Category: Law

MIL-OSI Africa: Police Commissioner reiterates commitment to rule of law

Source: Government of South Africa

National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to addressing the serious allegations of corruption within SAPS.

“Members of the media, we are ready to brief the President and wish to undoubtably reaffirm the operational independence of the South African Police Service, and the resolve to uphold the Constitution of the Republic and enforce the law, according to Section 205(3) of the South African Constitution, which outlines the core functions of the South African Police Service (SAPS),” said Masemola on Wednesday.

READ | Ramaphosa commits to address KZN police corruption allegations

Speaking at a firearm destruction ceremony in Gauteng’s Vanderbajlpark, the Commissioner said some of these functions include preventing, combating, and investigating crime; maintaining public order; protecting and securing inhabitants and their property, and upholding and enforcing the law.

The Commissioner said additionally, Section 207(2) of the Constitution states that the National Commissioner of the police service must control and manage the police service in accordance with the national policing policy and the directions of the Cabinet member responsible for policing.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today not to dwell on divisions, but to forge unity. I pledge to you, the people of South Africa, and to every dedicated member of this service, that we will strive for unity in the police service. Together, we will root out any force, internal or external, that seeks to fracture us or compromise our sacred duty.

“The SAPS is not factional property. It is the guardian of every South African’s safety and security. Our focus, our unity, and our unwavering commitment must be singular: it is to serve and protect the citizens of this country. That is our covenant, and that is the resolve you see burning brightly here today as we conclude the firearm destruction,” said the Commissioner.

Masemola said the destruction of the firearms was not merely a “symbolic act”.

“It is a strategic blow against the violence that threatens our nation’s soul.”

In February, 16 049 firearms were destroyed.

“… Including today’s operation, the total number of firearms and parts obliterated by SAPS over the past five years stands at 291 993. Each one represents a potential life saved, a family spared from grief, and a community fortified against chaos.”

With the firearms that we are destroying today, Gauteng brought in the majority of firearms with 5 099, followed by the Western Cape with 2 333, KwaZulu-Natal with 1 574, while 1 432 firearms were from the Eastern Cape and 460 were from the Free State.

Limpopo brought in 343 and Mpumalanga contributed 519. The North West contributed 417 and Northern Cape 322.

From April 2019 to date, a total of 292 092 firearms have been destroyed through firearm destruction operations.

“Firearms remain the most preferred weapon used in serious and violent crime ( murder and attempted murder) and that’s why it’s important to ensure we remove them permanently of our streets,” said the Commissioner. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ20: Enhancing clearance efficiency

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by the Hon Rock Chen and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

Question:

It has been reported that serious congestion occurred at various land boundary control points (BCPs) in Hong Kong on June 21 and 22 this year, and crowd management measures had to be implemented at the Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang Control Point, the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. On the night of June 22, Hong Kong vehicles travelling under the “Quota-free Scheme for Hong Kong Private Cars Travelling to Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge” (“Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” Scheme) even caused serious congestion on the Zhuhai Highway when they returned to Hong Kong. In addition, there are views that some vehicles under “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” Scheme have not travelled according to the reserved time slot, thus affecting the clearance efficiency at BCPs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has reviewed the main reasons for the serious congestion at land BCPs during the aforesaid period (e.g. whether it was related to factors such as the end of the examination seasons of primary and secondary schools, the improvement of the weather or activities organised by shopping malls in Shenzhen); whether the Government has put in place an inter-departmental joint early warning mechanism which incorporates school calendars and daily schedules of schools in general, weather forecasts as well as information on commercial activities in Shenzhen, so as to make advance assessments and forecasts on the passenger flow at BCPs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) as it has been reported that during the aforesaid period when crowd management was implemented at the Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang Control Point and when there were the peak hours for people returning to Hong Kong at the Shenzhen Bay Port, the authorities did not issue real-time alerts through official channels, whether the Government has reviewed the existing information dissemination mechanism; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) in order to avoid the aforesaid similar serious congestion in the future, whether the Government will consider implementing new measures, such as formulating temporary crowd management plans or deploying additional BCP personnel to enhance clearance efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) of the number of vehicle owners who have been penalised since the implementation of the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” Scheme for failing to travel according to the reserved time slot or failing to make a reservation (set out by penalty measure, including refusing to allow their vehicles to travel to Guangdong Province, suspending their eligibility for making another reservation and revoking the relevant licences issued to them); whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of the existing penalty mechanism, and whether they will consider adjusting the mechanism to further ensure that vehicles under the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” Scheme will travel according to the reserved time slot?

Reply:

President,

In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau, a reply to the questions raised by the Hon Rock Chen is as follows:

(1) With the increasing co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong, exchanges at the community level have also intensified. We are pleased to learn that many Hong Kong residents like travelling to the Mainland during weekends or long public holidays, and are glad to learn that the number of Mainland visitors to Hong Kong is on an upward trend. The two-way travel between residents of the Mainland and Hong Kong has also brought economic benefits to both places.

During the weekend of June 21 and 22 this year, around 569 000 outbound passenger trips (Saturday) and around 586 000 inbound passenger trips (Sunday) were recorded at various land boundary control points (BCPs), of which about 80 per cent were Hong Kong residents, representing an increase of about 22 per cent and 18 per cent compared with the average numbers of outbound and inbound passenger trips during normal weekends this year.

Northbound travel has become a weekend routine for Hong Kong residents. Since travelling is very convenient and there is no need for advance planning, residents can make impromptu trips for different reasons, such as weather conditions on the day or individual preference. The reasons for the relatively higher numbers of inbound and outbound passenger trips in the aforementioned weekend as compared with normal weekends may include the end of the school examination season and improved weather conditions during the weekend.

The peak hours for outbound and inbound passenger traffic were from 9am to 3pm on Saturday, and from 4pm to midnight on Sunday, which are similar to the northbound travel pattern of Hong Kong residents at normal weekends. As for the vehicular flow, the number of outbound trips for private cars via the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge (HZMB) on Saturday was 9 662, among which those under the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” Scheme (the Northbound Travel Scheme) accounted for 68 per cent, while the number of inbound trips on Sunday was 9 432, which was about 25 per cent higher than the numbers of outbound and inbound trips at normal weekends this year.

It is noted that the waiting time during the peak hours of cross-boundary traffic at the HZMB Hong Kong Port and Heung Yuen Wai (HYW) BCP was longer than usual. Relevant departments at various BCPs, including the Immigration Department (ImmD), the Customs and Excise Department, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Transport Department (TD), etc. have put in place an inter-departmental co-operation mechanism to monitor the real-time situations at BCPs during different festive occasions and mega events. In view of the heavy traffic at the BCPs over the aforementioned weekend, relevant departments had immediately activated the contingency mechanism. Through close co-ordination and flexible deployment of manpower, operation of additional clearance counters and kiosks, and implementation of appropriate crowd control and traffic diversion measures to maintain order at the BCPs, congestion was alleviated in an orderly manner.

The TD has always maintained close liaison with local and cross-boundary public transport operators, and would co-ordinate with them to flexibly adjust the frequency of public transport services connecting each BCP during peak cross-boundary travel periods in order to meet the travel needs. During the above-mentioned weekend, public transport operators closely monitored changes in the number of passengers, increased the service frequency during periods of particularly high passenger demand, as well as deployed additional staff to assist passengers and maintain order at the stations, with a view to expediting the dispersal of passengers.

(2) The Government has disseminated information through various official and unofficial channels, including radio broadcasts, websites, and online media such as social media platforms, to assist residents and passengers in planning ahead and avoid making their journeys during busy periods as far as possible. Passengers may visit the ImmD’s website to check the estimated waiting time of each BCP, and the TD’s “HKeMobility” mobile application or the TD’s website (hkemobility.gov.hk/en/traffic-information/live/cctv) to access the snapshots of traffic conditions at outbound and inbound vehicle clearance plazas of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. They may also browse the relevant websites and mini programmes, etc. of the Shenzhen and Zhuhai authorities to know more about the clearance status of BCPs in the Mainland.

The HKPF will continue to monitor the real-time situations at various BCPs and disseminate the latest information to the public timely through the media or social media in the event of serious congestion at individual BCP, including appealing to the public to adjust their itineraries (e.g. switching to other modes of transport or using other BCPs for boundary crossing) in order to ease passenger and vehicular flows.

Moreover, the TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre operates 24 hours a day to closely monitor traffic conditions and public transport services in different areas of Hong Kong, including various BCPs and major stations, and will disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels. Members of the public can check the latest traffic news released by radio, television, and the “HKeMobility”.

(3) Northbound travel over weekends has become a norm for Hong Kong residents, and the two-way travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong is also a future trend. We therefore need to get well-prepared, and enhance the responsiveness of relevant departments as well as the level of clearance facilitation at the BCPs in order to cope with the increasing demand for clearance services.

The departments at the BCPs will enhance the co-operation mechanism, constantly monitor the real-time situations at various BCPs, and maintain close liaison with the Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanisms to ensure smooth operation of the BCPs.

With respect to the traffic and vehicular flow at the HZMB Hong Kong Port, the HKPF will, depending on the circumstances, deploy additional police officers to the major roads of the port for on-the-spot observation of traffic conditions, and remind drivers to comply with road markings and drive with care, with a view to ensuring road safety and smooth traffic. When the vehicles enter the clearance plaza and its maximum capacity is reached, the HKPF will also implement traffic control measures in a timely manner to maintain order on the spot.

In addition, to further increase the handling capacity of the HYW BCP, enhancement works are being carried out at its passenger departure hall. Upon completion of the works, the total number of e-Channels in the passenger departure hall will be increased from 14 to 18. As some of its traditional counters have to be closed temporarily in the course of the enhancement works, the ImmD has flexibly deployed resources to set up four temporary counters in the passenger departure hall to minimise the impact of the enhancement works. We will also explore the possibility of further increasing the number of e-Channels.

As stated above, the two-way travel between residents of the Mainland and Hong Kong is a future trend. We need to enhance the handling capacity of BCPs in order to meet the increasing passenger traffic. In particular, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is collaborating with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to press ahead with the redevelopment project of the Huanggang Port in full steam. The redeveloped new Huanggang Port will implement the co-location arrangement and the “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” mode to provide greater convenience for cross-boundary passengers. The new Huanggang Port will be equipped with 134 “collaborative inspection” automated channels and 68 traditional manual counters, representing a significant increase compared to 39 traditional e-channels and 45 traditional manual counters currently available at the Lok Ma Chau (LMC) Control Point. Its design flow is about 200 000 passenger trips per day. Compared to the LMC Control Point which now serves a daily average of about 37 000 passenger trips, it is believed that the redeveloped new Huanggang Port can meet the future demand for clearance services between the two places.

(4) As stipulated in the terms and conditions of “the Northbound Travel Scheme”, if any participants violate the travel arrangements (including travelling without booking in advance or not travelling within the specified period), the relevant departments of the Guangdong and Hong Kong governments may refuse to allow relevant vehicles to travel to Guangdong Province via the HZMB, and may suspend their travel booking eligibility, or even revoke the relevant permits. At present, the TD regularly shares the booking information on “the Northbound Travel Scheme” with relevant departments at the Hong Kong Port to facilitate their daily operations at the HZMB Hong Kong Port. The TD has also been maintaining close liaison with the relevant Mainland authorities, and conducting spot checks on the cross-boundary records of vehicles under “the Northbound Travel Scheme”, with a view to reviewing the situation of compliance with the terms and conditions.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Anti-Scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Insurance Authority (IA) and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) today (July 9) announced the launch of the Anti-Scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0 (the Charter 3.0). This joint effort is fully supported by the Consumer Council, the Hong Kong Association of Banks, the Hong Kong Police Force, and the Office of the Communications Authority.

Building on the success of the Charters 1.0 and 2.0, launched in 2023 and 2024 respectively, the Charter 3.0 represents a significant step forward in anti-scam actions by establishing a collaborative framework between financial regulators and technology firms and telecommunications firms in combatting financial fraud and scams targeting the Hong Kong public. The Charter 3.0 introduces six key principles (see Annex), focusing on the reporting of suspected financial fraud and scams, checking of advertisers, internal monitoring processes, enforcement of terms of service, and collaboration on public education and awareness.

During the launch event, executives from financial regulators, technology firms and telecommunications firms engaged in productive discussions on the latest trends of financial fraud and scams as well as their collaborative efforts for the common purpose of combatting such fraud and scams.

The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue, said, “The fight against financial fraud and scams and to protect the public requires a united front, bringing together the public and private sectors, as well as the community at large. The Charter 3.0 represents a significant milestone in this endeavour, harnessing the collective strength of the financial, technology, and telecommunications industries to better safeguard the public.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the SFC, Ms Julia Leung, added, “The Charter 3.0 is a meaningful step forward, bringing in major technology and telecommunications companies to join the fight against online scams. It is our shared responsibility to disrupt these threats at their source. This initiative not only echoes global governments and regulators’ call to action but also positions Hong Kong as a leader in safeguarding the financial world’s digital future. Together, we are building a safer, more responsible online landscape that prioritises vigilance, collaboration, and public trust.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the IA, Mr Clement Cheung, said, “The Charter 3.0 represents the outcome of collaborative efforts made by key stakeholders in forging a robust and resilient alliance to prevent financial fraud and scams. The IA will leverage on this platform to strengthen public education and empower policy holders so that they can safeguard effectively against the increasingly sophisticated plots concocted by swindlers.”

The Managing Director of the MPFA, Mr Cheng Yan-chee, said, “MPF is the valuable retirement reserve accumulated by the working population. The MPFA will not tolerate any fraudulent activities that undermine their retirement savings in MPF. We are pleased to see financial regulators, enforcement agencies and relevant organisations together with major technology and telecommunications companies under the Charter 3.0 stepping up efforts in combatting scams and enhancing anti-scam awareness in the community. We urge the working population to stay vigilant and join hands with us by proactively reporting suspected scams to safeguard their MPF interests.”

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ5: Application of legal technology and artificial intelligence

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

Question:

     It is learnt that the Department of Justice has been actively promoting the application of legal technology (lawtech) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal sector. There are views that the Government should actively develop AI tools (e.g. large language model developed by the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center) for application in areas of the common law, so as to enhance the operational efficiency and competitiveness of the legal sector. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has currently developed large language models for application in areas of the common law; if so, of the specific details and the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether it has plans to organise lawtech and AI summits or international exhibitions with the Mainland on a regular basis, so as to promote exchanges and co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong in lawtech; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it has plans to introduce lawtech from the Mainland and apply it in areas of Hong Kong common law, as well as promote the Mainland’s AI legal service products to Hong Kong and overseas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) of the measures in place to ensure that small and medium-sized law firms in Hong Kong can benefit from the development of lawtech and AI, such as providing technical support, introducing a tax allowance for “lawtech equipment” and subsidising their procurement of lawtech-related equipment?

Reply:

President,

(1) The Hong Kong Generative Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Center (HKGAI), an inter-school co-operative research centre led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, has developed the first local large language model (LLM) based on DeepSeek technology with full parameter fine-tuning – “HKGAI V1”. The HKGAI has developed multiple vertical applications for various public service sectors based on this local LLM, including the generative artificial intelligence (AI) document assistance application “HKPilot” and the legal-related “LexiHK”. The Department of Justice (DoJ) is currently participating in the pilot use of “HKPilot” and is considering participating in the trial of “LexiHK” after reviewing its effectiveness. At the same time, the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has recently collaborated with an AI software company to develop a legal information AI model based on the Cantonese LLM to facilitate the digital transformation of the legal system and industry. WiseLaw Digital Technology, a company incubated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has also recently announced its innovation achievement in legal AI products. The DoJ will collaborate with the HKGAI and other relevant government departments or institutions based on the trial results, market technology development, the needs of the legal sector and the community, and related resource considerations to examine and promote the further application of AI in the legal sector, especially LLMs related to Hong Kong law.

(2) The DoJ attaches great importance on the development of areas of lawtech and AI, and believes that forums and exhibitions provides an important platform for fostering exchange and co-operation. Currently, the DoJ is actively preparing related activities, aiming to hold the first large-scale activity open to global participants, creating a diverse and open exchange platform to promote the sharing of wisdom and experience from various regions.

     We note that there are currently a number of well-developed lawtech enterprises in Mainland China. Since Mainland lawtech is now primarily designed for the Mainland legal system, it may not be directly applicable to Hong Kong’s common law market. However, we strongly encourage Mainland lawtech enterprises to set up in Hong Kong to explore the local legal market, develop AI products suitable for the Hong Kong common law market, and use Hong Kong as a springboard to develop markets in other common law jurisdictions overseas.

(3) To promote the development of lawtech, the DoJ established the Consultation Group on Lawtech Development (Consultation Group) in January 2025, and invited the industry and various stakeholders to jointly study and formulate policy measures related to lawtech. The Consultation Group members include representatives from the legal and dispute resolution sectors, law schools, and the lawtech industry, including representatives from small and medium-sized law firms, ensuring that the policies will suit the needs of practitioners.

     The Consultation Group notes in particular the challenges faced by small and medium-sized law firms in promoting the use of lawtech. In addition to economic factors, we understand that small and medium-sized law firms often have limited understanding of lawtech, and traditional practice models tend to rely less on technology, which affects their willingness to adopt new technologies.

     In response to this situation, the DoJ has accepted the suggestion of the Consultation Group and plans to promote the use of technology in the legal industry progressively in three stages:

(1) Phase 1: Lawtech awareness and education

     The aim of the first stage of the policy on promoting lawtech is to change certain ingrained mindsets and practices within the legal profession by raising their awareness of lawtech, and helping them to understand the benefits of the use of lawtech that can bring to the profession and the risk management awareness that the profession should have. To this end, the DoJ is organising a series of lawtech-related roundtables and events to raise the profession’s understanding of lawtech and to facilitate the exchange and sharing of information between the profession and lawtech experts to enable them to plan for viable adoption of lawtech.

     The DoJ is also aware of the importance of educating law students about lawtech, and will work with stakeholders in legal education and training to strengthen training related to lawtech in legal education curricula through the Standing Committee on Legal Education and Training platform. The DoJ plans to draft and publish a roadmap to assist the legal profession in embarking on their path to technology applications. The DoJ also plans to issue ethical and security guidelines for the legal profession to follow when using lawtech.

(2) Phase 2: Promoting the profession’s engagement with lawtech products

     The DoJ intends to organise an exhibition of lawtech products to enable the legal profession to access and experience a variety of lawtech products available in the market and to identify lawtech solutions suitable for their business development.

     In addition, we are considering conducting a market survey to consolidate a list of lawtech products available in the market in order to provide more comprehensive information to the legal sector for reference.

(3) Phase 3: Promoting the use of lawtech in the legal profession

     The DoJ will encourage local and overseas lawtech enterprises to establish and grow in the local market, thereby fostering Hong Kong’s lawtech ecosystem. The DoJ will review the effectiveness of the above strategies and take policy measures to promote the use of lawtech in the legal profession as appropriate. The DoJ will also review the existing legal framework from time to time in order to better support and regulate the development of innovative and emerging legal technologies.

     Through these strategies, we hope to effectively enhance the awareness and use of lawtech by the legal profession, thereby enhancing the efficiency and quality of professional services and strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international legal services and dispute resolution centre in the Asia-Pacific region.

     Thank you, President.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ3: Roadside skips

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

Question:

There are views that roadside skips unlawfully occupying public roads not only affects the safety of road users, but also poses environmental hygiene problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the information on the enforcement actions taken by the Hong Kong Police Force and the Lands Department against roadside skips in the past five years, including the number of complaints or referrals received, the number of statutory notices posted or warnings issued to operators, as well as the number of skips removed; among them, the number of cases in which prosecutions were instituted and the number of convicted cases, as well as the relevant penalties imposed;

(2) of the current utilisation situations of the four sites made available for use by the trade for storing skips; as the Government indicated in its reply to a question raised by this Council in May 2023 that the skip storage site in Tseung Kwan O Area 137 would become part of the new community, and that the Government would make arrangements in due course, of the progress of the relevant arrangements, including whether alternative sites will be identified for the operation of the skips trade; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as there are views that the regulation of roadside skips involves a number of government departments, whether the Government will consider assigning a designated department to take full responsibility so as to improve enforcement efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Construction waste is generated from construction sites, buildings under maintenance and shops under renovation, which is then transported to landfills or public fill banks for handling. Before skips emerged in the market, most construction waste from construction and renovation sites were piled up at roadside before it was collected for delivery. This not only affected the environmental hygiene, but also caused nuisance to residents and pedestrians, and even affected the road safety. Skips could store relatively large quantity of waste, in particular, construction waste. Using skips can avoid waste being placed everywhere and help maintain a clean and hygienic environment and road safety. It also helps the construction and renovation industry handle construction waste in a neat and orderly way.

Skips are primarily placed at site of use, such as construction sites, renovation sites, shopping malls, housing estates and designated locations nearby, to collect construction waste generated by construction or renovation works in the buildings nearby. Skips that are not being used need to be stored. According to the result of a questionnaire survey with the trade, there are about 1 500 roadside skips in Hong Kong. Among these, about half of them need to be stored while there is only storage space for 330 skips on four pieces of land provided. Under such a circumstance, some skip operators may place the skips at roadside or other improper locations.

Management of skips involves various bureaux and departments. Through the Joint Working Group on Management of Roadside Skips (Working Group), the Government coordinates the work on enhancing management of roadside skips among the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Environmental Protection Department, the Lands Department (LandsD), the Transport Department, the Highways Department, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, and the Home Affairs Department. Since skips placed on at roadside is also a problem of district concern, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration also looks into this problem with the bureaux and departments concerned through inter-departmental meetings.

In response to the question raised by the Hon Chan Pui-leung, in consultation with the HKPF and the LandsD, a consolidated reply is as follows:

(1) Currently, the HKPF handles complaints involving roadside skips in accordance with the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228). Over the past five years, the HKPF has received a total of 5 913 complaints about skips. Police officers will, in light of the circumstances at the scene, make assessments and issue advice and/or warnings to the skip operators concerned if found. In most cases, the operators would remove the skips on their own within hours after receiving the advice and/or warning, with five cases requiring the HKPF to engage contractors to remove the skips. A total of 18 cases were prosecuted under police summons and were convicted. The convicted persons were fined between $300 and $9,000 by the court.

Over the past five years, the LandsD has received a total of 3 674 complaints concerning skips. Among these complaints, 3 per cent were referred by other departments (including the HKPF), and the other 97 per cent were lodged by the public. Within two working days upon receiving a complaint or referral, the LandsD will conduct an on-site inspection and post a notice according to Section 6 of the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28) requiring the person concerned to remove the skip and to stop occupying the government land before the specified deadline no less than one clear day, otherwise it will be removed by the LandsD’s contractor. Over the past five years, the LandsD has removed a total of 27 skips, with the remaining removed by relevant persons on their own before the deadlines.

(2) As mentioned above, there are about 1 500 skips in Hong Kong. Considering factors such as job rotations, the trade estimates that about 600 to 700 idling skips would require space for storage each day. At present, the Government has provided four sites to the trade for storage of idling skips through short-term tenancy mechanism. These sites are located at Pak Shing Kok, an area next to the Tseung Kwan O Area 137 (TKO 137) Fill Bank, Siu Lang Shui in Tuen Mun, and adjacent to Tsing Nam Street in Tsing Yi respectively, altogether providing storage space for a total of 330 skips. The site at Pak Shing Kok can store about 110 skips; the site next to the TKO 137 Fill Bank can store about 120 skips; the site at Siu Lang Shui in Tuen Mun can store about 80 skips; and the site at Tsing Nam Street in Tsing Yi can store about 20 skips.

To tie in with the future residential development of TKO 137, according to the current development timetable, the site leased to the trade under short-term tenancy for storing skips is expected to be returned in the second quarter of 2026 the earliest. Meanwhile, the Government has completed the open tendering process for a site at Tsing Chau Wan on Lantau Island, which is initially expected to accommodate approximately 100 skips and to be awarded within this year. To further improve the situation that some skip operators placed their skips at roadside or other improper locations, the Working Group also strives to find more suitable sites for skip storage by the trade through short-term tenancy tenders.

(3) The management of roadside skips involves works of different departments and various pieces of legislation. Hence, the Government has its reason and need to coordinate relevant departments’ work through the Working Group. The Government is adopting a multipronged approach and looking for more effective ways to improve the problem of improper placement of skips. At the current stage, the Government focuses on enhancing enforcement on illegally placed skips that pose safety risk to road users.

Thank you, President.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by FS at Korea-Hong Kong Business Luncheon (English only) (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Korea–Hong Kong Business Luncheon held in Seoul, Korea, today (July 9):

Mr Joo Yong-tae (Deputy Mayor for Economy, Seoul), Mr Kevin Lee (Director of the International Trade Division of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Annyeonghaseyo. Good afternoon. It is both a pleasure and honour to be here with you today in Seoul.

     Let me begin by extending my warmest greetings and heartfelt appreciation to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and our ETO (Economic and Trade Office) colleagues for organising this luncheon.

Hong Kong: good for business

     Allow me to start by offering a brief snapshot of where Hong Kong stands today.

     Hong Kong has been back on a path of growth following the global challenges of the pandemic. In 2024, we recorded a GDP growth of 2.5 per cent. This year, despite continued global uncertainties from tariff war to geopolitical tensions, our economy recorded a 3.1 per cent growth in the first quarter. Our merchandise exports continued to register strong double-digit growth.

     Foreign businesses continue to cast a vote of confidence in our city. In 2024, the number of overseas and Mainland companies operating in Hong Kong reached an all-time high at nearly 10 000. American and European companies rose by around 10 per cent, while Korean companies rose by 9 per cent year on year.

     Hong Kong continues to shine in international rankings. We are among the world’s top three global financial centres. The latest IMD (International Institute for Management Development) World Competitiveness Ranking places us as the third most competitive economy worldwide. Last October, the Fraser Institute reaffirmed our position as the world’s freest economy. These accolades are no coincidence. They are the result of persistent hard work to drive our competitiveness forward, backed by transparent, consistent and predictable policies, market openness and global connectivity.

     A critical foundation of our success is a stable and secure environment. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law. It restores law and order in Hong Kong and provides confidence to the international business community. Indeed, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce (in Hong Kong) in January this year showed that (more than) 80 per cent of its members expressed confidence in Hong Kong’s rule of law. And 70 per cent reported that the National Security Law had no impact on their business operations.

     Under the “one country, two systems” framework, Hong Kong continues to be an open, diverse and international city. We are a free port, uphold a freely convertible currency pegged to the US dollar, ensure the free flow of capital, goods, information and talent, and practise the common law system.

     President Xi Jinping and the Central Government of China have made clear that the “one country, two systems” framework is here to stay for the long term.

     Investor confidence is reflected in hard data. Our stock market, for example, rose by 18 per cent last year, and has gained another 20 per cent this year. Initial public offerings (IPOs) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange have raised about US$16 billion so far this year, making Hong Kong the top IPO venue globally to date. The total bank deposits grew by 7 per cent last year and another 7 per cent this year, now exceeding US$2.3 trillion, six times our GDP.

The Greater Bay Area

     Meanwhile, Hong Kong is the international gateway to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, or GBA, which is an economic powerhouse with 87 million people and a combined GDP of US$2 trillion. With a per capita GDP of US$23,000, or US$40,000 on a purchasing power parity basis, the GBA is not just a manufacturing base, but also a sophisticated, high-growth consumer market.

     The region is deeply interconnected. High-speed rail puts us just 15 minutes from Shenzhen and 45 minutes from Guangzhou. With seven international airports and a combined annual passenger throughput of over 200 million, the GBA sits within a five-hour flight radius of half the world’s population. Hong Kong International Airport, the world’s busiest cargo airport, now operates with a third runway and is gearing up to handle 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo annually by 2035.

     The GBA is also a cradle of innovation. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster ranks second globally in innovation, and has done so for five consecutive years. Hong Kong excels in basic research, anchored by five universities ranked among the world’s top 100. Three of them are in the global top 20 for data science and AI; our two medical schools are ranked among the top 40. Meanwhile, Shenzhen and Guangzhou lead in commercialisation and advanced manufacturing. Together, the GBA is like fusing the financial power of New York with the innovation energy of Silicon Valley.

Opportunities for Korean businesses

     So, what does this mean for Korean businesses?

     First, Hong Kong’s financial markets offer unparalleled connectivity and liquidity. We serve as a two-way platform, connecting international capital with Mainland markets and vice versa. Through our Connect Schemes, including Stock Connect, Bond Connect, and ETF (Exchange-traded Fund) Connect, and more, Mainland investors can access Hong Kong’s markets, while global investors can access the Mainland through Hong Kong.

     The recent surge in our stock market reflects two important trends. First, the rebalancing act of international investors to diversify risks out of global economic uncertainty, particularly in the US; and second, optimism about China’s technology prowess demonstrated by DeepSeek and others. Korean investors have already taken note. And they are apt in taking actions. In February this year, we saw the highest level of Korean investment into our stock market in over three years.

     Beyond the stock market, asset and wealth management is another area where we are seeing rapid growth. Hong Kong now manages over US$4 trillion in assets. With a growing ecosystem of related financial services, we are on track to become the world’s largest cross-border wealth management hub by 2028. For Korean firms in private banking and asset management, the opportunities are significant. Indeed, many American and European asset and wealth managers have been expanding their hiring and office accommodation in the city.

     Hong Kong also serves as a powerful springboard for Korean goods, not just into the GBA or the Chinese Mainland, but across the entire ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region. As a duty-free port with seamless customs clearance and unmatched connectivity, Hong Kong offers Korean exporters a fast, cost-effective and reliable route to high-growth markets. From electronics and cosmetics to food products and fashion, Hong Kong is your launchpad.

     In innovation and technology, Hong Kong is making strategic and forward-looking moves. We are placing particular emphasis on the development of key sectors such as artificial intelligence and biotech. In addition to our world-class research capabilities, Hong Kong is where Mainland and international data converge. This is a distinct competitive advantage for data-intensive industries.

     Our close collaboration with other cities in the GBA is further accelerating this momentum. Along our boundary with neighbouring Shenzhen, we are developing a joint innovation and technology park, where we are piloting innovative policies to facilitate the seamless flow of data, talent, capital and even biosamples. We have also established joint clinical trial centres to expedite drug development and streamline cross-boundary regulatory approvals. For Korean tech and pharmaceutical firms seeking expansion and collaboration opportunities, Hong Kong is your ideal location.

The pleasures of life

     Beyond business, Hong Kong is a city alive with culture, diversity, and global connectivity. We are a true melting pot of East and West. Korean culture, from K-pop to kimchi, has found a warm and enthusiastic following in Hong Kong. And we are glad that more and more Korean visitors are coming to our city to see for themselves our vibrancy. In the first half of this year, Hong Kong welcomes more than half a million of Korean visitors, a 25 per cent increase year on year.

     The pleasures of life are part of our fabric. With more than 200 Michelin-recognised restaurants, hiking trails minutes from the city, and a coastline that rivals the best in the region, Hong Kong offers not only opportunity, but quality of life. Above all, Hong Kong remains one of the safest cities in the world, a place you can walk freely, day or night.

     And we are just getting started. The newly opened Kai Tak Sports Park offers a world-class, multipurpose venue for sport and entertainment events. In January next year, we’re excited to welcome BLACKPINK to our stage. And who knows, NewJeans and aespa may not be far behind!

     Ladies and gentlemen, I hope I’ve been able to offer you a fresh perspective on Hong Kong, not just as a financial centre or trade hub, but as a dynamic, welcoming city filled with opportunity, energy and creativity. A city where Korean businesses, investors and talents can thrive.

     If I may, let me now share a short video that captures the vibrancy, openness and possibilities of Hong Kong today.

     That is Hong Kong – dynamic and welcoming. A city that means business, and a city that celebrates life. We look forward to welcoming you soon, to Hong Kong.

     Kamsahamnida. Thank you very much.



MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Amata’s Statement in Support of Minnesota Resolution

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is expressing support for the bipartisan resolution sponsored by the Minnesota delegation to Congress deploring political violence in the wake of the recent shocking attack on two state legislators and their spouses.

Led by Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-MN-03) with the bipartisan support of the other seven Members of the delegation, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN-06), H. Res. 519 condemns the attacks on Minnesota lawmakers in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota, and calls for unity and the rejection of political violence in Minnesota and across the United States.

“I was grieved to hear of this terrible attack while I was home in American Samoa. I support my Minnesota colleagues in this, and I appreciate the bipartisan spirit of this Resolution to express the sense of the full House of Representatives,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Americans reject political violence. Instead, we embrace constitutionally protected free dialogue, and advancing change through voting, advocacy, representation, and lawmaking.”

She continued, “I will never forget the shock of the news of the 2017 attack on Republican Members of Congress preparing for the yearly charitable congressional baseball game, about this time of year that June, where my friend Majority Leader Steve Scalise was severely wounded and Capitol Police officers performed their duties admirably to save lives. Every time I drive to the Capitol, I pass right by that park, a reminder of that terrible event, but also a reminder of courage and resilience in the face of violence.”

“I support our leadership’s important efforts on stepping up and reviewing security measures, as congressional security is an ongoing concern, and I appreciate our Capitol Police who train to keep Members, staff and visitors to the Capitol safe,” Amata concluded.

Congresswoman Amata’s father, the late Governor Uifa’atali Peter T. Coleman, served on the Capitol Police force, between his World War II service and his years in leadership in the Pacific.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Progress Report on Process to Consider General Mkhwanazi’s Allegations

Source: APO – Report:

.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, has reiterated the importance and urgency of setting out steps for a parliamentary process to consider the explosive allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

In line with this, the Chairperson wishes to share the following steps taken since the allegations were made.

1. The Chairperson has received confirmation from the Speaker of the National Assembly that she is considering the request for guidance on how to process the matter.

2. The committee has approached the Parliamentary Legal Unit for a legal opinion on possible ways to process the matter.

3. The Chairperson has received a letter from a member of the committee, Ms Lisa‐Maré Schickerling, requesting a joint parliamentary process with the Portfolio Committee on Justice. Engagements with the Chairperson of the PC on Justice have commenced to consider the modalities of such a process.

Mr Cameron has emphasised that the gravity of implications of this matter for the entire criminal justice system is the reason for such a comprehensive response to the allegations.

“I must reiterate that accountability and transparency are critical in considering this matter. The credibility of the SAPS and the security of our country is dependent on how these allegations are handled,” Mr Cameron emphasised.

– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

MIL OSI Africa –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: BaFin warns consumers about the website mega-platz.pro

Source: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – In English

The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the company MegaPlatz and the services it is offering. BaFin suspects the unknown operators of the website mega-platz.pro of offering consumers financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation.

The content of the website is identical to other platforms that BaFin has previously warned consumers about and that display the same opening sentence: “Upgrade Your Trading With…”.

BaFin is issuing this information on the basis of section 37 (4) of the German Banking Act (Kreditwesengesetz – KWG) and section 10 (7) of the German Cryptomarkets Supervision Act (Kryptomärkteaufsichtsgesetz).

Please be aware:

BaFin, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt – BKA) and the German state criminal police offices (Landeskriminalämter) recommend that consumers seeking to invest money online should exercise the utmost caution and do the necessary research beforehand in order to identify fraud attempts at an early stage.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Impact of Israeli colonial exploitation and extractivism on Palestinian agriculture – E-002150/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The EU has been consistently clear in its position that settlements are illegal under international law and has repeatedly condemned Israel’s settlement policy and the occupation of the Palestinian territory that began in 1967.

EU positions and policies are fully aligned on the United Nations resolutions regarding the status of the o ccupied Palestinian territory (OPT)[1] and are overall consistent with the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July 2024[2] as regards the duty of non-recognition, the duty to distinguish in the dealings with Israel between its territory and the OP T , and the duty of non-assistance .

The EU differentiation policy implies that goods, including agricultural products, originating from Israeli settlements in occupied territories since June 1967 do not fall within the scope of the EU-Israel Association Agreement[3] and therefore cannot benefit from trade preferences under the Agreement.

Moreover, in 2015, the Commission adopted an Interpretative Notice to provide guidance on the labelling of goods, including agricultural products, from Israeli settlements in the OP T and how the existing legislation on labelling should be applied[4]. The approach of the Interpretative Notice was confirmed by a judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in 2019[5]. Official controls on the labelling of imported goods are primarily the responsibility of Member States, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls on the agri-food chain[6].

[1] https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/ltd/n24/266/48/pdf/n2426648.pdf.

[2] Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 , https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf.

[3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:411c0668-144d-44a1-a5e3-dd2342f7a5b5.0017.02/DOC_1&format=PDF.

[4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52015XC1112(01).

[5] Judgment of 12 November 2019, Organisation juive européenne and Vignoble Psagot Ltd v Ministre de l’Économie et des Finances, C 363/18, EU:C:2019:954, https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf;jsessionid=A16C97FD2EEC535918F5478A663AC7D6?text=&docid=220534&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=8005913.

[6] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/625/oj.
Last updated: 9 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Serious damage to long-duration pastures in the SPA of Magredi del Cellina in Friuli-Venezia Giulia – E-002701/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002701/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Cristina Guarda (Verts/ALE)

The special protection area (SPA) of Magredi del Cellina in the Dandolo di Maniago district, is protected under both the EU’s Birds and Habitats Directives and Friuli-Venezia Giulia Regional Law No 9/2015, containing as it does important habitats and protected species of flora and fauna, including nesting bird species.

The Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region has invested more than EUR 1 million in EU funding and LIFE project[1] resources to improve and conserve the long-duration pastures and habitats in the area.

At the beginning of June, inspections carried out by environmental associations revealed serious environmental damage to the area’s long-duration pastures caused by heavy wheeled and tracked vehicles, possibly during military exercises.

The local authorities immediately ordered the necessary investigations to clarify the circumstances and ascertain who was responsible

Given the foregoing:

1.Is the Commission aware of the aforementioned events that caused damage to the SPA of Magredi del Cellina?

2.Does it intend to conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain responsibility for any breaches of regulations and damage to the environment and property?

Submitted: 2.7.2025

[1] https://www.lifepollinaction.eu/?p=4285.
Last updated: 9 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Oral question – Access to baby formula in Gaza – O-000023/2025
Source: European Parliament

Question for oral answer O-000023/2025
to the Commission
Rule 142
Lynn Boylan (The Left), Kathleen Funchion (The Left), Barry Andrews (Renew), Jonas Sjöstedt (The Left), Daniel Attard (S&D), Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE), Leoluca Orlando (Verts/ALE), Mélissa Camara (Verts/ALE), Mounir Satouri (Verts/ALE), Cecilia Strada (S&D), Mimmo Lucano (The Left), Rudi Kennes (The Left), Irene Montero (The Left), Leila Chaibi (The Left), Nikos Pappas (The Left), Anthony Smith (The Left), Ana Miranda Paz (Verts/ALE), Benedetta Scuderi (Verts/ALE), Saskia Bricmont (Verts/ALE), Jaume Asens Llodrà (Verts/ALE), Catarina Martins (The Left), Manon Aubry (The Left), Maria Walsh (PPE), Merja Kyllönen (The Left), Estrella Galán (The Left), Matjaž Nemec (S&D), Irena Joveva (Renew), Danilo Della Valle (The Left), Thomas Bajada (S&D), Dario Tamburrano (The Left), Gaetano Pedulla’ (The Left), Michael McNamara (Renew), Rima Hassan (The Left), Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (Renew), Carolina Morace (The Left), Evin Incir (S&D), Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (S&D), Hanna Gedin (The Left), Arash Saeidi (The Left), Giuseppe Antoci (The Left), Nina Carberry (PPE), Seán Kelly (PPE), Barry Cowen (Renew)

Since the start of Israel’s latest blockade of Gaza on 2 March 2025, the humanitarian crisis has worsened to unprecedented levels. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the entire population of Gaza is facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Between mid-March and mid-July, in the most likely scenario, half of the population of the Gaza Strip (1.11 million people) is expected to face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), the most severe level in the IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale.

In recent weeks, it has become clear that the availability of baby formula is severely limited in Gaza and that babies are starving due to the lack of formula and the malnutrition of their mothers, who are unable to breastfeed. Without access to breast milk or formula, babies are starved, leaving them more vulnerable to illness and to organ failure.

Will the Commission:
- 1.utilise every mechanism available to force Israel to end its illegal blockade and bombardment of Gaza?
- 2.develop a specific mechanism to support humanitarian assistance for children and their mothers, including nutritional and child development support?
- 3.seek to ensure that Israel is held accountable, before the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, for its deliberate starvation of children?
Submitted: 7.7.2025

Lapses: 8.10.2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – EU response to the Israeli Government’s announcement of 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank – P-002180/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The EU condemns the Israeli government’s decisions to further expand illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank and urges Israel to reverse these decisions[1]. In line with the EU’s commitment to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 and recalling that settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible, the EU reiterates its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context.

In its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concluded, inter alia, that the State of Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The EU urges Israel to implement orders of the ICJ.

In light of the untenable situation in Gaza due to the humanitarian blockade, and the deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank, the High Representative/Vice-President has launched a review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement[2]. Based on the review, it will be decided what further action, if any, to take.

[1] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/qa3lblga/euco-conclusions-27062024-en.pdf.

[2] https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/delegations/israel/documents/eu_israel/asso_agree_en.pdf.
Last updated: 9 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – European Union policies insufficient on the prevention of genocide – E-001691/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament

The ‘Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide’ provided the first international legal definition of genocide and establishes a duty for states to prevent and punish this crime. All Member States are parties to the Genocide Convention.

All Member States are also Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which includes genocide as one of the core crimes.

The EU has the strengthening of human rights at its very core, including with regard to genocide and crimes against humanity. This is both an internal and external priority, remaining high on the agenda of the EU’s foreign and security policy.

The best point of departure is early action. The EU works together with the United Nations and partners around the globe to strengthen the global protection of human rights and address early warning signs that could point to genocidal behaviours.

Member States are required to criminalise racist or xenophobic acts and public incitement to hatred, including online. The EU’s strategy on combating antisemitism[1] aims to put the EU in the global lead in this area.

Through its 2020-2027 Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy[2], the EU aims to combat intolerance, harassment, and violence based on ethnic origin, religion or belief.

To date, the EU has allocated EUR 20 million to the Global Initiative Against Impunity, funding projects tackling impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It includes specific support to the work of the EU Genocide Network.

This network was established to facilitate cooperation between national authorities of Member States when investigating and prosecuting core international crimes.
- [1] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/racism-and-xenophobia/combating-antisemitism/eu-strategy-combating-antisemitism-and-fostering-jewish-life-2021-2030/about-eu-strategy_en.
- [2] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-action-plan-human-rights-and-democracy-0_en.
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Will Europol support Member States and third countries in the fight against terrorist groups that target certain companies and their customers? – E-001418/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The Commission is aware, from media reporting, of incidents involving Tesla company that have occurred in some Member States[1]. It should be noted that, in accordance with Article 4(2) of the Treaty on European Union, national security remains the sole responsibility of each Member State. As such, the Commission does not intervene in individual cases that fall within the remit of national security.

To support Member States in strengthening their resilience and capacity to respond to evolving threats, the Commission adopted the European Internal Security Strategy[2] on 1 April 2025. The strategy aims at enhancing the ability of Member States to protect societies and democracies from both online and offline threats posed by terrorists, criminals and hostile foreign actors.

Within the limits of its mandate[3], the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation can support Member States in combating terrorism and serious crime by providing analytical support, forensic expertise, facilitating information exchange and participating in joint operations.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-targeted-by-vandalism-over-musks-right-wing.

[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025DC0148&qid=1750142913443.

[3] Regulation (EU) 2016/794 on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).
Last updated: 9 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Serious incident, Chartwell, Hamilton

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have a visible presence as they respond to a serious firearms incident in Chartwell, Hamilton, this evening.

At 6.40pm, Police were called to a Bellmont Avenue property, where a firearm had been discharged, Inspector Jeff Penno says.

“The alleged offender left the scene and Police, assisted by the Eagle helicopter, are actively searching for him.

“There is a large Police presence in the area and members of the public are urged to call 111 if they see any suspicious activity.”

At this time, no further information is available.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: SARS gets largest chunk of Treasury Budget transfers
Source: Government of South Africa

SARS gets largest chunk of Treasury Budget transfers
National Treasury has been allocated R91.835 billion over the medium-term, with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) receiving the largest component of the transfers.

Tabling National Treasury’s Budget Vote in Parliament, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the department’s budget (excluding direct charges) over the medium-term is R91.835 billion, which is an average growth rate of 6.2% from 2024/25 – 2027/28.

“The largest component is for transfers to SARS, which is allocated R45.760 billion (or 49.8%) of the department’s budget for operations and capital projects over the medium-term.

“This is an increase of R8 billion of the SARS baseline compared to the 2024 Estimate of Expenditure. Part of this increase is to improve effectiveness in revenue collection by enhancing their ability to collect debt through better systems, increasing staff capacity and modernising their processes to establish e-invoicing for VAT, instant payment systems and upgrades of customs infrastructure,” Godongwana said on Tuesday.

Last week, National Treasury published monthly debt collection data from SARS for the first time to monitor progress and improve transparency.

The budget allocation per economic classification over the medium-term is as follows:
- R3.422 billion on compensation of employees;
- R6.983 billion on goods and services;
- R78.554 billion on transfers and subsidies;
- R89 million on payment of capital assets, and
- and R2.786 billion on payment for financial assets.
Sustainable public finances

National Treasury’s Annual Performance Plan 2025/26 sets out clear and ambitious programmes to realise its goals of job creation, lowering poverty and greater inclusion.

“In terms of restoring sustainability and the impact of our public finances, a review of how the government spends money has been central to our policy efforts. To achieve all of our national priorities we need to realise much greater efficiencies on the spending side,” the Minister said.

As such there are new reviews that government plans to conduct, namely:
- An audit of ghost workers in the public service using a data-driven approach that links administrative and financial databases to identify bogus and non-existent employees and immediately remove them from the system.
- An infrastructure conditional grant review. This will assess why provinces and municipalities underspend, why projects are not delivered on time and within budget, and where relevant, why the quality of the deliverables is poor; and
- A review of the remuneration of executives and board members of public entities. The aim is to develop a standardised framework for all schedule three public entities, based on their mandates, areas of influence, and the complexity of a given organisation.
Financial Action Task Force grey list

With South Africa completing all 22 recommended action items outlined by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Minister stressed that the country must continue to strengthen the laws to fight illicit and corrupt financing.

“Lastly, I am happy to say that our endeavors, not just the National Treasury’s but the government’s as a whole, to remove South Africa from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, are succeeding,” he said.

South Africa was placed on the FATF grey list due to deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) regime.

The FATF recently confirmed that South Africa has substantially completed its action plan and warrants an on-site assessment.

The on-site assessment will be to verify that the implementation of AML/CFT reforms has begun and is being sustained, and that the necessary political commitment remains in place to sustain implementation in the future.

The on-site visit will take place before the next FATF Plenary, and, if the outcome of the visit is positive, the FATF will delist South Africa from the greylist at its next Plenary in October 2025. Preparations for the on-site visit have commenced.

“A General Laws Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing Bill, to further improve our ability to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing, is being finalised for another round of public comment, and tabling in Parliament in the third quarter of 2025.

“Similarly, the National Treasury has made substantial progress implementing the State Capture Commission recommendations through multiple concrete actions. SARS investigations have recovered R4.8 billion in unpaid taxes, while professional bodies like the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) have imposed consequence management including disbarment,” the Minister said.

The Financial Intelligence Centre launched the ‘Enablers Project’ with law enforcement to trace state capture fund flows, and a 10-year ban was imposed on Bain & Co (currently under litigation).

“Critically, a central register now tracks dismissed officials and those who have resigned during their disciplinary processes across all government spheres,” Godongwana said. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Wed, 07/09/2025 – 09:36

MIL OSI Africa –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Insolvency Rules Committee: Reappointment of barrister members
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

Insolvency Rules Committee: Reappointment of barrister members

The Lord Chancellor has approved the reappointments of Oliver Hyams and Daniel Warents as barrister members of the Insolvency Rules Committee for 4 years from 31 October 2025.
The Lord Chancellor has approved the reappointments of Oliver Hyams and Daniel Warents as Barrister Members of the Insolvency Rules Committee for 4 years from 31 October 2025.

Oliver Hyams biography:

Olive is a barrister practising from South Square chambers. He specialises in restructuring and insolvency, fraud, and commercial disputes. Oliver Hymans is recommended in both Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 and he regularly writes and lectures on insolvency issues.

He has not declared any political activity.

Daniel Warents biography:

Daniel is a Commercial Chancery barrister with a particular interest in insolvency. Since 2010, he has practised as a self-employed barrister at XXIV Old Buildings following the completion of his pupillage. Daniel Warents is a graduate of Downing College, Cambridge where he obtained an undergraduate degree in law followed by an LLM.

He has not declared any political activity.

The reappointment of Barrister members of the Insolvency Rules Committee are made, by the Lord Chancellor after consulting the Lady Chief Justice, under Section 413 of the Insolvency Act 1986,

The appointment of non-judicial members of the Insolvency Rules Committee are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment and reappointment processes comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

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Published 9 July 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ22: Support for public rental housing tenants

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Kingsley Wong and a written reply by Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

Question:

It has been learnt that a number of cases involving deaths of public rental housing (PRH) tenants in their own PRH flats occurred in Hong Kong in the past, in which the deaths of such tenants remained unknown for a long time, and there were even cases where their bodies had been reduced to skeletons by the time they were discovered; and there were also cases in which carers died suddenly in their PRH flats, but the relatives living with them were forced to “stay with the dead bodies” as their relatives were unable to seek assistance and report to the Police due to mental incapacity or other reasons. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of cases in each of the past 10 years, in which staff of the Housing Department (HD) found people dead in the flats concerned during home visits or flat recovery work (e.g. breaking into the flats concerned);

(2) of the number of cases in each of the past 10 years, in which the Social Welfare Department (SWD) found people dead in the flats concerned in the course of following up the welfare service matters of PRH tenants;

(3) it is learnt that, following the default on rental payment for two consecutive months by PRH tenants, HD will make several attempts to contact the tenants concerned by means of telephone, written notification or home visits, etc., of the criteria adopted by HD for determining whether it is necessary to refer the cases to other departments for follow-up or to report to the Police after repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact the tenants;

(4) regarding cases in which HD is unable to contact the tenants successfully, whether HD will consider seeking assistance from the Police within a shorter period of time, so as to decide if further actions will be taken in respect of the tenants concerned (e.g. breaking into the flats); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5) as there are views that enhanced cooperation among different departments will facilitate early detection of death cases in PRH flats and even save lives, whether HD, SWD, the Home Affairs Department and the Police will consider setting up a mechanism for information sharing and cooperation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(6) whether it will promote and encourage the District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams), management companies and PRH tenants to set up a system for assuring safety, so that PRH tenants who live alone or need relevant support may participate on a voluntary basis;

(7) given that HD has launched the pilot scheme of Door Sensor Installation for Elderly Households to equip the elderly households who have voluntarily participated in the scheme with the system which allows designated relatives or friends to keep track of the movement of the elderly in and out of their flats, whether the authorities will extend the scheme to cover non-elderly PRH tenants in the future; whether they will promote and encourage the Care Teams and management companies to become one of the designated contact persons, so as to expeditiously follow up the situation of the tenants concerned; and

(8) given that the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited have joined forces to launch the Gas Guardian Care Network programme, which utilises smart meters to monitor the gas usage patterns of the elderly in real-time, whether the authorities will make reference to the programme and launch other projects in collaboration with the business sector and community organisations to enable carers to check the condition of the elderly, so as to enhance home safety of the elderly?

Reply:

President,

The estate management staff of the Housing Department (HD) will contact public rental housing (PRH) tenants through daily management work, proactively understanding their living conditions in PRH units and will pay special attention to elderly residents living alone. Cases will be referred to other government departments and social welfare organisations as needed to provide assistance.

In response to the question raised by the Hon Kingsley Wong, in consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) and the Home Affairs Department, our reply is as follows:

(1), (2) and (5) In the past 10 years (i.e. 2015 to 2024), the number of natural deaths recorded in PRH units under the HD is listed in the Annex. These cases are mainly discovered through the HD’s routine management work (such as patrols, home visits, flat recovery operations, etc.), or were reported by the tenants’ relatives, friends, or neighbours to the estate offices, or referred by other government departments including the police and the Social Welfare Department (SWD) or social welfare organisations. The HD does not maintain statistical breakdowns of the means by which these cases are discovered.

At present, the HD and the SWD have established an inter-departmental referral mechanism to handle special cases of housing assistance for PRH tenants. Liaison groups have been formed at both the headquarters and regional levels to regularly review and improve the cooperation mechanism for housing assistance cases. The HD is also closely collaborating with the LWB and is providing information of PRH tenants under the premise of protecting personal data privacy, with a view to facilitating the LWB to develop a database for following up on hidden and needy elderly individuals.

(3) and (4) According to Section 19(1)(b) of the Housing Ordinance (Cap. 283), when the Housing Authority (HA) serves a notice-to-quit to tenant, at least one month’s notice for termination of tenancy should be given. Upon expiry of the notice, if the occupier still does not voluntarily surrender the unit, the HD can then deploy staff to proceed flat recovery action in accordance with the Housing Ordinance. For rent arrears cases, a series of actions will be taken initially by the HD before serving notice-to-quit, including communicating with tenants through home visits, phone calls or face-to-face interviews. If the tenants still cannot be reached, HD staff will try to reach their relatives and emergency contacts. For some singleton elderly tenants who live by themselves and have not provided any relatives or other contact persons, we will make every effort to contact them through alternative means, including slipping notes through the door gap and into the letter box to ask the tenants to contact the estate office as soon as possible, instructing security guards to monitor the tenants’ entry into and exit from the building, and recording their water and electricity consumption to more closely monitor their situation. If the tenants are in rent arrears due to financial difficulties, cases may be referred to the SWD for follow-up or be provided with assistance to apply for Rent Assistance Scheme, subject to their consent and fulfilment of eligibilities. If the tenants or any of their relatives still cannot be reached despite multiple attempts, the HD will inquire with other departments such as the SWD to check if the tenants are their care cases and their latest situation; or the Immigration Department to check the tenants’ immigration records, etc.; and will seek assistance from the police if necessary. In addition, if HD staff discover suspicious cases during daily management work (e.g. unusual odours emanating from the unit), they will notify the police immediately to take appropriate action, including breaking into the unit as necessary.

(6), (7) and (8) In order to encourage property management companies and security service contractors to be more proactive in assisting PRH tenants in need, we give bidders who can provide effective suggestions for caring the tenants, e.g. establishing volunteer teams to provide volunteer services to the community in the estate and to visit the elderly or individuals/ families in need, etc., additional marks during the tender evaluation, thereby increasing their chances of winning the bid. In addition, the HD organises the annual Estate Management Services Contractor Awards and the Best Security Staff election to commend service contractors and security personnel who have performed well and actively assisted needy residents in the estate. This aims to encourage them to go the extra mile and take the initiative to care for the estates’ PRH residents.

Starting from April this year, the HD launched the pilot scheme of Door Sensor Installation for Elderly Households in Wan Hon Estate in Kwun Tong and Sheung Lok Estate in Ho Man Tin. The elderly households who voluntarily participate in the scheme are equipped with the system which allows designated relatives or friends to keep track of the movement of the elderly in and out of their flats so as to provide timely support when needed. The HD will actively explore the feasibility of implementing other similar schemes in collaboration with other government departments and social welfare organisations, with a view to benefitting more elderly households in other PRH estates.

In addition, the HA also provides subsidies to eligible elderly tenants for the installation of emergency alarm system (Safety Bell), allowing the tenants to seek help timely in case of emergencies. Elderly tenants who require to install Safety Bell but are not receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance can apply for the Emergency Alarm System (EAS) Grant from the HA. Since February 2021, the grant has been extended to mobile devices, including mobile phones and watches equipped with EAS, smartphones with dedicated EAS mobile app installed and other products, allowing elderly tenants to purchase suitable emergency alarm system products on their own. Since the implementation of the grant scheme, approximately 26 000 applications have been approved. The HD has also installed fall detection systems in accessible toilets in some housing estates on a pilot basis to detect situations such as falls, fainting, prolonged stays, etc.

The estate offices under the HA actively assist the Care Teams in promoting care activities, organising community events and providing visits and services to families in need (including elderly households). In addition, the HA collaborates with non-governmental organisations annually to organise activities in various PRH estates. These activities include outreach visits to identify elderly singleton and hidden elders, providing them with support services such as meal delivery, home repair and cleaning services, escort service for medical appointments, etc., so as to help them maintain basic living needs, expand their social networks and provide emotional support.

The HA will continue to implement the aforementioned measures and will conduct timely reviews, striving to meet the needs of tenants.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: NATO Committee on Reserves Summer Plenary Meeting

Source: NATO

From 24 to 26 June, the NATO Committee on Reserves (NCR) convened its Summer Plenary Meeting in Kirkenes, Norway, at the invitation of the Norwegian military authorities.

Highlights included a detailed presentation on Norway’s model for border protection, which features close cooperation between national entities such as the Border Commissioner, the Police, and the Armed Forces. Participants also visited the Parsvik Border Station, where they observed highly skilled and motivated young soldiers guarding the Norwegian-Russian border.

One of the NCR’s key objectives is the sharing of best practices. Norway, Finland and Sweden presented their national approaches to Total Defence. They outlined how they involve the whole of society in conscription, mobilization, recruitment, education and training, with a strong focus on integrating Reserves into regular Armed Forces structures.

The meeting also provided a timely opportunity to explore the growing strategic importance of NATO’s Nordic Region and the High North. Delegates left Kirkenes with valuable insights and practical knowledge to help further develop national Reserve capabilities. The Committee will reconvene for its Winter Plenary Meeting in Norfolk, USA, from 26 to 29 January 2026.

The NCR serves as the Military Committee’s standing advisory body on Reserve matters. It is composed of national representatives along with liaison officers from the International Military Staff (IMS), Allied Command Operations (ACO), and Allied Command Transformation (ACT).

MIL Security OSI –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: NATO Committee on Reserves Summer Plenary Meeting

Source: NATO

From 24 to 26 June, the NATO Committee on Reserves (NCR) convened its Summer Plenary Meeting in Kirkenes, Norway, at the invitation of the Norwegian military authorities.

Highlights included a detailed presentation on Norway’s model for border protection, which features close cooperation between national entities such as the Border Commissioner, the Police, and the Armed Forces. Participants also visited the Parsvik Border Station, where they observed highly skilled and motivated young soldiers guarding the Norwegian-Russian border.

One of the NCR’s key objectives is the sharing of best practices. Norway, Finland and Sweden presented their national approaches to Total Defence. They outlined how they involve the whole of society in conscription, mobilization, recruitment, education and training, with a strong focus on integrating Reserves into regular Armed Forces structures.

The meeting also provided a timely opportunity to explore the growing strategic importance of NATO’s Nordic Region and the High North. Delegates left Kirkenes with valuable insights and practical knowledge to help further develop national Reserve capabilities. The Committee will reconvene for its Winter Plenary Meeting in Norfolk, USA, from 26 to 29 January 2026.

The NCR serves as the Military Committee’s standing advisory body on Reserve matters. It is composed of national representatives along with liaison officers from the International Military Staff (IMS), Allied Command Operations (ACO), and Allied Command Transformation (ACT).

MIL Security OSI –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: 4BIO Capital co-leads Actithera’s oversubscribed $75.5 million Series A financing

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

4BIO investing in unique radiopharmaceutical platform company, developing radioligands with prolonged tumour retention

Series A was co-led by 4BIO Capital, founding investor M Ventures, Hadean Ventures, and Sofinnova Partners, with syndicate including Bioqube Ventures, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company) and others

Proceeds will support clinical development of Actithera’s fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-targeting candidate and pipeline expansion

London, United Kingdom, 9 July 2025 – 4BIO Capital (“4BIO” or “the Group”), an international venture capital firm unlocking the treatments of the future by investing in advanced therapies and other emerging technologies, today announces that it has co-led a $75.5 million Series A Financing round of Actithera (the “Company”).

Radiopharmaceutical therapy (or radioligand therapy, RLT) is a targeted form of radiotherapy that can treat cancers resistant to other therapies and represents a $7.5 billion market projected to grow to $14.4 billion by 2034¹. RLTs with the appropriate pharmacokinetic profile can achieve efficacy with minimal toxicity; however, attaining the ideal pharmacokinetic characteristics is not trivial. 4BIO’s investment in Actithera highlights the clear need for a more systematic approach to optimizing RLT vectors and exemplifies the Group’s strategy of identifying critical technology gaps, backing innovative solutions, and supporting them in high-growth markets.

4BIO co-led the oversubscribed round alongside founding investor M Ventures, Hadean Ventures, and Sofinnova Partners with additional participation from Bioqube Ventures, Innovestor’s Life Science Fund, Investinor, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), and the second founding investor, Arkin Bio Ventures II.

Therese Liechtenstein, incoming Board Member and Investment Director at 4BIO Capital, said: “At 4BIO we invest in companies solving technical unmet needs to enable next-generation therapeutics. We are honoured to support Actithera, whose pipeline of molecules addresses key challenges in the nascent radioligand therapies space; a large therapeutic window through high tumour retention and low systemic exposure, applied to a lead programme that has significant pan-tumour therapeutic potential.”

Dr Andreas Goutopoulous, Founder and CEO of Actithera, added: “We are grateful for 4BIO Capital’s support in this oversubscribed Series A, which is a strong validation of our approach. We set out to bring structure-based and kinetics-driven thinking from small molecule drug design into the world of radiopharmaceuticals. We engineer our radioconjugates for extended retention within tumours, making them ideally suited for longer-lived radionuclides and ultimately delivering more convenient dosing schedules and enhanced efficacy and safety for patients.”

As part of the Series A financing, Therese Liechtenstein, Investment Director at 4BIO Capital will join the Actithera Board of Directors.

The financing will support the advancement of Actithera’s lead FAP asset into clinical development in multiple indications, while also enabling the continued development of its proprietary RLT discovery platform and preclinical pipeline.

The Company’s discovery platform combines rational drug design with radiochemistry to create novel small molecule radioligands that overcome current limitations in radiopharmaceutical development. Its three-pillar platform includes first-in-class covalent targeting strategies, designed to optimize tumour residence time, while ensuring rapid systemic clearance – improving precision, safety, and efficacy. Two additional proprietary approaches further support compound differentiation and improve tumour residence time and selectivity. This platform was validated through Actithera’s work on FAP, a high-value theranostic target known for being difficult to drug with molecules that maintain prolonged tumour residency. These efforts have resulted in a FAP-directed RLT development candidate with best-in-class potential due to its optimal pharmacokinetic profile and tumour specificity.

Dr Andreas Goutopoulos, founder and CEO, brings over 25 years of pharmaceutical and biotech industry experience, including a track record of more than a dozen development candidates. His background includes over a decade of discovery leadership at EMD Serono, where he led medicinal chemistry. In his role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at M Ventures, he led the scientific efforts of and supported a number of oncology small molecule biotechs. At Actithera, he is pioneering a chemistry-driven, precision approach to RLTs by integrating novel covalent-targeting chemistries, rational drug design principles and an isotope-agnostic philosophy.

– End –

Contacts

4BIO Capital +44 (0) 203 427 5500
info@4biocapital.com

ICR Healthcare
Amber Fennell, Jonathan Edwards, Kris Lam +44 (0)20 3709 5700
4biocapital@icrhealthcare.com

About 4BIO Capital
4BIO Capital (“4BIO”) is an international venture capital firm focused on investing in advanced therapies and emerging modalities, to unlock the treatments of the future. 4BIO’s mission is to invest in, support, and grow early-stage companies solving technical bottlenecks that enable next generation therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to these potentially transformative therapies for all patients. The 4BIO team comprises leading advanced therapy scientists and experienced life science investors with an unrivalled network within the advanced therapy sector and a unique understanding of the criteria that define a successful investment opportunity in this space. For more information, connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter @4biocapital and visit www.4biocapital.com.

About Actithera
Actithera is a radiopharmaceutical biotech company translating medicinal chemistry insights into next-generation radioligand therapies (RLTs). Founded in 2021 by drug discovery innovator Dr. Andreas Goutopoulos, and seed investors M Ventures, and Arkin Bio-Holdings, Actithera applies various molecular design strategies, including covalent-targeting and an isotope-agnostic philosophy to invent RLTs with significant differentiation and larger therapeutic windows. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, Actithera is committed to advancing a differentiated pipeline addressing critical unmet needs in oncology. Learn more at www.actithera.com and on LinkedIn.

¹ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/radiopharmaceuticals-market

The MIL Network –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: 4BIO Capital co-leads Actithera’s oversubscribed $75.5 million Series A financing

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

4BIO investing in unique radiopharmaceutical platform company, developing radioligands with prolonged tumour retention

Series A was co-led by 4BIO Capital, founding investor M Ventures, Hadean Ventures, and Sofinnova Partners, with syndicate including Bioqube Ventures, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company) and others

Proceeds will support clinical development of Actithera’s fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-targeting candidate and pipeline expansion

London, United Kingdom, 9 July 2025 – 4BIO Capital (“4BIO” or “the Group”), an international venture capital firm unlocking the treatments of the future by investing in advanced therapies and other emerging technologies, today announces that it has co-led a $75.5 million Series A Financing round of Actithera (the “Company”).

Radiopharmaceutical therapy (or radioligand therapy, RLT) is a targeted form of radiotherapy that can treat cancers resistant to other therapies and represents a $7.5 billion market projected to grow to $14.4 billion by 2034¹. RLTs with the appropriate pharmacokinetic profile can achieve efficacy with minimal toxicity; however, attaining the ideal pharmacokinetic characteristics is not trivial. 4BIO’s investment in Actithera highlights the clear need for a more systematic approach to optimizing RLT vectors and exemplifies the Group’s strategy of identifying critical technology gaps, backing innovative solutions, and supporting them in high-growth markets.

4BIO co-led the oversubscribed round alongside founding investor M Ventures, Hadean Ventures, and Sofinnova Partners with additional participation from Bioqube Ventures, Innovestor’s Life Science Fund, Investinor, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), and the second founding investor, Arkin Bio Ventures II.

Therese Liechtenstein, incoming Board Member and Investment Director at 4BIO Capital, said: “At 4BIO we invest in companies solving technical unmet needs to enable next-generation therapeutics. We are honoured to support Actithera, whose pipeline of molecules addresses key challenges in the nascent radioligand therapies space; a large therapeutic window through high tumour retention and low systemic exposure, applied to a lead programme that has significant pan-tumour therapeutic potential.”

Dr Andreas Goutopoulous, Founder and CEO of Actithera, added: “We are grateful for 4BIO Capital’s support in this oversubscribed Series A, which is a strong validation of our approach. We set out to bring structure-based and kinetics-driven thinking from small molecule drug design into the world of radiopharmaceuticals. We engineer our radioconjugates for extended retention within tumours, making them ideally suited for longer-lived radionuclides and ultimately delivering more convenient dosing schedules and enhanced efficacy and safety for patients.”

As part of the Series A financing, Therese Liechtenstein, Investment Director at 4BIO Capital will join the Actithera Board of Directors.

The financing will support the advancement of Actithera’s lead FAP asset into clinical development in multiple indications, while also enabling the continued development of its proprietary RLT discovery platform and preclinical pipeline.

The Company’s discovery platform combines rational drug design with radiochemistry to create novel small molecule radioligands that overcome current limitations in radiopharmaceutical development. Its three-pillar platform includes first-in-class covalent targeting strategies, designed to optimize tumour residence time, while ensuring rapid systemic clearance – improving precision, safety, and efficacy. Two additional proprietary approaches further support compound differentiation and improve tumour residence time and selectivity. This platform was validated through Actithera’s work on FAP, a high-value theranostic target known for being difficult to drug with molecules that maintain prolonged tumour residency. These efforts have resulted in a FAP-directed RLT development candidate with best-in-class potential due to its optimal pharmacokinetic profile and tumour specificity.

Dr Andreas Goutopoulos, founder and CEO, brings over 25 years of pharmaceutical and biotech industry experience, including a track record of more than a dozen development candidates. His background includes over a decade of discovery leadership at EMD Serono, where he led medicinal chemistry. In his role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at M Ventures, he led the scientific efforts of and supported a number of oncology small molecule biotechs. At Actithera, he is pioneering a chemistry-driven, precision approach to RLTs by integrating novel covalent-targeting chemistries, rational drug design principles and an isotope-agnostic philosophy.

– End –

Contacts

4BIO Capital +44 (0) 203 427 5500
info@4biocapital.com

ICR Healthcare
Amber Fennell, Jonathan Edwards, Kris Lam +44 (0)20 3709 5700
4biocapital@icrhealthcare.com

About 4BIO Capital
4BIO Capital (“4BIO”) is an international venture capital firm focused on investing in advanced therapies and emerging modalities, to unlock the treatments of the future. 4BIO’s mission is to invest in, support, and grow early-stage companies solving technical bottlenecks that enable next generation therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to these potentially transformative therapies for all patients. The 4BIO team comprises leading advanced therapy scientists and experienced life science investors with an unrivalled network within the advanced therapy sector and a unique understanding of the criteria that define a successful investment opportunity in this space. For more information, connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter @4biocapital and visit www.4biocapital.com.

About Actithera
Actithera is a radiopharmaceutical biotech company translating medicinal chemistry insights into next-generation radioligand therapies (RLTs). Founded in 2021 by drug discovery innovator Dr. Andreas Goutopoulos, and seed investors M Ventures, and Arkin Bio-Holdings, Actithera applies various molecular design strategies, including covalent-targeting and an isotope-agnostic philosophy to invent RLTs with significant differentiation and larger therapeutic windows. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, Actithera is committed to advancing a differentiated pipeline addressing critical unmet needs in oncology. Learn more at www.actithera.com and on LinkedIn.

¹ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/radiopharmaceuticals-market

The MIL Network –

July 9, 2025
ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over persecution of women

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.

The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, chief justice of the Taliban, had committed the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds against girls, women and other persons non-conforming with the Taliban’s policy on gender, gender identity or expression.

Since the Islamist Taliban returned to power in 2021 it has clamped down on women’s rights, including limits to schooling, work and general independence in daily life.

The Taliban condemned the warrants as an example of hostility towards Islam.

“We neither recognise anything by the name of an international court nor do we consider ourselves bound by it,” the Taliban government’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, added in a statement.

It is the first time judges of the ICC have issued a warrant on charges of gender persecution.

“While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,” the court said.

The full warrants and details on the specific incidents they are based on remain under seal to protect witnesses and victims, the court said.

NGOs hailed the warrants and called on the international community to back the ICC’s work.

“The international community should fully back the ICC in its critical work in Afghanistan and globally, including through concerted efforts to enforce the court’s warrants,” Human Rights Watch International Justice director Liz Evenson, said in a statement.

The ICC has been under increased criticism from non-member states such as the United States, Israel and Russia.

Last year the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 on suspicion of deporting children from Ukraine.

Neither Russia nor Israel is a member of the court and both deny the accusations and reject ICC jurisdiction.

Last month the United States imposed sanctions on four ICC judges including two who were involved in a ruling that allowed prosecutors to open a formal investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, including alleged crimes committed by American troops.

The ICC said it was an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution that provides hope and justice to millions of victims.

(Reuters)

July 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Israel’s Rafah camp – ‘humanitarian city’ or crime against humanity?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shannon Bosch, Associate Professor (Law), Edith Cowan University

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has announced a controversial plan to move up to 600,000 Palestinians in Gaza into a designated “humanitarian area” on the ruins of the southern city of Rafah.

Access to the camp would be through strict security screening to ensure entrants were not Hamas operatives. Once inside, the perimeter would be sealed off by the Israeli military. Palestinians would not be allowed to leave.

Eventually the camp would house the entire 2.1 million population of Gaza.

Camp construction would begin during the proposed 60-day ceasefire being negotiated by Israel and Hamas

‘Illegal and inhumane’

The plan is illegal, inhumane and risks worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The forced displacement and containment of any civilian population in an occupied territory is a violation of international humanitarian law.

Done on this scale would constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.

The UN Security Council, UN General Assembly and UN Commission on Human Rights have all condemned instances of forced transfer in armed conflicts.

So too, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, which have stressed the fundamental prohibition of forced displacement of a civilian population and the need for all parties to respect this prohibition.

For their own protection?

Katz is describing the camp as a “humanitarian city”. The Israeli military says Palestinians would only be contained for their own protection.

As we have seen, civilian displacement is prohibited. But there is an exception if a case can be made either for military reasons or the protection of the population.

However, this exception only exists for as long as the conditions warrant for it to exist. Anyone subject to such an evacuation must be transferred back to their homes as soon as possible.

Imperative military reasons never justify the removal of a civilian population in order to persecute it. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement entrenches the duty of international actors to avoid creating the conditions that might lead to the displacement of people.

Aid dilemma

Katz has indicated international organisations would be responsible for managing aid and services inside the area.

But Israel has a history of defying even orders from the International Court of Justice to allow humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinians in Gaza.

If international humanitarian agencies were called upon to service the camp, they would face a dilemma.

They would need to decide whether to cooperate in managing aid under conditions that compromise their neutrality and ethical standards, deny basic human rights and are built on violations of international law.

Aid groups would risk being complicit in a process that sets up a transit camp for Palestinians before possibly expelling them from Gaza altogether.

This “humanitarian city” would essentially become an open-air prison. Palestinians would be reliant on international aid under strict Israeli military control.

Mass expulsion?

Could the Rafah camp be a precursor to mass expulsion from Gaza and what does international law say about that?

Katz has been quoted saying Israel aims to implement “the emigration plan, which will happen” – meaning Gazans will eventually be forced to leave for other countries.

Changing the demographic composition of a territory – ethnic cleansing – achieved through the displacement of the civilian population of a territory is strictly prohibited under international law.

The idea of displacing Palestinians has long been part of Israeli strategic thinking, but this announcement signals a dangerous escalation and intention to permanently alter Gaza’s demographic landscape through displacement and containment.

Voluntary exodus?

According to Katz, Gazans would have the option of “voluntary” emigration.

Indeed, speaking at the White House this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no forced exodus from Gaza:

If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.

But the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is incomprehensible.

The population has been displaced multiple times and 90% of homes in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. The healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed.

On average 100 Palestinians are killed daily as they try to access food.

These crisis circumstances negate the voluntary nature of any person’s consent to either the transfer to the Rafah camp or ultimately, the departure from Gaza.

According to Amos Goldberg, historian of the Holocaust at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, what the defence minister laid out was clear plans for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza:

[it is] a transit camp for Palestinians before they expel them. It is neither humanitarian nor a city.

Shannon Bosch 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. Israel’s Rafah camp – ‘humanitarian city’ or crime against humanity? – https://theconversation.com/israels-rafah-camp-humanitarian-city-or-crime-against-humanity-260809

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ17: Combating online investment scams

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

Question:

     According to the data provided by the Government in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council in June this year, the Police recorded a total of 1 534 cases of online investment scams involving an amount of about $1.02 billion in the first four months of this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has launched anti-scam publicity and education programmes targeting three common investment scam scenarios, whether the Government has formulated specific measures to support SFC’s anti-scam publicity programmes, so as to raise public vigilance against investment scams; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether it has plans to strengthen its co-operation with the SFC to update and enhance investor education, so as to ensure that investors can effectively identify and guard against emerging investment risks as well as evolving fraudulent practices and technologies; and

(3) whether it has devised further strategies or allocated additional resources to extend the impact of the “Don’t be Sucker” anti-scam publicity campaign launched by the SFC, so as to enable more investors to benefit from the campaign and avoid becoming victims of online investment scams; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Government attaches great importance to investor education, and is committed to supporting the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and its subsidiary, the Investor and Financial Education Council (IFEC), in enhancing the financial literacy of the public through various means and channels. In consultation with the Security Bureau, the SFC and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), my reply to the various parts of the question is as follows.

(1) and (2) In the first five months of 2025, there were 1 849 cases of online investment scams recorded by the Police, involving about $1.24 billion. The Government accords high priority to investor protection, and strives to combat online investment scams through two main directions, namely promotion and enforcement.

     On promotion, the Government, together with the SFC and the IFEC, has been striving to enhance investors’ anti-financial scam capabilities, raise the public’s knowledge in relevant financial products, and remind investors of the risks associated with digital finance.

     In March 2025, the IFEC in collaboration with various stakeholders organised the “Hong Kong Money Month” with the theme of “Guard against Fraud Thrive with Resilience” to comprehensively promote anti-scam messages by publicising anti-scam information targeting different segments of the community through cross-media promotion. The promotion videos recorded a total of 20.6 million views during the promotion period. In the face of ever-changing technology and evolving fraud tactics, the IFEC has also introduced various anti-financial scam education resources, animated videos, online seminars, etc to educate the public on safeguarding against investment scams including “ramp and dump” schemes, social media investment groups, fraudulent trading apps or investment platforms, impersonation scams, deepfake technology and phishing messages, etc. The IFEC website also features fraud prevention online games and an anti-scam online quiz, enabling the public to gain anti-scam knowledge through engaging and interactive games.

     The IFEC launched Hong Kong’s first digital financial education experiential learning centre, the IFEC FinEd Hub, in March 2024 to offer investment and anti-scam education to a wider audience through immersive and interactive learning experiences. The FinEd Hub features various interactive anti-scam games for visitors to learn how to identify and respond to various financial scams. As of end-June 2025, the FinEd Hub has recorded over 26 500 visits, with the vast majority of visitors indicating that their visit had enhanced their anti-scam knowledge.

     On the other hand, the HKMA has introduced “Money Safe” with banks to provide an extra layer of security to customers’ bank deposits. “Money Safe” enables customers to segregate a portion of their deposits maintained at banks, protecting them from fund outflows through online and other channels. When releasing the protected deposits, customers would need to undertake extra verification process by staff at bank branches. All retail banks will fully implement “Money Safe” by the end of this year.

     As regards enforcement actions against online investment scams, given that most fraud cases in Hong Kong currently involve the use of stooge accounts for receiving funds, targeting such accounts is an effective way to disrupt the fraud value chain. In the first five months of 2025, the Police arrested a total of 3 028 persons in connection with various fraud and money laundering offences, about 70 per cent of whom were holders of stooge accounts. Since the end of 2023, the Police have also applied to the courts to invoke section 27 of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 455) to seek enhanced penalties for cases involving stooge accounts, so as to strengthen deterrence. There have been cases where convicted stooge account holders received sentences increased by more than 30 per cent.

     The Hong Kong Police Force, together with the police authorities of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, has also conducted the first joint operation under the anti-fraud cross-boundary co-operation platform “FRONTIER+” to jointly combat cross-boundary fraud criminal activity. The operation successfully identified and dismantled multiple cross-boundary fraud syndicates, resulting in the arrest of 1 858 persons and involving 9 268 fraud cases, including investment fraud. In addition, noting the increase in online investment scams at the beginning of 2025, the Hong Kong Police have, over the past few months, held press conferences from time to time and stepped up publicity through various channels to remind the public to remain vigilant.

(3) The SFC launched a new anti-scam campaign “Don’t be Sucker” in December 2024 to caution the public against common tactics used in fraudulent schemes. An original cartoon character “Shui Yu”, symbolising an impulsive and gullible personality that easily fall prey to investment scams, debuted in the campaign.

     Complementing the SFC’s focused promotion of three common scams that the public should avoid (namely online romance scams, impersonation, and deceptive tips from financial influencers), the SFC has rolled out an original campaign theme song and a music video featuring “Shui Yu”, which has recorded over one million views within about three months since its launch. As of end-June 2025, the SFC has published about 50 posts on the social media platform of “Shui Yu”, which has attracted more than 1 500 followers and over 423 000 views by unique users.

     To further promote anti-scam messages through “Shui Yu”, the SFC has produced “Shui Yu”-themed messaging app stickers to spread anti-scam messages in a light-hearted way. Apart from various online and offline advertisements, the SFC extended the “Don’t be Sucker” anti-scam publicity campaign through MTR station commercials and a TV infotainment programme in May to June 2025, garnering more than 1.6 million views in estimate.

     In fact, the Government has been proactively enhancing public awareness of various kinds of scams. The Police have set up the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre since July 2017 to consolidate the efforts of the Police in combating and preventing scams, and have introduced various initiatives including the 24-hour enquiry hotline “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222”, and the “Upstream Scam Intervention” scheme to actively identify potential scam victims.

     In addition, the Police have introduced an anti-scam mascot “The Little Grape” since June 2020 to explain the latest tactics of scammers and disseminate simple anti-scam messages in a friendly and interactive manner. Various “The Little Grape” anti-scam promotional campaigns have also been organised over the past five years. Thanks to these initiatives and the collective efforts of the community, the annual growth rate of scam cases has significantly decelerated from nearly 90 per cent in 2020 to 11.7 per cent last year, indicating a rise in public awareness of scam prevention.

     Going forward, the Government will continue to support relevant organisations and stakeholders in collaboratively launching targeted promotion activities to raise the anti-scam awareness of the public.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ6: Indecent assault cases on public transport

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Lam San-keung and a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

Question:

In recent years, there have been sporadic cases of indecent assault on public transport which arouse public concern. On the other hand, there are views that physical contact between individuals is difficult to be avoided in crowded vehicle compartments and could be mistaken for indecent assault. Moreover, society’s expectations for safety, comfort and mutual respect among passengers on public transport are increasing. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of indecent assault cases occurred on public transport that the Police received in each of the past five years, and the percentage of these cases out of the total number of cases occurring on public transport; the number of convictions among these indecent assault cases; whether it knows the average time taken by the courts to adjudicate these indecent assault cases; and

(2) whether it will consider introducing women-only or men-only zones or compartments on public transport mass-carriers (e.g. the MTR and franchised buses); if so, of the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

The Police attach great importance to all cases involving sexual offences and are dedicated to investigating each of them thoroughly, with particular focus on offences taking place on public transport. At present, sexual offences occurred on public transport are mainly indecent assault cases (i.e. offence of indecent assault under the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200)), for which offenders shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for 10 years. There are also cases of voyeurism and unlawful recording or observation of intimate parts (commonly known as “upskirt photography”), both of which carry a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment under the Crimes Ordinance.

The Police will continue to strengthen patrols by uniformed and plain-clothes officers in relevant areas, and will work closely with public transport operators to jointly combat indecent assault and its related offences on public transport. In parallel, the Police will step up publicity and education efforts to enhance public awareness and encourage members of the public to report crimes.

In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the reply to the Member’s question is as follows:

(1) In the past five years, the number of reports received by the Police on sexual offences occurred on public transport/interchanges/transport stations, including offences of indecent assault, voyeurism and unlawful recording or observation of intimate parts under the Crimes Ordinance, accounted for about seven per cent to 21 per cent of all offences occurred on public transport. Please refer to the Annex for details. For the first five months of 2025, the Police received a total of 141 relevant reports, which accounted for about 14 per cent of the total number of offences occurred on public transport/interchanges/transport stations.

The Government maintains neither a breakdown on the number of convictions of the above sexual offences by place of occurrence nor relevant statistics on the time taken by courts to adjudicate such cases.

(2) As to whether women-only or men-only zones or compartments shall be introduced on various mass public transport modes (such as MTR and franchised buses), a number of considerations are relevant. The public transport system in Hong Kong carries a total patronage of more than 11 million passenger trips daily, with the MTR and franchised buses being the main travelling means handling over 5 million and 3.7 million passenger trips per day respectively.

The MTR is one of the railway systems with the most frequent services in the world. In 2024, the heavy rail and light rail operated over 2.71 million trips, with train services reaching about one train in every two minutes during peak hours.

The MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has made reference to some overseas experience but assessed that it would not be appropriate to introduce women-only or men-only compartments in the MTR network. At present, during peak hours, the MTR system is generally crowded at platforms (especially at interchange stations), and the MTRCL has to make good use of the space on platform as well as inside train compartment to ease the passenger flow. Introducing dedicated train compartments would affect the management of passenger flow at stations and platforms, as well as the flow of passengers between train compartments. In addition, most of the MTR train compartments are of open design and it is operationally difficult to control passengers to follow the arrangement. Therefore, the MTRCL has no plan at this stage to introduce dedicated train compartments.

To prevent crimes of indecent assaults in the railway premises, the MTRCL has put up posters at stations to step up the promotion of anti-crime messages on indecent assaults. Passengers are encouraged not to remain silent, and report incidents or crimes of indecent assaults immediately to the Police or station staff. The MTR station staff are properly trained to assist the Police in combating crimes. In addition, the MTRCL and the Police hold regular anti-crime meetings to share information about the latest crime trend and intelligence, and to deliberate on specific strategies to combat crimes. The MTRCL also organises publicity activities in collaboration with the Police (including regular anti-crime publicity activities organised annually) so as to raise passengers’ anti-crime awareness.

In respect of franchised buses, many routes have high occupancy rates during peak hours. As there is limited space in the compartments and passengers board and alight in the same aisle, setting up dedicated areas inside the compartments will affect the passenger-carrying efficiency of buses. In addition, it will be operationally difficult to ensure that passengers follow the arrangements. Franchised bus companies will co-operate with the police to enhance efforts in combating crimes.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 9, 2025
Over 1.11 lakh pilgrims perform Amarnath Yatra in first six days

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

More than 1.11 lakh devotees have undertaken the annual Amarnath Yatra in just six days since the pilgrimage began on July 3, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Another batch of 7,579 pilgrims departed from Jammu earlier today, continuing the spiritual journey to the holy cave shrine nestled in the Kashmir Himalayas.

According to officials, a total of 1,11,000 pilgrims have had ‘darshan’ at the sacred cave shrine so far. The latest group left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two heavily guarded convoys. The first convoy, comprising 133 vehicles carrying 3,031 pilgrims, departed at 3:25 a.m. en route to the Baltal base camp. The second convoy of 169 vehicles, with 4,548 pilgrims aboard, left at 3:40 a.m. for the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam.

Officials from the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which oversees the yatra, said that in addition to those traveling from Jammu, a significant number of pilgrims have been registering on-site directly at Baltal and Nunwan.

The Meteorological Department has forecast rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir over the next 24 hours, with the possibility of isolated intense showers and thunderstorms.

Security arrangements remain at their highest alert level in light of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow, where Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians. In response, authorities have deployed an additional 180 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), reinforcing existing personnel from the Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB, and local police. All transit camps and routes—from Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar to the base camps and onwards to the shrine—are under multi-tier security coverage.

Despite the shadow of past violence, the Yatra has witnessed strong local support. Residents have welcomed pilgrims warmly, with many standing at entry points such as the Navyug Tunnel near Qazigund, offering garlands and placards.

This year’s Amarnath Yatra will run for 38 days, concluding on August 9, coinciding with the sacred festivals of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.

The cave shrine, located 3,888 meters above sea level, is accessible via two primary routes: the traditional 46-km trail from Pahalgam, which passes through Chandanwari, Sheshnag, and Panchtarni; and the shorter 14-km Baltal route, which allows pilgrims to complete the round trip within a single day.

Due to heightened security concerns, helicopter services have been suspended for this year’s Yatra.

(With agencies inputs)

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Police and council achieve positive change in Glenorchy

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Police and council achieve positive change in Glenorchy

Wednesday, 9 July 2025 – 4:08 pm.

Tasmania Police and Glenorchy City Council Mayor Sue Hickey have today championed the positive impact high-visibility policing is having in the community.
At a joint media event in Glenorchy on Wednesday, Inspector Jason Klug and Ms Hickey highlighted recent police data which showed a 16 per cent reduction in total offences in the Glenorchy division over the past 12 months.
There were 4578 total offences in the 2023-24 financial year, compared with 3848 total offences in the 2024-25 financial year.
Youth offences in 2023-24 were 928 and fell to 731 in 2024-25, a reduction of 21 per cent.
Audio and photographs from Wednesday’s media event are available here.
Inspector Klug said results since the implementation of Taskforce Respect in mid-May had been particularly encouraging.
“What we’ve seen in regard to calls for police assistance in the CBD is that our calls have reduced by about 40 per cent since the introduction of Taskforce Respect, so these are some really positive figures,” Inspector Klug said.
“But we’re not going to take our foot off the pedal.
“We’re going to continue the hard work that we’re doing. We’re going to continue working with our partners across the Glenorchy area to ensure that our community is safe, and feels safe, and enjoys the wonderful public spaces we have.”
Inspector Klug said community engagement and collaboration with local business and the Glenorchy City Council was key to making a positive change.
Supporting police, Ms Hickey thanked officers from Taskforce Respect and the wider police service for their work in targeting anti-social behaviour and retail crime in Glenorchy, and backed the continuation of the taskforce.
Ms Hickey said the council would continue to deliver programs to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, including a youth engagement program with additional activities on offer in the school holiday period.
“Seeing our youth engagement officers and police working directly with young people, whether it’s by having a game of street basketball or just being available for a quiet chat and understanding any issues they may be dealing with, is something I am particularly proud of as Mayor,” she said.
“Our young people are part of our community too, and they do not deserve to be tarnished by the same brush wielded by a minority of their peers who do the wrong thing.”
Ms Hickey said council youth engagement staff would be running basketball sessions in the Glenorchy CBD each day of the school holidays, with other school holiday activities available at the Moonah Arts Centre, ranging from beatboxing workshops to art programs.
These activities can be accessed by visiting the Moonah Arts Centre website – www.moonahartscentre.org.au
As part of the council’s ongoing collaboration with Tasmania Police, Crime Stoppers and Neighbourhood Watch, a pop-up stall focusing on community safety will be held at Northgate Shopping Centre on Thursday, from 11am to 3pm.
Attendees will have the opportunity to speak directly with Inspector Klug and Glenorchy Council’s Safe City Lead, Ben Hughes.
If you need to report a crime, contact police on 131 444 or you can report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or crimestopperstas.com.au
CAPTIONS:
Glenorchy City Council Mayor Sue Hickey and Tasmania Police Glenorchy Inspector Jason Klug, with members of Taskforce Respect, working to target anti-social behaviour and retail crime in Glenorchy. (Picture: Tasmania Police)
Tasmania Police Constable Emily Griggs, from Taskforce Respect, has been working with the community to bring positive change to incidents of retail crime and anti-social behaviour in Glenorchy. (Picture: Tasmania Police)

MIL OSI News –

July 9, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Drugs taken off Waikato streets

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have seized a gun, cash and over half a kilogram of cocaine in an operation targeting drug suppliers in Matamata-Piako today.

Officers found more than half a kilogram of cocaine, a pump action shotgun and $20,000 dollars when they visited properties in Matamata and Cambridge this morning.

“The two warrants executed today are the result of an investigation into the supply of drugs in the area,” says Detective Sergeant Ben Norman.

“Police will remain focused on targeting gang members involved in the distribution of illicit drugs, aiming to remove these harmful drugs from our communities.”

A half-kilo bag and five 1-ounce bags of cocaine were located at a Matamata address, as well as a pump action shotgun. One ounce is 28 grams.

A further 3 ounces of cocaine and $20,000 were seized from a Cambridge address.

“Police simply will not tolerate gangs making money from inflicting misery on our communities.

“They feed people’s addiction, and that in turn fuels crime, with people stealing to feed their habit.

The supply of illegal drugs causes untold harm and we will do everything we can to tackle it.

A 39-year-old man has been remanded in custody and is due to re-appear in the Hamilton District Court on 28 July, facing drug and firearms charges.

Further charges are being considered for a person found at the Cambridge address.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

July 9, 2025

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