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Category: MIL-OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: HMCS Shawinigan and HMCS Charlottetown, along with our NATO allies, are monitoring Russian Navy ships in Western Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French 1

    September 25 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

    From August 29 to September 18, 2024, while conducting surveillance activities alongside NATO ships, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Shawinigan and Charlottetown monitored Russian submarines and surface vessels.

    Beginning on 29 August, HMCS Shawinigan monitored a Russian submarine and surface vessel in the Baltic and North Seas before handing over responsibility to Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Iron Duke, Royal Navy, on 1 September. On 17 September, HMCS Charlottetown, flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), relieved the Spanish Navy’s ESPS Cristobal Colon, also part of SNMG2, in surveillance duties and monitored the vessels as they continued their voyage in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

    During this period, HMCS Charlottetown also conducted surveillance activities on another submarine as well as three surface ships of the Russian Federation Navy as they participated in Exercise OCEAN 2024, a large-scale Russian exercise.

    HMCS Shawinigan is currently deployed in Europe alongside HMCS Glace Bay on Operation REASSURANCE with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). She is working alongside NATO allied ships to safely dispose of historical munitions in regional waters, in addition to participating in NATO enhanced vigilance activities.

    HMCS Charlottetown is currently deployed on Operation REASSURANCE as the flagship of SNMG2, working alongside NATO allied ships to support maritime security in the Mediterranean region.

    The right of innocent passage provides standards and expectations that vessels must meet when transiting another country’s waters. During these surveillance activities, Russian vessels were observed to meet these standards and expectations.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI: Capital Revo Announces Its Cutting-edge Solutions to Protect Client Data

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW DELHI, INDIA, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Capital Revo is proud to announce the launch of its cutting-edge solutions to protect client data. Whether it’s the best forex broker in India or a top trading platform globally, protecting clients’ data is of utmost priority. In this digital age, where internet users are exposed to various threats and vulnerabilities, taking the right measures and investing in cutting-edge technology is essential for safeguarding their online information.

    “By expanding the existing relationships with their strategic partners and focusing on improving their technological infrastructure, Capital Revo is proud to take the first step to ensure the protection of their clients’ data. We will continue to improve the experience their platform offers, making it safe for novice and expert traders to trade.” says the CEO of Capital Revo.

    The Importance of Online Security for Trading Platforms

    One of the major concerns that users have before joining a trading platform is online security. What if a hacker gains access to their personal or financial data? Such a situation can lead to a world of trouble, as the outsider can commit identity theft or financial crimes, creating further problems for the victim.

    Evolving customer expectations continue to drive the need for efficient and secure solutions to meet the demands of the modern trading world. While data encryption remains a key favorite among the different forex platforms, network security, firewalls, audits, strong authentication methods, and software updates are also important in combating a security system’s constant vulnerabilities.

    Enhancing Online Security and Technological Infrastructure by Making the Right Investments

    Capital Revo understands the constant threat that looms on the internet. From dangerous malware to intrusions, modern investors face many risks on a daily basis.

    Due to rising concerns among online traders, the company have decided to enhance their technological infrastructure by investing in cutting-edge solutions that encrypt their clients’ information. This demonstrates their commitment to data protection and their ability to listen to their audience.

    Their modern security systems can recognize and mitigate threats before they impact their operations. They are able to keep up with the changing online landscape and modify their systems accordingly to ward off potential hackers.

    Collaboration with an Online Security Company for Daily Protection

    While several trading platforms, including Capital Revo, have invested in robust technological solutions, it’s important to understand that cybercriminals are constantly developing new methods to breach advanced security measures. This makes it even more pressing for trading platforms to continually monitor and defend against emerging threats.

    Fortunately, their recent investments in cutting-edge technology and partnership with a reputable cybersecurity firm allow us to provide ongoing security support. Their experts will continuously monitor the platform and user accounts for vulnerabilities and suspicious activities, ensuring the protection of consumer data.

    Capital Revo on Its Way to Becoming One of the Best Trading Platforms in India!

    At Capital Revo, they aim to make trading easy and safe. Their intuitive dashboard, combined with the robust technological solutions they have invested in, makes us the best forex broker in India.

    With Capital Revo, users don’t have to worry about online hackers trying to get their hands on users’ personal or financial information. Their state-of-the-art cloud systems ensure that users’ data remains protected at all times, giving you peace of mind while you plan users’ next short-term and long-term investment strategies.

    Social Links

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capital_revo/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Capital-Revo/61552517622119/

    Media contact

    Brand: Capital Revo

    Contact: Media team

    Email: marketing@capitalrevo.com

    Website: https://capitalrevo.com

    SOURCE: Capital Revo

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The European Union is becoming too obsessed with defence

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Richard Youngs, Professor of International and European Politics, University of Warwick

    A new team of 26 leaders has been appointed to the European Commission, reflecting a carefully crafted balance of political ideologies and member states. Each will take on a different portfolio, from democracy to agriculture to innovation.

    And for the first time, the EU will have a dedicated defence commissioner in the form of Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius.

    Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has made it clear that in her second term, the primary focus will be defence and security issues. She wants to convert the EU into a “security project” and has created the new post to build the bloc’s military capacities and cooperation.

    The last EU Commission that ran from 2019 to this year declared itself “geopolitical”. Under this label, it moved the European Union towards a heightened concern with military capabilities and hard power.

    Most observers see this as a positive aspect of the last commission. And there is a striking degree of supportive consensus that the military-power shift needs to be extended and deepened.

    However, this increasingly unchallenged conventional wisdom has unhelpfully narrowed and distorted the EU’s foreign policy debates. The EU needs to move beyond its hazy geopolitical mantra, not lean on it even more heavily.

    Much EU policy debate has become concerned principally with the question of whether the EU can defend itself more robustly and without help from the US. Analysis of European foreign policy has come overwhelmingly to take the form of calls for the EU to advance more ambitiously in its emerging ethos of militarised self-preservation and for laggardly member states to accelerate their rearmament.

    While the focus on defence capabilities was overdue and remains necessary, it is becoming too dominant.

    Defence players and experts get a far readier hearing in Brussels than anyone working on more liberal agendas involving human rights, development or peacebuilding. Funds flow aplenty into new programmes on defence and away from these old liberal concerns, many of which policymakers and analysts now belittle as passé.

    As they ramp up their defence spending, most member states are cutting their development aid. The incoming commissioners’ mission statements are all about security and protecting European democracy from external threats. There is no mention of the work they would do to support global human rights.

    If it previously tended to under-securitise its major challenges, the EU now risks over-securitising them. Well beyond the defence sphere, nearly all areas of EU policy are now infused with a more securitised ethos.

    The new hard-power orthodoxy risks crowding out any critical questioning of the EU’s new enthusiasm for concepts – power politics and zero-sum geopolitical rivalry – that were until recently anathema to its very essence.

    This deflects from the broader and more significant question of how the EU needs to mobilise different kinds of power to shape international trends. Contrary to what now predominates as received wisdom, governments’ increased defence budgets and EU efforts to coordinate defence investments do not in themselves provide such leverage.

    Indeed, with its priority on military defence, the EU has in recent years shown less evidence of qualitatively updating and sharpening its understanding of international leverage. While European leaders ritually claim that the union has “learned the language of power”, the current policy trajectory has diverted the EU away from being more influentially geostrategic.

    Outgoing high representative Josep Borrell has himself lamented that the EU risks being better at reacting to its last crisis than pre-empting wider and future trends.

    The shift in EU strategic narrative rests on an unduly one-dimensional reading of global trends. Contrary to what is now a commonly accepted premise, not every international development points towards state-to-state, zero-sum, order-menacing illiberalism.

    Much of it does, but the evolving order is also one of intensified societal mobilisation against autocracy and state power. It sees sub-state networks working across borders and citizens seeking problem-oriented cooperation on the ailing global commons.

    Out of step

    Articles, political speeches, and European policy documents routinely urge the EU to step back and accept that liberal political values are now contested. But global surveys show strong and even rising levels of citizen support for democracy and underlying social trends away from authoritarian values.

    Once a self-styled power of liberal betterment, the EU increasingly seems reduced to a strategy of stemming ordinary peoples’ desire for change. It rarely meets citizens’ pleas for support in their efforts to spur political and social reform. It has become an ambiguous bystander more than proactive promulgator.

    By downplaying these complexities, the EU fixation on traditional geopolitical power looks increasingly at odds with the emerging order rather than skilfully aligned with it. The EU’s now commonly repeated leitmotif of “accepting the world as it is” actually does no such thing.

    It actually collides with the underlying ways in which that world is shifting socially and politically. It’s one thing for the EU to get real about defending itself but another to become a regressive power that passively moulds itself to the power-politics of illiberalism.

    Far from going alone, Europe instead needs to fashion more effective interdependencies and coalitions.

    As its new leaders take office, the EU needs to move beyond the now omnipresent, yet ill-defined geopolitical narrative. It needs a more precise and forward-looking vision of what it wants power, sovereignty and autonomy for.

    If, for many years, the EU dangerously neglected the need for hard, defensive power it now risks moving to other extreme – giving hard power such pride of place that it detracts from the more consequential trends that will redefine the world order.

    Richard Youngs 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. The European Union is becoming too obsessed with defence – https://theconversation.com/the-european-union-is-becoming-too-obsessed-with-defence-239666

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hillsborough law planned for 2025 – what it will mean for future disasters and scandals

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nathan Critch, Research Associate, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester

    In his first conference speech as prime minister, Keir Starmer vowed that a Hillsborough law will be introduced in April, before the next anniversary of the football stadium disaster. The law will force public bodies to cooperate with investigations into future disasters and scandals.

    This announcement follows a long campaign by the families of the 97 people killed (and hundreds more injured) when part of Hillsborough stadium collapsed in 1989.

    The disaster and the inquiry that followed highlighted how justice is so often impeded by the tendency of powerful people to cover up information or refuse to cooperate in investigations.

    Initial media coverage of the Hillsborough disaster wrongly blamed football fans for the deaths. A public inquiry cited faults in police control, although its main recommendations related to crowd safety in sports venues.

    Crucially, the inquiry did not have access to all relevant evidence, interviewing only a few of those involved as it rushed to produce a narrowly focused report. An inquest ruled the deaths to have been “accidental”.

    Bereaved families “were sure that the true context, circumstances and aftermath of Hillsborough had not been adequately explored, established and made public”. Further efforts and campaigns for truth and justice ensued. Families attempted to bring private prosecutions against two of the police officers who had been in charge of operations at the match. Neither were successfully charged.

    In 2009, the government made an exception to the normal 30-year restriction on the publication of official documents, to ensure all documents related to the disaster were available to investigators.

    Shortly afterwards, the government established the Hillsborough Independent Panel to reexamine the causes of the disaster in light of full access to relevant evidence and in close consultation with Hillsborough families.



    Read more:
    New ‘Hillsborough Law’ needed to tackle ‘burning injustice’ and empower victims and family

    The panel’s report emphasised policing failures and found that crowd safety had been “compromised at every level” due to “well known” issues. The report found that police “sought to deflect responsibility” on Liverpool fans.

    New inquests concluded that the deaths of 97 had been unlawful, highlighting police and emergency service failures and exonerating the supporters who were initially blamed.

    In 2012, South Yorkshire Police apologised, and confirmed the independent panel’s findings that “senior officers sought to change the record of events” in the aftermath.

    Decades of campaigning

    The long struggle for truth and justice has focused on a lack of honesty and openness by those in power, a willingness to close ranks and blame others, and a failure to disclose relevant information. A Hillsborough law will enforce “a positive duty to tell the truth” and require public officials to “proactively assist investigations”.

    Starmer confirmed in his speech that the law will include criminal sanctions for those who breach it. Proposals also include better legal support and representations for future victims of disasters and their families.

    Proposals for a Hillsborough law were first put forward in 2017 as a private members’ bill by Andy Burnham, then shadow home secretary. Its passage was interrupted by the 2017 general election, but some aspects were reintroduced in 2022 in another private member’s bill. This, too, was interrupted when Boris Johnson prorogued parliament.

    Since becoming Labour leader, Starmer has framed his project as being one committed to returning his party, and the government, back to the service of working people. Passing a law designed and advocated for by working-class people who experienced injustice when their family members died is a clear symbol of this agenda.

    The law is also indicative of Starmer’s efforts to frame his government as one that seeks to be transparent, open and consistent. This puts him in contrast to the preceding 14 years of Conservative rule, which were marred by allegations of corruption and misconduct.

    High-profile scandals related to the pandemic, including members of the government holding illegal parties in Downing Street and misallocated contracts for PPE (personal protective equipment) to companies owned by people closely connected to government are just two examples.

    The announcement comes as Starmer himself, and senior members of his government, have been accused of lack of transparency on donations and gifts.
    Announcing the Hillsborough law goes some way to repairing his commitment to transparency and service in government, which has lost some of its shine in recent weeks.

    Changing the culture

    The reaction to the announcement from families and campaigners has been positive.

    The director of the charity Inquest, which supports families of those who have died in state-related disasters, called the law “a step forward in providing a legacy for the 97 so that others do not have to go through the pain and trauma of decades of campaigning”.

    The potential effect of the law goes far beyond Hillsborough. Other recent events including the Post Office scandal, infected blood and the Grenfell Tower fire have all been affected by a lack of openness and candour by those in power.

    But will a law on its own be enough? From Hillsborough to Grenfell to Windrush, what these many injustices highlight is that the problem of secrecy and a lack of transparency and candour is systemic and cultural. The British state has long been marked by a tradition of elitism, a government-knows-best attitude and a scepticism towards citizen engagement, participation and openness.

    While the Hillsborough law is indeed a step forward, it is only one piece of the jigsaw of making British governance more open and democratic.

    Nathan Critch receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (grant number:
    ES/V002740/1). He is affiliated with The Productivity Institute.

    – ref. Hillsborough law planned for 2025 – what it will mean for future disasters and scandals – https://theconversation.com/hillsborough-law-planned-for-2025-what-it-will-mean-for-future-disasters-and-scandals-239855

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: When Russia and Israel talk about setting up ‘buffer zones’ what they are really talking about is a land grab

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Iain Farquharson, Lecturer in Global Challenges – Security Pathway Lead, Brunel University London

    In the conflicts raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, we have recently seen calls for the establishment of what are being referred to as “buffer zones”.

    Russia has proposed setting one up around Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv in the north-east of the country. This, the Kremlin claims, is to protect Russian towns from shelling and missile attacks from Ukrainian territory.

    Israel, meanwhile, wants to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. It says it needs to protect nearly 70,000 civilians returning to their homes, which they have abandoned in the past year after rocket attacks by Hezbollah.

    But these suggestions should be viewed with scepticism. Both Russia and Israel want to set up these buffer zones within the borders of neighbouring autonomous nation states – in breach of their sovereignty – in the name of “security”. They should instead primarily be seen as a way of formalising control over contested territory to protect their home bases, which would give them a military advantage.

    The situation is further complicated by the fact that neither nation is formally at war with its opponent. No formal declaration of war has been issued by Russia to Ukraine, while Israel claims its legitimacy to establish a buffer zone under Article 51 of the UN constitution concerning self-defence.

    Such arguments are hypocritical and one-sided. Russian and Israeli policymakers have shown no concern for the effect of the establishment of these zones on the Ukrainian and Lebanese populations of the areas.

    The idea of buffer zones has a long history within international relations. Buffer zones have generally been defined as a nation state or neutral geographical area between two states not politically or militarily controlled by either of the rival states it separates.

    The zones proposed by Russia and Israel don’t fit this definition. Both Kharkiv and southern Lebanon are militarily contested. And neither the Ukrainian nor Lebanese governments is in control of their territories.

    If the Russian and Israeli proposals were to conform to this definition, they would comprise territory on both sides of the border of the two states, established with the agreement of both rival states. But neither Russia nor Israel is planning to cede their own territory in the establishment of these buffer zones. In fact, both have consistently sought to delegitimise their rival’s status as a nation state.

    These considerations, alongside Ukrainian and Hezbollah resistance, suggest that these new buffer zones will be fiercely contested. Indeed, the history of buffer states and zones suggests that the effectiveness of such zones is highly questionable.

    History of failure

    Lebanon itself serves as an example of this in acting as a buffer state (although not formally declared as such) for the Israeli-Syrian rivalry from the late 1960s. Both Syria (1976) and Israel (1978 and 1982) intervened militarily in Lebanon at one point or another.

    In this context, Lebanon provided a way for Syria to protect itself from surprise attacks. It allowed the political and military confrontation to play out without escalation to their own national territories. But it was terrible for Lebanon itself and ironically, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 paved the way for the foundation of Hezbollah as a political and military force.

    Similarly, Anglo-Russian rivalry over influence in Afghanistan in the 19th century focused on political manoeuvring to exert influence over Afghan rulers to protect British India and southern Russia respectively. This saw much money and political capital expended on both sides. There were also three British military incursions (1839-40, 1878-80 and 1919) attempting to consolidate their influence. None went well.

    In both these cases though, competing powers were using an intervening state to avoid an escalation of tensions into conflict.

    External ‘security zones’

    In this instance, the recent declarations in pursuit of “buffer zones” by both Russia and Israel have more in common with strategic occupations of territory to resolve a military problem – namely attacks on their own territories. Within security studies literature these are termed “external security zones” and are generally militarily occupied zones within hostile territory deemed essential to the national security of the occupying power.

    Historically, these zones have also been of questionable value. Following continued Palestinian attacks on Israeli border villages, in 1977 the Israel Defense Forces created a formal security buffer zone in south Lebanon through the proxy South Lebanon Army and supported by UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (Unifil) from March 1978.

    The establishment of this zone did little to prevent shelling and rocket attacks on Israel, leading to significant exchanges of artillery fire in the summer of 1981. Then on June 6 1982, Israel invaded southern Lebanon.

    Ultimately, neither buffer zones nor security zones have proved very effective at preventing conflict or preserving populations from its effects. These have almost always been negative, to say the least.

    Now, both Russia and Israel are likely to find themselves facing increasing resistance from the occupied nation. This will require the commitment of more troops and perhaps deeper military advances under cover of the political and strategic “necessity” to ensure the security of their own borders.

    These commitments will undoubtedly lead to more casualties. They will either lead to a destabilisation of existing governance in their regions or serve as a pretext for the aggressors to push further forward. It will also require them to further reshape their economies to fill military needs and could lead to potential escalation with other regional powers.

    Iain Farquharson 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. When Russia and Israel talk about setting up ‘buffer zones’ what they are really talking about is a land grab – https://theconversation.com/when-russia-and-israel-talk-about-setting-up-buffer-zones-what-they-are-really-talking-about-is-a-land-grab-239765

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: US election: why immigration remains a major issue for voters and why they trust Trump on border security

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eli Auslender, Research Fellow in Migration and Climate Change, Aberystwyth University

    US border policy remains a key electoral issue for Democrats and presidential nominee Kamala Harris as she approaches the November election.

    According to a recent Gallup poll, 77% of Americans believe the southern border is experiencing either an ongoing crisis or is a major problem. Meanwhile 55% wish to see less overall immigration, 53% support expansion of the border wall and 63% would support the president temporarily closing the border to asylum seekers when the border is “overwhelmed”.

    The issue is an important one in border states, especially in those such as Arizona, where polls show an incredibly tight race.
    Those who rate immigration as a top issue favour Donald Trump over Harris, and in one new poll voters say that Trump will be far more successful than Harris at securing the border.

    Joe Biden’s initial border policies continued some entry restrictions brought in by Trump’s administration, which had restricted border entry during the heights of the pandemic. But Biden also opened new pathways for legal migration. This included expanding temporary protected status, which expedites work permits for specific populations fleeing violence or disasters from countries such as Haiti or Ukraine.

    Biden’s congressional border bill failed to get through the Senate in June. In it, he aimed to speed up the asylum process, revoke visas of the bosses of companies that work with illegal immigrants, and add executive authority to shut border access.

    Harris has confirmed that she wants to resurrect the Biden administration’s border bill despite criticism from advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union. It argues that it would cut off any access to asylum protections for the vast majority of people arriving at the US-Mexico border, and disregard human safety.

    Democratic shift?

    So how and why did Democrats shift their border policies so drastically when they had been openly against Trump’s border restrictions during his presidency – and what does this mean for potential border policies under a Harris administration?

    Over the past decade, people from Central and South America have been fleeing for a variety of reasons, including the recent chaos in Haiti, the effect of harsh economic conditions in Venezuela and organised crime. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that the number of forcibly displaced people in the region is expected to reach 25 million.

    Along with this, the US southern border has been inaccurately framed as the primary means through which fentanyl has entered the country and caused the opioid crisis. These two factors have linked asylum-seekers with fentanyl despite US citizens being the main smugglers of fentanyl into the country.

    The Biden administration attempted to address some of these issues by appointing Harris, at the beginning of its term, to explore the “root causes” of migration from Central America. This included directing private sector investments towards countries from where large numbers of asylum seekers were fleeing. Research suggests that this does little to address organised crime or governance issues.



    Read more:
    No, immigrants aren’t eating dogs and cats – but Trump’s claim is part of an ugly history of myths about immigrant foodways

    Immigration was under discussion in the recent presidential debate.

    Customs and Border Protection reported in June that 2024 saw the fewest border crossings since 2021. The Harris campaign has seized on this to claim the Biden administration’s approach has been the correct one. A closer looks, however, suggests there are many different factors.

    US Customs and Border Protection has increasingly restricted access to asylum as per the executive order, delaying those who can cross the border and need to claim asylum immediately. Mexico (among other states in Central America) has restricted northward movement towards the US border, including bussing people back to the south of the country.

    Meanwhile, asylum-seeker deaths at crossing points within Central America and after crossing the US border have increased from 149 discovered remains in 2023 to 164 by August 2024. This would suggest that the root causes remain the same.

    Asylum, border security, crime, and the opioid epidemic have been tangled into a single issue. National security and immigration are constantly linked. And this has led to the Harris campaign’s recent advertisements emphasising her “tough stances” on border crime.

    This is in contrast to her criticism of Trump in 2018, when she called his border wall policy “un-American”. Despite past Democratic criticism of Trump’s harsh border restrictions, restrictive border policies have come from both parties.

    Both parties claim that stronger enforcement and more rigorous vetting of asylum-seekers is needed, as well as expedited deportations and “safe third country” deportations. These positions still conflate asylum-seekers with criminals. Immigrant advocates have noted that the US’ asylum system is already one of the most complex in the world. Asylum cases often take years to decide.

    The “remain in Mexico” policy, which forced asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their asylum applications were considered, was implemented by the Trump administration during the pandemic and maintained by the Biden administration. Advocacy group Human Rights Watch argued that it endangered countless asylum seekers, putting men, women and children at risk of violence or death, while they waited for their cases to be heard.

    Seeking asylum is both a national and international right. The first potential policy priority to ease the border pressure should be to simplify the asylum process and reduce the time it takes to resolve a case from several years to several months. Fortifying the border puts vulnerable lives at risk, regardless of which party proposes it. Shutting down the border would only put more lives at risk.

    If the Harris campaign is serious about border policy reform, it must first look to ease and expedite asylum access instead of restricting it.

    Eli Auslender 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. US election: why immigration remains a major issue for voters and why they trust Trump on border security – https://theconversation.com/us-election-why-immigration-remains-a-major-issue-for-voters-and-why-they-trust-trump-on-border-security-238263

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Manitoba Government to Extend Gas Tax Holiday to December 31

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    September 25, 2024

    Manitoba Government to Extend Gas Tax Holiday to December 31

    – – –
    Manitobans Will Continue to Save at the Pump Until the End of the Year: Kinew

    The Manitoba government intends to extend the gas tax holiday until the end of the calendar year, Premier Wab Kinew announced today. 

    “Since we cut the gas tax in January, inflation has gone down in Manitoba,” said Kinew. “This is what governments are for. We know Manitobans are still struggling with the impact of interest rates and grocery prices so we’re going to continue to step up and save you 14 cents at the pump.” 

    The current gas tax holiday on gasoline and diesel used to operate motor vehicles will be extended until Dec. 31, noted the premier. 

    The premier noted the people who drive the most popular type of vehicle in the province, a pickup truck, will save around $14 every time they fuel up. The Manitoba Bureau of Statistics estimates the gas tax holiday has directly contributed to a decrease of 0.4 percentage points to inflation. 

    Since the introduction of the gas tax holiday, Manitoba has had the lowest average retail price on gasoline in Canada and inflation has dropped to within the Bank of Canada’s target inflation range of one to three per cent. 

    – 30 –

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “The Enchanted Duck” in Library No. 92

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Library No. 92 invites you to a puppet show based on the fairy tale by Alexei Tolstoy. Guests will see the story of a duckling that an old man and an old woman found in the forest and nursed back to health. As a sign of gratitude, the magic bird helps its saviors, not yet suspecting what awaits them all in the future. During the performance, the scenery will change four times.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.mos.ru/poster/event/319103257/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Torrential rain represents an opportunity to build a better society

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maryam Imani, Associate Professor of Water Systems Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University

    A month’s worth of rain has poured down in just a few hours in parts of central and southern England. More than 300 flood-related emergency calls were made, major roads were submerged, trains were delayed, and an enormous sinkhole opened up on a football pitch in south London.

    This follows similar torrential rain across central and eastern Europe two weeks ago, which led to flash floods and widespread damage and deaths. As climate change alters rain patterns and makes extreme downpours more common, and more extreme, such flooding is increasingly the new normal.

    Intense rain doesn’t lead to serious floods every time, of course. Sometimes we get lucky: a well-timed low tide might help, or a rainstorm could be surprisingly localised in a place where water can easily flow into the sea, a river or a pond. And some of the actions taken by humans to minimise the risk of catastrophic floods can actually make life more pleasant anyway, even when it isn’t raining. For this reason, we should see rains like this not just as a challenge, but as an opportunity.

    Minimising the risk of disaster

    There are various things we can do to minimise flood risks before and after torrential rains and prevent smaller floods from escalating into disasters.

    We can build bigger and better drainage and stormwater infrastructure, for instance, and make sure drains are unblocked and flood walls are properly maintained. This is an example of so-called “hard” flood defences.

    Features like ponds and wetlands, larger parks, or trees on hillsides, help slow down or store rainwater and can ensure the flow is spread out over days or even weeks. Water flows much faster over bare ground, and especially over concrete roads and buildings, where urban drainage systems can soon be overwhelmed – causing floods. These features are known variously as “nature-based solutions” or “sustainable drainage systems” or “blue-green infrastructure”.

    We can also use smart technologies for flood warning systems and we can ensure people are aware and prepared. We can ensure people don’t live in flood-prone areas in the first place, through climate-resilient planning, and that those who do live there are insured and have flood-proofed their homes as best they can.

    More sustainable flood management

    In the UK, several exemplary projects address flood management. The most iconic is the Thames Barrier in London, which protects the city from storm surges and high tides coming from the North Sea. Another is the the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, which protects over 3,000 properties and 500 businesses in the UK’s fourth-largest urban area. It involves a combination of hard defences – weirs, flood walls – and natural solutions like planting trees and constructing water storage areas.

    The National Storm Overflows Plan for England report is being reviewed by the UK government for approval by December 2024. One of its recommendations is to make sustainable drainage systems mandatory.

    A government scheme (Flood Re) also ensures homeowners in flood-risk areas can protect their homes and obtain affordable insurance. And various rivers have been allowed to “wiggle” once again, by flooding over nearby fields. This has proven effective at reducing peak flows during storms, which is especially beneficial downstream where people live and where rivers are often encased in human-made banks.

    The River Derwent flows through the Lake District of northern England.
    RnDmS / shutterstock

    These initiatives are part of a broader trend toward more sustainable flood management practices. Key projects such as the “slowing the flow” project in Pickering, Yorkshire or projects along the River Derwent in Cumbria focus on reconnecting rivers with their floodplains.

    Worldwide lessons

    The Netherlands is one of the world leaders in flood management. The Delta Works, a massive system of dams, sluices, locks, dikes and storm-surge barriers, protects the country, much of which is below sea level, from flooding due to rainfall and rising sea levels.

    The Room for the River programme, started in 2007, manages higher water levels in rivers by lowering flood plains, creating water buffers, relocating levees, increasing the depth of side channels, and constructing flood bypasses. Urban adaptations, such as those in Rotterdam, are also crucial for managing flash flooding.

    Japan, particularly in flood-prone areas like Tokyo, has built massive underground flood tunnels to divert rainwater during storms. This system helps protect the city from excessive rainfall and typhoons. In many European countries, sustainable drainage systems are now integrated into urban planning. This helps absorb excess rainwater during storms, while offering ecological and social benefits too (grass and ponds are ultimately a lot nicer than bare concrete).

    It’s crucial to be aware of the problem of intense rain and view it as a chance to improve society. Prolonged droughts highlight the need to focus on storing and using excess water during high-demand times, which can be done by creating wetlands, storing floodwaters or by enabling the soil to store and retain more moisture.

    Engineers can’t do all this by themselves. Neither can tree-planters or wetland creators. We need a hybrid approach combining engineering solutions with nature and community efforts.


    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get our award-winning weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 35,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Maryam Imani is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a STEM programme ambassador.

    – ref. Torrential rain represents an opportunity to build a better society – https://theconversation.com/torrential-rain-represents-an-opportunity-to-build-a-better-society-239755

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Posey’s Statement on the Latest Omnibus Spending Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Posey (8th District of Florida)

    Posey’s Statement on the Latest Omnibus Spending Bill

    Washington, March 6, 2024

    Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) released the following statement concerning his vote against the latest omnibus spending bill:

    “In January, the national debt passed $34 trillion. Just two months later, another half trillion dollars was added to the debt. This bill adds even more debt. It’s past time for Washington to get serious about responsible budgeting and the long-term impact that trillion-dollar deficits will have on our financial stability and economic opportunities for the next generation. Only a balanced budget amendment will give Washington the discipline it needs.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Eshoo Bill to Improve Pediatric Drugs Passes House Unanimously

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA)

    Washington, D.C. – Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (CA-16) released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted unanimously for her Give Kids a Chance Act (H.R. 3433) yesterday. H.R. 3433 is the most comprehensive legislation Congress has passed in more than a decade to address childhood cancer and rare diseases.

    “This vote will save children’s lives. I am so grateful to my colleagues for the months of hard work to pass this milestone bipartisan legislation,” Rep. Eshoo said. “The legislation will ensure that children have access to the most innovative treatments and therapies for cancer and rare disease. Our laws must keep up with the rapid advances in medicine.”

    The legislation specifically:

    • Reauthorizes the FDA’s pediatric priority voucher program for five years to ensure the development of innovative drugs for children continues.
    • Directs pharmaceutical companies to conduct pediatric trials with combinations of drugs, something that is already done for adults.
    • Brings the FDA’s enforcement capabilities for children on par with that of adults with the goal to complete pediatric studies on time instead of removing a drug from the market because the study wasn’t completed.
    • Dedicates existing funds for pediatric research through NIH’s Best Pharmaceutical for Children Act Program for three years.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Houlahan Urges Postmaster General to Address Service Issues Caused by Closure of West Chester Post Office

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

    WEST CHESTER, PA – Late last week, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) sent a letter to United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy outlining her constituents’ concerns following a fire in July that closed the Airport Road Post Office in West Chester, PA. The letter highlighted problems resulting from the closure including a lack of clear operating hours at alternate facilities such as the Gay Street Post Office, incorrect and outdated information on the website, long wait times, and chronic understaffing at the post offices currently trying to handle the overflow of customers who had previously relied on the Airport Road Post Office before the fire. 

    Houlahan asked DeJoy to share the Postal Service’s plan to remedy the issues and to commit to rebuilding the Airport Road facility, which is owned by the U.S. Postal Service. Houlahan also expressed her concerns about how the closure of the USPS Airport Road facility will impact the distribution and collection of mail-in ballots.  

    “With only a handful of weeks until election day, and even fewer before mail-in ballots are distributed, I’m asking for a detailed plan for the distribution of ballots despite lack of access to this post office,” wrote Houlahan. “This plan should include what additional capacity will be needed at other nearby locations, and how this capacity can be provided. Every eligible American has the right to participate in our elections and that right should not be diminished due to lack of post office access.” 

    Read Houlahan’s letter here or below.  

    Dear Postmaster General Dejoy, 

    As you may be aware, on July 19th, services were indefinitely suspended at the USPS facility located at 1050 Airport Road in West Chester, PA because of a major fire. This particular post office is the primary delivery unit in Chester County, where the majority of my constituents of Pennsylvania’s Sixth District reside. As an additional point of context, West Chester University with a student enrollment of approximately 18,000 individuals, is located in West Chester, Chester County’s County Seat and population base.  

    I am thankful that no one was hurt in the blaze, and for the updates provided by your team to my office. I appreciate the work the USPS is doing to recover from this disaster and ask that you prioritize a few issues that many members of my community have shared with me.  

    First and most imminently, the hours displayed on the USPS’s website still describe the Airport Road location as being open and operating normally. This has caused confusion as postal patrons have traveled to the Airport Road location only to find a shuttered building. Please correct this right away. Additionally, because of the closure, the nearby Gay Street Post Office has extended its hours but the website has not been updated, leading to additional confusion. I appreciate the USPS’s prompt attention to these necessary updates.  

    Second, the closure of the Airport Road Post Office has meant that demand at the Gay Street Post Office is now higher than ever. My office has received reports of long wait times of up to 90 minutes for counter services, as well as hours-long closures at the Gay Street location, due to a shortage of staff. It is critical that more staff are either hired or quickly transferred to meet the increased demand of postal customers that have been forced from the Airport Road location to the Gay Street location. I ask that you regularly keep my office apprised of the actions the USPS is taking to improve staff recruitment and retention in the West Chester, PA area. It is my hope that these actions will be in addition to the efforts already underway to improve staffing at USPS locations across the nation, as described by the Delivering for America plan.  

    Third, I have deep concerns about how the closure of the USPS Airport Road facility will impact the distribution and collection of mail-in ballots. With only a handful of weeks until election day, and even fewer before mail-in ballots are distributed, I’m asking for a detailed plan for the distribution of ballots despite lack of access to this post office. This plan should include what additional capacity will be needed at other nearby locations, and how this capacity can be provided. Every eligible American has the right to participate in our elections and that right should not be diminished due to lack of post office access.  

    Fourth, I’d like you to commit that the West Chester Post office will be rebuilt and reopened, rather than closed permanently. This location is critically important to maintaining adequate services in this part of my district in the long term. While augmenting services at nearby offices can be help fill the gap in the short term, it cannot be an indefinite solution.  

    Lastly, I ask that USPS personnel continue to be in regular contact with my staff on the status of the West Chester Post Office. Specifically, I ask that monthly updates be provided to my staff on the progress of reconstruction, and the ongoing impact of the closure on nearby offices.  

    Thank you for your work to address this difficult issue.  

    Sincerely, 

    Chrissy Houlahan

    Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Porter Bill to Modernize Permitting Process Passes House

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45)

    Last night, the House of Representatives unanimously passed Rep. Katie Porter’s (D-CA) Electronic Permitting Modernization Act. The bill, co-led by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), would streamline the Department of Interior’s permitting process by establishing a central, online location linking to each type of permit. 

    “Inefficient, outdated processes waste taxpayer dollars and decrease people’s confidence in our government,” said Rep. Porter. “My bill would make it easier for Americans to get permission to use our public lands for allowed activities, and bring transparency and accountability to the permitting process. It passed the House with unanimous support for one reason: it is good policy that would make government work better for Americans. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this bill without delay.”

    The bipartisan Electronic Permitting Modernization Act would push the Department of Interior into the 21st century by encouraging the development of electronic permits that are easily accessible. It would require the Department of Interior to centralize links to these permits onto one webpage and provide resources to help individuals get assistance with permitting questions. The bill establishes reporting mechanisms to help Congress hold the Department accountable for its e-permitting implementation. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. 

    Rep. Porter is committed to making government work better for the American people. She’s introduced legislation to improve and modernize the services that 14 federal agencies offer, like passport renewals, student loan payments, and tax filing. Rep. Porter has used her oversight role—and whiteboard—to hold countless Administration officials accountable for how they serve the public, including the heads of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Centers for Disease Control. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller’s Op-Ed: Raising the Corporate Tax Rate Will Hurt American Business, Investment, and Consumers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

    Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) penned an op-ed in Fortune on how a higher corporate rate would hurt Americans by driving up prices and reducing wages, as well as affecting America’s standing in the global economy.

    Fortune: Rep. Miller: Raising the corporate tax rate will hurt American business, investment, and consumers

    “For the past three years, politicians, businesses, and families have been grappling with inflation. Pundits across the political spectrum have argued that dramatically raising taxes on American corporations would be a quick fix to this burden on Americans. The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has argued that increasing the corporate rate to 28% ‘is a fiscally responsible way to put money back in the pockets of working people and ensure billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.’ However, the clear economic truth is the opposite: Raising taxes on corporations will raise prices for consumers—and inflation will spike yet again.

    The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that passed under President Donald Trump in 2017 changed the trajectory of tax policy in the United States. Finally, a policy was enacted that lowered taxes for all Americans and made the United States more competitive globally.

    Before the TCJA, America’s corporate tax rate was one of the highest in the world, and American businesses were at a competitive disadvantage in the global market. This hurt companies and workers alike. Lowering the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% gave every American more opportunities to succeed in business because they weren’t as burdened by unnecessary taxes. The results proved out: In 2018, 263,000 manufacturing jobs were created and wages increased by 3%, according to a National Association of Manufacturers analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Many economists have credited the TCJA for America’s continued outperformance relative to most of the world’s advanced economies.

    Reducing the corporate tax rate was the cornerstone of the TCJA. Today, some in Congress want to raise it in the name of increasing federal revenue. That would be a catastrophic mistake. Raising the corporate rate doesn’t punish companies—it punishes Americans.

    Multiple studies show that corporate tax increases are directly passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. A higher rate will also make American exports more expensive and companies less competitive in the global market. The result will be slower economic growth, fewer jobs, and less innovation.

    As the Ways and Means Committee prepares for the reauthorization of the TCJA, Chairman Jason Smith created ‘tax teams’ to evaluate which policies worked well and which could use improvement for the 2025 reauthorization. I am the Chairwoman of the Supply Chains Tax Team, which focuses on the corporate rate, energy tax credits, and capital gains tax. We’ve had many meetings with small businesses, Fortune 100 companies, and economists who have all emphasized the importance of maintaining a corporate rate that is pro-growth and pro-American.

    A lower corporate tax rate keeps costs down, leading to lower prices for consumers and more investment in their workers. The reality is that if the corporate rate goes up, the burden will fall on consumers, employees, and retirees. As a small business owner, I know firsthand how important it is to take care of your employees and produce the best possible product. If I suddenly must pay more in taxes, I either have to cut back on investments into the business that create more jobs or pass increased costs onto my customers. This would happen to businesses around the country and would slow economic growth in the U.S. to a grinding halt.

    Another key benefit of a low corporate rate is how much more attractive America becomes to investors. When the U.S. corporate tax rate was 35%, it was one of the highest corporate tax ratesamong developed countries. For any startup or subsidiary company, it made more sense to do business in China, India, or even within the famously high-tax European Union. With the lower rate, the U.S. is more inviting for nearly every industry.

    While some may argue that the federal government is leaving money on the table by maintaining or lowering the corporate rate, the opposite is true. The TCJA grew the American economy to the extent that the significantly lower corporate tax rate was offset by increased tax collections.

    The U.S. government doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. Thanks to the TCJA, the 21% corporate rate has kept business taxes low, which softened the blow from the Democrats’ ill-advised (and utterly misnamed) Inflation Reduction Act. Without the TCJA, inflation would have been much higher. This is why even Democrats refused to hike the rate or repeal the TCJA when they had full control of the House of Representatives, Senate, and White House.

    The solution to inflation isn’t to increase taxes on American business, it’s to get federal spending under control and spur economic growth. Keeping the corporate rate low—or better yet, lowering it, as former President Trump has suggested—gives financial freedom to American consumers and businesses. The one-two punch of lower taxes and a lower debt burden will bring back the strong growth we saw in the first three years of the Trump presidency.”

    This article originally appeared on Fortune.com

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller, Colleagues Introduce the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Authorization Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

    Washington D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)  introduced the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Authorization Act with Representatives Terri Sewell (D-AL), Buddy Carter (R-GA), and Ann Kuster (D-NH). The RCORP Authorization Act will establish and expand prevention, treatment, and recovery services in rural areas for opioid users.

    “Ensuring there are enough resources for those who are suffering from addiction is a top priority for me. As a representative for a rural district, I have seen firsthand how important it is for my constituents to have access to quality health care. The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program provides funding to rural communities that are in need of recovery facilities, and the program should be authorized to provide certainty for communities and providers. I thank my colleagues for partnering with me on this bipartisan issue to establish addiction prevention services in the most rural areas of the United States,” said Congresswoman Miller.

    “The opioid epidemic doesn’t discriminate. As we see in Alabama, it affects people of every background and every zip code, urban and rural. By authorizing the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, we can take critical steps toward expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery services for opioid users in rural communities. I’m grateful to be part of the bipartisan group of lawmakers working to make that happen,” said Congresswoman Sewell.

    “The opioid epidemic is a nationwide crisis that especially impacts rural communities. As a pharmacist and representative for a rural district, I understand the importance of ensuring that all Americans have access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Formally authorizing the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program will save lives in districts like mine. I am proud to work in a bipartisan manner to ensure continued access to these vital health care resources,” said Congressman Carter.

    “From health care workforce shortages to limited access to treatment and recovery services, rural communities in New Hampshire and across the country have been hit particularly hard by the addiction and overdose crisis. Ending the substance use disorder epidemic calls for an all-of-the-above government response, and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program will help ensure that even our most rural communities have access to the resources and support they need to save lives,” said Congresswoman Kuster.

    “Substance use, including opioid use, is exacerbated in rural America by a lack of access to care and treatment. The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a grant program aimed at alleviating this gap by establishing and expanding prevention, treatment, and recovery services. NRHA applauds the efforts of Representatives Miller, Sewell, Carter, and Kuster for their introduction of the RCORP Authorization Act and their continual leadership on rural issues,” said Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. 

    “Rural communities have been uniquely tested by the opioid epidemic. Limited care options, transportation issues, and incomplete support systems along with barriers to reintegration into the workforce have created unique barriers on the road to recovery. The RCORP program has been critical in deploying needed resources to these communities while promoting unique collaborations that provide patient-centered care. As such, we enthusiastically support the continuation of this vital program,” said David Gozal, M.D., M.B.A., Ph.D. (Hon), Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University.

    ​​”On behalf of the 50 State Offices of Rural Health, we are thrilled to see Reps. Carol Miller, Ann Kuster, and Buddy Carter introduce the RCORP Authorization Bill of 2024.  The RCORP grant program has been a lifeline for Rural population in West Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia and all 50 states.  If passed into law this bill solidifies the standing of the program in the eyes of Congress – we look forward to working with our rural champions to ensure Congress passes this bipartisan bill into law,” said Tammy Norville, CEO of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. 

    Click here for bill text.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis Attend Central Florida Leadership Prayer Breakfast

    Source: US State of Florida

    PLANT CITY, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis spoke at the Central Florida Leadership Prayer Breakfast about the DeSantis administration’s commitment to faith, family, and life. They highlighted the success of Hope Florida in connecting the faith community with Floridians looking for help, including families and mothers. The prayer breakfast was organized by All Pro Pastors, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 to create pastor-to-pastor support and fellowship.

    “Florida’s faith-based institutions have long served and strengthened communities across the state,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We are proud to support and partner with the faith community in Florida, and we thank them for their critical role in the Hope Florida initiative.”

    “By uniting individuals from all sectors of the community who want to help, we have created a network of support beyond what government can do alone,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “A sincere thank you to our state’s faith leaders for serving Florida families through Hope Florida’s CarePortal. The Governor and I are grateful that an increasing number of Floridians are getting help and finding success thanks to the faith community’s role in Hope Florida.”

    The Governor and the First Lady also took the opportunity to pray for Florida ahead of Tropical Storm Helene making landfall on Thursday.

    Hope Florida
    Through implementation at multiple state agencies, Hope Florida provides Hope Navigation to help Floridians get help for immediate and long-term needs and financially supports nonprofits and churches through the Hope Florida Fund. Hope Florida guides Floridians on an individualized path to prosperity and economic independence by focusing on community collaboration between the private sector, nonprofits, government entities, and faith-based communities. The Hope Florida CarePortal alerts participating churches to immediate needs in their communities and churches compete to meet Floridians’ needs.

    By calling 833-GET-HOPE, Floridians can speak with Hope Navigators who help identify their needs, develop long-term goals, map out a path forward, and work to ensure all sectors of the community are part of the lasting solution. In the three years since Hope Florida’s launch, nearly 30,000 Floridians have reduced their reliance upon or are no longer reliant on government assistance—a reduction which is estimated to save the State of Florida nearly $800 million over the next decade.

    Floridians who need support can connect with Hope Florida by calling the Hope Line (833-GET-HOPE). Organizations or individuals interested in partnering with Hope Florida to give help can visit www.HopeFlorida.com.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Higher doses of buprenorphine may improve treatment outcomes for people with opioid use disorder

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release

    Wednesday, September 25, 2024

    NIH-funded analysis suggests higher doses of buprenorphine were associated with lower rates of future behavioral health-related emergency department and inpatient care.

    Adults with opioid use disorder who receive a higher daily dose of the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may have a lower risk of subsequent emergency department visits or use of inpatient services related to behavioral health (such as for mental health and substance use disorders) than adults receiving the recommended dose, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These findings suggest that higher buprenorphine doses could be more effective in managing opioid use disorder, which may be particularly relevant for improving treatment for those who use fentanyl, a major driver of the overdose crisis.

    Researchers reviewed insurance claims data from over 35,000 people who were diagnosed with opioid use disorder and began buprenorphine treatment between 2016 and 2021. They found that among all people who started treatment with buprenorphine, 12.5% experienced an emergency department or inpatient visit related to behavioral health within the study period.  After adjusting for patient demographics and medical history available in the data, researchers then analyzed how long it took for people receiving different doses of buprenorphine to use emergency care or have an inpatient stay after starting treatment.

    The recommended target dose for buprenorphine in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approved labeling is 16 mg per day. Researchers found that those taking higher daily doses of buprenorphine (>16 to 24 mg) took 20% longer to have a subsequent emergency department or inpatient health care visit related to behavioral health within the first year after receiving treatment, compared to those receiving >8 to 16 mg a day. Those taking daily doses of more than 24 mg of buprenorphine went 50% longer before having a subsequent emergency or inpatient health care visit related to behavioral health within the first year after receiving treatment, compared to those receiving >8 to 16 mg a day.

    “As the overdose crisis evolves, particularly with the rise of fentanyl, it is crucial to investigate how to best adapt and deliver the lifesaving and evidence-based treatments for opioid use disorder that we have available,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “The findings add to the growing evidence that higher doses of buprenorphine may have meaningful health impacts for people with opioid use disorder.”

    In 2022, of the nearly 108,000 overdose deaths reported in the U.S., almost 70% were primarily due to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times stronger than heroin. The ubiquity of fentanyl in the drug supply and associated overdose deaths have raised questions about whether existing dosing guidelines for buprenorphine should be modified to better address the unique challenges posed by such a potent opioid. Higher doses of buprenorphine may be necessary to effectively manage the more severe withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and tolerance associated with fentanyl use.

    “Preventing or delaying the need for high-intensity, urgent health care among people with opioid use disorder has tremendous benefits on health and recovery,” said Bradley D. Stein, M.D., Ph.D., a study co-author and director of the RAND-USC Schaeffer Opioid Policy Tools and Information Center. “As we continue to gather data across studies, findings suggest that higher doses of buprenorphine may have the ability to significantly improve treatment in the era of fentanyl, as both fatal and nonfatal overdoses remain unacceptably high.”

    The authors also note that addressing barriers to accessing higher doses, such as state laws and insurance policies, will be important in ensuring that all patients receive effective care. In addition, revisiting guidelines that serve as barriers to higher doses could be beneficial, as these may limit access to potentially life-saving treatment for patients at high risk of relapse or overdose.

    Notably, the data used in the study were pulled from a single commercial insurance company, which does not include uninsured people and those with Medicaid or fee-for-service Medicare coverage, and the sample of people included in the analysis was 75% non-Hispanic white. Further research is needed to explore the effects of higher buprenorphine doses in more diverse populations, including those with different insurance statuses or in different clinical settings. In addition, the authors note that future research should also investigate additional outcomes such as the long-term effects of high-dose buprenorphine on opioid use disorder treatment retention and overall health outcomes using similar data.

    These findings build upon accumulating evidence of the safety and efficacy of higher doses of buprenorphine. Studies have shown that more than 16 mg of buprenorphine is safe and well tolerated in people with opioid use disorder in emergency department and outpatient treatment settings, and that higher buprenorphine doses are associated with improved retention in treatment for opioid use disorder.

    This study was funded by the NIH’s NIDA and published in JAMA Network Open. The data analyzed in the study came from a large insurer’s database of commercial claims, including those for Medicare Advantage.

    If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol conditions, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).

    About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): NIDA is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy, improve practice, and advance addiction science. For more information about NIDA and its programs, visit www.nida.nih.gov.

    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NFL and FEMA Launch National Strategy to Build Resilience in Communities, Designate Venues as Mission Ready Locations During Disasters

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: NFL and FEMA Launch National Strategy to Build Resilience in Communities, Designate Venues as Mission Ready Locations During Disasters

    NFL and FEMA Launch National Strategy to Build Resilience in Communities, Designate Venues as Mission Ready Locations During Disasters

    WASHINGTON — Stadiums and venues provide a central and accessible location to help communities respond to extreme weather crises, providing safe storage and shelter in times of need. With these events becoming more frequent, severe and expensive, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier today announced that FEMA and the NFL are launching a new strategy to build resilience in communities through a program that will designate NFL stadiums and fields as mission capable venues that can be used during response and recovery missions. Through Mission Ready Venues, a public-private partnership, NFL stadiums are recognized for their capabilities to better sustain public safety and be a source of support for the communities they serve. The designation identifies the ways the stadium or venue could be used for response and recovery activities during declared emergencies or disasters. 

    “During large-scale emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, or tornados, we’ve seen how large music, sports and entertainment venues can serve as a safe space for communities,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “This new strategy we’re launching with the NFL is a groundbreaking opportunity to help our partners use these venues for emergency response and recovery needs, while keeping communities safe and making them more resilient. While we are starting with the NFL, all venues across sports organizations and leagues can become assets to their communities, and I encourage them to join in this collaborative effort as we grapple with the impacts of the climate crisis.”

    “Stadiums are valuable community assets that are often used in times of disasters,” said NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier. “This designation reflects the role that many stadiums play, not only on Sundays, but especially in times of need. We are proud to work with FEMA and first responders at the local and state level to ensure disaster response agencies have the information and tools they need to help a community recover when disaster strikes.”

    According to the NYU School of Professional Studies and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, stadiums and arenas can improve the public health and well-being of their communities—including pandemic response during COVID-19. The initial stadiums to receive designations include MetLife, home of the Jets and the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Lumen Field, home of the Seahawks in Seattle, Washington, Acrisure Stadium, home of the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida. SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams and the Chargers in Los Angeles, California is under review. 

    Given the size, capabilities and locations of large sports venues, these existing community assets can serve the public in a variety of ways including emergency shelters, staging areas, commodity distribution sites, evacuation pick up points, disaster recovery centers, mass vaccination and testing, temporary hospitals and more. FEMA and the NFL recognized this unique opportunity for collaboration and are enlisting the support of venue owners, operators and the tenants of these facilities to work with government officials in the planning and preparation for emergency or disaster response and recovery efforts. To receive an official Mission Ready Venue designation, venues must undergo a comprehensive assessment to determine what capabilities the venue may be able to support in emergency and disaster response and recovery efforts. The designation highlights the following attributes of selected venues:

    • Provide Safety and Security: Stadiums are usually centrally located, close to major roadways and transportation hubs and critical services like hospitals. If used to respond to a disaster, the designation will save valuable time and resources and will further enhance coordination between the public and private sectors during disaster response and recovery.
    • Provide Accessibility: Stadiums are also compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act and can support persons with disabilities and others with access or functional needs. Additionally, 73% of NFL venues are accessible by mass transportation. This provides an avenue to promote equitable service to underserved populations to access potentially critical lifesaving/life-sustaining services after an event.  
    • Strengthen Community Resilience: Stadiums and arenas are a focal point of communities and help strengthen social networks by enhancing connections between residents with home team pride. These Mission Ready Venues can boost morale amidst disaster. By providing a more robust and resilient environment, these venues can enhance social networks amongst survivors while providing ample opportunities to establish connections with the venue’s main tenants.
    • Ensure Unity of Effort: Coordination of stadium resources and services can support survivors and responders and help stabilize an incident quickly. Since stadiums are fixed locations, resources and services can be deployed quickly. This promotes the community’s physical and economic recovery.

    Mission Ready Venue designations are for five-year increments with a yearly check-in to ensure continued readiness of the venue. Redesignation will be necessary every five years and designation does not supersede any agreements with state, local or private sector entities. 

    amy.ashbridge

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 28% Decline in Shootings in Communities Across New York

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that shooting incidents with injury declined 28 percent through August 2024 compared to the same eight-month period last year, as reported by police departments participating in New York State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative. This overall decline in shootings is the result of significant, sustained reductions in gun violence across communities served by the 28 police departments participating in GIVE.

    “Public safety is my number one priority, and protecting New Yorkers and their communities is the foundation of all our efforts,” Governor Hochul said. “Our strategies for tackling gun violence are proving effective, but our work is never finished – we will continue investing, innovating and partnering with law enforcement to make New York a safer place for everyone.”

    The 28 percent decline reflects 417 shooting incidents with injury from January 1 through August 31, 2024, compared to 578 incidents from January 1 through August 31, 2023.

    New York State’s GIVE initiative supports 28 police departments in 21 counties with the majority of the state’s population outside New York City.

    The following police departments reported particularly significant declines in shootings through August 2024 compared to the same seven-month period last year:

    • Nassau County: 40 percent decline
    • Rochester: 39 percent decline
    • Suffolk County: 39 percent decline
    • Syracuse: 26 percent decline
    • Utica: 47 percent decline
    • Yonkers: 56 percent decline

    August 2024 data for each of the 28 police departments participating in the GIVE initiative are available on the State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) website.

    In addition to the decreases in gun violence experienced in GIVE communities, the New York City Police Department reported 12 percent (602 vs. 682) decline in shootings in New York City through August 2024 compared to the same time last year.

    The FY25 Enacted Budget included $347 million secured by Governor Hochul to fund a comprehensive plan that addresses gun violence, reduces crime and recognizes the importance of a multifaceted approach improving public safety.

    New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “Governor Hochul recognizes that enforcement alone doesn’t make neighborhoods safer. Under her leadership, DCJS has received record-level funding for GIVE, our SNUG Street Outreach program, alternatives to incarceration programs, and re-entry services that allows our local partners to address not only the consequences of crime, but its causes. This significant investment in a collaborative, multifaceted approach to a complex issue is paying dividends and improving public safety in communities across the state.”

    State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “New Yorkers deserve to feel safe, that is why last year under my leadership, the New York Senate Democratic Majority invested $347 million to fund smart violence interventions that deliver meaningful results, such as the GIVE program. It is remarkable that the GIVE initiative has achieved a 28 percent reduction in gun shootings in participating localities statewide, with Yonkers leading the way with an impressive 56 percent decline. I want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her tireless and effective leadership with this program and other innovative initiatives to tackle gun violence. While this downward trend signifies meaningful progress in our efforts to improve public safety, we remain committed to investing in innovative approaches that reduce gun violence and create safer communities.”

    Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “Today’s announcement shows that our investment in gun violence prevention is working to make New York safer. I am incredibly proud that our efforts have led to such a significant reduction in shootings, but the Assembly Majority remains committed to working with our state partners to make our communities even safer. My colleagues and I know that we can build a future where no New Yorker has to live in fear of gun violence devastating their community and are willing to put the needed resources and investment toward accomplishing this future.”

    Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said, “The 28% decline in shootings across New York is a testament to the power of coordinated action and strategic investment. Governor Hochul’s commitment to public safety has brought critical resources to our communities, empowering law enforcement and grassroots organizations to tackle gun violence head-on. With $350 million invested in proven solutions like the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, we’re seeing real results in making our neighborhoods safer. This progress is a step forward in ensuring that every New Yorker, whether in Yonkers, Rochester, or right here in the Bronx, can feel secure in their community.”

    State Senator Jamaal Bailey said, “Gun violence has deeply affected many in our community, so I am overjoyed to see a significant decline in shootings, with reductions of up to 56% in some areas. This progress shows that focused investments in reducing gun violence are making a real impact. By supporting evidence-based strategies like the GIVE initiative, community outreach through SNUG, and models such as Project RISE, we are not only saving lives but also restoring safety and trust in our neighborhoods. This achievement demonstrates the power of a comprehensive approach, combining law enforcement with community-driven efforts to address gun violence at its core. I also want to thank Governor Hochul and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for the FY25 Enacted Budget, which allocated $347 million to help achieve these results.”

    The Governor’s investments include nationally recognized initiatives administered by DCJS, which provides funding, training and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations in communities hardest hit by gun violence and violent crime:

    • Nearly $36 million for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. Through GIVE, DCJS helps 28 police departments in 21 counties implement evidence-based strategies that have proven to be successful at reducing gun violence, including Problem-Oriented Policing, Hot-Spots Policing, Focused Deterrence/Group Violence Intervention, Street Outreach, and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design. These strategies focus on the few people and places that are responsible for most of the violence and engage the broader community to build trust. GIVE also funds district attorneys’ offices, probation departments, and sheriffs’ offices in those counties.
    • $21 million for the SNUG Street Outreach program, which uses a public health approach to address gun violence by identifying the source, interrupting transmission, and treating individuals, families and communities affected by violence. Community-based organizations and hospitals operate the program in 14 communities and employ nearly 200 outreach workers, social workers and case managers. Outreach workers are credible messengers who have lost loved ones to violence or have prior justice system involvement. They respond to shootings to prevent retaliation, detect conflicts and resolve them peacefully before they lead to additional violence. Social workers and case managers work with individuals affected by community violence, including friends and family. DCJS also supports New York City’s violence interruption efforts, providing $5 million for its Crisis Management System (CMS) so it can bring those programs to scale.
    • $18 million for the state’s unique network of Crime Analysis Centers, which analyze, compile and distribute information, intelligence and data to local law enforcement agencies statewide. No other state has anything similar and the centers – operated in partnership with local law enforcement agencies in 10 counties and New York City – are hubs of state and local efforts to deter, investigate, and solve crimes. Last year alone, staff handled more than 90,000 requests for assistance, helping agencies solve everything from retail theft to murders.
    • Up to $20 million for Project RISE, a unique funding model that convenes community stakeholders to respond to gun violence, invest in solutions, sustain positive programming and empower communities. In its first year, the initiative supported 99 organizations, including 74 small, grassroots programs, many of which had never received state support for their work. Programs and services funded by RISE include academic support, employment services, mentoring and delinquency/violence prevention.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: New Jersey Announces ‘Fund My Future’ Grant Opportunity to Support New Jerseyans Seeking Job Training and Career Advancement

    Source: US State of New Jersey

    TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) today announced the release of a Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO) to provide funds to organizations that can offer career coaching and services to New Jerseyans aspiring to reach their career goals.

    The grant funding is part of “Fund My Future” (FMF), a transformative pilot program that helps qualified New Jersey residents achieve life-changing career goals by providing financial assistance for upskilling and education. Selected organizations will work with program participants to develop Individual Employment Plans (IEPs) tailored to specific career development needs. Participants will be partnered with a professional career counselor who can help navigate the evolving job market.

    “This grant creates valuable opportunities for underserved New Jersey residents,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “It will ensure that our residents can overcome barriers to meaningful employment and help make New Jersey’s economy fairer for everyone.”

    Grant applicants can include non-profit and for-profit entities, government agencies, or higher education institutions. Grantees must work with residents whose household incomes are below ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) guidelines. Awarded grantees will receive funding contingent upon meeting the grant’s performance metrics and expenditures.

    “Fund My Future allows us to help New Jersey workers who are struggling to stay competitive develop marketable skills today that will grow into their careers of tomorrow,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “This initiative will serve as a launch pad for individuals who want to take the leap to redefine themselves in the workforce to change the trajectory of their profession and lives.”

    FMF is designed to facilitate financial support to participants by having grantees pay service providers directly. Participants may use FMF funds for job training, supportive services and other expenses that assist in the search for meaningful employment.

    The Fund My Future program stemmed from Governor Murphy’s Future of Work Task Force recommendations. The program was built on the idea of empowering participants to drive their own career development by helping them secure the supportive services they need to find training and a pathway to sustainable employment.

    For more information about Fund My Future and application details, please visit the NJDOL grant opportunities page or email OTWS@dol.nj.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Box Elder Man Admits Assaulting Woman with Knife on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

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

    GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man on Monday admitted to assaulting a woman by cutting her face with a knife during an argument on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

    The defendant, Colten Tyrone Small, also known as Colton Swan, 24, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Small faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on each charge.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Jan. 29, 2025. Small was detained pending further proceedings.

    In court documents, the government alleged that in the early morning hours of May 3, 2023, Small punched the victim, identified as Jane Doe, in the face while he held a butcher knife in a residence in Box Elder, on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. A witness to the assault told law enforcement that Small sliced Doe’s face in the residence. Small and Doe argued, and the fight got more aggressive. After Small cut Doe’s face, the witness beat up Small. There was some fentanyl and alcohol use occurring at the time. Doe was treated for facial injuries from the knife at Northern Montana Hospital.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Law Enforcement investigated the case.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Geography of Childhood in China: The Daily Reality of Rural Migrant Children

    MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –

    Source: Universities – Science Po in French

    The page you requested does not exist or no longer exists.

    To continue your search:

    Return to the home page ; or click the “Back” button on your browser.

    You can report the broken link by writing to webmaster@sciencespo.fr.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Over 100 Defendants Federally Charged With Fraud Related To The COVID-19 Pandemic

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the results achieved by the Middle District of Florida’s efforts to combat fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO-MDFL) has federally charged 109 individuals with fraud schemes designed to exploit state and federal programs implemented to alleviate the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts include complementary actions by the USAO-MDFL’s Criminal, Civil, Asset Recovery, Appellate Divisions, in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

    “The Middle District of Florida United States Attorney’s Office, in cooperation with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, is committed to holding accountable those people who schemed to steal or otherwise obtain through misconduct benefits intended for Americans coping with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg.

    With respect to criminal enforcement, the USAO-MDFL and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies combined resources in March 2020 to form the Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force with the purpose of identifying, investigating, and federally prosecuting fraud related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the Task Force has prosecuted 109 defendants for fraud schemes designed to exploit federal programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”), Unemployment Insurance (“UI”), the Main Street Lending Program (“MSLP”), the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (“ERAP”), as well as government Healthcare programs such as Medicare. Collectively, these defendants sought to defraud the United States of over $96 million. Of the 109 charged defendants, 74 have already been found guilty while prosecution remains pending against 35 defendants.

    The Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force continues to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals that took advantage of COVID-19 programs. On September 20, 2024, for example, a federal grand jury convicted Angela Chew (60, Leesburg) of conspiracy to bribe a public official and commit wire fraud, three counts of bribery of a public official, and six counts of wire fraud. Chew faces up to 5 years in federal prison on the conspiracy count, up to 15 years in federal prison on each of the bribery counts, and up to 20 years in federal prison on each of the wire fraud counts. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 18, 2024.

    According to evidence presented at trial, Chew conspired with three others to submit applications for COVID-19 EIDLs containing false and fraudulent information in exchange for bribe payments. The evidence showed Chew used her position as a loan specialist for the Small Business Administration (SBA) to internally access those loan applications that she and a co-conspirator had submitted on behalf of others. Chew then took actions on the applications within the SBA’s internal processing system that moved the loans towards approval. For example, Chew submitted a loan on behalf of a co-conspirator’s business that she knew was not active or operating at the time she submitted the loan. The loan was flagged as a duplicate by the SBA’s internal system, which stopped the application from progressing toward approval and funding. Chew then entered the SBA’s loan processing system, accessed the loan application, reactivated it, and manipulated the loan’s status multiple times to progress the application toward approval and funding in the amount of $150,000. In exchange, Chew received thousands of dollars in bribe payments from two of her co-conspirators. The evidence showed that Chew caused the funding of at least six EIDL applications, for a total loss of over $800,000.

    In July 2024, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Jared Dean Eakes (33, Jacksonville) with five counts of wire fraud and three counts of bank fraud. According to the superseding indictment, Eakes participated in a scheme to defraud investors and fraudulently secured approximately $4,752,270 in PPP loans. Eakes caused the submission of four PPP loan applications—including applications for two of the entities involved in the scheme to defraud investors—which contained false and fraudulent supporting documentation and statements regarding the entities’ employees and payroll. Once Eakes obtained the PPP loans, he did not use the funds for qualifying expenses as required by the program. Instead, he used the funds to engage in options trading or withdrew the funds in cash.

    In addition to criminal prosecutions, the MDFL-USAO continues to investigate and pursue civil redress against individuals and entities who fraudulently obtained PPP funds. For example, in September 2024, Miles Partnership, LLC (“Miles”), a travel and tourism consulting company headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, agreed to a civil settlement of $2,281,950 to resolve allegations that Miles improperly obtained and received forgiveness for a second draw PPP loan. According to the information contained in the qui tam complaint, Miles was required to file a registration statement under FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) due to its work with various foreign tourism boards. The United States investigated these allegations with the cooperation of Miles. The civil settlement will conclude the lawsuit.

    Further, the USAO-MDFL’s Asset Recovery Division and federal seizing agencies have completed the forfeiture of more than $20 million of EIDL, UI, and PPP funds that were fraudulently obtained, depriving the fraudsters of their ill-gotten gains and recovering the proceeds for the victims. More than $18 million in additional pandemic fraud proceeds have been seized and are pending civil or criminal forfeiture.

    The U.S. Attorney General has established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    Through the PPP, the federal government authorized over $600 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. The EIDL program provides economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. The MSLP provided support to small and medium-sized businesses and their employees across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. UI programs provided unemployment benefits to eligible workers who became unemployed through no fault of their own.

    The criminal cases charged by the Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force have been investigated by the Small Business Administration—Office of Inspector General, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, the Department of Labor—Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation—Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, Federal Reserve Board—Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services—Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Agency for International Development, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the Winter Park Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys throughout the Middle District of Florida.       

    The Department of Justice needs the public’s assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting suspected fraudulent activity. To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (“NCDF”) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation.

    United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida

    COVID Fraud Criminal Cases

    Charged Cases

    Defendant(s) (Age)

    Charge(s)

    Max. Imprisonment

    Type of Fraud*

    Intended Loss Amount

    Tampa Division
    Devontaie Deravil

    Aggravated identity theft

    Maximum Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

    Access device fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

    		 UI $480k
    Jordan Ross

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Illegal monetary transactions

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

    		 EIDL/PPP $1.3M

    Marquett James

    Alyson Marquett

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 EIDL/PPP $96k
    Willie Murray Jr.

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Aggravated identity theft

    Maximum Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

    		 HCF $5M
    Charles Driver Jr.

    Conspiracy

    Maximum Prison Term: 5 years

    Access device fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 years

    		 UI $175k
    Eric Canonico

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Illegal monetary transactions

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

    		 PPP $2.3M
    Alexander Leszczynski

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Bank fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Illegal monetary transactions

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

    		 PPP $1.1M
    Capree Holmes

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 EIDL $159k
    Javarus Polite

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $20k
    Luis Morales

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $40k
    Rosson Hamilton

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $20k
    David Antonetti

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $40k
    Carlos Dones

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $14k
    Santos Cruz Rivera

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $16k
    Tevyan Hepburn

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $20k
    Jeanty Cherilus

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 EIDL/PPP $370k
    Gage Bowen

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $20k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Tiffany Fields, Greg Pizzo, Candace Rich, Jennifer Peresie, Michael Kenneth, Merrilyn Hoenemeyer, and Daniel Baeza

    Orlando Division

    Evan Edwards

    Joshua Edwards

    Conspiracy to commit bank fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

    Bank fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

    Visa fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 years

    False statements

    Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

    		 PPP $8M
    Emmet Bowens

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Illegal monetary transactions

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

    		 PPP $740k
    Latresia Wilson

    False statements

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 HCF $2.6M

    Shawn Simmerer

    Seth Downes

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 years

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 years

    False claim

    Maximum Prison Term: 5 years

    		 PPP $344k
    Daniel Bohorquez

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 years

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 years

    		 EIDL $546k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSAs Kara Wick, Amanda Daniels, and DOJ Trial Attorney Keith Clouser

    Fort Myers Division
    Venera Price

    Mail fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 ERAP $82k
    Timothy Jolloff

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Money laundering

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Illegal monetary transactions

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

    		 PPP/EIDL $2.1M
    Lisa Jolloff

    Money laundering

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Illegal monetary transactions

    Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

    		 PPP/EIDL $2.1M
    Diop McKenzie

    Bank fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Aggravated identity theft

    Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

    		 EIDL/PPP $237k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSA Yolande Viacava and Trent Reichling

    Jacksonville Division
    Jared Eakes

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    Bank fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

    		 PPP $4.7M

    Natasha Hemming

    Tiffany Gonsalves

    Joshua Seedhaire

    Conspiracy

    Access device fraud

    Aggravated identity theft

    Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

    		 UI $5.6M
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Jacksonville Division are being handled by AUSAs David Mesrobian and John Cannizzaro

    Ocala Division

    Lisa Starkes

    Ivan Starkes

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $80k
    This COVID Fraud case from the Ocala Division is being handled by AUSA Hannah Nowalk

    Adjudicated Cases

    Tampa Division
    Demarius Wilson

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $18k
    This COVID Fraud case from the Tampa Division is being handled by AUSA Michael Kenneth

    Orlando Division
    Robert Burns

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $57k

    William Barrientos

    Grisoris Barrientos

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 EIDL $693k
    Angela Chew

    Conspiracy

    Maximum Prison Term: 5 Years

    Bribery of a public official

    Maximum Prison Term: 15 Years

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 EIDL $732k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by Amanda Daniels, Diane Hu, and Richard Varadan

    Jacksonville Division
    James Wigg

    Wire Fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 years

    		 PPP $476k
    Crystal Harvell

    Wire Fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 years

    		 PPP $20k

    These COVID Fraud cases from the Jacksonville Division are being handled by AUSA, Kevin Frein

    and Tysen Duva

    Ocala Division
    Passion Jackson

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $20k
    Nicole Harding

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 PPP $20k
    Henry Wade

    Wire fraud

    Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

    		 EIDL $500k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Ocala Division are being handled by AUSA Hannah Nowalk

    Sentenced Cases

    Tampa Division
    Louis Thornton, III

    Wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 42 months in federal prison

    		 EIDL/PPP $815k

    Kary Stevenson

    Corey Quinn

    Conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years, 10 months in federal prison (Stevenson)

    Sentence Imposed:7 years in federal prison (Quinn)

    		 UI $1M
    Bridgitte Keim

    Bank fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 2 years in federal prison

    		 PPP $588k
    Wayne Ganaway

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 4 years in federal prison

    		 EIDL $300k
    Rolanda Wingfield

    Access device fraud, aggravated identity theft

    Sentenced Imposed: 3 years in federal prison

    		 UI $135k
    Eriaius Bentley

    Racketeering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud

    Sentence Imposed: One year in federal prison

    		 UI $3M
    Tywon Spann

    Racketeering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 6 years and 9 months in federal prison

    		 UI $3M
    Keaujay Hornsby

    Racketeering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 10 years and 10 months in federal prison

    		 UI $3M
    Kareem Spann

    Racketeering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 10 years and 10 months in federal prison

    		 UI $3M
    Randy Jones

    Wire fraud, aggravated identity theft

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years and 1 month in federal prison

    		 EIDL/UI $250k
    Julio Lugo

    Conspiracy to commit money laundering

    Sentence Imposed: 7 years and 6 months in federal prison

    		 EIDL/PPP $4.4M
    Keith Nicoletta

    Conspiracy to commit money laundering

    Sentence Imposed: 24 months in federal prison

    		 PPP $1.9M
    Rosenide Venant

    Conspiracy to commit money laundering

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years in federal prison

    		 EIDL/PPP $413k
    Melinda Hernandez

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud,

    wire fraud and aggravated identity theft

    Sentence imposed: Three years and six months in federal prison

    		 UI $1.5M
    Bri’antina Mills

    Wire fraud and theft of government funds

    Sentence imposed: 15 months in federal prison

    		 EIDL $10K
    Jorge Gutierrez Echeverria

    Wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: Two years and six months in federal prison

    		 EIDL $150k
    Omar Esquivel Bello

    Wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: 15 months in federal prison

    		 EIDL $242k

    Steve Moodie 

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft

    Sentence imposed: 5 years and 10 months in federal prison

    		 UI $1.5M
    Richard Simpkins

    Conspiracy to commit money laundering

    Sentence imposed: 5 years and 10 months in federal prison

    		 PPP $1.9M
    Devaris McClain

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, access device fraud

    Sentence imposed: 5 years and 1 month in federal prison

    		 UI $85k
    Jalissa McDuffy

    Wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: 3 years supervised release with 6 months home detention

    		 PPP $41k
    Kieanna Garrett

    Wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: 60 days’ imprisonment

    		 EIDL $40k
    Marqus Willard Johnson

    Bank fraud

    Money laundering

    Sentence imposed: 18 months’ imprisonment followed by 60 moths supervised release

    		 PPP $500k
    Mehdi Tazi

    Conspiracy, Aggravated identity theft

    Sentenced imposed: 5 years imprisonment  followed by4 years supervised release

    		 UI $1.5M
    Tyree Wingfield

    Conspiracy, Aggravated identity theft

    Sentenced imposed: 5 years and 10 months imprisonment  followed by4 years supervised release

    		 UI $1.5M
    Dawn Ogundele

    Theft of government funds

    Sentence imposed: 2 years’ probation

    		 PPP $20k
    Alexander Alli

    Wire fraud conspiracy

    Sentence imposed: 13 months’ imprisonment

    		 EIDL $80k
    Charles Cunningham  

    Bank fraud

    Sentence imposed: 21 months’ imprisonment

    		 PPP $800k
    Jailyn Holmes

    Wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: 5 years’ probation

    		 PPP $20k
    Nicole Bramble-King

    Wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: 5 years’ probation

    		 PPP $40k
    Tommy Louisville

    Wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: 12 months’ imprisonment

    		 PPP $33k
    Joseph Abdo

    Wire fraud

    Illegal monetary transactions

    Sentence imposed: 5 years’ probation

    		 PPP $500k
    Barrett Purvis

    Wire fraud

    Money laundering

    Sentence imposed: 2 years and 9 months in federal prison

    		 EIDL $499k
    Bergeline Lexis

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Sentence imposed: 10 months in federal prison

    		 EIDL/PPP $68k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division were handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Greg Pizzo, Tiffany Fields, Diego Novaes, Jennifer Peresie, Merrilyn Hoenemeyer, Jay Trezevant, SAUSA Chris Poor, and DOJ Trial Attorney John Scanlon

    Orlando Division
    Daniel Johnson

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, unlawful transfer of firearm

    Sentence Imposed: 7 years, 6 months in federal prison

    		 UI $2.3M
    Jacquavius Smith

    Possession of short-barreled rifle; felon in possession of firearm; and aggravated identity theft

    Sentence Imposed: 7 years, 1 month in federal prison

    		 PPP $10k
    Johnson Eustache

    Wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years in federal prison

    		 EIDL/PPP $2.2M
    Joseph Harrison

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 12 months in federal prison

    		 UI $2.1M
    Tomas Ziupsnys

    Conspiracy to commit bank fraud; bank fraud; aggravated identity theft

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years in federal prison

    		 PPP $2M
    Holly Urban

    Conspiracy to commit bank fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 30 months in federal prison

    		 PPP $1.5M
    Joel Greenberg

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other offenses while on pretrial release

    Sentence Imposed: 11 years in federal prison

    		 EIDL $430k

    Don Cisternino 

    Wire fraud, illegal monetary transactions, and aggravated identity theft

    Sentence Imposed: 8 years and 6 months in federal prison

    		 PPP $7.2M
    Keith Ingersoll          

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft

    Sentence imposed: 9 years, 1 month in federal prison.   

    		 EIDL $66k
    Jaheim Davis

    Access device fraud and aggravated identity theft

    Sentence imposed: 3 years, 6 months in federal prison.   

    		 UI $219k
    Teresa McIntyre

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other offenses

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years’ probation

    		 EIDL $730k
    Brian Blake

    Possession of device-making equipment, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft

    Sentence Imposed: 9 years and 8 months in federal prison

    		 PPP/UI $832k
    Joseph Faubert

    Bank fraud

    Sentenced Imposed: 5 years probation

    		 PPP $778k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division were handled by AUSAs John Gardella, Amanda Daniels, Chauncey Bratt, Emily Chang, Shannon Laurie, and Jennifer Harrington, and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg

    Jacksonville Division
    Jacob Byrd

    Wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years’ probation

    		 PPP $10k
    Deconna Burke

    Wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 5 years’ probation

    		 PPP $20k
    Desmond Williams

    Wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud

    Sentenced Imposed: 5 years’ probation

    		 PPP $40k
    Kenneth Landers

    Wire fraud and illegal monetary transaction

    Sentence Imposed: 1 year in federal prison followed by 1 year of supervised release

    		 PPP $1.4M
    Christopher Daragjati

    Wire fraud , Theft of government funds, and Aggravated identity theft

    Sentenced imposed: 5 years’cisternino imprisonment followed by 3 years’ supervised release.

    		 PPP $150k
    This COVID Fraud case from the Jacksonville Division was handled by AUSA Kevin Frein and Michael Coolican

    Fort Myers Division
    Casey Crowther

    Bank fraud, false statement to a financial institution, illegal monetary transaction

    Sentence Imposed: 3 years, 1 month in federal prison

    		 PPP $2.7M

    Anthony Bruey

    Amber Bruey

    Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, illegal monetary transactions

    Sentence Imposed:

    Anthony Bruey: 4 years, 3 months in federal prison

    Amber Bruey: 4 years in federal prison

    		 PPP/EIDL $881k
    Edrica Leann Watson

    False statement to a lending institution

    Sentence Imposed: 15 months in federal prison

    		 PPP $392k
    Daniel Joseph Tisone

    Wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person

    Sentence Imposed: 7 years in federal prison

    		 PPP/EIDL/MSLP $10.7M
    Liliana Gonzalez

    Wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed:   5 years of probation with 18 months of home confinement

    		 PPP $169k
    Al Clint LaRoche

    Bank fraud

    Sentence Imposed: Two years in federal prison

    		 PPP $1M
    Denis Casseus

    Bank fraud and illegal monetary transaction

    Sentence Imposed: 2 years in federal prison followed by 3 years’ supervised release

    		 PPP $298k
    Evan Graves

    Wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: 18 months in federal prison

    		 EIDL $1.3M
    Ismaelle Manuel

    Bank fraud

    Sentence Imposed: Credit for time served followed by 5 years supervised release

    		 PPP $280k
    These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division were handled by AUSAs Trent Reichling, Michael Leeman, Jesus M. Casa, Simon Eth, and Yolande Viacava

    Ocala Division
    Lavelle Harris

    Wire fraud

    Sentence Imposed: Two years and three months in federal prison

    		 PPP $1.2M
    This COVID Fraud case from the Ocala Division was handled by AUSA Hannah Nowalk

    Types of Fraud*

    Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)

    Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

    Unemployment Insurance (UI)

    Main Street Lending Program (MSLP)

    Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)

    Health Care Fraud (HCF)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Brings Innovative Tech with the Opening of a New Store at Cresta Mall

    Source: Samsung

    Samsung Electronics South Africa is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its new brand store at Cresta Mall in Johannesburg on Thursday, 12 September 2024. This new store will offer an immersive shopping experience for local shoppers, showcasing the latest in Samsung’s cutting-edge technology and innovation.
     

     
    The new store will feature a comprehensive range of Samsung products, including the newest smartphones, tablets, wearables, home appliances, aircons, TVs and monitors. With a modern and engaging design, the store aims to provide customers with an interactive and hands-on experience with Samsung’s advanced technology.
     
    The new store is set to bring the full customer journey with the extensive range of Samsung product offerings. From audio-visual, cooking, and cleaning to other home appliances, customers will be able to get their hands on all the new technology the company has to offer. The recently launched Bespoke AI home appliances including fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, and microwave ovens will be available to help customers do less and live more as they elevate the way they stay entertained and do ordinary household chores, among other
     

     
    Home entertainment will transform to bring consumers the ultimate viewing experience thanks to an array of ground-breaking AI televisions such as the Neo QLED 8K, OLED, The Serif, and The Frame, as well as gaming monitors like the highly impressive Odyssey.
     
    Customers looking to upgrade their mobile experience will have to look no further as the store will bring the latest smartphones from the accessible Galaxy A series to the AI-powered flagships, the Galaxy S24 series and Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 foldables. As the best that Galaxy has to offer, these devices take productivity, creativity, and entertainment to a whole new level with their most advanced AI features.
     

     
    With Spring ushering in the warm and hot temperatures, customers need not worry as they can visit the store to get their hands on the new WindFreeTM air-conditioner range to make their homes cool and comfortable.
     
    The store’s operating hours are 09h00 – 19h00 Monday to Saturday, and 09h00 – 17h00 on Sundays and public holidays. With its friendly and highly-trained staff always ready and willing to assist customers with their insights on the latest Samsung innovations and great deals, the new Samsung store at Cresta Mall is expected to be a hive of activity.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Verizon is ready to keep customers connected ahead of Hurricane Helene

    Source: Verizon

    Headline: Verizon is ready to keep customers connected ahead of Hurricane Helene

    ALPHARETTA, GA – As potential Hurricane Helene approaches the Florida coast, Verizon remains committed to keeping communities and first responders connected. Verizon’s Response Team has prepared year-round to respond to extreme weather situations, like hurricanes, by taking part in emergency drills, fortifying the network infrastructure, and ensuring resources are mobilized for rapid response.

    “Verizon is committed to keeping communities connected. From consumers, to businesses, to first responders, Verizon offers the dependable service they need to face Hurricane Helene and the days to come,” said Atlantic South Market President, Leigh Anne Lanier. “Our dedicated team is working around the clock to ensure our customers stay informed, stay in touch with loved ones, and access critical services when they need them most.”

    Verizon’s networks are primed

    Verizon’s networks are primed to maintain connectivity even in the face of extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes. With redundancy built into critical paths and components, Verizon’s network is engineered to withstand severe weather. Verizon engineers have prepared by conducting thorough checks, as well as ensuring backup systems, like batteries and generators, are operational and refueled.

    In preparation for potential network recovery operations, Verizon has bolstered its arsenal with:

    • A fleet of over 550 portable network assets, including generator-powered cell sites, drones, and a fixed-wing aircraft for aerial support.
    • An industry-leading nearly 300 satellite-based portable network assets, providing crucial connectivity in scenarios where fiber connections are compromised.
    • More than 1,000 mobile generators to assist communities in maintaining or restoring connectivity, and rapid recovery efforts.

    Verizon Frontline stands at the ready, prepared to assist first responders in any capacity needed

    The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team stands ready to help ensure that public safety agencies on the front line of any potential disaster have the mission-critical communications capabilities needed to achieve their missions. This team, composed primarily of former first responders and military personnel, is solely dedicated to supporting public safety customers during emergencies at no cost to the supported agencies.

    In the first nine months of 2024, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team has responded to more than 1,000 requests for mission-critical communications support from more than 500 different agencies in 46 states.

    Being prepared is essential to support local businesses and communities

    Recognizing the critical role of connectivity in business continuity, Verizon Business provides a suite of solutions tailored for seamless operations during emergencies. Businesses and government organizations need the right game plan. Suggested actions include:

    • Mitigate customer disruption: Think about what you need to ensure continuous service to your customers, and what software and equipment your business needs to continue operations. Make a detailed list, including service contracts and warranty information, and all pertinent phone numbers for local authorities, utility companies, suppliers, and vendors.
    • The right tech makes an impact: Ensure you have the right technology to support your business connectivity needs assuming you might need to move away from your primary location.
    • Contacts and documents are key: Make sure you have contact information updated and readily available for all employees, including at-home information for remote workers and branch information for satellite offices.
    • Test, test, and test again: Stress-test primary and backup networks and shore up any weak areas.
    • Keep track of equipment: Ensure employees working from home have documented all corporate equipment being used to work from home in case of damage or loss.
    • Have a backup plan: Ensure backup plans are in place to shift work in case work-from-home employees in a storm-impacted area have to evacuate their homes or their home loses commercial power.

    Are you hurricane ready?

    Verizon’s team works year-round to ensure customers remain connected to their loved ones and the activities that provide comfort during a disaster. As residents prepare to stay connected and entertained, consider these tips:

    • Stock Up on power supplies like batteries for flashlights and radios or device chargers. Take it a step further by charging your devices that can act as chargers for other devices like laptops and party box speakers. Don’t forget to ensure you have the cables!
    • Download Movies, Books, Apps and Games or gather board games, card games and puzzles to go device-free.
    • Locate materials for hobbies like knitting or drawing, and get creative.
    • Plan activities like cooking easy-to-make meals and even no-bake treats. Keep a few non-perishable ingredients, a manual can opener and other kitchen tools on hand.
    • Grab some candles, blankets, pillows or anything that makes your space cozy.
    • Read up on the American Red Cross’ hurricane preparedness tips.

    **Editor’s Note: To access images and b-roll of past storms, Verizon equipment, recovery efforts and more, please visit Verizon’s Emergency Resource Hub at https://www.verizon.com/about/news/emergency-resource-center

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Gangs’stories: Danny’s tales of machismo in Glasgow

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Alistair Fraser, Professor of Criminology, University of Glasgow

    Glasgow – 1973, Queen Street Rail Station. Helmutt Zozmann, CC BY-NC-ND

    For the past five years, the GANGS project, a European Research Council-funded project led by Dennis Rodgers, has been studying global gang dynamics in a comparative perspective. When understood in a nuanced manner that goes beyond the usual stereotypes and Manichean representations, gangs and gangsters arguably constitute fundamental lenses through which to think about and understand the world we live in.

    _Alistair Fraser and Angela Bartie present the story of Danny, who was a Glaswegian gang member in his youth. Drawing on interviews carried out when he was 18, 59, and 70 years old, they trace his changing self-reflection about his past experiences which mirror the broader transformation of the city from a violence urban space in the 1960s to a thriving “people’s city” in 2024.

    _

    As Danny left the room, that autumn of 2022, our eyes locked together in shock. For the last three hours, this spry seventy-year-old had held us rapt. Tanned, lean, and composed in his smart coat and cap, he was someone you’d have happily bought a used car from. But in the room he had been regaling us with tales of his teenage years running with the ‘Drummy’, a street gang notorious in Glasgow’s history. How had he got from there to here?

    Danny grew up in Easterhouse, a 1950s housing scheme on the periphery of the city that quickly attracted negative publicity. Tens of thousands were rehoused from crumbling tenements in the city centre. They were sold a bright new vision of progress but found themselves deserted on the edge of town, with only fields for company. Without shops, jobs, or facilities, young people made their own entertainment, forming themselves into gangs and fighting for kicks. Membership was decided simply by which street you happened to live on, a kind of natural selection where geography would land you on one side or the other. Unlike gangs in other cities, in Glasgow it was not about control of drug markets but a more primal law of the jungle, fighting for kicks and respect.

    The violence of the Easterhouse gangs was legendary. As Danny recalled:

    “It was just out and out tribal, that’s all it was, you know. And it was a day-to-day routine… some of the things you did were ludicrous. I mean, we used to run, we had football pitches, and you would run into the football pitches, maybe 50, 60 of yous, in pitch black. You would charge each other. Now, the British Army wouldn’t do that, in pitch black, run into it, not knowing what’s there. And you ran at each other, not knowing if the guy’s got a sword, a knife, a hatchet, anything.”

    The issue didn’t stay local for long. Warfare involving Easterhouse gangs attracted national media attention, drew concerned responses from politicians, and even garnered a celebrity visit from popular entertainer Frankie Vaughan who asked the gangs to put down their knives.

    Years before series such as the Peaky Blinders, the movie Small Faces (1996) would highlight gang violence in industrial towns such as Glasgow.

    The violence also attracted the attention of radical criminologists. Gail Wilson and Mary Wilson were part of a loose association of “Anarchists, CND, young Communists and international Socialists” (Cohen 1974: 27) who were trying to rewire academic approaches to youth culture. Rather than looking at the rule-breakers, these upstarts were looking at the rule makers and asking why some groups were criminalised more than others. Gail and Mary spent years working alongside gang youth in Easterhouse, studying their daily lives and comparing this with media narratives. They applied a theory called “social constructionism”, which tries to untangle stereotypes and reality.

    Meeting Danny

    We first met Gail and Mary back in 2010, after our studies of 1960s gangs had led us to their doorsteps. During our first meeting, Gail climbed a ladder to a storage hatch and retrieved a dusty box. Our eyes widened as we saw what lay inside. Notes, news clippings, sketches, essays and – incredibly – eighteen hand-written transcripts of interviews with members of the “Drummy” gang from 1969.

    We set about trying to trace these boys, who would now be in their fifties. We wondered how their lives had gone, where they’d ended up, and what lessons they would want to tell the current generation. We weren’t always successful. Some had died, others relocated. One got in touch to say he didn’t want to talk about that period in his life. Danny was one that said yes.

    Glasgow Gangs, 1968.

    Danny’s story, in a way, was the story of Glasgow. After his teenage gang years, Danny surfed Glasgow’s wave of industrialisation into a career in sales. He worked hard and moved out of the estate, initially to an area a few miles west of Easterhouse. His manager saw his potential, and Danny reflected that his street skills had prepared him for organisational roles and promotion.

    When we first spoke in 2011, he had been bullish in his talk of days gone by. His eyes glinted at the retelling of tales of violence, like a cowboy in a Western saloon. He revelled in one about his strict father taking him to the pub for his 18th birthday, where they had been challenged to a fight by a man and his dog. “Needless to say”, he told us with a grin, “we leathered them.”

    It sealed a bond between father and son. As he told us, “I kind of walked up the road as proud as punch, me and my dad”. We interpreted this as a link between past and present – the gang was a hand-me-down masculinity, like the legend of the Glasgow hardman swaggering through the pages of history.

    Ten years later, however, he told the story differently. As we sat squeezed around a table too big for the room, the air was thick with regret not bravado. His father had recently passed away, and this former hardman was suddenly vulnerable. As he recalled in 2022 of the altercation:

    “That’s the first time I probably ever bonded, truly, with my dad, if you know what I mean, in all the years… on my 18th birthday, I’ll never forget it.”

    The macho image started to fracture

    The macho image that we had of Danny, and of the Glasgow hardman, started to fracture. Ever since, we have been re-evaluating what we thought we knew about Danny’s life – and gang lives in general – and our own part in retelling his story. The oral historian Lynn Abrams says:

    “The story that a person tells is just one of many that are possible. The script is not deterministic. Its shape, form and content is determined by the need for the narrator to construct a memory story with which he or she can feel comfortable at that moment. And a comfortable telling is often one in which the story told coheres with larger cultural understandings.”

    Danny’s perspectives on his youthful gang experiences have altered not just in response to his own changing life circumstances, but also to how the culture of Glasgow has transformed in the fifty years since he was involved in the Drummy.

    Today, Glasgow is hailed as a city that has beaten the gangs, with talk of a Glasgow miracle of violence reduction.

    As he swaggered out the door, every inch the successful businessman, a stillness descended on the room. Danny was as far from the stereotype of a gang member as you could possibly imagine. He is your grandfather, your neighbour, your friend.

    Meeting Danny reminded us that stories matter, but like a city they can change – and paying attention to when and why these stories change can often reveal more than the stories themselves.

    Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.

    – ref. Gangs’stories: Danny’s tales of machismo in Glasgow – https://theconversation.com/gangsstories-dannys-tales-of-machismo-in-glasgow-224876

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cotton, McConnell to President Biden: Weapons Delays Cost Lives and Embolden Iran

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353September 25, 2024
    Cotton, McConnell to President Biden: Weapons Delays Cost Lives and Embolden Iran
    Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) today sent a letter to President Joe Biden condemning his continued delay in providing critical military equipment and weapons to our ally Israel as they face a multi-front war against Iranian-terrorist proxies. Further delays will continue to escalate conflict and embolden our shared enemies. 
    In part, the senators wrote:
    “Further delays will endanger Israeli lives, increase the likelihood that the conflict will escalate further, and harm American national security interests. It’s far past time to transfer to Israel the capabilities it needs to win.”
    Full text of the letter can be found here and below. 
         September 25, 2024
    President Joseph R. BidenThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 
    Dear President Biden: 
    We write to strongly condemn your administration’s continued delay in providing critical military equipment and weapons to our ally Israel in the midst of an existential war. Delays of equipment that Israel requires to win its multi-front war against Iranian-terrorist proxies, compounded by statements by Administration officials blaming Israel for escalation, undercut Israel’s efforts to restore deterrence by emboldening the Iranian-backed terrorists. 
    We have reason to believe your administration is currently delaying three critical types of military weapons or equipment. 
    MK-84 bombs: Israel requires these bombs to hit Hamas’s deeply buried tunnels and other military infrastructure in Gaza. Hezbollah also has significant military infrastructure that Israel must destroy. 
    Apache attack helicopters: Despite ongoing discussions between the United States and Israel, your administration has failed to fast-track and approve the sale of Apache attack helicopters. Israel requested these helicopters last December, recognizing the increased need given the war in Gaza. That need has only increased with Hezbollah’s escalation in the north. 
    Caterpillar D9 tractors: We recently learned you are holding up tractors that the IDF uses to clear improvised explosive devices (IEDs) ahead of its troops. Israel puts armor on these tractors and uses them to save the lives of scores of Israel Defense force (IDF) soldiers and civilians. 
    Further delays will endanger Israeli lives, increase the likelihood that the conflict will escalate further, and harm American national security interests. It’s far past time to transfer to Israel the capabilities it needs to win. 
    Sincerely,
    Tom Cotton 
    United States Senator
    Mitch McConnell 
    United States Senator 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council – on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Leadership for Peace [bilingual, as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-French]

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    r. President, Excellencies,

    I thank the government of Slovenia for convening this high-level debate on Leadership for Peace. 

    The topic is rooted in a fundamental truth: Peace is never automatic.

    Peace demands action.

    And peace demands leadership.

    Instead, we’re seeing deepening geo-political divisions and mistrust.

    Impunity is spreading, with repeated violations of international law and the UN Charter.

    Conflicts are multiplying, becoming more complex and deadlier.

    All regions are affected.

    And civilians are paying the steepest price.

    From Gaza to Ukraine to Sudan and beyond — wars grind on, suffering grows, hunger deepens, lives are upended, and the legitimacy and effectiveness of the United Nations, and this Council, are undermined. 

    Mr. President, Excellencies,
    Leadership for peace requires action in at least two key areas.

    First — leadership for peace means all Member States living up to their commitments in the UN Charter, in international law and in recent agreements such as the Pact for the Future.

    Among other things, the Pact calls for strengthening tools and frameworks to prevent conflict, sustain peace and advance sustainable development, with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.

    It calls for updating our tools for peace operations to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging and future challenges.
    It reinforces the commitment to all human rights — civil, political, economic, social and cultural.

    It includes initiatives around disarmament, peacebuilding, and managing threats posed by lethal autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence and in new domains, including outer space and cyberspace. 

    It calls for measures to quickly address complex global shocks.

    And it contains a new push to reform key institutions of global governance, including the global financial architecture and this very Council.

    The Pact is a down-payment on these reforms.

    But we will need strong political will to implement them, and rebuild the legitimacy and effectiveness of this Council.

    Which brings me to my second point about leadership for peace.  

    Leadership for peace means ensuring that the UN Security Council acts in a meaningful way to ease global tensions and help address the conflicts that are inflicting so much suffering around the world.

    Geopolitical divisions continue to block effective solutions.

    A united Council can make a tremendous difference for peace.

    A divided Council cannot.

    It is imperative that Council Members spare no effort to work together to find common ground.

    And it has proven capable of doing so in some key areas.

    From currently overseeing 11 peacekeeping operations on three continents, involving nearly 70,000 uniformed peacekeeping personnel…

    To resolutions that help keep vital humanitarian aid flowing to the world’s hotspots…

    To the landmark Resolution 2719, which provides for African-Union led peace support operations authorized by the Council to have access to UN assessed contributions…

    To the groundbreaking Resolutions that recognized the clear implications of peace and security challenges on the lives of women and youth…

    To this Council’s growing ties to regional and sub-regional organizations to foster consensus and peace.
    These examples — and more — prove that forging peace is possible.

    When we consider the most difficult and intractable conflicts on this Council’s agenda, peace can seem an impossible dream.

    But I strongly believe that peace is possible if we stick to principles. 

    Peace in Ukraine is possible.

    By following the UN Charter and abiding by international law. 

    Peace in Gaza is possible.

    By sparing no effort for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution.

    Peace in Sudan is possible.
    By sending a clear message to the warring parties that all Members of this Council — including the five permanent Members — will not tolerate the horrific violence and desperate humanitarian crisis being unleashed on innocent civilians.

    Monsieur le Président, Excellences,

    Les situations à l’ordre du jour de ce Conseil sont complexes et ne peuvent être résolues en un jour.

    Mais l’ampleur du défi ne doit pas nous décourager.

    Notre seul espoir d’avancer sur la voie de la paix réside dans une collaboration active et l’unité entre les membres du Conseil. 

    Aujourd’hui, j’appelle tous les États membres à se montrer à la hauteur de cette grande responsabilité – à la hauteur de la promesse de la Charte des Nations unies.

    Contribuez au succès de ce Conseil – et non à son affaiblissement.

    Faisons en sorte que le Conseil soit un forum efficace et représentatif pour la paix – aujourd’hui comme dans les années à venir.

    ****

    [all-English]

    Mr. President, Excellencies,

    I thank the government of Slovenia for convening this high-level debate on Leadership for Peace. 

    The topic is rooted in a fundamental truth: Peace is never automatic.

    Peace demands action.

    And peace demands leadership.

    Instead, we’re seeing deepening geo-political divisions and mistrust.

    Impunity is spreading, with repeated violations of international law and the UN Charter.

    Conflicts are multiplying, becoming more complex and deadlier.

    All regions are affected.

    And civilians are paying the steepest price.

    From Gaza to Ukraine to Sudan and beyond — wars grind on, suffering grows, hunger deepens, lives are upended, and the legitimacy and effectiveness of the United Nations, and this Council, are undermined. 

    Mr. President, Excellencies,
    Leadership for peace requires action in at least two key areas.

    First — leadership for peace means all Member States living up to their commitments in the UN Charter, in international law and in recent agreements such as the Pact for the Future.

    Among other things, the Pact calls for strengthening tools and frameworks to prevent conflict, sustain peace and advance sustainable development, with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.

    It calls for updating our tools for peace operations to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging and future challenges.

    It reinforces the commitment to all human rights — civil, political, economic, social and cultural.

    It includes initiatives around disarmament, peacebuilding, and managing threats posed by lethal autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence and in new domains, including outer space and cyberspace. 

    It calls for measures to quickly address complex global shocks.

    And it contains a new push to reform key institutions of global governance, including the global financial architecture and this very Council.

    The Pact is a down-payment on these reforms.

    But we will need strong political will to implement them, and rebuild the legitimacy and effectiveness of this Council.

    Which brings me to my second point about leadership for peace.  

    Leadership for peace means ensuring that the UN Security Council acts in a meaningful way to ease global tensions and help address the conflicts that are inflicting so much suffering around the world.

    Geopolitical divisions continue to block effective solutions.

    A united Council can make a tremendous difference for peace.

    A divided Council cannot.

    It is imperative that Council Members spare no effort to work together to find common ground.

    And it has proven capable of doing so in some key areas.

    From currently overseeing 11 peacekeeping operations on three continents, involving nearly 70,000 uniformed peacekeeping personnel…

    To resolutions that help keep vital humanitarian aid flowing to the world’s hotspots…

    To the landmark Resolution 2719, which provides for African-Union led peace support operations authorized by the Council to have access to UN assessed contributions…

    To the groundbreaking Resolutions that recognized the clear implications of peace and security challenges on the lives of women and youth…

    To this Council’s growing ties to regional and sub-regional organizations to foster consensus and peace.

    These examples — and more — prove that forging peace is possible.

    When we consider the most difficult and intractable conflicts on this Council’s agenda, peace can seem an impossible dream.

    But I strongly believe that peace is possible if we stick to principles. 

    Peace in Ukraine is possible.

    By following the UN Charter and abiding by international law. 

    Peace in Gaza is possible.

    By sparing no effort for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution.

    Peace in Sudan is possible.
    By sending a clear message to the warring parties that all Members of this Council — including the five permanent Members — will not tolerate the horrific violence and desperate humanitarian crisis being unleashed on innocent civilians.

    Mr. President, Excellencies,

    The situations on this Council’s agenda are complex and do not have quick fixes.

    But the scale of the challenge should not deter us.

    Our only hope for progress on peace is active collaboration and unity among Council Members. 

    Today, I call on all Members to live up to this great responsibility, and to the promise of the UN Charter.

    Contribute to this Council’s success — not its diminishment.

    Let’s ensure that this Council serves as an effective and representative forum for peace — today and in the years to come.

    *******

    [all-French]

    Monsieur le Président, Excellences,

    Je remercie le Gouvernement slovène d’avoir organisé ce débat de haut niveau sur le leadership pour la paix.

    Le sujet traité repose sur une vérité fondamentale : la paix n’est jamais automatique.

    Il n’y a pas de paix sans action.

    Et il n’y a pas de paix sans leadership.

    Pourtant, les divisions géopolitiques et la méfiance ne font qu’empirer.

    L’impunité gagne du terrain, et l’on assiste à des violations répétées du droit international et de la Charte des Nations Unies.

    Les conflits se multiplient ; ils deviennent plus complexes et plus meurtriers.

    Toutes les régions sont touchées.

    Et ce sont les civils qui paient le plus lourd tribut.

    De Gaza à l’Ukraine en passant par le Soudan – mais pas seulement – les guerres s’éternisent, la souffrance s’amplifie, la faim s’aggrave, des vies sont bouleversées et la légitimité et l’efficacité de l’ONU et de ce Conseil sont remises en cause.

    Monsieur le Président, Excellences,

    Le leadership pour la paix exige d’agir dans au moins deux grands domaines.

    Premièrement, le leadership pour la paix suppose que tous les États Membres respectent les engagements qu’ils ont pris dans le cadre de la Charte des Nations Unies, du droit international et des accords récents, tels que le Pacte pour l’avenir.

    Ainsi, le Pacte invite notamment à renforcer les outils et les cadres de prévention des conflits, de pérennisation de la paix et d’action au service du développement durable, avec la participation pleine, égale et véritable des femmes.

    Il demande que nous renouvelions les outils à notre disposition pour les opérations de paix, afin de trouver des réponses plus souples et mieux adaptées aux défis existants, émergents et à venir.

    Il réaffirme l’importance attachée à tous les droits humains : civils, politiques, économiques, sociaux et culturels.

    Il prévoit des initiatives dans les domaines du désarmement, de la consolidation de la paix et de la gestion des menaces que représentent les armes létales autonomes et l’intelligence artificielle, ainsi que dans de nouveaux domaines, notamment l’espace extra-atmosphérique et le cyberespace.

    Il préconise de prendre des mesures afin de pouvoir agir rapidement face aux chocs mondiaux complexes.

    Et il cherche à donner un nouvel élan à la réforme des principales institutions de la gouvernance mondiale, y compris l’architecture financière mondiale et même le Conseil de sécurité.

    Le Pacte constitue un engagement concret en faveur de ces réformes.

    Mais nous aurons besoin d’une volonté politique ferme pour les mettre en œuvre et rétablir la légitimité et l’efficacité de ce Conseil.

    Ce qui m’amène à mon deuxième point sur le leadership pour la paix.

    Le leadership pour la paix suppose de donner au Conseil de sécurité les moyens d’agir véritablement pour apaiser les tensions mondiales et contribuer à régler les conflits qui causent tant de souffrances dans le monde.

    Les divisions géopolitiques demeurent un obstacle à des solutions efficaces.

    Un Conseil uni peut jouer un rôle déterminant en faveur de la paix.

    Un Conseil divisé ne le peut pas.

    Il est impératif que les membres du Conseil se concertent sans ménager leurs efforts pour trouver un terrain d’entente.

    Le Conseil a prouvé qu’il était capable de parler d’une seule voix dans certains domaines importants.

    Il supervise actuellement 11 opérations de maintien de la paix sur trois continents, où sont déployés près de 70 000 Casques bleus…

    Il adopte des résolutions qui contribuent à l’acheminement ininterrompu d’une aide humanitaire vitale vers les points chauds de la planète…

    Il a adopté une résolution historique, la résolution 2719, qui permet aux opérations d’appui à la paix dirigées par l’Union africaine et autorisées par le Conseil d’avoir accès aux contributions des États Membres de l’ONU…

    Il a adopté des résolutions pionnières par lesquelles il a pris acte des incidences manifestes des problématiques de paix et de sécurité sur la vie des femmes et des jeunes…

    Et il ne cesse de nouer des relations avec les organisations régionales et sous-régionales pour favoriser le consensus et la paix.

    Tous ces exemples – et bien d’autres – prouvent qu’on peut instaurer la paix.

    À la vue des conflits les plus complexes et les plus insolubles dont ce Conseil est saisi, on peut penser que la paix est un rêve irréalisable.

    Mais je crois fermement que la paix est possible si nous nous en tenons aux principes.

    La paix en Ukraine est possible.

    En suivant la Charte des Nations Unies et en respectant le droit international.

    La paix dans la bande de Gaza est possible.

    En travaillant d’arrache-pied pour obtenir un cessez-le-feu immédiat, la libération immédiate de tous les otages et la mise en chantier d’un processus irréversible pour qu’une solution des deux États voie le jour.

    La paix au Soudan est possible.

    En envoyant un message clair aux parties belligérantes, à savoir que tous les membres de ce Conseil – y compris les cinq membres permanents – ne toléreront pas la terrible violence et la crise humanitaire effroyable que subissent des civils innocents.

    Monsieur le Président, Excellences,

    Les situations à l’ordre du jour de ce Conseil sont complexes et ne peuvent être résolues en un jour.

    Mais l’ampleur du défi ne doit pas nous décourager.

    Notre seul espoir d’avancer sur la voie de la paix réside dans une collaboration active et l’unité entre les membres du Conseil.

    Aujourd’hui, j’appelle tous les États membres à se montrer à la hauteur de cette grande responsabilité – à la hauteur de la promesse de la Charte des Nations Unies.

    Contribuez au succès de ce Conseil – et non à son affaiblissement.

    Faisons en sorte que le Conseil soit un forum efficace et représentatif pour la paix – aujourd’hui comme dans les années à venir.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sobyanin took part in the meeting of the State Council Presidium on the issue of export development

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    President of Russia Vladimir Putin held an extended meeting of the State Council Presidium on the issue of export development. The Mayor of Moscow took part in the meeting Sergei Sobyanin.

    One of the key topics was further steps to increase the country’s export potential and the role of regions in this process. Russia continues to be an active participant in international trade, despite the difficulties that businesses face.

    “We are developing external business relations, expanding their geography, strengthening cooperation with predictable, reliable partners who, like Russia, understand their national interests and value mutually beneficial trade, production, and cooperation relations,” the Russian President noted.

    At present, world trade and the global economy as a whole are actively developing. A new system of relations is currently being built, where the leading roles are taken by the states of the so-called Global South. These are dynamically growing countries, participants in promising integration associations, such as, for example, BRICS. Already now, the contribution of the BRICS countries to the world economy exceeds the share of the “Big Seven” and continues to grow.

    Thus, in 1992, the G7 accounted for 45.5 percent of global GDP, and in 2022, it was already 30.5 percent. According to forecasts, in 2028, the share of the G7 will decrease to 27.9 percent. At the same time, the share of the BRICS countries (excluding new members) in global GDP in 1992 was 16.7 percent, in 2022 it grew to 31.4 percent, and by 2028 it may reach 33.8 percent.

    This trend will continue in the future, since the growth of the BRICS countries’ contribution to the global economy is an objective process that is not related to the current geopolitical situation.

    “This means [that] real markets of the future are being formed, based on strong strategic partnerships, principles of combining economic potentials and mutually enhancing growth. It is important not only to understand these trends, but also to take advantage of the advantages and export opportunities that are opening up for our businesses, for enterprises. We need to provide them with assistance at all levels,” Vladimir Putin emphasized.

    The Russian President recalled that this year, a six-year national project to support exports is ending. During this time, it was possible to create tools, including in the country’s regions, that allowed domestic companies to go through the pandemic stage, successfully supply products abroad, and, over the past two years, redirect commodity flows to promising, growing markets.

    “Next year, the updated national project “International Cooperation and Export” will be launched. The basis for its decisions, measures and mechanisms should be the results achieved in the export sphere, the priorities of economic development facing our country, and, of course, the objective global trends that I just spoke about,” the Russian President noted.

    For the long-term development of foreign economic relations, it is necessary to increase the efficiency of financial and information support for exports, actively create logistics and transport infrastructure, as well as platforms for industrial cooperation.

    In addition, it is important to stimulate the entry of Russian companies into markets for goods with high added value, to increase so-called non-resource, non-energy exports, including supplies of engineering goods and food products.

    “I would like to note that from 2001 to 2023, the volume of Russia’s non-resource, non-energy exports has grown more than fourfold. This is a good result: four times – not some percentage, but four times – from 36 to 148 billion dollars. This, of course, is far from the limit for us, it is still not that much. But in the first seven months of this year, non-resource, non-energy exports continued to grow and increased by another five percent – to 89.8 billion [dollars],” Vladimir Putin said.

    In some areas, particularly in food supplies, Russia has already become one of the world’s leading exporters. According to the Russian President, this result is primarily the merit of specialists and labor collectives of enterprises, as well as those who provide them with support, in particular development institutions and regional leaders.

    “In the message to the Federal Assembly, and then

    in the decree on national development goals a target was set, namely, to increase non-resource, non-energy exports by at least two-thirds by 2030 compared to 2023. This is an ambitious goal, especially given the challenges that our companies have faced recently,” Vladimir Putin noted.

    In his opinion, this task requires a comprehensive approach from the state, development institutions and regional leaders. Thus, the Russian Export Center (REC) is implementing a special program “Made in Russia”, which helps promote domestic brands in domestic and foreign markets. It is necessary to scale up this practice and expand its coverage.

    “Within the framework of interregional cooperation, partnerships are being built with friendly countries, and this, of course, contributes to strengthening Russia’s technological sovereignty, sets a higher pace of economic development for the subjects of the Federation, and therefore for the entire country,” Vladimir Putin emphasized.

    The Russian President noted that individual regions of the country are consistently and comprehensively developing non-resource exports, working with small and medium businesses. For this purpose, regional exporter support centers have been created and teams of specialized specialists are working.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/major/themes/11824050/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dina Titus Statement on FTC Crackdown on Invitation Homes

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)

    Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV1) today released the following statement after the Federal Trade Commission took action against Invitation Homes for deceiving renters about lease costs, charging undisclosed junk fees, failing to inspect homes before renters moved in, and unfairly withholding tenants’ security deposits when they moved out.

    “The FTC took a major step in addressing deceptive rental practices in Southern Nevada which have contributed to skyrocketing rental costs,” Congresswoman Titus said. “Invitation Homes is the second-largest owner of single-family homes in Clark County, with some 3,500 homes. The FTC action requires Invitation Homes to make refunds to consumers and sends a strong message that rent gouging will not be tolerated.”

    Invitation Homes has agreed to a proposed settlement order that would require the company to turn over $48 million to be used to refund consumers harmed by its actions nationally. The corporate landlord will also be required to clearly disclose its leasing prices, establish policies and procedures to handle security deposit refunds fairly, and stop other unlawful behavior.

    See FTC’s news release for more background.

    MIL OSI USA News –