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Category: Natural Disasters

  • MIL-OSI USA: Be Prepared Before Disaster Strikes: Missouri Resources to Protect What Matters Most

    Source: US State of Missouri

     

     

    Be Prepared Before Disaster Strikes: Missouri Resources to Protect What Matters Most

    By Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, CPA

     

    Missourians know all too well the power of nature. From spring floods to winter ice storms, disasters can strike quickly and leave lasting damage to homes, businesses, and entire communities. As we look ahead to the severe weather season, preparation is our strongest defense.

     

    While sandbags and backup generators often come to mind, there’s another side of disaster preparation that’s just as critical: safeguarding your records and knowing who you can trust when it’s time to rebuild. That’s where my office comes in.

     

    The Missouri State Archives, a division of the Secretary of State’s Office, plays an important role in helping both government agencies and private citizens preserve and protect important documents. Whether you’re a local government looking to safeguard essential records, or a small business backing up contracts and permits, our team can help guide you in disaster-proofing your most important files. We offer government records management guidance, preservation best practices, and disaster response support for when the unexpected happens. Because when floodwaters rise or fires strike, recovering quickly often depends on having secure access to your records.

     

    For businesses and homeowners rebuilding after a disaster, it’s essential to work with reputable contractors and service providers. Our Business Services Division offers an easy way to check the standing of companies registered to do business in Missouri. Before you hire someone for repairs or renovations, take a few minutes to verify their registration and ensure they’re in good standing. It’s a simple step that can help protect you from scams or unlicensed operators who prey on disaster-stricken communities . Business Services can also assist in obtaining a copy of your business license.

     

    Preparation isn’t just about what we do in the moment—it’s about what we do before the storm ever hits. I encourage Missourians to take a few practical steps now:

    • scan your key documents and store them securely,
    • research local contractors in advance, and
    • know where to turn for help if disaster does come your way.

     

    At the Secretary of State’s Office, we’re committed to being part of that safety net. Whether it’s preserving the history of our state or helping communities recover and rebuild, our team is here to serve. You can learn more about all resources available from the Secretary of State’s Office at https://www.sos.mo.gov/.

     

    Stay safe, stay prepared, and know that Missouri stands strong—no matter the weather.

     

     

    About Secretary of State Denny Hoskins

    Denny Hoskins, CPA, was elected Missouri’s 41st Secretary of State in November 2024. With a strong background in business and public service, he is committed to improving government efficiency, transparency, and supporting Missouri families.

     

    For more information, please contact: Rachael Dunn, Director of Communications, via email at [email protected].

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: What are Key Conditions for Marsh Survival Amid Rising Seas?

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Figure shows satellite image of China Camp marsh, with model boundaries from the Delft3D model shown with white lines and the observation points marked with red dots; red lines mark where x and y are 0. Click “View Media Details” for the full figure explanation.

    A new study led by USGS scientists uses advanced 3D modeling to identify the key factors that determine whether a marsh gains or loses sediment—findings that could improve efforts to protect these vital ecosystems.

    How Marshes Keep Up with Sea-Level Rise

    For a marsh to keep pace with sea-level rise, it must build up enough sediment via accretion to counteract erosion. This sediment can come from nearby rivers, bays, and mudflats, but the process of sediment transport is complex and often poorly understood. In the study, researchers created a numerical model incorporating flow, waves, vegetation, and sediment movement to better understand which conditions help or hinder marsh survival.

    Their analysis found that marshes accumulate sediment the fastest when two of the following occur simultaneously: 

    By simulating these interactions, researchers were able to fine-tune their model parameters and improve predictions about sediment accretion, and thus marsh resilience.

    Why It Matters

    Coastal marshes provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife, buffer shorelines from storm surges, and help store carbon, making their survival essential in the face of climate change. This study highlights the importance of adjacent mudflats in delivering sediment to marshes, and underscores how small variations in wave activity and sediment behavior can play an outsized role in marsh resilience.

    By improving how models capture these dynamics, scientists can better predict how marshes will respond to sea-level rise and identify strategies for their protection. These findings could help guide future restoration efforts and inform coastal management policies. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Carjackings

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of announced today that James Poole (age 19) was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for his role in armed carjackings in Milwaukee.

    According to court records, Poole participated in two armed carjackings in late January 2024.  In each of the carjackings, Poole brandished a firearm. On January 29, 2024, at approximately 7:45 pm, Poole committed a carjacking on the 2400 block of N. Farwell Avenue on the East Side of Milwaukee. The following day, at approximately 5:00 pm, Poole engaged in a carjacking in a parking lot in downtown Milwaukee, near 2nd Street and Plankinton Avenue. Shortly after the second carjacking, while driving the stolen vehicle, Poole led members of the Milwaukee Police Department on a high-speed chase through residential neighborhoods and reaching speeds of 90 mph. Poole ultimately crashed the stolen car into a tree near 82nd and Burleigh Streets, causing life-threatening injuries to all passengers inside the stolen vehicle. Following his term of imprisonment, Poole also will spend three years on supervised release.  He also was ordered to pay restitution.

    Poole’s co-defendant, Jabari Griffin (age 21), was sentenced on February 27, 2025, for his role in aiding and abetting Poole in the January 30, 2024, carjacking. Griffin was sentenced to 6 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release.      

    “Individuals who engage in violent crimes – like these armed carjackings – not only endanger the lives and well-being of their victims but also can shatter the confidence of all residents that our cities are safe places in which to live and work,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with all of its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold these individuals accountable for their actions and to pursue justice for all impacted victims.”

    “Armed carjackings and the dangerous actions of those who committed the offenses in this case endangered the public and impacted the victims of this crime. This sentencing reflects the severity of the crimes committed by James Poole,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “The FBI remains steadfastly committed to working with our partners to investigate violent crime matters—to include armed carjackings—in our ongoing efforts to positively impact public safety within our community.”

    “The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) is proud of the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in holding violent individuals accountable for their actions. Armed carjackings are violent acts that cause great harm to our community.  Those that bring harm to our community must be held accountable.” said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. “MPD values our collaboration with the community, federal, state and local law enforcement partners to build a safer city for everyone to live, work and play.”   

    This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Milwaukee Area Violent Crimes Task Force, including the Milwaukee Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abbey M. Marzick and Michael C. Schindhelm.

    # # #

    For Additional Information Contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    414-297-1700

     

    Follow us on Twitter

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sentences Imposed in Northeast Kingdom Drug Distribution Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on March 31, 2025, Nathaniel “JJ” Jones, 39, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a term of 135 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Jones previously pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and cocaine.

    Three codefendants had previously been sentenced in the case. Jermaine “Bear” Douchette, 44, of Springfield, Massachusetts also received a sentence of 135 months’ imprisonment on December 16, 2024. Michelle Provencher, 26, of Irasburg, Vermont received a sentence of 37 months’ imprisonment on February 10, 2025. Daniel Peters, 29, of Newport, Vermont received a sentence of 45 months’ imprisonment on February 24, 2025. Three additional codefendants—Tyler Norris, Erica Desormeaux, and Jeremy Young—are awaiting sentencing.

    According to court records, “JJ” Jones and co-defendant “Bear” Douchette stayed at multiple short-term rental units and residences in Orleans County in 2022 while distributing fentanyl and cocaine they periodically acquired in Massachusetts. Between August and October 2022, they used the residence of Desormeaux and Young in Barton, Vermont, to prepare, store, and distribute the drugs to customers in the Northeast Kingdom. Provencher assisted Jones and Douchette in finding customers and willing hosts. Many of the conspirators carried firearms as part of their activities, and the group took firearms from some customers in exchange for drugs. Some of the group, including Jones and Douchette, made threats and engaged in acts of violence in furtherance of the conspiracy.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Northern Vermont Drug Task Force (NVDTF) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in this case. He also noted the assistance NVDTF and ATF received from the Vermont State Police, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, the Newport Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, and Homeland Security Investigations throughout the investigation and prosecution.

    “This case underscores the relentless commitment of ATF and our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that threaten the safety of our communities through the distribution of deadly narcotics and illegal firearms,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division. “The sentences handed down as a result of this investigation send a clear message:  we will not tolerate violent criminal activity in the Northeast Kingdom or anywhere else in Vermont.”

    “Our commitment to community safety remains unwavering”, said Sheriff Jennifer L. Harlow of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department. “We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle drug trafficking organizations that distribute deadly narcotics and illegal firearms. We thank our federal partners for their dedication to ensuring these individuals are held responsible.”

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher. Jones was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.; Douchette was represented by Gregory Mertz, Esq; Provencher was represented by Robert Sussman, Esq.; and Peters was represented by Heather Ross, Esq. Tyler Norris is represented by Chandler Matson, Esq.; Erica Desormeaux is represented by Natasha Sen, Esq.; and Jeremy Young is represented by Allan Sullivan, Esq. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Join Senate Democrats in Demanding Trump Rescind Illegal Executive Order Threatening Federal Employee Collective Bargaining Agreements

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján
    Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in urging President Donald Trump to rescind his March 27 executive order to end collective bargaining agreements between public employee unions and dozens of federal agencies and bureaus. In their letter, the Democratic Senators blasted the move as a “gross overreach” of presidential authority, asserting that the executive order is a clear attempt to gut the federal merit-based civil service and implement a system of political cronyism. They stressed that the order poses a grave threat to the ability of over 1 million federal workers to carry out their missions and deliver important services for the American people – and thus should be rescinded immediately.
    “We write today in outrage over your recent executive order entitled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs, a gross overreach of the authority granted in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA). This order is an insult to the hardworking public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people,” the Senators began.
    “The executive order effectively classifies two thirds of the federal workforce as having national security missions, a blatant misuse of a limited authority intended to provide operational flexibility to address legitimate security needs,” they continued. “There is no evidence that the long-standing collective bargaining agreements at these agencies have jeopardized our nation’s security in any way; to the contrary, the protection collective bargaining has provided for employees allows them to conduct their work on behalf of the American people—including blowing the whistle on fraud or abuse—without political interference.”
    “This Administration clearly does not have even a basic understanding of the legally binding nature of federal collective bargaining agreements and is actively trying to bend the law to undermine protections for federal civil servants. We urge you to immediately rescind this illegal executive order so that our dedicated public servants can continue to work on behalf of the American public without fear for their job or political retribution,” the Senators concluded.
    The Senators’ letter is endorsed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
    Led by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Senators Heinrich and Luján were joined on this letter by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    A copy of the letter is available here and below.
    Dear President Trump: 
    We write today in outrage over your recent executive order entitled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs, a gross overreach of the authority granted in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA). 
    This order is an insult to the hardworking public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people. They care for our veterans, deliver disaster assistance, prevent wildfires, help farmers improve crop yields, manage health benefits for 9/11 first responders, research treatments and cures for diseases, keep air travel safe, process tax returns, staff our national parks and much, much more. Nearly one third of these dedicated civil servants are veterans seeking to continue their service to our country out of uniform.  
    The executive order effectively classifies two thirds of the federal workforce as having national security missions, a blatant misuse of a limited authority intended to provide operational flexibility to address legitimate security needs. The national security exemption has existed for nearly 50 years and has been used only sparingly by Republican and Democratic Administrations—including during your first term—to exclude federal offices with an unquestionable core function in intelligence, counterintelligence, or national security. There is no evidence that the long-standing collective bargaining agreements at these agencies have jeopardized our nation’s security in any way; to the contrary, the protection collective bargaining has provided for employees allows them to conduct their work on behalf of the American people—including blowing the whistle on fraud or abuse—without political interference. 
    Federal employees’ collective bargaining agreements are critical to ensuring they continue to serve the American people with the peace of mind that comes with being protected from unfair labor practices. Unlike in the private sector, federal employee unions in most cases cannot negotiate pay or benefits, which are set by Congress, and they are legally prohibited from striking. The federal collective bargaining agreements do, however, protect federal employees from illegal firings, retaliation, and discrimination. They also promote resources for whistleblowers and veterans. These federal union contracts give employees in the civil service protections from retaliation so they can serve the American people fairly and effectively without partisan political interference.  
    This executive order, which ruthlessly strips collective bargaining agreements for over one million federal workers, is the most recent attack your Administration has levied against our merit-based civil service in the effort to cut the workforce and replace them with political cronies. While the CSRA does give the president the authority to limit collective bargaining agreements due to national security concerns, the executive order’s direction to terminate mass swaths of federal employee collective bargaining agreements is clearly intended to broadly dismantle the CSRA, which is specifically designed to grant federal employees the right to collective bargaining as a means to resolve workplace issues while maintaining the smooth functioning of government operations.  
    When the Secretary of Labor testified in February in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Members of Congress asked her both in-person and through questions for the record whether she and the Administration would commit to honoring all legally binding collective bargaining agreements signed by federal agencies and labor unions, and whether federal employees have the right to organize and collectively bargain without fear of retaliation. The Secretary answered, “if confirmed, I will follow the law and work with the experts at the Department to understand the collective bargaining process at the Department and the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreements in place.” This Administration clearly does not have even a basic understanding of the legally binding nature of federal collective bargaining agreements and is actively trying to bend the law to undermine protections for federal civil servants.  
    We urge you to immediately rescind this illegal executive order so that our dedicated public servants can continue to work on behalf of the American public without fear for their job or political retribution.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Delivers Remarks On His Credit Card Competition Act At National Restaurant Association Conference

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    April 02, 2025
    Following his remarks, Durbin met with Illinois members of the National Restaurant Association
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered remarks and participated in a fireside chat at the National Restaurant Association’s annual conference.  In his remarks, Durbin spoke about his bipartisan legislation, the Credit Card Competition Act, which would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market that is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly.  Building off of debit card competition reforms enacted by Congress in 2010, the bill would direct the Federal Reserve to ensure that giant credit card-issuing banks offer a choice of at least two networks over which an electronic credit transaction may be processed.  If enacted, the legislation would save merchants and consumers an estimated $15 billion each year.
    Following his remarks, Durbin met with Illinois members of the National Restaurant Association to discuss the impact of swipe fees on their businesses.  In 2023, merchants paid nearly $101 billion in Visa-Mastercard credit card fees, becoming one of the most expensive costs of operating a business.
      
    Photos of Durbin delivering his remarks and with Illinois members of the National Restaurant Association can be found here.
    Durbin’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:
    U.S. Senator Dick Durbin Remarks at National Restaurant Association Conference
    April 2, 2025
    As prepared for delivery
    Thank you to all of the business owners and restaurant operators for joining us today.  It is an honor to be here.
    We are here in large part to talk about my Credit Card Competition Act—legislation that would add much-needed competition into the credit card market and reduce the excessive swipe fees that hurt businesses and consumers around the country.
    After helping lead the passage of the Durbin Amendment—legislation that capped interchange fees for debit card transactions—I heard from business owners across the country that there was still work to be done.
    The main area of reform this time?  Swipe fees for credit cards.
    Don from Alabama shared with my office that swipe fees represent approximately 10 percent of his total expenses for the gas stations he owns and operates—the number one item on his expense list.
    Another small business owner, George, owns a convenience store on the Florida Gulf Coast.  After covering the cost of goods, the swipe fees he pays often consume the entirety of his gross profit on single-item transactions—leaving him with nothing.
    Jignesh from Chattanooga, Tennessee, said that the cost of credit card fees his gas station pays is almost as much as paying for one to one-and-a-half employees.
    The same predatory practices that led to the debit card reform are happening in the credit card space and business owners like you are feeling the hurt.
    In the next few days, you’ll meet with various Senators, Congressmen and women, and staff.
    In those meetings, I challenge you to tell your stories.  Tell your representative how swipe fees take up a huge portion of your budget, how they prevent you from lowering prices, and how you are not able to hire additional employees.
    Your stories have the ability to create change, and they need to be heard.
    Because the big banks, Wall Street, the Credit Card industry, all of the people who told us that debit card reform was impossible are again paying a pretty penny to tell a false story to Americans that the Credit Card Competition Act will hurt consumers.
    But they are wrong.  The legislation will give a fighting chance to restaurants like yours, support the mom-and-pop shops that make our communities feel whole, and ultimately keep money in the pockets of hardworking Americans.
    Just like we did with debit cards, we have an opportunity to reform the credit card industry and protect Americans from being exploited by the Big Banks.
    It is an honor to be your partner in this fight.  I look forward to chatting about how we can get it done together today.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Houston deports 174 criminal aliens to Mexico in 2 weeks who account for 610 criminal convictions as a group

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    April 3, 2025Houston, TX, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

    HOUSTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston field office deported 174 criminal aliens, including 24 gang members, to Mexico between March 17 to March 28 who as a group account for 610 criminal convictions and 415 removals from the United States.

    Notable among the 610 criminal convictions were:

    • Two convictions for homicide-related offenses.
    • Four convictions for rape or sexual assault.
    • Five convictions for child sex offenses.
    • 72 convictions for aggravated assault or assault.
    • 49 convictions for theft-related offenses.
    • Five convictions for firearms offenses.
    • 83 convictions for drug trafficking or drug possession-related offenses.
    • 146 convictions for driving while intoxicated.
    • Eight convictions for hit-and-run.
    • 22 convictions for human smuggling-related offenses.

    Many of the criminal aliens removed to Mexico during the two-week period have illegally entered the U.S. numerous times and been convicted of multiple criminal offenses. A few of the more egregious examples include:

    • A 36-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. 39 times and has been convicted of illegal entry four times and once for DWI, dangerous drugs, and fraud.
    • A 48-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. 13 times and has 25 criminal convictions including seven for narcotics offenses, six for resisting arrest, two for identity theft, two for domestic violence, two for assault, and once for battery, larceny, kidnapping, illegal entry, illegal reentry, and destruction of evidence.
    • A 50-year-old criminal alien from Mexico and documented Florencia 13 gang member who has been removed from the U.S. eight times and has been convicted of domestic violence, battery, possession of stolen property, drug possession, aggravated assault with a gun, and illegal entry.
    • A 60-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. seven times and has been convicted of eight DWIs, and once for assault and illegal reentry.
    • A 46-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. seven times and has been convicted three times for DWI, four times for illegal entry, twice for illegal reentry, twice for obstruction, and once for immigration fraud, narcotics possession, and burglary.

    “This is just a small snapshot of the amazing work that the brave men and women at ICE do every day to enhance public safety in Southeast Texas,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “Each day they put their lives on the line to apprehend and remove dangerous criminal aliens, transnational gang members and foreign fugitives who have illegally entered the U.S. and are preying on innocent, hardworking Texans. Fueled by our unwavering commitment to protect the public from harm, and united in our determination to restore integrity to our nation’s system of laws, ICE will continue to aggressively pursue and remove anyone who threatens the safety of our communities and the national security of our country.”

    For more news and information on ICE’s efforts to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and bolster public safety, national security and border security in Southeast Texas follow us on X at @EROHouston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three men sentenced for brutal attack on teenager

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A Met investigation into a savage attack where a man suffered life-changing injuries after he was shot and stabbed in broad daylight has led to three men being handed lengthy prison sentences.

    Caleb Wallace, 18 (05.01.07), of Beam Avenue, Barking and Dagenham, Hayat Umar, 18 (13.03.07) of Stern Close, Barking and Dagenham and Joshua Amoaka, 18 (03.08.2006), of Cornflower Road, Chelmsford were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 3 April.

    Wallace and Umar, who were both convicted of attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent and possession of a knife following a trial earlier this year were sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment each.

    Amoaka, who was previously found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent and possession of a knife, was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.

    All three were subject to between a third to a half reduction to their sentence due to being aged under 18 at the time the offence was committed.

    The court heard that on Thursday, 2 May 2024 the victim, who was 18 at the time of the incident, was cycling along Whalebone Lane South in Dagenham when Wallace, Umar and Amoaka jumped out of a vehicle and chased him.

    While attempting to escape from his attackers, the victim briefly collided with a member of the public and fell off his bike. In CCTV footage seen by the jury in court, Umar can be seen firing a sawn-off shotgun into the back of the victim at point-blank range before Wallace stabs him with a machete. Amoaka is also seen in the footage standing nearby, all during the day and in full-view of passers-by.

    Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and treated the victim at the scene before he was taken to hospital. His injuries were life-changing and he required a number of significant surgeries and extensive time spent in hospital recovering.

    Detective Inspector Iain Wallace from the Specalist Crime Command, who led the investigation, said: “The brutality displayed by Wallace and Umar, while Amoaka stood menacingly by, all in broad daylight and in full view of passers-by is shocking.

    “This has been an incredibly distressing time for the victim and his family. Equally, many of those who witnessed such a vicious attack will still be deeply traumatised and concerned about safety in the community.

    “I hope these lengthy sentences will give the victim some small sense of closure, and allow those in the community to feel safer knowing that Wallace, Umar and Amoaka are no longer on the streets.”

    A determined manhunt began immediately following the attack, with officers speaking to witnesses at the scene as well as painstakingly combing through hours of CCTV footage to understand what took place and to track the movements of the attackers after they fled the scene.

    Umar and Wallace were arrested at an address in Kent on 10 May 2024. During a search of the address, officers found the distinct red trainers that Umar wore during the incident, as well as the multi-coloured trainers Wallace could be seen wearing on CCTV as he attacked the victim. A large black machete matching the one seen on CCTV was also discovered hidden under a bed at the property.

    Amoaka was arrested at an address in Birmingham on 17 May 2024, where officers found a quantity of class A drugs as well as a hunting knife.

    Wallace and Amoaka’s hats were both discarded at the scene after each came off while they chased the victim. They were sent for forensic testing. DNA found on the hats provided a match to both – further proof they had been at the scene.

    Officers also discovered a series of TikTok videos by a gang affiliated with the three men, where those in the videos brazenly claim responsibility for the attack while mocking the victim.

    This helped to further establish a watertight case against Wallace, Umar and Amoaka.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Importer and Distributer of Wholesale Quantities of Fentanyl Pleads Guilty

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

               WASHINGTON – Ronnie Rogers, 69, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy that imported and redistributed wholesale quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in the District of Columbia.

              The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

              Rogers pleaded guilty to a three-count Information charging him with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, and 100 grams or more of heroin; conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and cocaine base; and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

    U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 21, 2025. Rogers is eligible for a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison to a maximum of life.

              According to the plea agreement, between July 2021 and November 2023, Rogers coordinated with his co-conspirators to traffic fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base in the District of Columbia and elsewhere. This included over 12 kilograms of fentanyl (including carfentanil, which is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl), over 1967 grams of fentanyl analog (p-Fluorofentanyl, which is also more lethal than fentanyl), over 236 grams of heroin, over 500 grams of cocaine, and less than 28 grams of cocaine base.

              On November 29, 2023, law enforcement executed search warrants at Rogers’ various residences.

              At his apartment on the 1200 block of Massachusetts Avenue, NW, law enforcement recovered an array of narcotics that included a large baggie containing 494.8 grams of mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil; another baggie with 704.8 grams of carfentanil, an envelope containing 115.91 grams of fentanyl; another baggie containing 201 grams of fentanyl; and baggies containing 1,785 grams acetaminophen and 18 grams of fentanyl. In addition, officers recovered a Smith & Wesson SD-40 firearm, a Glock 43 pistol, a Rugar LCP pistol, $23,000 in cash, and an assortment of drug packaging materials and scales.

              At Roger’s residence on the 6500 block of Gateway Boulevard, in District Heights, Maryland, law enforcement recovered more narcotics and weapons including two baggies containing 151 grams of fentanyl; plastic bags containing 2.4 grams of xylazine and 1.8 grams of heroin; baggies containing bundles of smaller bags containing 7.7 grams of  fentanyl, heroin, xylazine, 1.4 grams of carfentanil, and 2.8 grams of acetaminophen, 20 small baggies containing 5.1 grams of fentanyl, heroin and xylazine; and bags containing 97.3 grams of heroin and fentanyl, 45.4 grams of cocaine base, and 14.2 grams of fentanyl with xylazine. Officers also recovered a Smith &Wesson .357 revolver, a Springfield XD 9mm firearm, a Canik TP9 pistol, assorted ammunition and magazines and $1,524 in cash.

              At another residence utilized by Rogers located on the 2100 block of Pineview Court, Waldorf, Maryland, law enforcement recovered a FedEx parcel containing 1,013 grams of fentanyl.

             This operation 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.

             This case is being investigated by the DEA Washington Division, the FBI Washington Field Office, the Alexandria Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Washington Field Division, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Montgomery County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Interdiction Unit, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Arlington County Police, Montgomery County Department of Police, Virginia State Police, Loudoun County Sherriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland (Greenbelt), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

              The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Eliopoulos and Matthew Kinskey of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Section.

    23cr394

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Yarralumla Nursery banks seeds for the future

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Yarralumla Nursery’s staff carefully monitor the conditions of the seed bank.

    When bushfire swept through Yarramundi Reach in 2003, it took with it Roman Cypress trees first planted in 1916.

    While that exact type of Cyprus could well have disappeared from the ACT, Yarralumla Nursery’s seed bank came to the rescue.

    “Yarralumla Nursery’s seed bank is a wonderful resource that has been used to create Canberra’s urban forest,” the nursery’s Senior Director Matt Parker said.

    “We were able to propagate the same genetic Cyprus from our seed bank.”

    The seed bank is a living record of every seed collected, purchased and stored at the Yarralumla Nursery since 1913.

    The latest to be added are the seeds of the Bunya Pine tree.

    Native to Queensland, these large conifers hold sacred values for First Nations peoples and come from a plant family dating back to the Jurassic period.

    Bunya Pines can be found throughout Canberra – from the National Arboretum to Lanyon Homestead.

    The seed bank is a valuable historical asset for the nursery and the role it has played in establishing Canberra’s green spaces.

    It now contains over 200 genus of seeds, with relevant information painstakingly recorded.

    Seeds are stored in alphabetical order, in old glass ‘lolly’ jars of all shapes and sizes.

    They are hand-labelled with the species weight and seed registration number and consistently maintained at 20–22°C.

    “If seeds are dried and stored correctly, there are minimal issues,” Yarralumla Nursery Production Operations Manager Belinda Ryan said.

    “Our propagation staff specialise in monitoring the conditions of the seed bank and storing the seeds. For example, jars need to be at least two-thirds full of seed to maintain temperature and reduce air moisture and you can’t put seed into warm jars as this may break seed dormancy, meaning they could start to grow.”

    Around 15,000 plant cards – which staff refer to as birth certificates – feature seed information dating back to 1913.

    While these were once housed in wooden draws at the nursery they have since been digitised and are available on the Archives ACT website.

    “Some Eucalyptus species from the ’60s are still viable and germinating,” Belinda said.

    “The seed bank at Yarralumla Nursery is an amazing space full of nostalgia; I like searching through and finding the oldest seeds,” Matt said.

    And now the newest are safely stored under B for Bunya Pine.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Felon Indicted Following Traffic Stop in Northwest D.C.

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

              WASHINGTON – Trevon Timothy Vines, 30, of Washington, D.C., has been indicted on a federal gun charge in the latest case to be federally adopted as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative. 

              The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Sean T. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

              Vines was indicted on one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment for a Term Exceeding One Year. 

              According to court documents, on March 15, 2025, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the vicinity of 1820 7th Street NW after observing a traffic infraction. It is alleged that during the course of the stop, officers observed several open containers of alcohol and requested that all occupants exit the vehicle.

              It is alleged that one of the occupants, defendant Vines, was seated in the front passenger seat and holding a cup consistent with the others observed. As officers attempted to place Vines in handcuffs, they felt what they immediately recognized to be a handgun on his person in a front left jacket pocket. Vines then began physically resisting, grabbing one officer’s vest and attempting to move him while repeatedly reaching for the weapon forcibly.

              Officers eventually recovered the firearm and discovered that it had been reported stolen from a gun dealer in White Plains, Maryland.

              An investigation revealed that Vines is a convicted felon with multiple prior convictions. At the time of the incident, Vines was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal and D.C. law. He did not have a license to carry or own a firearm in the District of Columbia.

              This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, ATF Baltimore Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.

              This case is part of Make D.C. Safe Again, a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

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

     

    ###

     

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Slams Trump, Musk for Reckless Cuts to Americans’ Services, Benefits

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    April 03, 2025
    1.5 million Massachusetts residents could see benefits cut due to Trump admin gutting Social Security Administration
    Washington, D.C. – Following the launch of Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room to fight back against Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s efforts to gut the Social Security Administration, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released new data showing how the cuts could impact 1.5 million Massachusetts residents. 
    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are taking a chainsaw to the Social Security Administration and threatening the benefits millions of Americans have paid into their entire working lives—including 1.5 million Massachusetts residents. I’ve got a message for Trump and Elon: get your hands off our Social Security. We should be pushing to increase Social Security benefits, not dealing with these indirect cuts,” said Senator Warren. 
    Despite President Trump’s promise that he “won’t touch” Social Security benefits, his administration has already fired thousands of workers—including those responsible for processing and disbursing Social Security checks—and closed regional offices across the country. Recent reporting has indicated that SSA is considering firing up to 50 percent of its staff and shutting down at least 45 field offices. At the same time the Trump administration is slashing the agency’s workforce, it has also made it harder for Americans to access their Social Security benefits by ending vital phone services, instead forcing recipients to navigate online platforms or go in person—even as offices are increasingly short-staffed or shuttered altogether.  
    Senator Warren revealed that these reckless cuts may affect nearly 1.5 million people in Massachusetts:

    County  

    Social Security Beneficiaries Receiving Monthly Checks or SSI   

    Total in Monthly Payments

    Barnstable

    77,120

    $155,150,000

    Berkshire

    35,665

    $66,082,000

    Bristol

    125,850

    $224,281,000

    Dukes 

    4,935

    $10,020,000

    Essex 

    158,485

    $308,304,000

    Franklin

    18,925

    $33,215,000

    Hampden

    103,350

    $188,346,000

    Hampshire

    34,655

    $64,499,000

    Middlesex

    258,290

    $538,105,000

    Nantucket

    1,915

    $4,222,000

    Norfolk

    128,760

    $264,093,000

    Plymouth

    116,570

    $227,367,000

    Suffolk

    97,045

    $176,515,000

    Worcester

    162,745

    $307,974,000

    Total 

    1,489,212

    $2,568,173,000

    This information is sourced from the Social Security Administration’s data for SSI and Old Age, Survivors, and Disability benefits (traditional retirement benefits). 
    This week, Senator Warren led Senate Democrats in launching a new Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The senators announced the effort at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol. 
    The War Room will focus on coordinating messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encouraging grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educating Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to service and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Drone Surveying Market One of The Fastest Growing Segments of the Drone Industry as Revenue Opportunity Climbs

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – The US Drone Surveying Market has been the Global Market Leader in recent years and is expected to continue for years to come. The US has been the market leader in the drone industry since the start of the drone revolution. Across industries, companies have employed drones for their day-to-day operations. Industries such as pharmaceuticals, mining, real estate, and agriculture are some of the prominent end-use industries for the drone surveying market. According to an industry report, the US drone surveying market is expected to witness double-digit market growth in the forecast period and is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 2540.0 million by the end of 2033. The construction and mining industry is expected to be the market leader in the demand for drone surveying services. Increased spending from governments and rising demand for residential and commercial spaces would add a significantly high pace to the overall drone surveying demand in the US. The report said; “Why Land Survey Commands Largest Market Share? The drone land survey as a service is a common one among all industries. The demand for land surveys arises from sectors such as construction, mining, energy, real estate, public administration, and agriculture among others. That is why land survey services contribute most to the drone survey company’s revenue. The drone land survey holds around 53% of the total market share in the drone survey industry. With the help of drone land surveys, companies/institutions get their desired datasets which ultimately help them in making informed decisions. For example, a land survey for infrastructure development can help companies and planning and development by providing required 3D maps or images. It is expected that the land survey market to remain the top revenue contributor for drone survey service providers.”   Active Companies in the drone industry today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR), Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR), EHang (NASDAQ: EH), Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT).

    Fact.MR continued: “Construction Industry to Contribute Most to the Drone Surveying Service Demand. The spending on infrastructural development has been all-time high across the major economies of the world. The market players are taking the help of drone service providers in different stages of planning and development. Drone surveying companies provide services for the use of town planning, land record digitalization, urban city development, and other development-related services. With the help of drones, companies are able to cover increased areas (acres of land/area) within no time, and with precise and accurate data. These collected images and data can be easily converted into meaningful output, which can be useful in the planning and development of urban towns. Drone surveying has been very useful for the construction industry by providing important insights with minimal cost and improved efficiency.”

    ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) Closes Second Southeast Region Acquisition, Wallace Surveying Corporation, Set to Become the Third Acquisition to Power Its National Drone as a Service (DaaS) Business – ZenaTech, Inc. (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone, Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions, announces that it has closed the acquisition of Wallace Surveying Corporation (“Wallace”) of West Palm Beach, Florida, a well-established land survey company with thirty years of experience. Wallace provides construction and land development surveys delivering accurate and reliable data that supports project planning and design for developers, contractors, engineers, and architect customers.

    This is ZenaTech’s second acquisition in the Southeast region as part of a larger national roll-up strategy to disrupt the land survey industry by accelerating the use of drones for speed and accuracy benefits. The acquisition also further powers the Company’s national Drone as a Service, or DaaS, business as the third US acquisition set to provide access to the ZenaDrone 1000 and the IQ series. These multifunction drones are set to provide a variety of services including power line inspections, precision agriculture, law enforcement, and search and rescue for natural disasters such as hurricanes.

    “Wallace Surveying Corporation is well respected in the South Florida business community with longstanding existing customer relationships. Its team brings considerable expertise toward our goal of innovating land surveys at scale leveraging advanced drone data collection, data management, mapping and digital deliverables. This acquisition is another step towards our vision to create a national DaaS business, bringing AI drone efficiencies and precision to a variety of legacy verticals and manual tasks,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.

    ZenaTech’s Drones as a Service or DaaS model is similar to Software as a Service (SaaS), but instead of providing software solutions over the Internet, the company will offer ZenaDrone solutions and services on a subscription or pay-per-use basis. Customers can conveniently access drones for eliminating manual or time-consuming tasks achieving more precision, such as for surveying, inspections, security and law enforcement, or farming precision agriculture applications, without having to buy, operate, or maintain the drones themselves.

    The DaaS business model offers customers such as government agencies, real estate developers, construction firms, farmers or energy companies reduced upfront costs as there is no need to purchase expensive drones, as well as convenience, as there is no need to manage maintenance and operation. The model also offers scalability to use more often or less often based on business needs and enables access to advanced drone technology sensors or attachments like spraying, without the need for specialized training.

    Accurate land surveys are essential for the planning, designing, and executing of roads, bridges, and building projects for cities, commercial, and residential projects, and are required for legal purposes. Remotely piloted drones with an array of sensors and cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and GPS systems for capturing high-resolution pictures and data are revolutionizing the land survey industry gathering aerial data across expansive terrains in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months using more traditional photogrammetry methods. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/.

    In Additional ZENA News: ZenaTech’s (NASDAQ:ZENA) 2024 Financial Results Shows Revenue and Assets Increase.

    2024 Financial Results:

    • As of December 31, 2024, and consistent with its recent 6K filing, ZenaTech’s 2024 full-year revenue increased by 7% to $1.96 million as compared to $1.82 million for the full year of 2023 (all figures in $Cdn. dollars)
    • Comprehensive loss for the period was ($4.04 million) versus ($.251 million) last year due to increased one-time costs of listing on Nasdaq Capital Market from lawyers, accountants, auditors, financial advisor (investment banker) and other going public expenses
    • Assets have increased over 110% to $34.6 million at year-end 2024, up from $16.4 million at year-end 2023. This is due to the company’s acquisition of three patents, and a total of four software companies. In addition, the company has signed multiple Letters of Intent (LOIs) as part of an acquisition strategy that will tremendously increase future revenue
    • Liabilities continue to be low, having increased $3.7 million to $12.8 million at year-end 2024 from $9.1 million at year-end 2023
    • The Company’s ratio of debt to total capitalization is 31%, which is well within the accepted standard of less than 50%
    • ZenaTech’s existing cash and funds available through lines of credit will be sufficient to finance the next 12 months of the company’s operations. We anticipate that cash generated internally, and lines of credit will be sufficient to fund our drone development and acquisitions
    • Additional information is available from ZenaTech’s 6K filing on the SEC EDGAR website. The company will be filing its 20F by the due date, which is April 30, 2024, for Private Foreign Issuers. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.zenatech.com/newsroom/.

    Other recent developments in the drone/aviation industries include:

    Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) recently announced a partnership today to build the AI foundation for the future of next-gen aviation technologies. For decades, the aviation industry has made only incremental improvements, constrained by legacy technology and a dominant duopoly in commercial aviation. With the rapid acceleration of AI, as well as breakthroughs in distributed electric propulsion, the industry is now poised for change.

    The two plan to leverage Palantir Foundry and AIP to accelerate the scaling of Archer’s aircraft manufacturing capabilities at its facilities in Georgia and Silicon Valley, with the intent to advance the development of software solutions to drive innovation across the entire value chain.

    This would include the development of next-gen software utilizing AI to improve a range of aviation systems, including air traffic control, movement control and route planning, with the goal of improving efficiency, safety and affordability across the industry.

    Archer and Palantir will formalize this partnership later today during a signing ceremony between Palantir co-founder and CEO, Alex Karp, and Archer founder and CEO, Adam Goldstein, at Palantir’s AIPCon.

    EHang (NASDAQ: EH), the world’s leading Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology platform company, recently announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Guangdong EHang General Aviation Co., Ltd. (“EHang General Aviation”), and its joint venture company in Hefei, Hefei HeYi Aviation Co., Ltd. (“HeYi Aviation”), have been granted the first batch of Air Operator Certificates (“OC”) for civil human-carrying pilotless aerial vehicles by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (“CAAC”).

    This milestone officially marks the launch of China’s human-carrying flight era in the low-altitude economy, allowing citizens and consumers to purchase flight tickets for low-altitude tourism, urban sightseeing, and diverse commercial human-carrying flight services at related operation sites in Guangzhou and Hefei. In the future, operators will also gradually expand into more other scenarios such as urban commuting based on operational conditions legally and compliantly. The issuance of the first batch of OCs sets a new benchmark for the low-altitude economy and urban air mobility and further unleashing a more powerful vitality of the new-quality productive forces.

    Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, recently reported its financial results for the 2024 Transition Period (as of December 31, 2024 and the eight months then ended) and provides a corporate update.

    “Red Cat’s partnerships and global expansion strategy is already yielding strong results. Over the past few months, we’ve introduced the Black Widow and Edge 130 drones to key international markets, including the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and soon Latin America,” said Jeff Thompson, Red Cat CEO. “This momentum underscores growing global interest in our Family of Systems. The ongoing development of Black Widow for the U.S. Army’s SRR Program of Record, bolstered by AI partners like Palantir and Palladyne, we’re not only meeting immediate defense needs—we’re ensuring our warfighters and allies are well equipped for rapidly-evolving battlefield.”

    About FN Media Group:

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    DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks.  All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated fifty one hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by ZenaTech, Inc. by the Company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

    This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

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    SOURCE: FN Media Group

    The MIL Network –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Apr 3, 2025 Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook Issued on Apr 3, 2025

    Updated: Thu Apr 3 08:24:03 UTC 2025

     .

    D4
    Sun, Apr 06, 2025 – Mon, Apr 07, 2025
    D7
    Wed, Apr 09, 2025 – Thu, Apr 10, 2025

    D5
    Mon, Apr 07, 2025 – Tue, Apr 08, 2025
    D8
    Thu, Apr 10, 2025 – Fri, Apr 11, 2025

    D6
    Tue, Apr 08, 2025 – Wed, Apr 09, 2025
    (All days are valid from 12 UTC – 12 UTC the following day)

    Note: A severe weather area depicted in the Day 4-8 period indicates 15%, 30% or higher probability for severe thunderstorms within 25 miles of any point.

    PREDICTABILITY TOO LOW is used to indicate severe storms may be possible based on some model scenarios. However, the location or occurrence of severe storms are in doubt due to: 1) large differences in the deterministic model solutions, 2) large spread in the ensemble guidance, and/or 3) minimal run-to-run continuity.

    POTENTIAL TOO LOW means the threat for a regional area of organized severe storms appears unlikely (i.e., less than 15%) for the forecast day.

     Forecast Discussion

    ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL
    ACUS48 KWNS 030822
    SPC AC 030822

    Day 4-8 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0322 AM CDT Thu Apr 03 2025

    Valid 061200Z – 111200Z

    …DISCUSSION…
    Models are in relatively good agreement for the Sunday/D4 to
    Monday/D5 period, depicting an elongating upper trough sweeping east
    from the OH/TN Valleys to the East Coast.

    On Sunday/D4, a leading midlevel wave is forecast to move out of AR
    and across TN/KY, with little amplitude and poor lapse rates by this
    time. An extensive area of rain and thunderstorms will be ongoing
    along the length of the cold front throughout the day, from the
    Northeast to the northern Gulf Coast. Some severe wind threat is
    expected, mainly over parts of the Southeast where dewpoints will be
    higher and as deep-layer shear remains favorable.

    The trend of widespread precipitation along this front will continue
    into early Monday/D5, from the Carolinas into FL. The severe risk
    should continue to dwindle as large-scale support weakens, but
    low-end potential cannot be ruled out over these areas.

    For the Tuesday/D6 to Thursday/D8 time frame, the weather pattern
    will be much less conducive to severe storms, with a ridge building
    over the West, and northwest flow across the central states.
    Periodic surges of high pressure are forecast, helping to keep
    conditions mostly stable over the bulk of the CONUS.

    ..Jewell.. 04/03/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Apr 3, 2025 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    SPC AC 031232

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0732 AM CDT Thu Apr 03 2025

    Valid 031300Z – 041200Z

    …THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM PARTS OF
    THE ARKLATEX INTO THE MID-SOUTH AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE…

    …SUMMARY…
    Severe thunderstorms are likely today along/near a frontal zone from
    the southern Plains into the lower Mississippi and Tennessee
    Valleys. The most concentrated corridor for severe potential should
    be focused from the Arklatex into western/middle Tennessee, where
    very large hail and a few strong tornadoes are possible.

    …Southern Plains into the Lower Mississippi Valley/Mid-South and
    Southern Mid-Atlantic…
    Within broad upper troughing over the western CONUS, ascent
    associated with an embedded mid-level shortwave trough has
    encouraged multiple elevated supercells across west into
    north-central TX this morning along/north of a surface front. These
    thunderstorms are also being aided with continued moisture transport
    by a southerly low-level jet. With ample MUCAPE along/north of the
    front, steep mid-level lapse rates, and strong cloud-layer shear all
    present, these supercells should continue to pose a threat for
    mainly large to perhaps very large hail for at least a couple more
    hours. By late morning to early afternoon, thunderstorm interactions
    and mergers may gradually reduce the severe hail threat north of the
    front across OK/TX into AR.

    With neutral to slightly rising mid-level heights, the convectively
    reinforced front is forecast to move little today across the
    ArkLaTex, Mid-South, and TN Valley. Ongoing convection this morning
    across middle/eastern TN into eastern KY may pose an isolated severe
    threat in the short term. But, most of this activity has outpaced
    greater low-level moisture to the southwest, and/or has become
    slightly elevated to the north of the front. Even though large-scale
    ascent will tend to remain nebulous/weak across these areas,
    persistent low-level warm advection should aid in renewed
    thunderstorm development along/near the stalled front through the
    afternoon and evening. Any convection which can form on or just
    south of this boundary will have a rather favorably moist low-level
    airmass, steep lapse rates aloft, and strong deep-layer shear to
    support organized updrafts. Large to very large hail will be a
    threat with supercells that are forecast to develop, and a tornado
    threat will likely exist with any convection that can remain surface
    based/to the warm side of the front. With rather strong low-level
    shear forecast, a conditionally favorable environment will exist for
    strong tornadoes, with continued uncertainty whether supercells this
    afternoon/evening will be mainly surface based, or slightly elevated
    north of the front.

    Across the central Appalachians and southern Mid-Atlantic, remnants
    of convection and related outflow boundaries from earlier this
    morning should tend to serve as a northern limit to any appreciable
    severe threat today. Some adjustments have been made to the Marginal
    and Slight Risk areas to account for this. Overall thunderstorm
    coverage and intensity remain rather uncertain across these regions
    later this afternoon and evening, with some guidance still showing
    isolated thunderstorms redeveloping. If any convection can form
    along/south of the front later today, then it could pose some threat
    for hail and damaging winds.

    Finally, elevated supercells are forecast to develop once again late
    tonight into early Friday morning across parts of west into
    north-central TX. These should mainly have a severe hail threat.

    ..Gleason/Leitman.. 04/03/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

    NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1630Z

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Evicted PNG settlement fears collective punishment over gang rape and killing

    By Harlyne Joku and BenarNews staff

    Residents of an informal Port Moresby settlement that was razed following the gang rape and murder of a woman by 20 men say they are being unfairly punished by Papua New Guinea authorities over alleged links to the crime.

    Human rights advocates and the UN have condemned the killing but warned the eviction by police has raised serious concerns about collective punishment, violations of national law, police misconduct and governance failures.

    A community spokesman said more than 500 people living at the settlement at the capital’s Baruni rubbish dump were forcibly evicted by the police in response to the killing of 32-year-old Margaret Gabriel on February 15.

    Port Moresby newspapers reported the gang rape and murder by 20 men of 32-year-old Margaret Gabriel . . . “Barbaric”, said the Post-Courier in a banner headline. Image: BenarNews

    Authorities accuse the settlement residents, who are primarily migrants from the Goilala district in Central Province, of harboring some of the men involved in her murder.

    Prime Minister James Marape condemned Gabriel’s death as “inhuman, barbaric” and a “defining moment for our nation to unite against crime, to take a stand against violence”, the day after the attack.

    He assured every effort would be made to prosecute those responsible and his “unwavering support” for the removal of settlements like Baruni, calling them “breeding grounds for criminal elements who terrorise innocent people.”

    Gabriel was one of three women killed in the capital that week.

    Charged with rape, murder
    Four men from Goilala district and two from Enga province, all aged between 18 and 29, appeared in a Port Moresby court on Monday on charges of her rape and murder.

    The case has again put a spotlight again on gender-based violence in PNG and renewed calls for the government to find a long-term solution to Port Moresby’s impoverished settlements.

    Dozens of families, some of whom have lived in the Baruni settlement for more than 40 years, were forced out of their homes on February 22 and are now sleeping under blue tarpaulins at a school sports oval on the outskirts of the capital.

    Spokesman for the evicted Baruni residents, Peter Laiam . . . “My people are innocent.” Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News

    “My people are innocent,” Peter Laiam, a community spokesman and school caretaker, told BenarNews, adding that police continued to harass the community at their new location.

    “They told me I had to move these people out in two weeks’ time or they will shoot us.”

    Laiam said a further six men from the settlement were suspected of involvement in Gabriel’s death, but had not been charged, and the community has fully cooperated with police on the matter, including naming the suspects.

    Authorities however were treating the entire population as “trouble makers,” Laiam added.

    “They also took cash and building materials like corrugated iron roofing for themselves” he said.

    No police response
    Senior police in Port Moresby did not respond to ongoing requests from BenarNews for reaction to the allegations.

    Assistant Commissioner Benjamin Turi last week thanked the evicted settlers for information that led to the arrest of six suspects, The National newspaper reported.

    Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili Junior defended the eviction at Baruni last month, telling EMTV News it was lawful and the settlement was on state-owned land.

    Bare land left after homes in the Baruni settlement village were flattened by bulldozers at Port Moresby, PNG. Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News

    Police used excavators and other heavy machinery to tear down houses at the Baruni settlement, with images showing some buildings on fire.

    Residents say the resettlement site in Laloki lacks adequate water, sanitation and other facilities.

    “They are running out of food,” Laiam said. “Last weekend they were washed out by the rain and their food supplies were finished.”

    Separated from their gardens and unable to sell firewood, the families are surviving on food donations from local authorities, he said.

    Human rights critics
    The evictions have been criticised by human rights advocates, including Peterson Magoola, the UN Women Representative for PNG.

    “We strongly condemn all acts of sexual and gender-based violence and call for justice for the victim,” he said in a statement last month.

    “At the same time, collective punishment, forced evictions, and destruction of homes violate fundamental human rights and disproportionately harm vulnerable members of the community.”

    The evicted families living in tents at Laloki St Paul’s Primary School, on the outskirts of Port Moresby, PNG. Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News

    Melanesian Solidarity, a local nonprofit, called on the government to ensure justice for both the murder victim and displaced families.

    It said the evictions might have contravened international treaties and domestic laws that protect against unlawful property deprivation and mandate proper legal procedures for relocation.

    The Baruni settlement, which is home primarily to migrants from Goilala district, was established with consent on the customary land of the Baruni people during the colonial era, according to Laiam.

    Central Province Governor Rufina Peter defended the evicted settlers on national broadcaster NBC on February 20, and their contribution to the national capital.

    “The Goilala people were here during pre-independence time. They are the ones who were the bucket carriers,” she said.

    ‘Knee jerk’ response
    She also criticised the eviction by police as “knee jerk” and raised human rights concerns.

    The Goilala community in Central Province, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the capital, was the center of controversy in January when a trophy video of butchered body parts being displayed by a gang went viral, attracted erroneous ‘cannibalism’ reportage by the local media and sparked national and international condemnation.

    The evictions at Baruni have touched off again a complex debate about crime and housing in PNG, the Pacific’s most populous nation.

    Informal settlements have mushroomed in Port Moresby as thousands of people from the countryside migrate to the city in search of employment.

    Critics say the impoverished settlements are unfit for habitation, contribute to the city’s frequent utility shortages, and harbour criminals.

    Mass evictions have been ordered before, but the government has failed to enact any meaningful policies to address their rapid growth across the city.

    While accurate population data is hard to find in PNG, the United Nations Population Fund estimates that the number of people living in Port Moresby is about 513,000.

    Lack basic infrastructure
    At least half of them are thought to live in informal settlements, which lack basic infrastructure like water, electricity and sewerage, according to 2022 research by the PNG National Research Institute.

    A shortage of affordable housing and high rental prices have caused a mismatch between demand and supply.

    Melanesian Solidarity said the government needed to develop a national housing strategy to prevent the rise of informal settlements.

    “This eviction is a wake-up call for the government to implement sustainable urban planning and housing reforms rather than resorting to forced removals,” it said in a statement.

    “We stand with the affected families and demand justice, accountability, and humane solutions for all Papua New Guineans.”

    Stefan Armbruster, Sue Ahearn and Harry Pearl contributed to this story. Republished from BenarNews with permission. However, it is the last report from BenarNews as the editors have announced a “pause” in publication due to the US administration withholding funds.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: WFP delivers aid to hardest-hit areas in earthquake-stricken Myanmar

    Source: World Food Programme

    Photo: © WFP/Arete/Photolibrary. Mother and children seek shelter after the earthquake in Seinpan ward, Mandalay city on 1st April 2025.

    Photo credit

    MANDALAY, Myanmar – Within 48 hours of the powerful earthquake that struck central Myanmar on Friday afternoon, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) began emergency food distributions to affected communities. WFP has so far reached over 24,000 earthquake survivors in four areas, Mandalay, Naypyitaw, Sagaing and Shan, and is scaling up efforts to assist 850,000 affected people.

    Here are the latest updates on WFP’s emergency quake operations in Myanmar.

    WFP Food Distributions

    • WFP has ongoing food assistance operations in the hardest-hit areas of Mandalay, Naypyitaw, Sagaing and Shan. 
    • Sagaing: WFP has reached nearly 4,000 people with food rations in conflict-hit Sagaing, already home to a third of Myanmar’s internally displaced population before the earthquake. 
    • Mandalay City: At the epicentre in Mandalay, WFP has distributed fortified biscuits to more than 15,000 people since 1 April. WFP also reached 480 households – about 2,400 people – in Sein Pan, one of the poorest and worst-impacted ward in Mandalay, where almost every resident lost their home due to the earthquake and a subsequent fire.
    • Southern Shan: WFP and partners have so far reached 4,000 people with assistance. 
    • Nay Pyi Taw: Since food distributions started on 30 March, a total of 1,000 people have received fortified biscuits from WFP.
    • WFP has dispatched more than 100 metric tons of food from Yangon to Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, and Sagaing. 
    • WFP has over 200 metric tons of fortified biscuits available for immediate distribution, with an additional 7,000 metric tons of food stocks in-country to assist those hardest hit.
    • WFP aims to reach 100,000 people with ready-to-eat food in the first phase of response, followed by food assistance for 850,000 people for one month.

    Assessments, logistics and coordination: 

    • WFP has established a central response hub in Nay Pyi Taw to coordinate the earthquake response and has rapidly deployed teams to Mandalay.
    • WFP is collaborating with partners on rapid needs assessments in Mandalay, Sagaing, Shan and Nay Pyi Taw, while also evaluating market access and functionality.
    • An interagency Rapid Needs Assessment is ongoing, with results expected soon.  

     Response challenges:

    • Access to earthquake hit areas and unreliable telecommunications continue to pose challenges for WFP and partners to mount a full-scale response to the massive needs. 
    • WFP urgently needs US$ 40 million to support 850,000 people affected by the earthquake.
    • Myanmar is already facing severe food insecurity, with 15.2 million people – one in four – food insecure. Despite escalating humanitarian needs, WFP’s funding shortfalls recently forced the suspension of assistance to over one million people, leaving only 35,000 of the most vulnerable currently receiving monthly support from WFP.

    Note to the editor: 
    Broadcast quality footage available here
    Hi-res photos available here
    More about WFP’s operations in Myanmar here

    #                     #                       #

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_media, @WFPAsiaPacific

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fan zones, fireworks and flags – plans unveiled for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 extravaganza

    Source: City of Sunderland

    Plans to create a carnival atmosphere around this summer’s opening match of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in Sunderland have been unveiled by the City Council.

    Fan zones, fireworks and more than 150 colourful flags and banners will all add to the party atmosphere in the city centre, together with a fan parade to the Stadium of Light across the new Wear Footbridge connecting the city centre to the stadium.

    England’s Red Roses are due to kick off the opening match of the tournament against the USA at the Stadium of Light at 7.30pm on Friday 22 August and tickets are already selling fast.

    The Red Roses are favourites to win the tournament after last winning the World Cup in 2014 when South Shields born Sunderland University graduate Katy Daley McLean captained the team.

    The game was awarded to Sunderland following a competitive bidding process and will provide an estimated economic impact benefit of £20 million for the region.

    Details of plans for the tournament’s opening weekend have been released following approval by Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet last week, setting the stage for a spectacular opening weekend of celebrations for those attending the match at Stadium of Light.

    Fan zones at Keel Edge and Keel Square over the three days from Thursday 21 August to Saturday 23 August will add to the carnival atmosphere, hosting live entertainment, interactive games and a food court offering a range of tempting food and drink.

    On the evening of Thursday 21 there will also be a tie up with Sunderland Music City featuring local talent and musicians.

    Post game on Friday evening, there will a firework display from Riverside Park which can be viewed from across the city centre.

    A programme of community events across the North East involving Northumberland, Durham and Sunderland Rugby Clubs is also being planned, including touch rugby beach festivals planned from Bamburgh to Sunderland to engage local communities and rugby clubs.

    Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s going to be incredibly exciting weekend. The eyes of the world will be on Sunderland and it’s a brilliant opportunity to showcase the city.

    “We will have visitors from across the globe and I can’t wait to welcome them to Sunderland.

    “There’s something for all the family in the events we’ve laid on across the weekend and I think it will be a real celebration of both the tournament and the city.”

    Further tickets for the tournament are due to go on sale later this spring, with competitive prices from £10 for adults and £5 for children. This means a family of four can enjoy an evening at the Women’s Rugby World Cup Opening Game for £30.

    To be the first to hear the latest ticketing news, fans can register for updates at www.rugbyworldcup.com/2025/newsletter

    To find out more about more about rugby in Sunderland and how to get involved, visit: www.mysunderland.co.uk/rugbyworldcup

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/MYANMAR – The Archbishop of Mandalay among the homeless: “The tragedy has not extinguished hope, we will rise with Christ”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    by Paolo AffatatoMandalay (Agenzia Fides) – “The more we suffer, the more we hope in God. Today, our people have hope in God’s mercy, in the certainty of his love. There is a divine message that transcends our human intelligence and understanding. Our only way is to entrust ourselves to his merciful love and reaffirm our hope in God’s plan of salvation,” said Marco Tin Win, Archbishop of Mandalay, whose archdiocese includes the area most affected by the violent earthquake on March 28, in an interview with Fides. In a situation where electricity and telephone connections are struggling due to the damage to infrastructure, the Archbishop offers an overview of the situation on the ground and the spirit that today animates the approximately 20,000 Catholics in Mandalay, many of whom are now homeless.The Archbishop himself, along with the priests of the Curia, shares the fate of the homeless. Due to structural damage to the cathedral and the bishop’s residence, he spent nights on the streets for safety reasons, alongside people who are still shocked and frightened, experiencing the plight of the homeless. After the trauma and shock of the first hours, help was put in place: “Shortly after the earthquake began,” he recounts, “the priests and religious raised the alarm and brought people to safety in the churches, monasteries, and the Seminary. We made sure no one was injured. We encouraged and comforted frightened children and people on the streets. Many sought refuge in the church complexes that are still accessible. With our modest means, we share water, food, and shelter with them while we await further external assistance.”In describing the situation, Archbishop Tin Win points out that the earthquake’s epicenter is located between the cities of Mandalay and Sagaing in the Archdiocese of Mandalay, and that several municipalities have been severely affected. “According to initial reports, here in Mandalay alone, over 1,000 people have lost their lives, over 2,200 have been injured, and 200 are missing.” Humanitarian aid is trying to provide the homeless with essentials, namely “drinking water, food, emergency shelter, medicine, and hygiene kits,” he says. The Catholic community is also affected, families are grieving, and there is damage to churches and pastoral institutions: “The Church of Our Lady Help of Christians in the city of Sagaing, the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in the city of Yamethin, and the Church of Saints Joachim and Anne in the parish of Sint Kaing have collapsed. Of the 40 churches in the diocese, these three were the most severely affected. Among the others, all have minor or major cracks. About 25 churches are no longer suitable for the safe celebration of services. The intermediate Seminary in the city of Mandalay is also severely damaged, and the Minor Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin has cracks in its building structure.” However, the tragedy has not extinguished faith, but, according to the Archbishop, it has triggered a dynamic of unceasing prayer “while we are at the height of pain between the war, the earthquake, and the grief.” “Even in this terrible chaos, no one feels at the mercy of events: we suffer together, we comfort one another, and we pray together,” he says. “I addressed words of encouragement to the people: Do not be afraid. We are here. The Lord tells us: I will be with you,” he reports. “The disaster,” he continues, “unites people regardless of ethnicity, faith, or social class. I see how people are supporting one another and showing increasing solidarity and charity toward one another. So many people of good will have put themselves at the service of the victims, that is a beautiful sign,” he notes.During this time, the greatest refuge is prayer: “We pray that the souls of the deceased may be welcomed by the Lord. We pray for the wounded, the weak, and the abandoned, that they may be comforted. We ask God for the strength to be instruments of spiritual and humanitarian aid, instruments of his love for every person. And we ask for peace for our beloved country, wounded by war and earthquakes,” said Archbishop Tin Win. “It consoles us,” he concluded, “to see that the entire Church does not abandon us, neither nationally nor universally. Even the Pope prays for us and gives us comfort and hope. Easter is just around the corner: we are in God’s hands and will rise with Christ. In the year of the Jubilee, we renew our hope in Christ. We entrust ourselves to Mary, Mother of God, who protects us from evil, danger, and death.” (Agenzia Fides, 3/4/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Drone Surveying Industry Witnessing Continuous Technological Advancements Generating Rising Revenue Opportunity

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – The drone surveying market is witnessing increased demand for its services across different industries. The survey done by drones has multiple benefits in comparison to the traditional way of surveys such as lower cost, reduced time, and improved end results. According to Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, the global drone surveying market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.3% during the forecast period of 2023 to 2033. The report said; “The drone covers a larger area within less amount of time and money for a survey if compared with the traditional or conventional way of surveys. Since the data is captured and generated with actual imagery, it also brings better transparency in the end result. All these benefits have resulted in increased demand from governments and real estate development companies for drone surveying services. The drone surveying service providers are entering into partnerships with companies and the government to carry out surveys on their behalf for the planning and development of urban areas and townships. The image and data collected from the drone surveys are more accurate and can be converted into meaningful output as per the requirements. This helps governments and infrastructure development companies in different stages of planning in township development, urban planning, and land surveys. The continuous advancement of technology in the drone market has led to increased demand for their products and services. The services or task performed by a drone has significantly improved in the last few years which has ultimately resulted in improved demand.” Active Companies in the drone industry today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS), AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS), Unusual Machines, Inc. (NYSE American: UMAC), AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV).

    Fact.MR concluded; “The industries catered to by drones have also increased significantly. Earlier most of the demand for drones was from agriculture and public administration, now it has increased to infrastructure development, mining, energy, education, and transportation among others. Now a mining company can easily calculate/measure the area covered for the mining, or the stockpile volume with the help of drone surveys. It is expected that in the coming years, the drone surveying industry will witness continuous technological advancement, resulting in the expansion of service offerings.”

    ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) Closes Second Southeast Region Acquisition, Wallace Surveying Corporation, Set to Become the Third Acquisition to Power Its National Drone as a Service (DaaS) Business – ZenaTech, Inc. (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone, Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS and Quantum Computing solutions, announces that it has closed the acquisition of Wallace Surveying Corporation (“Wallace”) of West Palm Beach, Florida, a well-established land survey company with thirty years of experience. Wallace provides construction and land development surveys delivering accurate and reliable data that supports project planning and design for developers, contractors, engineers, and architect customers.

    This is ZenaTech’s second acquisition in the Southeast region as part of a larger national roll-up strategy to disrupt the land survey industry by accelerating the use of drones for speed and accuracy benefits. The acquisition also further powers the Company’s national Drone as a Service, or DaaS, business as the third US acquisition set to provide access to the ZenaDrone 1000 and the IQ series. These multifunction drones are set to provide a variety of services including power line inspections, precision agriculture, law enforcement, and search and rescue for natural disasters such as hurricanes.

    “Wallace Surveying Corporation is well respected in the South Florida business community with longstanding existing customer relationships. Its team brings considerable expertise toward our goal of innovating land surveys at scale leveraging advanced drone data collection, data management, mapping and digital deliverables. This acquisition is another step towards our vision to create a national DaaS business, bringing AI drone efficiencies and precision to a variety of legacy verticals and manual tasks,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.

    ZenaTech’s Drones as a Service or DaaS model is similar to Software as a Service (SaaS), but instead of providing software solutions over the Internet, the company will offer ZenaDrone solutions and services on a subscription or pay-per-use basis. Customers can conveniently access drones for eliminating manual or time-consuming tasks achieving more precision, such as for surveying, inspections, security and law enforcement, or farming precision agriculture applications, without having to buy, operate, or maintain the drones themselves.

    The DaaS business model offers customers such as government agencies, real estate developers, construction firms, farmers or energy companies reduced upfront costs as there is no need to purchase expensive drones, as well as convenience, as there is no need to manage maintenance and operation. The model also offers scalability to use more often or less often based on business needs and enables access to advanced drone technology sensors or attachments like spraying, without the need for specialized training.

    Accurate land surveys are essential for the planning, designing, and executing of roads, bridges, and building projects for cities, commercial, and residential projects, and are required for legal purposes. Remotely piloted drones with an array of sensors and cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and GPS systems for capturing high-resolution pictures and data are revolutionizing the land survey industry gathering aerial data across expansive terrains in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months using more traditional photogrammetry methods. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

    In Additional ZENA News: ZenaTech’s (NASDAQ:ZENA) 2024 Financial Results Shows Revenue and Assets Increase.

    2024 Financial Results:

    • As of December 31, 2024, and consistent with its recent 6K filing, ZenaTech’s 2024 full-year revenue increased by 7% to $1.96 million as compared to $1.82 million for the full year of 2023 (all figures in $Cdn. dollars)
    • Comprehensive loss for the period was ($4.04 million) versus ($.251 million) last year due to increased one-time costs of listing on Nasdaq Capital Market from lawyers. accountants, auditors, financial advisor (investment banker) and other going public expenses
    • Assets have increased over 110% to $34.6 million at year-end 2024, up from $16.4 million at year-end 2023. This is due to the company’s acquisition of three patents, and a total of four software companies. In addition, the company has signed multiple Letters of Intent (LOIs) as part of an acquisition strategy that will tremendously increase future revenue
    • Liabilities continue to be low, having increased $3.7 million to $12.8 million at year-end 2024 from $9.1 million at year-end 2023
    • The Company’s ratio of debt to total capitalization is 31%, which is well within the accepted standard of less than 50%
    • ZenaTech’s existing cash and funds available through lines of credit will be sufficient to finance the next 12 months of the company’s operations. We anticipate that cash generated internally, and lines of credit will be sufficient to fund our drone development and acquisitions
    • Additional information is available from ZenaTech’s 6K filing on the SEC EDGAR website . The company will be filing its 20F by the due date, which is April 30, 2024, for Private Foreign Issuers. Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.zenatech.com/newsroom/

    Other recent developments in the drone industry include:

    Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS), a leading provider of private industrial wireless networks and commercial drone and automated data solutions, recently announced that it has secured a $3.2 million purchase order from a governmental entity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The new order supports the continued buildout of urban autonomous drone infrastructure in the UAE and expands the existing Optimus drone network, which is operated by the local government as part of its broader Safe and Smart City initiatives.

    “We are witnessing the network effect of the Optimus drone network in UAE,” said Eric Brock, Chairman and CEO of Ondas Holdings. “The effectiveness of the Optimus System and its ability to reduce response times of emergency units have been proven during our operations there, and this order further validates the system’s value. We are proud to support the UAE’s leadership in Drone as First Responder (DFR) technology, which is also developing in the US. We believe that our Optimus system is the most mature and robust platform in the market and certified for such critical security operations. We look forward to replicating this success in other cities around the world.”

    AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS), a leading provider of best-in-class unmanned aerial systems (UAS), sensors and software solutions for customers worldwide in the commercial and government verticals, recently provided a corporate update and announces its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2024.

    AgEagle CEO Bill Irby commented, “2024 was a defining year for AgEagle. We secured three of the largest orders in our history while implementing significant strategic cost reductions that have strengthened our foundation for long-term sustainable growth. We assembled an exceptional leadership team with deep expertise in scaling technology companies, optimizing operations, and executing aggressive sales strategies. Combined with a leaner expense structure, record demand, and a growing product portfolio, we believe we are well positioned to expand our customer base, secure new partnerships, and leverage our innovative drone technologies to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the burgeoning global UAS market.

    AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) recently announced that its stockholders have approved the issuance of AV common stock in connection with the Company’s pending acquisition of BlueHalo LLC (“BlueHalo”) at a Special Meeting of Stockholders held earlier today.

    “Stockholder approval marks an important milestone as we move forward with the acquisition of BlueHalo and accelerate our transformation into the leading next-generation defense technology company,” said Wahid Nawabi, AV chairman, president, and chief executive officer. “Together, AV and BlueHalo will drive agile innovation and deliver integrated, all-domain solutions designed to redefine the future of defense and address the most important priorities and needs of our nation and allies around the globe. We thank stockholders for their continued support and look forward to closing this transaction and unlocking new opportunities for growth and value creation.”

    Unusual Machines, Inc. (NYSE American: UMAC), a drone and drone components manufacturer, recently announced it filed its Form 10-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and provided the following letter to its shareholders from CEO Allan Evans.

    Dear Shareholders, This shareholder letter follows the completion of our fiscal year 2024. This is our first year being public. It has been an excellent fourth quarter and an incredible year. We continue to see great interest in the company and receive questions from shareholders. We would like to take this opportunity to provide context and deeper insights into our operations and what these represent for Unusual Machines’ future.

    Unusual Machines revenue for the fourth quarter revenue was over $2.0 million which represents a sequentially quarter over quarter increase of approximately 31%. This is our best revenue quarter of all time (again) and was done while improving gross margins slightly to 28%. With the launch of our Blue Framework products, approximately 15% of our Q4 revenue was from enterprise sales. Our total revenue of $5.65M for FY2024 exceeded our target of $5M for 2024 by 13%. This growth was achieved without customer concentration as no single customer represented more than 5% of our total revenue for 2024.

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    The MIL Network –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Lessons from El Salvador for US university leaders facing attacks from Trump

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Annmarie Caño, Professor of Psychology, Gonzaga University

    Salvadorans participate in a procession on Nov. 14, 2015, to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the murder of the Rev. Ignacio Ellacuría, five other Jesuit priests and two employees at Central American University in San Salvador. Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images

    Even before President Donald Trump took office, university presidents expressed concern about the impact of his agenda on higher education.

    Now they must lead their institutions in the wake of executive orders and directives that appear to undermine their authority and autonomy.

    They include cuts to research grant funding and the prohibition of diversity programs. The Trump administration has also proposed the dismantling of the Department of Education.

    These mandates contradict most university missions, which often include references to advancing knowledge in service of democracy. But few university leaders are taking public actions to oppose these directives.

    As a psychology professor and a former dean focused on equitable educational access, I believe U.S. higher education leaders in Trump’s crosshairs would do well to reflect on the courage of university leaders in El Salvador who, during the 1980s, opposed injustice despite facing grave personal risks for doing so.

    The Central American context

    El Salvador in the 1970s and 1980s was at the center of Cold War politics. In the name of preventing the spread of communism, the country’s U.S.-backed oligarchy and military waged a repressive campaign against people who pushed for human rights.

    The ensuing civil war saw about 75,000 Salvadorans killed.

    Before and during the conflict, universities that took the side of the poor and marginalized experienced intense backlash, including the revocation of funding and attacks on the reputation of university leaders.

    These actions feel eerily similar to those being taken against U.S. universities today.

    As I write in my forthcoming book, the heads of the Central American University in El Salvador offer a model of courageous leadership.

    The university president, Ignacio Ellacuría, was a Jesuit priest and a renowned theologian and philosopher. His second in command, Ignacio Martín-Baró, also a Jesuit priest, was a social psychologist. Martín-Baró developed the field of liberation psychology, which argues that oppression in society must be addressed to enable mental health and well-being.

    These leaders advanced ideas to create a more just society.

    They didn’t serve the elite by reproducing a wealthy and educated upper class that would support the status quo. Instead, Ellacuría called for universities to center the needs of poor community members in their teaching and social outreach.

    These university leaders and their faculty immersed themselves in impoverished communities to understand their plight and work toward a common, empowered future.

    Their leadership was remarkable. They persisted in their work despite being wrongfully labeled as Marxists and communists. They were threatened with deportation and targeted with death threats and bombing attacks on campus.

    Because of their efforts to promote justice, Ellacuría, Martín-Baró and six other people were assassinated on campus in 1989 by U.S.-trained military forces.

    A mural pays homage to six Jesuit priests and two university employees murdered during El Salvador’s civil war.
    Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images

    Elements of liberatory leadership

    The Central American University leaders understood the power of their authority as scholars. But they didn’t use it to dominate others. They exercised their authority in service of the poor.

    Martín-Baró created the Institute for Public Opinion to collect and disseminate survey data about citizens’ experiences. In a 1988 survey, respondents in the countryside reported high unemployment and the widespread sentiment that their condition had worsened over the past decade.

    He also published research on the psychological impacts of political violence and war in El Salvador, including post-traumatic stress in children and families.

    The university leaders and faculty did not distance themselves from the people.

    Instead, they listened to their struggles and supported community groups such as the ecclesial base communities that organized to resist oppression.

    A fundamental reason for the university’s involvement in the country’s struggles was its belief in the “preferential option for the poor.”

    The theological concept upholds God’s love for all of humanity, which requires that God take sides. According to the theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, a contributor to the development of Latin American liberation theology, God does not remain neutral when people are oppressed, so neither should human leaders.

    US higher education

    These elements of liberatory leadership, I argue, can provide lessons for U.S. higher education leaders, even at U.S. secular institutions.

    Rather than refrain from communicating with faculty and students, university leaders might acknowledge the fear and pain people are feeling in response to anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

    University leaders might hold listening sessions to learn how executive orders are impacting faculty and students. In my experience as an executive coach, such listening sessions are uncommon due to fear of reprisal from politicians and other powerful stakeholders.

    Rather than not discussing the impact of federal orders, they might conduct surveys to publicize the scope of the effects. Leaders could make public statements, rooting their arguments in the values espoused by their university mission statements.

    That would run counter to declaring institutional neutrality, which more than 140 higher educational institutions have adopted.

    Yet, some leaders – Patricia McGuire of Trinity Washington University and groups such as the American Council on Education, for example – are “taking sides.” They are affirming the value of diversity and inclusion in a mission-aligned manner that is akin to voicing a preferential option for the poor.

    To be sure, there are risks to this kind of leadership.

    U.S. academic leaders may not face the same outcome as their counterparts in 1980s Central America, but they do risk their reputations and livelihoods for speaking out.

    They may be called names or added to online watch lists. Their institutions may be threatened with investigations and the cancellation of critical funds. They may be fired.

    The Central American University leaders faced the same risks, yet they empowered people to continue to resist unjust actions. Among the ecclesial base communities, they remain an important example of leadership during troubled times.

    Fear did not guide their actions. Freedom and truth did – values that are foundational to democracy.

    Annmarie Caño is the founder and owner of Annmarie Caño Coaching & Consulting, LLC. In the past, she has received funding from the National Institutes of Health. She is a member of the American Psychological Association.

    – ref. Lessons from El Salvador for US university leaders facing attacks from Trump – https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-el-salvador-for-us-university-leaders-facing-attacks-from-trump-249251

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: From business exports to veteran care − here’s what some of the 35,000 federal workers in the Philadelphia region do

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Todd Aagaard, Professor of Law, Villanova School of Law

    Federal layoffs have affected employees at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images

    Layoffs of federal employees and cutbacks to federal agencies have direct consequences for the Philadelphia area.

    I am a law professor at Villanova University outside Philadelphia, and my research focuses on the work of the administrative agencies that compose the federal government.

    I believe that understanding the federal government’s presence in the Philly metro area can highlight some of the potential consequences in our region for the rapid changes currently underway.

    Over 65,000 federal employees in PA

    More than 80% of federal civilian employees work outside of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. There are about 66,000 federal employees in Pennsylvania and 35,000 in Philadelphia.

    Over a dozen federal agencies have offices in the Philadelphia region. These include the Internal Revenue Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Agricultural Marketing Service, Food and Drug Administration, Economic Development Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Transit Administration and the Census Bureau.

    Here are some examples of the broad variety of services that federal employees in the Philadelphia region provide to the public.

    Services to businesses

    Several federal agencies in the Philadelphia area provide expertise, advice and resources for businesses.

    For example, the U.S. Commercial Service, part of the Commerce Department, has an office in Philadelphia and assists U.S. businesses with exporting their products for international markets.

    The Small Business Administration, which has a district office in King of Prussia, provides resources and support for small businesses.

    And the Economic Development Administration operates a regional office in Philadelphia that distributes federal funds for construction, workforce training, manufacturing, disaster relief and other purposes.

    Benefits for retirees and veterans

    Other federal agencies administer government benefits programs. The Social Security Administration disburses benefits for retirees and the disabled, providing more than US$13 billion in benefits to almost 8 million people in the Philadelphia region each month.

    About 3,800 Pennsylvanians work for the Social Security Administration in offices located around the state.

    The Department of Veterans Affairs operates the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Medical Center in West Philadelphia. The center provides primary and specialty health care for veterans.

    Statewide in Pennsylvania, about 17,000 federal employees work for the Veterans Health Administration. Another 1,500 work for the Veterans Benefits Administration, which provides veterans with education and training, home loans, life insurance and pensions.

    Census data collection

    The Census Bureau operates an office in Philadelphia to collect and disseminate data in a region that stretches from Tennessee to Pennsylvania.

    The Census Bureau conducts the constitutionally mandated census of the U.S. population every 10 years, as well as an economic census of businesses every five years, and numerous surveys about communities, health, housing, crime, education and more.

    In addition, regional census employees answer questions from local media, work with local organizations to encourage participation in censuses and surveys, and educate the public about census data. This work is of particular importance because census data determines how federal funding is allocated.

    Military logistics

    The Defense Logistics Agency’s Troop Support Command is headquartered in Northeast Philadelphia. Troop Support is responsible for creating and maintaining military supply chains. This includes securing food, clothing, equipment and medical supplies.

    It is also responsible for procuring medals and ribbons for military awards, such as the Medal of Honor.

    About 5,000 federal employees, many of them military veterans, work for the Defense Logistics Agency in Pennsylvania.

    Bridges, dams and seawalls

    The Army Corps of Engineers has operated its district headquarters in Philadelphia since 1866.

    In addition to its role in supporting the military, the Corps of Engineers also constructs and maintains civil works projects. Its first civil works project in the Philadelphia region was the construction of a breakwater near Cape Henlopen, Delaware, in 1829.

    These days, employees of the district inspect and maintain bridges, operate flood control dams, build beachfill and seawall projects along coastlines and maintain 500 miles of navigation channels.

    The vast majority of federal civilian employees don’t work in D.C.
    Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress Domain

    National historical sites

    The National Park Service manages numerous historical sites and parks in the Philadelphia region, including the Independence National Historical Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, the Flight 93 National Memorial and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

    At these locations, National Park Service personnel educate visitors, maintain facilities, protect park resources and keep the public safe.

    Environmental cleanup

    The Environmental Protection Agency is perhaps best known as an environmental regulator, enforcing limits on air and water pollution and toxic substances. But it also is active in other areas, such as cleaning up contaminated sites in the Philadelphia area through the Superfund program.

    EPA’s National Priorities List includes almost 40 contaminated sites in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. For example, EPA manages the cleanup of the Philadelphia Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, where part of the Navy Yard had historically been used to dispose of waste from ships. EPA’s cleanup has remediated the onsite landfill and prevents contamination from seeping into the Delaware River.

    EPA also supervises the cleanup in Havertown of the site of a former wood treatment operation that contaminated the soil and groundwater with the highly toxic chemical pentachlorophenol, or PCP. Because of the cleanup, part of the contaminated site is now a widely used YMCA that serves the recreational and fitness needs of the community.

    Tax help

    The Internal Revenue Service, another agency known for its enforcement activities, also provides services in the Philadelphia area to support taxpayers. These include, for example, taxpayer assistance centers in Horsham, King of Prussia, Media and Philadelphia.

    The IRS also has a Taxpayer Advocate Service office in Philadelphia. The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent office that advocates for taxpayers who are having difficulties with the IRS.

    Read more of our stories about Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.

    Todd Aagaard is a visiting fellow at Resources for the Future in addition to his faculty position at Villanova University. From 1999 to 2007, he served as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.

    – ref. From business exports to veteran care − here’s what some of the 35,000 federal workers in the Philadelphia region do – https://theconversation.com/from-business-exports-to-veteran-care-heres-what-some-of-the-35-000-federal-workers-in-the-philadelphia-region-do-251457

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Imagining what the world could look like without fossil fuels spurs people to action

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Michael T. Schmitt, Professor, Simon Fraser University

    Human activity has already warmed the planet by more than one degree Celsius, fuelling forest fires, exacerbating floods, super-powering storms and increasing the frequency of deadly heat waves.

    The main human driver of climate change is carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Transitioning quickly off fossil fuels to other energy sources (solar, wind) is key to limiting global warming. To stay within 1.5 C of warming, we need to stop building new fossil fuel projects from this point forward.

    And yet, new pipelines, oil drilling projects and fracked gas wells are still being built. At a time when fossil fuel production should be decreasing, fossil fuel production is projected to expand — globally and in Canada.

    The total planned fossil fuel production for 2030 is double the level consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 C. In Canada, public support for expanding fossil fuel infrastructure seems to be increasing, possibly as a result of Trump’s tariff threats.

    What will it take to turn this pattern around? What might increase public support for a speedy transition away from fossil fuels?

    Increasing opposition

    Recently, in the Sustainability, Identity and Social Change Lab at Simon Fraser University, we successfully increased people’s opposition to new fossil fuel projects by simply asking them to imagine a sustainable world. We recruited American participants online, who were paid a small amount to complete a survey.

    Half were chosen at random to spend two to three minutes imagining and writing about a world in which humans have a sustainable relationship with the rest of the natural world. The other half were asked to write about their morning routine. We then asked participants whether they supported or opposed the development of two major and controversial fossil fuel infrastructure projects.

    The Willow Project is a proposed oil drilling project in Alaska that was approved by former U.S. president Joe Biden’s administration in 2023, shortly after we collected our data. The Mountain Valley Pipeline carries methane gas for 300 miles through West Virginia and Virginia. At the time of our study, it was still under construction and facing legal challenges, but went into operation last year.

    The participants who were asked to imagine a sustainable world expressed more opposition to the two fossil fuel projects than did participants who were not asked to imagine a sustainable world.

    For example, among participants who did not imagine a sustainable world, 44 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed that the Willow Project should be completed. That opposition increased to 53 per cent for participants who imagined a sustainable world. Participants who imagined a sustainable world were also more likely to support the U.S. signing a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty — a campaign to get governments around the world to commit to ending the development of new fossil fuel projects.

    Imagining alternatives

    When we looked at what participants wrote when describing a sustainable world, they frequently mentioned a transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Participants generally described a sustainable world in positive terms, including a cleaner and healthier environment free from pollution, with more intact natural habitats and green spaces, and more harmonious and equitable relationships between humans.

    When focused on this alternative world, our participants brought their attitudes and intentions more in line with the desirable world they imagined and became more opposed to new fossil fuel projects.

    These findings are consistent with the idea that the more people can imagine alternative social arrangements, the more likely they are to support and work for social transformation. Bringing this idea into the environmental domain, we developed a measure of how well people can imagine a sustainable relationship between humans and the rest of nature.

    We found that people who agreed with statements like “I can easily imagine a world in which we supply all of our energy needs without harming the natural world” and “It is easy to imagine a world where we no longer use fossil fuels” were more likely to express a willingness to engage in behaviours that support climate change mitigation, like participating in an environmental protest or getting involved with an environmental group.

    In another study with Canadians, participants who could imagine a sustainable future were more likely to write and sign a letter to the Canadian environment minister asking for more action on climate change.

    Clear pictures

    Similar results have been found in research on utopian thinking: when people thought about a green utopia, they reported greater willingness to engage in pro-environmental actions, such as signing pro-environmental petitions and giving money to environmental groups.

    Other researchers found that asking U.S. participants to imagine “a positive future in which climate change has been significantly addressed” led to higher intentions to engage in climate action. In a study of French participants, reading a positive vision of a “decarbonated” world increased participants’ intentions to engage in pro-environmental behaviour.

    The implication for those who want to promote pro-environmental social change — including putting an end to new fossil fuel projects — is to provide people with clear and detailed descriptions of how a sustainable world would function and what it would be like to live in that world.

    With a clear picture of what a sustainable world would be like, and knowing what to work toward, people will be more likely to work for change.

    Michael T. Schmitt receives funding from the Social Sciences and Human Research Council.

    Annika E. Lutz receives funding from the Social Sciences and Human Research Council.

    – ref. Imagining what the world could look like without fossil fuels spurs people to action – https://theconversation.com/imagining-what-the-world-could-look-like-without-fossil-fuels-spurs-people-to-action-252111

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why tattoos are such an unreliable marker of gang membership

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Beth C. Caldwell, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

    Tattoos of crowns and roses are popular among everyone – not just members of Tren de Aragua, as law enforcement has claimed. Marc Atkins/Getty Images

    The United States deported 238 Venezuelan men on three flights to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, claiming that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang that originated in Venezuela.

    Immigration officials have said that tattoos were not the sole criteria used when deciding whom to deport; however, a government document showed that officials relied on tattoos and clothing to determine gang membership.

    A lawyer for Jerce Reyes Barrios, a professional soccer player who is among the Venezuelans deported to El Salvador, says the government detained and deported her client because he has a tattoo of a soccer ball with a crown on top, which resembles the logo of his favorite soccer team, Real Madrid. The tattoo and a photograph of Barrios making a hand sign that means “I love you” in sign language are the only two pieces of evidence the government has presented of his gang ties, according to the lawyer.

    Meanwhile, deported Venezuelan makeup artist Andry José Hernández Romero has a tattoo of a crown on each wrist, one with “Dad” and one with “Mom” written next to each crown. Immigration authorities indicated in his file that these tattoos were “determining factors to conclude reasonable suspicion” of his membership in the Tren de Aragua gang. Some government sources list crowns as a tattoo common for Tren de Aragua members, but other government sources cast doubt on that claim.

    The tattoos on the wrists of Andry José Hernández Romero, who says he was wrongly identified as a gang member by the Trump administration.
    David Alandete/X

    Whether or not the Trump administration used tattoos as a sole criteria for deportation, I’ve found in my own research that simply using tattoos as any sort of criteria can lead law enforcement astray.

    In 2023, I analyzed the reliability of tattoos as markers of gang membership in the Washington Law Review.

    The bottom line: While many people in gangs have tattoos that demonstrate their membership, many people who have absolutely no gang ties also get similar tattoos.

    Relying on them to determine gang membership has led to systematically misidentifying people as gang members – particularly as tattoos have become more popular.

    There are some types of tattoos that can be especially misleading.

    Geographic origins

    In 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Daniel Ramirez Medina, who was lawfully in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The government attempted to strip his status and deport him, claiming he was a gang member due to a tattoo that read “La Paz BCS.” La Paz is the capital of the Mexican state Baja California Sur, which is abbreviated “BCS.” The only evidence of gang membership that ICE agents presented in immigration court was this tattoo.

    But they overlooked the fact that tattoos depicting the names or area codes of hometowns or countries of origin are a common way for people to honor where they came from.

    This is particularly the case for people who migrate or move away from their homelands. For example, tattoos of “503” and “504” – the country codes used to dial El Salvador and Honduras, respectively – have been relied upon to allege gang membership, even as many people who have these tattoos deny any gang ties and have no criminal records. Law enforcement has also relied on tattoos of the words “Mexican,” “Chicano” or “Brown Pride” as evidence of gang membership.

    Some gangs, such as the Mexican Mafia, include a reference to nationality in the name of the gang. And in the U.S., street gangs are often based in specific neighborhoods, with many gangs incorporating the city or street where they’re based into gang names and associated tattoos. For this reason, tattoos celebrating a city or country can only lead to confusion.

    Tattoos of Mayan or Aztec images have also been used to designate people as gang members, even though these tattoos are clear expressions of cultural identity and do not necessarily have any nexus to gang membership. While some gangs do use specific Aztec symbols to identify members, it’s virtually impossible to distinguish a tattoo of cultural or geographic significance from a tattoo indicating gang association.

    In the case of Medina, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez, a George W. Bush appointee, ordered that his DACA status remain in place and that he be protected from deportation because ICE’s “conclusory findings” that he was a gang member were “contradicted by experts and other evidence.” Furthermore, an immigration judge who reviewed all the evidence had already concluded that he was not in a gang.

    Martinez was clearly disturbed by ICE’s claims, writing, “Most troubling to the Court is the continued assertion that Mr. Ramirez is gang-affiliated, despite providing no evidence specific to Mr. Ramirez to the Immigration Court in connection with his administrative proceedings, and offering no evidence to this Court to support its assertions four months later.”

    Religious imagery and pop culture

    Tattoos of popular Catholic religious images, such as the Virgin of Guadalupe, praying hands and rosaries, have also been used to label people as gang members, a move that would seem to be clearly overbroad.

    While some gang members may be Catholic, no one would even try to allege that all Catholics are gang members. At least one of the deported Venezuelan men had a tattoo of a rosary, along with tattoos of a clock and the names of his mother and niece with crowns atop the text.

    Tattoos have also become an important way for people to celebrate popular culture. Tattoos of a woman’s lips, for example, have become popular among gang members and non-gang members alike. A number of professional athletes, including soccer phenom Lionel Messi, have tattoos of their partner’s lips. However, this is also a tattoo law enforcement uses to categorize people as gang members.

    According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, tattoos of stars on shoulders, crowns, firearms, grenades, trains, dice, roses, tigers and jaguars are common among members of Tren de Aragua.

    The issue, of course, is that these symbols are also popular among people with no connection to the gang.

    Imprecise methodology

    Understanding the problem really comes down to math. While it may be true that many gang members have tattoos of the images listed above, it is also true that many non-gang members have similar tattoos.

    The Bayesian mathematical approach involves making inferences about probabilities based on available information. The probability that a gang member has a certain tattoo isn’t the same as the probability that an individual who has a certain tattoo is a gang member.

    The U.S. government seems to be wrongfully equating the two.

    Writing about the broader problems of discerning gang membership in 2009, sociologist David Kennedy argued that the law’s inability to devise rules “that clearly distinguish a gang and a football team, or a gang member and his mother” suggests that taking “legal action, based on imprecise language [is] something of a problem.”

    This problem becomes magnified when there’s no due process for the accused – which is exactly what happened to the Venezuelan men whisked off to El Salvador.

    Some tattoos – like these MS-13 ones – denote gang membership more clearly than others.
    Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images

    I collaborated on an amicus brief based on this research that was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Department of State v. Munoz in 2024.

    – ref. Why tattoos are such an unreliable marker of gang membership – https://theconversation.com/why-tattoos-are-such-an-unreliable-marker-of-gang-membership-253094

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 22 days after Ukraine agreed to an immediate ceasefire, Russia continues to distract and delay: UK statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    22 days after Ukraine agreed to an immediate ceasefire, Russia continues to distract and delay: UK statement to the OSCE

    Ambassador Holland questions Russia’s seriousness about peace when it continues to attack Ukraine with hundreds of drones and refuses to commit to a full, immediate ceasefire.

    Thank you, Mister Chair. It is now a full 22 days since Ukraine expressed its readiness to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire. The only condition that Ukraine attached was that Russia should agree to it too. Rather than grasp this opportunity for peace, Russia has chosen to continue to fight, a decision whose consequence is the needless sacrifice of more lives of soldiers and civilians on both sides. The indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas has shown no sign of slowing down. Last week, Russia sent over a thousand drones towards Ukraine. In Kharkiv, a military hospital was targeted. A kindergarten was damaged. At least, 25 people were hurt, including a 15-year-old girl left in a serious condition.

    This is the price that Ukrainians pay for the Kremlin’s game playing with the peace process. Rather than engaging seriously with the US-led peace initiative, President Putin is resorting to his old playbook and looking to distract and delay. His attempt last week to question the credibility of President Zelenskyy was nothing more than a transparent ploy to deflect from the real matter at hand: Russia’s failure to get more seriously to the table, and commit to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

    Regrettably, we see no evidence that President Putin is seriously preparing for peace. Published readouts of the US convened ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia confirmed a naval ceasefire and prevention of use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea. The UK welcomed this important step, but Russia immediately backtracked and placed conditions on the agreement – despite good faith commitment from Ukraine. Just this week, President Putin has ordered the largest conscription drive since the war began.

    We do not need to look far for reminders as to why this war must end. This week marks the third anniversary of the appalling acts by the invading Russian forces in Bucha. The gruesome images of bodies lying in the streets shocked the world. Russia’s armed forces acted with total contempt and disregard for civilian life and the most fundamental principles of the laws of war.

    However, rather than reckoning with these atrocities, we see continued Russian efforts in this council and others, to spread disinformation in an effort to absolve themselves of responsibility for these illegal and inhumane actions. This is despite the litany of evidence, including witness testimonies, independently verified satellite imagery, photos and videos. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has categorically documented attacks on civilians, including conflict-related sexual violence, and summary executions.

    Mister Chair, we must emphasise the need for accountability for these actions and renew our commitment to collaborating towards enduring peace. Distortions of the historical record will not help in this endeavour. Rather we need the Russian state to commit to peace and demonstrate the sincerity of its words. Thank you, Mister Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 April 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    • UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals
    • Move to the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine
    • Homes for Ukraine: record your interest
    • Find out about the UK’s response

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to wildfires in Scotland and Dorset

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    April 3, 2025

    Scientists comment on wildfires in Scotland and Dorset. 

    Dr Rory Hadden, Rushbrook Senior Lecturer in Fire Investigation, University of Edinburgh, said:

    “Fire danger assessments in Scotland are Very High or Extreme.  This is not very uncommon at this time of year.  In late winter and early spring there is lots of dead vegetation around and living vegetation is dormant.  This vegetation dries out very rapidly during periods of low humidity and sunny weather.  First of all, fine vegetation will dry out which means these fuels become very easy to ignite.  Over time the ground surface also starts to dry which means the fire behaviours start to get more extreme.  At the moment predictions are that fires can be easily ignited in the dry vegetation and will spread quite rapidly especially where there is wind.  This is quite common at this time of year in the UK and we have seen several examples already.

    “Most fires start due to human actions which is why it is important to be considerate when enjoying the nice weather.  Do not light fires and take a picnic rather than a barbeque.  This will minimise the risk of starting a fire.  Even if it looks like a fire is out – smouldering of surface vegetation is hard to detect and may transition to a flaming fire many hours after people have left an area.  Better to not even take the risk.

    “Fires will eventually be extinguished either by direct firefighting or by the fire service and landowners allowing the fire to spread to be contained by barriers in the landscape.  These may be either natural (pockets of wetter ground or where vegetation is sparser) or man-made (roads, fuel breaks).

    “These fires are significant as they draw resources from the Fire and Rescue Services and will have impacts on local ecosystems.  We need to be able to use these to understand how wildland fire risk is changing in the UK and the scientific community will be learning from these events to help plan and prepare in future.”

    Prof Guillermo Rein, Professor of Fire Science, Imperial College London, said:

    “April marks the peak of the UK wildfire season.  After the winter months, vegetation is dry and flammable, and the rising temperatures in early spring promote the spread rate.  These spring wildfires tend to be small in size because they are usually quickly put out by the fire brigade.  Another peak in frequency but with much larger wildfires in the UK typically occurs later in the summer, especially during heatwaves when the vegetation is dry again and conditions are more extreme.

    “There is much the public can do to help.  Growing awareness is key.  Learn about wildfire in your local area and wider region.  Support your local fire brigades and land managers, ask questions to scientists and experts, and share your concerns with the relevant authorities.  A better-informed and engaged public makes a real difference in preventing and managing wildfires.”

    Declared interests

    Prof Guillermo Rein: “I declare that I have no conflict of interest.”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: EU response to US tariffs: We have everything it needs to make it through the storm

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    Europe has the largest single market in the world, 450 million customers strong. The EU will use this strength to its full advantage in negotiations and for helping its people. Europe has everything it needs to make it through this storm, and Europe stands together for business, for citizens and for all Europeans.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpYT7ANfThg

    MIL OSI Video –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Floodwaters Surge Through the Australian Outback

    Source: NASA

    Heavy rainfall in Queensland sent floodwaters sweeping across vast stretches of the Australian outback in late March 2025. More than a year’s worth of rain fell in one week in some places. The deluge caused major flooding along multiple rivers in Channel Country, submerging small towns and grazing lands in southwestern Queensland.
    While some portions of the flooded area remained obscured by clouds in late March, the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this mostly clear view of Cooper Creek near the town of Windorah on March 29 (right). For comparison, the left image, acquired by the OLI-2 on Landsat 9, shows the same area on March 5, before the intense rains. Both images are false color to emphasize the presence of water.
    As waters rose, helicopter evacuations were organized for residents of Windorah and Jundah, a town about 75 kilometers (47 miles) upriver, according to news reports. Aerial photos showed settlements and pasturelands submerged, and government officials estimated that more than 100,000 livestock across Queensland may be missing or deceased.
    In the week ending on March 29, parts of the state received more than 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rain. Floodwaters near Windorah, Jundah, and other towns rose to higher levels than those seen in 1974, a historic year for outback flooding and the wettest year on record in Australia. Inundated roadways may leave towns isolated for weeks, according to news reports.

    It is typical for the Channel Country to undergo cycles of drought and flood, and wet periods can prompt growth in pasturelands, supply water to wetlands, and support endemic species. Experts have remarked, however, that the rain and floods in March 2025 have been extreme. They cite several factors for the rain, including streams of humid air from the north and east that converged over interior Queensland. A low-pressure trough drove the moisture-laden air to higher and cooler levels of the atmosphere to trigger the heavy rain.
    Flooding was widespread across western Queensland, with waters submerging thousands of kilometers of road, the AFP reported. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured an image (above) of some of the affected area on March 29, 2025. In this false-color image, water appears dark and light blue; bare ground is brown; and vegetation is bright green.
    Over the coming weeks and months, the water will drain toward Lake Eyre (also called Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre), about 600 kilometers southwest of Windorah. The lake sits at the lowest natural point in Australia and is dry most of the year. Every few years, some water flows all the way to the lake, but it is rare for it to fill completely. Following unusually abundant rain in 2019, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology estimated that 80 percent of the lake’s area ultimately became covered by water.
    NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Makes Progress on Advanced Drone Safety Management System

    Source: NASA

    From agriculture and law enforcement to entertainment and disaster response, industries are increasingly turning to drones for help, but the growing volume of these aircraft will require trusted safety management systems to maintain safe operations.
    NASA is testing a new software system to create an improved warning system – one that can predict hazards to drones before they occur. The In-Time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) will monitor, assess, and mitigate airborne risks in real time. But making sure that it can do all that requires extensive experimentation to see how its elements work together, including simulations and drone flight tests.
    “If everything is going as planned with your flight, you won’t notice your in-time aviation safety management system working,” said Michael Vincent, NASA acting deputy project manager with the System-Wide Safety project at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “It’s before you encounter an unusual situation, like loss of navigation or communications, that the IASMS provides an alert to the drone operator.”
    The team completed a simulation in the Human-Autonomy Teaming Laboratory at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on March 5 aimed at finding out how critical elements of the IASMS could be used in operational hurricane relief and recovery.
    During this simulation, 12 drone pilots completed three 30-minute sessions where they managed up to six drones flying beyond visual line of sight to perform supply drops to residents stranded after a severe hurricane. Additional drones flew scripted search and rescue operations and levee inspections in the background. Researchers collected data on pilot performance, mission success, workload, and perceptions of the experiences, as well as the system’s usability.
    This simulation is part of a longer-term strategy by NASA to advance this technology. The lessons learned from this study will help prepare for the project’s hurricane relief and recovery flight tests, planned for 2027.  
    As an example of this work, in the summer of 2024 NASA tested its IASMS during a series of drone flights in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Transportation in Columbus, Ohio, and in a separate effort, with three university-led teams.
    For the Ohio Department of Transportation tests, a drone flew with the NASA-developed IASMS software aboard, which communicated back to computers at NASA Langley. Those transmissions gave NASA researchers input on the system’s performance.

    NASA also conducted studies with The George Washington University (GWU), the University of Notre Dame, and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). These occurred at the U.S. Army’s Fort Devens in Devens, Massachusetts with GWU; near South Bend, Indiana with Notre Dame; and in Richmond, Virginia with VCU. Each test included a variety of types of drones, flight scenarios, and operators.

    Each drone testing series involved a different mission for the drone to perform and different hazards for the system to avoid. Scenarios included, for example, how the drone would fly during a wildfire or how it would deliver a package in a city. A different version of the NASA IASMS was used to fit the scenario depending on the mission, or depending on the flight area.

    When used in conjunction with other systems such as NASA’s Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management, IASMS may allow for routine drone flights in the U.S. to become a reality. The IASMS adds an additional layer of safety for drones, assuring the reliability and trust if the drone is flying over a town on a routine basis that it remains on course while avoiding hazards along the way.
    “There are multiple entities who contribute to safety assurance when flying a drone,” Vincent said. “There is the person who’s flying the drone, the company who designs and manufactures the drone, the company operating the drone, and the Federal Aviation Administration, who has oversight over the entire National Airspace System. Being able to monitor, assess and mitigate risks in real time would make the risks in these situations much more secure.”
    All of this work is led by NASA’s System-Wide Safety project under the Airspace Operations and Safety program in support of the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility mission, which seeks to deliver data to guide the industry’s development of electric air taxis and drones.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kentucky Survivors: Tornado and Flood Safety Information

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Kentucky Survivors: Tornado and Flood Safety Information

    Kentucky Survivors: Tornado and Flood Safety Information

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –When a tornado warning is issued, immediately seek the best available refuge area

    Your chance of surviving improves if you follow these guidelines

    Where to go during a tornado Best OptionsAbove or below ground tornado storm shelterSpecifically designed FEMA safe roomGood OptionsInterior room of a well-constructed home or buildingBasementBad OptionsLarge open rooms like gymnasiumsManufactured housingWorst OptionsMobile homesVehiclesUnderneath a highway overpass What to do during a floodStay Informed: Listen to radio and television, including NOAA weather radio, if possible, check the Internet and social media for information and updates

    Get to Higher Ground: If you live in a flood prone area or are camping in a low-lying area, get to higher ground immediately

    Obey Evacuation Orders: If told to evacuate, do so immediately

    Lock your home when you leave

    If you have time, disconnect utilities and appliances

    Practice Electrical Safety: Don’t go into a basement, or any room, if water covers the electrical outlets or if cords are submerged

    If you see sparks or hear buzzing, crackling, snapping or popping noises–get out! Stay out of water that may have electricity in it!Avoid Flood Waters: Don’t walk through flood waters

    It only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock you off your feet

    If you are trapped by moving water, move to the highest possible point and call 911 if possible

    Do NOT drive into flooded roadways or around a barricade; Turn Around, Don’t Drown! Water may be deeper than it appears and can hide hazards such as sharp objects, washed out road surfaces, electrical wires, chemicals, etc

    A vehicle caught in swiftly moving water can be swept away in seconds 12 inches of water can float a car or small SUV, 18 inches of water can carry away large vehicles

    Stay inside your car if it is trapped in rapidly moving water

    Get on the roof if water is rising inside the car

    Get to the highest level if trapped in a building

    Only get on the roof if necessary and once there signal for help

    Do not climb into a closed attic to avoid getting trapped by rising floodwater

    martyce

    allenjr
    Wed, 04/02/2025 – 20:18

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025
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