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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana

    Source: Government of India

    Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana

    Ensuring Financial Security for India’s Unorganised Workforce

    Posted On: 04 MAR 2025 4:39PM by PIB Delhi

    “PM-SYM will assure monthly pension for the enrolled unorganized sector workers during their old age. It is for the first time since independence that such a scheme is envisaged for the crores of workers engaged in the informal sector.”

    – Prime Minister Narendra Modi

     

    Introduction

     

     

    Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM), is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme launched by the Government of India to provide social security to unorganised workers. This scheme ensures a minimum monthly pension of ₹3,000 after the age of 60 for workers who belong to the unorganised sector and have a monthly income of up to ₹15,000. The scheme is a tribute to the workers in the Unorganized sectors who contribute around 50 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Unorganized Workers are mostly engaged as home-based workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick kiln workers, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers, washer men, rickshaw pullers, landless laborers, own account workers, agricultural workers, construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers, leather workers, audio-visual workers or workers in similar other occupations. As per the e-Shram portal, there are over 30.51 crore unorganised workers registered, as on 31 December 2024.

    PM-SYM was introduced in the Interim Budget 2019. The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in collaboration with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and Common Service Centres e-Governance Services India Limited (CSC SPV) for seamless implementation. LIC is the Pension Fund Manager and responsible for Pension pay out. The scheme is a part of the government’s broader social security initiatives and aligns with the vision of universal pension coverage for workers in the unorganised sector.

     

    Key Features of PM-SYM

     

    The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan scheme provides numerous benefits, ensuring financial security in old age for unorganised sector workers.

     

    • Minimum Assured Pension: ₹3,000 per month after 60 years of age.
    • Government Contribution: The Government of India matches the worker’s contribution on a 1:1 basis.
    • Voluntary and Contributory: The scheme is voluntary, allowing workers to contribute based on their affordability and requirement.
    • Family Pension: If the beneficiary passes away, the spouse receives 50% of the pension amount as a family pension. Family pension is applicable only to spouse.
    • Exit Provisions: Participants can exit the scheme under specified conditions (detailed in section 9).
    • Easy Enrolment: Eligible workers can register at Common Service Centres (CSCs) or through the Maandhan portal.
    • Fund Management: The scheme is administered by LIC, ensuring financial stability and credibility.

     

     

    Eligibility Criteria

     

    To enroll in PM-SYM, individuals must meet the following eligibility conditions:      

    1. Age Requirement: 18 to 40 years.
    2. Income Limit: Monthly income should be ₹15,000 or less.
    3. Unorganised Sector Employment: Workers engaged in professions such as:
      • Street vendors, rag pickers, rickshaw pullers
      • Construction workers, daily wage labourers
      • Agricultural workers, beedi workers
      • Domestic workers, weavers, artisans, fishermen, leather workers, etc.
    4. Exclusion Criteria:
      • Should not be covered under the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), or National Pension Scheme (NPS).
      • Should not be an income taxpayer.
      • Should not be receiving benefits from any other government pension scheme.
    5. Documents Required:
      • Aadhaar Card
      • Savings bank account or Jan Dhan account details with IFSC
      • Mobile number

     

     

    List of professions/occupations covered under this scheme can be accessed at: (https://labour.gov.in/list-professions-occupations-covered)

     

    Contribution Structure

     

    The contribution amount varies based on the age at the time of enrolment. The earlier a worker enrolls, the lower the monthly contribution.

     

    Age at Entry

    Monthly Contribution (by Worker)

    Equal Contribution by Government

    18 years

    ₹55

    ₹55

    20 years

    ₹65

    ₹65

    25 years

    ₹80

    ₹80

    30 years

    ₹105

    ₹105

    35 years

    ₹150

    ₹150

    40 years

    ₹200

    ₹200

     

    Upon reaching 60 years of age, beneficiaries start receiving a fixed pension of ₹3,000 per month for their lifetime.

     

    Enrolment Process

     

    Enrolment in PM-SYM is facilitated through Common Service Centres (CSCs) across India. The steps include:

    1. Visit a CSC with Aadhaar and a savings bank account.
    2. Provide biometric authentication using Aadhaar.
    3. Fill the online registration form.
    4. First subscription is to be paid in cash.
    5. Choose the auto-debit facility from the bank account.
    6. Receive a PM-SYM card upon successful enrolment.

     

    Alternatively, eligible workers can enroll through the Maandhan portal (https://maandhan.in/).

     

     

    All the Labour offices of State and Central Governments, all the branch offices of LIC, the offices of ESIC/EPFO will act as Facilitation Centres to give full information to the unorganised workers about the Scheme, its benefits and the procedure to be followed, at their facilitation desks/ help desks. Customer Care number 1800 2676 888 (available 24*7) and web portal has the facility for registering the complaints.

     

    Implementation and Current Status

     

     

    The steps taken by government to ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach the unorganized sector workers are:

    • Holding periodic review meeting with States/ UTs. 
    • Regular meeting with state Common Services Centre (CSC) heads.
    • Launch of new features such as Voluntary Exit, Revival Module, Claim Status and Account Statement.
    • Extension of revival of dormant accounts from 1 year to 3 years.
    • Two-way integration of PM-SYM and e-Shram.
    • SMS campaign to create awareness.
    • Communication with Chief Secretaries of States/UTs regarding enrolment under PM-SYM scheme.
    • Launch of Donate-a-Pension Module to encourage the employer to pay the premium of their staff under PM-SYM pension scheme and increase the enrolment. 
    • Interaction with Department of Financial Services, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy to increase the outreach of the pension scheme.

     

     

    Exit and Withdrawal Provisions

     

    Considering the hardships and erratic nature of employability of unorganised workers, the exit provisions of scheme have been kept flexible.

     

    1. Exit Before 10 Years: If a worker exits the scheme before 10 years, the contributed amount is refunded with savings bank interest rate.
    2. Exit After 10 Years but Before 60 Years: The beneficiary receives his/her share of contribution along with accumulated interest as actually earned by fund or at the savings bank interest rate, whichever is higher.
    3. Death Before 60 Years or Permanent Disability caused by an accident:
      • The spouse can continue the scheme or
      • Withdraw the contributed amount with interest as actually earned by fund or at the savings bank interest rate whichever is higher.
    4. Death After 60 Years: The spouse receives 50% of the pension as a family pension.
    5. After the death of subscriber as well as his/her spouse, the entire corpus will be credited back to the fund.

     

    Situation of Default: If a subscriber has not paid the contribution continuously, he/she will be allowed to regularize his contribution by paying entire outstanding dues, along with penalty charges, if any, decided by the Government.

     

    Conclusion

     

    PM-SYM is a landmark initiative that provides financial security to millions of unorganised workers. By ensuring a monthly pension of ₹3,000, it helps workers lead a dignified life post-retirement. With large number of enrolments and ongoing promotional efforts, PM-SYM aims to provide universal pension coverage, creating a more inclusive social security framework in India.

     

    References

    https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/mar/doc20223923901.pdf

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2097899

    https://maandhan.in/show_content.php?lang=1&level=1&ls_id=28&lid=28&page=6

    https://maandhan.in/maandhan/summary

    https://labour.gov.in/pm-sym

    https://labour.gov.in/brief-pm-sym

    https://labour.gov.in/iec-material-pmsym

    https://labour.gov.in/list-professions-occupations-covered

    https://labour.gov.in/enrolment-process

    https://labour.gov.in/state-wise-data

    https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/267/AU415_MQGi8e.pdf?source=pqars

    Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana

    ****

    Santosh Kumar | Sheetal Angral | Rishita Aggarwal

    (Release ID: 2108082) Visitor Counter : 12

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: InvestHK hosts inaugural Women’s Health & Tech Forum to promote thriving ecosystem that accelerates health tech to address unmet needs (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         ​Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) hosted the Women’s Health & Tech Forum 2025 today (March 4), bringing together distinguished speakers from the Government, academia, and the private sector to explore the intersection of technology and women’s health. The forum featured comprehensive sessions and media opportunities covering policy initiatives, clinical research translation, and ecosystem development, attracting key stakeholders from Hong Kong’s rapidly evolving health sector.       Government’s strategic vision for advancing women’s health     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has positioned health innovation as a key driver of new quality productive forces in Hong Kong, with a clear vision to develop the city into an international health and medical innovation hub. Through comprehensive reforms in drug and medical device approval mechanisms, enhanced clinical trial capabilities, and accelerated research translation, the Government is creating a robust foundation for innovation in crucial sectors including women’s health.           The Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, stated, “The HKSAR Government is committed to complementing technological innovation with institutional innovation, developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub. As we move forward, we must continue to prioritise health and well-being of people in our innovation agenda. This requires collaboration across sectors – Government, academia, healthcare providers, and the private sector – all working together to address unmet needs and create sustainable and scalable solutions. Together, we can harness technology to improve health outcomes, empower women, and build a healthier society for all.”      InvestHK’s pivotal role in fostering innovation           Hong Kong’s growing prominence in health technology is supported by InvestHK’s strategic initiatives to attract and facilitate innovative companies. The agency’s comprehensive approach combines with Hong Kong’s world-class infrastructure development, talent pool, and comprehensive ecosystem, developing Hong Kong as a leading health tech hub.           The Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Ms Alpha Lau, commented, “As a global innovation and technology hub, Hong Kong is leveraging cutting-edge technologies and world-class expertise to advance women’s healthcare. With the global femtech market expected to grow substantially, InvestHK is dedicated to attracting pioneering solutions to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in Hong Kong and across Asia.”      Advancing women’s health through academic-government collaboration           Primary healthcare has become the backbone of Hong Kong’s public health initiatives. A significant development announced at the forum was the collaboration between the District Health Centre and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to introduce post-natal health services within the primary healthcare framework, showcasing how academic-government partnerships can effectively serve the unmet needs in local communities.           The Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr Pang Fei-chau, emphasised, “Primary healthcare has become the foundation of our public health initiatives, bringing essential services closer to the community through the District Health Centre Scheme. The Government has launched the Life Course Preventive Care plan. Based on the core principles of prevention-oriented and whole-person care, a personalised preventive care plan will be formulated according to the latest evidence to establish healthy lifestyle patterns and raise self-health management awareness among citizens of different age groups, thereby improving the overall health of the population, providing accessible and coherent healthcare network services, and establishing a sustainable healthcare system.”           The Chairperson of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the CUHK, Prof Liona Poon, highlighted, “This collaboration helps address the unmet needs in post-natal health, which represents a significant step forward in women’s healthcare delivery. This partnership combines the CUHK’s pioneering clinical expertise with the Government’s community outreach capabilities. Through this integrated approach, we can better support women’s health needs at the community level.”      Driving innovation in women’s health tech     Hong Kong’s health tech ecosystem continues to attract and nurture innovative companies addressing critical women’s healthcare needs. WomenX Biotech Limited, a Hong Kong-based start-up inventing non-invasive HPV test using menstrual blood, and EveryBaby, an Irish health tech company specialising in preterm birth prevention through cervical tissue analysis, exemplify how both local and international companies are leveraging the city’s advantages to advance women’s health technologies.     The Founder of WomenX Biotech Limited, Dr Choi Pui-wah, shared, “The city’s research capabilities and clinical resources have been crucial in developing our technology for early disease detection. Hong Kong’s supportive ecosystem has enabled us to transform monthly menstrual blood collection into a powerful tool for women’s health monitoring.”     The CEO of EveryBaby, Mr Dabriel Choi, added, “We chose Hong Kong as our Asian headquarters because of its strong healthcare foundation and strategic position for entering the Mainland China market. The ecosystem here facilitates meaningful partnerships between start-ups, researchers, and healthcare providers, which is essential for developing and validating our innovative preterm birth prevention technology.”A hub for women’s health innovation     The Women Health & Tech Forum 2025 has effectively demonstrated Hong Kong’s commitment to advancing women’s health through technology. By fostering collaboration between the Government, academia, and the private sector, and by leveraging the city’s strengths in life and health science, Hong Kong is establishing itself as a leading hub for women’s health innovation. This commitment to combining technological and institutional innovation aligns with the Government’s broader vision of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, creating impact both locally and across the region.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Actions of Viktor Orbán’s government in granting asylum to Marcin Romanowski, former Polish Deputy Minister of Justice, who faces prosecution on corruption charges – E-003079/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The European arrest warrant (EAW) is a judicial procedure between judicial authorities in the Member States based on the particular circumstances of each individual case where surrender is requested. Neither the Commission nor the Member States’ governments can interfere or influence decisions taken by the judicial authorities.

    The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) held that the principle of mutual recognition, which underpins the EAW framework decision, means that, in accordance with Article 1(2) thereof, the Member States are in principle obliged to act upon an EAW, arresting the persons concerned and bringing them before a national court competent to examine the warrant, including to see whether any grounds for refusal apply.

    In order to assess whether there is a ground for refusing the EAW, the executing court should take into account the CJEU’s case-law on the EAW, and in particular regarding the two-step procedure set out in that case-law[1].

    The Commission notes that an Article 7(1) of the Treaty on EU procedure against Hungary is ongoing in Council. This procedure was initiated by the European Parliament in 2018. It is for the Council to decide on next steps in this ongoing procedure.

    The Commission shares the concerns expressed by the European Parliament in this procedure and always stands ready to participate in hearings and state-of-play points in the Council.

    • [1] Judgment of the Court of Justice of 25 July 2018, LM, C-216/18 PPU, ECLI:EU:C:2018:586 and Judgment of the Court of Justice of 31 January 2023, Puig Gordi and Others, C-158/21, ECLI:EU:C:2023:57.
    Last updated: 4 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Humanitarian situation in Gaza refugee camps after the recent floods and heavy rain – E-000064/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission welcomes the ceasefire and urges all parties to ensure its full implementation, hoping that it will lead to a substantial and sustained increase in the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

    The humanitarian situation remains dire, and the Commission is mobilising all available humanitarian instruments, providing EUR 450 million in aid through trusted humanitarian partners on the ground, including United Nations agencies and international non-governmental organisations, to address life-saving needs such as shelter, including the distribution of non-food items, food, health, water and sanitation.

    The Commission has also deployed ReliefEU[1] to operate humanitarian air bridge flights, transporting for example over 4 000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies on behalf of Member States and humanitarian partners to meet the urgent needs of displaced families in Gaza.

    In addition, t he European Union Civil Protection Mechanism[2] (UCPM) supported seven EU Member States in the delivery of shelter items to Gaza and continues to support the World Health Organisation in the evacuation of critically ill patients requiring specialised medical care outside the region.

    Working closely with its trusted humanitarian partners, the Commission continues to monitor the situation on the ground to respond to the enormous needs of the population of Gaza.

    • [1] ReliefEU Capacities: The objective of ReliefEU Capacities is to support humanitarian partners with services and operational capabilities, facilitating the quick delivery of humanitarian assistance, while ensuring greater effectiveness. New capacities will be developed throughout the year, with specific allocation rounds to be announced, calling on partners and Member States to submit proposals.
    • [2] In October 2001, the European Commission established the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Mechanism aims to strengthen civil protection cooperation between the EU countries and 10 additional participating states to improve prevention, preparedness, and response to disasters.
      Any country hit by a disaster, in Europe and beyond, can request emergency assistance through the Mechanism. The Commission plays a key role in coordinating the disaster response and contributing to the transport and/or operational costs of deployments.
    Last updated: 4 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Protecting the Bundestag elections – threat of X manipulating votes – E-000093/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Democracy is a core value of the EU, with free and fair elections at its heart. Member States are responsible for organising elections according to national constitutional rules, legislation, international obligations, and EU law.

    The Commission supports Member States in election matters mainly via the framework of the European Coordination Network on Elections. The Commission monitors compliance by providers of very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) with the Digital Services Act (DSA)[1] in relation to the provision of those services in the EU and has provided election guidance[2].

    For the German Federal election, the Bundesnetzagentur and the Commission have organised an election roundtable[3] and a stress test[4]involving providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs, German authorities, and civil society. Signatories of the EU Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which contains election commitments, have activated the Rapid Response System for the elections[5].

    The Commission has been investigating X[6], designated as a VLOP, for suspected breaches of, amongst others, Articles 34(1) and (2) and 35(1) DSA which oblige to diligently assess systemic risks and put in place effective mitigation measures. The current investigations include risks to civic discourse and elections in the EU, including risks stemming from the design and functioning of its algorithm.

    Recently, the Commission ordered X[7] to preserve documents on future changes to the design and functioning of its recommender algorithms. The Commission also requested internal documentation on its recommender system relating to past changes and ordered access to certain technical interfaces to allow fact-finding on content moderation and account virality.

    • [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022R2065
    • [2] The Commission has published guidelines for providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs on the mitigation of systemic risks for electoral processes: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/guidelines-providers-vlops-and-vloses-mitigation-systemic-risks-electoral-processes
    • [3] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/digital-services-coordinator-germany-hosts-roundtable-online-platforms
    • [4] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/german-digital-services-coordinator-tests-platforms-readiness-under-digital-services-act
    • [5] Previously used in EU, French, Romanian, and Croatian elections, the RRS allows non-platform signatories to quickly report time-sensitive threats to electoral integrity with platforms based on their policies.
    • [6] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses
    • [7] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-addresses-additional-investigatory-measures-x-ongoing-proceedings-under-digital-services
    Last updated: 4 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The situation of detainees in the DPRK in the draft annual resolution on human rights in the DPRK at the UN Human Rights Council – E-000762/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000762/2025
    to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
    Rule 144
    César Luena (S&D)

    According to the answer to Written Question E-002674/2024[1], ‘the EU in principle does not enumerate individual consular cases in the annual Human Rights Council resolution on human rights in the DPRK’, and ‘the cases relating to Myanmar concerned the highest representatives of the democratically elected government’.

    However, the resolutions referred to in the initial question concern the cases of two journalists[2]. See:

    • 1.37/32[3], point 25, calls on the Government of Myanmar to ‘immediately release journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’;
    • 2.39/2[4], point 18, ‘Expresses grave concern at the imprisonment, prosecution and sentencing of journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’;
    • 3.40/29[5], point 10, calls on the Government of Myanmar to ‘immediately and unconditionally release journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’;
    • 4.43/26[6], point 8, ‘Welcomes the release of journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’.

    Therefore, will the EU consider specifying the cases of North Korean escapee Kim Cheol-ok and the South Korean missionaries detained for over ten years, Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-gil, in the upcoming draft annual resolution on human rights in the DPRK at the UN Human Rights Council?

    Submitted: 19.2.2025

    • [1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10-2024-002674-ASW_EN.html.
    • [2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48182712.
    • [3] https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/1485543?v=pdf.
    • [4] https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g18/317/39/pdf/g1831739.pdf.
    • [5] https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/RES/40/29.
    • [6] https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/RES/43/26.
    Last updated: 3 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Use of smartphones by children in primary schools – E-000803/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000803/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Vladimir Prebilič (Verts/ALE), Jaume Asens Llodrà (Verts/ALE)

    Studies confirm that excessive use of smartphones by children while attending primary schools (age 6 to 15) can have a serious negative impact on their mental health and well-being, as well as worsening their school performance and negatively influencing their social skills.

    Upon her re-election as Commission President for a second term, Ursula von der Leyen vowed to tackle social media addiction and cyberbullying.

    Given that EU Member States and regions regulate the use of mobile phones in primary schools differently, Commission guidelines on the issue could give much-needed guidance and help national and local authorities decide future arrangements in this area.

    • 1.Is the Commission aware of the reported negative effects of children’s use of smartphones while at school both on children themselves as well as the educational process?
    • 2.Has the Commission already issued any guidelines / taken a position on this issue? Is the Commission planning to take up the issue, gather examples of good practices from around the EU and share them with relevant national and local authorities?

    Submitted: 21.2.2025

    Last updated: 3 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The EU’s position on Hamas – E-000797/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000797/2025
    to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
    Rule 144
    Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR)

    Regardless of any plans for rebuilding Gaza, the US Administration is clear about one thing: there is no place for Hamas in Gaza’s future. Anyone who grasps the gravity of the events of 7 October 2023 and saw Hamas’s recent repugnant demonstration of power when hostages were released and the bodies of murdered Israelis were handed over will agree that that is the right position. The EU’s position, however, is unclear.

    • 1.Does the EU still regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation?
    • 2.Does the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy agree that a terrorist organisation should not be treated as a legitimate administration or political actor?
    • 3.Does the VP/HR agree that Hamas has no place in future plans for Gaza?

    Submitted: 20.2.2025

    Last updated: 3 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Joint Operation Focuses on Registered Offender Compliance

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Waterloo, IA – From March 2-4, the U.S. Marshals Service partnered with six law enforcement agencies in Black Hawk County to conduct Operation Black Hawk County, an enforcement/compliance initiative to investigate and arrest non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders.

    Operation Black Hawk County’s goal is to ensure 100% compliance of the 322 registered sex offenders in Black Hawk County.  By mid-day March 4, law enforcement personnel also conducted 284 sex offender compliance checks, and arrested six total offenders on outstanding warrants.

    As a part of Operation Black Hawk County, one registered offender was identified as having an active deportation order through Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE). On March 2, law enforcement officers took the individual into custody at his residence without incident. ICE transported him from Black Hawk County, where he awaits deportation to the country of Myanmar.

    “The safety and well-being of our community is our highest priority,” said U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Iowa Christopher Barther. “We remain committed to working tirelessly, using every resource available, to protect our citizens, uphold the law, and ensure justice prevails.”

    Operation Black Hawk County investigators initiated both state and federal criminal cases for failure to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, apprehended sex offenders in violation of registration requirements or wanted on active warrants and conducted sex offender compliance checks to increase police presence and identify non-compliant sex offenders for further investigation.

    All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    As the federal government’s primary agency for sex offender and fugitive investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service use its resources and investigative expertise to make neighborhoods safer. The agency has a key mission to help keep non-compliant sex offenders accountable.

    Convicted sex offenders are required to comply with federal, state, and local requirements to register. The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (AWA) authorizes USMS to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities in the location and apprehension of non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders; investigate violations of the AWA for federal prosecution; and assist in the identification and location of sex offenders relocated because of a major disaster.

    The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal government’s primary agency for fugitive investigations. Nationwide, 60 local task forces are dedicated to violent crime reduction by locating and apprehending wanted criminals. These task forces also serve as the central point for agencies to share information on fugitive matters. The Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force comprises officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Waterloo Police Department, Marion Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Iowa Department of Corrections.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – Press Conference | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Press Conference by President: H.E. Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan; Ms. Melissa Parke, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Ms. Eirini Giorgiou, Legal Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross; Ms. Taraem Taukaro of Kiribati, A representative of affected community.

    —
    As the third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) got underway today (3 Mar) at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin welcomed new ratifications of the Treaty by Indonesia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone and the Solomon Islands.

    Rakhmetullin, who is presiding the meeting, said, “we are now working on the final documents, final declaration on the decisions on various aspects, on various facets of our process.”

    Melissa Parke, who is the Executive Director at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said, “disarmament is eminently achievable. In fact, of all the global challenges we face, this is the least complex. Humans built nuclear weapons. Humans can dismantle them. All it requires is political will and leadership.”

    At present, she said, “that leadership is coming from TPNW states parties, civil society, communities impacted by nuclear weapons use and testing, and from parliamentarians, scientists, artists, cities and investors who are taking their money out of nuclear weapons.”

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Legal Adviser Eirini Giorgiou said, “nuclear weapons continue to cast a deep shadow over our common future. The risk that they are used deliberately or inadvertently has grown exponentially. It’s fuelled by ongoing conflicts, strident nuclear rhetoric and various technological developments.”

    Giorgiou said the international community has “a duty to prevent the unspeakable from happening again,” and the TPNW “is a response to this urgent imperative” as it “prohibits nuclear weapons as a necessary step towards their elimination and provides a realistic roadmap for getting there.”

    The ICRC Legal Adviser said, “more than half of the world’s states have expressed their will to be bound by the Treaty and have subscribed to its vision for a just and peaceful future without nuclear weapons. We call on all remaining states to follow suit.”

    For her part, Taraem Taukaro who is a representative of the affected community in Kiribati where nuclear test were conducted said, “these tests were conducted 68 years ago. The detrimental effects persist, particularly concerning our health. My mother has suffered from completing. My older sister was born deaf, and I experienced unexplained fainting spells during my teenage years. Many other families have faced various types of cancer, including her cervical and breast cancer.”

    The Treaty was adopted on 7 July 2017 at the United Nations and entered into force on 22 January 2021. It was the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to be negotiated in more than two decades.

    United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called the Treaty “an important step towards the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and a strong demonstration of support for multilateral approaches to nuclear disarmament.”

    The third Meeting of States Parties will hold a thematic debate on the risks for humanity of nuclear conflict and its devastating humanitarian consequences. States parties will also consider the status and operation of the Treaty, addressing issues related to universality; the total elimination of nuclear weapons; victim assistance, environmental remediation and international cooperation and assistance; and security concerns.

    To date, 73 States have ratified or acceded to the Treaty and 94 have signed it.

    The Meeting is expected to adopt a political declaration.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeOB5hu99L4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Budget investment proposals aim to improve care and respite for Highland families.

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    ‘Improving care and respite for families’ is one of The Highland Council Administration’s investment proposals to be considered by councillors when they meet to decide the budget on Thursday 6 March.

    Council will consider a recurring £0.250m investment to employ six family support workers to improve care and respite arrangements for families with the greatest needs.

    Chair of Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Cllr David Fraser commented: “We said we would improve outcomes for all children and young people across Highland with a particular focus on our most vulnerable.

    “This proposed investment aims to provide a greater availability of service provision for those who need it most and with a greater degree of inclusion. If approved, it will help support a future respite model, adding to the existing funding for short breaks, which will provide a greater degree of wrap around support for families.”

    Cllr Fraser added: “In addition there is a proposed £1.048m investment Additional Support Needs (ASN) and an another of £0.200m to add to the Community and Family Wellbeing Fund.  Taken together, these investments represent a significant commitment by the Administration to support children, young people and families across the Highlands.”

    The proposal is based on the outcome of a review previously undertaken into respite services in the area, which has considered the needs and concerns of families of children with additional support needs.

    If approved, the future model for respite will provide support across three centres located in north, west and south Highland – but available to families across the whole Highland area as part of a wider plan for children and families. By providing appropriate levels of respite and support, young people are more likely to be able to remain within their families and communities which has wide reaching financial and non-financial benefits.

    Other benefits of the proposed future model are that it should help to ensure that families’ needs are met more effectively while ensuring the GIRFEC processes (Getting it Right for Every Child) work effectively on their behalf. In addition to respite care, the new service would also aim to provide positive support to families by providing more advice, assistance and guidance.

    The budget report and proposals are available on the Council’s website and the Special Meeting of the Council starts at 09:30 on Thursday 6 March which will be webcast.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Standards for non-EU foods – E-002514/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The ‘Healthier Together’ initiative[1] provides a strategic framework for the Commission’s support to Member States in reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases. Financial support under the EU4Health programme has been provided for collaborative actions between Member States on health determinants, such as nutrition and tobacco, and on mental health. These actions aim at reducing health inequalities and focus on vulnerable groups such as children. The Commission will continue to work with Member States and stakeholders to provide solutions to facilitate healthier food choices. Together with United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the Commission is developing a prevention toolkit for children to support policymakers in promoting their mental and physical health. In line with the political guidelines and mission letter to the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare[2], the Commission will step up its work on preventive health with a focus on improving cardiovascular health in the EU, and will propose a European cardiovascular health plan.

    2. Ensuring a high level of public health is a fundamental principle of EU food law legislation. Under the General Food Law Regulation[3], all food placed on the EU market must be safe, i.e. not injurious to health or unfit for human consumption. To this end, the General Food Law Regulation lays down the responsibilities of the various actors along the food supply chain and of the Member States’ competent authorities to ensure that food placed on the EU market complies with these requirements. Furthermore, strict EU import rules with respect to food and feed hygiene, consumer safety and animal health status in place aim at assuring that all imports fulfil the same high standards as those required for products originating within the EU.

    • [1] https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/healthier-together-eu-non-communicable-diseases-initiative_en
    • [2] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/b1817a1b-e62e-4949-bbb8-ebf29b54c8bd_en?filename=Mission%20letter%20-%20VARHELYI.pdf
    • [3] Regulation (EC) 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety, (OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1).
    Last updated: 4 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Spanish judiciary continues to face pressure and attacks from Pedro Sánchez’s government – E-003019/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    In the 2022, 2023 and 2024 country chapters on the rule of law situation in Spain[1], the Commission underlined that stakeholders had raised concerns about public statements made by politicians criticising the judiciary.

    In this context, the Commission recalled that, according to European standards, while courts are not immune to criticism and scrutiny, the judiciary must enjoy public confidence to be successful in view of its special role in society.

    This is particularly important in relation to statements by members of the legislative and the executive branches, as all powers of the State must foster and protect the trust of the general public in constitutional institutions including the judiciary.

    This is an issue not specific to Spain alone, and in the Rule of Law Report the Commission has recalled these standards in comparable situations in other Member States.

    • [1] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/abdcd1f9-681e-43be-980b-f4205c3e0556_en?filename=23_1_194017_coun_chap_spain_en.pdf, https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/62fdb34b-78d4-4d53-b9ea-67286facc01e_en?filename=23_1_52576_coun_chap_spain_en.pdf and https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/2bd09a6f-ef56-494a-8303-e0de808ee981_en?filename=23_1_58063_coun_chap_spain_en_0.pdf
    Last updated: 4 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Protecting human rights in the Republic of Peru – E-000730/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000730/2025
    to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
    Rule 144
    Anthony Smith (The Left), Rima Hassan (The Left), Leila Chaibi (The Left)

    In July 2024, Amnesty International published a report entitled ‘Who called the shots?’, which notes that Dina Boluarte could be held criminally responsible, as commander-in-chief of the Peruvian armed forces and national police, for the deaths that occurred during the protests between December 2022 and March 2023.

    In a speech on 6 February 2025, Dina Boluarte was extremely critical of the activities of international NGOs, maintaining that they weaponise respect for human rights to ‘undermine the authority of the state and delegitimise the principle of order’.

    In the same vein, the bill amending Law No 27692, considered by the Peruvian Congress in 2024, was aimed at significantly restricting the work of civil society organisations in receipt of international cooperation funds. The bill was shelved after diplomatic intervention by the US, which was concerned about the repercussions of such a text on democracy in Peru.

    Could the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:

    • 1.state her opinion on these government attacks on both democracy and respect for human rights in Peru;
    • 2.condemn government attempts to block the work of international NGOs?

    Submitted: 18.2.2025

    Last updated: 3 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Implementation of NextGenerationEU funds – E-000831/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000831/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Esther Herranz García (PPE)

    Under the NextGenerationEU programme, Member States have committed to funding public infrastructure works aimed at establishing low-emission zones and ushering in the sustainable and digital transformation of urban transport.

    During the implementation period of the projects, it came to light that some proposals would lead to duplication or could cause greater harm than the improvements set out to be achieved and it was therefore decided not to implement them. As a result, some municipalities have come forward as being open to refunding the share corresponding to measures with which such issues have been identified, without prejudicing the implementation of the rest.

    However, some national governments are demanding repayment of the full amount of aid, since it is not possible to repay only the part corresponding to the projects that have not been implemented. This has a negative impact both on those projects that have been implemented and on municipal coffers.

    • 1.Are there any EU rules requiring full reimbursement or preventing the reimbursement of NextGenerationEU funds only for the part corresponding to unimplemented projects?
    • 2.Does the Commission interpret NextGenerationEU funds in such a way that the Member States are to regard the funds received by the municipalities as a single, indivisible fund which does not take account of the various projects to be carried out under those funds?

    Submitted: 25.2.2025

    Last updated: 4 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Business-as-usual with Azerbaijan – E-000694/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000694/2025
    to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
    Rule 144
    Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR)

    On 24 October, the European Parliament adopted the resolution ‘on situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia’, in which MEPs unilaterally rejected the idea of business-as-usual with the Aliyev dictatorship regime.

    However, on 4 December, the newly-elected Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas met with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, in the margins of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council. The EU representative later posted that the meeting had been ‘good’ and that the two sides discussed the EU-Azerbaijan partnership.

    In view of the above, can the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy answer the following:

    • 1.What was so ‘good’ about the meeting? Did the Aliyev regime’s foreign affairs minister commit to release more than 320 political prisoners, repatriate Armenian hostages and give assurances about a dignified return of Armenians to Artsakh, in line with the legally binding rulings of the International Court of Justice?
    • 2.Why can’t the EU do away with the policy of appeasement when dealing with dictatorial states like Azerbaijan?
    • 3.Will the VP/HR continue to work with Azerbaijan’s dictatorship regime as normal?

    Submitted: 13.2.2025

    Last updated: 3 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Middle District Of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects More Than $47 Million In Civil And Criminal Actions In Fiscal Year 2024

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, FL ― Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announced today that the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) collected $47,486,214 related to local criminal and civil matters in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 (FY 2024). Of this amount, $16,429,786 was collected in criminal cases and $31,056,428was collected in civil actions. 

    The MDFL’s Civil Division, led by Civil Chief Randy Harwell, recovered a total of $104,533,923 on behalf of federal agencies and programs in affirmative civil enforcement cases during the last fiscal year. This amount has two components. In addition to its recoveries in local civil cases noted above, the District’s Civil Division also joins forces with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and with the Department of Justice Civil Frauds Section to address fraud schemes and illegal practices extending beyond district boundaries. The MDFL’s Civil Division recovered an additional $73,477,495 in FY24 in these jointly handled cases.

    “These strong recovery figures show a continued commitment by our office in the critical areas of criminal and civil enforcement,” said Acting United States Attorney Sara Sweeney. “Safeguarding the interests of crime victims, the American taxpayers, and vital public programs will always be a part of our district’s core mission.”

    U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigation divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

    The MDFL’s Asset Recovery Division, led by Chief Laura Taylor, recovered a total of $16,456,189. This amount has two components―criminal monetary penalties and forfeiture. First, in addition to the $16,429,786 in criminal monetary penalties collected in cases prosecuted by the District, the Asset Recovery Division worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $26,403 in criminal monetary penalties pursued jointly by these offices. 

    Additionally, the District’s Asset Recovery Division, working with partner agencies, forfeited $35,981,653 from criminal and civil asset forfeiture actions in FY 2024. For instance, in FY 2024, $10,604,039 million forfeited in the MDFL was returned to victims of the criminal offenses, and more than $4 million was shared with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

    Significant Affirmative Civil Enforcement Cases

    United States ex rel. Jacob v. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Case no. 8:20-cv-858 (M.D. Fla.). This qui tam case alleged that between 2009 and 2020, Walgreens submitted false claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs for prescriptions that it processed but that were never picked up by beneficiaries. Through this practice, Walgreens received tens of millions of dollars for prescriptions that it never actually provided to health care beneficiaries. Collaborating with the Dept. of Justice Civil Frauds Section and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Mexico and Eastern District of Texas, we resolved all of the allegations in the qui tam case for $106.8 million.

    Press release: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/walgreens-agrees-pay-1068m-resolve-allegations-it-billed-government-prescriptions-never

    United States v. Lubin, Case no. 8:21-cv-2231 (M.D. Fla.). This False Claims Act complaint was filed against Dr. Edward Lubin, who was an outlier prescriber of a powerful opioid medication called Subsys which is prescribed primarily for treatment of various oncology conditions. We alleged that Dr. Edward Lubin received kickbacks from the manufacturer of Subsys, Insys, Inc., through a bogus speaker program sponsored by Insys that paid Lubin hundreds of thousands of dollars to incentivize him to prescribe the potent medication. In October 2023, we settled with Dr. Lubin for $1.5 million.

    Press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/tampa-pain-management-physician-edward-lubin-agrees-pay-15-million-settle-false-claims

    U.S. ex rel. Loscalzo v. Bluestone Physician Services, et al., Case No. 2:20-cv-295 (M.D. Fla.).  This qui tam case alleged that Bluestone, a geriatric health care provider for residents of assisted living facilities in Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin, submitted false claims to the government by billing monthly medical visits that are either unnecessary or upcoded. In collaboration with the Department of Justice Civil Frauds section and the United States Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we corroborated the allegations and on June 5, 2024, resolved the claims in the qui tam complaint for $14.9 million, on an ability to pay basis.

    Press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/chronic-disease-management-provider-pay-149m-resolve-alleged-false-claims

    Dan Hurt.  Daniel Hurt owned and operated Fountain Health Services LLC, Verify Health, Landmark Diagnostics LLC, First Choice Laboratory LLC and Sonoran Desert Pathology Associates LLC, that we alleged submitted false claims to Medicare for cancer genomic (CGx) tests that were not medically necessary and that were procured through illegal kickbacks. From January 2019 to November 2021, Hurt allegedly conspired with telemarketing agents to solicit Medicare beneficiaries for “free” CGx tests; with telemedicine providers to “prescribe” CGx tests that were not medically necessary; with reference laboratories to conduct the CGx tests, and with billing laboratories and a hospital to submit claims for payment to Medicare.  Mr. Hurt pled guilty to criminal healthcare fraud offenses and agreed on an ability to pay basis to settle the civil fraud claims for approximately $27 million.

    Press release:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/florida-businessman-daniel-hurt-pay-over-27-million-medicare-fraud-connection-cancer?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

    United States v. Robert J. Remington, et al., Case no. 8:24-cv-511 (M.D. Fla.). This False Claims Act case was initiated by a referral from the Veterans Administration Inspector General concerning Jacksonville and Orlando franchises of New Horizons Computer Learning Center.  These schools provide federally subsidized educational programs for veterans.  The complaint alleged that both franchises violated subsidy program requirements concerning the percentage of student population that were entitled to receive the subsidies. We filed a complaint against the two schools in February 2024, and on July 10, 2024 reached an agreement that resolved all claims in return for $1,350,000.

    Press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/new-horizons-computer-learning-centers-tampa-and-orlando-resolve-post-911-gi-bill

    United States ex rel. GNGH2, Inc. v. Miles Partnership, LLC, Case No. 8:23-cv-649 (M.D. Fla.).  In this qui tam, the relator alleged that Miles Partnership, LLC (“Miles Partnership”) obtained a $2 million second draw Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan by failing to disclose that it was required to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (“FARA”), 22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq .  Any entity required to register under FARA was ineligible for a second draw PPP loan.  Based on various contracts it had with foreign tourism boards, including the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the relator alleged that Miles Partnership was required to register under FARA. On Sept. 17, 2024, we settled these claims for $2,281,950.

    Press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/travel-tourism-company-pays-2-2-million-resolve-civil-claims-regarding-funds-obtained

    H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Center.  A leading Tampa, Florida cancer research center disclosed issues to the Health and Human Services Inspector General concerning its bills to Medicare associated with clinical oncology trials. Specifically, Moffitt disclosed that it had billed federal healthcare programs for items and services provided as part of clinical trial research that should have been billed to non-government trial sponsors. The research center cooperated extensively with the United States Attorney’s Office, Department of Justice Civil Frauds section, and HHS OIG, ultimately agreeing in January 2024, to pay $19,564,743 to resolve all of the billing issues that it had disclosed.

    Press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/florida-research-hospital-agrees-pay-more-195-million-resolve-liability-relating-self 

    Baptist Health System A Jacksonville, Florida area hospital network voluntarily disclosed conduct to the Health and Human Services Inspector General that may have violated the federal Anti-Kickback statute. Specifically, Baptist Health disclosed that it had offered discounts to patients as an inducement to purchase or refer Baptist Health services that are reimbursed by federal health programs. Baptist Health cooperated with the government’s investigation into these issues and agreed to resolve them in exchange for $1.5 million.

    Press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/florida-hospital-system-agrees-pay-15-million-resolve-liability-relating-self 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The strategies and risks European powers must consider when it comes to tackling Trump

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Genauer, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Flinders University

    Since commencing his second term as United States president, Donald Trump has distanced the US from Ukraine and warmed relations with Russia.

    This presents a predicament for European nations.

    A changing landscape

    Europe relies on the US for military and technology capability.

    The US is responsible for more than a third of the total funds spent on defence worldwide.

    It is also a critical member of the NATO security alliance and has more than 80,000 troops on the European continent.

    Since January 20, the Trump administration has coupled economic isolationism with a surprisingly interventionist foreign policy agenda.

    This is driven by a realist, interests-based approach to political leadership.

    Trump’s actions align with a worldview that emphasises material advantage over values and ideas – the interests of great and regional powers are considered to be the only ones that matter.

    The heated exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28 underscored the crumbling architecture and protocols of the international rules-based order in place since the second world war.

    It appears the Trump administration may expect unilateral concessions from Ukraine to Russia for peace. This would likely include ceding significant territory to Russia.



    Read more:
    In siding with Russia over Ukraine, Trump is not putting America first. He is hastening its decline

    A rock and a hard place

    Ukraine borders four EU and NATO-member countries: Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. This poses a serious security risk.

    Europe’s foremost security challenge is to deter Russia from further offensive action on the continent.

    European countries have a direct interest in stopping the war, because a continuing conflict presents a costly threat, draining resources in military and humanitarian aid.

    According to the Kiel institute for the World Economy, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European countries have collectively committed more than $US138 billion ($A222 billion) in military and non-military aid.

    European countries want to see an end to the war that leaves Ukraine a safe and sovereign nation state. For European countries, it is crucial that any political settlement effectively deters Russia from further incursions into Ukrainian or Eastern European territory.

    Without deterrence measures in place, there is no guaranteed prevention of wider state-to-state conflict on the European continent in future.

    On the one hand, Europe needs the US military and economic might. On the other hand, Europe has pressing security concerns that drive a divergence from the US in its position on Ukraine.

    How far will Trump go with Russia?

    A key question on European leaders’ minds is: will the NATO alliance hold if there is an incursion into NATO-member territory?

    If the borders of Poland or a Baltic state are violated, NATO’s article 5 will be triggered. This article requires the collective defense by all NATO allies of any ally under attack.

    This could mean the US is obliged to join a direct confrontation with Russia.

    Would Trump actually commit US military support to a fight with Russia? Or would the US abandon their NATO treaty obligations?

    Trump’s rhetoric and actions so far suggest European countries should prepare for the latter possibility.



    Read more:
    How Trump’s spat with Zelensky threatens the security of the world – including the US

    Strategic autonomy and deterrence

    Given this dilemma, Europe needs to focus on strategic autonomy and deterrence.

    Strategic autonomy includes not only defence, but also economics, environment, energy and values.

    In terms of defence, strategic autonomy means Europe taking more responsibility for its own security. Former European Defence Agency chief Jorge Domecq notes this includes having the ability to “develop, operate, modify and maintain the full spectrum of defence capabilities”.

    Effective deterrence of further Russian aggression on the continent requires providing substantive security guarantees to Ukraine. This may include a multilateral security structure for European countries (without the US) that could guarantee Ukraine’s security.

    The idea of a European Army has also reemerged. This would go beyond defence cooperation to full military and strategic integration. Such an entity could underpin a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

    At a summit in London on March 2, EU countries and the UK proposed a one-month truce that could be followed by European troops on the ground in Ukraine to maintain the peace.

    What does Ukraine want from Europe?

    A Gallup survey in late 2024 suggests the percentage of Ukrainians who want a negotiated end to the war has increased from about 20% in early 2022 to more than 50% in late 2024.

    Over the same period, those who favour fighting for a military solution has declined from more than 70% to just under 40%.

    The same survey revealed most Ukrainians prefer a key role for the EU in negotiations (70%) and the UK (63%), with less than half preferring a significant role from Trump.

    Interestingly, more than 40% supported a central role for Turkey in negotiations.

    China: a country to watch

    China’s approach to Russia and the war could have an impact on Europe’s security and political stability.

    China is mostly concerned with domestic economic growth and regime stability, and it has not directly involved itself in the war in Ukraine.

    However, China is a close friend of Russia and a security ally of North Korea, which is currently fighting in the Kursk province of Russia against Ukrainian forces.

    In 2023, China put forward its own “peace plan” proposal for Ukraine.

    A rapprochement between the US and Russia may be viewed unfavourably by China which could see this as a threat to its own regional geopolitical influence.

    China maintains significant influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin due to economic and security ties.

    If China senses a fundamental shift in the international order, it may become more assertive in attempting to influence Russia and the trajectory of the war in Ukraine.

    For Europe, distancing from the US may mean getting closer to China.

    However, this comes with its own risks.

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

    – ref. The strategies and risks European powers must consider when it comes to tackling Trump – https://theconversation.com/the-strategies-and-risks-european-powers-must-consider-when-it-comes-to-tackling-trump-251253

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘High agency’: what the science says about the latest tech buzzword

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine H. Greenaway, Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne

    Caspar David Friedrich / The Conversation, CC BY-SA

    In 218 BC, the Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed the Alps against the advice of his men, who claimed it was impossible. “Aut inveniam viam, aut faciam,” Hannibal is said to have replied: “I shall either find a way, or make one.”

    Though apocryphal, Hannibal’s bold statement captures a trait much sought in the tech industry today: “high agency”. This means being able to positively influence yourself or the world around you.

    Psychologists use a range of other terms to refer to this kind of trait — including perceived control, mastery, and efficacy. All of them boil down to being able to achieve the things you want, when you want.

    Recognising agency

    In the business world, the term high agency is used in much the same way as “disruptor”, “game-changer” and “self-starter” were before it. As you might expect from those comparisons, high agency is a catch-all phrase for people who see and take opportunities where others see roadblocks.

    More than this, high agency describes a person who creates their own opportunities where there appear to be none.

    High agency is beneficial in more than the professional sphere, however.

    Research shows that feeling able to achieve important goals is a building block for motivation in most domains of life, including education, health and political action. This is because people who feel “in control” set higher goals, are more committed those goals, and exert greater effort to achieve those goals than people who feel “out of control”.

    Agency differs by demographic, including factors such as age. Some research suggests people feel more in control of their life circumstances and outcomes in middle age than in old age.

    Socioeconomic factors such as education, income and work history also play a role. Put simply, people who are “better off” feel more agentic.

    Mental health seems to be both an outcome and a predictor of high agency. People who are less depressed feel more in control of their lives, and those who feel more in control are less depressed.

    Rethinking agency

    The concept of “high agency” is an amalgamation of, or an umbrella term for, a range of traits that psychologists have studied for decades. Related concepts include the prized “growth mindset” (the belief that one’s talents are developable rather than innate), “proactivity” (acting in advance of, rather than reacting to, situations), and the somewhat controversial “grit” (perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals). Note, however, that some argue grit is just a rebranded version of the personality trait “conscientiousness”.

    High agency, as the tech world sees it, appears to borrow from all these concepts, wrapped up in one convenient package. Agentic people are those who see possibility where others see barriers, take action rather than wait to be told what to do, and aren’t afraid to go after what they want.

    These traits are also stereotypically associated with particular people in society: members of advantaged majority groups, such as men, those with high socioeconomic status, and white people.

    In many ways, high-agency behaviour is an act of privilege. It involves trusting that others will react well to your efforts to try a new approach or disrupt the status quo.

    The reality is that the way other people respond will depend at least in part on factors outside our control. This may be particularly true for less privileged people, who tend to see less opportunity to exert choice and influence the world due to the very real structural barriers they face. This means acting “high agency” may be a risk for some people: actions that see one person praised as a “game changer” could easily see another labelled a “troublemaker”.

    Taken to an extreme, high agency could read as “alpha” – the kind of person who takes charge and is a natural leader. Alpha is a gendered term, most commonly applied with a suffix such as male, bro or dude.

    The already male-dominated tech industry should be wary of baking gendered traits into personnel selection procedures. If high agency is understood to mean a certain type of person rather than just a type of personality, it could be a problem for equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

    Realising agency

    Given the rising value of high agency in professional settings – not to mention its personal emotional and motivational benefits – you might wonder how people can become more agentic.

    Many proponents of high agency emphasise its value for looking at the world in a different way. So too it might be valuable to look at high agency in a different way: not what makes an individual agentic, but what are the conditions that allow agency to thrive.

    Research shows that certain types of environments set people up for success. Environments that allow people to thrive are those that meet three basic psychological needs.

    The first is the need for autonomy: the ability to freely choose what we do and when we do it. The second is the need for competence: the feeling of being capable of performing desired actions. Finally, there is the need for relatedness: the feeling of being connected to others.

    These needs can be fostered by the work environment. (Google famously adopts similar motivational workplace practices.) People can also adapt themselves by “job crafting” to help create the conditions conducive to success.

    While high agency may seem like an innate personality trait, emerging research suggests the people around us may be a powerful source of personal agency. People who are better able to influence their own outcomes are often those who can turn to, or recruit, others to help them achieve those outcomes.

    Paradoxically, this means that “high agency” might not (just) be a quality of you personally, but a quality of the people around you.

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

    – ref. ‘High agency’: what the science says about the latest tech buzzword – https://theconversation.com/high-agency-what-the-science-says-about-the-latest-tech-buzzword-250767

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First Minister’s statement on solidarity with Ukraine

    Source: Scottish National Party

    The First Minister told the Scottish Parliament:

    Just last Monday, all of Scotland’s political leaders took part in a powerful and moving ceremony at Edinburgh Castle to mark three years since the start of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

    We stood together, with members of the Ukrainian community living here in Scotland, to commemorate the time that has passed since the start of that invasion but also to reaffirm our support for the people of Ukraine.

    Though we disagree on points of policy and politics in this chamber – which is right and proper in a parliamentary democracy – when it comes to upholding the values and principles of modern democracy, the Scottish Parliament stands behind Ukraine, resolute and unwavering.

    Regardless of our political views, everyone in this chamber understands that democracy is hard fought for and must never be taken for granted.

    Democracy must be cherished, defended, and enhanced.

    This is the lesson of the 20th century.

    This is the lesson the people of Ukraine live, and struggle, and fight, to teach us every day.

    The courage demonstrated by President Zelenskyy – and by all Ukrainians, since the first day of Russia’s illegal, full-scale invasion – reaches far beyond the protection and preservation of their own homeland.

    Ukrainians struggle, and fight for all of Europe – and for the protection and preservation of all democratic nations.

    It is a struggle for the rule of law, for human rights, and to uphold the international norms which once ensured Europe knew guaranteed peace.

    The Ukrainian people are fighting for their homeland, for their future, but also for our future too.

    3 years ago, Russia expected to flatten Ukrainian resistance within days.

    But despite a war that has caused years of unnecessary misery in a peaceful, sovereign, and democratic nation, the power of the fight for democracy, and all its freedoms, has given the Ukrainian people their purpose, as well as their most potent advantage.

    Ukraine’s people are fighting to defend her independence, her territorial integrity and her security in the face of appalling, unprovoked violence.

    Violence which has destroyed lives, separated families, wounded hundreds of thousands of citizens, and razed cities to the ground.

    And yet, President Zelenskyy has not wavered in strength or dignity.

    His people have not laid down arms.

    Russia has not succeeded in reaching its war aims, despite sending hundreds of thousands of troops to their deaths, or to be wounded, on the frontlines.

    But, now, as a result of all this unnecessary carnage, millions of Ukrainian children have never known peace, while Western democracy has never been under such relentless attack from within.

    Misinformation. Propaganda. Malicious interpretations of history…

    Arrogance, ignorance, prejudice, and hate, are being used to divide us.

    Only yesterday, after Russia launched a drone attack on a civilian building in Kharkiv, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said:

    “We see that the collective West has started to become less collective. A fragmentation of the collective West has begun.”

    That is precisely what Russia wants its people and the world to believe.

    That is precisely what Putin wants us to believe.

    We must be ever vigilant to the threat of disinformation, which takes the shape of the Kremlin’s talking points.

    Russia was not provoked to invade Ukraine, in 2014 or in 2022.

    No credence should be given to deflection tactics, blaming NATO expansion for Russian aggression.

    Each and every country in NATO is a democracy that has made its own sovereign choice to become a member.

    And many of the countries on NATO’s eastern flank have recent experience of living under Russian threat.

    The strong, international solidarity and dedication to achieving peace in Ukraine was evident for all to see at the security summit in London this weekend.

    And the vast majority of European leaders have only one message – their unreserved condemnation of illegal Russian aggression.

    Therefore, Ukraine’s allies should all have one aim and one aim only – to support Ukraine’s independence, her territorial integrity and her security.

    So, I wholeheartedly welcome the Prime Minister’s “coalition of the willing” initiative to provide Ukraine with security guarantees after a ceasefire agreement, as well as the £1.6 billion missile deal for Ukraine.

    I also accept the case for peacekeeping forces to avert further conflict, subject to proper scrutiny and a vote in the House of Commons.

    And I understand the delicate balance of diplomacy the Prime Minister and the UK Government must navigate in this matter.

    So, I want to make clear my commitment and the commitment of my government to a united front. My commitment to do all that I can to support Ukraine to succeed.

    But, I am sure like the many European leaders who expressed their solidarity with President Zelenskyy this weekend, I am very disturbed by how his meeting with the US President and Vice President played out last week.

    I agree with President Zelenskyy’s statement that Ukraine wants “its partners to remember who the aggressor is in this war.”

    And we must see unwavering unity across the political spectrum in full solidarity with Ukraine on this essential point.

    The events at that Oval Office meeting with President Zelenskyy, and the announcement made this morning of a pause in US military aid to Ukraine, can only run the risk of emboldening Russia, the aggressor.

    As I said this weekend, if this were to remain the posture of the US government, a second state visit for US President Donald Trump becomes unthinkable.

    I know there are people in this Chamber and across this country who will disagree, who will say that we should not contemplate this stance or who will say that President Trump should not be invited under any circumstances.

    I understand and respect those points of view.

    But I cannot share them.

    Right now, today, as we stand here, men, women and children in Ukraine are putting their lives and their freedom on the line to defend their country and all of our democracies.

    We say we support them – and we do. But that means being willing to do things that are hard; things that we would rather not do.

    So, if a state visit could help solidify US support for Ukraine, if that is part of what supporting Ukraine means in practice, then it is a possibility.

    For that to be true, however, the US would have to sustain the steadfast support of Ukraine, her independence and territorial integrity.

    As we think through all these issues, the important questions are the hard-headed, clear-eyed consideration of what is best for Ukraine and European security today.

    For my government, that means standing steadfast behind Ukraine and alongside the United Kingdom Government and our European allies, and that is exactly what Scotland will do.

    My hope is that US and European leaders can once again find a way to speak with one voice on the matter of this conflict.

    There are no grey areas when one country chooses to send troops and tanks into the peaceful territory of an another.

    My Government supports the approach of the UK Government in committing to secure international solidarity in support of Ukraine’s long-term future.

    We welcome the 100-year Partnership recently agreed by the UK and Ukraine, and Scotland will play our part – whether as part of the UK or as an independent nation in the future – in helping to deliver it.

    I also welcome the approach of the Prime Minister and the proposed four-point plan to end the war and defend Ukraine from Russia.

    As I have already stated, Scotland accepts the case for the deployment of any peacekeeping forces to avert future conflict, subject to scrutiny and a vote by MPs in the House of Commons.

    And my Government remains committed to supporting Ukraine, until a just peace is secured – not a peace at any cost, which strips Ukraine of her sovereignty in wartime.

    So, let me once again make clear, there can be no truly sincere or constructive peace talks about the future of Ukraine, without Ukraine present at the negotiating table.

    And securing the future of Ukraine is utterly vital to securing the peace we have enjoyed in Europe for so long.

    Ukraine’s future, and her fate, is our future and our fate.

    So, we must aspire to be as courageous as the people of Ukraine and stand by them, always, in their hour of need.

    And, we must maintain unity with our partners across Europe and the Western world – unity like that demonstrated in London this weekend and at Edinburgh Castle last week.

    Because events in Ukraine are having, and will continue to have, a direct negative impact on Scotland’s economy, security, and society.

    Presiding Officer,

    Scotland’s approach, internationally, will continue to be led and guided by our compassion for Ukraine.

    I know this chamber will continue to work together on these matters, and to put any differences aside in respect of our common efforts to uphold justice.

    Now, 25 years into the life of this modern Parliament, Scotland chooses to stand for democracy, for human rights and the rule of law, at home and among our courageous allies like Ukraine.

    These are the underpinnings of democracy, of prosperity, and of every freedom democracy provides.

    This is the solidarity among allies that will deliver Ukraine from Russia’s barbaric aggression, while protecting her heritage, her culture, and her social and economic future.

    We have been honoured, across Scotland, that thousands of Ukrainians have made their home in our country.

    My message to people from Ukraine living here in Scotland, is that you are – and always will be – very welcome here.

    Providing support and sanctuary for Ukrainian people displaced by Russia’s brutal war continues to be a priority for the Scottish Government.

    I want Ukrainians everywhere to know that they also have Scotland’s fullest support.

    I know many of them will be deeply concerned by what has unfolded over the last few days.

    It is for those brave Ukrainians, and every person protected by democracy, that Scotland will never be silent.

    Here in Scotland, we will, forever, stand with Ukraine.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: OKX Pleads Guilty to Violating U.S. Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Agrees to Pay Penalties Totaling More Than $500 Million

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd, d/b/a “OKEx,” d/b/a “OKX” (“OKX”), a Seychelles-based entity, that since at least 2017 has operated OKX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, pled guilty today to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. In connection with today’s guilty plea and sentencing, OKX agreed to pay monetary penalties totaling more than $504 million.  The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who presided over today’s guilty plea and sentencing.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “For over seven years, OKX knowingly violated anti-money laundering laws and avoided implementing required policies to prevent criminals from abusing our financial system. As a result, OKX was used to facilitate over five billion dollars’ worth of suspicious transactions and criminal proceeds.  Today’s guilty plea and penalties emphasize that there will be consequences for financial institutions that avail themselves of U.S. markets but violate the law by allowing criminal activity to continue.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said: “For years, OKX flagrantly violated U.S. law, actively seeking customers in the United States—including here in New York—and even going so far as to advise individuals to provide false information to circumvent requisite procedures. Furthermore, in their failure to adhere to U.S. law, significant illicit transactions which furthered other criminal activity went undetected on their platform. Blatant disregard for the rule of law will not be tolerated, and the FBI is committed to working with our partners across government to ensure that corporations that engage in this type of conduct are held accountable for their actions.”

    According to court documents and admissions: 

    OKX is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange platforms, with billions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency transactions occurring daily on its platform.  OKX allows registered users to place orders for spot trades in over three hundred cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. OKX users can also place orders for derivative products, including futures contracts, tied to the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. 

    Financial institutions that operate wholly or in substantial part in the United States must register with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) as a money services business (“MSB”) and comply with federal anti-money laundering (“AML”) laws, including the Bank Secrecy Act.  These laws require the filing of suspicious activity reports and the maintenance of an adequate AML program, including an effective know-your-customer (“KYC”) program. AML programs are critical to ensure that entry-points into the U.S. financial system do not become tools criminals can use to profit from illicit activity.

    Since 2017, OKX has had an official policy preventing U.S. persons from transacting on its exchange. But contrary to this official policy, OKX sought out customers in the United States, including in the Southern District of New York. 

    From in or about 2018 through in or about at least early 2024, OKX served U.S. retail and institutional customers that engaged in over one trillion dollars’ worth of transactions through OKX. Transactions from those U.S. customers generated hundreds of millions of dollars in trading fees and profits for OKX. 

    Because OKX served U.S. retail and institutional customers, OKX knew it was required by U.S. law to register as a money services business with FinCEN, but OKX chose not to do so.[1] In fact, despite OKX’s official policy prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting on the exchange, OKX was fully aware that individuals in the United States could, and did, easily create and use OKX trading accounts.  From OKX’s founding in approximately 2017 through approximately November 2022, OKX allowed retail customers the option to create an account, receive and transfer funds, and place trades without completing a KYC process. This meant that OKX, a large financial institution, facilitated transactions on behalf of customers that it could not identify. Further, while OKX implemented a policy blocking customers with U.S.-located IP addresses from trading or depositing assets onto OKX (the “IP Ban”), OKX knew that the IP Ban could be circumvented through cheap, widely available VPN technology.  Also, through at least early 2023, OKX allowed existing accounts to continue to receive and transfer funds, and place trades, all without completing a KYC process.  And until approximately early 2024, OKX also allowed customers to place trades on the exchange through third-party entities known as “non-disclosure brokers” without the third-party entity disclosing any identifying information to OKX about the customers on whose behalf the trades were placed. 

    Even after OKX began requiring all customers to provide some KYC information to trade, OKX employees on certain occasions advised customers how to provide false information to circumvent the company’s KYC process and official policy prohibiting U.S. customers.  For example, in April 2023, an OKX employee encouraged a potential U.S. customer to open an account by providing false information about the customer’s nationality during the KYC processing, writing “I know you’re in the US, but you could just put a random country and it should go through. You just need to put Name, nationality, and ID number. You could just put United Arab Emirates and random numbers for the ID number.”  At that time, OKX did not verify the information that customers provided to open an account to trade.  In January 2024, the same employee wrote to another potential U.S. customer and asked if the individual had “any workaround on KYC outside of the US to make it potentially work.”

    During the relevant period, OKX advertised in the United States, sponsoring the Tribeca Film Festival, for example, and used affiliate marketers based in the United States to promote the exchange. OKX also allowed existing customers to promote the exchange, and provided such customers benefits for recruiting additional users. At least one such OKX customer produced a publicly-available, step-by-step instructional video educating U.S. customers about how to register with OKX using a VPN to conceal their U.S. presence.

    OKX also focused its efforts on attracting and retaining certain U.S. institutional customers, including large institutions who could provide liquidity and help OKX become one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by making a broad range of cryptocurrencies available at competitive rates.  OKX’s U.S. institutional customers were some of OKX’s largest customers, with one such firm alone generating more than a trillion dollars in spot and derivatives transactions on OKX during the relevant period.  They provided significant liquidity, volume and trading fees for the platform, despite OKX’s knowing failure to register as an MSB and OKX’s “official” policy banning U.S. customers.

    Until approximately May 2023, OKX did not adequately or consistently use commercially available software to monitor and detect suspicious activity, including money laundering, and OKX did not have adequate controls to determine whether either party to transactions on the exchange was potentially subject to sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department. As a result, through at least early 2024, OKX was used by numerous customers as a vehicle for laundering the proceeds of suspicious and criminal activities, including more than five billion dollars of suspicious transactions and illicit proceeds, based on a review of third-party transaction data.

    In early 2024, OKX retained an external compliance consultant (the “Consultant”) to advise OKX on policies and controls reasonably designed to prevent U.S. persons from engaging in transactions on OKX’s platform through accounts held at OKX.  As part of the plea agreement, OKX is continuing to retain the Consultant, at its own cost, through February 2027, and has agreed to continue to cooperate with the United States Attorney’s Office.

    *                *                *

    In addition to the guilty plea, OKX, a Seychelles-based entity, also agreed to criminally forfeit $420.3 million and pay a criminal fine of approximately $84.4 million.  OKX received credit for its cooperation with the investigation and timely engaging in remedial measures, resulting in a 25% reduction off the bottom of the otherwise applicable recommended fine range.

    Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Field Office. 

    This matter is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher D. Brumwell, Eli J. Mark, and Vladislav Vainberg are in charge of the prosecution.

    [1] OKX has an affiliate U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange named OKCoin USA, Inc. (“OKCoin”) which, in contrast with OKX, has registered with FinCEN as a MSB. OKCoin serves customers globally, including in the United States, and offers retail and institutional customers the ability to spot trade, including purchasing cryptocurrency using U.S. dollars. The conduct described herein that gives rise to the charge in the Information, and to which OKX pled guilty, is solely that of the unregistered MSB, Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd., d/b/a “OKEx,” d/b/a “OKX,” the defendant.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina Shares Recovery Progress, Launches Public Dashboard

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina Shares Recovery Progress, Launches Public Dashboard

    Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina Shares Recovery Progress, Launches Public Dashboard
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today, the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) shared progress on Helene recovery and launched a public dashboard at WNCRecovery.nc.gov. The newly released website features updates, resources, and information detailing progress of Helene recovery efforts, including rebuilding safe housing, restoring infrastructure, and revitalizing the economy.  

    “My commitment to the people of North Carolina is this: I will bring urgency, focus, transparency, and accountability to everything my administration does as we work to rebuild,” said Governor Josh Stein. “This new resource will allow us to provide regular updates on our progress along with information and resources for our neighbors in western North Carolina.”  

    Since January, GROW NC has worked across state agencies and with local, state, federal, and nonprofit partners to accelerate recovery in western North Carolina. Much more is left to be done but below is an overview of recovery progress.   

    • Temporary housing programs are serving 5,720 households, ensuring they have safe, warm shelter.
    • 4,753,466 cubic yards of right-of-way debris has been removed from WNC roadways.
    • 84% of impacted public roads in western North Carolina are fully reopened. Nearly 1,300 roads have been reopened since the beginning of the storm.
    • Interstate 40 reopened to traffic on Saturday, March 1st for the first time since Hurricane Helene swelled the Pigeon River and scoured large swaths of eastbound lanes last September. The N.C. Department of Transportation and contract crews have stabilized the remaining westbound lanes and prepared them to provide one lane of traffic in each direction. 
    • The WNC Small Business Initiative has funded 989 loans for small business owners impacted by Helene to bolster economic recovery. The program is expected to award more than 600 additional grants to small business owners across western North Carolina in the coming weeks.
    • Half of all state parks and cultural sites impacted by the storm have fully reopened, and all but three are open for visitors in some capacity.

    “There is still so much work to do to help western North Carolina recover,” said Matt Calabria, Director of GROW NC. “Our team is committed to working quickly to ensure a robust recovery for the region, while providing complete transparency along the way.” 

    Governor Stein continues to advocate for additional resources from the state and federal government to support recovery efforts. In February, Governor Stein requested an additional $19 billion in federal funds to support home rebuilding, restore critical infrastructure, keep businesses open, shore up local governments, and reduce impacts from future natural disasters. He continues to work with the legislature to secure state funding to address immediate needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, following his request for $1.07 billion.  

    Mar 4, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ governments enjoy an ‘executive paradise’ – a longer parliamentary term won’t change that

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

    Getty Images

    Extending the length of the parliamentary term is one of those recurring issues in New Zealand politics, emerging from the constitutional shadows every 30 years or so and quickly retreating from the bright light of scrutiny.

    The pending introduction of the Term of Parliament (Enabling 4-year Term) Legislation Amendment Bill – a coalition initiative of the ACT Party but which enjoys qualified cross-party support – sees the question once again enjoying a moment in the sun.

    Because of the constitutional protection of the parliamentary term, and if the bill becomes law, an extension would require a public referendum with the 2026 general election (or the support of 75% of all MPs, a route the government will not take).

    The standard maximum term of parliament would remain three years. But a prime minister would have the option at the start of a new parliamentary term of advising the governor-general it would be extended to four years.

    This could only happen if the allocation of places on select committees reflected the distribution of non-executive MPs across all parliamentary parties. Theoretically, this would be a check on executive power.

    But while the coming debate will be framed as one about parliament, the real issue is whether voters wish to extend the length of time governments spend in office. This is a crucial distinction.

    Lack of checks and balances

    New Zealand voters do not directly elect the executive branch. Rather, the government is formed by the party or parties able to command a majority of MPs following each election.

    In short, we elect parliaments, which then provide governments. The length of one is connected to that of the other – meaning elections are one of the few ways New Zealanders can hold their governments to account.

    Perhaps for this reason, voters have consistently supported a three-year term, despite historical attempts by earlier governments to extend it. Two previous referendums, in 1967 and 1990, maintained the status quo.

    This does make New Zealand something of an outlier internationally. Of 190 lower houses and unicameral national legislatures around the world, only nine have terms of three years or less. The vast majority have terms of four or five years.

    But New Zealand also lacks the checks and balances found in many of those other countries: a codified constitution, a Supreme Court responsible for policing it, and an upper legislative chamber.

    Consequently, the frequency with which governments are held accountable to the people really does matter.

    An ‘executive paradise’

    This absence of the sorts of constitutional guardrails common elsewhere is what led former prime minister and constitutional lawyer Geoffrey Palmer to call New Zealand an “executive paradise”.

    Former prime minister Geoffrey Palmer.
    Getty Images

    The introduction of a four-year parliamentary term would do little to alter that, despite the argument it would improve the quality of parliamentary law and the standard of public policy-making.

    A three-year cycle, it is often claimed, forces governments to spend their first year in office removing as many traces of the previous administration as possible, the second consolidating its own policy agenda, and the third campaigning for the next election.

    A four-year term, the logic goes, would give ministers more time to learn the intricacies of their portfolios and develop policy expertise. It would allow for longer parliamentary deliberation on complex legislation, and ensure parliament properly scrutinises government policies, budgets and performance.

    All things being equal, a longer parliamentary term could improve governance and create a more stable, durable policy mix. But, of course, all things are rarely equal.

    Missing provisions

    In and of itself, a longer parliamentary term is unlikely to produce the benefits its proponents promise. Improved policy-making requires resources as well as more time, including policy and procedural expertise, judgement and institutional wisdom.

    These things reside in the professional bureaucracy. Without also addressing the systemic crisis in the public service, an extra year won’t improve matters.

    It would be especially important to ensure a longer term went hand in hand with more effective parliamentary scrutiny of government activity, both its forecasts and actual results.

    As a 2019 report from the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies suggested, investment in MPs’ policy expertise, systematic work plans for select committees and changes to parliament’s Standing Orders are also needed to improve the legislative process.

    But these do not feature in the draft legislation. And without them, an extended parliamentary term would simply tip the balance even further towards the executive branch and away from the legislature.

    Democratic accountability

    There are other important issues the draft legislation doesn’t address, including the implications of making a four-year term discretionary, and what might prevent a government from ignoring irksome select committee recommendations (as can and does presently occur).

    Worryingly, too, advice from the Ministry of Justice to the justice minister points out that parts of the proposed legislation are “constitutionally and practically problematic”.

    The inevitable uncertainty at the start of every new parliament would “undermine democratic accountability” and “risks undermining the legitimacy of parliament and its exercise of public decision-making powers”.

    The advice also says the legislation is “out of step with other long-standing legal and constitutional principles, including that it appears to encroach on the House of Representatives’ right to control its own operations”. In our constitutional tradition it is not for the executive to determine how parliament functions. A king’s head once rolled over this issue.

    The proposed legislation starkly illustrates the tensions that can emerge when constitutional arrangements blur the boundaries between the executive and legislative branches, enabling the former to dictate terms to the latter.

    Without other changes – an increase in the size of the House relative to the executive, say, or restrictions on the power of the prime minister to call early elections – the variable parliamentary term promised by the bill will inject more uncertainty into public life, not less.

    And it will not improve the quality of our laws. It will simply extend the length of time government ministers get to spend in paradise.

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

    – ref. NZ governments enjoy an ‘executive paradise’ – a longer parliamentary term won’t change that – https://theconversation.com/nz-governments-enjoy-an-executive-paradise-a-longer-parliamentary-term-wont-change-that-251139

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Solar farms can host up to three times as many birds as crop fields – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Catherine Waite, Research Associate, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge

    A stonechat on the edge of a solar farm. Joshua Copping

    The UK’s installed capacity of solar power expanded rapidly over the past decade to reach 17.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2024 – enough electricity to power roughly 4 million homes. The government aims to raise solar generation capacity to 70 GW by 2035. And by 2050, the government’s advisers estimate that as much as 90 GW of solar power may be needed to achieve net zero emissions.

    Building solar farms – large-scale installations of solar panels on agricultural land – will have to be done carefully, to avoid exacerbating another environmental crisis: the dwindling variety of wildlife, or biodiversity.

    However, surprisingly few studies have examined the impact of solar farms on biodiversity. Our new research is one of the first to study the impact of solar farms on birds in the UK. And, hectare-for-hectare, we found that solar farms in the farm-rich East Anglian countryside that were managed with biodiversity in mind contained a greater number of bird species, and more birds overall, than surrounding cropland.

    Farmland is frequently disturbed and can be a fraught habitat for wildlife.
    David Calvert/Shutterstock

    During spring 2023, we used the breeding bird survey method to survey solar farms in the East Anglian fens that were under different management styles.

    These sites ranged from intensively managed solar farms, in which the grass surrounding panels is cut or grazed short throughout the year, with no hedgerows or small trees, to mixed-habitat solar farms where infrequent cutting or grazing has allowed wildflowers, trees and hedgerows to grow along boundary fences. For comparison, we also surveyed the surrounding farmland.

    Good habitats for birds

    We found that the number of birds on the mixed-habitat solar farms was typically twice that of the intensively managed sites, and three times higher than adjacent high-yielding cropland. The number of species on mixed-habitat solar farms was 2.5 times higher than both of the alternatives.

    Our study also showed that solar farms offer important habitat for a number of threatened bird species. In fact, birds such as yellowhammer, linnet, greenfinch and corn bunting, which are of particular concern to conservationists due to their declining national populations, were considerably more abundant on mixed-habitat solar farms.

    Perhaps our results aren’t that surprising. After all, the mixed-habitat solar farms we surveyed contained many of the features birds prefer (similar to nature-friendly farms in less intensively farmed areas). These features include hedgerows, which can offer berries to eat and crevices to shelter in, particularly for birds adapted to woodland habitats. The tall and diverse vegetation around the solar panels contains a variety of habitats, with insect prey or seeds for food. The intensively managed cropland and solar farms had none of these features.

    By providing the right habitat, birds have been naturally drawn to these solar farms in an area that sorely lacks it.

    A golden opportunity

    So, solar farms can benefit biodiversity in rural landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture in the UK. Especially when they are designed to allow plants to grow around the panels, and have hedgerows or trees in the margins. Prioritising the needs of wildlife when planning solar farms could help the UK meet its climate commitments while helping nature.

    When grass was allowed to grow long on solar farms, it appeared to encourage birds.
    Joshua Copping

    What’s more, our previous research has shown that the UK has enough land to deploy 90 GW of solar power – enough to meet suggested capacity by 2050 – without damaging bird populations at a national scale or affecting food production. Our new findings should allay public concerns about some of the risks of renewable energy to wildlife.

    We have a golden opportunity for finding multiple functions for land: generating clean energy while restoring biodiversity at the same time.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Catherine Waite receives funding from The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

    Joshua Copping receives funding from The Natural Environment Resource Council (NERC) and is employed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

    – ref. Solar farms can host up to three times as many birds as crop fields – new research – https://theconversation.com/solar-farms-can-host-up-to-three-times-as-many-birds-as-crop-fields-new-research-249551

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Netflix’s Toxic Town offers a stark warning on environmental rollbacks

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kirsty Pringle, Atmospheric Scientist and Project Manager, Software Sustainability Institute, University of Edinburgh

    Netflix’s new drama Toxic Town tells the true story of a group of women from Corby in Northamptonshire, UK, who gave birth to children with limb differences in the 1980s and 90s. The children were born with shortened arms or legs or missing fingers. The drama follows their battle to uncover the cause and their subsequent fight for justice.

    This skilful portrayal of a real-life tragedy isn’t just compelling drama, it’s a stark warning about the dangers of weak environmental protections. With the UK no longer following EU environmental standards and the US rolling back key pollution regulations and scaling down environmental enforcement, the issues at the heart of Toxic Town feel more urgent than ever.

    As two atmospheric scientists, we were pleased to see Netflix taking on this recent event in UK history.

    Corby’s industrial heritage mirrors that of many English towns: for decades, the town’s steelworks provided jobs. Then in the 1980s they were decommissioned, leaving behind high unemployment and thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste. While many areas have decommissioned steelworks, the difference here is that environmental procedures for decommissioning hazardous waste appear not to have been followed.

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    Waste from the steelworks was transported through town in lorries to sites for long-term storage. Despite government advice to ensure their lorries were cleaned and their loads covered to prevent contamination, dirty, uncovered lorries carrying hazardous waste were repeatedly driven through the area, allowing toxic sludge to spill out on to the roads.

    Drivers were also paid bonuses for extra loads, which encouraged them to ignore regulations and cut corners. And, as the sludge spilled from their lorries dried, it turned into dust that was carried through the air and inhaled by residents, including pregnant mothers.

    Crucially, this dust was not typical air pollution which, while harmful, doesn’t usually come from contaminated land so doesn’t contain high concentrations of heavy metals and industrial chemicals. Yet, to the naked eye, Corby’s toxic dust would have been pretty indistinguishable from everyday grime.

    What is clear, however, is that there was a lot of it. During the 2009 court case against what was then Corby Borough Council, which was responsible for the steelworks’ decommissioning, residents recalled the orange dust coating surfaces and filling the air. Many stressed the need to wash their cars frequently as they quickly became coated in dust.

    As the show depicts, in 1999 concerns were raised about the impact of the pollution by mothers in the area who had given birth to children with upper limb differences. Northamptonshire Health Authority conducted an initial investigation and concluded the problem was no worse than elsewhere in England and Wales.

    Acting on behalf of the mothers, the solicitor Des Collins launched his own investigation. Ultimately birth differences in Corby were, in fact, found to be three times higher than in surrounding areas

    Inexplicably, even among environmental researchers, the Corby toxic waste case remains relatively unknown despite being a landmark legal case. It was the first time a link between airborne pollution and limb differences in children was officially established.

    The council lost the case and was found liable for public nuisance, negligence and breach of statutory duty. It disputed the verdict but reached a confidential private settlement with the families.

    Corby’s story has been dubbed the “British Erin Brockovich”. This is due to its parallels with the famous US environmental lawsuit in which Erin Brockovich, a legal clerk, helped build a case against Pacific Gas and Electric who were fined US$330 million (£415 million) for contaminating the water supply in Hinkley, California.

    Why environmental regulation matters

    It’s tempting to watch Toxic Town with the reassurance that such a disaster couldn’t happen again. Surely, with modern environmental monitoring and stronger regulations, we are now better protected?

    Environmental protections are only as strong as the political will to enforce them. History has repeatedly shown that weak or poorly enforced regulations can lead to catastrophic consequences. For example, the Bhopal gas disaster in India in 1984 saw a toxic gas leak that killed thousands.

    The Love Canal incident in the US in the 1970s exposed residents to hazardous waste, causing birth defects and illness. And the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the US in 2010, which became one of the largest marine oil spills in history.

    Despite such repeated events, environmental regulation is increasingly dismissed by some politicians and industry leaders as red tape –a bureaucratic burden that hampers industrial and economic growth.

    The UK’s exit from the EU means that it no longer needs to adhere to EU environmental regulations, including the Reach law which mandates the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, It’s the main EU law that governs chemicals to protect both the environment and human health. While not flawless, Reach is considered to be the most robust chemicals regulation in the world and because of global supply chains, it often encourages manufacturers beyond Europe to comply.

    Campaigners worry that the UK’s departure from the EU environmental regulations will weaken its environmental benchmarks. Water quality in the UK has worsened in the past decade and is now worse than that of most EU countries. Yet, evidence shows that the chemicals industry lobby is powerful.

    The attitude of the new administration in the US to environmental protection laws has caused considerable concern across the global scientific community. There has been a rollback of more than 100 environmental regulations, including 39 relevant to air and water pollution. Most of these rule reversals have already been enacted, just over a month into the new administration.

    The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has had 168 staff placed on leave and environmental groups have warned “that these cuts put minority and lower income families living close to polluting sites at risk”. In parallel, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), another federal agency which monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions, is facing drastic cuts to it’s staff and budget. These cuts harm the capacity of the US to monitor and enforce environmental regulations.

    What happens in the US often sets a precedent for other countries. It is worrying that reducing environmental protection in the US may encourage other countries, including the UK, to follow suit.

    So, far from being a thing of the past, we could be witnessing a return to the toxic times seen in Corby if we fail to prioritise stringent environmental safeguards. As solictor Des Collins starkly reminds us at the end of the drama: “A town that is made by burning up red tape and using it as fuel does so much damage.”

    Kirsty Pringle receives funding from UKRI.

    Jim McQuaid receives funding from UKRI, Horizon Europe, The Royal Society and Defra

    – ref. Netflix’s Toxic Town offers a stark warning on environmental rollbacks – https://theconversation.com/netflixs-toxic-town-offers-a-stark-warning-on-environmental-rollbacks-251168

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Banning first cousin marriage would be eugenic and ineffective – expert view

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dominic Wilkinson, Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Ethics, University of Oxford

    AliAshraf/Shutterstock

    A bill that proposes to ban first-cousin marriage in the UK will receive its second reading in the House of Commons on March 7.

    The bill, proposed by Conservative former minister Richard Holden, follows the introduction of a ban on cousin marriages that came into effect in Norway in 2023 and a planned ban in Sweden from mid-2026.

    Different reasons might be given for proposing to ban first-cousin marriage. However, one significant reason given by supporters of these bans is concern for public health. Holden claimed in his speech to parliament that: “First-cousin marriage should be banned on the basis of health risk alone.”

    In the UK, a long-standing research study of childhood outcomes in Bradford, where there has traditionally been a high rate of cousin marriages within the Pakistani community, recently found that children of first cousin parents had higher rates of learning and speech problems and more visits to hospitals and doctors.

    The increased incidence of certain genetic illnesses in children of related parents has long been recognised. When parents are closely related, they are more likely to carry the same faulty genes.

    If both parents pass on the same faulty gene to their child, the child has a higher chance of developing a genetic illness (about double the risk of parents who aren’t related). The Bradford study had earlier found that first-cousin marriages were linked to 30% of cases of birth defects in the studied population.

    The recent study suggests that even once you exclude those children diagnosed with recessive genetic conditions – and even after adjusting for other risk factors such as poverty – the children had higher rates of illness and developmental problems.

    Although it is laudable to wish to seek measures to prevent health and learning problems in future children, there is a fundamental ethical challenge.

    Banning first-cousin marriage will not prevent children from having genetic illness or health problems, rather, it will prevent some children from being born and mean that different children (with a lower chance of genetic or other problems) are born instead.

    Harm principle

    A basic legal and ethical principle, defended by the 19th-century philosopher John Stuart Mill, is that states are only justified in restricting the basic freedoms of individuals to prevent harm to others. But if we take the “harm principle” seriously, then the health case for a marriage ban dissolves. There will be no child who is saved from illness or harm because of a law banning first-cousin marriage.

    It might be thought that a ban would still be justified, based on community health rather than for the sake of specific children. The idea would be that it would be important to prevent first-cousin marriage because of the high rate of genetic illness in offspring. Perhaps the hope would be to reduce pressure on the health system. But there are several problems with this argument.

    First, most children of parents who are first cousins are healthy. The rate of genetic or congenital problems is 6% (compared with 3% in parents who are not related). This means that 94% of children will not have genetic or congenital problems. Or to put it another way, given the small additional risk, over 30 couples would have to be prevented from marrying to prevent one child from being born with an inherited genetic problem. The same argument applies to the extra learning problems seen in the Bradford study that were not diagnosed as genetic problems: most children of first-cousin parents did not have learning difficulties or serious illness.

    Next, a ban on cousin marriage to reduce the rates of illness or learning problems in their offspring would represent an attempt to prevent certain people from having children for the sake of benefiting the population. But once we frame it in that way, it is clear that such an effort would be eugenic, based on a particular group’s perceived genetic fitness to reproduce.

    Such a policy would be an example of some of the most troubling forms of eugenics: restricting basic freedoms (the freedom to marry and have children) for the sake of the common good.

    Third, the health-based reason to ban first-cousin marriages is because of the elevated rate of birth defects and health problems in children. However, the rate of these problems is also increased in parents who are related more distantly. And in close-knit ethnic groups there can be shared genes and increased rate of congenital problems (so-called endogamy), even without cousin marriage.

    If we ban first-cousin marriages, families could shift to others within their extended family. Or, if we wanted to prevent higher rates of birth defects, we might need to ban not just first- and second-cousin marriages, but also marriage within ethnic communities. But that would look even more problematic.

    How should we respond then to the high rates of health and learning problems in communities like those in Bradford?

    One important response is to be aware of the additional needs of those communities (Bradford has areas that are among the most deprived in the UK) and to ensure that the needs of children are addressed.

    A second response is to provide education to families and to young people who are potentially marrying so that they are aware of the increased risks associated with cousin marriage and can make informed decisions.

    Finally, there are more sophisticated and targeted ways of identifying risks for couples while respecting their reproductive rights. So-called expanded reproductive carrier screening could identify before they become pregnant, whether both partners in a couple are carriers for the same genetic illness. That could help them to decide whether to have children together, whether to use other techniques – such as IVF – to prevent genetic illness or to adopt. That expanded screening isn’t currently available on the NHS, but it could be made available to couples who are related.

    We should be concerned about higher rates of illness in the children of parents who are related. But the ethical answer isn’t to ban them from getting married.

    Dominic Wilkinson receives funding from the Wellcome Trust.

    – ref. Banning first cousin marriage would be eugenic and ineffective – expert view – https://theconversation.com/banning-first-cousin-marriage-would-be-eugenic-and-ineffective-expert-view-251187

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Wyden Lead Colleagues in Reaffirming Congress’ Authority to Maintain Trade Restrictions on Russia

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) led eight of their Senate colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump reaffirming Congress’ authority to maintain trade restrictions on the Russian Federation while it continues its war of aggression against Ukraine. Their letter follows the devolution of talks between the United States and Ukraine last Friday, just two weeks after the President claimed that Ukraine “should have never started [the war].”
    “Vladimir Putin is a ruthless dictator who has led the Russian Federation into a war of aggression against Ukraine with the explicit goal of denying Ukraine and its people their collective rights to independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” wrote the Senators. “Our country, in coordination with our allies and partners and with bipartisan support has imposed sweeping financial sanctions, stringent export controls, and aggressive trade restrictions on the Russian Federation.”
    In 2022, Congress passed the Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act which revoked Russia’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status to ensure Russian goods and services do not enjoy privileged, “most-favored nation” access to the U.S. market. Congress also passed the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act which banned the importation of all energy products from the Russian Federation.
    According to these laws, the Russian Federation must reach an agreement relating to the withdrawal of its forces and cessation of military hostilities that is accepted by the free and independent government of Ukraine, recognize the right of the people of Ukraine to independently and freely choose their own government, and pose no immediate military threat of aggression to any NATO member before the President can restore normal trade relations.
    “In light of your worrisome statements, we wish to remind you that you must not—and cannot, under statute—attempt to restore normal trade relations or lift the import ban on Russian energy products unless and until Ukraine’s peace demands are met and their free and independent government has accepted a peace agreement,” continued the Senators. “Ukraine must be at the table to determine its future, and conditions for peace cannot be imposed on Ukraine.”
    Additional signatories to the letter include Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
    The full letter can be found here.
    Senator Cortez Masto has consistently advocated for the U.S. to stand up to Russian aggression and support Ukrainian sovereignty. Earlier this year, Senators Cortez Masto and Cornyn (R-Tex.) introduced the HONOR Act to prevent businesses from claiming a foreign tax credit or deduction against taxes paid to fund the Russian government’s war machine. She has voted to pass bipartisan legislation to support Ukraine and helped pass bipartisan economic sanctions that were signed into law to hold Russia accountable for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. She voted in support of sanctions against Russia and its Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and she supported similar sanctions in the 2020 and 2021 National Defense Authorization Acts.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer – so why is breast screening attendance still a problem?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anietie Aliu, Postgraduate Researcher, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey

    Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

    Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women globally. But, in part thanks to screening programmes, over 75% of those diagnosed with breast cancer in England now survive for ten years or more.

    However, due to a complex combination of racial disparities in the quality of healthcare patients receive, social factors such as poverty, and differences in tumour biology, Black women in the UK are more likely to die from the disease than women from other ethnicities.

    Breast screening improves breast cancer survival by identifying cancer at an earlier stage when it is easier to treat. In the UK, breast screening by mammography is offered free to women who are between the ages of 50 and 71 through the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme.

    Research shows that Black women in the UK are less likely to take part in breast screening programmes but are more likely to die from the disease from late diagnosis. So, why are Black women less likely to attend breast screenings when it could help save their lives?

    I was part of a team that reviewed all the studies which examined the barriers to breast cancer screening which Black women in the UK experience.

    The review found significant gaps in existing research on breast cancer in the Black community and barriers preventing Black African and Black Caribbean women in the UK in partaking in potentially life-saving breast cancer screenings. We reviewed nearly 1,000 papers, but only eight articles included Black women.

    The review found that previous research often grouped Black women from diverse backgrounds together, including Black African and Black Caribbean, masking important cultural nuances and different experiences. Additionally, the limited research available primarily focused on women who either attend screenings or who are ineligible, overlooking the crucial perspectives of those who are eligible but do not participate.

    As part of our research, we also wanted to identify any effective interventions to improve screening uptake for Black women – but we found no interventions that exclusively targeted Black women.

    Our study found that barriers were physical, emotional, cultural and related to healthcare. Black women who believed breast cancer could be treated if caught early were more likely to attend screening. Some of the key barriers, though, seem applicable to women from all ethnic groups. For example, fear of positive diagnosis.

    Cancer diagnosis is often seen as a death sentence but we found that Black women, in particular, are less likely to discuss breast cancer. Our review found that fear, stigma and negative perceptions of cancer contributed to a strong culture of silence which hindered responses to screening.

    Our review also found that many Black women who participated in the studies placed a high value on family relationships. Some Black African women, for example, were worried that if they were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer their partner might leave them or that their marriage prospects could be negatively affected because potential partners might think that cancer runs in their family.

    Barriers from healthcare structure were also flagged. Black women reported difficulties in attending screening appointments during work hours and lack of evening or weekend appointments prevented some women in full-time employment from attending screening.

    The review found that knowledge and awareness of breast cancer could be low, especially among some women born outside the UK, some of whom believed they weren’t vulnerable to breast cancer because they weren’t familiar with it in their country of birth. This shows a need for more culturally sensitive research on breast cancer screening in the Black communities.

    To reduce health disparities, then, and to enhance awareness of breast cancer screening, we recommend tailored community health programs and outreach initiatives that resonate with the people they are targeting.

    Anietie Aliu is affiliated with University of Surrey

    Aliu, A.E., Kerrison, R.S. and Marcu, A. (2025), A Systematic Review of Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening, and of Interventions Designed to Increase Participation, Among Women of Black African and Black Caribbean Descent in the UK. Psycho-Oncology, 34: e70093. https://doi-org.surrey.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/pon.70093

    – ref. Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer – so why is breast screening attendance still a problem? – https://theconversation.com/black-women-are-more-likely-to-die-from-breast-cancer-so-why-is-breast-screening-attendance-still-a-problem-250324

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Police in Northern Ireland unlawfully spied on journalists – this is not how covert policing is meant to work

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Steve Christopher, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice (Police Programmes), De Montfort University

    At the end of last year, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (an independent judiciary body) made a shocking landmark judgement. The tribunal found that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Metropolitan Police had unlawfully conducted surveillance into two investigative journalists.

    The PSNI was forced to pay £4,000 in damages to Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, producers of No Stone Unturned, a 2017 documentary about alleged police collusion in the unsolved Loughinisland massacre in 1994.

    The two journalists were arrested in 2018 by the PSNI over leaked documents that appeared in the film. Their arrest was later ruled unlawful. Suspecting that this was one of multiple attempts by the police to identify their sources, McCaffrey and Birney brought a complaint. The tribunal’s subsequent investigation and ruling has revealed the extent of the surveillance on the pair, and drawn attention to more examples of surveillance on journalists. These are now being investigated by a review set up after the tribunal’s ruling.

    The PSNI admitted last year to making 823 applications for communications data for journalists and lawyers over 13 years. Additionally, more than 4,000 phone communications between 12 journalists were monitored by police over three months.

    The force also admitted employing covert tactics against 320 journalists while intercepting over 4,000 telephone calls and texts between McCaffrey, Birney and a dozen BBC journalists. This is espionage on an industrial scale.

    The treatment of the journalists has rightly raised concerns about press freedom. But as a senior detective who specialised in covert policing, and who now lectures criminal investigation students about the practice, I find this case extremely worrying for the future integrity of covert policing in the UK.

    Covert policing and human rights

    Covert policing refers to a combination of clandestine policing tactics used to
    lawfully access information and evidence that may not otherwise be obtainable. These tactics are an essential investigative tool in tackling contemporary organised and serious crime – they are not intended to police the 4th estate.

    Journalistic confidentiality is a privilege legally protected from covert policing, other than in exceptional circumstances. These privileges (along with legal and medical) are basic and sacrosanct, and cannot simply be ignored or trampled upon. Hence, the reason for the checks and balances in the process of authorising covert policing.

    With the advent of the UK Human Rights Act in 1998, an accountability framework was necessary for covert policing to satisfy the rights set out in the European convention on human rights.

    I was a member of various national working groups which worked tirelessly around the turn of the millennium to legitimise and regulate clandestine tactics through the introduction of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and its associated codes of practice.

    To comply with human rights, the deployment of covert policing must be justified, necessary, proportionate and lawful. Law enforcement agencies employing theses tactics are held accountable through oversight by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

    This framework has largely proved to be very effective and compliant with the relevant laws and human rights. Although there has been a rise in the number of complaints by private individuals to the IPT since 2017, less than 4% were actually found to have failed to comply with the framework.

    UK law enforcement and the public are still coming to terms with serious and systematic abuses by undercover police officers targeting campaigners over a period of 40 years. Against that backdrop, it is imperative that the deployment of covert policing by law enforcement agencies complies with the governance regime put in place.

    The tribunal found that in the case of Birney and McCaffrey, the former PSNI chief constable did not comply with the necessary legal requirements to authorise the surveillance operation. They said that the constable failed to “consider whether there was an overriding public interest justifying an interference with the integrity of a journalistic source”. Clearly, there is public interest in identifying who was responsible for the Loughinisland massacre, which is what the journalists were seeking to do with their documentary.

    Trust in police

    At the heart of this calamity lies public confidence and legitimacy in policing. The British public believes in press freedom to expose unacceptable behaviour, especially by public servants, and greatly dislikes the abuse of power by the police to prevent that.

    In this case, the police service has again overstepped the mark by its egregious conduct. And I am concerned that it is merely the tip of the iceberg. Given the collaboration between the PSNI and Met police reported in this case, it would be very surprising if such proactive “monitoring” of journalists was not underway in many forces.

    McCaffrey, Birney and others are right to call for a public inquiry to establish the extent of such covert operations by the police service. There is a clear and significant danger when the police extend their clandestine reach to unjustifiably and unnecessarily spy on journalists. A review of the extent of such operations across the UK would be in the interests of transparency and accountability. It would also go a long way to repairing the damage caused to public trust in the police and covert policing by this case.

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

    – ref. Police in Northern Ireland unlawfully spied on journalists – this is not how covert policing is meant to work – https://theconversation.com/police-in-northern-ireland-unlawfully-spied-on-journalists-this-is-not-how-covert-policing-is-meant-to-work-247628

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: UK arts sector is getting a £270 million funding boost – but there are winners and losers

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Behr, Senior Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, Newcastle University

    “In any civilised community the arts … serious or comic, light or demanding, must occupy a central place. Their enjoyment should not be regarded as something remote from everyday life.” This was a central statement in the white paper (a statement of policy intent) issued 60 years ago by Jennie Lee, the UK’s first minister for the arts under Labour prime minister Harold Wilson in 1965.

    Outlining A Policy for the Arts – The First Steps was the first white paper for the arts (and the only one until 2016), and suggested that the arts should be publicly supported, also arguing for increased local and regional support besides national institutions.

    Many of Lee’s assertions still ring true today, not least that, “Today’s artists need more financial help, particularly in the early years before they have become established”. There were echoes of that 1965 statement of support for the arts in Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy’s recent announcement of a £270 million funding package. Indeed, the timing was no accident, Nandy explicitly referenced Lee’s “vision for accessibility in the arts”.

    This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.

    It’s a broadly welcome intervention for a sector in straitened circumstances. A drop of more than 30% investment through local authorities in England since 2010, and of 21%, overall has left organisations struggling to maintain infrastructure, creating a drag on new developments. So an injection of government support for public assets like museums and libraries is a necessary step to stem the decline.

    Much, though, has changed since 1965. Absent from Lee’s communitarian account of governmental support for the arts is the language of economic return. The intervening decades have seen a sea change in the logics of arts funding.

    While the stated benefits of arts to society – and particularly education – remain salient, the emphasis has shifted over time from support to “investment”, with the arts and culture increasingly recognised and valued for, as Nandy puts it, “their growth potential to drive our economy forward”.

    This rhetorical and practical co-mingling of “culture” with the “creative industries” is a longitudinal shift. In political terms this was made clear by the 1997 rebranding of the Department for National Heritage (the first “culture” department, founded by Conservative prime minister John Major in 1992) as the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) the last time Labour returned from a long spell in opposition.

    This defence of arts funding in “instrumental” terms (its economic return, or value in bumping up educational achievements) is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there’s a risk of losing sight of culture’s intrinsic value as something worthy of support – art for art’s sake.

    At the same time, it has been accompanied by a move away from the more patrician conception of what merited state support. National institutions and the “high arts” were the main focus in the birth of the arts councils as part of the major overhaul of the role of the state – the postwar consensus – after the second world war.

    This points towards wider tensions in arts funding and the DCMS portfolio that derive from the evolving landscape since 1965. There was a strong emphasis in Lee’s paper, and in Nandy’s recent announcement, on buildings, infrastructure and established spaces. Vital as these are, the idea of what counts as culture has moved on and expanded since then.

    Even beyond their economic potential, the cultural value of practices more traditionally associated with commercial activity has become more central to the national conversation.

    Arts education has also become strategically important in both economic terms and in supporting widening access to opportunities across society, requiring a broad conception of “the arts”. The barriers between high art and popular culture have become porous, and this has a bearing on state support, especially when cultural activity overall is reeling from a pandemic and years of austerity.

    This is at the heart of those sectors left out of the current largesse. Drawing on both economic and cultural arguments Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, has noted the absence in Nandy’s proposal of live music venues, nightclubs and festivals.

    “The government has placed traditional and heritage culture at the forefront while completely ignoring the vital creative spaces that fuel innovation, inspire younger generations, and contribute significantly to our economy,” he wrote recently.

    DCMS funding is also a microcosm of any government spending in that it also comes with questions around opportunity cost (as the recent announcement about boosting the defence budget and immediate ramifications for foreign aid also make clear). Here too, the grassroots are a factor.

    Mark Davyd of the Music Venue Trust, for instance, has pointed out that his suggested “£20m to open 40 new grassroots music venues” was derided, but that there’s “£15m to build yet another hall for the National Railway Museum and £5m to build a poetry centre, and nobody thinks that £20m is funny.”

    Also rising rapidly up the agenda are concerns about the longer term impact of AI on creative careers, another area in which the DCMS – and the Department of Science Innovation and Technology – might see their plans for growth at odds with those in the creative industries and organisations.

    Artists are objecting to a suggested exception to copyright restrictions that would require them to actively “opt out” of their work being used to train AI models, and which benefit AI companies with the presumption that works can be used for that purpose.

    None of this is easy, especially after a long period of austerity in the arts, and a context of global uncertainty. But Nandy’s recent announcement of funding can only be seen as a holding action to halt the deterioration.

    To realise Jennie Lee’s vision, a more substantive, structural approach is needed, one that brings those activities at the grassroots, and at the margins of traditional views of “culture” under the umbrella of funding.

    Adam Behr has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

    – ref. UK arts sector is getting a £270 million funding boost – but there are winners and losers – https://theconversation.com/uk-arts-sector-is-getting-a-270-million-funding-boost-but-there-are-winners-and-losers-251340

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –