NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Canada: The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs and the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, issue a statement on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year

    Source: Government of Canada News

    The Government of Canada issues a statement to mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and start of the High Holy Days

    OTTAWA, October 2, 2023

    Shana tova to all Jewish communities in Canada and around the world!

    Tonight’s sunset marks the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which also signals the beginning of the High Holy Days, lasting 10 days.

    During Rosh Hashanah, apples dipped in honey symbolize the hope for a sweet and harmonious New Year. The call of the shofar, an instrument made from a ram’s horn, will be heard, calling for introspection.

    Although this sacred time embodies both optimism and reflection, it is a difficult period for the Canadian Jewish community and Jewish people around the world. On October 7, we will mark the first anniversary of the deadliest attack on Jews, during which Canadians were killed, since the Holocaust. We are also all deeply alarmed by the rise of antisemitism in our country and law enforcement takes all threats seriously. There is no excuse for this hatred and there is no place for it in Canada. Everyone has the right to feel safe, regardless of who we are, what we look like or what we believe.

    Jewish communities are not alone. Our federal government is committed to doing whatever it takes to protect everyone living in Canada and to uphold the values of the country we believe in, where diversity and inclusion are our strengths. During Rosh Hashanah, we recognize the heightened security concerns of the Jewish community as they attend synagogues and temples across the country. We are committed to safeguarding their right to worship safely and peacefully. Recently, we launched Canada’s first-ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate to empower communities with the resources they need to identify and prevent hate, increase supports to victims and survivors, and ensure we have a coordinated approach across government to protect Canadians. A key component of the Action Plan is the Canada Community Security Program, which provides time-limited funding and support, for communities at risk of hate-motived incidents, to take safety measures to protect their communities. We know that the Jewish community has been targeted by vile hatred online and in the real world. Bill C-63 proposes tougher hate laws and creates a regime to make social media companies more responsible for hate and other harmful content on their platforms.

    Jewish people have helped shape the Canada we know and they continue to make our communities more vibrant every day. May Rosh Hashanah remind us of how new beginnings can bring hope and unity. We wish all Jewish communities in Canada and beyond a happy, healthy and meaningful New Year.

    Shana tova u metuka!

    Waleed Saleem
    Attaché de presse
    Cabinet de la ministre de la Diversité, de l’Inclusion et des Personnes en situation de handicap
    waleed.saleem@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock Champions Bipartisan Push for Quick Passage of Disaster Relief Legislation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senator Reverend Warnock Champions Bipartisan Push for Quick Passage of Disaster Relief Legislation

    Senator Reverend Warnock is urging congressional leadership to act urgently to meet needs of Georgians and Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene
    Effort follows Senator Reverend Warnock’s previous push to congressional leadership to ensure disaster relief resources are made available to agricultural producers following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene 
    ICYMI: Senator Reverend Warnock Meets with Community Leaders, Surveys Damage in Augusta Following Hurricane Helene 
    Senator Reverend Warnock and lawmakers: “Although the true level of devastation is still unfolding, it is clear that Congress must act to meet the unmet needs in our states and address the scope and scale of destruction experienced by our constituents. This may even require Congress to come back in October to ensure we have enough time to enact legislation before the end of this calendar year”

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and 11 of his colleagues made a bipartisan push urging Senate leadership to quickly pass supplemental government funding legislation to support the millions of Georgians and Americans affected by Hurricane Helene. In a letter to addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Warnock and his colleagues lamented the loss of life across the southeast, destruction of communities, and ongoing impacts following Hurricane Helen’s landfall as recovery efforts continue. In the letter, Senator Warnock and his colleagues also indicated that Congress may need to return into session in October to ensure enough time to enact disaster relief legislation this year.

    “The devastation from Hurricane Helene across the southeastern United States is simply inconceivable…Because of a lack of cell service, we anticipate even greater tragedy to unfold in the days and weeks ahead as communications and power are restored and we can understand the full scope of this disaster,” Senator Warnock and his colleagues wrote.

    “Even preliminary damage assessments indicate that, at a minimum, the total damage and economic loss will be in the tens of billions of dollars. This amount will likely soar as recovery efforts continue and the full picture of this ruinous disaster becomes clear,” Senator Warnock and his colleagues continued.

    The letter was led by U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and, in addition to Senator Warnock, was signed by U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tim Scott (R-SC), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA).

    Senator Warnock has been a vocal proponent for additional disaster aid and resources for Georgians, including successfully passing legislation strengthening funding for Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Small Business Administration to address storm damage.

    Text of the full letter is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford Issues Joint Statement with Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism on FBI Hate Crime Statistics Report

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) along with Representatives Kathy Manning (NC-06) and Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chairs of the Senate and House Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, respectively, released the following statement in response to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2023 Hate Crime Statistics Report. The FBI data shows anti-Jewish hate crimes increased in 2023 by nearly 63 percent from 2022, which is the highest number recorded in almost three decades.
    “We are deeply alarmed by the dramatic increase in hate crimes targeting Jewish Americans over the past year, as noted in the FBI’s 2023 Hate Crimes Statistics Report,” said the Members. “With antisemitism skyrocketing across the United States following Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, a whole-of-government approach is needed to protect Jewish communities from violence and hate.”
    Anti-Jewish hate crimes rose from 1,122 to 1,832 incidents from 2022 to 2023. According to the FBI, a total of 16,009 law enforcement agencies, which represent 95.2 percent of the agencies enrolled in the hate crime data collection program, participated in hate crimes reporting for 2023.
    They continued: “As the co-chairs of the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, we remain steadfast in our commitment to root out the scourge of antisemitism. We’ll continue working across party lines to ensure the federal government keeps Jewish Americans safe from discrimination.”
    Jewish Americans make up around two percent of the US population, yet antisemitic hate crimes accounted for 15.4 percent of all hate crimes reported by the FBI. Anti-Jewish incidents comprised a little over two-thirds of all religion-based hate crimes. 
    As co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Taskforce for Countering Antisemitism, Lankford has been leading the fight against rising antisemitism. Lankford, along with the co-chairs of the Senate and House Bipartisan Task Forces, introduced a bill to take historic action to counter antisemitism in the United States by establishing a first-ever National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism. In May, Lankford and Rosen sent a letter urging the Department of Education to designate a senior official to oversee efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses. They also called on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to hold a full hearing on rising antisemitism on college campuses.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Introduces Bill to Prevent Fentanyl Trafficking Through U.S. Transportation Networks

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced new legislation to crack down on the trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs, like fentanyl, using the U.S. transportation network. The bill would create first-ever inspection strategies to stop drug smuggling by commercial aircraft, railroads, vehicles, and ships. The legislation would boost state, local and tribal law enforcement resources, deploy cutting edge non-intrusive detection technologies, and increase inspections at ports of entry.

    “I’ve heard from parents who lost children, law enforcement fighting on the front lines, and advocates – all demanding we do more to stop the scourge of fentanyl,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m fighting this crisis on all fronts – from stopping the precursor chemicals being manufactured in China, to boosting access to overdose reversal drugs, and everything in between. I’m proud to lead this legislation to give our law enforcement the tools they need to stop drug traffickers from using American airports, railways, ports, and roads to smuggle fentanyl into our communities.”

    According to U.S. Government authorities, drug traffickers exploit the U.S. transportation network to smuggle fentanyl, precursor chemicals and other illicit drugs into and throughout the country. Once drugs have entered the country, drug traffickers continue to rely on the national transportation network—trucks, trains and commercial aircraft—to move their product to its final destination.

    Senator Baldwin introduced this legislation with Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM). The Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act of 2024 would:

    • Create a National Prevention Plan: Directs the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to develop a comprehensive national strategy that examines the entire U.S. transportation network and ports of entry to prevent the smuggling of illicit synthetic drugs.
    • Boost Illegal Drug Detection by Air, Sea, Rail and Road: The bill establishes four new transportation-specific inspection programs—private and commercial aircraft, railroads, commercial vehicles and maritime vessels—to expand detection across all transportation modes and prevent interstate smuggling. State, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement would carry out inspections using non-intrusive technologies and canines, in coordination with federal law enforcement authorities – and without unduly delaying the movement of goods or interrupting interstate commerce.
    • Deploy High-Tech Detection Tools: Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the ONDCP to accelerate new emerging, non-intrusive technologies, including integrating AI and quantum, to detect illicit synthetic drugs. National laboratories, including Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, are already developing next-generation technologies for fentanyl detection. AI could help increase capacities to integrate multiple sources of data and overcome challenges in identifying fentanyl when it is mixed with other opioids to evade detection.
    • Increase Port of Entry Drug Detections: Currently, only 1-2 percent of passenger vehicles and 15-17 percent of commercial vehicles are scanned at U.S. ports of entry. The bill requires Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to inspect 100 percent of motor vehicles and railroads entering the country through a port of entry within five years, and all civil air cargo and maritime cargo within ten years.
    • Support Law Enforcement Workforce, Technology and Training: Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide grants to state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement to acquire new technology and canines and support overtime and other program-related expenses. It would also increase federal support to state and local crime scene investigators and forensics laboratories to process evidence related to fentanyl crimes and deaths.
    • Improve Data and Information Sharing to Prevent Drug Trafficking: Requires the Director of ONDCP to create a public-private task force to improve intelligence and information sharing among federal, state and local authorities and the private sector to combat drug trafficking.

    “The National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition applauds Senator Cantwell for her work on the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act. The surge in drug poisoning deaths, especially from fentanyl, shows that more needs to be done. We know that a large portion of illegal narcotics are trafficked through our transportation systems, and this legislation will provide the needed resources such as advanced detection technology and canines to enhance law enforcement’s ability to conduct inspections on our nation’s transportation systems,” said Eric Brown, President of the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition.

    “The Major Cities Chiefs Association thanks Senator Cantwell for taking an innovative approach to fentanyl interdiction with the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act. In cities across the country, resources are strained and the fentanyl crisis is a factor. Federal support is welcome as MCCA member agencies work to curb this crisis and promote safer communities and public health. We look forward to additional engagement on the matter as it moves forward in Congress,” said Laura Cooper, Executive Director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

    “Deaths and adverse events from illicit synthetic drugs continue to be at epidemic proportions, yet funding for forensics labs remains stagnant.  This bill prioritizes resources for the professionals on the front lines of the fight against illicit drugs, including fentanyl and other novel psychoactive substances.  We commend members of the Commerce Committee for taking this approach to ensure our forensic experts have the necessary resources and data to combat this epidemic,” said Matthew Gamette, Chair of the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations.

    “The Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA) appreciates Senator Cantwell’s introduction of the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act of 2024. While recent figures show progress in reducing drug poisoning deaths in the U.S., we are nowhere near where we need to be to protect Americans from the ongoing threat.  This bill would strengthen the ability of agencies at all levels of government to detect and disrupt drug trafficking,” said Drew Evans, President of the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies.

    “The National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Directors Association appreciates Senator Cantwell’s efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis and her support for providing critically needed tools and resources for state, local, tribal and federal law enforcement to interdict fentanyl shipments before negatively impacting the communities across the country. Given the profound impact fentanyl has had on families, schools, and communities, this bill will be instrumental in enabling law enforcement agencies participating in the HIDTA program to develop new and innovative strategies to tackle this crisis,” said F. Mike McDaniel, President of the National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Directors Association.

    “The Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) strongly supports the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act of 2024. This vital legislation will equip law enforcement with effective tools to combat drug smuggling and the fentanyl crisis, while also enhancing data sharing in the fight against drug trafficking. We extend our gratitude to Senators Cantwell, Tester, Baldwin, Rosen, and Luján for their leadership in advancing this important initiative,” said Megan Noland, Executive Director of Major County Sheriffs of America.

    Senator Baldwin has been fighting to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis, disrupting supply chains and bolstering support for prevention and recovery services. As Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Coast Guard, Senator Baldwin held a hearing in September  on the Coast Guard’s role in combatting the fentanyl crisis and stemming the flow of drugs into the United States. She worked to pass the FEND Off Fentanyl Act to stem the flow of the drug from coming into the U.S. by cracking down on Chinese chemical suppliers and Mexican cartels. Senator Baldwin also fought to pass a bipartisan bill that would have helped bolster border security and technology and reform parts of the immigration system.

    As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), Senator Baldwin wrote the government funding bill that funds the opioid response program and successfully fought to get it signed into law. Senator Baldwin also led the charge to improve the reach of the funding through her State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act, giving Wisconsin increased funding and more flexibility in administering federal investments.

    A one-pager on this bill is available here. Full text of this legislation is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Pharma company funding for patient advocacy groups needs to be transparent

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Joel Lexchin, Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Management, York University, Canada

    As a first step in determining whose interests patient groups align with, we need more transparency about the source of their revenue. (Shutterstock)

    Patient groups should be playing a central role in Canada’s health-care system, advocating for their members by promoting the visibility of their conditions, pushing for more rapid and accurate diagnoses and lobbying for the introduction and funding of new treatments and drugs that may help relieve their members’ symptoms and extend their lives.

    However, all of this requires resources. In the past, groups could turn to the federal government for funding, but that option dried up in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

    Pharmaceutical industry funding

    In response, patient groups looked to the pharmaceutical industry to be able to continue functioning. How much money Canadian groups get from drug companies is largely unknown.

    Neither the federal government nor the major industry association, Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC), require companies to report on payments to groups and similarly there are no rules saying that patient groups must reveal who gives them money or how much. Even if groups are registered charities, that type of granular information is not collected in reports they have to file with the Canada Revenue Agency.

    How much money Canadian patient advocacy groups get from drug companies is largely unknown.
    (Shutterstock)

    There is one source of partial information that has not been investigated until now. Since 2016, six companies have voluntarily released detailed annual statements about which groups they give money to and the value of those payments — GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and Teva.

    I have analyzed the available reports from these companies. Because pharma companies have a history of trying to buy influence — a topic I’ve researched extensively — it’s important to look at what and who they are funding. All told, from 2016 to 2023, they gave more than $30 million in 671 separate payments to 263 groups. The $30 million figure is a minimum because not all of the six companies report in any individual year. There are also an additional 42 member companies in IMC that don’t file any reports. (Teva does not belong to IMC.)

    The median amount that a patient group received was $26,000 but that number hides the extremes. The Black Health Alliance received a single payment of $250 in 2023 from Novartis whereas the World Federation of Hemophilia, based in Montréal, got over $4.5 million from Roche and Sanofi between 2020 to 2023. Fourteen groups accounted for almost one-half of all payments groups received. Although Novartis only reported in three years (2021-23) it gave the largest amount of money, over $7.5 million.

    Conflicts of interest

    Receiving money creates a conflict-of-interest (COI), where a COI is defined by the U.S. Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) as “a set of circumstances that creates a risk that…judgment or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.” In this case, that would mean that the patient group was looking out for the interests of the drug company that gave it money as opposed to the interests of its patient members.

    However, just because groups received money from drug companies does not necessarily equate to the positions and actions that they took. There is a wide range of positions taken by patient groups that have received pharma funding, and when their positions align with those of their sponsors, these associations do not establish cause and effect.

    The Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders that received just shy of $450,000 between 2018 and 2023 from a combination of GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Roche and Sanofi has publicly criticized the legislation that potentially creates the first steps to a universal, first-dollar coverage pharmacare plan.

    Twenty-eight patient groups, including Save Your Skin Foundation and Myeloma Canada, lobbied the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board to try to stop the board from instituting reforms to how it regulated drug prices. Save Your Skin Foundation got just over $750,000 in drug company money and Myeloma Canada got $831,000.

    Pharma companies have a history of offering funding and other resources that have been shown to influence health-care professionals.
    (Shutterstock)

    Some groups that take drug company money do not necessarily align with the interests of their funders. The president of the Canadian Spondylitis Association (CSA) pulled his organization out of a focus-group project organized by Janssen and AbbVie because he refused to sign off on a report claiming that patients were strongly opposed to switching from the medication Humira, sold by AbbVie, to a less expensive biosimilar.

    Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) used to receive grants from Janssen and AbbVie until it also came out in favour of switching to biosimilars. (CSA received over $100,000 from Merck and Novartis, while ACE $267,000 from Merck and Novartis as well as Teva.)

    How pharma funds buy influence

    Pharma companies have a history of offering funding and other resources that have been shown to influence health-care professionals, which has extended the reach of pharma companies’ interests into virtually all aspects of health care. Funding patient groups may be another strategy to further extend the reach of those interests, which do not always align with those of patients and the public.

    As a first step in trying to determine whose interests patient groups align with, we need more transparency about the source of their revenue. The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) code requires that member companies disclose on their websites a list of patient organizations to which they provide financial support, the amount of the payment and a description of the nature of the support or services provided.

    However, a study of industry payments in Nordic countries concluded that the EFPIA code fails to ensure transparency and compliance. EFPIA allows national industry associations the freedom to determine how its code will be implemented and how much oversight is required, leading to disparate transparency practices. EFPIA has not created a disclosure template to standardize reporting. Finally, EPFIA’s code does not apply to companies that are not members.

    Industry codes are not the answer.

    Before the Ontario election in 2019, the government was finalizing regulations for Bill 160 that required all drug and device manufacturers to disclose payments to patient groups. The legislative process stopped when the government changed post-election. The federal government should pick up the mandate on this issue and pass similar legislation to make reporting mandatory on a national basis.

    Between 2021-2024, Joel Lexchin received payments for writing a brief on the role of promotion in generating prescriptions for a legal firm, for being on a panel about pharmacare and for co-writing an article for a peer-reviewed medical journal. He is a member of the Boards of Canadian Doctors for Medicare and the Canadian Health Coalition. He receives royalties from University of Toronto Press and James Lorimer & Co. Ltd. for books he has written.

    – ref. Pharma company funding for patient advocacy groups needs to be transparent – https://theconversation.com/pharma-company-funding-for-patient-advocacy-groups-needs-to-be-transparent-239197

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: 79th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

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

    Mr. President of the General Assembly, Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of State and Government, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen Ambassadors.

    I speak here on behalf of a country that will never forget what nations are capable of when they are united: freedom. France has just paid tribute this year to the peoples of America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania who allowed it to free itself from Nazi control eight decades ago. Progress and peace.

    Liberated, France founded with these peoples a community of free and sovereign States, capable of committing to each other and agreeing on the essentials.

    Hope, like the one we have seen again recently during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, welcomed this summer by France in the beauty, enthusiasm and harmony of peoples.

    Yet, despite this jubilation, the Olympic truce, unanimously desired here, has remained a dead letter. Yet, the danger of empty words and powerless diplomacy are there before us every day. Yet, our organization is facing the greatest convergence of crises that it has probably known after these eight decades of existence. The feeling of a loss of control is growing in the face of wars, climate change, increasing inequalities, injustices. And every day humanity seems to fragment more while circumstances would require finding common, strong, effective responses.

    To restore to these two words, united nations, their powers of hope, we must find ourselves, as before, on an essential foundation. And this is what I would like to say a few words about.

    First and foremost, we must restore the terms of trust and respect between peoples, and I see them fading in the debates that are ours. To do this, we must indeed show equal attention to those who are suffering.

    I mentioned it here two years ago, warding off the possibility of a double standard, one life equals one life. The protection of civilians is an imperative standard and must remain our compass, even as we celebrate this year the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Let us not allow the idea to take hold, for a single moment, that the dead in Ukraine are those in the north, that the dead in Gaza are those in the south, and that the deaths in the conflicts in Sudan, in the Great Lakes region, or in Burma, are those of consciences that, too alone, would be outraged by them.

    Regaining control and restoring this trust therefore implies seeking peace everywhere, accepting no difference whenever the dignity of human life is at stake, accepting no difference whenever the territorial integrity, the sovereignty of States is at stake. These conflicts today call into question our very capacity to enforce our United Nations Charter. And when I see some people wanting to propose peace by asking for capitulation, I am surprised that anyone can even support such an idea.

    I would like to reiterate here how essential the protection of civilians, of all humanitarian workers, of all those who work for our common values is in each of these conflicts.

    Then, we must provide a common response to the major challenges of the two wars affecting Europe and the Middle East. Russia is, in fact, waging a war of territorial conquest in Ukraine, in defiance of the most fundamental principles of international life. It is guilty of serious breaches of law, ethics and even honour. Nothing in what it is doing corresponds to the common interest of nations, nor to the special responsibilities it assumes in this organisation. The fate of Ukraine involves peace and security in Europe and in the world. Because who will still be able to believe themselves protected from their strongest, most violent and most greedy neighbours if we let Russia prevail as if nothing had happened? Nobody.

    It is therefore in our common interest, the common interest of nations, that Ukraine be restored to its legitimate rights as soon as possible and that a just and lasting peace be built. France will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that Ukraine holds firm, gets out of danger and obtains justice. It will continue to provide it with the equipment essential to its defense and, with its closest allies and partners, France will support the remarkable resistance of the Ukrainian people and will commit to ensuring that they obtain lasting security. Let us seek peace. France will know how to join forces with all sincere partners to build a solid peace for Ukraine and for Europe.

    I know that for many of you, the essential is elsewhere; in the all too long list of forgotten wars, unjust victories, poorly negotiated resolutions or sometimes never implemented. I have not forgotten any of them, even if I cannot mention them all here. President TSHISEKEDI preceded me at this podium a few moments ago and the situation in the Great Lakes — I will come back to it with him, and President KAGAME in a few days — concerns us. And in Armenia, Mr. Prime Minister, alongside which France stands firmly in the face of pressure from Azerbaijan and the territories, the international community must be there to ensure that peace negotiations succeed and that internationally recognized borders are preserved.

    But I know that for many of you, the essential thing, beyond these wars, is also today, and it is for us too, in Gaza, where the destiny of the Palestinian people is present, and weighs on each of our debates.

    On this complex subject, I would like to reiterate with the greatest clarity France’s position since day one. We firmly condemn the terrible and unprecedented terrorist attack decided and carried out by Hamas against Israel on October 7. Terrorism is unacceptable, whatever the causes, and we mourn the victims of the Hamas attack on October 7, including 48 French citizens. I extend my thoughts of compassion and friendship to all the families who are living in pain after losing children, parents and friends on October 7. We also solemnly and once again ask that the hostages be released. Among them, several of our French compatriots remain. And I would like to salute the efforts of the United States of America, Egypt and Qatar to achieve this. This remains a priority for all of us.

    Israel, faced with this terrorist attack, has the legitimate right to protect its people and to deprive Hamas of the means to attack it again. And none of us would have suffered the blows received on October 7 without drawing consequences. However, the war that Israel is waging in Gaza has lasted too long. The tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian victims have no justification, no explanation. Too many innocents have died, and we also mourn them. And these deaths are also a scandal for humanity and a dangerous source of hatred, of resentment that threatens and will threaten the security of all, including that of Israel tomorrow.

    This war must therefore end and a ceasefire must be declared as soon as possible, at the same time as the hostages are released and humanitarian aid arrives massively in Gaza. We have held this position since October 2023, pushing for resolutions with many of you holding the first humanitarian conference for Gaza in November in Paris. Today, it is a question of political will in view of the destruction of Hamas’ military capabilities. It is imperative that a new phase begins in Gaza, that the weapons fall silent, that humanitarian workers return, and that civilian populations are finally protected. France will participate in any initiative that will save lives and ensure the security of all. The deployment of an international mission must pave the way for the implementation of the two-state solution. It is up to the United Nations Security Council to decide on this matter and it is also necessary that the necessary measures be taken without further delay to preserve the link between Gaza and the West Bank, to restore the Palestinian Authority to its functions and to ensure the reconstruction of the territory and simply make life possible again.

    France will commit to ensuring that everything is done so that the Palestinians finally have a State living side by side with Israel. The conditions for a just and lasting peace are known. The path to it remains to be paved. It must be as short as possible. France will therefore draw the consequences of its commitment to the two-State solution and will renew its action so that it finally comes about for the benefit of the people, to meet their legitimate aspirations, to bring about a Palestinian State, to give all the necessary guarantees to Israel for its security, to build reciprocal recognitions and common security guarantees for all in the region. We will work on this over the coming weeks with Israelis and Palestinians, as with all our regional and international partners.

    In the immediate future, as we speak, the main risk is that of escalation. My fraternal thoughts go to Lebanon and the Lebanese people. For too long, Hezbollah has been taking the unbearable risk of dragging Lebanon into war. Israel, for its part, cannot, without consequences, extend its operations to Lebanon. France demands that everyone respect their obligations along the Blue Line. We will therefore act to bring about an essential diplomatic path in order to spare the civilian populations and prevent a regional explosion. There must not, there cannot be, a war in Lebanon.

    This is why we strongly call on Israel to stop the escalation in Lebanon and on Hezbollah to stop firing at Israel. We strongly call on all those who provide them with the means to stop doing so. We have asked that the Security Council meet today for this purpose, and I welcome this. And the French minister will be visiting Lebanon this weekend.

    It is the same unity that we must demonstrate in the face of the major regional challenges and the global challenges that are ours. Because beyond the conflicts that we are experiencing and that I have just mentioned, we must together continue to ensure respect for each other’s sovereignty, to build regional and international solutions to the challenges. This is the whole meaning of the relationship that we want with Africa, a new partnership, and this is what we have been working to do for two years. France has done a lot in recent years for the African continent, it has done a lot in recent decades, but particularly in the Sahel, where the French armies have successfully fought terrorism, side by side with their regional and international partners.

    However, the military coups in the region have led us to draw legitimate conclusions. But Europe and Africa have a common destiny before them, which requires a broad partnership. A partnership of peace and security that requires renewing its terms: more training, more equipment, more mutual respect. A partnership also based on the economy, energy, sport, culture, and memory.

    This is what we have patiently built in recent years with Benin, Senegal, Cameroon, Algeria, Morocco and many other countries and will continue to implement. It is the same philosophy that, for 6 years now, has led us to build an unprecedented partnership with the Indo-Pacific, where France aims to contribute to respect for international law, without which there can be no prosperity.

    In this region, which has experienced exceptional growth in recent decades, some are tempted to break the rules, or even impose their will by force. France is proposing an alternative, not to replace anyone, but to give the states of the region the possibility of choosing their partner, project by project.

    The French territories of the Indo-Pacific have unique expertise in the fight against climate change, the protection of biodiversity, the development of clean energy and the fight against transnational threats. Our vocation in this regard in the region is to cooperate more with everyone, in their environment. As you have understood, this partnership logic is one that aims to build new balances, to reject the fragmentation of the world or old grammars, but to seek, in mutual respect, to build paths to stability and peace.

    Beyond that, the challenge that is ours, struck by the conflicts that I mentioned just now, would be to lose the thread of our multilateral agenda, to lose the effectiveness to which we are attached. And after having experienced the pandemic, which had reminded us, with such force, of the importance of some of these common challenges, to forget that we must continue this thread. I deeply believe that effective multilateralism has never been more necessary than today and must lead to results in terms of development and the fight against inequalities in education, health, climate and biodiversity and technology. On each of these pillars, we need unity. And we need, here too, to do everything to avoid the divide between the North and the South. This is exactly the philosophy that we have developed in the Paris Pact for People and the Planet that more than 60 States have now joined.

    First, make sure that we never force a state to choose between its objectives. Why would northern states lecture southern states by explaining to them that they should respect the climate and therefore give up economic opportunities? They should do what some of them, in the north, did not do 20, 30 or 40 years ago. This is unacceptable and inaudible. We must therefore build an agenda that allows us to move forward at the same time in the fight against inequalities and economic development for education, climate and biodiversity and global health.

    Then, solutions must be made and based on proposals from the States themselves. This is what we have, for example, started to build with our partnerships for just energy transitions. Not to have a single solution for all or lessons given from our capitals where, in a way, we come to inspect countries and ask them to all follow the same recipe. There is a unique path for each country. This is the key to sovereignty.

    And then, there needs to be a financial shock, public and additional private leverage. This is what allowed us, 3 years ago, to work towards increasing the IMF’s special drawing rights and to obtain the effective reallocation of nearly 100 billion in special drawing rights to the benefit of the countries that need them most, particularly in Africa. A silent but essential revolution.

    This is also why, with the strength of this pact, and we were with several of the members just now, under the effective authority of President Macky SALL and with the assistance of the United Nations, the OECD and the organizations concerned, we want to continue this cycle of reforms and carry out a profound reform of the multilateral banks of our financial institutions.

    We launched this common finance objective, bringing together development banks from all over the world, including those whose agendas are not aligned. We must work on this common finance agenda to be able to meet the objectives that I mentioned. And we must, together, I hope in the coming months, fundamentally reform the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, first to renew their members, these institutions having been designed at a time when so many of you here were not independent.

    Its capital structure must be renewed to give it more strength. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were designed, thought out, and calibrated at a time when the challenges were not the same, when the global economy was not of this size, and when demographics were completely different. We must lift the absurd taboos. Blockages sometimes imposed by the largest that prevent others from handing over money for fear of being diluted. We must give these institutions the capacity to act to finance the projects that the countries of the South need. And this reform is imperative for our collective credibility.

    I say this to the richest states and to those who, alongside France, are around the table. Decide not to do it and you will see an alternative order emerge in the years to come. Others will come who do not have your agenda. Decide not to do it and you will be condemned, accused of cynicism and perhaps not wrongly.

    This reform of financial multilateralism is essential to meet these challenges. We must also continue our climate and biodiversity agenda. The upcoming COPs are important meetings and France will play its full role, in particular by organizing with Costa Rica for the United Nations an important meeting for the oceans.

    Nice, in fact, in June 2025 will host the United Nations Ocean Conference and we will continue our work in doing so. And I hope that many of you will be able to ratify in this regard the achievements of recent months, in particular the Treaty on the Protection of the High Seas, which is essential. And we are also continuing to make progress on the issue of water, which is so essential, with the new One Planet Summit on Water alongside Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia. I will not list here all the necessary, essential subjects.

    But I also want to remind you how much Artificial Intelligence requires that within our framework, all the States present here coordinate. We need to encourage innovation. We need to ensure that the innovation of Artificial Intelligence will be accessible to all countries and peoples of the planet and that it does not fuel new fractures and new inequalities. But we need all of this to develop within an ethical, democratic framework, thought out by the peoples of the planet.

    We cannot let a few people, especially private players, who are today at the forefront of these innovations, think for us and for our peoples about the future of these innovations. This is why France will organize the next Action Summit for Artificial Intelligence in February 2025.

    But you have understood, the objective is to build this common framework and I welcome the work that has been conducted and coordinated by the Secretary-General and the Global Digital Compact, built with the best experts, which fully supports this philosophy in which we subscribe.

    To conclude my remarks, ladies and gentlemen, and aware that I have forgotten so many difficult situations, from Venezuela to the heart of Africa, via so many Oceanian tensions, I would like to conclude by talking about our Institutions.

    I hear many voices being raised to say that, basically, the United Nations should be thrown in the trash; it is no longer of any use; you see, we are not managing to resolve conflicts.

    Let us have constructive impatience in this matter. Let us have impatience, I have it with you, we cannot be satisfied with not knowing how to resolve things. But let us be clear, those responsible are there. As long as we have a Security Council that is blocked, I would say, reciprocally according to the interests of each party, we will have difficulty moving forward.

    Is there a better system? I don’t think so. So let’s just make these United Nations more effective, first by perhaps making them more representative. That is why France, and I repeat here, is in favor of the Security Council being expanded.

    Germany, Japan, India and Brazil should be permanent members, as well as two countries that Africa would designate to represent it. New elected members should also be admitted.

    But reforming the composition of the Security Council would not be enough on its own to restore its effectiveness. And I therefore hope that this reform will also make it possible to change working methods, to limit the right of veto in the event of mass crime and to focus on operational decisions that are necessary to maintain international peace and security. This is what we must have the courage and audacity to do and that we must carry forward with the current permanent members.

    Nearly 25 years after the Millennium Summit, the time has come to regain efficiency in order to act more effectively on the ground with States and civil society. And beyond the United Nations, we must open a new era in each of our multilateral institutions, as I have just mentioned.

    These, ladies and gentlemen, are the few words that I wanted to have here before you today. At a serious moment in our international order, where so many conflicts seem unresolved, I want to say that France will continue to try to take this demanding path, faithful to its values, which rejects the simplifications of the moment and which will continue to fight for the simple principles that have always driven us: human dignity, respect for the principles of the charter, and which, beyond conflicts and current events, aims to continue to build with you a fairer and more effective international order. This will be our voice, always unique, alongside our friends, our allies. But also free sometimes to say no, sometimes to reject the cynicism of the moment or the obvious that is not.

    Thank you for your attention.

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

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities; the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs; and the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; issue a statement to mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French 1

    The Government of Canada issues a statement on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the High Holidays

    OTTAWA, October 2, 2024

    Shana tova to all Jewish communities in Canada and around the world!

    At sunset tonight, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins, marking the start of the 10-day High Holidays.

    During Rosh Hashanah, apples dipped in honey are eaten, symbolizing the hope for a sweet and fruitful new year. The sound of the shofar, an instrument made from a ram’s horn, will be heard in synagogues to call for introspection.

    While this sacred time is one of optimism and reflection, this is a difficult time for the Jewish community at home and for Jewish people around the world. On October 7, we will mark the first anniversary of the deadliest attack on the Jewish community since the Holocaust, in which Canadians lost their lives. We are deeply concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism in this country, and law enforcement takes all threats seriously. There is no justification for such hatred, and it has no place in Canada. Everyone deserves to feel safe, no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they believe.

    Jewish communities are not alone. The federal government is committed to doing whatever it takes to protect everyone who lives in Canada and to upholding the values of the country we believe in, where diversity and inclusion are our strengths. We know that Jewish communities fear for their safety as they travel to synagogues and temples across the country on Rosh Hashanah. We are committed to protecting their right to worship safely and peacefully. We recently launched Canada’s first-ever Action Plan to Combat Hate to provide communities with the resources they need to identify and prevent hate; increase support for victims and survivors; and provide a coordinated, government-wide approach to protecting Canadians. A key element of the new action plan is Canada’s Community Safety Program, which provides one-time financial and logistical support to communities exposed to hate-motivated incidents so they can take steps to protect themselves. We know that the Jewish community has been the target of vile hatred both in the virtual and real worlds. Bill C-63 proposes stronger laws to combat hate and creates a regime that holds social media companies accountable for hateful or harmful content on their platforms.

    Jewish people have helped shape the Canada we know, and every day they contribute to the vibrancy of our communities. May Rosh Hashanah remind us that new beginnings bring hope and unity. We wish all Jewish communities in Canada and beyond a rewarding new year filled with health and happiness.

    Shana tova u’metuka!

    Waleed SaleemPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilitieswaleed.saleem@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

    Media RelationsCanadian Heritage819-994-91011-866-569-6155media@pch.gc.ca

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

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Buckhannon Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

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

    WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – David Walter McCauley has been indicted by a federal grand jury on child pornography charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

    McCauley, age 66 of Buckhannon, West Virginia, is charged with two counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography. The indictment alleges that McCauley enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production. The indictment further charges McCauley with knowingly possessing illegal images on his computer.

    “As alleged, David McCauley produced child pornography involving a juvenile boy on multiple occasions,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “Those who prey upon and exploit our youth will be held accountable, no matter their status in the community.”

    McCauley faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for each of the production charges and up to 10 years on the possession charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Police Department, and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pittsburgh Felon Charged with Escape and Bank Robbery

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

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of escape and bank robbery, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

    The two-count Indictment named John J. Flick, 58, as the sole defendant.

    According to the Indictment, on September 2, 2024, Flick left a halfway house in Pittsburgh, where he was serving out a previous sentence for a 2021 bank robbery. The Indictment further alleges that, on the following day, Flick robbed a bank in Dormont.

    The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, and Allegheny County Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.

    An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Russian Man Sentenced for Running an Illegal Money Transmitting Business

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Feliks Medvedev, 43, of Buford, Georgia, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business which transferred over $150 million in Russian money. 

    According to the court documents and other information presented in court, Medvedev is a Russian citizen who resides in North Georgia. He registered eight companies in Georgia that were used to transmit more than $150 million in over 1,300 transactions. The companies were purportedly headquartered in Buford and Dacula, Georgia, but they did not have typical business expenses or employees. The money was used, in part, to purchase over $65 million in overseas gold bullion. Medvedev transferred millions of dollars overseas from multiple bank accounts in the United States.

    As part of the conspiracy, Medvedev worked with a Russian company and was directed by multiple Russian nationals at that company to make illegal transfers of funds. Subsequent to Medvedev’s indictment, on Sept. 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, acting pursuant to Executive Order 14024, sanctioned two of Medvedev’s alleged co-conspirators: Russian national Alexey Chubarov and his company KSK Group. Earlier this year, on Feb. 13, Chubarov, KSK Group and Russian national Lev Solyannikov were separately indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for conspiring with Medvedev.

    Medvedev was convicted of the charges on Feb. 7, after he pleaded guilty.

    The FBI and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Huber and Norman L. Barnett for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

    This case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Op Orca — smishing scam smashed

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    A sophisticated smishing scam using technology never before seen in New Zealand has been disrupted in a coordinated, multi-agency effort, preventing widescale financial losses.

    The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) Digital Messaging and Systems Team was alerted to the scam in late July after irregularities were identified between information received via DIA’s 7726 public reporting system and banking and mobile network early warning systems.

    Police and DIA, supported by other government agencies, the banking and mobile phone sectors as well as Australia’s AFP-led Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre, quickly launched Operation Orca.

    A search warrant was executed at a residential address in central Auckland on Friday 23 August, resulting in the arrest of a 19-year-old man and the seizure of a smishing device.

    The device, known as an SMS Blaster, is a false cell tower which tricks nearby mobile devices into connecting to a fraudulent network.

    Smishing, which is a form of phishing, involves the SMS Blaster sending fraudulent text messages purporting to be from banks to trick people into sharing or verifying sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card details.

    Police National Organised Crime Group Director Detective Superintendent Greg Williams says this is the first time an SMS Blaster has been found operating in New Zealand.

    “By working together, we have been able to counter this technology, locate the alleged offender and prevent what could have been large-scale financial losses for many New Zealanders.

    “The device in question is believed to have sent thousands of scam text messages, including around 700 in one night.

    “The text claimed the recipient’s bank account was being checked for fraudulent funds and urged them to click a verification link.

    “This redirected the recipient to phishing sites, imitating official bank domains, where unsuspecting customers then entered their personal details, including customer ID and password.

    “Almost 120 people are known to have been affected, however, I’m pleased to say no financial losses have been reported.

    “Cyber-enabled scams are becoming increasingly prevalent, with unscrupulous fraudsters stopping at nothing in their attempts to swindle innocent people out of their hard-earned money.

    “NZ Police recognise the life-changing impact of financial crime and will continue to work closely with partner agencies and private industries to keep New Zealanders safe.”

    DIA Manager Digital Messaging Joe Teo says this operation is a great example of government and industry working in fast-paced unison to achieve a single goal, protecting New Zealanders.

    “We will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to combat the spread of harmful SMS messages.

    “If you receive a scam SMS text message, please report it free of charge by forwarding the message to 7726 and following the prompts.”

    Telecommunications Forum CEO Paul Brislen says the speed of the response is good news for consumers.

    “By working closely with banking and law enforcement we were able to identify and react quickly to this new threat, potentially saving thousands of customers from fraudulent activity.”

    ANZ NZ’s Head of Customer Protection Alan Thomsen says the bank continues to monitor all customer transactional activity in real time to minimise risk and loss to their customers.

    “This smishing scam is the latest version of one that has been around for several years, and sadly won’t be the last.

    “ANZ will never send our customers text messages asking them to click on a link to log into internet banking or provide their customer information.”

    ASB Executive General Manager for Technology and Operations David Bullock says the nature of this scam shows how important cross-sector collaboration is to keep New Zealanders safe.

    “No one industry can solve the problem of scams working alone.

    “We remind New Zealanders to exercise caution, not click on links in text messages, or provide personal information, log-in details or transfer any money after receiving a cold call or text message.  

    “If you think your account has been compromised, call your bank as soon as possible on its publicly listed phone number.”

    The arrested man has been charged with interfering with a computer system and is due to reappear in Auckland District Court on Tuesday 10 December 2024.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Carbajal Statement on Iran’s Attack on Israel, Escalating Violence in Middle East

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

    Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) issued the following statement on Iran’s direct attack on Israel and the continued violence in the Middle East:

    “Iran’s direct attack on the people of Israel yesterday is a stark reminder of the threat their regime and its proxies pose to our ally, and of the importance of continuing to ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.

    “I unequivocally condemn this indiscriminate attack on Israeli civilians – a continuation of the abhorrent violence we have seen perpetrated by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, with their continuous attacks on Israel since October 7th.

    “In the wake of this brazen assault, it’s critical for Israel to not make the mistake Iran hopes it will. Israel must not take the bait. Anything less than precision targeting of those who threaten Israel risks dangerous escalation of the conflict. Restraint must prevail, and I support President Biden and U.S. diplomatic efforts to prevent further loss of innocent life.

    “But make no mistake: Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah, Hamas, and their sponsors in Iran have been responsible for decades of bloodshed, including the deaths of hundreds of U.S. citizens and American servicemembers. I continue to stand with those threatened by their daily acts of terror and violence, including the people of Israel.

    “Tonight marks the beginning of Rosh Hasanah, the Jewish New Year. I join Jewish residents of the Central Coast and all around the world in praying that this new year will bring a pathway to peace, regional stability, and an end to the tragic and unsustainable violence we have seen after nearly one year of war. Shana Tovah.”

    Congressman Carbajal has sought the renewal of a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East since last year, signing a congressional resolution expresses the need for a cessation in fighting and repeatedly voicing concerns to the Biden Administration about the need for an additional ceasefire like the one broken by Hamas last fall, a measure which helped facilitate safe delivery of humanitarian aid and the release of civilian hostages being held in Gaza.

    He has continued to push the Biden Administration to help scale up efforts to deliver life-saving aid to Palestinian civilians and emphasized to Israel the need for a strategy that protects civilian life.

    Congressman Carbajal traveled to Israel and the West Bank earlier this year, voicing to both members of the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority support for a pathway to peace that includes Israel’s ability to defend itself and a sustainable two-state solution and long-term regional stability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FBI Charges Chinese Nationals with Spying at Camp Grayling

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Moolenaar (4th District of Michigan)

    Headline: FBI Charges Chinese Nationals with Spying at Camp Grayling

    Today, the Detroit News reported the FBI has charged five Chinese nationals who studied at the University of Michigan with espionage related charges. The five individuals are accused of taking photos of military equipment at Camp Grayling. While the students were taking photos, the Michigan Army National Guard was hosting training for the Taiwanese military.

    “This case shows once again that CCP espionage can happen anywhere in America and we must be vigilant. The CCP obviously has an interest in Camp Grayling and this is further evidence it would be a mistake for Michigan leaders to allow Gotion to build in our state. State funding for Gotion’s plan to bring Chinese nationals to Mecosta County is an open invitation for further spying on Camp Grayling. For national security reasons, Governor Whitmer and the legislature must revoke state funding for Gotion immediately,” said Congressman John Moolenaar. 

    “Additionally, as chairman of the Select Committee on China, my committee recently issued a report on research security at our nation’s universities. All of our nation’s universities must shut down their joint institutes with Chinese universities, and enact stricter guardrails on emerging technology research. American universities must realize they are a target for espionage and protect the critical taxpayer-funded research they do,” he continued.

    Last month, Moolenaar along with Chairwoman Virginia Foxx of the Committee on Education and Workforce released a report on research security at American universities. The five Chinese nationals charged with espionage were students at the University of Michigan through the schools joint partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, Risch, Shaheen, Young to introduce Sudan Accountability Act to protect the Sudanese people and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 2, 2024

    CONTACT: Will Baskin-Gerwitz at 202-224-5042 or Will_Baskin-Gerwitz@coons.senate.gov

    Senators Coons, Risch, Shaheen, Young to introduce Sudan Accountability Act to protect the Sudanese people and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today announced their intention to introduce the Sudan Accountability Act to respond to the civil war in Sudan that has been raging since April 2023. In addition to Senators Coons and Risch, this legislation is cosponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

    Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis. More than 20,000 Sudanese have been killed since fighting broke out last April. Ten million people have been displaced – 2 million of whom have had to leave the country as refugees – and more than 25 million people are suffering from severe hunger. Massacres in Darfur and other regions across the country by RSF militias have become regular occurrences. A peace process still seems far away, as both sides and nations across Africa and the Middle East focus more on securing access to Sudan’s natural resources. Democratic prospects have dimmed since a 2021 coup by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the SAF, who had proceeded to consolidate their control and shut out civil society before the war broke out.

    “It is time for Congress to act on Sudan,” said Senator Coons. “Failing to act as the Sudanese people are forced to flee or die in their homeland is a choice that we do not accept. The Sudan Accountability Act will advance and protect the rights of all Sudanese, hold the perpetrators of war crimes and their supporters accountable, expand humanitarian access, and support efforts to bring an end to this disastrous conflict.”

    “The Sudanese people continue to suffer unspeakable atrocities, including genocide and war crimes,” said Senator Risch. “It is past time the perpetrators of these atrocities be held accountable. While securing a cease-fire and addressing humanitarian needs are crucial, protecting civilians and preventing further atrocities must also be a priority. This legislation requires a clear strategy, resourcing, and leadership on Sudan by the U.S. government to protect civilian welfare, particularly that of women and children. Congress will oversee these efforts to ensure accountability is adequately pursued.”

    “The war in Sudan has created the most devastating humanitarian crisis in the world, including record rates of sexual- and gender-based violence committed in large part by the Rapid Support Forces,” said Senator Shaheen. “The international community must support the Sudanese people’s demands for protection and justice and the warring parties must come to the table to end this war. I’m proud to introduce this legislation that sends an unmistakable, bipartisan message that the United States will seek accountability for any individual, state, or entity that commits war crimes or crimes against humanity in Sudan and perpetuates this awful conflict.”“The situation in Sudan is heartbreaking and one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world,” said Senator Young. “The United States and the international community cannot ignore this situation, nor can we stand silent as external actors fuel the conflict. Our bipartisan legislation will shed a light on these atrocities, help hold the perpetrators of war crimes in Sudan accountable, and support a broad humanitarian response.”

    The Sudan Accountability Act is the most comprehensive bill in the Senate to date to address the ongoing war in Sudan. The legislation takes important steps to shed light on the atrocities occurring in Sudan and determine if they constitute genocide; hold perpetrators and their supporters accountable; offer services to innocent civilians; and support the protection of the Sudanese people. It will:

    • Advance and protect the internationally recognized human rights of all Sudanese, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or geographic area of origin;
    • Document war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide and hold perpetrators accountable;
    • Mandate a strategy to ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to vulnerable populations and prevent human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence, and the recruitment of child soldiers; 
    • Authorize assistance to support victims of atrocities;
    • Enhance civilian protection and evaluate options to deter attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers;
    • Support mechanisms for dialogue and conflict resolution and ensure inclusion of Sudanese women in these efforts.

    The full text of the bill is available here.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen, Collins Applaud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Resolution to Establish October 2nd as Energy Efficiency Day

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) announced their bipartisan resolution to designate today, October 2, 2024, as Energy Efficiency Day passed the Senate unanimously. The resolution celebrates and promotes the economic and environmental benefits gained from investing in energy efficiency.
    “Investing in energy efficiency benefits our environment, our businesses and Granite State families,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m proud the Senate passed our bipartisan resolution designating today as Energy Efficiency Day and celebrating the key role energy efficiency programs play in creating jobs, lowering costs for families and reducing our carbon footprint.”
    “The adoption of energy efficient practices saves consumers in Maine and across the country money,” said Senator Collins. “This resolution is an important reminder of the significant advancements we have made in energy efficiency over the past decade, most recently through the bipartisan infrastructure law.”
    The text of the Senators’ resolution can be found HERE.
    Co-sponsoring the resolution are U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Joe Manchin (I-WV), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
    Shaheen has championed work to secure federal investments in clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives and to lower energy costs across New Hampshire. In the FY24 government funding bills, Shaheen helped defend key efficiency programs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from cuts, including securing $366 million for weatherization efforts and $66 million for the State Energy Program, which works to bring down energy bills for families and communities. Shaheen also secured continued support for the annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) that tracks key jobs data in the energy sector.
    Recently, Shaheen, as Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, hosted a field hearing and resource fair at the University of New Hampshire in Manchester on  investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act that can help small businesses lower their energy costs, transition to the clean energy economy and build resilience. Following the field hearing, small businesses participated in a resource fair and met with federal agencies and state business support programs.
    Shaheen was a lead negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which made huge investments in energy efficiency, including $550 million for Industrial Research and Assessment Centers and assistance for small- and medium-sized manufacturers to implement efficiency upgrades based upon her longstanding bipartisan legislation with former U.S. Senator Rob Portman. Granite Staters looking for energy efficiency resources can check out Senator Shaheen’s Federal Energy Resource Guide.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Russian Man Sentenced for Running an Illegal Money Transmitting Business

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Feliks Medvedev, 43, of Buford, Georgia, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business which transferred over $150 million in Russian money. 

    According to the court documents and other information presented in court, Medvedev is a Russian citizen who resides in North Georgia. He registered eight companies in Georgia that were used to transmit more than $150 million in over 1,300 transactions. The companies were purportedly headquartered in Buford and Dacula, Georgia, but they did not have typical business expenses or employees. The money was used, in part, to purchase over $65 million in overseas gold bullion. Medvedev transferred millions of dollars overseas from multiple bank accounts in the United States.

    As part of the conspiracy, Medvedev worked with a Russian company and was directed by multiple Russian nationals at that company to make illegal transfers of funds. Subsequent to Medvedev’s indictment, on Sept. 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, acting pursuant to Executive Order 14024, sanctioned two of Medvedev’s alleged co-conspirators: Russian national Alexey Chubarov and his company KSK Group. Earlier this year, on Feb. 13, Chubarov, KSK Group and Russian national Lev Solyannikov were separately indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for conspiring with Medvedev.

    Medvedev was convicted of the charges on Feb. 7, after he pleaded guilty.

    The FBI and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Huber and Norman L. Barnett for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

    This case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sixty-Eight Defendants Charged in Indictment of Dozens of Members and Associates of California White Supremacist Gang

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Federal and local law enforcement today arrested 42 members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley, California-based white supremacist street gang, on a 76-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they engaged in a years-long pattern of racketeering activity that included trafficking of drugs — including fentanyl — illegal firearms possession, and COVID-19 benefits and loan fraud.

    “The Justice Department has dealt a decisive blow to the San Fernando Valley (SFV) Peckerwoods, a violent white supremacist gang that we charge is responsible for trafficking deadly fentanyl and other drugs, committing robberies, and perpetrating financial fraud to fund both their criminal enterprise and that of the Aryan Brotherhood,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “With today’s charges and arrests, the Justice Department, together with our state, local, and federal partners has targeted the heart of this gang’s operations, and we will continue to zero in on the criminal enterprises that endanger our communities.”

    The indictment unsealed today charges a total of 68 defendants with a score of federal crimes: conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices.

    The defendants arrested today are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

    During the investigation, law enforcement seized large quantities of illegal firearms, and dozens of pounds of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin, according to the indictment.

    “The Peckerwoods’ violent white-supremacist ideology and wide-ranging criminal activity pose a grave menace to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “By allegedly engaging in everything from drug-trafficking to firearms offenses to identity theft to COVID fraud, and through their alliance with a neo-Nazi prison gang, the Peckerwoods are a destructive force. In prosecuting the members of the Peckerwoods criminal organization, our office is carrying out its mission to protect the public from the most dangerous threats.”

    “This operation, led by our Joint Terrorism Task Force, disrupted a racially motivated violent extremist group who engaged in a wide range of criminal activity,” said Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “This case strikes at the heart of our collective mission to rid our communities of the corrosive elements that fuel violence and extremism that greatly impact our way of life. The FBI, along with our federal, state, and local partners, remains strongly committed to working every day to make sure the people of the Southland remain safe.”

    “The San Fernando Valley Peckerwoods, the Aryan Brotherhood, and their associates are fused by one thing: hatred,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Allen of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles Field Division. “It appears, however, that the business of hate was not enough for them. Driven by greed, they engaged in other crimes, including drug distribution, pushing out deadly fentanyl onto our streets. Operating from corners of the San Fernando Valley, they conducted their crimes within and beyond the 8-1-8 community. Today’s large-scale indictments and arrests reflect our relentless commitment to dismantling criminal organizations that continue to harm our communities.”

    According to the indictment that a grand jury returned on Sept. 26, the Peckerwoods is a street gang based in communities in the San Fernando Valley whose members engage in a wide variety of criminal activity, including drug trafficking, violent crime, and fraud. As a white supremacist gang, the Peckerwoods at times takes orders from the Aryan Brotherhood, California’s dominant prison-based white supremacist gang, and maintains an alliance with the Mexican Mafia prison gang, which controls most Latino street gangs in California. The Peckerwoods use Nazi tattoos, graffiti, and iconography to indicate their violent white supremacy extremist ideology. These tattoos and iconography include swastikas, the symbol “88”, used by violent white supremacy extremists as code for “Heil Hitler”, and images of Nazi aircraft.

    Members and associates of the gang used social media to share information with each other about their criminal activities and gang rules, to identify gang members in good standing, and to target people who broke the gang’s rules. The social media use included a members-only Facebook group and private, direct messages between the gang’s members and associates.

    From at least December 2016 to September, Peckerwoods members conducted and participated in the affairs of their criminal enterprise by engaging in violence and threats of violence to preserve and expand the gang’s criminal operations, which promoted a climate of fear. Members and associates of the gang illegally maintained firearms and ammunition in furtherance of these aims.

    To generate revenue for the gang, its members trafficked narcotics, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. Specifically, lead defendant Claire Patricia Haviland, 62, of Chatsworth, California, and co-defendants Brian Glenn Ekelund, 53, of Chatsworth, and Brianne Brewer, 38, of North Hollywood, California, maintained and oversaw drug stash houses where large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs were stored prior to distribution. Haviland and Ekelund allegedly mailed illegal drugs to customers and used applications such as Zelle and CashApp to receive money from drug buyers and send money to their drug sources.

    They also generated revenue via robberies and financial fraud and participated in identity theft schemes. For example, from at least March 2021 to July 2023, defendants Sean Craig Gluckman, 35, of Encino, California; Maria Anna James, 30, of Canyon Country, California; and others submitted false and fraudulent applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was designed to aid businesses harmed by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The defendants – posing as sole proprietors – signed fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of individuals incarcerated in California state prisons and collected a portion of the fraudulently obtained proceeds from co-conspirators as payment for their assistance.

    In April 2021, Gluckman submitted an application that falsely stated he was a self-employed “artist/writer” with a gross income of nearly $250,000. Later that month, he obtained a PPP loan in the amount of $20,833. In a separate scheme, Gluckman submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) applications in the names of other people to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to fraudulently obtain jobless benefits.

    “The proliferation of gang related organized crime deteriorates the core of our society,” said Chief Dominic Choi of the Los Angeles Police Department. “Taking guns out of the hands of gang members and drugs from our streets is just one more step towards reducing this deterioration. Today is yet another example of how local, regional, and federal law enforcement, with a matched dedication, are working together to investigate, apprehend and prosecute criminals.”          

    “When criminal organizations cross jurisdictional lines, it makes conducting investigations and subsequent prosecutions much more difficult,” said Sheriff Jim Fryhoff of the Ventura County, California, Sheriff’s Office. “Having our federal law enforcement partners involvement in such cases greatly enhances our ability to protect not only the citizens of our county, but also those of our region of the state.”

    If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

    The FBI, DEA, Los Angeles Police Department, and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case. The Simi Valley Police Department; California Highway Patrol; Glendale Police Department; Burbank Police Department; Redondo Beach Police Department; Beverly Hills Police Department; Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Department of Veterans Affairs Police; Department of Labor; Federal Bureau of Prisons; Los Angeles County Probation Department; Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services; Pasadena Fire Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and IRS Criminal Investigation provided assistance in the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reema M. El-Amamy, Jeremiah M. Levine, and Alexander Su for the Central District of California are prosecuting this case.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit http://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On Sept. 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Central and Eastern Districts of California to jointly head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Justice Department established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at http://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Secures Agreement with Maryland Department of State Police to Resolve Allegations of Race and Gender Discrimination in State Trooper Hiring Process

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP) to resolve the United States’ claims that MDSP’s hiring process for state troopers violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Specifically, the United States alleges that MDSP uses a written test that discriminates against Black candidates and a physical fitness test that discriminates against female candidates. The agreement must still be approved by a federal judge.

    The settlement agreement resolves a civil pattern and practice investigation the Civil Rights Division opened on July 15, 2022. As part of the investigation, the division conducted an in-depth review of MDSP’s hiring practices, the composition of its sworn personnel, applicant data, and information received from the Maryland State Police, and concluded the State’s written and physical fitness tests do not meaningfully distinguish between applicants who can and cannot perform the position of Trooper. These tests also had the effect of disqualifying Black and female applicants from the hiring process at significantly disproportionate rates. The department thus concluded that these tests violate Title VII.

    “Equal employment opportunities in law enforcement are not just a core civil right but essential to ensuring that those who serve reflect the rich racial and gender diversity of the communities they are sworn to protect,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The underrepresentation of Blacks and women in law enforcement undermines public safety and runs contrary to the principle of equal opportunity which is central in our job market. This agreement requires the Maryland Department of State Police to institute meaningful reforms, remove unlawful barriers in its hiring process, and provide restitution and relief to those already harmed, ensuring that all qualified applicants have a fair chance to serve. The Justice Department will continue working to ensure equal access to employment opportunities for all Americans.”

    “This settlement agreement is a reflection of our continued mission to protect the civil rights of all Marylanders, including those of our sworn law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to protect all citizens equally. We are pleased that MDSP is committed to ensuring that its hiring processes will not discriminate on the basis of race or gender.” 

    The complaint, filed today in the District of Maryland, alleges that MDSP’s use of a written test called the Police Officer Selection Test (POST) disproportionately excludes Black candidates, and its use of a physical fitness test called the Functional Fitness Assessment Test (FFAT) disproportionately excludes female candidates, from employment as troopers. The United States alleges that MDSP’s uses of the POST and the FFAT are not job related or consistent with business necessity, and thus, violate Title VII.

    Under the terms of the consent decree, MDSP will:

    • Adopt written and physical fitness tests that do not discriminate in violation of Title VII;
    • Provide data to the United States on the administration of the new tests to ensure compliance;
    • Pay $2.75 million in back pay to applicants who were disqualified by MDSP’s use of the challenged tests; and
    • Hire up to 25 applicants who were unfairly disqualified by those tests and who successfully complete MDSP’s new trooper screening and selection process.

    Title VII is a federal statute that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin, and religion. Title VII prohibits not only intentional discrimination but also employment practices that result in a disparate impact on a protected group, unless such practices are job related and consistent with business necessity.

    You can learn more about the contents of the agreement from this fact sheet and a statement from Assistant Attorney General Clarke here.

    The full and fair enforcement of Title VII is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. The Division has issued a new fact sheet on Combating Hiring Discrimination by Police and Fire Departments to help applicants for public safety jobs understand their Title VII rights to be free from discriminatory hiring processes. More information about the Civil Rights Division can be found at http://www.justice.gov/crt.

    Senior Trial Attorneys Emily Given and Cheyenne N. Chambers of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Phillips for the District of Maryland are handling this matter.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Hospital CEO to Pay Over $5.3M to Settle Kickback Allegations Involving Laboratory Testing

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Former hospital chief executive officer (CEO) Jeffrey Madison, of Georgetown, Texas, has agreed to pay $5,343,630 to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act involving illegal payments to physicians for laboratory referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Madison also has agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigations of, and litigation against, other participants in the alleged schemes.

    “The Justice Department will continue to pursue individuals — including C-suite executives — who commit health care fraud,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Kickbacks to physicians from laboratories or other healthcare providers can undermine healthcare decision-making, subject patients to unnecessary medical services and waste taxpayer funds.”

    The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

    The settlement announced today resolves allegations in a lawsuit alleging that Madison, the former CEO of Little River Healthcare (Little River), a critical access hospital in Rockdale, Texas, caused the submission of false claims for laboratory testing to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE from January 2015 to June 2018. Madison allegedly agreed to a kickback scheme in which Little River paid commissions to recruiters who used purported management service organizations (MSOs) to pay kickbacks to doctors to induce their laboratory testing referrals to Little River. The settlement resolves allegations that Madison knowingly signed, and caused others to sign, false certifications in Medicare cost reports regarding Little River’s compliance with the Anti-Kickback Statute, and thereby caused the submission of false claims to federal health care programs.

    In addition, the settlement resolves allegations in the same lawsuit that, after defendant Doyce Cartrett Jr., M.D., of Silsbee, Texas, informed Little River of his potential laboratory testing referral volume, Madison agreed to have Little River pay Cartrett $2,000 per month in kickbacks disguised as purported medical director fees from February 2015 to May 2017, to induce Cartrett to shift his laboratory testing referrals to Little River. Madison allegedly agreed for Little River to pay the monthly fees, even though Little River did not receive any genuine medical director services from Dr. Cartrett.

    Madison did not contest, and accepted responsibility for, the allegations against him in the United States’ amended complaint. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Madison was excluded from participating in federal healthcare programs for 25 years. The lawsuit is captioned United States, et al. ex rel. STF LLC v. True Health Diagnostics LLC et al., No. 4:16-cv-547 (EDTX).

    “Seeing past a corporate entity and holding individuals responsible for making the decisions to engage marketers to pay providers for their laboratory referrals is what justice requires,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas. “This settlement is a testament to our continued efforts to combat fraud against our federal healthcare programs and to hold accountable all participants who profited from knowingly violating the laws meant to guard against overutilization of medical services and protect the public fisc.”

    “Illegal kickback payments, even when disguised as medical director fees, undermine and corrupt the medical decision-making process,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Both the payer and recipient benefit from these schemes, but it is ultimately the taxpayers who foot the bill. HHS-OIG will continue collaborating with law enforcement and prosecutors to protect the Medicare trust fund that millions of Americans depend on.”

    “Our nation’s uniformed military service members and their families should never have to question the integrity of their healthcare providers,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Settle of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southwest Field Office. “Medical decisions influenced by greed destroy the fundamental element of trust in patient care. This settlement reinforces the commitment the DCIS shares with our law enforcement partners and the Justice Department to pursue all available remedies against those who conspire to commit fraud against our Military Health System.”

    The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, with assistance from HHS-OIG and DCIS. The United States has recovered over $52 million relating to conduct involving MSO kickbacks to health care providers, which includes recoveries from 46 physicians.

    Trial Attorneys Christopher Terranova and Gavin Thole of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Gillingham and Betty Young for the Eastern District of Texas handled the case.

    The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    Settlement

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech: Why Kiwi businesses are the best in the world

    Source: New Zealand Labour Party

    For clarity – I mean all of you from the A List all the way to the C-List.

    I am a firm believer that government’s role is to work closely with business: help small ones to innovate, and ensure the settings are right so big ones can thrive.

    Governments should invest in research and development to improve access to technology; open opportunities for business on the world stage through trade; and ensure that our investment grows an economy that supports everyone who lives in our great little country to thrive.

    I have really enjoyed the past six months, getting out – mostly in Auckland – and sitting down with people across the business sector.

    Coming from a niche tax and insurance background, you have all been incredibly generous with your time and I am looking forward to continuing to build our relationships over the next two years of opposition.

    When businesses do well, New Zealand does well. Workers do well. New Zealanders do well. You employ people and innovate and create to make people’s lives better.

    Labour’s underlying philosophy on work is making sure there are enough jobs for people – you can’t do that without business.

    It’s about ensuring people feel secure in their jobs, are able to contribute to their workplace and help build good and successful businesses.

    Workers are an asset to any business and shouldn’t be seen as a cost.

    If you listened to National, you wouldn’t think that was Labour’s approach.

    I am utterly committed to sitting down with you and talking through what works for you and what doesn’t. Dispelling the myths. Understanding what has gone well in the past and what hasn’t.

    Something that does concern me is the number of Kiwis choosing to leave New Zealand, and the way the Government’s decisions are giving them an extra push.

    6,000 jobs gone in the public sector and counting. Manufacturing jobs disappearing before our eyes. 8,000 fewer people in construction. A freeze on hiring staff at our hospitals. Unemployment up to 4.6 percent, and projected to get to 5.5 percent.

    Even through COVID-19, we didn’t see unemployment like this. The forecasts were awful. But keeping people in work, and businesses afloat, was a priority for Labour and I’m really proud of that.

    New Zealanders are finding it tough anyway, you all know the statistics. But losing the household income along with the job, can be terrifying.

    It’s no wonder so many are looking to greener pastures.

    In July this year, a record was set for the number of net New Zealanders leaving. 55,800 Kiwis chose to move away, well exceeding the previous record from way back in 2012.

    My concern isn’t only that people are choosing to leave for a better life, it is also the skill loss which will have an effect on our ability to innovate, deliver and grow as a country.
    It is no surprise that the mood of the boardroom is optimistic, even though the economy is doing it tough.

    June 2024 marked the seventh consecutive quarter of stagnant or declining per capita economic activity. We are now very much at the bottom of the economic cycle. Things will get better.

    But not because of any action by this government, but from you.

    But they will not get better overnight. We know unemployment has some way to go, and there are many, many steps until interest rates are back to a balanced level.
    But our business community is resilient.

    Many of you have made it through the GFC, the Christchurch earthquakes, Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods, and collectively we made it through the COVID-19 pandemic.
    I know you all just want to get on with it, but also want a vision for what we aspire to be and where we want to get to.

    New Zealand faces substantial fiscal challenges over the short and longer-term. Addressing these challenges will require brave decisions that tackle the system we all work in.
    These are brave decisions that need to be enduring, and that is what Labour does best.

    Whether it’s, ensuring Kiwis could retire with dignity by the introduction of KiwiSaver and the SuperFund.

    Families could afford the basics and be incentivised to stay in work through Working for Families, or the safety nets introduced by Sir Michael Joseph Savage of state housing and welfare.

    And then the list of trade deals UK and EU Free Trade agreements to name a couple, Labour is the party that has always looked ahead to progress our country.

    Planning for the future will mean conversations about the appropriate level of government spending and debt.

    By 2060, 10% of our GDP will be spent on health care, and 7% on Superannuation.

    Returning to surplus is a moot point, if you are not also providing Kiwis with the healthcare they need.

    We, as a country, need a government with a positive vision and informed solutions.

    Every political party likes to talk about growth and productivity, but you need to back it up.

    Often, when thinking about productivity, we focus on cutting-edge tech. And we should. We are seeing the R&D tax credit making a meaningful contribution to research and development.

    But we also need back our smaller Kiwi businesses, if we are serious about tackling productivity.

    Many of our SMEs are not technologically enabled. They struggle to have time and the capital to make the changes they need.

    The Government, along with sector, should be doing more to help.

    The Treasury’s Chief Economist came out last week saying “productivity growth alone is not enough to alleviate fiscal pressures”.

    We also must realistically assess our economic situation. We are capital poor. We need more sustainable solutions than tinkering around the edges with new levies and revenue-gathering measures.

    It’s a conversation our party is having and one I hope many of you can feed into as part of our hui going forward.

    Unlike the three-year parliamentary cycle, I know that you have to plan for the future in a much more long-term way. Government’s should do better. I’ve spoken quite a few times about being better at bipartisanship on long-term investment, but we need both parties to come to the table on that!

    You will all know better than anyone when looking to the future that there is almost nothing more pressing than preparing for the consequences of climate change.

    Two years ago, on this stage, Nicola said that “we share your commitment to emission reduction”. But the governments actions speak differently by rolling back many of the measures Labour introduced to bring down our emissions and prepare for the future.

    Many of our free trade agreements have climate obligations, including the EU FTA which “contains ambitious outcomes on climate action and the Paris Agreement, including making these commitments enforceable in the FTA”.

    We can’t rely on export driven growth, if this government is risking our export potential.

    Climate action is what is required from a moral standpoint and matters for the health of our economy. I do not want our exporters being locked out of markets because of climate-sceptic policies.

    I started this speech talking about values. But I will end with a pledge.

    I won’t just stand up here and make political promises I don’t intend to work my ass off to keep.

    We may not always agree, but I will always take a meeting or a call and I will always listen.

    No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

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    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHOTOS: Capito, Archivist of the United States Visit West Virginia University

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – At the invitation of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Dr. Colleen Shogan, 11th Archivist of the United States, joined Senator Capito for a series of visits at West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown, W.Va. to highlight the special and historical collections at WVU Libraries. Dr. Shogan’s visit to WVU comes during American Archives Month.
    Senator Capito and Dr. Shogan’s visits included a tour of the Libraries Depository and the Modern Congressional and Political Papers Collection at the WVU Libraries Depository and a roundtable discussion they hosted with WVU students to discuss the work of the Archives, as well as Dr. Shogan’s unique career path and her success as the first woman appointed to lead the National Archives and Records Administration. Additionally, Senator Capito and Dr. Shogan both separately toured the West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC).
    “I appreciate Dr. Shogan for following up on her promise to me that she would come to West Virginia to see the extensive and historical efforts being done by WVU Libraries. We had a productive visit and saw firsthand how the work happening at WVU Libraries will benefit generations of historians, educators, and students for years to come,” Senator Capito said. “The National Archives is home to our nation’s most important documents and the ideas and inspirations that emanate from them. Today’s visit helped shine a light on the significant role academic institutions—like WVU—play in helping preserve our history, while informing the future.”
    “I’m thrilled to have joined Senator Capito in conversation at West Virginia University, and I loved my tour of the incredible work being accomplished at WVU Libraries,” Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan said. “It is always a privilege to speak before tomorrow’s leaders, and especially to discuss the work of the National Archives, where we preserve, protect, and share the stories of all Americans.”
    Dr. Shogan is the 11th Archivist of the United States, and is the first woman appointed to lead the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). A noted author and political scientist, Dr. Shogan is deeply committed to civic education and public engagement, and she has made it a priority to expand the reach of National Archives to a wider audience.
    Following Dr. Shogan’s nomination to serve as Archivist, Senator Capito has strongly supported her. Senator Capito personally introduced Dr. Shogan at her nomination hearing in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in September 2022. With Senator Capito’s support, Dr. Shogan was confirmed by the Senate on May 10, 2023 and sworn in to the position in September 2023, with Senator Capito in attendance at her swearing in ceremony.
    Photos from today’s visit are included below:

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States, visit West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown, W.Va. on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States, visit West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown, W.Va. on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States, pictured with West Virginia University (WVU) students in Morgantown, W.Va. on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: State of Missouri holds 2024 Show Me Challenge competition, winning team presents idea to expand operations to maximize print efficiencies

    Source: US State of Missouri

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, the State of Missouri announced the winners of the 2024 Show Me Challenge competition. On Monday, nine finalist teams competed in-person before a panel of state government senior leaders to present the best ideas to improve state government.

    Inspired by the hit TV show “Shark Tank,” the Show Me Challenge continues to bring together state team members from across Missouri’s 17 executive departments to pitch solutions that improve systems and processes that serve the citizens of Missouri, cut out unnecessary work, and/or save the State time and money.

    The Show Me Challenge invited all State of Missouri team members in the executive branch to submit an initial pitch outlining their solutions. Nine teams were then invited to participate in the final competition. They had the opportunity to further develop their pitch, receive coaching, and then present their ideas in front of a panel of judges, including department directors and other senior leaders with government, policy, and business expertise.

    The finalist teams represented nine of the 17 executive departments of the Missouri state government and competed in front of a live audience.

    First place went to the team Space Rangers from the Office of Administration (OA) for their request to find additional space for their printing and mailing services team (OA Document Solutions) to maximize print efficiencies by acquiring additional equipment. 

    Winning team members of Space Rangers are:

    Brandon Bailey
    Lance Clingman
    Erin Coles
    Kenneth Cummings
    Aaron Dickey
    Terry Groner
    Bradley Malone
    Maddie Meyer 

    OA Document Solutions (OADS) held a close partnership with University of Missouri Print and Mail Services (MU) for over 40 years. Throughout this collaboration, MU has consistently delivered print services that surpassed OADS capabilities in terms of size or finishing. On August 2, 2023, MU announced that they would be phasing out MU Print Services over the next calendar year. OADS began brainstorming how to acquire and put to use the MU equipment with capabilities that would expand their services, provide substantial return on investment, and minimally impact services to our State Agency customers. With the new equipment, OADS will be able to increase our efficiencies 200-800% in run time and/or finishing, depending on the project.

    “OADS is committed to streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency by consolidating all print equipment into a single, appropriately-equipped facility. This will not only enhance productivity but also provide an opportunity for OADS to meet the printing demands of the state agencies in-house. Furthermore, it allows OADS to have better quality control of production and meeting the customer requested deadlines,” said Erin Coles, OA Document Solutions Program Manager, OA. “Our team appreciated the opportunity through the Show Me Challenge to showcase what we have been working on to senior leaders. The process improvements we continue to make will allow us to better serve our State Agencies and citizens of Missouri.”

    Second place went to Data for All from the Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Department of Revenue (DOR), Department of Economic Development (DED), and OA for their project that would create a curriculum, checklists, and other resources to educate state team members to help increase accessibility of documents published online by the State of Missouri. 

    Third place went to Team MoVest (Missouri Vital Empowerment for State Teams) from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), DESE, & OA for their idea to create a virtual learning experience that will provide a unique opportunity for all state team members to grow their professional networks, develop new skills, and enhance their abilities.

    A Fourth and Fifth place were also awarded to contestants. Fourth place went to Recovery from MoDOT for their design to help the department recoup money spent repairing MoDOT property by automatically bringing together information from a variety of sources to make it easier to recover outstanding funds. Fifth place went to Hands on Deck from the Department of Social Services (DSS) for seeking to establish in their Children’s Division a pool of experienced retired/former employees to be paid on an hourly basis as they step in to cover workforce gaps when an office or facility experience inadequate workforce numbers, extended absence, or crisis situations. 

    The judges for this year’s competition were Senator Mike Bernskoetter, Representative Dave Griffith; Anna Hui, Director, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR); Valerie Huhn, Director, DMH; Robert Knodell, Director, DSS; Valarie Moseley, Deputy Director, Department of Corrections (DOC), and Tyler Hobbs, Legislative Director, Governor’s Office. 

    The judges considered a pitch’s quality, practicality, and potential for impact.

    “It is incredibly inspiring to see the creativity and dedication of our public servants, who are committed to making state government more efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs of our citizens,” said Rep. Dave Griffith. “By empowering employees to share their insights, we ensure that we are delivering the best possible services to the people of our state.”

    “The Show Me Challenge is an exciting opportunity for our team members to present their best ideas for improving government. Not only does it empower our workforce to take an active role in driving positive change but fosters a culture of innovation for the services we provide to our customers,” said Valerie Huhn, Director, DMH. “The creativity and insight from our team members is one of our greatest assets and I look forward to seeing how their ideas will enhance our operations and make a lasting impact on state government.”

    “This competition showcases the incredible talent and ingenuity of our frontline state team members, giving them a platform to present ideas that can significantly improve how we operate,” said Robert Knodell, Director, DSS. “Through tapping into the creativity of our workforce, we are uncovering innovative solutions that make government more efficient and save valuable time and taxpayer dollars. The Show Me Challenge is a powerful reminder that the best ideas often come from within.” 

    To date, over 600 team members have pitched ideas to improve production and processes across state government. The 2025 Show Me Challenge competition will begin next spring.

    For more on the Show Me Challenge, go here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Final proposal for representation arrangements for the 2025 elections open for appeals and objections

    Source: Auckland Council

    Following public consultation, Auckland Council has publicly notified its final proposal for representation arrangements across the region ahead of the 2025 local body elections. This means Aucklanders can submit an appeal or objection if they wish, from today until 3 November.

    Councillor Julie Fairey, chair of the council’s Joint Governance Working Party that has led the extensive review, says she’s pleased to have reached an outcome shaped by submissions from Aucklanders.   

    “This has been a huge piece of work for staff and elected members, and the communities most impacted, and I want to thank them for their mahi.  The submissions and feedback shaped the final proposal significantly, as in the recommendations for the Rodney subdivisions and keeping Parnell and Newmarket in the Ōrākei ward,” she says.

    Councils are required to review their elected representation arrangements at least every six years. This includes reviewing the number of councillors in the Governing Body and the number of members of local boards.

    The council must also review whether members are elected from the whole area, or by electoral areas such as wards for councillors and subdivisions for local board members. There are rules which require the council to provide effective representation of communities of interest and, where there are electoral areas, spread representation evenly.

    The final proposal amends the initial proposal in a couple of ways. It amends boundaries and names of subdivisions in the Rodney Local Board area. It also amends ward boundaries in Central Auckland. No changes have been made to proposals for Howick Local Board subdivisions or local board minor boundary changes.

    In early November, any appeals and objections that have been received will be referred to the Local Government Commission (LGC) to make an independent decision.

    Aucklanders can expect to hear an outcome on the council’s final proposal by April 2025, allowing time for changes to be introduced before next year’s council elections.

    The final proposal includes these changes to current boundaries:  

    Central Auckland wards

    The boundaries of the Waitematā and Gulf Ward, Ōrākei Ward, Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward and Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward will realign with local board boundaries, except that:

    • Parnell and Newmarket to remain in Ōrākei ward

    • St Johns to remain in the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward

    • Eden Terrace to remain in the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward.

    North Shore wards

    North Shore/ Albany wards – the boundary between the wards will move to include the Bayview area and align with the proposed local board boundary along Sunset Road.

    Minor local board boundary changes

    • Upper Harbour / Devonport-Takapuna – all of Saunders Reserve to be in Upper Harbour

    • Kaipātiki / Upper Harbour:

      • boundary will run along Sunset Road

      • land near Kereru Reserve to Upper Harbour

      • area near Bayview, north of Glendhu Road

    • Kaipātikti Puketāpapa / Maungakiekie-Tāmaki – all of Taumanu Reserve to Maungakiekie-Tāmaki.

    Rodney Local Board subdivisions

    The boundary between the Northern Rodney and Southern Kaipara subdivisions has changed to include Kaukapakapa in the Southern Kaipara subdivision.

    Howick Local Board subdivisions

    • Howick, 3 members (no change)

    • Pakuranga, 3 members (no change)

    • Botany, 2 members (changed area)

    • Flat Bush, 3 members (new subdivision).

    Variances to the 10 percent rule  

    Decisions were made to prioritise communities of interest, resulting in the number of people represented by each elected member in a subdivision area not being within 10 percent of the average for the whole local board area (which is the ideal population-based ratio):

    • Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

    • Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board

    • Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board

    • Franklin Local Board.

    For more detail, visit AKhaveyoursay.representation.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ERO New York City arrests Venezuelan noncitizen and Tren de Aragua gang member convicted of criminal possession of a firearm

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEW YORK — On Sept. 28, Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City arrested Javier Jose Albornoz Marchan, 22, an unlawfully present Venezuelan citizen and member of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization, who was convicted by the Bronx County Supreme Court of criminal possession of a weapon — possession of a firearm. Albornoz was one of eight noncitizens arrested by the New York City Police Department March 27, and was charged with weapons and drug related offenses.

    ERO Fugitive Operations officers took Albornoz into custody on Staten Island, pursuant to a warrant of arrest, and transferred him to the ERO New York City office for processing. Albornoz remains in custody without bond, pending removal proceedings.

    “Sanctuary jurisdictions undermine public safety and put our communities at unnecessary risk,” said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. “New York City and state leaders should reevaluate the policies that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with ERO. It is unconscionable this felon was running free in New York for the last three weeks when he could have immediately been apprehended upon release from local custody. Thankfully, through the due diligence of our courageous officers and our law enforcement partners, this individual was swiftly apprehended and denied the ability to reoffend.”

    On Sept. 22, 2022, U.S Border Patrol encountered Albornoz near EL Paso, Texas. Officials released him into the United States as an alternative to detention and a condition of parole due to detention capacity at the Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas. Albornoz never reported to ERO for processing.

    On June 18, 2023, the Moonachie Police Department arrested Albornoz for the crime of shoplifting-under-ringing. On June 21, 2023, the Municipal Court of Teterboro remanded Albornoz’s charges to the lower court and released him on his own recognizance.

    On Jan. 6, 2024, the Woodbridge Police Department in New Jersey arrested Albornoz for the crimes of shoplifting-take merchandise without paying and burglary tools-manufacture. On Jan. 8, ERO Newark lodged an immigration detainer for Albornoz with the Middlesex County Jail in North Brunswick, New Jersey. On the same date, the Middlesex County Jail ignored the detainer and released Albornoz from local custody without notifying ERO.

    On March 27, the NYPD arrested Albornoz for criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree: loaded firearm; criminal possession weapon in the second degree: loaded firearm on school grounds; criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell; and acting in manner to injure child less than 17.

    On April 1, ERO New York City lodged an immigration detainer against Albornoz’s release with the New York Department of Corrections at Rikers Island.

    On Sept. 5, the Bronx County Supreme Court convicted Albornoz of criminal possession of a firearm and sentenced him to six months of imprisonment. The next day, the New York City Department of Corrections at Rikers Island released Albornoz back into the community after he served his sentence, despite an active detainer in place, without notifying ERO.

    On Sept. 27, the FBI New York’s Safe Streets Task Force notified ERO New York City of possible threats made by Albornoz to local law enforcement and requested assistance with locating and apprehending him.

    Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity. Detainers increase the safety of all parties involved — ERO personnel, law enforcement officials, removable noncitizens and the public — by allowing an arrest to be made in a secure and controlled custodial setting as opposed to at-large within the community. Because detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they also minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend. Additionally, detainers conserve scarce government resources by allowing ERO to take criminal noncitizens into custody directly rather than expending resources locating these individuals at-large.

    Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

    ERO uses intelligence driven operations that target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally reenter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO officers prioritize enforcement actions in accordance with the Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law issued by DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas on Sept. 30, 2021, and reinstituted on June 28 — obtaining and reviewing entire criminal and administrative records and any other investigative information available, when taking decisive law enforcement actions.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.

    Learn more about ERO New York City’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ERONewYork.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Response and Recovery Efforts Underway Across Multiple Affected by Hurricane Helene

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Response and Recovery Efforts Underway Across Multiple Affected by Hurricane Helene

    Response and Recovery Efforts Underway Across Multiple Affected by Hurricane Helene

    WASHINGTON – First responders across local and state governments, the private sector, nonprofits, faith-based organizations and the federal family continue working to address the immediate needs of survivors and their communities.

    These photos highlight response and recovery efforts across affected states impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

    President Biden has approved federal disaster assistance that is available for survivors in designated counties in Florida, Georgia North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Survivors may apply for assistance in three ways: online by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 800-621-3362 or on the FEMA App.

    Survivors may receive upfront funds to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies. Funds may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.

    View Original‘ data-align=”center” data-asset-link=”1″ data-entity-type=”emerald” data-image-style=”large” data-asset-type=”imageasset” data-asset-id=”55506″ src=”https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/externals/857edeb73204d77dbc46b266f2c2e336.jpeg?itok=L9ZoNHwY” alt=”Caption: Asheville, NC (Oct. 1, 2024) – Volunteers distribute supplies to those affected by Hurricane Helene.” class=”image-style-large”>
    Asheville, NC (Oct. 1, 2024) – Volunteers distribute supplies to those affected by Hurricane Helene.
    View Original‘ data-align=”center” data-asset-link=”1″ data-entity-type=”emerald” data-image-style=”large” data-asset-type=”imageasset” data-asset-id=”55523″ src=”https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/externals/dda6592057e439dfd4aa24c9e7690799.jpg?itok=I_98rZYb” alt=”Caption:

    Valdosta, Ga. (Sept. 30, 2024) – FEMA helps survivors of Hurricane Helene by distributing water, MREs, and tarps in Lowndes County, Georgia.

    ” class=”image-style-large”>

    Valdosta, Ga. (Sept. 30, 2024) – FEMA helps survivors of Hurricane Helene by distributing water, MREs, and tarps in Lowndes County, Georgia.
    View Original‘ data-align=”center” data-asset-link=”1″ data-entity-type=”emerald” data-image-style=”large” data-asset-type=”imageasset” data-asset-id=”55516″ src=”https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/externals/64ca229be08c2e8e9e6957d8554c1b59.jpg?itok=9v_5E7Gt” alt=”Caption: Steinhatchee, Fla. (Oct. 1, 2024) – FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams help survivors of Hurricane Helene.” class=”image-style-large”>
    Steinhatchee, Fla. (Oct. 1, 2024) – FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams help survivors of Hurricane Helene.
    View Original‘ data-align=”center” data-asset-link=”1″ data-entity-type=”emerald” data-image-style=”large” data-asset-type=”imageasset” data-asset-id=”55497″ src=”https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/externals/ad690fcdc4cec543993db83fbbc20de4.jpg?itok=cwpj5KSr” alt=”Caption:

    Fletcher, NC (Oct. 1, 2024) – FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams help Hurricane Helene survivors, including registering them for aid.

    ” class=”image-style-large”>

    Fletcher, NC (Oct. 1, 2024) – FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams help Hurricane Helene survivors, including registering them for aid.
    SWANNANOA, North Carolina – Volunteers serve hot food to survivors in downtown Swannanoa. (Photo Credit: FEMA)
    View Original‘ data-align=”center” data-asset-link=”1″ data-entity-type=”emerald” data-image-style=”large” data-asset-type=”imageasset” data-asset-id=”55553″ src=”https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/externals/c08e18a8e81aa97721e01330817a1619.jpg?itok=TLOxdx_N” alt=”Caption: Swannanoa, N.C. – (October 1, 2024) – The town of Swannanoa in Western North Carolina reels in the wake of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.” class=”image-style-large”>
    Swannanoa, N.C. – (October 1, 2024) – The town of Swannanoa in Western North Carolina reels in the wake of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
    GREENVILLE, South Carolina – Members of the South Carolina Army National Guard distribute meals and water to disaster survivors in Greenville. (Photo Credit: FEMA)
    ASHEVILE, North Carolina – Members of the North Carolina Army National Guard work alongside volunteers at William W. Estes Elementary School to load meals and water for disaster survivors. (Photo Credit: FEMA)
    STEINHATCHEE, Florida. – FEMA speaks with a Hurricane Helene survivor. Agency personnel are on the ground helping survivors register for disaster assistance. (Photo Credit: FEMA)
    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina:  The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response deployed a National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) team to provide 24-hour emergency department surge support at Mission Hospital in Asheville. This is one of four sites in western North Carolina receiving NDMS medical support. (Source: HHS)

    FEMA’s Disaster Multimedia Toolkit page provides graphics, social media copy and sample text in multiple languages: Disaster Multimedia Toolkit. 

    amy.ashbridge

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Minister Shorten interview on A Current Affair with Deborah Knight

    Source: Ministers for Social Services

    E&OE TRANSCRIPT

    SUBJECTS: NDIS Section 10 lists

    DEBORAH KNIGHT, HOST: The NDIS budget is blowing out big time. Courtesy in large part to roters, and spending on bizarre items: sex therapy and tarot card readings, just to name two. Finally, some common sense and a clear direction on what your money, taxpayer dollars, should be spent on the NDIS. Minister Bill Shorten is with me now. Minister, these changes are long overdue and a lot of it is common sense. Why has it taken so long to get to this point?

    BILL SHORTEN, MINISTER FOR THE NDIS AND GOVERNENT SERVICES: Well, they are overdue and they are common sense. You probably have to ask the seven coalition Ministers who are in charge of the portfolio before me, because I think what I’m doing is just spelling out in black and white what needs to be done, making it clear for participants what is and isn’t allowed expenditure.

    KNIGHT: Now, the banned items include tarot cards, clairvoyance and wilderness therapy, even cuddle therapy. Frankly, they should never have been funded in the first place. Why then is there a one year grace period?

    SHORTEN: Well, most of these things are not getting funded now. Let’s be clear. What this list represents is ten years of lessons. Most of this stuff is not getting funded now, but some of it is, though. Well, the reason why there is a grace period isn’t for the illegal stuff. That’s like narcotics, illicit substances, alcohol, that’s never been allowed and it shouldn’t be allowed in terms of the transition period. It’s purely, if someone makes a mistake, maybe by virtue of their disability, if the expenditure is small, under $1,500, we’ll educate them first and talk to people. The ironic thing is, you say, rightly, why is it taking so long? Other people say, I’m going too quickly, but I think this is now where we need to be.

    KNIGHT: And if people are repeat offenders, if they keep claiming the wrong things, will they potentially lose their NDIS funding altogether?

    SHORTEN: Well, it’s not going to get funded. As simple as that. Now, some of the list of what’s out is stuff which, frankly, mainstream departments of government, federal and state and hospitals should be doing. I mean, the NDIS shouldn’t be asked to pay for a child with a disability’s desk at school. That’s the obligation of the school system. If you’re on the NDIS and you go to a hospital outpatient ward, you shouldn’t be told, no, we won’t help you here because you’re on the NDIS. So, we’ll. I think this is just going to rebuild public confidence in the scheme. Most participants, by the way, nothing is going to change for them. Most participants and most service providers are doing the right thing. But it is an unfortunate fact alive that perhaps the NDIS in the past has been treated with naivety. And wherever there’s government money, opportunists will descend like flies upon a barbecue, trying to make their own profits at the expense of participants and taxpayers.

    KNIGHT: And what about the Reuters? Will you be putting a stop to all of that? Because we’ve brought you here on a current affair, story after story of people being fleeced.

    SHORTEN: Yeah, absolutely. And we’ve tripled the safeguards commission. They’re the regulator. When I came in two and a half years ago, there were 367 people trying to cover a scheme of over half a million. Now there’s over 1000 investigators and complaints officers. We’ve now got 56 people before the court, so we’re waiting for the commonwealth director of public prosecution to put them before the courts. We have over 500 active investigations. And I must always say most people are doing the right thing and this scheme is changing lives. But let’s tell the truth. And the truth is there is some proportion who’ve been having a lend to the scheme, overcharging, over servicing, ripping off, charging a fee for someone on the NDIS, which is higher than if they weren’t on the NDIS, charging for nonsense services.

    KNIGHT: And it’s because of that that the NDIS costs are skyrocketing and it’s already one of the most expensive areas of government spending. How much will these changes see taxpayers saving?

    SHORTEN: We think over the next four years through the various reforms, including these, but not just these, that we will be able to stop wasteful growth in the order of nearly $15 billion.

    KNIGHT: And can you guarantee that the money will now go to where it’s really needed?

    SHORTEN: Yeah, I actually think that we can. So, the short answer? Yes. Even last year, so financial year 23, July 23 to June 24, we’ve come in $1 billion under what we forecast, a billion dollars. That’s because we’ve got better quality staff, we’ve got. We’re investing in people and training and the whole aim of the scheme is it is changing lives. I love the idea of the NDIS giving a personal budget to a family, to a person with a disability, so that 80 year old carers drying the dishes late at night, looking over the sink into the backyard, don’t have to worry who’s going to look after their adult child. A little baby with a non standard developmental journey now has options in life, but we’ve got to eliminate expenditure, which basically is not delivering any return to participants and in some cases it’s just enriching crooks.

    KNIGHT: Yeah, well, no argument from anyone on that. But you finish up as NDIS Minister in February of next year. What do you hope your legacy will be?

    SHORTEN: That when a child has a non standard development journey and the parents work this out, they’ve got somewhere to go. That when those ageing parents in their eighties say, who’s going to love their 40 or 50 year old child, who needs quite a degree of intensive care, they know that this country will look after your child. That a person with a disability, when they finish year twelve, actually is sent somewhere other than a daycare centre. That they’re not looked at. That a person in Australia is not looked at purely through the prism of their disability, but all the things they can do, not what someone thinks they can’t do.

    KNIGHT: Well, let’s hope the money gets to where it is needed. Bill Shorten, thanks so much.

    SHORTEN: Thanks for your interest, Deb.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New powers for banks to combat fraudsters

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Banks to be given new powers to protect consumers against scams.

    • New rules extend maximum delay for suspicious payments by 72 hours
    • Gives banks more time to investigate and break the spell of fraudsters

    Banks will be given new powers to delay and investigate payments that are suspected of being fraudulent, helping to protect consumers against scammers.  

    New laws proposed by the Government today will extend the time that payments can be delayed by 72 hours where there are reasonable grounds to suspect a payment is fraudulent and more time is needed for the bank to investigate.  

    This will give banks more time to break the spell woven by fraudsters over their victims and tackle the estimated £460 million lost to fraud last year alone.

    Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Tulip Siddiq said:

    Hundreds of millions of pounds are lost to scammers each year, targeting vulnerable communities and ruining the lives of ordinary people.  

    We need to protect these people better, which is why we are giving banks more time to investigate suspicious payments and break the criminal spell that scammers weave.

    Minister of State with Responsibility for Fraud, Lord Sir David Hanson said:

    Fraud is a crime that can devastate lives, and anyone can be affected.  

    That’s why measures like this are so crucial to provide banks the investigative powers they need to better protect customers from this appalling crime.

    Fraud accounts for over a third of all crime perpetrated in England and Wales, making it the most prevalent form of crime commitment in the country. This has been driven by a growing number of purchase scams and the emergence of so-called ‘romance scams’, where victims target vulnerable people and trick them into transferring large amounts of money by pretending to be interested in a romantic relationship.  

    The new rules will help protect people against these types of scams by allowing banks up to an additional 72 hours to investigate suspicious payments. Currently banks must either process or refuse a payment by the end of the next business day.

    Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, Rocio Concha said:

    This is a positive step in the fight against fraud. While it should not affect the vast majority of everyday payments, it’s important that banks can delay a bank transfer and take action if they think a customer is being targeted by a scam. 

    These measures should be used in a careful and targeted way. Financial firms of all sizes should also ensure they share intelligence and work with the police and other authorities to shut down accounts used for fraud and pursue the criminals behind them.

    UK Finance Managing Director of Economic Crime, Ben Donaldson said:

    UK Finance has long called for firms to be allowed to delay payments in high-risk cases where fraud is suspected, and we are delighted to see proposed new laws supporting this.  

    This could allow payment service providers time to get in touch with customers and give them the advice and support they need to avoid being coerced by the criminals who want to steal their money. This could potentially limit the psychological harms that these awful crimes can cause and stop money getting into the hands of criminals.

    Banks who have reasonable grounds to suspect a payment is fraudulent will need to inform customers when a payment is being delayed. They will also need to explain what the customer needs to do in order to unblock the payment.  

    The need for evidence to trigger a delay will help protect people and businesses from unnecessary payment delays. Banks will also be required to compensate customers for any interest or late payment fees they incur as a result of delays.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Charity Commission restricts international aid charity’s spending amidst a statutory inquiry

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments

    The charity regulator for England and Wales has today (3 October 2024) opened a statutory inquiry into Barnabas Fund (also known as Barnabas Aid) after identifying several serious concerns regarding its compliance with charity law and the use of charitable funds.

    The Commission is investigating issues, including allegations of unauthorised payments to some of the current and former trustees and related parties, allegations that the charity’s founders have inappropriate control or influence over how the charity operates, and possible unmanaged conflicts of interest. The inquiry will also seek to establish if the charity’s structure and relationship with Nexcus, a US-based subsidiary, is in the best interests of the charity. Some of these issues have since been reported on in the media.

    Due to concerns that the charity’s funds may have been misused in the past, and questions as to the trustees’ oversight, the Commission has used its powers to temporarily restrict any transactions the charity intends to make which are over £4,000. This is to protect the charity’s significant income and assets – Barnabas Fund reported an income of over £21m and assets of over £2.3m in its latest accounts.

    The inquiry opened on 17 September 2024, escalating from a regulatory compliance case. It will examine whether the trustees are running their charity in line with their legal duties and charity law; particularly in relation to managing finances, conflicts of interest, and preventing unauthorised trustee and third-party benefits. The investigation will also check if spending is correctly recorded, examine relationships with other organisations, and explore the influence of non-leaders on decision-making.

    The inquiry will also consider:

    • whether the charity is operating in furtherance of its objects
    • whether there has been any misconduct and/or mismanagement by the trustees in the administration of the charity

    The scope of the inquiry may vary if additional regulatory issues emerge. The opening of an inquiry is not a finding of wrongdoing.  

    It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. 

    Ends 

    Notes to editors  

    1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society.
    2. On 17 September the Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the charity under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 as a result of its regulatory concerns that there is or has been misconduct and/ or mismanagement in the administration of the Charity.
    3. The Charity Commission has issued an order under s76(3)(f) of the Act to the trustees restricting all transactions over £4,000.
    4. A statutory inquiry is a legal power enabling the Commission to formally investigate matters of regulatory concern within a charity and to use protective powers for the benefit of the charity and its beneficiaries, assets or reputation. An inquiry will investigate and establish the facts of the case so that the Commission can determine the extent of any misconduct and/or mismanagement; the extent of the risk to the charity, its work, property, beneficiaries, employees or volunteers; and decide what action is needed to resolve the concerns.

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    Published 3 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Transport Secretary opens £200 million rail manufacturing factory in Goole

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    A new manufacturing plant will be home to hundreds of high-skilled jobs, delivering faster tube journeys and regional growth.

    • Transport Secretary celebrates opening of a new world class rail manufacturing plant in Goole, supporting 700 high-skilled jobs
    • the site will build new state-of-the-art Piccadilly Line trains to deliver more reliable, accessible and faster journeys across London
    • comes ahead of the government’s International Investment Summit, to drive forward its national mission for growth

    Hundreds of jobs, faster tube journeys and regional growth will be delivered thanks to a new rail manufacturing plant officially opened by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh today (3 October 2024).  

    The Secretary of State will attend Siemens’ Rail Village in Goole to celebrate the formal opening of its new £200 million site.  

    The plant will be home to hundreds of high-skilled jobs where almost 100 new state-of-the-art Piccadilly Line trains will be manufactured and assembled.  

    In a further boost to the region, Siemens Mobility is also announcing up to a further £40 million towards a new Bogie Assembly and Service Centre at the site which will create up to 200 extra jobs.

    The world class hub has been made possible by the government’s funding settlements with Transport for London (TfL), giving Siemens the confidence to invest in the site.

    It represents the scale of what can be achieved through joint public and private sector support – and underlines the government’s commitment to attracting international investment.

    The grand opening comes ahead of the government’s International Investment Summit on 14 October 2024, which will bring together some of the world’s most influential companies and major investors.  

    The summit will be an opportunity for the Prime Minister and Cabinet to outline how the government will provide the certainty and opportunities businesses need to make Britain the best place in the world to invest. 

    The government is focused on creating the conditions for businesses to invest, through trust partnership and stability. We will fix the foundations by investing in the jobs, industries and infrastructure of the future to rebuild Britain and make everyone, everywhere better off.

    As part of this drive, the Transport Secretary is working to end the ‘boom and bust’ approach to rail manufacturing by delivering a long-term industrial strategy for rolling stock. 

    Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, said:  

    This impressive, world-class facility will be transformational to Goole and its people, providing a boost to the region’s economy and supporting hundreds of skilled jobs. 

    Its opening demonstrates the importance of high quality, long-term investment to pave the way for employment and growth.

    I know how vital rail manufacturing is to our economy, which is why we will not sit on our hands when it comes to supporting it. For too long, the cycle of boom-and-bust has held back this sector.

    That’s why I am determined to put an end to the stop-start approach to investment and provide the industry with the certainty it needs to deliver a railway that is fit for the future.

    The new Piccadilly Line trains are expected to start serving the London Underground network next year, delivering a boost to reliability, extra services for passengers and increased capacity.

    They will be fully air-conditioned and more accessible, creating more comfortable journeys for the travelling public. 

    Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

    This train manufacturing facility in Goole is a fantastic example of the expertise we don’t have and how investment in London benefits the whole country. This factory, where the new state-of-the-art Piccadilly line trains will be built, will create up to 900 direct jobs and support another 1,700 in the supply chain, delivering great benefits to the wider UK economy, showing that where London succeeds, the whole country succeeds and vice versa.

    I’m excited to continue working together with the new government to build a better, fairer and more prosperous London, and country, for everyone.

    Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO at Siemens Mobility said:

    After more than a decade of tremendous dedication and hard work, we have officially opened our state-of-the-art Rail Village in Goole, which is testament to our commitment to the North of England.

    None of this would have been possible without the brilliance, perseverance and passion of our people and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved together. 

    We’ll assemble 80% of London’s new Piccadilly line trains and all future Siemens trains for the UK including our Verve battery train here in Goole and I’m pleased that we are supporting the local supply chain in the process.

    Our further investment in the Bogie Assembly and Service Centre will only add to our ability to transform rail and transport for everyone, right here in Goole.

    Today’s announcement reinforces the Transport Secretary’s commitment to rebuild the railways and deliver infrastructure fit for the future and to strengthen connectivity and grow the economy.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 3 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Libya: Reveal fate and whereabouts of 19 men forcibly disappeared a year ago

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The self-proclaimed Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) must reveal the fate and whereabouts of former Minister of Defence Al-Mahdi al-Barghathi and 18 of his relatives and supporters who were abducted in Benghazi by armed men, said Amnesty International marking a year since their enforced disappearances.

    “For a year, families of Al-Mahdi al-Barghathi and his relatives and supporters have been living in anguish, not knowing whether their loves ones are dead or alive. The injustices they suffered reveal the shocking lengths to which LAAF is prepared to go to eliminate any actual or perceived challenge to their absolute grip on power, and the near absolute impunity enjoyed by LAAF-affiliated armed groups,” said Bassam Al Kantar, Amnesty International’s Libya Researcher.

    “The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, as well as LAAF, as the de facto authorities in eastern Libya, must ensure impartial, independent and effective investigations into crimes that took place, including revealing the fate and whereabouts of those forcibly disappeared and the causes and circumstances of deaths in custody.”

    Al-Mahdi al-Barghathi, a rival of LAAF General Commander Khalifa Haftar, returned to his hometown of Benghazi on 6 October 2023 following tribal reconciliation efforts. Following his return LAAF-affiliated armed groups raided his mother’s home in the al-Salamani neighbourhood. Ensuing armed clashes between LAAF affiliated armed groups including Tariq Ben Zeyad (TBZ) and the Internal Security Agency (ISA), on the one hand, and fighters loyal to Al-Mahdi al-Barghathi, on the other, left at least 15 dead and more injured, amid an internet shutdown by LAAF.

    For a year, families of Al-Mahdi al-Barghathi and his relatives and supporters have been living in anguish, not knowing whether their loves ones are dead or alive.

    Bassam Al Kantar, Amnesty International

    On 7 October, LAAF affiliates took hostage 36 women and 13 children from Al-Barghathi’s family. They were released after Al-Mahdi al-Barghathi and his son were taken into LAAF custody, along with 38 other Al-Barghathi family members and supporters. The fate and whereabouts of at least 19 of them remains unknown, amid fears they may have been extrajudiciallyexecuted after being captured. Six others have been confirmed dead; at least two of them in suspicious circumstances after being captured alive. The remaining 15 are believed to be held in LAAF detention centres. 

    Amnesty International interviewed the families of eight detainees, including two men who died in custody, as well as lawyers and political activists. The organization reviewed medical and forensic reports, pictures, videos and official documents. 

    MIL OSI NGO –