NewzIntel.com

Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Man Guilty Of Drug and Racketeering Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JULIO CESAR DELGADO (“DELGADO”), age 39, formerly a resident of Brownsville, Texas pled guilty on June 5, 2025, before United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribute Cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, 846; and Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1952(a)(3).

    The charge of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribute Cocaine, now carries a mandatory term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years and up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $8,000,000 and a term of supervised release of at least 8 years.  Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.  Each offense also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

    Sentencing will occur on October 9, 2025.

    Court documents reflect that the Defendant was part of a sophisticated conspiracy that smuggled cocaine from Mexico into the United States at Brownsville, Texas and transported it to customers in Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Michigan.  DELGADO, and others, would also collect payment from the customers.  During the investigation, the Louisiana State Police seized approximately $31,000 from DELGADO and another individual during a traffic stop.  The money was payment received for cocaine delivered to a trafficker in Michigan.  This money is subject to forfeiture.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Miller of the Narcotics Unit is assigned the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Midlands Men Sentenced for Injuring Officers During Riot on May 2020

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Brandon Jemar Pickett, 38, of Cayce and Luis Rosario, 29, of Columbia, have been sentenced to four years and one year and one day, respectively, in federal prison for interfering with law enforcement officers during civil disorder.

    Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on May 30, 2020, organizers held a peaceful protest at the South Carolina State House to protest the death of George Floyd. After the protest, some individuals continued protesting at the City of Columbia Police Department. However, the protest turned into a violent riot when multiple individuals began throwing objects at police officers, destroying property, and setting police cars on fire.

    During the riot, Brandon Pickett picked up a large rock and threw it at a police officer causing the officer to suffer a chipped tibia. Rosario threw water bottles with an unknown substance at officers and picked up a wooden barricade and threw it at an officer resulting in a head injury requiring seven stitches.

    Pickett has prior convictions for assault with intent to kill, failure to stop for a blue light, and attempted burglary. Rosario has no prior convictions.

    United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Rosario to 48 months imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision.  Judge Lewis sentenced Rosario to one year and one day followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case was investigated the FBI Columbia Field Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar Fyall is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Western District of Texas Adds 331 New Immigration Cases

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN ANTONIO –United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 331 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 6 through 12.

    Among the new cases, Guatemalan national Geremias Ambrocio-Vicente was arrested for illegal re-entry less than four miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso on June 8. Ambrocio-Vicente is a felon with multiple convictions including a 2020 conviction in Albany, New York for rape, and an illegal re-entry conviction in 2022 in Rio Grande City. He was previously deported on July 13, 2022, through New Orleans, Louisiana.

    The El Paso Division also filed multiple cases for charges of transporting or harboring illegal aliens. Miguel Angel Enriquez-Ramirez is a Mexican national who, according to an affidavit, admitted to working for the Transnational Criminal Organization La Linea. On June 9, he was arrested during an immigration inspection conducted by U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations at an El Paso residence. During the inspection, agents allegedly encountered a total of nine individuals—eight of whom who were determined to be citizens of Mexico, one a citizen of Guatemala, and all illegally present in the United States. The affidavit alleges that Enriquez-Ramirez admitted to getting paid $600.00 per week to harbor illegal aliens at the apartment and had been harboring between eight and 12 illegal aliens since arriving at the apartment earlier this year.

    Mexican national Ranferi Alonso-Osorio was arrested for allegedly picking up several illegal aliens in a pickup truck near the International Boundary fence and transporting them further into the U.S. Alonso-Osorio was pulled over by Texas Department of Public Safety, after which, the DPS troopers and partnered USBP agents allegedly observed seven individuals flee from the vehicle. A criminal complaint alleges that five of the individuals were quickly detained and the sixth was located and detained shortly after. The seventh individual, Alonso-Osorio, was allegedly located inside the recycling bin in the backyard of a residence. The complaint alleges that Alonso-Osorio admitted to picking up and transporting the illegal aliens and that he would be paid $50 for each alien he picked up. He also allegedly claimed to have picked up illegal aliens on about 15 previous occasions and believed he had picked up about 30 illegal aliens in total.

    In Del Rio, Salvadoran national Alberto De Jesus Moran-Mejia was arrested by USBP agents for illegal re-entry. Moran-Mejia is a twice convicted felon, with an illegal re-entry conviction in 2010 and an assault on a law enforcement officer in 2024, which coincided with a DWI conviction. He has been deported five times, the last one being to El Salvador on Aug. 30, 2024, through Washington DC.

    Mexican national Luis Cesar Carmona-Lopez is also charged with illegal re-entry, having been deported six times—the last one being to Mexico on Dec. 21, 2024, through Del Rio. Carmona-Lopez has been previously convicted for illegal re-entry felonies three times, and had also been found to have violated the terms of his felony probation in August 2024.

    Marlon Catalino Diaz-Flores, a Honduran national, was arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. He was recently removed for the fourth time on March 16 through El Paso, after being convicted in January for illegal re-entry.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

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

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Trinitarios Gang Leader Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prison for Triple Shooting in Queens

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant, the Leader of the “OZP” set of the Trinitarios, Orchestrated a Months-Long Conspiracy to Murder Gang Rivals

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Pedro Serrano, also known as “Papo,” the leader of the Ozone Park (or “OZP”) set of the Trinitarios street gang, was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano to 183 months in prison for carrying out a June 29, 2021 shooting that injured three victims.  The shooting was part of a long-running conspiracy to murder members of a rival Trinitarios gang set.  Serrano pleaded guilty in March 2024 to assault in-aid-of racketeering and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

    Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

    “Serrano was ruthlessly committed to a dangerous criminal enterprise, and he and his co-conspirators shot multiple victims in furtherance of a senseless gang rivalry to advance his enterprise,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “Such warfare jeopardizes public safety and underscores the importance of my Office’s mission to eradicate violent gangs from our communities.”

    Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department for their work and assistance on the case.

    According to court filings, Serrano, along with other members of the gang, engaged in a series of violent feuds with rivals, including rival sets within the Trinitarios.  Beginning in at least 2021, disputes arose between OZP and other sets of Trinitarios from Queens and Brooklyn, including the Southside set, resulting in back-and-forth shootings between sets.  On June 29, 2021, Serrano carried out a retaliatory shooting—while driving through a residential neighborhood in Queens—targeting Southside members.

    Serrano enlisted fellow OZP members—including co-defendant Albert Santana-Fernandez, also known as “Pipa,” a Pennsylvania-based member of OZP—to help attack OZP rivals.  After departing from Serrano’s house, the co-conspirators drove around until they located a rival group of Trinitarios on 77th Street near Jamaica Avenue near the Queens-Brooklyn border.  Serrano and Santana-Fernandez were armed with firearms and after locating their rivals, fired shots at them from their moving vehicle.  At least 13 shell casings were recovered at the scene, and three victims were wounded—one of whom sustained a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Santana-Fernandez pleaded guilty to his role in the shooting in October 2024 and is awaiting sentencing.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States  Attorneys Lindsey R. Oken and Benjamin Weintraub are in charge of the prosecution.

    The Defendants:

    PEDRO SERRANO (also known as “Papo”)
    Age: 24
    Brooklyn, NY

    ALBERT SANTANA-FERNANDEZ (also known as “Pipa”)
    Age: 27
    Philadelphia, PA

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-28 (ENV)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Minnesota Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Xa Xiong, 32, St. Paul, Minnesota, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 10 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Xiong pled guilty to this charge on February 21, 2025.

    In July 2024, investigators received information from a confidential source that a large quantity of methamphetamine was being stored inside a storage unit in Eau Claire. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the storage unit and found a backpack with about six pounds of methamphetamine inside, ultimately linked to Xiong. On July 26, 2024, Xiong sold approximately one pound of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer in Menomonie, Wisconsin. A week later, Xiong met up with the same undercover officer to sell the officer two pounds of methamphetamine and Xiong was arrested during the attempted delivery.

    At Xiong’s sentencing, Judge Conley expressed concern over the large quantity of drugs the defendant was distributing. Judge Conley remarked that it was far beyond what was necessary to support a personal drug habit.

    The charges against Xiong were the result of an investigation conducted by the West Central Drug Task Force, Eau Claire Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Levins prosecuted the case. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Georgia Couple Arrested For Stealing More Than $1.7 Million Dollars In COVID Relief Funds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the indictment and arrests of Earlisha Louis (44, Newnan, Georgia) and Somoza Louis (44, Newnan, Georgia) for one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud related to COVID-19 relief funds. If convicted, each faces up to 30 years in federal prison on each count. Earlisha Louis is also charged with two counts of illegal monetary transactions. Each of those counts carry a maximum penalty of 3 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the pair that the United States intends to forfeit a residence and $1,705,553.80, which are alleged to be traceable to the proceeds of the offense.

    According to the indictment, between April 2020 and June 2021, Earlisha and Somoza Louis devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration by submitting multiple false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. These programs were some of the sources of economic relief provided for by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. After receiving one of the loans, Earlisha Louis transferred more than $10,000 of the fraud proceeds between her accounts. 

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.         

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General 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. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by contacting the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Seven defendants charged with trafficking drugs from Lower 48 to Alaska

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned two unrelated indictments last month charging seven defendants with trafficking drugs from California and Nevada to Alaska for distribution.

    “These cases are a reminder that our office takes seriously the threat of drug traffickers targeting Alaska, and we will be relentless in working with our law enforcement partners in stopping the flow of dangerous drugs to keep Alaskans safe,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska.

    U.S. v. Miles et al.

    According to court documents, beginning in at least March 2024 and continuing through February 2025, Kinarla Miles, 67, of Highland, California, Jerome Larue, 51, of Juneau, and Edie Seslar, 60, of Juneau, allegedly conspired with each other to traffic meth to Alaska and knowingly and intentionally attempted to possess meth with intent to distribute it in Alaska.

    During the same offense period, Miles, Larue, Seslar and Travis Lind, 38, of Juneau, also allegedly conspired to launder money from their drug trafficking activity.

    Miles, Larue and Seslar face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison for their drug trafficking charges. Lind faces up to 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy.

    The USPIS Juneau Domicile, Juneau Police Department and Alaska State Troopers, as part of the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs Task Force (SEACAD), are investigating the case, with assistance from the USPIS San Bernadino Domicile.

    U.S. v. Rodgers et al.

    According to court documents, beginning in at least September 2024 and continuing through March 2025, Christian Rodgers, 33, of Kenai, Helmut Mey, 37, of Las Vegas, and Jonhatan Lau-Osuna, 37, of Las Vegas, conspired with each other to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in Alaska.

    Rodgers is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At the time of the alleged conduct, Rodgers had two prior felony convictions for misconduct involving controlled substances and misconduct involving weapons in Alaska Superior Court, Kenai.

    Mey is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Lau-Osuna is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

    If convicted, all three defendants face between 10 years to life in prison.

    The charges are a result of an investigation conducted by the USPIS Anchorage Domicile, FBI Anchorage Field Office, and Alaska State Troopers through the Alaska High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Initiative’s Southcentral Area-Wide Narcotics (SCAN) team, with assistance from the Anchorage Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson is prosecuting these cases, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central District of California, District of Nevada and District of Idaho.

    These cases were brought as part of the Alaska Parcel Interdiction Initiative, a statewide partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Alaska State Troopers and other local law enforcement to disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics into Alaska through the mail. Together, the agencies work tirelessly to interdict suspicious U.S. Postal Service and other carriers’ parcels, with a goal of seizing narcotics before they enter communities and prosecuting those responsible for trafficking drugs to Alaska. 

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime and drug trafficking. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

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

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Qatar Warns of Dangers of Israeli Violations on International Peace and Security

    Source: Government of Qatar

    Vienna, June 13

    The State of Qatar has reiterated its strong condemnation and deep denunciation of the Israeli attack that targeted the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, describing it as a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security at a time when countries around the world are striving to reach diplomatic solutions to restore peace to the Middle East.

    This came in Qatar’s statement delivered by HE Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna Jassim Yaqoub Al Hammadi before the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during discussions on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli nuclear file.

    His Excellency called on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities to urgently stop Israeli violations before it is too late, warning of their grave consequences for the region, particularly the destruction of prospects for peace and the endangerment of the people of the region as well as regional and global security.

    He further urged the international community and its organizations to pressure Israel, the occupying power, to immediately end its campaign of genocide against unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip, its use of food as a weapon, and its ongoing military operations and settlement projects in the occupied West Bank.

    His Excellency reaffirmed the State of Qatar’s firm and unwavering position in support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to establish an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He also noted that Qatar continues its mediation efforts alongside the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America to reach a permanent ceasefire and create conditions conducive to launching serious negotiations toward achieving a two-state solution.

    Regarding Israel’s nuclear capabilities, His Excellency emphasized the need for the international community and its institutions to fulfill their commitments under United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, as well as IAEA decisions and the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference resolution, all of which call on Israel to subject its entire nuclear program to the Agency’s comprehensive safeguards system and to join the NPT as a non-nuclear state.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Statement on Israel’s Attack on Iran

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday released the following statement:
    “Israel’s attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration’s negotiations with Iran, risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America and is further evidence of how little respect world powers – including our own allies – have for President Trump. Iran would not be this close to possessing a nuclear weapon if Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu had not forced America out of the nuclear agreement with Iran that brought Europe, Russia, and China together behind the United States to successfully contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions. This is a disaster of Trump and Netanyahu’s own making, and now the region risks spiraling toward a new, deadly conflict. A war between Israel and Iran may be good for Netanyahu’s domestic politics, but it will likely be disastrous for both the security of Israel, the United States, and the rest of the region. As Secretary Rubio stated, the United States was not involved in today’s strikes, and we have no obligation to follow Israel into a war we did not ask for and will make us less safe.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: The WTO welcomes students to 23rd John H. Jackson Moot Court Finals

    Source: World Trade Organization

    The John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition is a simulated hearing under the rules of the WTO dispute settlement system involving exchanges of written submissions and adversarial hearings before panelists on international trade law issues. The competition is organized by the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA). The WTO has been a technical supporter of the competition since its inception in 2002.

    This year, 65 student teams from 35 WTO members competed in the Regional Rounds, including South and West Asia, East Asia and Oceania, Africa, the Americas (North, South, and the Caribbean), and Europe. Nineteen teams competed in the South and West Asia Round, 12 teams were represented in the East Asia and Oceania Round, 11 teams participated in the African Round, eight teams competed in the All-American Round, and 18 teams took part in the two European Regional Rounds. From these 65 teams, 24 qualified for the Final Oral Round, representing a wide global participation from 15 WTO members: Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, India, Kenya, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  

    DDG Ellard opened the Final Oral Round and welcomed the students to the WTO on 10 June. In her opening remarks, DDG Ellard emphasized the importance of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition to capacity building by training students in international trade law, legal writing, and oral advocacy skills. DDG Ellard noted that her own experience participating in moot court as a law student showed her “the immense value of the experience you have embarked on in the development of knowledge, skills, and life-long friendships and connections.” DDG Ellard noted that Jackson Moot alumni can be found working in governments, academia, think tanks, law firms, and the WTO Secretariat.

    DDG Ellard congratulated Mr Marios Tokas of the Geneva Graduate Institute and Mr Panagiotis Kyriakou of the law firm Archipel, authors of this year’s moot problem. She noted that the topic of the case the students have been debating “demonstrates our challenge in addressing modern day problems — such as digital transfer of data, protection of consumer privacy, and regulation of competition (or anti-trust).” She drew the students’ attention to the ongoing work in the WTO on digital technologies and trade and e-commerce-related issues. “These efforts underscore the vision that even as trade evolves the rules-based approach with the WTO at its centre must continue to be the way forward with the economic rule of law,” she said.

    Noting that the international trade community supports the competition, DDG Ellard thanked all the sponsors and WTO staff members who contributed to the organization of the competition and wished teams the best of luck.

    The students also had the opportunity to meet DG Okonjo-Iweala on 13 June and heard from her how much the WTO looks forward to welcoming the students each year not only to the competition, but to the community of international trade law.

    During this week, teams are competing against each other before panels of WTO law experts. The grand final of the competition will take place on Saturday, 14 June, and will be livestreamed here.

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    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with President Trump of the United States: 13 June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM call with President Trump of the United States: 13 June 2025

    The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this evening.

    The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this evening.

    The leaders discussed the military action in the Middle East overnight and agreed on the importance of diplomacy and dialogue.

    Updating on his conversations with partners today, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programmes.

    The leaders looked forward to speaking again at the G7 in Canada next week.

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Green Township Man Charged with Crimes Related to Three Pipe Bomb Incidents

    Source: US FBI

    CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury indicted a Green Township man today, charging him with federal crimes related to explosive devices. 

    Robert Gilb, 50, was arrested yesterday.

    “The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Robert Gilb for possessing an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “This alleged activity posed a serious risk to public safety. The FBI worked closely with our law enforcement partners to neutralize this potential danger and protect the community.” 

    According to charging documents, Gilb allegedly detonated three improvised explosive devices (IED) in Hamilton and Butler counties in March and April.

    A complaint affidavit details that on April 12, Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Miami Township for a report of a loud explosion. They discovered what appeared to be a blast crater and components of an improvised explosive device (IED).

    Further investigation revealed that there were two prior incidents in Morgan Township

    that allegedly had similar characteristics to the incident in Miami Township. Butler County sheriff’s deputies had responded to incidents there on March 23 and March 28.

    Witnesses allegedly saw Gilb in his white BMW near the site of at least one of the devices when it exploded.

    Gilb is charged with three counts of possessing an unregistered destructive device and three counts of transporting explosive materials.

    Possessing an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials are federal crimes punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Fire Marshalls Office, Greater Cincinnati HAZMAT, Green Township Police Department and Green Township Fire Department, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

    An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Columbus Police Officer Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Altering Records

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus police officer was sentenced in federal court here today to 36 months in prison for destroying or altering records related to a criminal investigation.

    Nicholas P. Duty, 36, of Commercial Point, Ohio, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of the crime.

    According to court documents, on two occasions, Duty destroyed, altered or falsified records by purposefully deactivating or removing his police body worn camera. Duty’s actions were intended to impede, obstruct or influence a federal investigation.

    In February 2024, Columbus police officers were working street-level prostitution crimes in the area of Sullivant Avenue on the west side of Columbus when a witness expressed concerns about Duty’s on-duty activities with sex workers. Duty was positively identified during the administration of a blind photo array.

    Further investigation revealed that, on Oct. 31, 2023, and March 22, 2024, Duty deactivated or removed his body worn camera during interactions with two women, including during a sexual encounter.

    During the incidents, Duty was on duty, wearing a police uniform, in a marked police vehicle and assigned a body worn camera. He knew he was required to comply with Columbus Division of Police policies for wearing the division-issued camera.

    On Halloween 2023, the first woman had called Columbus police and asked for assistance, stating her boyfriend was attempting to kill himself. Duty transported the woman following the call and disabled his body worn and in-car cameras when he was alone with her. Duty made sexual advances toward the woman while his cameras were deactivated, and they exchanged phone numbers.  Duty continued to reach out to her, including in April 2024, a few days before his arrest.

    On March 22, 2024, body worn camera footage shows Duty speaking with the second woman near the Sunoco station at Sullivant and Clarendon avenues. The woman confirmed that Duty had money with him and asked if he wanted to go to their “normal spot.” Duty drove away in his police vehicle, relocated to a different alley, and met up with the woman. Duty removed his body worn camera and blocked it from recording video. The camera, however, still recorded audio from the incident. The audio recording reveals Duty asking the woman several times to have sex. She declines but performs oral sex on Duty. The two discuss meeting up later for sex and Duty paid the woman $20 for the sex act. During this time, he was marked “out,” indicating that he was actively working on a police call.

    Further review of Duty’s digital devices revealed numerous conversations in which Duty would seek out sex from various women, including victims of crime, whom he met while working on duty as a Columbus Police Officer. He would also send messages to sex workers while working and then meet up with them in his police cruiser, engage in sex acts with them, and then pay them for the sex acts.

    Duty was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024. He had been employed with the Columbus Division of Police since June 2018.

    Acting United States Attorney Kelly A. Norris, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas A. Greco,  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphy, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case, which was investigated by the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission’s Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard Reserve Unit at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command holds change of command ceremony

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    06/13/2025 02:25 PM EDT

    The U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Unit at the United States Indo-Pacific Command (CGRU USINDOPACOM) held a change of command ceremony, Thursday, on the historic USS Battleship Missouri Memorial.

    For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rwandan Immigrant Arrested for Concealing Role as Perpetrator of Genocide After Fraudulently Entering the United States

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    A federal grand jury in Ohio has returned a three-count indictment unsealed today charging Rwandan national Vincent Nzigiyimfura, also known as Vincent Mfura, 65, of Dayton, Ohio with lying on his U.S. immigration and naturalization applications. Specifically, the indictment alleges that he concealed his role as a perpetrator of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, among other misrepresentations. Nzigiyimfura was arrested Wednesday in Dayton and made his initial appearance yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

    According to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura participated in the genocide that took place between April and July 1994, when members of Rwanda’s majority Hutu population killed hundreds of thousands of the country’s minority Tutsi ethnic group in an attempt to eradicate the ethnic group. An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the three-month genocide. Nzigiyimfura, a Rwandan businessman and butcher, was allegedly a leader and organizer of the genocide against Tutsis in the area in and around Gihisi and Nyanza. Nzigiyimfura allegedly provided weapons, transportation, and material inducements to other Hutus and directed them to search for and apprehend people to be killed based on their status as Tutsis. He allegedly set up roadblocks to detain and kill Tutsis, using his personal vehicle to transport materials to build the roadblocks. According to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura devised a scheme to trick Tutsis in hiding to believe that the killings had stopped only to have them rounded up and murdered. 

    “As alleged, Vincent Nzigiyimfura directed and encouraged murders during the genocide in Rwanda and then lied to U.S. authorities to start a new life in this country,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for human rights violators. Those, like the defendant, who commit immigration fraud to hide their violent pasts will be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    Mr. Galeotti thanked the prosecutors from the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), agents from HSI Cincinnati and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio for their work in bringing this important prosecution.

    “The indictment alleges this defendant facilitated the killings of Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide and then lied about it on immigration applications in the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris for the Southern District of Ohio. “This egregious conduct will not be tolerated.”

    “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) is committed to pursuing justice for victims of genocide by ensuring that those who committed atrocities in foreign lands cannot hide in Ohio or any other community in the United States,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey of ICE HSI Detroit. “No one wants a war criminal as their neighbor and these allegations paint a grim picture of the horror Nzigiyimfura inflicted on the Tutsi people. His indictment and arrest is a step toward justice for those victims. ”

    When the genocide ended in 1994, as alleged, Nzigiyimfura fled Rwanda and later lived in Malawi. While living in Malawi in 2008 to 2009, Nzigiyimfura allegedly submitted materially misleading applications for an immigrant visa and alien registration, including by falsely representing that he was not an alien who had engaged in genocide. In the presence of a U. S. Consular Officer, Nzigiyimfura affirmed he understood that any willfully false or misleading statement or willful concealment of material facts could subject him to criminal prosecution. Additionally, according to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura submitted an affidavit in which he misleadingly claimed he “left Rwanda in 1994 due to the Genocide,” when in fact, he fled the country because of his participation in the persecution and massacre of Tutsis. His alleged misrepresentations and omissions yielded an immigrant visa to enter the United States in 2009.

    Five years later, Nzigiyimfura submitted an application to naturalize as a U. S. citizen. Here, too, according to the indictment, he knowingly made false statements and omitted material facts, including claiming he had never persecuted any person, never committed a crime or offense, and never lied to any U. S. Government official to gain entry to the United States. In a November 2014 interview with a U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer, Nzigiyimfura verbally reaffirmed these false statements, as well as others, according to the indictment. His application for naturalization has not been granted. Nzigiyimfura has lived in the United States since 2009.

    In 2018, according to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura submitted an application and supporting documentation for a replacement Permanent Resident Card (green card) that was due to expire in 2019 and obtained a new fraudulently procured green card with an expiration date in 2029. On July 27, 2021, Nzigiyimfura allegedly used his fraudulently procured replacement green card in connection with an application for an Ohio driver’s license.

    Nzigiyimfura is charged with one count of visa fraud and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    HSI Cincinnati is investigating the case, with assistance from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. 

    Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Criminal Division’s HRSP and Assistant U. S. Attorney Rob Painter of the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

    Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U. S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV. ICE@ice. dhs. gov or complete its online tip form at www. ice. gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips. asp.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Merkley, Markey, Schumer Release Data Detailing Hundreds of Rural Hospitals Across U.S. at Risk Due to Republican Health Care Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    June 13, 2025
    Data shows Oregon hospitals in Silverton, Seaside, Madras, and Hermiston among more than 300 rural hospitals nationwide at disproportionate risk of closure, conversion, or service reductions
    Washington (June 12, 2025) – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) today joined with U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y) to release new data concluding that health care cuts in the Republican budget bill could place more than 300 rural hospitals across the U.S. at disproportionate risk of closure, conversion, or service reductions.
    The data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill follows House Republicans’ passage of a budget bill that would impose the largest cuts to health care in U.S. history, slashing funding for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 trillion and triggering more than $500 billion in Medicare cuts. The analysis released today is based on financial indicators including: share of Medicaid patients served, previous years of negative total margins, and data modeling on future financial distress.
    “Hospitals are often the backbone of rural communities in Oregon and across the nation. They are often the largest employer in a rural community, and more often than not, many of the families they serve count on Medicaid for health care,” said Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. “The Republican bill would hit rural Oregon like a wrecking ball, and among the first to suffer would be the rural hospitals and those they serve and employ who are already walking on an economic tightrope.”
    “As I hold town hall meetings in each of Oregon’s 36 counties, I frequently hear about struggles folks have in accessing health care in their communities. This isn’t a red state or blue state issue. Medicaid helps every state – especially rural communities,” said Merkley, Ranking Member of the Budget Committee. “More than 300 rural hospitals will be at risk of shutting down – in Oregon and across the country – if Republicans betray middle class families and make these drastic cuts to Medicaid, all so that billionaires can pay less in taxes. This is the Republican plan: families lose, and billionaires win.”
    The lawmakers also sent the data in a letter to President Trump, Leader John Thune, and Speaker Mike Johnson, writing, “Addressing the crisis in rural health care access is a national, bipartisan priority, and it should be bipartisan to not worsen that crisis. However, if your party passes these health care cuts into law, Americans in rural communities across the country risk losing health care services and jobs supported by their local hospitals. We urge you to read the attached report and reconsider your position. It is not too late to stop these cuts. Billionaire tax breaks are not worth the cost to American lives and livelihoods.”
    The response from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research states, “Substantial cuts to Medicaid or Medicare payments could increase the number of unprofitable rural hospitals and elevate their risk of financial distress. In response, hospitals may be forced to reduce service lines, convert to a different type of health care facility, or close altogether.”
    The data shows 338 rural hospitals at particular risk of closure, conversion, or service reduction from substantial health care cuts because the hospitals either take a high relative share of Medicaid patients, or have experienced three consecutive years of negative total margins, or both. This includes four hospitals in Oregon: Silverton Hospital, Providence Seaside Hospital, St. Charles Madras, and Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston.
    In the face of these Republican cuts, a majority of adults living in rural areas are concerned that health care cuts will “negatively impact hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers in [their] community,” the senators wrote in their letter to Trump, noting that rural hospitals are struggling. In 2023, there were 50 fewer rural hospitals than in 2017, and a lack of health care access in rural America is contributing to worse health outcomes. Faced with additional cuts to their revenue, many rural hospitals may be forced to stop providing certain services, including obstetric, mental health, and emergency room care, convert to clinics or standalone emergency centers, or close altogether. Rural hospitals are often the largest employers in rural communities, and when a rural hospital closes or scales back its services, communities are not only forced to grapple with losing access to health care, but also with job loss and the resulting financial insecurity.
    The lawmakers sent a letter to the Sheps Center director on June 4, 2025, requesting the Center’s expert analysis of how this bill will impact rural hospitals and the communities they serve, particularly inquiring about which rural hospitals in the country treat the highest share of Medicaid recipients; how many rural hospitals are currently in financial distress or at risk of closure; and if the health care cuts in the House-passed budget reconciliation bill were to become law, would the rural hospitals with the highest share of Medicaid recipients or that are currently in financial distress face risk of closure or have to reduce services.
    The senators’ letter and data are here. The Sheps Center response is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Statement on Trump Administration Decision to Pull out of the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    June 13, 2025
    Oregon senator: “Donald Trump proves yet again his irrational preference for litigation and mindless destruction of actual achievements like this settlement agreement”
    Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s decision this week to pull out of the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement.
    “Donald Trump proves yet again his irrational preference for litigation and mindless destruction of actual achievements like this settlement agreement,” said Wyden a senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “His approach will make life more difficult for businesses and families by upending meaningful progress to meet regional energy production, water resources, and transportation needs while recovering a river and its salmon key to our part of the country. The states of Oregon and Washington as well as Tribes worked too hard and long to reach this agreement to have it upended so casually from 3,000 miles away.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Ramirez Condemns CHS Republicans’ Persecution of Civil Society

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Delia Ramirez – Illinois (3rd District)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) released the following statement on Homeland Security Committee Republicans targeting and intimidating more than 200 civil society organizations, including religious groups, charities, and community-based groups, lawfully providing support to their communities, including immigrants and asylum-seekers. 

    “It is deeply unacceptable that my Republican colleagues on the Committee for Homeland Security Oversight Subcommittee launched a probe targeting 212 organizations across the country who assist immigrants and meet their basic needs. 

    I have said it before: terror is the point. Cruelty is the point. Fear is the point. The abuses of military power by the Department of Homeland Security and the Administration, the attacks on sitting Members of Congress and Senators performing their oversight duties, the 48 hour deployment notices for ICE Special Response Teams to our cities and now threatening letters to civil society – each action is intended to lay siege to the people and organizations in our communities that will defend our rights. Their goal is to suppress dissent against their illegal, unconstitutional actions. 

    Let them be reminded since they seem to be confused about what is legal and what is not: crossing a border to the United States to request the opportunity to apply for asylum is LEGAL. Adjusting your status, if you have a pathway to do so, is LEGAL. Supporting immigrants to apply for asylum, TPS, Parole, and other forms of relief is LEGAL. Supporting people to become citizens is LEGAL. Helping refugees integrate into our communities is LEGAL. And, even if they don’t like it, making sure our neighbors know their constitutional rights is LEGAL. 

    The actions of Republicans on CHS unlawfully target organizations standing against their authoritarian power grab. An attack on civil society is an attack on us all. We must dissent.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: President Trump’s Policies Are Delivering Wins Across America

    Source: US Whitehouse

    Across the country, Americans are celebrating a surge of victories as President Donald J. Trump’s bold America First agenda revitalizes communities and restores American greatness.

    Here are just a few of those triumphs making front pages this week:

    In Detroit, Michigan, The Detroit News celebrated the landmark announcement by General Motors that it will invest $4 billion in American manufacturing as it shifts more vehicle production from Mexico to the U.S. — including in Michigan. GM joins a host of other automakers in expanding their U.S.-based production as President Trump aggressively pursues his America First trade policies.

    In Phoenix Arizona, the Arizona Republic heralded a historic milestone: “The border is secure” for the first time in decades. Thanks to President Trump’s unwavering dedication to national security, illegal border crossings have plummeted to near-zero levels as the Trump Administration removes scores of dangerous criminal illegal immigrants from our streets — finally restoring public safety.

    In Hamilton, Ohio, the Hamilton Journal-News in highlighted gas prices at their lowest June levels since 2021 — with similar stories playing out across the country as President Trump unleashes American energy production. After Americans saw the cheapest Memorial Day weekend gas prices in years, the nationwide average for regular gas remains $0.33/gallon below where it was one year ago.

    In Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the Lebanon Daily News touted Amazon’s $20 billion investment to expand its cloud computing infrastructure in the state — creating at least 1,250 new high-skilled jobs. It’s another result of President Trump’s relentless push to establish the U.S. as the global leader in artificial intelligence and technological innovation.

    In Boise, Idaho, the Idaho Statesman covered Micron Technology’s $200 billion investment in its U.S.-based manufacturing and production of advanced memory chips — which includes $30 billion for the construction of a second chip fabrication facility in the state as it onshores production of its advanced DRAM technology from Taiwan for the first time.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: “Cosmic Dawn” Screening at Greenbelt Cinema

    Source: NASA

    Attendees line up to enter the theater for a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Following the screening, Jacob Pinter, host of NASA’s Curious Universe podcast, led a discussion with Sophia Roberts, a NASA video producer who documented the Webb project, and Paul Geithner, former deputy project manager for Webb.
    Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
    Watch the documentary.
    Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FEMA Calls May Come from Unfamiliar Numbers

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: FEMA Calls May Come from Unfamiliar Numbers

    FEMA Calls May Come from Unfamiliar Numbers

    LITTLE ROCK, Ark

    – After Arkansans apply for disaster assistance, FEMA may call to schedule an inspection of the damaged home or for more information to process the application

    These calls may come from unfamiliar area codes or phone numbers

    It is important to answer the call

    A FEMA inspection may be required to determine whether a home is safe, functional and accessible

    If an inspection cannot be scheduled, that may cause a delay in FEMA’s review of a homeowner’s or renter’s application

    There is no charge for an inspection

    The inspector will have FEMA photo ID and your application number

    FEMA representatives never ask for money

    If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a FEMA representative, but you aren’t sure, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 to verify the caller’s identity

    Residents who suffered losses after the March 14-15 and April 2-22 severe storms can apply for FEMA assistance for losses not covered by insurance

     Survivors affected by both disasters are encouraged to file a separate FEMA application for each disaster

    Survivors in Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp and Stone counties may apply if they had damage in March

    Additionally, those affected by the April storms in Clark, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Desha, Fulton, Hot Spring, Jackson, Miller, Ouachita, Pulaski, Randolph, St

    Francis, Saline, Sharp and White counties may also apply

    The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance for the March storms is Monday, July 14

    The last day to apply for the April storms is Tuesday, July 22

     There are several ways to apply

    Go to DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362

    Lines are open from 6 a

    m

    to 10 p

    m

    CDT seven days a week and specialists speak many languages

     In-person survivor assistance is also available at several sites across the impacted area

    To find hours and locations, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4865 or fema

    gov/disaster/4873, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link under “In-person Survivor Assistance

    ”To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube

    For the latest information about Arkansas’ recovery, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4865 or fema

    gov/disaster/4873

    Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x

    com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook

    com/FEMARegion6/

    thomas

    wise
    Fri, 06/13/2025 – 14:00

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hubble Studies a Spiral’s Supernova Scene

    Source: NASA

    This serene spiral galaxy hides a cataclysmic past. The galaxy IC 758, shown in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, is situated 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.
    Hubble captured this image in 2023. IC 758 appears peaceful, with its soft blue spiral arms curving gently around its hazy barred center. However, in 1999, astronomers spotted a powerful explosion in this galaxy. The supernova SN 1999bg marked the dramatic end of a star far more massive than the Sun.
    Researchers do not know exactly how massive this star was before it exploded, but will use these Hubble observations to measure the masses of stars in SN 1999bg’s neighborhood. These measurements will help them estimate the mass of the star that went supernova. The Hubble data may also reveal whether SN 1999bg’s progenitor star had a companion, which would provide additional clues about the star’s life and death.
    A supernova represents more than just the demise of a single star — it’s also a powerful force that can shape its neighborhood. When a massive star collapses, triggering a supernova, its outer layers rebound off its shrunken core. The explosion stirs the interstellar soup of gas and dust out of which new stars form. This interstellar shakeup can scatter and heat nearby gas clouds, preventing new stars from forming, or it can compress them, creating a burst of new star formation. The cast-off layers enrich the interstellar medium, from which new stars form, with heavy elements manufactured in the core of the supernova.
    Text Credit: ESA/Hubble

    Media Contact:
    Claire Andreoli (claire.andreoli@nasa.gov)NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Loans Are a Meaningful Option for Texas Storm Survivors

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: SBA Loans Are a Meaningful Option for Texas Storm Survivors

    SBA Loans Are a Meaningful Option for Texas Storm Survivors

    AUSTIN – Low-interest disaster loans from the U

    S

    Small Business Administration are available to Texas residents, businesses of all sizes and nonprofit organizations that are recovering from the severe storms and flooding that occurred March 26-28, 2025

     Residents and businesses in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties may now apply if they had damage in the March storms

     FEMA partners with other agencies to help meet the needs of disaster survivors

    Disaster loans are the largest source of federal recovery funds for storm survivors

    They help private property owners pay for disaster losses not covered by insurance, local or state programs

    SBA loans also cover deductibles and increased cost of compliance after a disaster

    Survivors should not wait for an insurance settlement before submitting an SBA loan application

    Interest rates on disaster loans can be as low as 2

    75% for homeowners and renters, 3

    62% for private nonprofit organizations and 4% for businesses, with terms up to 30 years for physical damage to real estate, inventory, supplies, machinery and equipment

    Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition

    Survivors are not required to begin repaying the loan and the interest does not begin to accumulate for 12 months from the date the first disaster loan disbursement is awarded

    Homeowners may be eligible for a disaster loan of up to $500,000 for primary residence repairs or rebuilding

    SBA may also be able to help homeowners and renters with up to $100,000 to replace important personal property, including automobiles damaged or destroyed in the storms

    Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged property, destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets

    Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes

     Businesses of any size and private nonprofit organizations may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) in the counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy and the contiguous counties of Brooks, Jim Hogg, Kenedy and Zapata

      Businesses can apply for up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster

    Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact

    Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage

    In partnership with FEMA and the state, SBA representatives are available to provide one-on-one assistance to disaster loan applicants at sites throughout the affected areas

     SBA’s Business Recovery Centers are open at the following locations:CAMERON COUNTYBusiness Recovery CenterHarlingen Chamber of Commerce311 E

    Tyler Ave

    Harlingen, TX 78559Mondays – Thursdays, 8 a

    m

    – 5 p

    m

    Friday, 8 a

    m

    – 4 p

    m

     HIDALGO COUNTYBusiness Recovery CenterValley Metro Transit Center510 S

    Pleasantview Dr

    BoardroomWeslaco, TX 78596Monday – Friday 8 a

    m

    to 5 p

    m

      To apply online or to download an application, go to SBA

    gov/disaster

    You may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or email DisasterCustomerService@sba

    gov

     The deadline to apply for an SBA physical disaster loan for the March storms is July 22, 2025

    The last day for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private nonprofit organizations to apply for an SBA economic injury loan for the March storms is Feb

    23, 2026

    For the latest information about Texas’ recovery, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4871 Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x

    com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook

    com/FEMARegion6/
    toan

    nguyen
    Fri, 06/13/2025 – 12:08

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Centers in Clark, Lincoln, Mercer, Owen Counties To Close Permanently; Some Centers Close on Sundays

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Centers in Clark, Lincoln, Mercer, Owen Counties To Close Permanently; Some Centers Close on Sundays

    Disaster Recovery Centers in Clark, Lincoln, Mercer, Owen Counties To Close Permanently; Some Centers Close on Sundays

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –Disaster Recovery Centers in Clark, Lincoln, Mercer and Owen counties are scheduled to close permanently June 14 at 7 p

    m

    , but help is still available as survivors can go to any open center to get in-personal assistance, and there are other ways to apply

      The centers closing permanently are located at: Clark County: Clark County Emergency Operations Center, 200 Maryland Ave

    , Winchester, KY 40391 Lincoln County: Lincoln County Fire Department Training Center, 309 KY Hwy 590, Stanford, KY 40484 Mercer County: Mercer County Health Department, 900 N

    College St

    , Harrodsburg, KY 40330 Owen County: Three Rivers District Health Department, 60 Old Monterey Road, Owenton, KY 40359 From June12-14, working hours for these centers are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time

    Also, 35 centers in Kentucky counties designated for FEMA assistance as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides will be closed on Sundays

       Centers in Laurel, Pulaski and Trigg counties remain open on Sundays

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     Check this DR-4864 DRC locator for specific hours of operation

    Disaster Recovery Centers are one-stop shops where you can get information and advice on available assistance from commonwealth, federal and community organizations

     You can get help to apply for FEMA assistance, learn the status of your FEMA application, understand the letters you get from FEMA and get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance

     FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is July 25

    You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

     
    martyce

    allenjr
    Fri, 06/13/2025 – 12:04

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Brown sues five apartment complexes and their property management firm for deceiving low-income senior tenants

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE – Attorney General Nick Brown today filed a complaint in Snohomish County Superior Court against California-based property management company FPI Management and the owners of five apartment complexes in Western Washington, alleging that they engaged in unfair and deceptive practices impacting hundreds of vulnerable senior tenants at the properties.

    FPI and the property owners market their apartment complexes as “low-income” units to tenants who are 55 and older.

    Over a period of several years, FPI and the property owners failed to disclose to their low-income senior tenants how their rent would be calculated and increased in the future, and misrepresented the quality of their apartment units, the availability and quality of building amenities like pools or fitness areas, and safety at the properties. These are all violations of the Consumer Protection Act.

    “Housing is particularly important for older Washingtonians, and it’s hard for them to move once they’ve signed a lease,” Brown said. “It’s egregious to convince vulnerable populations they’re getting quality living when in reality they are stuck with properties in disrepair that also end up costing more than they expected over time.”

    The property owners participate in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC), through which they receive valuable tax credits in exchange for setting aside a certain number of apartment units in their buildings for tenants below a certain income threshold. The maximum rental rates under this program are set annually by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, based on the rise or fall of the area median income (AMI) in the county where the property is located. This is unlike other forms of housing assistance, in which the amount of rent a tenant will pay is based on their own income, and not the income of other people in the area.

    FPI and the property owners do not explain or adequately disclose to prospective tenants that their monthly rent will be calculated based on AMI, which is often significantly more than the fixed Social Security or pension incomes many senior LIHTC tenants must live on. As a result, these tenants often end up paying an unsustainable portion of their fixed income as rent, leaving little for other expenses like food, transportation, or medical expenses.

    This failure to disclose key details about rent calculations and increases surprised and harmed seniors, who are less likely to move units once they’re in, even if costs become unmanageable, due to the cost and physical demands of moving.

    The defendants in this case also misrepresent the quality of their buildings, marketing them as “luxury” and “resort style,” when in reality many tenants move in only to find their units dirty with broken appliances, leaks, mold, worn carpets, torn flooring, and more issues. Despite the promise of quality amenities like pools, fitness centers, and computer rooms, tenants found such amenities either did not exist, were inoperable, or were permanently closed and shut down.

    The apartment complexes were also not safe and secure as defendants represented. Many have no one monitoring who is entering, which has led to trespassing and other crimes on site. Their parking lots also experience frequent prowling, theft and vandalism.

    The complaint seeks an injunction preventing the defendants from continuing to engage in the unlawful conduct alleged, restitution to impacted tenants, an enhanced civil penalty of $12,500 for each Consumer Protection Act violation due to the vulnerable nature of the seniors who were targeted and impacted, and an award to the state for the costs of pursuing litigation.

    Attorney General’s Office staff handling the case include Assistant Attorneys General Anthony Thach and Emily Nelson, Senior Investigator Jennifer Treppa, and Paralegal Logan Young.

    A copy of the complaint is available here.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Leads Coalition to Support SNAP for Coloradans, Urges Congress Not to Cut Food Access for Coloradans

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Governor Polis led a coalition of organizations committed to food access and security to urge Congress not to cut Coloradans off from critical SNAP support. The coalition urging Congress not to cut food access includes farming, local government, state agencies, and hunger groups: Hunger Free Colorado, Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Colorado Human Services Directors Association, Colorado Counties, Inc., Feeding Colorado, Nourish Colorado, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, Mile High United Way, the Colorado School Nutrition Association, UFCW Local 7, Community Foodshare, Food Bank of the Rockies, Food Bank for Larimer County, Weld Food Bank, Care & Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Department of Human Services. 

    “SNAP is a longstanding lifeline providing basic food assistance for the most vulnerable Americans and supporting our agricultural producers, and the proposals included in H.R. 1 would both erode the fundamental infrastructure of our food safety net and transfer an unanticipated and severe financial burden to states at a time of extreme budgetary constraints,” Governor Polis and the groups wrote. 

    Monthly, approximately 617,000 Coloradans receive at least $120 million in SNAP benefits–enough to provide about 48 meals per person per month. In 2024, almost one million individual Coloradans received SNAP, half of whom were children, ten percent of whom were older Americans, and 15 percent of whom were Americans with disabilities. 

    SNAP injects over $486 million into the economy in wages for over ten thousand Colorado jobs, including farmers, grocers, manufacturers, delivery drivers, and other positions throughout the food supply chain. Over 21,000 Colorado grocery stores use SNAP, and almost $70 million is in turn generated in state tax revenue from enhanced local economic activity. 

    “These initiatives ensure our children have appropriate nutrition to support healthy growth and development, and also support the physical and mental health of our most vulnerable adults. States like Colorado are focused on improving public safety and investments in SNAP also yield public safety dividends, including decreases in theft, rates of relationship violence, and rates of recidivism,” the letter states. 

    “The severe impact of Congressional proposals to fundamentally alter cost-sharing cannot be overstated. The new match requirement and changes contained in H.R. 1 would cost Colorado hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds annually – up to $360 million in the House-passed version and up to $200 million in the currently proposed Senate version – a cost that represents both an abrupt reversal of the federal-state compact and an unmitigated financial burden that would likely require cuts to SNAP, extreme reductions to other critical state-funded initiatives, or likely both,” the group continued. 

    “As Governor Polis noted, these proposed SNAP cuts would be nothing short of devastating for communities across Colorado, especially in rural areas,” shared Joël McClurg, executive director of systems for the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger. “Shifting benefit costs and further increasing administrative shares would saddle our state with new obligations that rural and poorer counties simply cannot meet. Already operating on shoestring budgets, many of our counties would be forced to choose between absorbing new crushing costs or slashing critical services — and either path disproportionately punishes the very people who need support the most.” 

    “Not only is SNAP a valuable program for our communities, both rural and urban, it also provides a vital market for many of our farmers and ranchers,” said Chad Franke, President of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. “The family farmers and ranchers we represent know the value of providing local food to local communities. That’s why we are urging Congress to protect the local foods components of SNAP, such as Double Up Food Bucks,” Franke continued. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Peters Leads Colleagues to Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Critical Drug Supply Chains and Mitigate Shortages

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Ted Budd (R-NC) have reintroduced the bipartisan Rolling Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and Drug (RAPID) Reserve Act to help increase supply chain resiliency for critical generic drugs and their key ingredients by bolstering supply reserves and domestic production capacity through federal contracts. The RAPID Reserve Act would help reduce drug shortages, enhance preparedness, and mitigate national security threats from U.S. overreliance on China for critical medications and their key ingredients.  

    Drug shortages are lasting longer and continue to impact patients, hospitals, and health care providers, increasing the risk of medication errors, rationing, and delays in patient care.  In a 2023 report, Peters found that at least 15 critical medications remained in shortage for over a decade.  Many of the life-saving generic drug products that regularly experience shortages are complex to manufacture and cost pennies on the dollar.  The legislation builds on recommendations from Peters’ prior investigative reports in 2019 and?2023,?which found that generic drug manufacturers’ ability to surge production and store supplies are often limited because they regularly operate at or near full capacity.?

    “Every American should be able to get the medicine they need when they need it.  Increasing domestic and reliable manufacturing capacity for our critical, lifesaving medications is essential to addressing drug shortages that can compromise patient care,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan bill will help ensure Americans receive the essential medications they need while strengthening our ability to respond to future public health crises.”   

    “The United States faces a national security threat from its overreliance on Communist China for vital drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients,” said Senator Blackburn. “We must boost domestic manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and help sustain sufficient reserves of medications. The RAPID Reserve Act would ensure Americans will always have access to the medication they need.”  

    “While we’ve taken a lot of steps to increase domestic manufacturing of critical medicines and key ingredients, we still have more to do,” said Senator Kaine. “This bipartisan legislation would reduce our reliance on foreign countries, encourage drug manufacturers to increase domestic production, and help prevent drug shortages.”  

    “For far too long, America has faced a drug shortage that not only threatens patients’ health but poses a national security risk by forcing us to rely on Communist China’s supply chains for essential medications,” said Senator Budd. “I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan RAPID Reserve Act to bring drug manufacturing back to the U.S., prioritize sufficient medication reserves, and support increased production in emergencies to reliably meet patient demand.”  

    The RAPID Reserve Act would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award contracts to quality manufacturers of critical generic drug products who are based in the United States or in a country that is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in order to maintain reserves of critical medications and their key ingredients while building the capacity to surge production when needed.  Through these contracts, which would prioritize domestic manufacturers, the RAPID Reserve Act would help strengthen vulnerable supply chains by ensuring that when there is a disruption in supply, manufacturers can draw on reserves and surge production to meet demand.    

    Senators Peters, Blackburn, Budd, and Kaine have also sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting the agency examine underutilized domestic manufacturing capacity and federal efforts to invest in advanced manufacturing capabilities.  

    The RAPID Reserve Act is supported by the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA), and Phlow.  Below are quotes in support of the senators’ legislation:     

    “Getting the right treatment at the right time is an essential part of achieving the best possible outcome for anyone with a cancer diagnosis” said Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Board Chair Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO. “ASCO supports the RAPID Reserve Act, because it would take steps to ensure that critical cancer drug treatments are available when our patients need them.”   

    “ASHP strongly supports the RAPID Reserve Act. By establishing reserves of both active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished products, the legislation creates greater resiliency in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain and reduces the harmful impacts of shortages on patient care,” said Tom Kraus, Vice President of ASHP Government Relations.??  

    “?HDA is pleased to support the RAPID Reserve Act. This bill is an important step forward in supply chain resilience. By creating solutions that build more capacity and redundancy in the system, the nation will be more prepared for disasters and disease outbreaks in the future.” – Nicolette Louissaint, PhD, Chief Policy Officer, Healthcare Distribution Alliance  

    “Americans must have reliable access to critical essential medicines and the ingredients to make them, produced right here on U.S. soil. This access is not merely a convenience; it’s a national imperative to safeguard public health in the face of future public health emergencies, trade disruptions, conflicts with adversarial nations, or natural disasters. This bill represents a vital and long-overdue first step toward building a resilient, secure domestic pharmaceutical industrial base, one that will finally put an end to the persistent shortages of essential medicines that have long jeopardized the healthcare of every American,” said Dr. Eric Edwards, CEO and Founder of Phlow Corp.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell Statement on Israeli Strikes in Iran

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding Israeli strikes in Iran last night:

    “Iran’s war against Israel and the United States is decades old. Directly and by proxy, it has plotted and conducted attacks against U.S. servicemembers, diplomats, former officials, and even dissidents inside the American homeland.  It has done the same against its Arab neighbors, peaceful nations around the world, and — with particular savagery — the Jewish people for daring to preserve and protect a Jewish state.

    “When Tehran prescribes ‘death to Israel, death to America’, our closest ally in the Middle East takes this murderous, nuclear-obsessed regime at its word. America must do the same.

    “Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s dramatic operations in Lebanon, Syria, and now Iran have given the entire region an opportunity to rid itself of Tehran’s terrorist spiderweb. I hope and pray that Israel’s bold and brave direct strikes against the Iranian death machine and nuclear program will hasten this future for a region of tremendous importance to the United States.

    “In Israel’s fierce self-defense, America must recognize a broader, global lesson about the value of allies and partners. From Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific, we and our friends are stronger when we stand together.

    “There must be no daylight between the United States and allies and partners defending their sovereignty, democracy, and way of life against theocratic or authoritarian aggression. America must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. And Iran’s remaining leaders must recognize that the time has come to abandon their decades-long obsession with terror and nuclear war.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion: AUKUS update to IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion: AUKUS update to IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025

    Update by Australia, the UK and the USA (AUKUS) to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion programme

    Thank you, Chair.

    I have the honour of speaking on behalf of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to provide an update to the Board of Governors on Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion (NNP) program.

    Chair,

    Bilateral consultations between Australia and the Agency on the safeguards and verification approach for Australia’s program, including an arrangement under Article 14 of Australia’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA), are ongoing.

    As the Director General stated in his report to this Board last November, these consultations are guided by the relevant provisions of the Agency’s Statute, and Australia’s CSA and Additional Protocol (AP). The topics under discussion include the structure and content of Australia’s Article 14 arrangement; provisions for advance notification, reporting and verification prior to the entry of nuclear material into the arrangement; and the circumstances under which the arrangement will apply.

    Technical discussions also continue on ways to facilitate possible verification and monitoring activities, and on the structure of material balance areas, facilities and sites at relevant locations in Australia, within the framework of Australia’s CSA and AP. 

    Chair,

    We reaffirm the fundamental commitment that ensures our approach sets the highest non-proliferation standard. Australia’s program will be subject to a robust package of safeguards and verification measures, enabling the Agency to continue to fulfil its technical objectives for Australia at all stages. Throughout the lifecycle of Australia’s conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines the Agency will continue to verify that there has been no diversion of nuclear material, no misuse of facilities, and no undeclared nuclear material or activities in Australia. 

    As the Director General has stated, Australia’s Article 14 arrangement, once finalised, will be referred to this Board for appropriate action – which we fully support. When the Article 14 arrangement comes before the Board of Governors, in the fullness of time, we expect it to be judged on its non-proliferation merits, on the basis of the Director General’s technical assessment.

    Chair,

    We remain committed to updating the Board on relevant developments concerning our three countries’ cooperation on NNP, as we have done since September 2021.

    Australia is continuing to build our capacity to operate and maintain our future conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines through support and training from the US and UK. To this end, consistent with the phased approach we announced in March 2023, Australia is receiving regular port visits from American nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia – which will continue and be supplemented in future by UK visiting submarines. There is a long history of US and UK submarines visiting Australia, and port visits by many nations are carried out regularly around the world.  Our cooperation is proceeding in full compliance with AUKUS partners’ respective international obligations, including Australia’s obligations under its CSA and AP, and under the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty.

    As the Director General confirmed in his report last November, the Agency continues to undertake independent verification activities in relation to Australia’s program; and Australia continues to provide the Agency all information required under its CSA and AP.

    Chair,

    We support the Director General’s ongoing commitment to report to the Board on NNP programs, as he judges appropriate. He did this last November, and he has also done so at this Board in the Safeguards Implementation Report for 2024. We continue to welcome technically focused discussions at the Board, under agenda items proposed by the Director General and guided by his reporting.

    AUKUS partners remain committed to transparency and setting the highest non-proliferation standard for Australia’s NNP program. We welcome opportunities to present information and address genuine questions regarding Australia’s NNP program. Since 2023 we have co-hosted a side event on our non-proliferation approach at each NPT PrepCom meeting – most recently on 1 May in New York. We will continue to provide updates to the Board and in other fora, as appropriate.

    Thank you, Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Georgia Tax Preparer for Fabricating Expenses and Credits

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Note: View complaint here.

    The Justice Department filed a complaint today to permanently bar tax preparer Tanja D. Hollis, of Griffin, Georgia, and her business, Tanja Tax Preparations LLC, from preparing federal tax returns for others.

    The complaint, filed in a federal court in Newnan, Georgia, alleges that Hollis prepared and filed false federal tax returns through Tanja Tax Preparations that understated her customers’ tax liabilities by reporting false or exaggerated business expenses and claiming tax credits for false education expenses.

    According to the complaint, despite knowing them to be false, Hollis prepared returns claiming business expenses for customers who did not own or operate a business and education expenses for customers who were not enrolled as students. The IRS interviewed Tanja Tax Preparations customers who said they did not give Hollis any reason to believe that the items reported on their returns were legitimate.

    The complaint alleges that, by repeatedly understating her customers’ tax liabilities, Hollis caused the United States to lose substantial tax revenue.

    In addition to a permanent injunction, the complaint asks the court to order Hollis to turn over the ill-gotten tax preparation fees she earned while preparing and filing fraudulent tax returns.

    Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen Tax Scams, and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax preparer, launched a free directory of federal tax preparers, and offers information on how to avoid “ghost” tax preparers whose refusal to sign a return should be a red flag to taxpayers. The IRS also has a checklist of things to remember when filing income tax returns. In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found here. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.

    MIL OSI USA News –