loans. The home loan market has shown signs of recovery in recent months: for example, the euro amount of new home loans granted by OP Financial Group in March 2025 was 28% higher than in March 2024. OP’s home loan customers have continued to repay their loans diligently and on schedule. The number of loan modification applications was lower than in the same period in 2024. Year-on-year, the number of corporate loans under special monitoring declined.

    The ratio of non-performing exposures to the loan and guarantee portfolio decreased to 2.5%. Exceptionally, reversals of impairment loss on receivables totalled EUR 24 million in January–March, compared to EUR -39 million recognised for Q1 a year earlier.

    Savings and investments are growing strongly – OP First Investment for babies incentivises long-term investment

    Alongside our aim to coach our customers in making better financial choices, we have focused on making personal financial management easier for them, while enabling and supporting long-term saving and investing. Wealth management is one of our growth focus areas and we aim to make a clear growth leap in this business activity. Despite the volatility on stock markets, our customers retained a strong interest in securing their financial futures and accumulating wealth.

    Customers were interested in systematically investing in funds – they made almost 57,000 new systematic investment agreements with us, which is a 22% increase compared to Q1 in 2024. There are already more than 1.4 million OP mutual fund unitholders. In addition, the number of active equity investors grew by 34%. Reaching almost EUR 94 billion in value, investment assets managed by OP Financial Group grew by 6% compared to January–March 2024.

    OP Financial Group member cooperative banks will make an OP First Investment donation – a EUR 100 investment in the OP-World Index fund – to every baby born in Finland this year. The wellbeing of children and youths is one of OP’s values and part of its approach to corporate responsibility. With OP First Investment, we want to encourage families to engage in systematic, long-term saving and investment. Based on last year’s figures, the estimated aggregate value of OP First Investment donations may exceed EUR 4.3 million. OP First Investment can be received from May 2025, when it will become available for babies born in 2025 (including those born before May).

    The mild winter had a positive impact on claims, but health insurance claims expenditure continued to grow considerably

    Pohjola Insurance’s premiums written grew by 1% compared to the first quarter of last year. Premiums written grew by more than 8% regarding personal customers, but decreased by 2% in the case of corporate customers.

    Pohjola Insurance’s claims expenditure fell by 16% year-on-year. Due to the mild winter, building claims were 36% down and compensation paid for vehicle claims was 2% lower than for Q1 in 2024. On the other hand, health insurance compensation grew by 14% compared to the first three months of last year.

    Compensation was paid for a total of 94% of all claims, which was the same level as a year earlier.

    Use of digital services is still growing – phone number-based payment is becoming more versatile

    Use of digital services grew substantially again. Our personal and corporate customers increasingly use digital channels for banking and insurance. OP-mobile was logged into more than 60 million times in March. The app already has more than 1.7 million active users. Use of OP Aina – which was launched in June last year as a personal assistant for customers using OP-mobile – grew in the first quarter to 1.5 million service interactions. We use OP Aina to provide customers with services that are even more personalised than before and continuously available.

    Siirto Brand Oy, a joint venture between OP and Nordea, began operating: the company provides Finnish solutions for easy and secure payment. With just a phone number, users can make payments to friends or online stores, and a feature for ordering recurring or single e-invoices is planned. These services will expand opportunities to make account-based payments in Finland. Siirto already has 1.5 million registered users.

    A historically large structural change is underway among OP cooperative banks

    New plans were published during the first quarter for mergers between OP cooperative banks around Finland. The mergers announced and decided so far will reduce the number of OP cooperative banks from 93 at the end of 2024 to 54 by the end of 2025. In addition, several projects (both published and unpublished) for mergers between OP cooperative banks are being planned.

    Key drivers of mergers between OP cooperative banks include ensuring that they can provide the most comprehensive, highest quality banking services possible in their operating regions, while keeping pace with the increase in banking regulations.

    In uncertain times, we need pioneers that point the way to futures filled with hope

    OP Financial Group is in excellent shape to support customers in various ways in the uncertain business environment. We want to be a pioneer pointing the way to futures filled with hope in Finnish society – we will pursue this objective through a number of measures this year. An example is our new partnership with the Hive coding school, through which we aim to promote work-based immigration and the training of people from diverse backgrounds for high-level roles in IT. The future success and wellbeing of Finland and its people depend on stepping up work-based immigration and solving the challenges posed by the ageing of society, as Finland’s working-age population decreases.

    My warm thanks to all our customers for the trust they showed in OP Financial Group in early 2025. We aim to continue being worthy of the confidence you place in us. I would also like to thank our employees and governing bodies for their excellent work in the first quarter of 2025.

    Timo Ritakallio
    President and Group CEO


    January–March

    OP Financial Group’s operating profit was EUR 423 million (618), down by 31.4% or EUR 194 million year on year. Income from customer business (net interest income, net commissions and fees and insurance service result) decreased by a total of 7.2% to EUR 839 million (904). The cost/income ratio weakened to 59.7% (45.0). New OP bonuses accrued to owner-customers increased by 7.6% to EUR 81 million.

    As a result of lower market interest rates, net interest income decreased by 11.0% to EUR 631 million. Net interest income reported by the Retail Banking segment decreased by 16.9% to EUR 464 million and that by the Corporate Banking segment decreased by 0.5% to EUR 165 million. OP Financial Group’s loan portfolio grew by 0.7% to EUR 99.1 billion while deposits grew by 5.4% to EUR 77.5 billion, year on year. Household deposits increased by 4.1% year on year, to EUR 49.0 billion. New loans drawn down by customers during the reporting period totalled EUR 6.1 billion (4.5).

    Impairment loss on receivables reversed came to EUR 24 million (-39). Final credit losses totalled EUR 16 million (12). At the end of the reporting period, loss allowance was EUR 784 million (824), of which management overlay accounted for EUR 58 million (77). Non-performing exposures decreased, accounting for 2.5% (3.0) of total exposures. Impairment loss on loans and receivables accounted for -0.10% (0.15) of the loan and guarantee portfolio.

    Net commissions and fees grew by 0.4% to EUR 206 million. Owner-customers’ use of daily banking services has been free of monthly charges since October 2023. Net commissions and fees for payment transfer services increased by EUR 3 million to EUR 58 million, and those for mutual funds by EUR 2 million to EUR 46 million.

    The insurance service result was EUR 2 million (-10). Insurance service result includes EUR 142 million (129) in operating expenses. Non-life insurance net insurance revenue, including the reinsurer’s share, decreased by 1.1% to EUR 419 million. Net claims incurred after the reinsurer’s share decreased by 15.8% to EUR 287 million. The combined ratio reported by non-life insurance improved to 99.5% (108.9).

    Investment income (net investment income, net insurance finance expenses and income from financial assets held for trading) decreased by a total of 87.5% to EUR 19 million. Investment income decreased as a result of the decrease in the value of equity investments and notes and bonds in particular. Net investment income together with net finance income describe investment profitability in the insurance business. The combined return on investments at fair value of OP Financial Group’s insurance companies was -1.1% (2.0).

    Net income from financial assets recognised at fair value through profit or loss, or notes and bonds, shares and derivatives, totalled EUR -448 million (744). Net income from investment contract liabilities totalled EUR 184 million (-359). Net insurance finance expenses totalled EUR 229 million (-250).

    In banking, net income from financial assets held for trading came to EUR 53 million (8) as a result of changes in the value of derivatives.

    Other operating income totalled EUR -11 million (9). A EUR 23 million valuation adjustment in patient insurance policies with full risk for own account decreased other operating income.

    Total expenses grew by 10.0% to EUR 590 million. Personnel costs rose by 9.4% to EUR 280 million. The increase was affected by headcount growth and pay increases. OP Financial Group’s personnel increased by more than 800 year on year. The number of employees increased in areas such as sales, customer service, service development, risk management and compliance. Depreciation/amortisation and impairment loss on PPE and intangible assets decreased by 4.1% to EUR 32 million. Other operating expenses increased by 12.4% to EUR 278 million. ICT costs totalled EUR 139 million (123). Development costs were EUR 101 million (83) and capitalised development expenditure EUR 13 million (14). Charges of financial authorities were EUR 1 million (1). The EU’s Single Resolution Board (SRB) does not collect stability contributions from banks for 2025.

    At EUR 73 million (69), OP bonuses for owner-customers are included in earnings and are divided under the following items based on their accrual: EUR 33 million (35) under interest income, EUR 22 million (19) under interest expenses, EUR 13 million (11) under commission income from mutual funds, and EUR 4 million (4) under the insurance service result.

    Income tax amounted to EUR 85 million (125). The effective tax rate for the reporting period was 20.1% (20.3). Comprehensive income after tax totalled EUR 362 million (509).

    OP Financial Group’s equity amounted to EUR 18.2 billion (18.1). Equity included EUR 3.1 billion (3.3) in Profit Shares, terminated Profit Shares accounting for EUR 0.2 billion (0.4).

    OP Financial Group’s funding position and liquidity are strong. The Group’s LCR was 202% (193) and NSFR was 129% (129).


    OP Cooperative’s Annual Cooperative Meeting

    On 9 April 2025, OP Cooperative held its Annual Cooperative Meeting which elected members of the Supervisory Council, the auditor and the sustainability reporting assurer.

    The Supervisory Council comprises 36 members. The Annual Cooperative Meeting re-elected the following members to the Supervisory Council who were due to resign: Managing Director Jouni Hautala, Lawyer Taija Jurmu, Managing Director Pekka Lehtonen, Vicar Toivo Loikkanen, Managing Director Kari Mäkelä, Chair of the Board of Directors Annukka Nikola, Managing Director Ulf Nylund, Managing Director Teemu Sarhemaa and Managing Director Ari Väänänen.

    New Supervisory Council members elected were entrepreneur Erkki Haavisto, Managing Director Sanna Metsänranta, Managing Director Pertti Purola, Product Manager Sanna Tefke, Director of Rural Administration Hannu Tölli and Managing Director Mikko Vepsäläinen.

    At its reorganising meeting on 9 April 2025, the Supervisory Council elected the Chairs of the Supervisory Council. Chair of the Board of Directors Annukka Nikola was elected as Chair and Lawyer Taija Jurmu and Managing Director Ari Väänänen as Vice Chairs of the Supervisory Council.

    The Annual Cooperative Meeting elected PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy, an audit firm, to act as auditor for the financial year 2025, with APA Lauri Kallaskari as the chief auditor.

    The Annual Cooperative Meeting elected PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy, a sustainability audit firm, to assure OP Financial Group’s sustainability reporting for the financial year 2025, with Tiina Puukkoniemi, ASA, acting as the chief authorised sustainability auditor.


    Outlook

    The global economic outlook has weakened due to increased tariffs and a higher level of uncertainty. The Finnish economy is likely to grow less than previously expected and the outlook is exceptionally uncertain. The escalation of geopolitical crises or a rise in trade barriers may affect capital markets and the economic environment of OP Financial Group and its customers.

    OP Financial Group’s operating profit for 2025 is expected to be at a good level but lower than that for 2023 and 2024.

    The most significant uncertainties affecting OP Financial Group’s earnings performance are associated with developments in the business environment, changes in the interest rate and investment environment, and developments in impairment loss on receivables. Forward-looking statements in this Interim Report expressing the management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions are based on the current view on developments in the economy, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.


    Press conference

    OP Financial Group’s financial performance will be presented to the media by the President and Group Chief Executive Officer Timo Ritakallio in a press conference on 7 May 2025 at 11am at Gebhardinaukio 1, Vallila, Helsinki. Media enquiries: OP Corporate Communications, tel. +358 10 252 8719, viestinta@op.fi

    OP Corporate Bank plc and OP Mortgage Bank plc will publish their own interim reports.

    Schedule for 2025 Interim Reports and Half-year Financial Report:

    Half-year Financial Report 1 January–30 June 2025 30 July 2025
    Interim Report 1 January–30 September 2025 28 October 2025
    OP Amalgamation Pillar 3 Disclosures 31 March 2025 Week 19
    OP Amalgamation Pillar 3 Disclosures 30 June 2025 Week 33
    OP Amalgamation Pillar 3 Disclosures 30 September 2025 Week 45

    Helsinki, 7 May 2025

    OP Cooperative
    Board of Directors


    Additional information:

    Timo Ritakallio, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, tel. +358 (0)10 252 4500
    Mikko Timonen, Chief Financial Officer, tel. +358 (0)10 252 1325
    Piia Kumpulainen, Chief Communications Officer, tel. +358 10 252 7317

    DISTRIBUTION

    Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
    Euronext Dublin (Irish Stock Exchange)
    London Stock Exchange
    Major media
    op.fi

    OP Financial Group is Finland’s largest financial services group, with more than two million owner-customers and over 14,000 employees. We provide a comprehensive range of banking and insurance services for personal and corporate customers. OP Financial Group consists of OP cooperative banks, its central cooperative OP Cooperative, and the latter’s subsidiaries and affiliates. Our mission is to promote the sustainable prosperity, security and wellbeing of our owner-customers and operating region. Together with our owner-customers, we have been building Finnish society and a sustainable future for 120 years now. www.op.fi

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom announces appointments 5.6.25

    Source: US State of California 2

    May 6, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

    Paul Henderson, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California African American Museum Board of Directors. Henderson has been the Executive Director at the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability since 2017. He was a Senior Policy Advisor with Biden for President in 2020. Henderson was the Deputy Chief of Staff in the San Francisco Mayor’s Office from 2011 to 2017. He held multiple positions at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office from 1995 to 2011, including Chief of Administration, Co-Manager of the Trial Division, and Trial Attorney. Henderson is a Founding Board Member of the Warner Music Group Social Justice Fund and Art Like Me, and a member of the San Francisco Bar Association. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Henderson is a Democrat.

    Sinar Lomeli, of San Marcos, has been appointed to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Lomeli has been Counseling Faculty at MiraCosta College since 2016. She was an Adjunct Counselor and Instructor at Rio Honda College from 2014 to 2016. Lomeli was an Adjunct Counselor and Instructor at Norco College from 2014 to 2016. She earned a Master of Science degree in Guidance and Counseling from California State University, San Bernardino and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Lomeli is a member of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality. This position requires Senate confirmation. and the compensation is $100 per diem. Lomeli is a Democrat.

    Desirea Haggard, of Pinon Hills, has been appointed to the Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Haggard has been the Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental at Unacem North America since 2024. She was the Vice President of Environmental at the CalPortland Company from 2009 to 2024. Haggard was an Environmental Engineer at TXI Riverside Cement from 2004 to 2009. She earned a Master of Science degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Riverside and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. Haggard is a member of the Women in Mining California Chapter. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Haggard is registered without party preference.

    Christina Wong, of Chico, has been reappointed to the Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, where she has served since 2021. Wong has been a Self-Employed Psychotherapist since 2024. Wong was the Senior Program Coordinator at the Glenn County Health and Human Services Agency from 2002 to 2024. She was a Mental Health Therapist at the Butte County Probation Department from 2008 to 2020. Wong was the Master of Social Work Coordinator at the University of Alabama School of Social Work from 1993 to 1997. She was the Dean of Student Affairs at Hong Kong Shue Yan University from 1993 to 1997. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from University of Hull and a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Hong Kong Shue Yan University. Wong is a member of the National Association of Social Workers. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Wong is a Democrat.

    David Rabbitt, of Petaluma, has been reappointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, where he has served since 2013. Rabbitt has been the District Two County Supervisor on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors since 2011 and an Independent Architect since 1997. He was a Member of the Petaluma City Council from 2006 to 2011. Rabbit was a Project Architect at Donald K. Olsen, AIA & Associates from 1985 to 1997. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rabbitt is a Democrat.

    Vincent Wells, of Elk Grove, has been reappointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, where he has served since 2021. Wells has been the President of the United Professional Firefighters of Contra Costa County Local 1230 since 2008. He was a Fire Captain and Paramedic at Contra Costa Fire Protection District from 1997 to 2020. Wells was a Firefighter and Paramedic at the Fairfield Fire Department from 1995 to 1997. He served in the United States Air Force from 1985 to 1992. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Wells is a Democrat.

    Debra Garnes, of Rio Dell, has been reappointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, where she has served since 2021. Garnes has been Mayor of the City of Rio Dell since 2019. Garnes was an Operational and Certified First Response Instructor from 2001 to 2003. She held several positions at the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generation Station in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District from 1990 to 2002, including Hazardous Materials Technician and Specialist, Hazardous Materials First Responder, Asbestos and Lead Decommissioning Technician, and Senior Utility Clerk. Garnes was Fleet Payroll Supervisor at KLLM Trucking from 1989 to 1990. She was an Associate at the Ranco Seco Nuclear Generation Station in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District from 1988 to 1989. Garnes was a United States Navy Petty Officer Second Class, Gunnersmate Guns for the United States Navy from 1981 to 1985. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Garnes is a Democrat.

    Cindy Silva, of Walnut Creek, has been reappointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, where she has served since 2017. Silva has served as a Councilmember for the City of Walnut Creek since 2006. She was Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek from 2022 to 2023, 2018 to 2019, 2012 to 2013, and 2010 to 2011. She was the Owner of Eisley Silva Communications from 1987 to 2016. Silva was Sales Communication Manager at PeopleSoft from 2001 to 2004. She was Manager of International Proposals and Start-up Training at AirTouch Communications from 1993 to 1995. Silva was Senior Vice President of Product Development at Alamo Learning Systems from 1985 to 1987. She was the Owner of Eisley Communications Inc. from 1979 to 1985. Silva was a Management Newsletter Editor at the Southern California Gas Company from 1979 to 1980. She was a Project Associate at Systema Corporation from 1978 to 1979. Silva was Managing Editor at the California Dental Association from 1976 to 1978. She is the President of the League of California Cities, Statewide Board Member of the League of California Cities, and member of the Hospice East Bay Board of Directors. Silva earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Silva is registered without party preference.

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    May 6, 2025

    News What you need to know: The Governor attended the annual ceremony, honoring the 232 fallen CHP officers since the Department’s establishment in 1929. Sacramento, California – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom attended the California Highway Patrol Memorial Ceremony,…

    May 6, 2025

    News What you need to know: From October 2023 to December 2024, participants collected data on arrests, referrals, charges, convictions, and sentencing related to organized retail crime. Sacramento, California – Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the results…

    May 6, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 4-10, 2025 as “Wildfire Preparedness Week.”The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONJanuary’s fires in Los Angeles underscored the scale and…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hear it from locals: State investment helps prevent and prosecute organized retail crime

    Source: US State of California 2

    May 6, 2025

    What you need to know: From October 2023 to December 2024, participants collected data on arrests, referrals, charges, convictions, and sentencing related to organized retail crime.

    Sacramento, California – Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the results from $267 million in grants to 55 communities to hire more police and secure more felony charges against suspects. Proposed by the Governor and distributed by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC), program participants collected data on arrests, referrals, charges, convictions, and sentencing related to organized retail crime. From October 2023 to December 2024, 88% of the 373 organized retail theft convictions were felonies. 

    The funding is split between two grant programs with unique applicants for each. The prevention program grantees compile arrest and referral data, while prosecution grant participants record charges, convictions, and sentencing. Future reporting may include updates on charges, convictions, and sentencing as individuals move through the criminal justice system. 

    Here is a snapshot of what leaders are saying across the state:

    Local elected officials 

    Mayor Mark Armstrong, City of San Ramon: “As of March 30, 2025, San Ramon’s Organized Retail Theft (ORT) Suppression Team has investigated 264 incidents of ORT crimes and made 119 arrests. They have referred 137 cases to Contra Costa County District Attorney for review, and participated in 6 multi-agency special operations. They have recovered more than $196,000 in stolen goods. The team has made a significant impact for major retailers like Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Target, Home Depot and Safeway. Ulta Beauty recently reported that 30% of all of their organized retail theft cases in northern California were solved or closed by the San Ramon ORT team.”

    Mayor Martha Guerrero, City of West Sacramento: “As Mayor of West Sacramento, I fully support the launch of the FastPass to Prosecution initiative being put forth by Yolo County District Attorney Reisig in partnership with our regional law enforcement partners. This collaboration is a critical step towards addressing a rise in retail theft negatively impacting the business communities throughout Yolo County. By streamlining the reporting and prosecution processes specific to habitual offenders, the FastPass initiative offers much needed assurance to the business community and will promote a safer consumer experience for residents. Through these partnerships, West Sacramento is investing in real solutions and will continue to champion innovative approaches to promoting public safety.”

    Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors President: “Retail theft has taken a real toll on our local businesses, but thanks to the Governor’s investment in preventing and prosecuting organized retail crime, we’re finally turning a corner. We’re hearing from business owners and residents who feel a renewed sense of safety and support. This is what it looks like when the state steps up as a true partner to local communities – and it’s making a difference.”

    Mayor Daniel Lurie, City of San Francisco: “People deserve to both feel safe and be safe in our city. Our administration is working every day to support our local businesses and energize our commercial corridors, and support from our state partners is critical to doing that work downtown and in communities across the city. Thank you to Governor Newsom for investing in the safety of San Franciscans.”

    Mayor Bapu Vaitla, City of Davis: “We commend Governor Newsom for his strong leadership in addressing the rise of organized retail crime through the ORT grant investment. This initiative directly strengthens local jurisdictions’ capacity to prevent and investigate complex retail theft operations that impact our local businesses and community safety. In Yolo County, state funding has enhanced our ability to conduct investigations and work closely with the District Attorney’s Office to ensure that offenders are held accountable. These targeted resources are helping disrupt criminal networks and restore confidence among retailers and residents alike.”

    Law enforcement leaders

    Ron Lawrence, Costa Mesa Chief of Police: “The Costa Mesa Police Department is grateful for the opportunity provided by the Governor’s Office and BSCC to launch a grant-funded initiative targeting organized retail theft, motor vehicle theft, and motor vehicle accessory theft. With this support, CMPD implemented high-visibility patrols, cutting-edge technology, and collaborative operations that resulted in a 31% reduction in organized retail theft and a 35% drop in vehicle-related crimes. This partnership has also enabled 18 operations, 205 arrests, expanded officer training, and successful collaboration with other agencies and retail partners to disrupt major theft rings.”

    Jonathan Arguello, Newark Chief of Police: “The Organized Retail Theft Grant has been a tremendous asset to the Newark Police Department in launching Newark’s Vehicle and Accessory Theft Prevention Program. It has enabled us to expand our deployment of Automated License Plate Readers in our city, significantly enhancing our ability to identify and apprehend those responsible for motor vehicle thefts and other crimes. This technology is critical in our continued efforts to protect Newark’s businesses, support our local economy, and keep our community safe.”

    Andrew Binder, Palo Alto Chief of Police: “The State’s Organized Retail Theft grant funding has made a real difference in our community. It has enabled us to strategically deploy additional officers in our high traffic retail areas, expand our automated license plate recognition network, and invest in a new technological alternative to high speed vehicle pursuits.  It has also deepened our collaborative relationships with local retailers and facilitated community policing. In no small part due to the initiatives supported by the ORT grant, we’ve experienced fewer overall retail thefts, coupled with an increase in the rate of suspect apprehension and the recovery of property. This program continues to be a success story for us.”

    William “Bill” Scott, San Francisco Police Chief: “The City and County of San Francisco was facing an epidemic of organized retail theft and motor vehicle accessory theft. The grant has enabled us to utilize tools like automated license plate reader cameras in strategic areas, a surge of retail theft blitz operations with increased staffing, and better coordination with other law enforcement agencies, as well as the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. The support has greatly enhanced our ability to reduce theft related crimes and has been critical to our success.”

    Denton Carlson, San Ramon Chief of Police: “Organized retail theft goes beyond the financial loss for retailers. It impacts the quality of life in our community and is linked to criminal activities like drug trafficking and other illegal operations. This grant has allowed the San Ramon Police Department to strengthen our ability to combat Organized Retail Theft through state-of-the-art technological tools and the initiation of a suppression team, dramatically improving our collaborative efforts with local retailers and other law enforcement organizations. This behavior will not be tolerated in our community or by our organization, and this grant provided and continues to provide the resources the San Ramon Police Department needed to see that through.”

    Robert Jonsen, Santa Clara County Sheriff: “Organized retail theft is not a victimless crime—it threatens the safety, economic stability, and quality of life for everyone in our community. This critical grant funding has been a game-changer, empowering our task force to build strong partnerships with retailers and allied agencies, swiftly dismantle sophisticated theft rings, and send a clear message: Santa Clara County will not tolerate these crimes. Our team has made nearly 200 arrests and recovered close to $770,000. The results speak for themselves. We’re not just solving cases, we’re restoring public trust and protecting local businesses from serious financial harm.”

    Jeff Laugero, Stanislaus County Chief District Attorney: “The ORT Grant has been extremely helpful in strengthening partnerships and in obtaining additional follow up information that is crucial to the prosecution of these cases. The grant has also enabled us to increase our visibility. Our ‘Pay at the register or pay the consequences’ public messaging campaign sends the clear message that retail theft will not be tolerated in Stanislaus County. Those who commit these crimes will be held accountable.”

    David Marshall, Yolo County District Attorney’s Office Chief Investigator: “The direct file reporting option for retailers has been incredibly effective, with several retailers sharing their stored digital evidence and internal theft reports. This enables us to link offenders to multiple incidents, across various retailers, and to connect criminal associates. We’ve closed the gap between retailers and law enforcement – the trust we have been able to build has led to unprecedented partnerships.” 

    Local prosecutors

    Ryan Bal, Placer County District Attorney Investigator: “I have investigated Retail Theft for years – these funds have changed the landscape – allowing the Placer County District Attorney’s team to rapidly deploy our resources, identify those individuals engaged in organized retail theft, and ultimately protecting the safety of our citizens and the bottom line of our local retail partners.”

    Thien Ho, Sacramento County District Attorney: “The ORT grant has enabled our office to expand the prosecution of retail thefts through the vertical prosecution model. Our office is now better positioned to identify and prosecute upper-level offenders who orchestrate organized retail theft and recruit lower-level individuals to commit the crimes.”

    Brooke Jenkins, San Francisco District Attorney: “The organized retail theft vertical prosecution grant has been a game changer for my office. Because of this grant, our work with the San Francisco Police Department to combat rampant organized retail theft in our city has been strengthened, ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable and making our community safer.”

    Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara County District Attorney: “The Organized Retail Theft Vertical Grant has strengthened our ability to effectively combat the scourge of retail theft affecting our county. The grant has furthered our goal to become the organized retail theft intelligence hub for our county by collaborating closely with law enforcement, retailers and prosecutors in other counties to hold cross-jurisdictional thieves accountable to the greatest extent possible. A sign of the grant’s success is a recently filed 65 felony charge complaint against a group of thieves who stole over 150 times from Home Depots throughout 11 Northern California counties. Our county will continue to hold those who threaten our retailers, both big and small, accountable.”

    Erik Nasarenko, Ventura County District Attorney: “Thanks to Governor Newsom and the state’s ORT Grant, we’ve been able to dedicate a full-time prosecutor to fight organized retail theft in Ventura County. Just last year alone, we filed 124 cases involving 208 defendants, and recovering more than $500,000 in stolen goods. This grant has made a real difference in helping us hold offenders accountable and protect our businesses and communities.”

    This is the biggest reform of the California mental health system in decades and will finally equip partners to deliver the results all Californians need and deserve. Treatment centers will prioritize mental health and substance use support in the community like never before. Now, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and begin implementing this critical reform – working closely with city and county leaders to ensure we see results.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Recent news

    May 6, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 4-10, 2025 as “Wildfire Preparedness Week.”The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONJanuary’s fires in Los Angeles underscored the scale and…

    May 5, 2025

    News What you need to know: The Governor honored the contributions of fallen California law enforcement officers at the annual California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony.  Sacramento, California – Honoring the contributions of fallen California peace officers,…

    May 5, 2025

    News What you need to know: California applied to the federal government today to update the state’s benchmark plan, which would expand coverage requirements for essential health benefits (EHBs) like hearing aids and wheelchairs in the individual and small group…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How maximum security prison inmates and officers worked together to create a farm behind bars

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Tietz, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design, UNSW Sydney

    Macquarie Correctional Centre Media Unit

    At Macquarie Correctional Centre in western New South Wales, a story of collaboration and persistence is unfolding. Inmates and prison officers are farming commercial quantities of fresh food in a purpose-built indoor facility.

    One of the 400 male offenders in maximum security at Macquarie contacted me with the idea about five years ago, proposing it would form the basis of a PhD. I agreed to supervise the project.

    Inmates at Macquarie Correctional Centre are encouraged to further their education and follow their interests. The approach is modelled on the Scandinavian prison system, which has the world’s lowest re-offending rates.

    The project shows food gardening provides a meaningful activity for inmates, some of whom never had the opportunity to learn how to plant and grow produce.

    The M Farm produces fresh produce for the on site café.
    Macquarie Correctional Centre Media Unit

    Why farm indoors?

    The project involved farming indoors because the environment can be more carefully controlled. Being isolated from the weather means there’s no need to worry about extremes such as frosts or heatwaves.

    This type of “controlled environment agriculture” is also more efficient. It requires less resources than traditional agriculture, mainly because there are fewer losses due to pests and diseases.

    By controlling the amount of light, water and nutrients each plant receives, it’s possible to optimise the growing system – making it more like a plant factory than a standard greenhouse.

    Inside M Farm, in the early days.
    PhD student

    From vision to reality

    Inmates studying in prison don’t have internet access. Emails are printed out or relayed. If information needs to be viewed online it is under supervision of an authorised officer.

    Despite the challenges, the student published his first conference paper in 2021 and his first academic journal article in 2023. A second article followed in 2024. The student also submitted his PhD 2024.

    The project began with a research plan. Then the PhD student ran focus groups with officers and inmates in mixed groups. A series of one-on-one interviews followed.

    Officers and inmates co-designed and developed the indoor farming facility. One group of inmates, trained in the in-house design office, used 3D computer aided design (CAD) software to produce technical drawings for the farm. Another group took these drawings and turned them into small-scale indoor farming prototypes.

    After extensive testing, the team selected the best prototype and developed the full-scale project, known as M Farm.

    The student won a competitive grant of A$50,000 from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice Innovation Fund. This funded construction of the farm.

    Another grant from the University of NSW supported a solar-powered food waste composting machine. The machine converts daily food waste from the entire prison into organic fertiliser. This means less food waste is sent to landfill, saving costs and reducing emissions.

    Produce from the farm is used in the prison café. Since November 2023, the farm has supplied about $3,500 worth of produce to the café.

    Last year, about 30 items were entered in the local agricultural show. M Farm won first place in the district for best fresh produce.

    M Farm has grown award-winning fresh produce.
    Macquarie Correctional Centre Media Unit

    Cooperation is key to success

    Inmates ran the project and enjoyed tangible benefits such as access to fresh produce and a sense of accomplishment and pride.

    The project proved inmates can be productive without constant oversight. Similar results were achieved in a community-based vegetable gardening initiative in Girona, Spain, where residents formed an intensive farming cooperative without local council administration.

    The prison officers also benefited from being part of the process and took pride in the results. They also shared the benefits in the on-site café, which is open to both inmates and prison staff.

    This experiment provides further evidence that engagement and collaboration through co-design can lead to social learning, or “informal mutual learning”.

    Empowering co-designers enables the development of solutions beyond initial expectations. The best approach is arming people with the skills they need to actively engage and co-lead in the decision-making processes.

    Tasty and nutritious leafy greens grow in the front garden at M Farm.
    Christian Tietz

    Make it grow

    The PhD thesis includes a co-design tool kit that other prisons worldwide can follow. Given the global prison population exceeds 11 million people, this presents an opportunity to develop a broad-scale sustainability initiative.

    Farming fresh produce in prisons has the potential to improve nutrition and wellbeing. It also offers environmental benefits such as producing compost, reducing waste and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

    Such projects also have the potential to give inmates confidence and hope, and provides them with skills and knowledge that can benefit the community after their release.

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

    – ref. How maximum security prison inmates and officers worked together to create a farm behind bars – https://theconversation.com/how-maximum-security-prison-inmates-and-officers-worked-together-to-create-a-farm-behind-bars-244962

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia doesn’t have a federal Human Rights Act – but the election clears the way for overdue reform

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Maguire, Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle

    Master1305/Shutterstock

    The Albanese government has achieved an historic re-election, substantially building its majority in the House of Representatives. Much has already been written about the potential for a more ambitious legislative program on the back of this result.

    That agenda should include substantive human rights reform. The government has the opportunity in its second term to enhance the protections we all deserve by legislating a national Human Rights Act.

    Australia’s human rights framework

    Australia presents itself – and is largely ranked – as a global leader in protecting civil and political rights.

    It has a strong history of commitment to the UN’s human rights agenda, including as a party to seven core human rights treaties. Australia is also an enthusiastic participant in international human rights monitoring processes, including the Universal Periodic Review.

    Yet Australia also receives persistent international criticism, notably in relation to the rights of Indigenous peoples, refugees and asylum seekers.

    Australia has a dualist legal system. The Australian government can consent to treaty obligations that are binding on state parties, but those obligations are not absorbed into domestic law. This limits Australia’s capacity to meet its human rights obligations, because many are unenforceable under domestic law.

    Instead, Australia has built a patchwork human rights system. The Constitution affords only minimal rights protections, including the right to vote and the right to a trial by jury for certain offences.

    Only Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland have passed human rights legislation. But state laws do not include comprehensive protection for all the human rights protected by the treaties Australia has signed.

    Recently in Queensland, the LNP government rejected the recommendations of a review into the state’s Human Rights Act that would have enhanced the right to adequate housing and the right to be free from gender-based violence.

    At the federal level, parliament has a process for human rights scrutiny of legislation, but has not passed a comprehensive national human rights law.

    The path forward

    Between 2019 and 2023, the Australian Human Rights Commission conducted a national inquiry, Free & Equal. Its final report recommended major reforms including the passage of a Human Rights Act.

    A separate inquiry by the parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights also proposed national human rights laws. These inquiries provided model legislation for parliament’s consideration.

    A Human Rights Act would remedy gaps in Australia’s compliance with its international obligations. Importantly for Australians, an act would provide comprehensive and enforceable protection for the rights we are all entitled to.

    Where does the government stand?

    Labor’s national platform notes Australia is an outlier due to its lack of comprehensive human rights legislation. It commits a federal Labor government to:

    consider whether our commitment to the implementation of human rights standards could be enhanced through a statutory Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, or similar instrument.

    In its first term, the Albanese government acted quickly to ensure that the Australian Human Rights Commission retained global A-status accreditation. It also conducted the promised parliamentary review into Australia’s human rights framework. However, it is yet to respond to the recommendations of that review.

    The prospects of human rights law reform seemed slim in the immediate aftermath of the Voice referendum. The government appeared hesitant to make policy commitments in Indigenous affairs.

    Yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss argued the referendum outcome highlighted the urgency of reform that would realise “even the most basic human rights” of Indigenous people.

    The time is right

    An argument can be made that the values expressed as central to the government’s second term agenda are tightly aligned with the values of the international human rights framework.

    In his speech on election night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

    Today, the Australian people have voted for Australian values. For fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all. For the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need.

    He went on to highlight areas of need to ensure that every Australian has “the opportunity to be their best”, which included:

    • fair pay for workers and a right to disconnect
    • secure housing
    • equal pay and social equity for women
    • access to quality education for all students
    • the National Disability Insurance Scheme
    • protection for a healthy environment
    • equal rights for First Nations people
    • Medicare.

    These are all matters of central concern to the electorate. We may not talk about them all the time in human rights language, but they are also human rights issues.

    Australia is a party to human rights treaties that protect fair working conditions, an adequate standard of living and a right to health, women’s rights, the right to education, the rights of people with disabilities and Indigenous peoples, and the right to a healthy environment.

    The ground has been laid for comprehensive human rights reform in Australia. This project could unite “Australian values” of fairness and equity with protection of human rights in Australian law.

    We all stand to gain from opening our national conversation to human rights principles.

    Amy Maguire holds an Australian Research Council fellowship. Her industry partner is the Australian Human Rights Commission.

    – ref. Australia doesn’t have a federal Human Rights Act – but the election clears the way for overdue reform – https://theconversation.com/australia-doesnt-have-a-federal-human-rights-act-but-the-election-clears-the-way-for-overdue-reform-255863

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray Calls Out VA for Stonewalling Congress, Grills VA Secretary Collins on How Trump Administration Mass Firings are Increasing Wait Times for Veterans, Further Jeopardizing EHR Rollout & VA Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: After Trump Admin Refuses to Allow VA to Host Discussion on Women Veterans’ Health Care, Senator Murray Meets with Women Veterans and Advocates In Seattle
    *** VIDEO of Senator Murray’s Exchange with VA Secretary HERE***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee oversight hearing with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, pressed Secretary Collins on how the Trump administration’s mass firing of VA employes is hurting veterans’ ability to get the health care they need—from jeopardizing VA research, to creating new risks around the deployment of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to additional VA Medical Centers, which the Trump administration is insisting on moving ahead with despite persistent and unresolved issues at the sites where it is currently deployed. Murray also pressed Secretary Collins on new policies the Trump administration recently rolled out that severely limit Congressional engagement with veterans and VA for no legitimate reason.
    “Secretary Collins, thank you for being here. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me yesterday morning about the new policies that you now have related to Congressional engagement,” Senator Murray began. “For all of my colleagues: this new policy will limit our ability to interact with veterans on a VA campus, as it did when I was denied the ability to host a veteran and provider roundtable at the Seattle VA. I’ll note, I have done that many times over my 30 years in the Senate. My staff was told it was a new policy which had not been put into writing at the time that I got denied. And I just want to reiterate my request, Mr. Secretary, that you share that newly written policy with every single member of Congress.”
    “Senator, as you and I talked yesterday, this had been an unwritten policy for years that had been applied differently. I went back and checked it had been applied differently,” said Secretary Collins.
    “I’ve never been denied before, I don’t know anybody else who has. This is a new policy, and I think it’s important that you have it in writing to every single member, so we all know that,” Senator Murray emphasized.
    “It will be,” Secretary Collins affirmed.
    “I’d also note that in our conversation yesterday, as well as in your responses to nearly all of the oversight letters I’ve seen, you are relying on this very broad explanation to everything that…‘everything you do is to ensure veterans receive the care and services they deserve.’ I want to take this opportunity, Mr. Secretary, to remind you the people on this dais, both sides, have the same purpose. Many of us have been doing this for decades. And oversight is both constitutionally required, and it is critical for all of us to do our jobs,” Senator Murray continued. “With that in mind, I would ask you to rescind the memo from your Chief of Staff, which allows him to personally sign off on any proposed or planned engagement with any one of the 535 Members of Congress, which really just stonewalls legitimate questions that we have.”
    Secretary Collins responded, “Senator, that was a memo that was, that’s a mischaracterization of that memo. It simply was coordinating between OM and our legislative affairs office to make sure that our OM staff, who actually deal with the budget side, which you do, and our legislative affairs, were on the same page. Just as you wouldn’t want to in your staff talking to the same group and basically not being on the same page.”
    Senator Murray pressed, “I have the letter, and it directly says that every request we have, has to go through your Chief of Staff. From our staff who want questions, from any of us who do, everything has to be rerouted up to the top. That is going to take forever. That denies us the ability for us to get the information we need.”
    “We’ll make sure that all, you know—legislative inquiries, the stuff that you need—you’re getting the oversight. I agree with you. I served in Congress as well. Oversight is important. But also getting you good information is important as well,” Secretary Collins dodged.
    “I appreciate that. So, is that letter no longer in place, no longer applies?” Senator Murray inquired.
    Secretary Collins continued, “That letter is…to streamline information so we can get you, actually, information quicker.”
    “Streamlined all the way to the top, so our questions are never answered. That’s how we all read it,” pressed Senator Murray.
    Secretary Collins doubled down, “No, that is not the way the letter is written. So, that is not the way the interpretation is.”  
    “I would ask you to go back and look. Because again, we have oversight responsibility. We all take that very seriously…We need those responses, we don’t need weeks and months to go through some—all the way to the top and one guy sitting there deciding whether or not we get the information,” continued Senator Murray.
    “Well, there is no weeks and months. And that’s, you know, the unfortunate part of the VA has been a bureaucracy issue. This is what we’re trying to actually streamline to get you information,” Secretary Collins replied.
    Senator Murray made it clear, “I mean this: I’d like you to go back and look at that letter and remind yourselves we all need the information.”
    Senator Murray continued by asking Secretary Collins about the how VA’s plan to fire more than 80,000 employees will affect the planned deployment of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to new sites, which VA is moving forward with despite serious and persistent issues with the system at the sites where it is currently deployed, which include two VA Medical Centers in Washington state—Joseph M. Wainwright in Walla Walla and Mann-Grandstaff in Spokane.
    Senator Murray asked, “As you know, fixing EHR and getting it right for our veterans is about patient safety. During your hearing, I expressed my concerns about VA moving forward with deploying the new system at four additional new sites when it’s still experiencing very serious issues at places in my state—Spokane and Walla Walla. And you said that when it comes to EHR, you were going to ‘listen to our clinicians’ and ‘listen to our hospitals.’ Weeks later, VA announced plans to look at firing a staggering 80,000 employees this year. I want to know did you ask these VA clinicians and hospitals about how those cuts would affect future EHR deployments?”
    “The issue of employment and EHR deployments are separate,” responded Secretary Collins. “We’re not looking—again, I can’t emphasize this enough, none of the reorganization that we’re looking at deals with frontline workers or frontline employees—”
    “That was not my question,” pressed Senator Murray.
    “So yes, we’ve included Dr. Evans, who runs our program, he’s been working the program for well over a decade,” replied Secretary Collins.
    Senator Murray continued her questioning: “I’ve been very vocal, you know this, about VA’s troubling decision not to renew the terms of researchers who are working on absolutely critical projects and clinical trials for our veterans. There are planned trials that have not started, there are ongoing trials that have been stopped, and there are trials that have fallen apart due to staff layoffs. Yes or no, would you agree that clinical trials stopping would have an impact on the care for our veterans?”
    “I think clinical trials are very important,” said Secretary Collins. “And the good thing about it is, when we looked at it, there were trials that were coming due that, just as they always do. I put a 90-day stop on that so we can examine and make sure that everything’s going good.”
    “I understand, there’s a pause on this new policy. Has a decision been made about what happens when that pause stops?” pressed Senator Murray.
    “We’re currently in the process of examining that,” replied Secretary Collins.
    “So, clinical trials that are out there have no idea, they’ve got to wait 90 days and pray?” asked Senator Murray.
    “At this point in time, like I said, some of those were actually stopped at the end, and…we’re actually keeping some in line so that they can continue, if need be,” Secretary Collins said.
    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been a leading voice in the Senate speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans’ sensitive personal information.
    Last week at a hearing on veterans’ mental health, Senator Murray pressed administration officials on the importance of transparency and communication with Congress and how the Trump administration’s mass firings might undermine care for veterans who have dealt with sexual trauma. In February, Murray grilled Trump’s then-nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers. After pressing Doug Collins on EHR and protecting women’s access to VA health care, including lifesaving abortion care, at his nomination hearing, Senator Murray voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early February, sounding the alarm over Elon Musk and DOGE’s activities at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness is putting our national security and our veterans at risk.
    Last month, Senator Murray released a report on how Trump’s mass firings at VA are already hurting veterans’ services and health care in Washington state and across the country. Senator Murray and her colleagues have demanded that VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, and have sent multiple letters pressing Secretary Collins to sever Elon Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Applauds White House Announcement of Four Outstanding Missourians to the Federal Bench

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Tuesday, May 06, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) applauded President Trump’s decision to appoint four outstanding Missourians to fill court vacancies on the Eastern District of Missouri. Senator Hawley has been working with the White House since the beginning of the year to ensure appointments to Missouri vacancies are prioritized.
    “This country needs good district court judges now more than ever,” said Senator Hawley. “We need judges that are committed to the rule of law and upholding the Constitution, and I’m ecstatic to see President Trump nominate these outstanding individuals to the federal bench.”
    The four nominees include:
    Joshua Divine, Solicitor General of the State of Missouri and former Chief Counsel to Senator Hawley. He attended Yale Law School and clerked for United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    Maria Lanahan, Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the State of Missouri. She attended the University of Chicago School of Law and clerked for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    The Honorable Cristian Stevens, Judge for the Missouri Court of Appeals – Eastern District and former First Assistant Attorney General of Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri School of Law and clerked for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    Zachary Bluestone, Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri and former Deputy Solicitor General of Missouri. He graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    The nominees will undergo the full confirmation process within the United States Senate before taking their respective seats to the bench.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Security director convicted after working without a licence

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Security director convicted after working without a licence

    A man who both acted as director of a security company and worked as a front line security guard without a licence has been prosecuted.

    The director of a security company based in Cornwall has been ordered to pay over £1,600 after acting as both the director of a security company and as a security operative without a licence for either activity. 

    Dean Lanyon, director of Trouble Free Security Ltd, was questioned by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary at an event near Wadebridge on 6 July 2024. Trouble Free Security Ltd were providing security for the event and Lanyon was working there as a security operative, where he initially told police he held a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence. 

    Police checked the SIA Public Register of Licence Holders, which showed that Lanyon was unlicensed, and referred this to the SIA. 

    Between 10 October 2024 and 31 October 2024, Lanyon failed to respond to repeated requests for information relating to Trouble Free Security Ltd. 

    SIA records showed that Dean Lanyon had never held an SIA licence, despite having made four historic applications to the SIA to obtain a licence where each had expired without payment.

    On 2 April 2025, Lanyon pleaded guilty to offences under both Section 3 and Section 19 of the Private Security Industry Act. He was ordered to pay a £400 fine for each offence, a victim surcharge of £320, and prosecution costs of £500, totalling £1,620.

    Kirsty Grant, Criminal Investigations Officer at the Security Industry Authority, said: 

    A vital part of the SIA’s role in protecting public safety is ensuring all security directors and operatives are adequately licensed to perform their roles. Dean Lanyon, despite knowing the SIA licensing requirements through his historic applications, decided to put people at risk by working without a licence. 

    Both the SIA and the police conduct regular inspection and enforcement operations across the country to make sure regulations are followed, and any unlicensed operatives are found. We would like to thank our partners in Devon and Cornwall Constabulary who brought this specific case to our attention.

    Background 

    By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence. Information about SIA enforcement and penalties can be found on GOV.UK/SIA.  

    The offences relating to the Private Security Industry Act 2001 mentioned above are:  

    • Section 3 – engaging in licensable conduct without a licence. 
    • Section 19 – obstructing SIA officials or those with delegated authority, or failing to respond to a request for information. 

    The SIA is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).

    Media enquiries

    For media enquiries only, please contact:

    SIA press office

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Lawler Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Counterterrorism

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Michael Lawler delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled, “Maximum Impact: Assessing the Effectiveness of the Bureau of Counterterrorism and the Path Forward.”

    Watch Here

    -Remarks-

    Good afternoon, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. From the Houthis in Yemen to al-Shabaab in the Sahel to ISIS in Afghanistan, global terrorism remains a persistent and evolving threat to the safety and security of Americans both at home and abroad. Terrorism endangers lives, destabilizes regions, disrupts commerce, and undermines U.S. interests worldwide.

    While countering violent extremism has long required a comprehensive whole-of-government approach, the threat landscape has evolved, yet our counterterrorism strategy has not kept pace. Today, we examine the critical role of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism and the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State.

    Established by Congress in 1998, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism was created to serve as a central node for U.S. diplomatic efforts to combat terrorism abroad. Now housed within the Bureau of Counterterrorism, the Coordinator leads a team that advances U.S. counterterrorism policy and coordinates with partner nations globally.

    The Bureau’s work includes diplomatic engagement, designating terrorist entities, implementing targeted assistance programs, and training foreign law enforcement, border control, and judicial officials to identify, disrupt, and prosecute terrorist actors and networks. These overseas investments provide national security benefits at home.

    To succeed in today’s evolving environment, the Bureau must function effectively within the broader interagency framework, coordinating closely with partners such as the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and various intelligence and law enforcement agencies. A clearly defined mission and delineated authorities are essential to prevent duplication and conflict.

    Effective coordination is especially critical when confronting state sponsors of terrorism, particularly Iran. In 2024, Iran exported an estimated 587 million barrels of oil, a 10.75% increase from the previous year. These revenues likely support terrorist proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

    I’m especially interested in how the Bureau disrupts financial and trade networks fueling Iran’s terrorism, and whether our security assistance aligns with counterterrorism priorities. The Bureau can assess partner nation capabilities, but it’s unclear how these assessments influence funding decisions. For instance, Morocco and Lebanon face different threats but receive similar foreign military financing.

    We should consider whether the Bureau should have a more formal role in prioritizing security assistance when counterterrorism is the primary objective. At a time when adversaries like China and Russia seek to undermine U.S. leadership, it’s critical for Congress to strengthen the authority, mission, and effectiveness of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

    Through reauthorization, we must ensure every dollar spent and every diplomat deployed supports American safety and security. Under the Trump administration, we now have the opportunity to modernize our counterterrorism approach and chart a stronger path forward.

    Our witnesses today bring valuable experience from leading the Bureau and analyzing U.S. security policy. Their testimony will help identify structural challenges and key reforms needed from Congress.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE, international law enforcement partners, conduct TRADEWINDS 2025 in Trinidad and Tobago

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    WASHINGTON D.C. – On April 29, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement joined more than 1,000 service members, law enforcement professionals, government officials, and participants from 26 allied and partner nations gathered in Trinidad and Tobago to officially launch TRADEWINDS 2025—a multinational, multi-domain exercise sponsored by U.S. Southern Command and led by U.S. Army South.

    As part of the exercise, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, conducted a technical exchange on firearms trafficking investigations and evidence recovery, further advancing joint capabilities to combat transnational crime. TTPS Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin formally opened the proceedings in Port of Spain, joined by senior leaders from both nations’ defense and law enforcement communities, including Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Lt. Col. Dwayne Edwards, U.S. Army Col. Christopher Johnes, and ICE HSI Caribbean Regional Attaché Rafael Quinquilla.

    Throughout the weeklong, Caribbean-focused exercise, ICE HSI worked closely with Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement counterparts to build capacity and strengthen operational collaboration. Activities included intelligence briefings on emerging firearms trafficking trends, instruction in advanced investigative techniques, hands-on evidence recovery exercises—including DNA and fingerprint collection—and a counter-human trafficking briefing with a case study.

    “Strategic partnerships with TTPS—including recent, high-impact operations with the Transnational Organized Crime Unit, Special Investigations Unit, and Special Evidence Recovery Unit—are essential to disrupting transnational criminal networks,” said ICE HSI Rafael Quinquilla. “ICE HSI deeply values the professionalism and partnership of our Trinidad and Tobago counterparts and looks forward to building on our shared successes as we continue the fight against firearms trafficking, transnational gangs, and organized crime.”

    ICE HSI’s support to TRADEWINDS 2025 is part of the ICE HSI-led Operation Hammerhead, a broader sustained initiative to combat firearms trafficking across the Caribbean. Using a comprehensive three-pronged strategy— investigative support, criminal analysis, and capacity building—ICE HSI works to identify, disrupt, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations smuggling firearms from the United States into the region.

    “TRADEWINDS 2025 represents the true essence of multinational cooperation,” said U.S. Army South Training and Exercise Director and TRADEWINDS 2025 Exercise Co-lead Col. Christopher Johnes. “By working hand-in-hand with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, our Caribbean partners, and allied nations, we are not only building readiness but also reinforcing the bonds of trust and shared commitment to regional security and stability.”

    TRADEWINDS 2025 marked the 40th iteration of the exercise and united a diverse array of military, security, and law enforcement professionals from across the region. Conducted on the rugged terrain of the Chaguaramas Peninsula, the exercise provided a realistic and challenging training environment designed to enhance operational interoperability and strengthen enduring international partnerships.

    ICE HSI’s expertise in firearms trafficking and transnational crime was a critical contribution to the overall law enforcement component to the exercise.

    TRADEWINDS 2025 reaffirmed ICE HSI’s unwavering commitment to supporting law enforcement and government partners worldwide, advancing global security through integrated training, operational synergy, and whole-of-government cooperation.

    Learn more about ICE HSI’s law enforcement partnership missions on X, @ICEgov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Noem Remembers Americans Killed by Illegal Aliens Driving Under the Influence

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Secretary Noem Remembers Americans Killed by Illegal Aliens Driving Under the Influence

    Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and President Trump stand with the victims of illegal alien crimes and their families

    To watch the video please click here

    “Far too many American lives have been lost because of illegal aliens driving drunk, including Mathew Denice, Sarah Root, and so many others,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin

    “These Americans killed by drunk-driving illegal aliens should still be with us today, and we feel their absence in our schools and offices, at our dinner tables, and throughout our communities

    President Trump and Secretary Noem have reopened the VOICE Office to serve all victims of illegal alien crime and their families

    ” 

    The following names are just a handful of Americans whose lives were taken too soon at the hands of illegal aliens driving under the influence

    7-year-old Ivory Smith was killed in a crash caused by Joel Enrique Gonzalez Chacin of Venezuela in Texas in 2024

     
    8-year-old Maverick Martzen was killed in a crash caused by Karmit Singh of India in California in 2019

     
    10-year-old Alex “AJ” Wise Jr

    was killed in a crash caused by Rogelio Ortiz-Olivas of Mexico in Texas in 2024

     
    18-year-olds Taliyah Crochet and Rylan Oncale were both killed in a crash caused by Axel Flores-Cordova of Honduras in Louisiana in 2024

     
    19-year-olds Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin were both killed in a crash caused by Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano of Mexico in California in 2021

     
    20-year-old Katie Abraham was killed in a hit-and-run crash caused by Julio Cucul Bol of Guatemala in Illinois in 2025

     
    21-year-old Sarah Root was killed in a crash caused by Eswin Mejia of Honduras in Nebraska in 2016

     
    29-year-old Grayson Davis was killed in a crash caused by illegal alien Jorge Peralta in Texas in 2024

     
    44-year-old Police Officer David Lee was killed by Ramon A

    Chavez-Rodriguez of Honduras in Missouri in 2024

     
    7-year-old Melissa Powell and her 16-year-old son, Riordan, were killed in a crash caused by Jose Guadalupe Menjivar-Alas of Honduras in Colorado in 2024

     
    70-year-old Robert Boles was killed in a crash caused by illegal alien Jorge Urbina Lopez in Texas in 2025

    On April 10, Secretary Noem relaunched the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office

    The VOICE office was shuttered by the previous administration, which left victims of alien crime without access to many key support services and resources

    The office was first launched in 2017 by the Trump administration as a dedicated resource for those who have been victimized by crime that has a nexus to immigration

     
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1300 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the First week in May as part of Operation Take Back America

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1300 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the First week in May as part of Operation Take Back America

    Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California Man Sentenced to 12 Years’ Imprisonment in Connection with $17M Medicare Fraud Schemes

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    A California man was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $17 million through sham hospice companies and his home health care company.

    According to court documents, Petros Fichidzhyan, 44, of Granada Hills, schemed with others to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. Fichidzhyan and his co-schemers controlled hospice entities and used foreign nationals’ personal identifying information (PII) to conceal the scheme, using the PII to, among other things, open bank accounts, submit information to Medicare, and sign property leases. The defendant and his co-schemers also misappropriated the names and PII of several doctors, two of whom were deceased, to fraudulently bill Medicare for purported hospice services. Medicare paid the sham hospices nearly $16 million, of which Fichidzhyan received nearly $7 million, with more than $5.3 million laundered through a dozen shell and third-party bank accounts. Fichidzhyan also obtained more than $1 million in false claims paid to his home health care agency, which fraudulently used a doctor’s name and identifying information as having certified Medicare beneficiaries for home health care. When the doctor confronted Fichidzhyan about the fraud, Fichidzhyan attempted to cover up the scheme by paying the doctor $11,000.

    Fichidzhyan pleaded guilty to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering in February 2025. At sentencing, he was also ordered to pay $17,129,060 in restitution, and the court preliminarily ordered the forfeiture of a home bought with fraudulent proceeds. The government has seized $2,920,383 from bank accounts associated with the fraud. The sentence imposed today is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s ongoing effort to combat hospice fraud in the greater Los Angeles area.

    “For years, the defendant, working with others, ran multiple sham hospice and home health care schemes, fraudulently billing Medicare over $17 million,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant’s egregious scheme relied on layers of deception and sophisticated money laundering, and wasted millions in taxpayer money. With the help of our law enforcement partners, the Department of Justice is fully committed to stopping these criminal networks and protecting the public fisc.”

    “Health care fraud is not a victimless crime. Defrauding the Medicare program not only wastes valuable taxpayer dollars, it causes significant harm to enrollees,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office. “HHS-OIG, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who defraud federal health care programs.”

    “Mr. Fichidzhyan lined his pockets at the expense of the American taxpayer,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The level of fraud and exploitation committed by the defendant is astounding and I’m proud of our investigators and prosecutors who were able to detect his schemes and hold him accountable.”

    The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorneys Eric C. Schmale and Sarah E. Edwards of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Largest Fentanyl Bust in DEA History: Authorities Seize Over 400 Kilograms of Fentanyl in Record-Shattering Operation

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Federal authorities have arrested 16 individuals and seized record-breaking quantities of fentanyl, cash, firearms, and vehicles across multiple states, dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking organizations in U.S. history.

    “This historic drug seizure, led by the DEA, is a significant blow against the Sinaloa Cartel that removes poison from our streets and protects American citizens from the scourge of fentanyl,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle every cartel network operating illegally in the United States.”

    As part of this operation, law enforcement executed coordinated search warrants across five states, resulting in the following seizures:

    Albuquerque, NM:

    • Approximately $610,000 in U.S. currency
    • 49 firearms, some with switches, and some ghost guns
    • 396 kilograms of fentanyl pills
    • 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder
    • 1.5 kilograms of cocaine
    • 3.5 kilograms of heroin
    • 7 pounds of methamphetamine
    • A Ford Raptor and GMC Denali Two vehicles valued at approximately $140,000
    Guns seized in Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Salem, OR:

    • More than $2.8 million in U.S. currency
    • Jewelry valued at approximately $50,000
    • A Mercedes AMG and Ford F-150 Shelby valued at approximately $150,000
    Cash seized in Salem, Oregon

    Layton, UT:

    • Approximately $780,000 in U.S. currency
    • A Dodge TRX Mammoth valued at approximately $150,000

    Phoenix, AZ:

    • Approximately $390,000 in U.S. currency
    • 72 pounds of methamphetamine
    • 13 kilograms of fentanyl pills
    • 2.4 pounds of heroin
    • 5 kilograms of cocaine.

    Las Vegas, NV:

    • Illegal alien apprehended and removed
    • More than $93,000 in U.S. currency
    • 2.7 kilograms of cocaine
    • 1 pound of methamphetamine

    “Our communities are safer today because of the tireless dedication and coordination among federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “By dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous fentanyl trafficking organizations in U.S. history, we have removed millions of lethal doses from our streets and sent a clear message: those who profit from poisoning our citizens will be held accountable. The fight continues, but this operation marks a decisive step in protecting families across the western United States.”

    “Behind the three million fentanyl pills we seized are destructive criminal acts thwarted and American lives saved. This wasn’t just a bust—it was a battlefield victory against a terrorist-backed network pumping death into our cities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “This case represents DEA’s largest single seizure of fentanyl pills to date. I commend the men and women of DEA for their extraordinary work, day in and day out, and I remind the cartels that DEA is relentlessly in pursuit and will not stop until we destroy your networks.”

    Heriberto Salazar Amaya, 36, is the leader of the drug trafficking organization. He, along with Cesar Acuna-Moreno, 27, Bruce Sedillo, 26, Vincent Montoya, 35, Francisco Garcia, 27, David Anesi, 42, George Navarette-Ramirez, 25, Alex Anthony Martinez, Jose Luis Marquez, Nicholas Tanner, Brian Sanchez, Kaitlyn Young, Alan Singer, and David Altamirano Lopez are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

    Seven defendants face additional charges of distributing fentanyl: Cesar Acuna-Moreno, Brian Sanchez, Kaitlyn Young, Alan Singer, Bruce Sedillo, Francisco Garcia, and Nicholas Tanner.

    Jose Luis Marquez and Bruce Sedillo are each charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

    Bruce Sedillo is also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    Heriberto Salazar Amaya faces three additional immigration-related charges: illegal reentry after deportation, hiring an unauthorized alien, and conspiracy to harbor unauthorized aliens.

    During the operation, three additional individuals were arrested and charged by criminal complaint:

    • Phillip Lovato, 39: On April 29, agents seized approximately 110,000 fentanyl pills from Lovato’s stash house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Lovato is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking.
    Cash and Drugs seized in Santa Fe, New Mexico
    • Roberta Herrera, 31; On April 28, agents seized approximately 365,000 pills fentanyl pills, 1,543.5 grams of heroin, 569.9 grams of cocaine, and 24 firearms from Herrera’s apartment. Agents also encountered a minor child at the location. Herrera is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
    • Misael Lopez Rubio, 25; on April 28, agents seized approximately 165.5 kilograms of fentanyl pills from a storage unit rented by Lopez Rubio. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking.
    Drugs seized in Albuquerque, NM

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico and Special Agent in Charge Omar Arellano of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division, made the announcement today.

    The DEA’s El Paso Division investigated this case with assistance from the IRS Criminal Investigation. The following law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement operation: Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Lea County Drug Task Force, United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, Isleta Police Department, Laguna Pueblo Police Department, Pojoaque Police Department and Sandoval County Sheriff’s Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew McGinley, Blake Nichols and Raquel Ruiz-Velez for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

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

    View the Indictment

    View the Motion to Detain

    View Lovato’s Criminal Complaint

    View Herrera’s Criminal Complaint

    View Lopez Rubio’s Criminal Complaint

    An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Four Honduran Nationals Indicted in Florida for Years-Long Off-the-Books Payroll Scheme

    Source: US State of California

    Defendants Allegedly Ran an Unlicensed Check Cashing Business to Facilitate the Employment of Undocumented Aliens and to Evade Payroll Taxes

    Last week, a federal grand jury in Orlando, Florida, returned an indictment charging four Honduran nationals with operating an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, the conspirators facilitated the employment of undocumented aliens working illegally in the United States.

    The defendants, Iris Villafranca, Mario Flores, Osman Zapata, and Cristofer Oseguera Giron, were charged with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Villafranca was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and with filing false tax returns.

    The following is according to the indictment: from 2015 to 2022, the defendants used a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business that cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry. The subcontractors allegedly paid their workers using the cash. As a fee for their services, the defendants allegedly charged a percentage of the dollar amount of the checks they cashed. This scheme allegedly allowed construction contractors and subcontractors to pay their workers in cash without regard to required payroll taxes or whether the workers were legally authorized to work in the United States. Indeed, according to the indictment, the defendants caused the filing of false tax documents with the IRS to conceal the off-the-books payroll scheme and made only minimal employment tax deposits. As another aspect of the scheme, the defendants allegedly defrauded workers’ compensation insurance companies by leasing their certificates of insurance to contractors, and by providing false and fraudulent information to the insurers about, among other things, the number of workers covered by the insurance and the amount workers were paid.

    The indictment also alleges that Villafranca filed false individual income tax returns for 2019 through 2022 that did not report all the income she earned from the scheme and also did not report rental income she earned from her real estate.

    If convicted, Villafranca faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit tax fraud. She additionally faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing false tax returns.

    If convicted, Flores, Zapata, and Giron face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit tax fraud.

    A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Homeland Security Investigations assisted during the investigation.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Court Orders Florida Tax Return Preparer to Shut Down Tax Preparation Business

    Source: US State of California

    Note: View permanent injunction here.

    The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction today against Cooper City, Florida, tax return preparer Sunil Ramchandani and his business, SR Chandra Inc. doing business as AHS Income Tax Services. The court ordered the closure of AHS Income Tax Services and barred Ramchandani from preparing or assisting in preparing federal income tax returns for others or transferring his customer lists. Ramchandani agreed to the injunction against him and his business. AHS Income Tax Services had already agreed to entry of a preliminary injunction before the start of filing season.

    The complaint alleged that Ramchandani prepared customers’ returns that fraudulently claimed false or inflated residential energy credits, false fuel tax credits, fictious business losses, and other false or inflated deductions and credits, including false education credits and fictitious child and dependent credits.

    According to the complaint, the IRS estimated a tax loss of more than $10 million in 2022 and 2023 alone from returns prepared by Ramchandani and AHS Income Tax Services.

    The Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

    Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS warns taxpayers to avoid “ghost preparers” and lists other improper acts that tax preparers engage in to take advantage of their unsuspecting customers.

    In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Announces Appointments to Boards and Commissions

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Announces Appointments to Boards and Commissions

    LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen is announcing appointments made to boards and commissions December 31, 2024, through March 31, 2025.

    The list of current board and commission openings can be found on the Governor’s website (https://governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req), along with instructions on completing an application.

    Advisory Committee on Aging
    Ira Nathan, Omaha 
    Marilyn Alber, Blue Hill 
    Alma Varela, Hastings 
    Gloria Aron, Lincoln 
    Richard Brandow, Laurel 
    Linda Schweitzer, Comstock

    Aeronautics Commission
    Edward Dunn, Grant

    Board of Early Childhood Education Endowment 
    Rony Ortega, South Sioux City 
    Eric Buchanan, Lincoln

    Board of Landscape Architects
    Dennis Bryers, Omaha

    Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards
    Bathan Sorben, Waverly 
    Kyle Anderson, Valley

    Capitol Commission 
    John Wightman, Jr

    Crime Commission – Nebraska
    Aaron Hanson, Omaha

    Coalition for Juvenile Justice
    Steve Solorio, Lincoln 
    Erika Schwarting, Omaha 
    Lincoln Arneal, Lincoln 
    Ingrid Gansebom, Osmond 
    Adama Sawadogo, Omaha 
    Candice Novak, Omaha 
    Denise Mathei, Hastings 
    Jorge Garcia, Milford

    Commission on African American Affairs 
    Terri Crawford, Omaha 
    Ted Lampkin, Omaha 
    Jo Anna LeFlore-Ejike, Omaha 
    Johnny Nesbit, Omaha

    Commission for Deaf & Hard of Hearing 
    Roy Christensen, Lincoln

    Committee on Pacific Conflict 
    Jason Jackson, Lincoln

    Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision 
    Greg London, Papillion

    Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 
    Stephen D. Mossman, Lincoln 
    Kurt Arganbright, Valentine 
    Lisa Roskens, Omaha

    Nebraska Investment Council 
    Brian Christensen, Columbus

    Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation 
    Steve Mattoon, Sidney

    Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board 
    Adam Batie, Kearney

    Nebraska State Historical Society Board 
    Jacquelyn Morrison, Papillion

    Nuclear and Hydrogen Industry Work Group 
    Lenette Sprunk, Columbus

    Power Review Board 
    Dennis Grennan, Columbus

    Public Employees Retirement Board 
    Jacob Curtiss, Waverly

    Rural Health Advisory Committee 
    Diva Wilson, MD, Papillion

    State Board of Landscape Architects 
    Dennis Bryers, Omaha

    State Colleges Board of Trustees 
    Connie Edmond, Lincoln 
    Robert Engles, Auburn

    State Electrical Board 
    James Brummer 
    Tyler Ritz, Kearney

    State Fair Board 
    Anna Castner Wightman, Omaha

    State Records Board 
    Jason Jackson, Lincoln

    Tourism Commission
    Courtney Dentlinger, Norfolk
    David Wolf, Scottsbluff
    David Fudge, North Platte
    Paul Younes, Kearney
    Debra Kelly, O’Niell
    Rachel Kreikemeier, Beatrice

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION the return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred and deported by Russia – B10-0250/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law

    Yannis Maniatis, Francisco Assis, Thijs Reuten, Evin Incir, Pina Picierno
    on behalf of the S&D Group

    NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

    B10‑0250/2025

    Motion for a European Parliament resolution on  the return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred and deported by Russia

    (2025/2691(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

      having regard to its numerous previous resolutions on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in particular the one of 15 September 2022 on the human rights violations in the context of forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians to and forced adoption of Ukrainian children in Russia,

     

    – having regard to Article II (e) of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,

     

    – having regard to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention,

    – having regard to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989 and the additional protocols thereto,

    – having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure.

     

    1. whereas reportedly hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred to the temporarily occupied territories or deported to Russian territory, without information about their whereabouts and in many cases to remote regions;
    2. whereas only about 1.200 among the documented 20.000 deported children have returned to Ukraine so far;
    3. whereas international law unequivocally prohibits transfer to an occupied territory or deportation from an occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power, which constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC);
    4. whereas on 17 March 2022 the ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for their responsibility for the war crime of unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children since February 2022;

     

    1. Demands that Russia inform about the names, whereabouts and wellbeing of all transferred and deported Ukrainian children and enable their immediate and safe return;

    2. Urges the Russian federal and local authorities to grant international organisations such as the ICRC, OHCHR and UNICEF access to all Ukrainian children deported to occupied territory or to the Russian territory;

    3. Reiterates that the deportation of Ukrainian children is a grave violation of international humanitarian law, in particular of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and constitutes a war crime;

    4. Calls on the EU and its Member States to closely cooperate with and support Ukrainian authorities and other international organisations such as ICRC in their efforts to document all missing and deported Ukrainian children, determine their whereabouts and repatriate them in order to promptly reunite them with their parents or legal custodians;

    5. Urges the US Government to maintain its crucial financial support to initiatives documenting and tracking deported Ukrainian children such as the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, and the EU to urgently enable such operations to continue unabated;

    6. Emphasizes that any genuine peace deal must entail the return of the children as well as accountability for their deportation to Russia;

    7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/ High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and to the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine, the United States and the Russian Federation.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – EoVs with Minister of Justice, Olha Stefanishyna and hearing on Reporting obligations – Committee on Legal Affairs

    Source: European Parliament

    ukraine_scribo.jpg © European Union 2022 – Source : EP

    At the meetings of 12 and 13 May 2025, JURI Members will hold an exchange views with the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine/ Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna. Furthermore, JURI Members will hear a EUIPO’s presentation on the study on the Development of Generative Artificial Intelligence from a Copyright Perspective.

    The Committee on Legal Affairs will additionally hold an exchange of views with the President of the European Patent Office, António Campinos. Members will also hold a public hearing and hear a presentation of a study on Reporting obligations.

    MIL OSI Europe News –