NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why has a bill to relax NZ foreign investment rules had so little scrutiny?

    ANALYSIS: By Jane Kelsey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    While public attention has been focused on the domestic fast-track consenting process for infrastructure and mining, Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour has been pushing through another fast-track process — this time for foreign investment in New Zealand.

    But it has had almost no public scrutiny.

    If the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill becomes law, it could have far-reaching consequences. Public submissions on the bill close tomorrow.

    A product of the ACT-National coalition agreement, the bill commits to amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 “to limit ministerial decision making to national security concerns and make such decision making more timely”.

    There are valid concerns that piecemeal reforms to the current act have made it complex and unwieldy. But the new bill is equally convoluted and would significantly reduce effective scrutiny of foreign investments — especially in forestry.

    A three-step test
     Step one of a three-step process set out in the bill gives the regulator — the Overseas Investment Office which sits within Land Information NZ — 15 days to decide whether a proposed investment would be a risk to New Zealand’s “national interest”.

    If they don’t perceive a risk, or that initial assessment is not completed in time, the application is automatically approved.

    Transactions involving fisheries quotas and various land categories, or any other applications the regulator identifies, would require a “national interest” assessment under stage two.

    These would be assessed against a “ministerial letter” that sets out the government’s general policy and preferred approach to conducting the assessment, including any conditions on approvals.

    Other mandatory factors to be considered in the second stage include the act’s new “purpose” to increase economic opportunity through “timely consent” of less sensitive investments. The new test would allow scrutiny of the character and capability of the investor to be omitted altogether.

    If the regulator considers the national interest test is not met, or the transaction is “contrary to the national interest”, the minister of finance then makes a decision based on their assessment of those factors.

    Inadequate regulatory process
     Seymour has blamed the current screening regime for low volumes of foreign investment. But Treasury’s 2024 regulatory impact statement on the proposed changes to international investment screening acknowledges many other factors that influence investor decisions.

    Moreover, the Treasury statement acknowledges public views that foreign investment rules should “manage a wide range of risks” and “that there is inherent non-economic value in retaining domestic ownership of certain assets”.

    Treasury officials also recognised a range of other public concerns, including profits going offshore, loss of jobs, and foreign control of iconic businesses.

    The regulatory impact statement did not cover these factors because it was required to consider only the coalition commitment. The Treasury panel reported “notable limitations” on the bill’s quality assurance process.

    A fuller review was “infeasible” because it could not be completed in the time required, and would be broader than necessary to meet the coalition commitment to amend the act in the prescribed way.

    The requirement to implement the bill in this parliamentary term meant the options officials could consider, even within the scope of the coalition agreement, were further limited.

    Time constraints meant “users and key stakeholders have not been consulted”, according to the Treasury statement. Environmental and other risks would have to be managed through other regulations.

    There is no reference to te Tiriti o Waitangi or mana whenua engagement.

    Forestry ‘slash’ after Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 . . . no need to consider foreign investors’ track records. Image: Getty/The Conversation

    No ‘benefit to NZ’ test
     While the bill largely retains a version of the current screening regime for residential and farm land, it removes existing forestry activities from that definition (but not new forestry on non-forest land). It also removes extraction of water for bottling, or other bulk extraction for human consumption, from special vetting.

    Where sensitive land (such as islands, coastal areas, conservation and wahi tapu land) is not residential or farm land, it would be removed from special screening rules currently applied for land.

    Repeal of the “special forestry test” — which in practice has seen most applications approved, albeit with conditions — means most forestry investments could be fast-tracked.

    There would no longer be a need to consider investors’ track records or apply a “benefit to New Zealand” test. Regulators may or may not be empowered to impose conditions such as replanting or cleaning up slash.

    The official documents don’t explain the rationale for this. But it looks like a win for Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, and was perhaps the price of NZ First’s support.

    It has potentially serious implications for forestry communities affected by climate-related disasters, however. Further weakening scrutiny and investment conditions risks intensifying the already devastating impacts of international forestry companies. Taxpayers and ratepayers pick up the costs while the companies can minimise their taxes and send profits offshore.

    Locked in forever?
     Finally, these changes could be locked in through New Zealand’s free trade agreements. Several such agreements say New Zealand’s investment regime cannot become more restrictive than the 2005 act and its regulations.

    A “ratchet clause” would lock in any further liberalisation through this bill, from which there is no going back.

    However, another annex in those free trade agreements could be interpreted as allowing some flexibility to alter the screening rules and criteria in the future. None of the official documents address this crucial question.

    As an academic expert in this area I am uncertain about the risk.

    But the lack of clarity underlines the problems exemplified in this bill. It is another example of coalition agreements bypassing democratic scrutiny and informed decision making. More public debate and broad analysis is needed on the bill and its implications.

    Dr Jane Kelsey is emeritus professor of law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why has a bill to relax NZ foreign investment rules had so little scrutiny?

    ANALYSIS: By Jane Kelsey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    While public attention has been focused on the domestic fast-track consenting process for infrastructure and mining, Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour has been pushing through another fast-track process — this time for foreign investment in New Zealand.

    But it has had almost no public scrutiny.

    If the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill becomes law, it could have far-reaching consequences. Public submissions on the bill close tomorrow.

    A product of the ACT-National coalition agreement, the bill commits to amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 “to limit ministerial decision making to national security concerns and make such decision making more timely”.

    There are valid concerns that piecemeal reforms to the current act have made it complex and unwieldy. But the new bill is equally convoluted and would significantly reduce effective scrutiny of foreign investments — especially in forestry.

    A three-step test
     Step one of a three-step process set out in the bill gives the regulator — the Overseas Investment Office which sits within Land Information NZ — 15 days to decide whether a proposed investment would be a risk to New Zealand’s “national interest”.

    If they don’t perceive a risk, or that initial assessment is not completed in time, the application is automatically approved.

    Transactions involving fisheries quotas and various land categories, or any other applications the regulator identifies, would require a “national interest” assessment under stage two.

    These would be assessed against a “ministerial letter” that sets out the government’s general policy and preferred approach to conducting the assessment, including any conditions on approvals.

    Other mandatory factors to be considered in the second stage include the act’s new “purpose” to increase economic opportunity through “timely consent” of less sensitive investments. The new test would allow scrutiny of the character and capability of the investor to be omitted altogether.

    If the regulator considers the national interest test is not met, or the transaction is “contrary to the national interest”, the minister of finance then makes a decision based on their assessment of those factors.

    Inadequate regulatory process
     Seymour has blamed the current screening regime for low volumes of foreign investment. But Treasury’s 2024 regulatory impact statement on the proposed changes to international investment screening acknowledges many other factors that influence investor decisions.

    Moreover, the Treasury statement acknowledges public views that foreign investment rules should “manage a wide range of risks” and “that there is inherent non-economic value in retaining domestic ownership of certain assets”.

    Treasury officials also recognised a range of other public concerns, including profits going offshore, loss of jobs, and foreign control of iconic businesses.

    The regulatory impact statement did not cover these factors because it was required to consider only the coalition commitment. The Treasury panel reported “notable limitations” on the bill’s quality assurance process.

    A fuller review was “infeasible” because it could not be completed in the time required, and would be broader than necessary to meet the coalition commitment to amend the act in the prescribed way.

    The requirement to implement the bill in this parliamentary term meant the options officials could consider, even within the scope of the coalition agreement, were further limited.

    Time constraints meant “users and key stakeholders have not been consulted”, according to the Treasury statement. Environmental and other risks would have to be managed through other regulations.

    There is no reference to te Tiriti o Waitangi or mana whenua engagement.

    Forestry ‘slash’ after Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 . . . no need to consider foreign investors’ track records. Image: Getty/The Conversation

    No ‘benefit to NZ’ test
     While the bill largely retains a version of the current screening regime for residential and farm land, it removes existing forestry activities from that definition (but not new forestry on non-forest land). It also removes extraction of water for bottling, or other bulk extraction for human consumption, from special vetting.

    Where sensitive land (such as islands, coastal areas, conservation and wahi tapu land) is not residential or farm land, it would be removed from special screening rules currently applied for land.

    Repeal of the “special forestry test” — which in practice has seen most applications approved, albeit with conditions — means most forestry investments could be fast-tracked.

    There would no longer be a need to consider investors’ track records or apply a “benefit to New Zealand” test. Regulators may or may not be empowered to impose conditions such as replanting or cleaning up slash.

    The official documents don’t explain the rationale for this. But it looks like a win for Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, and was perhaps the price of NZ First’s support.

    It has potentially serious implications for forestry communities affected by climate-related disasters, however. Further weakening scrutiny and investment conditions risks intensifying the already devastating impacts of international forestry companies. Taxpayers and ratepayers pick up the costs while the companies can minimise their taxes and send profits offshore.

    Locked in forever?
     Finally, these changes could be locked in through New Zealand’s free trade agreements. Several such agreements say New Zealand’s investment regime cannot become more restrictive than the 2005 act and its regulations.

    A “ratchet clause” would lock in any further liberalisation through this bill, from which there is no going back.

    However, another annex in those free trade agreements could be interpreted as allowing some flexibility to alter the screening rules and criteria in the future. None of the official documents address this crucial question.

    As an academic expert in this area I am uncertain about the risk.

    But the lack of clarity underlines the problems exemplified in this bill. It is another example of coalition agreements bypassing democratic scrutiny and informed decision making. More public debate and broad analysis is needed on the bill and its implications.

    Dr Jane Kelsey is emeritus professor of law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Donalds Initiative To Expedite Government Efficiency In Conservation Advances To House Floor With Unanimous Support

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL)

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources has advanced H.R. 1676 – “The Make SWAPs Efficient Act”  out of committee and to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives with a unanimous, bipartisan voice-vote.

    H.R. 1676 – “The Make SWAPs Efficient Act” was introduced by Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) on February 27, 2025, is co-led by Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), and has received the support of Representatives John Rutherford (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Michael Guest (R-MS), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Mike Haridopolos (R-FL), and John James (R-MI).

    State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) are developed and submitted by states to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to identify non-game species of greatest conservation need, so they don’t become threatened or endangered. Currently, there is no deadline for FWS to approve a complete SWAP once submitted by a state, and in most cases, approval can take over 18 months. 45 states have SWAPs due this year alone.

    This common sense legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to approve a state’s SWAP within 180 days. If the Department of Interior does not approve the SWAP within 180 days, the SWAP is “deemed approved.” H.R. 1676 has also received the endorsement of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; All Florida; Ducks Unlimited; and Florida Commercial Watermen’s Conservation.

    “As we continue to peel back the labyrinth of federal bureaucracy that has paralyzed the basic functions of our federal government, we must turn to the Department of Interior,” said Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL). “Currently, it’s taking over a year and a half to approve basic state wildlife protection plans to ensure non-game species do not become threatened or endangered. This is unacceptable and this is why I introduced H.R. 1676 to expedite this timeline to just 180 days. We are making our government efficient again whether bureaucrats in Washington like it or not.”

    “Congressman Donald’s work on the Make SWAPS Efficient Act is a testament to his hard work for the American people,” said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR). “His legislation will ensure that state wildlife conservation programs can get timely and effective approvals from the federal government. This forward-thinking legislation will help make the federal government more efficient and ensure our conservation programs work the way they’re intended to. I’d like to thank Congressman Donalds for his work on this bill, and I look forward to working with him to continue to usher it through the legislative process.”

    Background:

    • In 2000, Congress authorized funding for the State Wildlife Grant Program. Additionally, in 2001, Congress authorized funding for the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program. Today, both programs are commonly referred to “the State and Tribal Wildlife Grant Program” (the Program).

    • The Program, in part, provides funding for the “development, revision, and implementation of wildlife conservation and restoration plans and programs.”

    • In order to receiving funding under the Program, States must develop & submit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) a wildlife conservation strategy—otherwise known as a State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).

    • In 2005, all 50 States, D.C., and 5 U.S. territories developed/submitted SWAPs to FWS and generally, States must submit SWAPs every 10 years to receive funding under the Program.

    More:

    • Read Text of H.R. 1676 – “The Make SWAPs Efficient Act” HERE.
    • See Bill Profile of H.R. 1676 – “The Make SWAPs Efficient Act” HERE.
    • Watch Col. Young of FWC Support H.R. 1676 in Committee HERE.
    • See H.R. 1676 Social Media Summary of Bill Advancement HERE.
    • Watch Advancement of H.R. 1676 out of Committee HERE.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: America is Now the Hottest Country in the World

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins Newsmax to Discuss the First Six Months of President Trump’s Second Term & the Booming Economy
    Washington – On Monday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Marc Lotter and Sharla McBride on Newmax’s Wake Up America to discuss the first six months of President Trump’s second term, future spending cuts in Congress, DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s recent report, and the MAHA legislative package he is introducing.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    On the first six months of President Trump’s second term:
    “Exactly. I told my wife this morning, you know, we’re part of the Trump chain gang. Let’s get to work up here. Congress doesn’t have any idea what it’s like out in the real world, where, as a physician, I worked every weekend. I didn’t take days off for years at a time. So, I’m used to this pace. I’m used to Trump Time.
    “But I’m calling this economy the Lazarus Economy. A year ago, as President Trump said, the economy was dead, and now we’re the hottest country in the world. Trillions of dollars are being invested, jobs are growing, inflation is down, the price of gasoline is down, and the border is secure. And our military is being taken care of. We just passed the largest tax cut in American history and the largest cut in federal government spending as well. This was a bill that’s going to help middle-income Americans and small businesses. Very proud of the work we’ve done these last six months.”
    On future spending cuts from the Senate:
    “Well, we certainly need to prioritize them, and Congress needs to develop this memory. This is the first time… since President Bush, the first, we’ve actually done a rescissions package. So, this was a good start to learn. You know, the backdrop of this $37 trillion of national debt right now. We’re going to spend a trillion dollars on interest this year. This is the number one threat to my grandchildren’s future: this national debt.
    “Look, I think what your listeners need to understand is the Government Accounting Office, the Office of Inspector General, has been saying for over a decade now that there is systemic risk for fraud, waste, and abuse in USAID. And that’s why I asked Elon to burn it to the ground and start over.
    “Just give you a few more examples here… in Tanzania, Zambia … $50 million of medical equipment theft. In New Guinea, $100 million of scandals are going on. More recently, $500 million here in the United States, where people were skimming and taking bribes back; all USAID programs. Go back to an earthquake in Haiti. We gave them a billion dollars decades ago. They never did anything with it. They did not build the energy plant they were supposed to. So, we have a president standing up identifying fraud. Now Congress needs to do her job with 50 votes. We can continue this on the Senate side.”
    On DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s report about Russia misinformation:
    “Well, look, this is absolutely believable. This is new information that in the Oval Office, with the highest members of the FBI and the Intelligence Agency under Obama, they cooked up a plan to continue this ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ hoax. You know, this is kind of the second chapter of the FISA court abuse that was done under the Obama administration as well. Those people never paid the price they should have paid as well. Judges should have been fired, and people within the FBI should have been fired over that. Maybe one person held accountable.
    “So, this is the next chapter. We need total transparency. I think that’s what, you know, the beauty of President Trump’s cabinet is, they’re going to show America the whole truth here, nothing but the truth, and let the Justice Department do its job. And by the way, you’ll see Congress probably having more hearings on this as well.”
    On the Make America Healthy Again package:
    “Well, look, what I believe is that healthy soil meets healthy food, meets healthy people. That when agriculture can focus on soil health by growing more with less, by using less pesticides, using less water, and using modern-day agriculture, precision agriculture practices, we can make the soil healthier. That’s going to make the food more nutrient-rich, and that’s going to lead to healthier people.
    “Look, 90% of the money spent on health care in this country is spent on seven chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, those types of things. So, we need to focus in on those chronic diseases, try to prevent them with healthy food, and then treat them with healthy food as well. And I’m so proud to work with Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Rollins to get this job done.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: Congress Doesn’t Need a Vacation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins Fox News Live
    Washington – On Sunday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Fox News to discuss Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard’s recent report indicating that former President Obama’s administration manufactured the Russia misinformation scandal, the benefits of the $9 billion rescissions package, and the importance of the recently passed GENIUS Act for America’s financial stability.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    On DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s recent report:
    “I think there’s a lot of new information coming to bear right now, information that I’d never heard of before, as far as what was happening in the old Oval Office, where there was a conspiracy to absolutely undermine President Trump as he took office as well. You recall back when the FISA court abuses started, you were covering that story as well.
    “So, this just makes sense, after you understand what the FISA abuse that was going on. This was the next chapter of it. I think the Democrats never thought that President Trump could win. And now more of this is coming to light.”
    On whether the Senate intelligence committee missed something in the original report:
    “Look, I think that she’s uncovered new information since then. I think that there are new documents that are showing that President Obama was in the room and they did this conspiracy, working with lifetime people within the political agencies, within the FBI… there was a conspiracy to try to throw out this misinformation, to try to address [and] make this an illegitimate election. So, I think this is new information. I think it needs to be investigated. I think that’s the job of the Attorney General: to find the truth and deliver justice for America.”
    On the necessity to pass the $9 billion rescissions package:
    “Well, certainly the whole backdrop of this is the $37 trillion of national debt we have. $9 billion is still a lot of money back home. When the President discovers fraud, waste, and abuse, we need to go after it. I think what America doesn’t realize is that our own Government Accounting Office, our own Inspector General, has been saying for over a decade that USAID is rife with fraud and abuse.
    “Just think back recently, $500 million bribery scheme with USAID dollars, $100 million of embezzlement in Zambia recently as well. So all over the world, there’s fraud, waste, and abuse. We need to go after all of it. 
    “But yes, at the end of the day, we need to go back to a regular budget process. We recently dropped a budget bill that would require and force Congress to go back and do its job. And just like you start at home with your family, a budget or a business, we need to go back and do a real budget.”
    On the President signing the first major crypto currency bill:
    “Well, I think that this is a great start. I’m a doctor, and the first thing we learned, even before med school, is the skeleton. So think of this as the skeleton to preserve and protect the stablecoin industry. This is really important for consumers. It’s going to make sure that when they’re investing in crypto, it’s pegged one-to-one with the US dollar. So, it’s good for consumers. I think it’s going to keep the US dollar dominant. It’s going to promote innovation. 
    “When you put a few rules around it, those people that are innovators are ready to move forward as well. And I know that you care a lot about national security, so I think that this is a step forward in preventing some of the money laundering schemes that we see going across the world as well.
    “So, this is a great first step. Yes, it’s going to take more. Think back to the internet in 1996 – we wanted to put some guardrails around it, but not stifle the innovation.”
    On what’s next for crypto legislation in Congress:
    “You know, go back to my analogy of the skeleton. You learn the skeleton, and then you have to put muscles on it, and organs, and the nervous system. So, I think that how much more consumer protection do we need? What else can we do to make sure that these financial institutions that are issuing the coins are held up to the standards of, say, a bank, ‘know your customer type of philosophy as well.’
    “So, there’s more to be done, but this was the low-hanging fruit. This is what we could get 60 votes in the Senate for. We may struggle doing any more this year, but we’ll see.”
    On President Trump’s call to potentially end the August recess:
    “You know, absolutely, and certainly, I want to agree with the President that Leader Thune is very talented, and he’s doing an incredible job. Right now, I’ve talked to many of the Secretaries, the Cabinet Members, Billy Long over at the IRS, and they’re drowning. They’re drowning because the swamp is so deep here, and they need more political appointees to help them get through this swamp and get their job done. So, I’m willing to do it. Look, I’ve worked weekends my whole life. I don’t know what a vacation even means. I’m happy to stay here as long as we’re working.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tough new laws to make online marketplaces safer

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Tough new laws to make online marketplaces safer

    New laws to make online marketplaces safer and protect the public from dangerous products

    Person using computer with caption reading making online marketplaces safer

    • As part of the Plan for Change the Government is taking action to protect customers ensuring online marketplaces are held to same high standards as bricks and mortar stores 
    • Landmark Product Regulation and Metrology Act boosts powers to tackle unsafe products sold online
    • Measures aimed to hold online marketplaces to account and help with growing safety concerns over fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, and e-bikes 

    Tougher powers to make online marketplaces safer and protect the public from dangerous products as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, have moved a step closer following Royal Assent of the Product Regulation and Metrology Act.  

    The new legislation will provide powers to target new and emerging dangers and hold online marketplaces to account for dangerous products sold through their platforms, creating a level playing field with bricks and mortar stores.

    The rising popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters has brought with it an increase in safety incidents – the Office for Product Safety and Standards in 2024 received reports on 211 fires involving e-bikes or e-scooters – equivalent to a fire every 1.7 days.

    Most of these reports (175) were from London Fire Brigade, and many were caused by unsafe lithium-ion batteries purchased through online marketplaces.  

    To help address the sale of unsafe products like these by online marketplaces, the Government intends to introduce requirements for online marketplaces at the earliest opportunity to update their responsibilities. 

    These will create a proportionate regulatory framework where online marketplaces are expected to:

    • prevent unsafe products from being made available to consumers
    • ensure that sellers operating on their platform comply with product safety obligations
    • provide relevant information to consumers;
    • and cooperate closely with regulators. 

    Product Safety Minister Justin Madders said: 

    By giving regulators the teeth to clamp down on unsafe products, we’re ensuring people can shop with confidence whether online or on the high street. 

    This will establish a level playing field and mean online marketplaces are held to the same high standards as bricks and mortar shops, ensuring we back businesses and protect consumers as part of our Plan for Change.

    The new measures will ensure clarity for the approximately 300,000 UK businesses operating in regulated product markets with a combined estimated turnover of £490 billion. 

    The Office for Product Safety and Standards will continue its targeted programme to tackle dangerous products, including the threats from button batteries and small magnets, and building on successful initiatives like the “Buy Safe, Be Safe” campaign launched last October and recent guidelines on lithium-ion battery safety introduced in December. 

    This balanced approach protects consumers while supporting economic growth across all nations of the UK. 

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

    Which? has campaigned for years to hold online marketplaces to the same standards as high street retailers. For too long, consumers have been exposed to dangerous – and in some cases lethal – products.  

    The Product Regulation and Metrology Act has the potential to be a game changer for consumer safety. It paves the way for new laws to clarify and strengthen responsibilities for online marketplaces, which is crucial in the fight against the sale of dangerous products online.  

    Following the bill’s Royal Assent, the government must act fast to tighten definitions of online marketplaces, introduce a clear duty so that online marketplaces are accountable for product safety, and empower regulators to issue heavy fines for those that fall short of the required standards.

    London Fire Brigade Deputy Commissioner Charlie Pugsley said:  

    We are pleased that the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill (PRAM) has been granted Royal Assent.

    London Fire Brigade sees one e-bike or e-scooter fire every two days and we have long called for regulation to improve product safety and safeguards on online marketplaces to protect people from buying dangerous products that pose a fire risk. 

    We welcome this new piece of legislation, which will better regulate unsafe products being sold and help to protect the public from unsafe products and particularly poor quality or non-compliant lithium battery products, which can present unique fire safety challenges. 

    John Herriman, Chief Executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: 

    Alongside the coalition, which included the British Toy and Hobby Association and Electrical Safety First, we welcome the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill gaining Royal Assent as a positive step forward in ensuring the UK maintains strong, modern protections for consumers.  

    This legislation supports the vital work Trading Standards does in keeping unsafe and non-compliant products off the market, creating a fairer and safer trading environment for businesses and consumers alike. We look forward to working closely with government and stakeholders to ensure that the laws that follow, after further consultation, are implemented effectively and contributes to a robust, future-facing regulatory system that will support economic growth in the UK.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Urges U.S. Sentencing Commission To Consider Impacts Of Chronic Underfunding And Understaffing At BOP

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Sentencing Commission in response to its proposed priorities for the 2025-2026 amendment cycle. In the letter, Durbin urged the Commission to consider the impact that the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) resources and staffing levels have on BOP’s ability to adequately discharge its mission.

    “For years, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has faced significant challenges in the performance of its mandate, undermining the Commission’s intent to tailor recommended sentences to anticipated outcomes for incarcerated individuals. I therefore urge the Commission to prioritize ‘[a]ssessing the degree to which certain practices of the Bureau of Prisons are effective in meeting the purposes of sentencing as set forth in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2) and considering any appropriate responses, including possible consideration of recommendations or amendments’ in the upcoming amendment cycle,” Durbin wrote.

    As Durbin notes in his letter, BOP has been chronically underfunded and understaffed, resulting in longstanding issues related to physical infrastructure of facilities, inadequate medical care for inmates, and concerns about the agency’s ability to ensure the safety and security of inmates and BOP employees, among other challenges.

    “Inadequate funding and staffing levels affect all aspects of BOP’s ability to discharge its mission. We have asked the agency to do far too much with far too little for far too long—and the ripple effects of severe BOP under resourcing are apparent across facilities nationwide,” Durbin wrote.

    Despite BOP’s limitations in carrying out its own mission, the Trump Administration has saddled the agency with additional responsibilities in accepting and processing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainees. Durbin denounced this effort by the Trump Administration, emphasizing that this move further hampers BOP’s ability to address its own shortfalls.

    “Despite these limitations, the Administration has now asked BOP to add an additional mission by accepting and processing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainees. As I have previously written to the Attorney General, this decision further threatens the safety and well-being of incarcerated individuals,” Durbin wrote.

    Durbin concluded his letter by calling on the Sentencing Commission to focus on recommendations and amendments that will support BOP in remedying its deficiencies.

    “Given the myriad difficulties facing our federal prison system, I respectfully urge the Commission to consider possible recommendations or amendments in the upcoming amendment cycle that account for the limited ‘nature and capacity of . . . facilities and services available’ to incarcerated individuals,” Durbin concluded his letter.

     

    A copy of the letter can be found here and below:

     

    July 18, 2025

     

    Dear Chair Reeves:

     

    I write in response to the Sentencing Commission’s request for comment on its Proposed 2025-2026 Priorities.

     

    Proposed Priority: Bureau of Prisons practices and effectiveness in meeting the purposes of sentencing.

     

    In the federal criminal justice system, district courts must seek to achieve the purposes of sentencing—retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation—when deciding upon a defendant’s sentence,[1] by imposing one that is “sufficient, but not greater than necessary” to:

     

    (A) reflect the seriousness of the offense, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment for the offense; (B) to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct; (C) to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant; and (D) to provide the defendant with needed educational or vocational training, medical care, or other correctional treatment in the most effective manner.[[2]]

     

    The United States Sentencing Commission, too, must strive to ensure the Sentencing Guidelines meet these purposes.[3] Though no longer binding, the Sentencing Guidelines nevertheless “serve an important role” by providing courts with “‘a meaningful benchmark’ in the initial determination of a sentence” and guidance “throughout the sentencing process.”[4] Indeed, in Fiscal Year 2024, 28,038 sentences—or 45.7 percent—were imposed within the recommended range, not including cases where a departure applied, evidencing the central role that the Guidelines play in guiding thousands of federal criminal justice outcomes annually.[5]

     

    Of course, the relevance to the goals of sentencing of the type and length of a recommended sentence under the Guidelines will necessarily vary depending on how that sentence is executed. For years, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has faced significant challenges in the performance of its mandate, undermining the Commission’s intent to tailor recommended sentences to anticipated outcomes for incarcerated individuals. I therefore urge the Commission to prioritize “[a]ssessing the degree to which certain practices of the Bureau of Prisons are effective in meeting the purposes of sentencing as set forth in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2) and considering any appropriate responses including possible consideration of recommendations or amendments” in the upcoming amendment cycle.[6]

     

    Chronically underfunded and understaffed, BOP has struggled to maintain safe and effective carceral settings for nearly 156,000 federal inmates, over 143,000 of whom are in BOP custody.[7]Currently, BOP is authorized to have 14,900 correctional officer positions, with 12,766 active officers in pay status.[8] Authorized “other” full time positions were recently reduced from 27,498 to 23,949, and there are 23,896 active employees in pay status.[9] The resulting challenges BOP faces are both longstanding and pervasive:

     

    • Infrastructure. In May 2023, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released the results of an audit of BOP’s “aging and failing infrastructure,” finding issues such as buckling concrete, crumbling façades, water leaks, poor ventilation, and energy inefficiencies.[10] Late last year, BOP announced plans to permanently close one facility and idle six others due in part to “crumbling infrastructure.”[11] That BOP would need to close facilities as a result of unsustainable cost is not new—just three years prior, BOP closed Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) New York “after an in-depth conditions assessment found that substantial building deficiencies jeopardized the safety and security of the staff and inmates who occupied the building.”[12] As of February 2024, then-BOP Director Colette Peters estimated that BOP had a maintenance and repair backlog of approximately $3 billion.[13]
    • Medical Care. In 2023, NPR reported on severely inadequate medical care within BOP facilities.[14] One common complaint among sources was the agency’s failure to timely screen and treat inmates with serious illnesses, and the report found “[m]ore than a dozen waited months or even years for treatment, including inmates with obviously concerning symptoms: unexplained bleeding, a suspicious lump, intense pain.”[15] Many suffered worsened conditions; some lost their lives.[16] These problems persist.[17] In a series of unannounced site inspections, OIG has identified several concerning medical practices and failures across various institutions.[18] Most recently, OIG released an inspection last December of Federal Medical Center (FMC) Devens, finding “serious issues with . . . provision of healthcare” even at this dedicated medical facility, including “potentially dangerous medication distribution, lack of preventive healthcare screening, inappropriate placement of inmates in the Memory Disorder Unit (MDU), and inconsistent processes for requesting and accessing care.”[19] Like other BOP institutions across the nation, FMC Devens suffers from a substantial employee shortage, “substantially affect[ing] the health, welfare, and safety of . . . inmates.”[20] It is perhaps unsurprising that in Fiscal Year 2024, district court judges granted compassionate release requests under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) on the basis, at least in part, of medical-related concerns in a notable number of cases.[21] In one recent order granting compassionate release, a district court judge found BOP’s failure to provide necessary and “relatively straightforward” treatment to the petitioner “incomprehensible and very far below the standards that I expect for anyone held in custody.”[22]
    • Safety and Security. Several factors undermine BOP’s ability to ensure the safety of those in its custody. For example, in 2022, the union representing BOP employees condemned a deadly fight at United States Penitentiary (USP) Beaumont, decrying the “chronic understaffing” that “is jeopardizing the lives of both workers and inmates.”[23] Indeed, in a February 2024 OIG report evaluating issues surrounding inmate deaths, “BOP specifically identified insufficient staffing as an issue in at least 30 of the inmate deaths in [OIG’s] scope.”[24] Correctional staff shortages hinder efforts to prevent and respond to immediate threats, while medical staff shortages limit the ability to provide risk-mitigation treatments and programming.[25] In addition to other challenges, BOP also faces longstanding obstacles to effective interdiction of contraband drugs and weapons, overreliance on mandated staff overtime and augmentation, and “fundamentally ineffective” staff discipline processes—each compounding the serious risk to institutional safety.[26]

     

    While these concerns significantly limit BOP’s ability to effectively meet the purposes of sentencing, they are by no means exhaustive. Inadequate funding and staffing levels affect all aspects of BOP’s ability to discharge its mission. We have asked the agency to do far too much with far too little for far too long—and the ripple effects of severe BOP under resourcing are apparent across facilities nationwide.[27] Despite these limitations, the Administration has now asked BOP to add an additional mission by accepting and processing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainees.[28] As I have previously written to the Attorney General, this decision further threatens the safety and well-being of incarcerated individuals.[29]

     

    Given the myriad difficulties facing our federal prison system, I respectfully urge the Commission to consider possible recommendations or amendments in the upcoming amendment cycle that account for the limited “nature and capacity of . . . facilities and services available”[30] to incarcerated individuals.

     

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    [1] Tapia v. United States, 564 U.S. 319, 325 (2011). The Supreme Court explained in Tapia, however, that “a particular purpose may apply differently, or even not at all, depending on the kind of sentence under consideration.” Id. at 326. Retribution, § 3553(a)(2)(A), for example, cannot be considered for imposing supervised release terms, id., and rehabilitative needs, § 3553(a)(2)(D), cannot be used to impose or lengthen a prison term, id. at 335.

    [2] 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2).

    [3] 28 U.S.C. § 994(g).

    [4] Rosales-Mireles v. United States, 585 U.S. 129, 133 (2018) (quoting Peugh v. United States, 569 U.S. 530, 541, (2013)).

    [5] U.S. Sent’g Comm’n, Datafile (2024), https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/annual-reports-and-sourcebooks/2024/Table29.pdf.

    [6] Federal Register Notice of Proposed 2025-2026 Priorities, U.S. Sent’g Comm’n,

    https://www.ussc.gov/policymaking/federal-register-notices/federal-register-notice-proposed-2025-2026-priorities (last visited July 9, 2025).

    [7] Statistics, Fed. Bureau of Prisons, https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/population_statistics.jsp#:~:text=155%2C933%20Total%20Federal%20Inmates&text=Last%20Updated%20July%203%2C%202025,Thursday%20at%2012%3A00%20A.M(last visited July 9, 2025). An additional nearly 12,800 federal inmates are reported to be in “other types of facilities.” Id.

    [8] Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Fed. Bureau of Prisons Fact Sheet (2025), https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/docs/fbop_fact_sheet.pdf.

    [9] Id.; Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Fed. Bureau of Prisons Fact Sheet (2024), https://web.archive.org/web/20250226151445/https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/docs/fbop_fact_sheet.pdf.

    [10] U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., No. 23-064, Audit of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Efforts to Maintain and Construct Institutions 6 (2023), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-064_1.pdf.

    [11] Michael R. Sisak & Michael Balsamo, The US government is closing a women’s prison and other facilities after years of abuse and decay, Associated Press (Dec. 5, 2024), https://apnews.com/article/federal-prisons-closing-ap-investigation-abuse-decay-c02c96b6f6a3c5535cc3e3025d5d2585.

    [12] U.S. Dep’t of Just., supra note 10 at 5.

    [13] Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal

    Prisons (Feb. 28, 2024), at 00:30:45.

    [14] Meg Anderson, 1 in 4 inmate deaths happens in the same federal prison. Why?, NPR (Sept. 23, 2023),

    https://www.npr.org/2023/09/23/1200626103/federal-prison-deaths-butner-medical-center-sick-inmates.

    [15] Id.

    [16] Id.

    [17] See Walter Pavlo, Cases Show Medical Care Under Scrutiny At Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Forbes (Mar. 13, 2025), https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2025/03/13/cases-show-medical-care-under-scrutiny-at-federal-bureau-of-prisons/.

    [18] To date, OIG has released the results of five inspections. In the first four inspections, OIG found, in part: at FCI Waseca, inmates with higher care levels than the institutions at which they were housed, significant delays in nonemergency medical care, and limited ability to provide psychology services beyond “crisis focused” care, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 23-068, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Waseca 1, 26–29 (2023),https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-068.pdf; at FCI Tallahassee, suboptimal timing of medication dispensation, such as insulin and psychiatric medication, which can negatively affect drug efficacy, insufficient availability of bilingual staff to communicate with patients, and incomplete health care screenings at intake, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-005, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Tallahassee 1, 34–35 (2023),https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-005.pdf; at FCI Sheridan, a longstanding phlebotomist vacancy that, while eventually filled, led to a backlog at one point of over 700 laboratory orders, barriers to inmates requesting and accessing care for routine conditions, delays in medical and dental care due to lack of medical equipment and supplies, a backlog of outside medical visits, and potentially dangerous medication distribution practices, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-070, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Sheridan 1, 8–13 (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-070_0.pdf; and at FCI Lewisburg, intake screening errors, certain prescription medication discontinuation decisions made without speaking with or examining the patients in advance and without tapering as recommended by BOP clinical guidance, colorectal cancer screenings provided to less than half of inmates within the recommended risk range and significant delays in providing colonoscopies to those for whom it was ordered, and failure to provide A1C tests to the majority of qualifying inmates within recommended time frames, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-113, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Lewisburg 1, 10–14 (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-113.pdf.

    [19] U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 25-009, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Devens i (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/25-009.pdf.

    [20] Id.

    [21] Sentencing courts listed serious physical or medical condition in 12.5 percent of cases, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic concerns unable to be timely mitigated in 3.3 percent of cases, and BOP failure to provide treatment in 1.7 percent of cases, among other reasons. U.S. Sent’g Comm’n, Compassionate Release Data Report 1, 17 (2025), https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/federal-sentencing-statistics/compassionate-release/FY24-Compassionate-Release.pdf.

    [22] Order for Immediate Release of Defendant Bovis, United States v. Bovis, No. 20-cr-00204, Dkt. 100 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 6, 2025); see also United States v. Diggs, No. 02-CR-1129, 2025 WL 1371367, at *8 (N.D. Ill. May 12, 2025) (granting compassionate release after finding “BOP has shown no intention and/or ability to provide the necessary care [to the petitioner], despite its doctors’ recommendations”).

    [23] Angel San Juan, Prison Pay: Low Pay Rates for Correctional Officers is Creating a Staffing Crisis, 6KFDM (May 19, 2023), https://kfdm.com/news/local/prison-pay-low-pay-rates-for-correctional-officers-is-creating-a-staffing-crisis.

    [24] U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-041, Evaluation of Issues Surrounding Inmate deaths in Fed. Bureau of Prisons Inst. 1, 65 (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-041.pdf.

    [25] Id.

    [26] Id. at 54, 67, 70.

    [27] Though Congress recently provided $5 billion in additional funding to BOP, see Act of July 4, 2025, Pub. L. No. 119-21, this appropriation represents just the first small step needed to begin to correct the institutional problems caused by underfunding BOP. Commission consideration in this area remains imminently necessary given the longstanding and ongoing impacts of BOP challenges on effectuating the purposes of sentencing.

    [28] Letter from Richard J. Durbin, U.S. Senator, Adam B. Schiff, U.S. Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator, Mazie K. Hirono, U.S. Senator, Cory A. Booker, U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator, and Peter Welch, U.S. Senator, to Pam Bondi, U.S. Att’y Gen. (Feb. 25, 2025), https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20AG%20Bondi%20re%20BOP%20facilities%20for%20ICE.pdf.

    [29] Id.

    [30] 28 U.S.C. § 994(g).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Joint statement on behalf of 26 partners on the Occupied Palestinian Territories

    Source: Government of Canada News

    July 21, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, today issued the following statement:

    “We, the signatories listed below, come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now.

    “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

    “The hostages cruelly held captive by Hamas since 7 October 2023 continue to suffer terribly. We condemn their continued detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release. A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families.

    “We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life-saving work safely and effectively.

    “We call on all parties to protect civilians and uphold the obligations of international humanitarian law. Proposals to remove the Palestinian population into a “humanitarian city” are completely unacceptable. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.

    “We strongly oppose any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The E1 settlement plan announced by Israel’s Civil Administration, if implemented, would divide a future Palestinian state in two, marking a flagrant breach of international law, and critically undermine the two-state solution. Meanwhile, settlement building across the West Bank and East Jerusalem has accelerated while settler violence against Palestinians has soared. This must stop.

    “We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. Further bloodshed serves no purpose.  We reaffirm our complete support to the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this.

    “We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.”

    This statement has been signed by:

    • The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK
    • The EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gosar Secures Reauthorization and Expansion of RECA for Mohave County, Arizona, Votes in Favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Paul A Gosar DDS (AZ-04)

    Washington, D.C. — Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement after voting in favor of passage of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: 

    “I am very pleased to have once again voted in favor of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, legislation that provides historic tax relief to middle-class Americans, reigns in wasteful spending, restores fiscal sanity and slashes the deficit by more than $2 trillion by enacting policies that will fuel America’s economic growth.

    Importantly, the One Big Beautiful Bill delivers for all Arizonans.  

    First and foremost, I am especially pleased that the One Big Beautiful Bill includes my legislation reauthorizing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) and corrects an administrative oversight in the RECA Act of 1990 that arbitrarily excluded areas of Mohave County, Arizona.  Atomic weapons testing conducted during the Cold War came with a heavy cost to Americans living in Arizona, Nevada and within tribal communities.  Since first being elected to Congress, I have worked tirelessly to ensure that RECA not only be reauthorized but also expanded so that every person, known as a “downwinder,” who developed cancer or other related illnesses after being exposed to radiation from atomic weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site deserves to be compensated for being poisoned by a negligent federal government.  

    Second, the One Big Beautiful Bill includes my legislation boosting solar and wind power on publiclands to help lower energy prices, unlock energy production and meet our nation’s growing energy demand.  It also ensures revenue from their development is shared with the states and counties while also supporting conservation programs where these projects are located.  

    Third, a typical Arizona family with two children will see their take-home pay increase between $7,500 and $12,800.  Without this legislation, families across my district were on track to face a massive tax hike on December 31, 2025. The bill also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime and slashes taxes on Social Security for seniors.  The bill also raises the child tax credit, increases childcare tax credits and establishes $1,000 savings accounts for newborn babies to support growth and advancement while helping ease the burden on families.

    Next, the bill provides historic investments to strengthen our nation’s border security by fully funding President Trump’s border wall and giving Border Patrol and ICE agents the resources, technology, and personnel they need to swiftly detain and deport the millions of illegal aliens welcomed into our country by Joe Biden.  As a border state, Arizonans have felt firsthand the destruction caused by Biden’s open border policies. Crime has ravaged our neighborhoods, deadly drugs, including fentanyl, have ruined our families, and our communities are withering under the economic strain on public resources needed to combat Biden’s border invasion.

    The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers for Arizonans, upholds the promise to secure the border, locks in permanent tax relief, unleashes American energy and reverses course on out-of-control spending by securing the largest spending reductions in American history. These are transformational policies that support all Americans for generations and were delivered by a Republican majority in Congress that listened.  I look forward to President Trump signing the One Big Beautiful Bill into law,” concluded Congressman Paul Gosar.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grand Juries Charge Three Mexican Nationals with Illegal Reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TOLEDO, Ohio – The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced that federal grand juries in the Northern District of Ohio have returned indictments charging three Mexican nationals with violating Title 8 U.S. Code (USC) 1326, illegal reentry. Additionally, one defendant was charged with using fraudulent documents. These are separate cases and not related.

    Raul Samano-Fuerte, 49, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has been previously removed from the United States four times with the most recent being March 10, 2009. On June 23, 2025, he was found in Norwalk, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.

    Gonzalo Diaz-Resendiz, 29, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has been previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Sept. 6, 2013. On June 30, 2025, he was found in Ottawa, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.

    Cesar Ramirez-Velazquez, aka Cesar Ramirez-Rincon, 44, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has two previous removals from the United States with the most recent being June 7, 2009. He was again found in the country on March 19, 2024, in Norwalk, Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security to be readmitted. He was also charged with two counts of possession of a fraudulent identification document for possessing a fraudulent permanent resident card and a fraudulent Social Security card in violation of Title 18 USC 1546 (a). Additionally, the defendant is charged with misuse of a Social Security Number, in violation of Title 42, USC 408 (a)(7)(B).

    The investigations preceding the indictments were conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Rotell Dustin is leading the prosecution.

    An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.

    These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: José Adolfo “Fito” Macías Villamar, Leader of Los Choneros Transnational Criminal Organization Extradited to Brooklyn Federal Court to Face International Drug and Gun Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BROOKLYN, NY – José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as “Fito,” a citizen of Ecuador, will be arraigned today at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn for crimes committed as the leader of Los Choneros, a transnational criminal organization based in Ecuador that is responsible for significant drug trafficking into the United States, firearms trafficking from the United States, and acts of extreme violence.  Macías Villamar will be arraigned on a seven-count superseding indictment charging him with international cocaine distribution conspiracy; international cocaine distribution; using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; smuggling firearms from the United States; and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy.  Macías Villamar will be arraigned before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon after being extradited yesterday from Ecuador to the Eastern District of New York.

    Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Robert Murphy, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); L.C. Cheeks, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division (ATF); and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (OEE), announced the extradition and arraignment.

    “As alleged, the defendant served for years as the principal leader of Los Choneros, a notoriously violent transnational criminal organization, and was a ruthless and infamous drug and firearms trafficker.  The defendant and his co-conspirators flooded the United States and other countries with drugs and used extreme measures of violence in their quest for power and control,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “This case demonstrates our Office’s commitment to identifying and targeting the leadership of such organizations, wherever they may be located, and bringing them to face justice here in the United States.”

    “José ‘Fito’ Macias thought he could traffic poison into our country, smuggle American weapons back to his killers, and further his criminal enterprise using chaos and bloodshed. He was wrong,” stated DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy.  “Today, the kingpin of Los Choneros faces justice on U.S. soil for his crimes.”

    “ATF remains dedicated to working with our local, state, and federal partners to disrupt the shooting cycle by focusing on those individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the gun violence that plagues our neighborhoods,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Cheeks.  “ATF will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to address violent gang and drug-related activity that endangers the safety of our communities.  Our joint efforts are essential in bringing accountability to violent offenders, combatting threats to the public, and reducing violent crime.”

    As alleged in the indictment and other public filings, from at least 2020 to 2025, Macías Villamar was the principal leader of Los Choneros, the most violent and powerful transnational criminal organization in Ecuador.  As the principal leader of Los Choneros, Macías Villamar employed members of the organization to carry out serious acts of violence on the organization’s behalf. At Macías Villamar’s direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts toward Ecuadorean law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, attorneys, prosecutors, and civilians.  Los Choneros obtained many of its firearms and weapons by illegally trafficking and exporting them from the United States to Ecuador.  As alleged, the defendant specifically employed individuals who purchased firearms, firearms components, and ammunition in the United States and then illegally smuggled them to Ecuador for use by Los Choneros.

    In 2011, Macías Villamar went to prison in Ecuador on murder, robbery, weapons possession, and drug trafficking charges.  He escaped in 2013 before being recaptured months later.  During his second imprisonment in Ecuador, Macías Villamar used contraband cell phones and the internet to continue to direct the activities of Los Choneros and publish external communications and threats on Los Choneros’ behalf.  In January 2024, he escaped from Ecuadorian prison a second time—just two days ahead of his planned move to a maximum-security facility. In response to his escape, Ecuador erupted in violence—including prison riots, gang attacks, kidnappings, and bombings—and the government of Ecuador declared a state of emergency.  Ecuadorian authorities recaptured Macías Villamar on June 25, 2025, and he was extradited from Ecuador yesterday.

    Macías Villamar and members and associates of his organization used firearms in furtherance of their weapon and drug trafficking activities, including machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, and grenades.  Macías Villamar and the Los Choneros organization have also been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Ecuadorian authorities provided substantial assistance to secure the extradition of Macías Villamar.  This marks Ecuador’s first extradition of an Ecuadorian national since an April 2024 popular referendum amended Ecuador’s constitution to allow for the extradition of Ecuadorian nationals.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to life.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Chand Edwards-Balfour, Lorena Michelen, and David Berman are in charge of the prosecution.

    The Defendant:

    JOSÉ ADOLFO MACÍAS VILLAMAR (also known as “Fito”)
    Age:  45
    Ecuador

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 25-CR-114 (FB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Scottish Greens unveil candidates ahead of crucial election for our planet

    Source: Scottish Greens

    21 Jul 2025

    Ahead of next year’s Holyrood election the Scottish Greens have unveiled their regional list candidates

    The Scottish Greens have announced their slate of candidates for regional lists ahead of next year’s Holyrood election. The party hopes to return a record number of MSPs at the ballot box next May

    The Scottish Greens are aiming to return a record number of MSPs, building on the eight elected in 2021. A recent poll indicated that the party could secure 15 MSPs, giving the Scottish Greens a stronger voice in Parliament to push for bold, fair and progressive policies that champion people and planet above corporate greed. 

    The lead candidates in each region are:

    Central Scotland & Lothians West

    1. Gillian Mackay MSP

    Edinburgh & Lothians East

    1. Lorna Slater MSP
    2. Kate Nevens
    3. Q Manivannan

    Glasgow

    1. Patrick Harvie MSP
    2. Ellie Gomersall
    3. Cllr Holly Bruce

    Highlands & Islands

    1. Ariane Burgess MSP
    2. Cllr Kristopher Leask

    Mid Scotland & Fife

    1. Mark Ruskell MSP
    2. Mags Hall

    North East Scotland

    1. Guy Ingerson

    South Scotland

    1. Laura Moodie

    West Scotland

    1. Ross Greer MSP
    2. Cara McKee

    Reacting to the announcement, Scottish Greens Co-Leader, Lorna Slater MSP said:

    “Next year’s election is pivotal for the future of Scotland and our planet, that’s why I am delighted that Scottish Green members have selected such a strong group of lead candidates who will deliver real change in Holyrood.

    “Greens have been the only influential left-wing force in the Scottish Parliament for decades, delivering free bus travel for young people, scrapping peak rail fares, and securing tax reforms to ensure the richest in society pay their fair share to support the services we all rely on, like our NHS. 

    “With more Green MSPs, we can continue to push for the climate emergency to be taken seriously by other parties who want to protect corporate profits rather than our planet, and to fight back against the toxic climate change denialism from the far-right. Scottish Greens won’t give up on our planet’s future.

    “Electing a record number of Scottish Greens is the only way to secure the pro-independence majority in Holyrood, and to continue advancing the case to rejoin the European Union. It is a cause that Scottish Green MSPs will continue to make on the doorsteps across the country and in the chamber at Holyrood.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: TRA publishes Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    TRA publishes Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25

    TRA releases 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts and outlines how it is building stronger trade defences.

    The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has today published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25, highlighting its work protecting UK businesses from unfair trading practices.

    Trade remedies (also known as trade defence instruments), are measures put in place to help protect UK businesses from unfair imports. Trade remedies include anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard measures.

    The report details how the organisation has continued to investigate and review cases involving imported goods being sold at unfair prices (dumping) or subsidised imports that could harm UK industry.

    During 2024-25, the TRA has:

    • initiated reviews on schedule for the last of the 43 trade remedy measures the UK transitioned from the EU system. So far, after carrying out its reviews, the TRA have retained 25 of 30 of those transitioned measures to protect UK businesses against unfair international trading practices.
    • successfully completed five new dumping and subsidy cases on behalf of UK industries which had approached them to make an investigation into possible unfair imports.
    • begun preparing industries for the expiry of current measures that will reach their final year in 2026, so that they can seek extensions if they believe the measures are still needed.

    Newly appointed Chief Executives Carmen Suarez and Jessica Blakely said:

    This year’s report demonstrates our ongoing commitment to supporting fair trade for UK businesses. By conducting thorough and impartial investigations, we are helping to create a level playing field in international trade and defend the UK’s economic interests.

    The report also outlines the TRA’s financial performance and governance arrangements for the year and how the TRA has adapted to new challenges and demands as a still young organisation. The TRA is exploring further improvements to its investigations processes which will bring efficiencies in the coming years and ensure the organisation continues to support a thriving UK economy.

    The full Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25 can be found here.

    Notes to editors

    • As an independent body operating at arm’s length from the Department for Business & Trade, the TRA is guided in its work by its principles of proportionality, impartiality, transparency, and efficiency.
    • The TRA welcomes applications for trade remedies investigations from any business operating in the UK. Read our online guidance to find out more about how to apply and what information to provide.
    • The TRA’s Trade Remedies Advisory Service can be contacted on: contact@traderemedies.gov.uk. Previously known as the Pre-Application Office, it will provide support not only at the pre-application stage, but throughout the life of the case to interested parties who have questions about our investigation process.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Hassan Introduce Bill to Help First Responders Fight the Opioid Crisis

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced their Halting the Epidemic of Addiction and Loss (HEAL) Act, which would expand access to new opioid overdose reversal agents in addition to naloxone by updating guidance and grant language from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

    “The opioid crisis is ravaging communities across the nation, and far too many Texans have lost their lives as a tragic consequence,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This bill would help first responders save more lives by expanding access to new, life-saving overdose reversal medicines, and I urge my colleagues to pass it without delay.”  

    “Fentanyl has devastated communities across New Hampshire, and first responders deserve the most advanced and up-to-date tools to fight this epidemic,” said Sen. Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will help more first responders get access to new types of overdose reversal agents, giving those on the front lines of responding to the fentanyl crisis all of the tools that they need to help save more lives.”

    Companion legislation passed the House of Representatives in June as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act.

    Background:

    For the first time in years, new data revealed overdose deaths decreased nearly 30% from the previous year to more than 80,000 deaths in 2024, with 60% of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl. As the U.S. continues to grapple with the opioid crisis, access to overdose reversal agents like naloxone is essential to preventing overdoses and deaths. Current HHS guidance and grant language has inadvertently created a monopoly by limiting regulations, guidance, and grants to naloxone, which restricts access to other FDA-approved and potential “next-generation” overdose reversal agents.

    Sen. Cornyn has long spearheaded the fight in the Senate to combat the fentanyl crisis and has held half a dozen events across Texas to raise awareness of the perils of this drug, including in Dallas, Austin, Carrollton, DFW, and San Antonio. He has also introduced legislation aimed at combatting illegal pill presses. Sen. Cornyn serves as chair of the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control for the 119th Congress.

    The HEAL Act would:

    • Ensure that whenever HHS issues a regulation or guidance for any grant program addressing opioid misuse and use disorders, any reference to an opioid overdose reversal agent, such as naloxone, is inclusive of any opioid overdose reversal agent that has been approved or otherwise authorized for use by the FDA.
    • Update naloxone-specific references to be “molecule agnostic” in regulation, guidance, and specific grant programs, including the State Opioid Response Grant (SOR) and the Tribal Opioid Response Grant (TOR).
    • Provide states, local governments, tribes, and nonprofits that receive HHS and SAMHSA grant funding or guidance the opportunity to use the product that best meets the needs of their communities.

    This legislation is endorsed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Addiction Policy Forum, Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Association for Addiction Professionals, National Association for Children Impacted by Addiction, National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Agency Directors (NASADAD), National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, Office of Recovery & Reentry, and 30 others.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Africa’s minerals are being bartered for security: why it’s a bad idea

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Hanri Mostert, SARChI Chair for Mineral Law in Africa, University of Cape Town

    A US-brokered peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda binds the two African nations to a worrying arrangement: one where a country signs away its mineral resources to a superpower in return for opaque assurances of security.

    The peace deal, signed in June 2025, aims to end three decades of conflict between the DRC and Rwanda.

    A key part of the agreement binds both nations to developing a regional economic integration framework. This arrangement would expand cooperation between the two states, the US government and American investors on “transparent, formalized end-to-end mineral chains”.

    Despite its immense mineral wealth, the DRC is among the five poorest countries in the world. It has been seeking US investment in its mineral sector.

    The US has in turn touted a potential multi-billion-dollar investment programme to anchor its mineral supply chains in the traumatised and poor territory.

    The peace that the June 2025 deal promises, therefore, hinges on chaining mineral supply to the US in exchange for Washington’s powerful – but vaguely formulated – military oversight.

    The peace agreement further establishes a joint oversight committee – with representatives from the African Union, Qatar and the US – to receive complaints and resolve disputes between the DRC and Rwanda.

    But beyond the joint oversight committee, the peace deal creates no specific security obligations for the US.

    The relationship between the DRC and Rwanda has been marred by war and tension since the bloody First (1996-1997) and Second (1998-2003) Congo wars. At the heart of much of this conflict is the DRC’s mineral wealth. It has fuelled competition, exploitation and armed violence.

    This latest peace deal introduces a resources-for-security arrangement. Such deals aren’t new in Africa. They first emerged in the early 2000s as resources-for-infrastructure transactions. Here, a foreign state would agree to build economic and social infrastructure (roads, ports, airports, hospitals) in an African state. In exchange, it would get a major stake in a government-owned mining company. Or gain preferential access to the host country’s minerals.

    We have studied mineral law and governance in Africa for more than 20 years. The question that emerges now is whether a US-brokered resources-for-security agreement will help the DRC benefit from its resources.

    Based on our research on mining, development and sustainability, we believe this is unlikely.

    This is because resources-for-security is the latest version of a resource-bartering approach that China and Russia pioneered in countries such as Angola, the Central African Republic and the DRC.

    Resource bartering in Africa has eroded the sovereignty and bargaining power of mineral-rich nations such as the DRC and Angola.

    Further, resources-for-security deals are less transparent and more complicated than prior resource bartering agreements.

    DRC’s security gaps

    The DRC is endowed with major deposits of critical minerals like cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and tantalum. These are the building blocks for 21st century technologies: artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, wind energy and military security hardware. Rwanda has less mineral wealth than its neighbour, but is the world’s third-largest producer of tantalum, used in electronics, aerospace and medical devices.

    For almost 30 years, minerals have fuelled conflict and severe violence, especially in eastern DRC. Tungsten, tantalum and gold (referred to as 3TG) finance and drive conflict as government forces and an estimated 130 armed groups vie for control over lucrative mining sites. Several reports and studies have implicated the DRC’s neighbours – Rwanda and Uganda – in supporting the illegal extraction of 3TG in this region.

    The DRC government has failed to extend security over its vast (2.3 million square kilometres) and diverse territory (109 million people, representing 250 ethnic groups). Limited resources, logistical challenges and corruption have weakened its armed forces.

    This context makes the United States’ military backing enormously attractive. But our research shows there are traps.

    What states risk losing

    Resources-for-infrastructure and resources-for-security deals generally offer African nations short-term stability, financing or global goodwill. However, the costs are often long-term because of an erosion of sovereign control.

    Here’s how this happens:

    Examples of loss or near-loss of sovereignty from these sorts of deals abound in Africa.

    For instance, Angola’s US$2 billion oil-backed loan from China Eximbank in 2004. This was repayable in monthly deliveries of oil, with revenues directed to Chinese-controlled accounts. The loan’s design deprived Angolan authorities of decision-making power over that income stream even before the oil was extracted.

    These deals also fragment accountability. They often span multiple ministries (such as defence, mining and trade), avoiding robust oversight or accountability. Fragmentation makes resource sectors vulnerable to elite capture. Powerful insiders can manipulate agreements for private gain.

    In the DRC, this has created a violent kleptocracy, where resource wealth is systematically diverted away from popular benefit.

    Finally, there is the risk of re-entrenching extractive trauma. Communities displaced for mining and environmental degradation in many countries across Africa illustrate the long-standing harm to livelihoods, health and social cohesion.

    These are not new problems. But where extraction is tied to security or infrastructure, such damage risks becoming permanent features, not temporary costs.

    What needs to change

    Critical minerals are “critical” because they’re hard to mine or substitute. Additionally, their supply chains are strategically vulnerable and politically exposed. Whoever controls these minerals controls the future. Africa must make sure it doesn’t trade that future away.

    In a world being reshaped by global interests in critical minerals, African states must not underestimate the strategic value of their mineral resources. They hold considerable leverage.

    But leverage only works if it is wielded strategically. This means:

    • investing in institutional strength and legal capacity to negotiate better deals

    • demanding local value creation and addition

    • requiring transparency and parliamentary oversight for minerals-related agreements

    • refusing deals that bypass human rights, environmental or sovereignty standards.

    Africa has the resources. It must hold on to the power they wield.

    Hanri Mostert receives funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. She is a member of the Expropriation Expert Group and a steering committee member of the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Academic Advisory Group (AAG) in the Sector for Energy, Environmental, Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL).

    Tracy-Lynn Field receives funding from the Claude Leon Foundation. She is a non-executive director of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa.

    – ref. Africa’s minerals are being bartered for security: why it’s a bad idea – https://theconversation.com/africas-minerals-are-being-bartered-for-security-why-its-a-bad-idea-260594

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Call for urgent overhaul of disease control framework amid ongoing FMD challenges

    Source: Government of South Africa

    Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, has called for urgent and proper regionalisation of South Africa’s disease control framework, amid ongoing challenges posed by widespread Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks.

    “Every credible trading nation in the world understands the principle of regionalisation, that an outbreak in one part of a country should not result in blanket trade restrictions for the entire nation,” Steenhuisen said.

    The Minister made the call during the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Indaba, currently underway at the ARC-VIMP Campus in Roodeplaat, northeast of Pretoria.

    The Minister’s call comes as the country is currently experiencing significant and ongoing challenges with widespread outbreaks of Foot and Mouth disease, affecting several provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and, most recently, the Free State.

    The resurgence of the disease has resulted in livestock movement restrictions and has also significantly impacted the country’s red meat trade on international markets.

    In response to this escalating crisis, the Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the University of Pretoria, and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), is hosting a national Foot and Mouth Disease Indaba.

    The two-day event, starting Monday, 21 July 2025, aims to bring together top veterinary scientists, agricultural experts, and key industry stakeholders, to deliberate on and develop long-term solutions to combat FMD.

    In his opening address, Steenhuisen said South Africa is falling behind in establishing, certifying, and maintaining internationally recognised disease control zones.

    He said the failure to regionalise is not due to a lack of veterinary science, but institutional coordination, legal clarity, and capacity.

    “It is unacceptable that South Africa takes years to respond to import health questionnaires, delays that have cost us market access and weakened our negotiating position. This is not a regulatory issue; it is a capacity issue, and we are taking steps to fix it,” the Minister said.

    To address this, the Minister announced the appointment of two senior veterinarians, Dr Emily Mogajane and Dr Nomsa Mnisi, to lead the development of a comprehensive national regionalisation framework.

    Mnisi and Mogajane bring extensive experience in veterinary science, government, and international trade.

    Their work will focus on:
    •    Defining and operationalising regional disease zones for all major livestock sectors, in consultation with industry;
    •    Supporting provinces to assume their responsibilities as prescribed in the Animal Health Act, 2002 (Act No.7 of 2002), aligning disease control with our Constitutional division of powers; and
    •    Strengthening interdepartmental capacity to process export and import applications swiftly and credibly.

    Public-private partnerships to improve vaccine security

    Steenhuisen also called for stronger public-private partnerships to improve vaccine security, particularly for controlled animal diseases.

    He urged the livestock industry, especially red meat, dairy, and game sectors to co-finance vaccine procurement.

    “This does not mean you will manage the vaccines or the cold chains. But it does mean that, like in other agro-industries, we establish structured partnerships that ensure we are not caught unprepared again,” Steenhuisen said.

    The Minister pointed to a recent breakdown in vaccine availability during the FMD outbreak, and that the national vaccine bank was depleted and the production cycle was misaligned with outbreak realities.

    “Most notably, Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) currently lacks the infrastructure to produce FMD vaccines at the scale and speed required to respond to outbreaks.

    “As a result, we were compelled to import vaccines from Botswana, to mount even a partial response. This situation is unsustainable for a country with South Africa’s livestock footprint and export ambitions,” the Minister said.

    In response to this, Steenhuisen said government is establishing OBP, but warned that this will take time.

    In the interim, he said efforts are underway to secure vaccine imports and establish forward-looking supply contracts to ensure minimum stock levels of FMD and other priority vaccines, “before the next outbreak, not after.”

    He however warned that the State cannot do this alone and urged the industry to invest.

    “If you want predictability, you must also invest. The time has come to build a nationally managed but jointly funded vaccine bank, not only for FMD, but for lumpy skin disease, brucellosis, Rift Valley Fever, and all other controlled diseases affecting trade and production,” SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: African media are threatened by governments and big tech – book tracks the latest trends

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hayes Mabweazara, Senior Lecturer in Sociological & Cultural Studies (Media, Culture & Society), University of Glasgow

    Media capture happens when media outlets lose their independence and fall under the influence of political or financial interests. This often leads to news content that favours power instead of public accountability.

    Media Capture in Africa and Latin America: Power and Resistance is a new book edited by news media scholars Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara and Bethia Pearson. It explores how this dynamic plays out in the global south and how journalists and citizens are resisting it. We asked them four questions.

    What is media capture and how has it reshaped itself in recent times?

    Media capture describes how media outlets are influenced, manipulated or controlled by powerful actors – often governments or large corporations – to serve their interests. It’s an idea that helps us understand how powerful groups in society can have a negative influence on news media. While this idea isn’t new, what has changed is how subtly and pervasively it now operates.

    These groups include big technology organisations that own digital media platforms – such as X, owned by xAI (Elon Musk), and Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta. But it’s also important to consider Google as a large search engine that shapes the news content and audience of many other platforms.

    This matters because the media are important for the functioning of democratic societies. Ideally, they provide information, represent different groups and issues in society, and hold powerful actors to account.

    For example, one of the key roles of the media is to provide accurate information for citizens to be able to decide how to vote in elections. Or to decide what they think about important issues. One big concern, then, is the effect of inaccurate or biased information on democracy.

    Or it might be that accurate information is harder to access because algorithms and platforms make it easier to access inaccurate or biased information. These can be intended and unintended consequences of the technology itself, but algorithms can amplify misinformation and fake news – especially if this content has the potential to go viral.

    So, what’s particular about media capture in the global south?

    This is a really interesting question that is still being investigated, but we have some ideas.

    First of all, it’s useful to know that media capture scholarship from the global north emerged around the time of the 2008 financial crisis. The influence of financial institutions on business journalists was one of the first areas of study. Since then, research in the US has focused on the capture of government-funded media organisations like Voice of America. And on how digital platforms like Google and Facebook can lead to capture.

    In the global south, scholars have drawn attention to the importance of large media corporations in understanding media capture. For example, in Latin America, there’s a high level of what’s called “media concentration”. This is when many media outlets are owned by a few companies. These companies often own companies in other sectors, which means that critical reporting on business interests presents a conflict of interest.



    Read more:
    Public trust in the media is at a new low: a radical rethink of journalism is needed

    But to focus on Africa, scholars have drawn attention to governments as a source of pressure on journalists and editors. This can be through direct pressure or what we might call “covert” pressure. Withholding advertising that helps to fund media outlets is an example, or offering financial incentives to stop investigating certain topics.

    Researchers are also concerned about the influence of big tech in Africa. Digital platforms like Google and Facebook can shape the news and information that citizens have access to.

    Can you share some of the studies from the book?

    Our book includes many interesting studies – from Colombia, Brazil and Mexico in Latin America to Ethiopia and Morocco in Africa. We’ll share a few African cases here to give an overview of the issues.

    The book’s contribution on Ghana warns us that although more overt “old” types of media capture may have subsided, transitional democracies can feature messier, more nuanced forms of media control. This can be evident in government pressures and through capture of regulators.

    In the Morocco chapter, we see the threat to media freedom presented by digital platforms owned by global tech giants. This is known as “infrastructural capture”. It means news organisations become dependent on tech giants to set the rules of the game for democratic communication.

    Another compelling case is Nigeria, where researchers explore ties between media ownership and political patronage. The authors argue that the Nigerian press is failing in its democratic duty because of its reliance on advertising and sponsorship income from the state. Added to this are ineffective regulatory mechanisms and close relationships with some big businesses that own newspapers and printing presses.

    How can media capture be resisted in the global south?

    The studies in the book show some ways forward and we do think it’s important to be optimistic! Resistance takes many forms. Sometimes it comes through legal and policy reform aimed at increasing transparency and media diversity. In other cases, it’s driven by social movements, investigative journalists and independent media who continue to operate under pressure.

    The chapter on Uganda shows that journalist groups working with media advocacy organisations can strategically act to resist government media capture and harmful regulations. For example, to push back against one legislative change, several groups formed a temporary network called Article 29 (named after the article in the Ugandan constitution protecting free speech) and the African Centre for Media Excellence produced a report criticising the proposed changes.



    Read more:
    Western media outlets are trying to fix their racist, stereotypical coverage of Africa. Is it time African media did the same?

    One of the chapters on Ghana also shows how networks such as journalists, media associations, human rights groups and legal organisations can mobilise to push back against government influence. Organisations including the Ghana Journalists Association and Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association have played key roles in, for example, taking the media regulator to court to overturn laws that would have led to censorship. These findings are echoed in Latin America, where research on Mexico and Colombia also found professional journalism to be a strong source of resistance.

    The conversation must also include rethinking how we define capture itself. If we frame it only as total control, we risk missing the everyday ways influence operates – and the spaces where it can be resisted. We would also say it’s really important that citizens are aware and alert to the issues when they think about how they access news media and what platforms they use. This is sometimes called “media literacy” and is about people being more knowledgeable about where trustworthy news comes from.

    You can listen to a podcast about the book over here.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. African media are threatened by governments and big tech – book tracks the latest trends – https://theconversation.com/african-media-are-threatened-by-governments-and-big-tech-book-tracks-the-latest-trends-258017

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Johannesburg’s creative hubs are booming: how artists are rejuvenating a failing inner city

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Mariapaola McGurk, Lecturer in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Johannesburg is weathering a storm of crises. Nowhere is its complex tangle of challenges more visible than in the inner city, where crime, overcrowding, and infrastructure collapse – such as roads literally exploding – paint a grim picture. Cultural institutions haven’t been spared either, with long-standing landmarks like the Johannesburg Art Gallery caught in cycles of neglect and crisis.



    Read more:
    South Africa doesn’t need new cities: it needs to focus on fixing what it’s got

    Yet, while many avoid the inner city or speak only of its decline, the creative and cultural practitioners of Johannesburg never left. In fact, artists, architects, fashion designers, animators, musicians and the like have been hard at work. They’re building, dreaming and shaping a new urban reality that could become the beacon of hope this city needs.

    As a researcher and visual artist, I recently completed a PhD study that focused on Johannesburg’s cultural and creative industries. My research revealed that a clear understanding of the existing structures and dynamics within this industry is essential for developing effective strategies to strengthen its role in local economic development.

    Here I explore one such opportunity: creative hubs. I argue that they represent a low-hanging fruit for the inner city’s growth and revitalisation.

    Urban renewal

    Numerous articles have explored strategies for the city’s economic development and urban renewal. One group of scholars recently outlined four critical focus areas: coordinated efforts across government levels; an active civil society; a shift in political culture; and restored leadership in a revitalised administration.

    These are vital interventions, but they still beg a deeper question. What is the new “gold” of the “City of Gold”, the mining town founded in 1886 and on track to become a megacity by 2030?

    What is it that truly sets Johannesburg apart, nationally and globally? What strengths already exist that, if nurtured, could help address the city’s challenges? The answer may not lie in building something entirely new, but in recognising and investing in what already thrives. The city’s people, its culture, and its extraordinary creativity.

    In 2004, Unesco launched the Creative Cities Network. Today it comprises 246 cities in 80 member states. South Africa has three cities in the network: Cape Town (design), Durban (literature) and Overstrand (gastronomy). Johannesburg has never applied to belong.

    Cities are acknowledging the economic and social value of the cultural and creative industries, particularly in addressing challenges such as youth unemployment, micro-enterprise growth, equity and community development.

    Yet cities globally are grappling with how to retain creative professionals. This is the case in cities like Toronto, Sydney, Los Angeles, Cologne or Barcelona. Rising property prices, the redevelopment of industrial areas into commercial or luxury spaces, and short-term rental agreements are displacing these professionals from the urban cores they help energise. Cities are coming up with incentives and programmes to correct this.

    A recent World Cities Cultural Forum report offers a solution in the form of Creative Land Trusts. These permanently hold land and assets at affordable rates for creatives. They take property out of speculative real estate markets. They’re designed to support not galleries or theatres, but the studios and workspaces where creative production actually happens.

    Similar initiatives are happening in London, Helsinki and San Francisco.

    Mapping Johannesburg’s creative hubs

    Unlike cities that are trying to reverse the exodus of creatives, Johannesburg’s inner city has seen a recent surge in creative hub development.

    A creative hub is a physical or digital space (in this case physical) designed to bring together cultural and creative professionals for studio space, collaboration, networking and the exchange of ideas.

    Over the last year, 21 creative hubs have been mapped in the city, the majority newly established. Notable examples include Transwerke Studios, Asisebenze Art Atelier, Victoria Yards and Oovookoo. Remarkably, 19 of the 21 hubs identified in my open-source mapping process are in the inner city. Only two are government run – Transwerke and Downtown Music Hub.

    Across Johannesburg, creative hubs buzz with independent activity, yet share a common commitment to cultivating talent, business support and community impact. They are evidence of innovative partnerships between creatives and property developers.

    Inside these spaces, artists and creatives get opportunities through gallerist and investor visits (access to markets). They build practical and entrepreneurial skills through tailored workshops. And they collaborate on projects that place social upliftment at their heart.

    Some hubs focus on offering studio spaces, while others extend their reach beyond their walls, blending artistic expression with community development and public engagement.

    By actively building community and opportunity, creative hubs are becoming

    lighthouses for the new urban economy.

    They are small business incubators, urban beautification engines and potential cultural tourism hotspots. An event like Contra Fair opens the doors of art studio hubs once a year. Entrepreneur and social activist Tebogo Moalusi has now taken the lead in the establishment of Creative20. This will become a platform for revitalising Johannesburg’s creative cities campaign.

    Neglected by the city

    And yet the cultural and creative industries remain almost entirely absent from the city’s strategic planning. The Johannesburg 2040: Growth and Development Strategy fails even to mention the sector.

    This is despite Gauteng, the province that houses Johannesburg, being the epicentre of South Africa’s creative economy. It contributes 46.3% of the industry’s gross domestic product and generates the highest employment impact. Johannesburg hosts the majority of creative businesses in the province.



    Read more:
    The real Johannesburg: 6 powerful photos from a gritty new book on the city

    The Gauteng 2030 Strategy highlights three high-growth sectors: agro-processing, cultural and creative industries, and high-tech/knowledge sectors, including digital and gaming. Two of these directly involve the creative economy. Yet there’s been little effort to integrate them into Johannesburg’s urban development agenda.

    If Johannesburg is serious about inclusive economic development and sustainable urban growth, it must recognise and invest in the cultural and creative industries which are already thriving within its borders.

    Mariapaola McGurk consults to Creative20 Organisation

    – ref. Johannesburg’s creative hubs are booming: how artists are rejuvenating a failing inner city – https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-creative-hubs-are-booming-how-artists-are-rejuvenating-a-failing-inner-city-260224

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NCDHHS, First Lady Anna Stein Celebrate Launch of Unshame NC, A Public Awareness Campaign to Reduce Stigma and Promote Evidence-Based Care for Substance Use Disorder

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: NCDHHS, First Lady Anna Stein Celebrate Launch of Unshame NC, A Public Awareness Campaign to Reduce Stigma and Promote Evidence-Based Care for Substance Use Disorder

    NCDHHS, First Lady Anna Stein Celebrate Launch of Unshame NC, A Public Awareness Campaign to Reduce Stigma and Promote Evidence-Based Care for Substance Use Disorder
    jawerner

    The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and First Lady Anna Stein, in collaboration with Shatterproof, announced the launch of the Unshame North Carolina (Unshame NC) campaign to end stigma related to substance use disorder. Unshame NC has two primary goals: to increase knowledge and awareness of substance use disorder and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) as a treatment option.

    “Stigma is deeply rooted and causes real harm to people and communities across North Carolina,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “Unshame NC is part of a collaborative effort from all of us to end stigma, build acceptance and increase support for treatment for people on their path to recovery.”

    Many people struggling with substance use don’t seek help because of stigma,” said North Carolina First Lady Anna Stein. “This campaign will highlight the stories of people who have experience with substance use disorder and recovery and bring greater awareness to effective methods of treatment for opioid use disorder.”

    NCDHHS and First Lady Stein launched Unshame NC this morning at the Wake County Drug Overdose Prevention Coalition meeting. The website, https://www.unshamenc.org/ includes testimonials from North Carolinians sharing their personal stories of substance use, hope and recovery. Facebook and Instagram content will help drive users to the website, which provides links to resources, including information on how to find the right treatment center, and guidance for providers and for family members seeking care for a loved one. NCDHHS contracted with national non-profit Shatterproof to develop and implement the Unshame NC campaign.

    Recent data from a statewide survey indicates 57% of North Carolinians know someone with opioid use disorder. Despite this widespread issue, only 34% of North Carolina residents know how to find quality treatment for themselves or their loved ones. Additionally, only one in five adults in North Carolina recognizes that opioid use disorder is a medical condition. These findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive education that connects people to lifesaving resources and treatment.

    “There’s no better evidence that recovery is real than a life changed,” said Kelly Crosbie, MSW LCSW, NCDHHS Director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services. “We’re pairing the stories of people in recovery with a statewide effort to increase access to MOUD, so more people can benefit from evidence-based care. Real access means supporting people on the recovery journey that makes sense for them, without judgment—and offering them every opportunity for lifesaving treatment, that includes MOUD.”

    Unshame NC focuses on the voices and experiences of North Carolinians impacted by substance use disorder. Through storytelling, education, and grassroots activation, the campaign demonstrates that people with substance use disorder are valued members of our communities—our family, neighbors, and coworkers—and highlights actionable ways we can ensure everyone has the support they need to thrive.

    “While most North Carolinians believe that people with SUD can recover with treatment, stigma and misinformation can create barriers to care,” said Courtney McKeon, Senior Vice President for Shatterproof’s National Stigma Initiative and longtime resident of The Research Triangle. “We see this often regarding medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), a gold standard of care. Through the stories of North Carolinians, we have the opportunity to increase understanding of all treatment options and support individuals on their path to improved health and wellness.”

    “It’s not just about overdoses. It’s not just about lives that were lost or lives that were saved,” says Michael, one of Unshame NC’s story sharers. “It’s also about how we treat the people who went through it and how we bring them out of the shadows. How do we welcome them back into society? How do we get them back to where we need to be? And that requires a lot of folks like me to speak out and help break the stigma.”

    People with substance use disorder flourish in environments that offer both community support and multiple pathways for treatment. If you want to share your story with NCDHHS and Unshame NC, you can get involved by filling out a Story Sharer Interest Form or joining the Unshame NC coalition. 

    Follow @UnshameNC on Facebook and Instagram or visit us at www.UnshameNC.org to hear people’s stories and learn more.

    If you or someone you know is in crisis, NCDHHS provides somewhere to go, someone to talk to and someone to respond. You can find the help that is right for you 24/7 on the NCDHHS Crisis Services website.

    The 988 Lifeline Chat and Text – 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available to everyone 24/7 by call, text, or chat.

    North Carolinians can call the 24/7 Peer Warmline at 1-855-PEERS NC (855-733-7762) to speak with a Peer Support Specialist. Peer Support Specialists (or “peers”) are people living in recovery with mental illness and/or substance use disorder who provide support to others who may have similar life experiences and can benefit from their lived experiences. 

    The NC Recovery Helpline (800-688-4232) offers support and referrals for treatment and resources.

    ###

    About Shatterproof

    Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the U.S. Shatterproof is focused on guiding communities, removing systemic barriers to recovery, mobilizing the country to advocate for change, and ending stigma in the United States. Find Shatterproof on Facebook, X, and YouTube or follow us on Instagram. To learn more, visit www.Shatterproof.org.

    El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés) y la Primera Dama Anna Stein, en colaboración con Shatterproof, anunciaron el lanzamiento de la campaña Unshame North Carolina (Unshame NC) para poner fin al estigma relacionado con el trastorno por consumo de sustancias. Unshame NC tiene dos objetivos principales: aumentar el conocimiento y la conciencia del trastorno por consumo de sustancias y los medicamentos para el trastorno por consumo de opioides (MOUD) como opción de tratamiento.

    “El estigma está profundamente arraigado y causa un daño real a las personas y comunidades de Carolina del Norte”, dijo el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, Dev Sangvai. “Unshame NC es parte de un esfuerzo de colaboración de todos nosotros para poner fin al estigma, generar aceptación y aumentar el apoyo para el tratamiento de las personas en su camino hacia la recuperación”.

    Muchas personas que luchan con el uso de sustancias no buscan ayuda debido al estigma”, dijo la primera dama de Carolina del Norte, Anna Stein. “Esta campaña destacará las historias de las personas que tienen experiencia con el trastorno por consumo de sustancias y la recuperación y generará una mayor conciencia sobre los métodos efectivos de tratamiento para el trastorno por consumo de opioides”.

    NCDHHS y la Primera Dama Stein lanzaron Unshame NC esta mañana en la reunión de la Coalición de Prevención de Sobredosis de Drogas del Condado de Wake. El sitio web, https://www.unshamenc.org/ incluye testimonios de habitantes de Carolina del Norte que comparten sus historias personales sobre el uso de sustancias, la esperanza y la recuperación. El contenido de Facebook e Instagram ayudará a dirigir a los usuarios al sitio web, que proporciona enlaces a recursos, incluso la información sobre cómo encontrar el centro de tratamiento adecuado, y orientación para los proveedores y para los familiares que buscan atención para un ser querido. NCDHHS contrató a la organización nacional sin fines de lucro Shatterproof para desarrollar e implementar la campaña Unshame NC.

    Datos recientes de una encuesta estatal indican que el 57% de los habitantes de Carolina del Norte conocen a alguien con trastorno por consumo de opioides. A pesar de este problema generalizado, solo el 34% de los residentes de Carolina del Norte saben cómo encontrar un tratamiento de calidad para ellos o sus seres queridos. Además, solo uno de cada cinco adultos en Carolina del Norte reconoce que el trastorno por uso de opioides es una afección médica. Estos hallazgos resaltan la necesidad urgente de una educación integral que conecte a las personas con recursos y tratamientos que salvan vidas.

    “No hay mejor evidencia de que la recuperación es real que una vida cambiada”, dijo Kelly Crosbie, MSW LCSW, Directora de NCDHHS de la División de Salud Mental, Discapacidades del Desarrollo y Servicios de Uso de Sustancias. “Estamos combinando las historias de las personas en recuperación con un esfuerzo estatal para aumentar el acceso a medicamentos para el trastorno por uso de opioides (MOUD, por sus siglas en inglés), para que más personas puedan beneficiarse de la atención basada en la evidencia. El acceso real significa apoyar a las personas en el viaje de recuperación que tiene sentido para ellas, sin juzgarlas, y ofrecerles todas las oportunidades para un tratamiento que salve vidas, esto incluye MOUD”.

    Unshame NC se centra en las voces y experiencias de los habitantes de Carolina del Norte afectados por el trastorno por consumo de sustancias. A través de la narración de historias, la educación y la movilización popular, la campaña demuestra que las personas con trastorno por uso de sustancias son miembros valiosos de nuestras comunidades (nuestra familia, vecinos y compañeros de trabajo) y destaca las formas prácticas en que podemos garantizar que todos tengan el apoyo que necesitan para prosperar.

    “Si bien la mayoría de los habitantes de Carolina del Norte creen que las personas con trastornos por uso de sustancias (SUD, por sus siglas en inglés) pueden recuperarse con tratamiento, el estigma y la desinformación pueden crear barreras para la atención”, dijo Courtney McKeon, vicepresidenta senior de la Iniciativa Nacional de Estigma de Shatterproof (Shatterproof’s National Stigma Initiative) y habitante desde hace mucho tiempo del Research Triangle. “Vemos esto a menudo con respecto a los medicamentos para el trastorno por uso de opioides (MOUD), un estándar de oro de atención. A través de las historias de los habitantes de Carolina del Norte, tenemos la oportunidad de aumentar la comprensión de todas las opciones de tratamiento y apoyar a las personas en su camino hacia una mejor salud y bienestar”.

    “No se trata solo de sobredosis. No se trata solo de vidas que se perdieron o de vidas que se salvaron”, dice Michael, uno de los participantes de la historia de Unshame NC. “También se trata de cómo tratamos a las personas que pasaron por eso y cómo las sacamos de las sombras. ¿Cómo los recibimos de nuevo a la sociedad? ¿Cómo conseguir que vuelvan a estar a donde tenemos que estar? Y eso requiere que mucha gente como yo hable y ayude a romper el estigma”.

    Las personas con trastorno por uso de sustancias prosperan en entornos que ofrecen tanto apoyo comunitario como múltiples vías de tratamiento. Si quiere compartir su historia con NCDHHS y Unshame NC, puedes participar completando un Formulario de interés para compartir historias o uniéndose a la coalición Unshame NC. 

    Siga @UnshameNC en Facebook y Instagram o visítenos en el sitio web; www.UnshameNC.org para escuchar las historias de las personas y obtener más información.

    Si usted o alguien que conoce está en crisis, NCDHHS proporciona un lugar a donde ir, alguien con quien hablar y alguien quien responde. Puede encontrar la ayuda adecuada para usted las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana en el sitio web de Servicios de crisis de NCDHHS.

    La línea 988 de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis (988 Lifeline Chat and Text – 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) es gratuita, confidencial y está disponible para todos 24/7 por llamada, mensaje de texto o chat.

    Los habitantes de Carolina del Norte pueden llamar a la Línea de Ayuda de Pares al 1-855-PEERS NC (855-733-7762) para hablar con un Especialista en Apoyo de Pares. Los especialistas en apoyo entre pares (o “pares”) son personas que viven en recuperación con enfermedades mentales y/o trastornos por uso de sustancias quienes brindan apoyo a otras personas que pueden tener experiencias de vida similares y pueden beneficiarse de sus experiencias vividas. La línea de ayuda para Recuperación NC (NC Recovery Helpline) (800-688-4232) ofrece apoyo y referencias para tratamiento y recursos.

    ###

    Acerca de Shatterproof

    Shatterproof es una organización nacional sin fines de lucro dedicada a revertir la crisis de adicción en los EE. UU. Shatterproof se centra en guiar a las comunidades, eliminar las barreras sistémicas para la recuperación, movilizar al país para abogar por el cambio y poner fin al estigma en los Estados Unidos. Encuentra Shatterproof en Facebook, X y YouTube o síguenos en Instagram. Para obtener más información, visita www.Shatterproof.org.

    Jul 21, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

    Source: US FBI

    In June 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a federal arrest warrant for Mosquera Serrano after he was charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, as well as conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the U.S.

    Formed in the early 2010s, TdA has recently exploded in membership and criminal activity in the U. S.

    “At first, TdA was primarily composed of former inmates and individuals from Venezuela,” said Soyez. “Over time, the gang and the organization evolved. They became a more structured and powerful criminal group involved in various activities, including drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking.”

    The gang’s influence has spread throughout Latin America and into the U.S., and they have established major networks for drug distribution, weapons trafficking, and human trafficking—and have even partnered with other criminal organizations.

    For law enforcement trying to protect their communities, this transnational organized crime system creates a challenge.

    “What we’ve seen over time, as we look back in our history dealing with transnational organized crime, is how quickly these criminal organizations can spread,” said Soyez. “We know the instability they can cause to our cities and our communities, and so I think from the FBI’s perspective, it’s something we want to be ahead of.”

    The FBI and law enforcement partners are focused on finding these dangerous criminals and bringing justice to victims of their crimes. Adding Mosquera Serrano to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list provides an opportunity for law enforcement to work with the public in fighting transnational organized crime across the country.

    “With TdA, we’ve seen instances of extreme violence and intimidation, causing a terror in our communities,” said Soyez. “Naming Mosquera Serrano as a Top Ten fugitive really highlights TdA and shows our aggressiveness to go after its leadership.”

    Mosquera Serrano is 37 years old and has black hair and brown eyes. He is a Venezuelan national and speaks Spanish. Aliases include Jhovanni San Vicente, “El Viejo,” and Jhovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano.

    Investigators believe that Mosquera Serrano may be in Venezuela or Colombia and that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

    “The FBI, along with our federal partners and international partners, can seek justice in foreign countries, and so, we would encourage those with any information, whether it’s inside the U.S. or another country, to please report that information because the FBI has the ability to bring justice and arrest Mosquera Serrano, even if it’s not within the United States,” said Soyez.

    If you have any information about Mosquera Serrano, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American embassy or consulate or call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). You can also submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov or contact the FBI via WhatsApp at 571-379-3951. WhatsApp is neither a government-operated nor a government-controlled platform.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: ETHRANSACTION’s new Cloud Mining contracts makes it easier to yield stablecoins such as BTC, ETH, DOGE, XRP and LTC

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Kansas City, Missouri, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  According to the current financial system of the crypto market, the turbulence continues, and the cloud mining industry is also becoming more and more fierce. Nowadays, using stablecoins to participate in cloud mining is the safest and wisest choice.

    ETHRANSACTION has become an industry leader with safe, reliable, legal, and advanced equipment and artificial intelligence management!

    Follow the ETHRANSACTION platform to help you achieve a daily income of $36,677 (risk-free)

    The ETHRANSACTION platform allows individuals to generate digital currencies remotely for operation and generate substantial and fixed daily income-simplifying cumbersome processes so that users can easily obtain cryptocurrencies without placing expensive equipment or dealing with complex technology.

    Founded in 2017, ETHRANSACTION has obtained all the necessary licenses issued by the British government and has now developed into one of the world’s top and most well-known cloud mining companies. With its advanced facilities, anyone can trade mainstream digital currencies such as Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ripple, and Bitcoin with just a laptop or mobile device.

    ETHRANSACTION prioritizes security and uses industry best practices, including SSL encryption, L&G insurance, and an effective risk prevention system. These security protocols ensure that user data and funds are always safe and confidential.

    Join Now and Enjoy the Welcome Bonus
    ETHRANSACTION offers opportunities for everyone who wants to make money with cryptocurrencies, regardless of their level of expertise. New users can get an instant $19 welcome bonus when they sign up and start mining immediately without any upfront costs or expensive equipment installation.

    High profit potential through first-class plans
    ETHRANSACTION offers contract plans tailored to meet the needs of small and large traders. Participants can start mining for free and get rewards by simply registering as one of ETHRANSACTION users. To make more profits, you need to choose the best contract plan for yourself:

    Buy $100 contract | Earn: $118, total profit $18

    Buy $600 contract | Earn $652.5, total profit $52.5

    Buy $1300 contract | Earn $1536.6, total profit $236.6

    Buy $6300 contract | Earn $8741.25, total profit $2441.25

    Buy $47000 | Earn: $98183, total profit $51183

    All contract plans on the platform are transparent and open, and you can choose the one that suits you when investing.

    ETHRANSACTION has a simple interface and security protection.

    The mining range is wide, and buyers can profit from a variety of altcoins depending on market fluctuations. The currencies that can be mined include: BTC, LTC, BCH and DOGE and other altcoins and obtain.

    The best quality security infrastructure, protected by SSL encryption, insured by L&G, and trusted by large financial institutions

    The sustainable mining process is carried out through 100% renewable energy, ensuring environmental safety and compliance with international standards

    Earn up to 6% permanent commission for each friend referral and exclusive access to a $370,000 reward pool.

    Ethereum 2.0 progress and institutional demand have allowed Ethereum to maintain its position as one of the most popular blockchain technologies. At most, ETH traders can only quadruple their holdings with this modest growth. In contrast, cloud mining with ETHRANSACTION provides a faster and more efficient way to make profits without the risk of keeping ETH savings or market fluctuations.

    ETHRANSACTION Generates Income Even When Traders Are on Vacation
    At a time when passive cash flow is more important than ever, ETHRANSACTION makes it easy and safe for individuals to join the cryptocurrency industry. The network’s legitimacy, security, convenience, and benefits make it an ideal solution for both new and professional investors.

    ETHRANSACTION provides users with the tools they need to mine and create wealth at scale, whether they want to be completely self-reliant or want a flexible income stream.

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    For more information, please visit the official website: https://ethransaction.vip or contact us via
    email: info@ethransaction.vip

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: ETHRANSACTION Redefines Digital Wealth Creation with One-Click Cloud Mining Contracts

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Louisville, Kentucky, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ETHRANSACTION, the world’s leading compliant cloud mining platform, is redefining the path to wealth creation in digital assets with disruptive technical strength and ultra-high return model! No mining machine, no technology, one-click to start your stable income engine.

    Why are global investors flocking to ETHRANSACTION?

    “Zero-cost start” benefits of real money
    Sign up and get $19! Log in every day to buy a $19 trial contract to earn $0.9, and get up to $46 in additional rewards for 30 consecutive days. Use the start-up funds given by the platform for free to experience the magic of “lying down to earn” digital assets.

    Ultra-high daily interest contracts, visible income
    The platform provides a ladder-type smart contract, and the daily income is transparently credited. For example:
    Invest $23,000 to purchase S21 intermediate contracts (45 days, daily interest rate 1.85%)
    → Daily income = $23,000 × 1.85% = $425.5
    → Total income in 45 days = $425.5 × 45 = $19,147.5
    → The total principal and interest is as high as $42,147.5!
    (Note: Sample data is for reference only, and multiple plans and contracts are available for free selection)
    Contract price $100, contract period 2 days, daily income $9, total income $100+$18, (interest settled every 24 hours)

    Contract price $600.00, contract period 5 days, daily income $7.5, total income $600.00 + $37.5, (interest settled every 24 hours)

    Contract price $1300, contract period 14 days, daily income $16.9, total income $1300 + $236.6, (interest settled every 24 hours)

    Triple fortress-level security

    Fund insurance: Cooperate with British L&G Insurance Company, asset underwriting without worries

    Technical protection: McAfee® anti-hacker + Cloudflare® anti-DDoS attack, financial-grade SSL encryption

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    Flexible multi-currency, free control of income
    Support BTC, ETH, USDT, DOGE, DOGE and other 10+ mainstream currency settlements, withdrawal threshold is only $100! Income can be reinvested or withdrawn at any time, truly realizing “free deposit and worry-free withdrawal”.

    Three steps to start your “after-sleep income” money printing machine:
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    Complete certification in 1 minute, $19 bonus will be credited immediately, and start daily automatic income.

    Smart contract selection, customized wealth plan
    From $100 lightweight to $330,000 professional contracts, matching different amounts of funds and goals. All plans have 0 service fees, 0 management fees, and 100% of the income belongs to you!

    Sit back and enjoy the income, and your wealth will grow automatically
    After purchasing the contract, the income will be automatically credited to your account the next day! When your account reaches $100, you can withdraw the currency to any wallet, or roll over the large income with compound interest.

    Fission Wealth Alliance: Make a crazy profit of $370,000+ by recommending!

    ETHRANSACTION launches the strongest recommendation mechanism in the industry:
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     The cumulative referral bonus pool is as high as $370,000——Connections are gold mines!

    Beware of fake platforms! Look for the ETHRANSACTION core logo:
    ✅ UK FSA regulatory number available

    ✅ 100% clean energy mining, zero carbon footprint

    ✅ Enterprise-level IDC room, 99.99% online rate throughout the year

    ✅ 24/7 multilingual real-time customer service, 5-minute response to work orders

    Wealth Revelation: In the era of encryption where computing power is king, ETHRANSACTION has popularized institutional-level mining income by aggregating the world’s top mining resources and AI dynamic optimization system. Whether you are a beginner trying the digital economy or a professional player seeking asset hedging, you only need one choice to take this high-speed “passive income train”.

    Take action now! Scan the QR code to download the official APP (support iOS/Android) or log in to the official website directly through the browser https://ethransaction.vip Automatic Wealth Creation Plan

    Email: info@ethransaction.vip
    Website: https://www.ethransaction.vip

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African media are threatened by governments and big tech – book tracks the latest trends

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hayes Mabweazara, Senior Lecturer in Sociological & Cultural Studies (Media, Culture & Society), University of Glasgow

    Media capture happens when media outlets lose their independence and fall under the influence of political or financial interests. This often leads to news content that favours power instead of public accountability.

    Media Capture in Africa and Latin America: Power and Resistance is a new book edited by news media scholars Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara and Bethia Pearson. It explores how this dynamic plays out in the global south and how journalists and citizens are resisting it. We asked them four questions.

    What is media capture and how has it reshaped itself in recent times?

    Media capture describes how media outlets are influenced, manipulated or controlled by powerful actors – often governments or large corporations – to serve their interests. It’s an idea that helps us understand how powerful groups in society can have a negative influence on news media. While this idea isn’t new, what has changed is how subtly and pervasively it now operates.

    These groups include big technology organisations that own digital media platforms – such as X, owned by xAI (Elon Musk), and Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta. But it’s also important to consider Google as a large search engine that shapes the news content and audience of many other platforms.

    Palgrave Macmillan

    This matters because the media are important for the functioning of democratic societies. Ideally, they provide information, represent different groups and issues in society, and hold powerful actors to account.

    For example, one of the key roles of the media is to provide accurate information for citizens to be able to decide how to vote in elections. Or to decide what they think about important issues. One big concern, then, is the effect of inaccurate or biased information on democracy.

    Or it might be that accurate information is harder to access because algorithms and platforms make it easier to access inaccurate or biased information. These can be intended and unintended consequences of the technology itself, but algorithms can amplify misinformation and fake news – especially if this content has the potential to go viral.

    So, what’s particular about media capture in the global south?

    This is a really interesting question that is still being investigated, but we have some ideas.

    First of all, it’s useful to know that media capture scholarship from the global north emerged around the time of the 2008 financial crisis. The influence of financial institutions on business journalists was one of the first areas of study. Since then, research in the US has focused on the capture of government-funded media organisations like Voice of America. And on how digital platforms like Google and Facebook can lead to capture.

    In the global south, scholars have drawn attention to the importance of large media corporations in understanding media capture. For example, in Latin America, there’s a high level of what’s called “media concentration”. This is when many media outlets are owned by a few companies. These companies often own companies in other sectors, which means that critical reporting on business interests presents a conflict of interest.

    Read more: Public trust in the media is at a new low: a radical rethink of journalism is needed

    But to focus on Africa, scholars have drawn attention to governments as a source of pressure on journalists and editors. This can be through direct pressure or what we might call “covert” pressure. Withholding advertising that helps to fund media outlets is an example, or offering financial incentives to stop investigating certain topics.

    Researchers are also concerned about the influence of big tech in Africa. Digital platforms like Google and Facebook can shape the news and information that citizens have access to.

    Can you share some of the studies from the book?

    Our book includes many interesting studies – from Colombia, Brazil and Mexico in Latin America to Ethiopia and Morocco in Africa. We’ll share a few African cases here to give an overview of the issues.

    The book’s contribution on Ghana warns us that although more overt “old” types of media capture may have subsided, transitional democracies can feature messier, more nuanced forms of media control. This can be evident in government pressures and through capture of regulators.

    In the Morocco chapter, we see the threat to media freedom presented by digital platforms owned by global tech giants. This is known as “infrastructural capture”. It means news organisations become dependent on tech giants to set the rules of the game for democratic communication.

    Another compelling case is Nigeria, where researchers explore ties between media ownership and political patronage. The authors argue that the Nigerian press is failing in its democratic duty because of its reliance on advertising and sponsorship income from the state. Added to this are ineffective regulatory mechanisms and close relationships with some big businesses that own newspapers and printing presses.

    How can media capture be resisted in the global south?

    The studies in the book show some ways forward and we do think it’s important to be optimistic! Resistance takes many forms. Sometimes it comes through legal and policy reform aimed at increasing transparency and media diversity. In other cases, it’s driven by social movements, investigative journalists and independent media who continue to operate under pressure.

    The chapter on Uganda shows that journalist groups working with media advocacy organisations can strategically act to resist government media capture and harmful regulations. For example, to push back against one legislative change, several groups formed a temporary network called Article 29 (named after the article in the Ugandan constitution protecting free speech) and the African Centre for Media Excellence produced a report criticising the proposed changes.

    Read more: Western media outlets are trying to fix their racist, stereotypical coverage of Africa. Is it time African media did the same?

    One of the chapters on Ghana also shows how networks such as journalists, media associations, human rights groups and legal organisations can mobilise to push back against government influence. Organisations including the Ghana Journalists Association and Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association have played key roles in, for example, taking the media regulator to court to overturn laws that would have led to censorship. These findings are echoed in Latin America, where research on Mexico and Colombia also found professional journalism to be a strong source of resistance.

    The conversation must also include rethinking how we define capture itself. If we frame it only as total control, we risk missing the everyday ways influence operates – and the spaces where it can be resisted. We would also say it’s really important that citizens are aware and alert to the issues when they think about how they access news media and what platforms they use. This is sometimes called “media literacy” and is about people being more knowledgeable about where trustworthy news comes from.

    You can listen to a podcast about the book over here.

    – African media are threatened by governments and big tech – book tracks the latest trends
    – https://theconversation.com/african-media-are-threatened-by-governments-and-big-tech-book-tracks-the-latest-trends-258017

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Johannesburg’s creative hubs are booming: how artists are rejuvenating a failing inner city

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Mariapaola McGurk, Lecturer in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Johannesburg is weathering a storm of crises. Nowhere is its complex tangle of challenges more visible than in the inner city, where crime, overcrowding, and infrastructure collapse – such as roads literally exploding – paint a grim picture. Cultural institutions haven’t been spared either, with long-standing landmarks like the Johannesburg Art Gallery caught in cycles of neglect and crisis.

    Read more: South Africa doesn’t need new cities: it needs to focus on fixing what it’s got

    Yet, while many avoid the inner city or speak only of its decline, the creative and cultural practitioners of Johannesburg never left. In fact, artists, architects, fashion designers, animators, musicians and the like have been hard at work. They’re building, dreaming and shaping a new urban reality that could become the beacon of hope this city needs.

    As a researcher and visual artist, I recently completed a PhD study that focused on Johannesburg’s cultural and creative industries. My research revealed that a clear understanding of the existing structures and dynamics within this industry is essential for developing effective strategies to strengthen its role in local economic development.

    Here I explore one such opportunity: creative hubs. I argue that they represent a low-hanging fruit for the inner city’s growth and revitalisation.

    Urban renewal

    Numerous articles have explored strategies for the city’s economic development and urban renewal. One group of scholars recently outlined four critical focus areas: coordinated efforts across government levels; an active civil society; a shift in political culture; and restored leadership in a revitalised administration.

    These are vital interventions, but they still beg a deeper question. What is the new “gold” of the “City of Gold”, the mining town founded in 1886 and on track to become a megacity by 2030?

    Work by artist Candice Kramer at Bag Factory Artists Studios. Mark Straw

    What is it that truly sets Johannesburg apart, nationally and globally? What strengths already exist that, if nurtured, could help address the city’s challenges? The answer may not lie in building something entirely new, but in recognising and investing in what already thrives. The city’s people, its culture, and its extraordinary creativity.

    In 2004, Unesco launched the Creative Cities Network. Today it comprises 246 cities in 80 member states. South Africa has three cities in the network: Cape Town (design), Durban (literature) and Overstrand (gastronomy). Johannesburg has never applied to belong.

    Cities are acknowledging the economic and social value of the cultural and creative industries, particularly in addressing challenges such as youth unemployment, micro-enterprise growth, equity and community development.

    Artist Mankebe Seakoe at Contra Fair. Mark Straw

    Yet cities globally are grappling with how to retain creative professionals. This is the case in cities like Toronto, Sydney, Los Angeles, Cologne or Barcelona. Rising property prices, the redevelopment of industrial areas into commercial or luxury spaces, and short-term rental agreements are displacing these professionals from the urban cores they help energise. Cities are coming up with incentives and programmes to correct this.

    A recent World Cities Cultural Forum report offers a solution in the form of Creative Land Trusts. These permanently hold land and assets at affordable rates for creatives. They take property out of speculative real estate markets. They’re designed to support not galleries or theatres, but the studios and workspaces where creative production actually happens.

    Similar initiatives are happening in London, Helsinki and San Francisco.

    Mapping Johannesburg’s creative hubs

    Unlike cities that are trying to reverse the exodus of creatives, Johannesburg’s inner city has seen a recent surge in creative hub development.

    A creative hub is a physical or digital space (in this case physical) designed to bring together cultural and creative professionals for studio space, collaboration, networking and the exchange of ideas.

    Some creative hubs offer gallery spaces. Mark Straw

    Over the last year, 21 creative hubs have been mapped in the city, the majority newly established. Notable examples include Transwerke Studios, Asisebenze Art Atelier, Victoria Yards and Oovookoo. Remarkably, 19 of the 21 hubs identified in my open-source mapping process are in the inner city. Only two are government run – Transwerke and Downtown Music Hub.

    Across Johannesburg, creative hubs buzz with independent activity, yet share a common commitment to cultivating talent, business support and community impact. They are evidence of innovative partnerships between creatives and property developers.

    Mapping Johannesburg’s creative hubs. Google Maps/Mariapaola McGurk

    Inside these spaces, artists and creatives get opportunities through gallerist and investor visits (access to markets). They build practical and entrepreneurial skills through tailored workshops. And they collaborate on projects that place social upliftment at their heart.

    Some hubs focus on offering studio spaces, while others extend their reach beyond their walls, blending artistic expression with community development and public engagement.

    By actively building community and opportunity, creative hubs are becoming

    lighthouses for the new urban economy.

    They are small business incubators, urban beautification engines and potential cultural tourism hotspots. An event like Contra Fair opens the doors of art studio hubs once a year. Entrepreneur and social activist Tebogo Moalusi has now taken the lead in the establishment of Creative20. This will become a platform for revitalising Johannesburg’s creative cities campaign.

    Neglected by the city

    And yet the cultural and creative industries remain almost entirely absent from the city’s strategic planning. The Johannesburg 2040: Growth and Development Strategy fails even to mention the sector.

    Bag Factory Artists Studios hosting a public event. Mark Straw

    This is despite Gauteng, the province that houses Johannesburg, being the epicentre of South Africa’s creative economy. It contributes 46.3% of the industry’s gross domestic product and generates the highest employment impact. Johannesburg hosts the majority of creative businesses in the province.

    Read more: The real Johannesburg: 6 powerful photos from a gritty new book on the city

    The Gauteng 2030 Strategy highlights three high-growth sectors: agro-processing, cultural and creative industries, and high-tech/knowledge sectors, including digital and gaming. Two of these directly involve the creative economy. Yet there’s been little effort to integrate them into Johannesburg’s urban development agenda.

    If Johannesburg is serious about inclusive economic development and sustainable urban growth, it must recognise and invest in the cultural and creative industries which are already thriving within its borders.

    – Johannesburg’s creative hubs are booming: how artists are rejuvenating a failing inner city
    – https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-creative-hubs-are-booming-how-artists-are-rejuvenating-a-failing-inner-city-260224

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Africa’s minerals are being bartered for security: why it’s a bad idea

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hanri Mostert, SARChI Chair for Mineral Law in Africa, University of Cape Town

    A US-brokered peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda binds the two African nations to a worrying arrangement: one where a country signs away its mineral resources to a superpower in return for opaque assurances of security.

    The peace deal, signed in June 2025, aims to end three decades of conflict between the DRC and Rwanda.

    A key part of the agreement binds both nations to developing a regional economic integration framework. This arrangement would expand cooperation between the two states, the US government and American investors on “transparent, formalized end-to-end mineral chains”.

    Despite its immense mineral wealth, the DRC is among the five poorest countries in the world. It has been seeking US investment in its mineral sector.

    The US has in turn touted a potential multi-billion-dollar investment programme to anchor its mineral supply chains in the traumatised and poor territory.

    The peace that the June 2025 deal promises, therefore, hinges on chaining mineral supply to the US in exchange for Washington’s powerful – but vaguely formulated – military oversight.

    The peace agreement further establishes a joint oversight committee – with representatives from the African Union, Qatar and the US – to receive complaints and resolve disputes between the DRC and Rwanda.

    But beyond the joint oversight committee, the peace deal creates no specific security obligations for the US.

    The relationship between the DRC and Rwanda has been marred by war and tension since the bloody First (1996-1997) and Second (1998-2003) Congo wars. At the heart of much of this conflict is the DRC’s mineral wealth. It has fuelled competition, exploitation and armed violence.

    This latest peace deal introduces a resources-for-security arrangement. Such deals aren’t new in Africa. They first emerged in the early 2000s as resources-for-infrastructure transactions. Here, a foreign state would agree to build economic and social infrastructure (roads, ports, airports, hospitals) in an African state. In exchange, it would get a major stake in a government-owned mining company. Or gain preferential access to the host country’s minerals.

    We have studied mineral law and governance in Africa for more than 20 years. The question that emerges now is whether a US-brokered resources-for-security agreement will help the DRC benefit from its resources.

    Based on our research on mining, development and sustainability, we believe this is unlikely.

    This is because resources-for-security is the latest version of a resource-bartering approach that China and Russia pioneered in countries such as Angola, the Central African Republic and the DRC.

    Resource bartering in Africa has eroded the sovereignty and bargaining power of mineral-rich nations such as the DRC and Angola.

    Further, resources-for-security deals are less transparent and more complicated than prior resource bartering agreements.

    DRC’s security gaps

    The DRC is endowed with major deposits of critical minerals like cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and tantalum. These are the building blocks for 21st century technologies: artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, wind energy and military security hardware. Rwanda has less mineral wealth than its neighbour, but is the world’s third-largest producer of tantalum, used in electronics, aerospace and medical devices.

    For almost 30 years, minerals have fuelled conflict and severe violence, especially in eastern DRC. Tungsten, tantalum and gold (referred to as 3TG) finance and drive conflict as government forces and an estimated 130 armed groups vie for control over lucrative mining sites. Several reports and studies have implicated the DRC’s neighbours – Rwanda and Uganda – in supporting the illegal extraction of 3TG in this region.

    The DRC government has failed to extend security over its vast (2.3 million square kilometres) and diverse territory (109 million people, representing 250 ethnic groups). Limited resources, logistical challenges and corruption have weakened its armed forces.

    This context makes the United States’ military backing enormously attractive. But our research shows there are traps.

    What states risk losing

    Resources-for-infrastructure and resources-for-security deals generally offer African nations short-term stability, financing or global goodwill. However, the costs are often long-term because of an erosion of sovereign control.

    Here’s how this happens:

    Examples of loss or near-loss of sovereignty from these sorts of deals abound in Africa.

    For instance, Angola’s US$2 billion oil-backed loan from China Eximbank in 2004. This was repayable in monthly deliveries of oil, with revenues directed to Chinese-controlled accounts. The loan’s design deprived Angolan authorities of decision-making power over that income stream even before the oil was extracted.

    These deals also fragment accountability. They often span multiple ministries (such as defence, mining and trade), avoiding robust oversight or accountability. Fragmentation makes resource sectors vulnerable to elite capture. Powerful insiders can manipulate agreements for private gain.

    In the DRC, this has created a violent kleptocracy, where resource wealth is systematically diverted away from popular benefit.

    Finally, there is the risk of re-entrenching extractive trauma. Communities displaced for mining and environmental degradation in many countries across Africa illustrate the long-standing harm to livelihoods, health and social cohesion.

    These are not new problems. But where extraction is tied to security or infrastructure, such damage risks becoming permanent features, not temporary costs.

    What needs to change

    Critical minerals are “critical” because they’re hard to mine or substitute. Additionally, their supply chains are strategically vulnerable and politically exposed. Whoever controls these minerals controls the future. Africa must make sure it doesn’t trade that future away.

    In a world being reshaped by global interests in critical minerals, African states must not underestimate the strategic value of their mineral resources. They hold considerable leverage.

    But leverage only works if it is wielded strategically. This means:

    • investing in institutional strength and legal capacity to negotiate better deals

    • demanding local value creation and addition

    • requiring transparency and parliamentary oversight for minerals-related agreements

    • refusing deals that bypass human rights, environmental or sovereignty standards.

    Africa has the resources. It must hold on to the power they wield.

    – Africa’s minerals are being bartered for security: why it’s a bad idea
    – https://theconversation.com/africas-minerals-are-being-bartered-for-security-why-its-a-bad-idea-260594

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Kaspersky: Advanced Persistent Threat (APT41) targets Southern African organisation in espionage attack

    Source: APO

    Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response experts (www.Kaspersky.co.za) have observed a cyber espionage attack on an organisation in Southern African and have linked it to the Chinese-speaking  APT41 group. Although the threat actor has shown limited activity in Southern Africa, this incident reveals that the cyber attackers have targeted government IT services in one of the countries in the region, attempting to steal sensitive corporate data — including credentials, internal documents, source code, and communications.

    APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) is a category of threat actors known for carrying out concerted, stealthy, and ongoing attacks against specific organisations, as opposed to opportunistic, isolated incidents that account for most cybercriminal activity. The adversaries’ techniques observed during the attack in Southern Africa allowed Kaspersky to attribute it to the Chinese-speaking APT41 group with a high confidence. The primary goal of the attack was cyber espionage, which is typical for this threat actor. The attackers attempted to collect sensitive data from the machines they compromised within the organisation’s network.

    It is noteworthy that APT41 typically has been showing quite limited activity in the Southern African region. APT41 specialises in cyber espionage and targets organisations across various industries, including telecommunications providers, educational and healthcare institutions, IT, energy, and other sectors, with known activity in at least 42 countries.

    Based on Kaspersky experts’ analysis, the attackers may have gained access to the organisation’s network through a web server exposed to the Internet. Using a credential harvesting technique – known in professional terms as registry dumping – the attackers obtained two corporate domain accounts: one with local administrator rights on all workstations and another belonging to a backup solution, which had domain administrator privileges. These accounts allowed the attackers to compromise additional systems within the organisation.

    One of the stealers used for data collection was a modified Pillager utility, designed for exporting and decrypting data. The attackers compiled its code from an executable file into a Dynamic Link Library (DLL). With it, they aimed to gather saved credentials from browsers, databases, administrative tools, as well as project source code, screenshots, active chat sessions and their data, email correspondence, lists of installed software, operating system credentials, Wi-Fi credentials, and other information.

    The second stealer used during the attack was Checkout. In addition to saved credentials and browser history, it was also capable of collecting information on downloaded files and browser-stored credit card data. The attackers also used the RawCopy utility and a version of Mimikatz compiled as a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) to dump registry files and credentials, as well as Cobalt Strike for Command and Control (C2) communication on compromised hosts.

    “Interestingly, as one of their C2 communication channels besides Cobalt Strike, the attackers chose the SharePoint server within the victim’s infrastructure. They communicated with it using custom C2 agents connected with a web-shell. They may have chosen SharePoint because it was an internal service already present in the infrastructure and unlikely to raise suspicion. Moreover, in that case, it probably offered the most convenient way to exfiltrate data and control compromised hosts through a legitimate communication channel,” explains Denis Kulik, Lead SOC Analyst at Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response service.

    “In general, defending against such sophisticated attacks is impossible without comprehensive expertise and continuous monitoring of the entire infrastructure. It is essential to maintain full security coverage across all systems with solutions capable of automatically blocking malicious activity at an early stage — and to avoid granting user accounts excessive privileges,” comments Denis Kulik.

    To mitigate or prevent similar attacks, organisations are advised to follow these best practices:

    • Ensure that security agents are deployed on all workstations within the organisation without exception, to enable timely incident detection and minimise potential damage.
    • Review and control service and user account privileges, avoiding excessive rights assignments – especially for accounts used across multiple hosts within the infrastructure.
    • To protect the company against a wide range of threats, use solutions from the Kaspersky Next (https://apo-opa.co/44EI2e3) product line that provide real-time protection, threat visibility, investigation and the response capabilities of EDR and XDR for organisations of any size and industry. Depending on your current needs and available resources, you can choose the most relevant product tier and easily migrate to another one if your cybersecurity requirements are changing.
    • Adopt managed security services by Kaspersky such as Compromise Assessment (https://apo-opa.co/4m8aElL), Managed Detection and Response (MDR) (https://apo-opa.co/4m6do37) and / or Incident Response (https://apo-opa.co/44VsAsP), covering the entire incident management cycle – from threat identification to continuous protection and remediation.  They help to protect against evasive cyberattacks, investigate incidents and get additional expertise even if a company lacks cybersecurity workers.
    • Provide your InfoSec professionals with an in-depth visibility into cyberthreats targeting your organisation. The latest Kaspersky Threat Intelligence (https://apo-opa.co/3TQbRlK) will provide them with rich and meaningful context across the entire incident management cycle and helps them identify cyber risks in a timely manner.

    A detailed analysis of the incident is available on Securelist (https://apo-opa.co/46mfGGS).

    Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response service monitors suspicious activity and helps organisations respond swiftly to minimise impact. This is a part of Kaspersky Security Services, a team delivering hundreds of information security projects every year for Fortune Global 500 organisations: incident response, managed detection, SOC consulting, red teaming, penetration testing, application security, digital risks protection. 

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.

    For further information please contact:
    Nicole Allman
    nicole@inkandco.co.za

    Social Media:
    Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/414B7bE
    X: https://apo-opa.co/4lYjIJQ
    YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/452Opa9
    Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/4lGn6JK
    Blog: https://apo-opa.co/4l8kweB

    About Kaspersky:
    Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. With over a billion devices protected to date from emerging cyberthreats and targeted attacks, Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect individuals, businesses, critical infrastructure, and governments around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading digital life protection for personal devices, specialized security products and services for companies, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. We help millions of individuals and over 200,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.Kaspersky.co.za. 

    Media files

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    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British Muslim Trust appointed as new partner to monitor and tackle anti-Muslim hatred

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    British Muslim Trust appointed as new partner to monitor and tackle anti-Muslim hatred

    The Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund was established this year to tackle the record levels of anti-Muslim hate.

    • British Muslim Trust will receive funding as part of a new government drive against record levels of anti-Muslim hate.
    • Funding will boost victim support and strengthen hate crime reporting nationwide.
    • The Trust unites decades of expertise from Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust.

    The British Muslim Trust (BMT) has been selected as the recipient of the government’s new Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund, a key initiative to address the rise in anti-Muslim hatred across England.

    The fund was established this year to respond to the evolving nature of religious intolerance and targeted hate incidents faced by Muslim communities, which are at the highest level on record.

    BMT will use the funding to develop a robust reporting system that captures both online and offline incidents of anti-Muslim hatred, including those that may go unreported to the police.

    It will also enable the organisation to provide direct support to victims, raise awareness of what constitutes a hate crime, and encourage greater reporting from affected communities.

    Lord Khan, Minister for Faith, said:

    The rise of anti-Muslim hatred in this county is alarming and deeply concerning.

    That’s why we established this new fund: to ensure we’re doing everything we can to deeply understand the situation our Muslim communities are facing, provide them with the support they need and give us the tools needed to tackle this unacceptable hatred.

    I look forward to working with the British Muslim Trust on our shared ambition to create a safer, more tolerant society for everyone as part of our Plan for Change.

    By analysing the data collected, the BMT will help identify the trends and drivers behind these incidents, providing the government with the evidence needed to shape effective policy and inform action to tackle anti-Muslim hate moving forward, helping to deliver on our Safer Streets mission as part of our Plan for Change.

    The BMT brings together the Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust to form a comprehensive organisation, combining their expertise and strong community foundations, gained from over twenty-years of work, to meet the demands of today’s landscape.

    Shabir Randeree, CBE, will serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors, bringing with him a wealth of cross-sector experience, knowledge and a firm commitment to championing the welfare of ethnic minorities in Britain.

    Shabir Randeree, Chair of the Board of Directors at the British Muslim Trust, said:

    Tackling anti-Muslim hatred is essential to building safer, more inclusive communities – and we are proud to have been appointed to deliver this important work.

    The British Muslim Trust will work closely with partners across the country to support victims, listen to communities, and help ensure that every person can live free from fear and hatred.

    Notes to Editors:

    • The British Muslim Trust will begin receiving reports and monitoring incidents from early autumn.
    • In establishing the BMT, The Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust have also worked closely with Akeela Ahmed MBE, who they intend to appoint as CEO, drawing on her decades of experience in working with grassroots organisations and policy-level anti-hate work.
    • Incidents of hate crime directed towards Muslims is at a record high in England and Wales – as set out in recent government statistics: Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2024 – GOV.UK
    • The window to bid for this funding under the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund ran from 7 April for six weeks. More information about the assessment criteria used to select the grant partner can be found in the fund’s prospectus, linked here: Combatting Hate Against Muslims fund: prospectus – GOV.UK
    • The Randeree Charitable Trust has spent decades supporting and funding organisations which work to empower young people, support interfaith dialogue, religious understanding and community cohesion. Through this work, the Trust has built a deep and widespread network which will support in establishing the British Muslim Trust’s within communities across the country.

    • The Aziz Foundation supports individuals from British Muslim communities by empowering them to advance their careers and make valuable contributions to society through providing Master’s scholarships and other resources. The foundation has spent a decade nurturing confident leaders of Muslim background to address social challenges and promote positive change within their communities and beyond.

    • NPCC’s National Police Advisor for Hate Crime Paul Giannasi said:

    “The Crime Survey for England and Wales demonstrates that hate crime has a greater impact on victims when compared to non-targeted crime. It damages our society, creating fear and division in communities that are targeted. 

    “We also know that hate crime has traditionally been underreported and have seen evidence that this is a particular challenge with those affected by anti-Muslim hatred.

    “The police will not tolerate hate crime and would encourage all victims to report crimes, whether direct to the police or through third-party facilities provided by community groups. 

    “We welcome the funding that government has committed to address this issue and any initiative that helps victims to seek and receive the services they deserve.”

    • Imam Qasim, Exec. Chairman & Founder, Al-Khair Foundation, said:

    “Al Khair Foundation welcomes the establishment of the British Muslim Trust as a dedicated platform through which members of the public may report hate crimes. 

    “This timely and much-needed initiative constitutes a significant milestone in the advancement of community cohesion and the restoration of trust and confidence among affected communities.”

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbPU representatives took part in the cross-university examination of the Priority-2030 program

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The Sociocenter, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, has completed the selection of experts to conduct a cross-university examination of the implementation of the Priority-2030 program. Among them are the head of the SPbPU Office of Technological Leadership Oleg Rozhdestvensky, Vice-Rector for Continuing and Pre-University Education Dmitry Tikhonov and Director of the Department of Economics and Finance Elena Vinogradova.

    In total, 156 representatives of universities participating in the Priority 2030 program and scientific organizations will be involved in the cross-university examination of the Priority 2030 program.

    The selection of experts was a multi-stage process. At the correspondence stage, the selection committee assessed the professional experience and motivation of candidates based on their resumes and essays. As a result, 225 people received an invitation to an educational intensive course at Bauman Moscow State Technical University. There, the candidates’ leadership qualities, teamwork skills, ability to analyze information and formulate constructive proposals were assessed. The final stage was an online meeting with the participation of expert candidates, representatives of the Sociocenter and the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, at which five strategically important areas of modern higher education were formulated:

    target model and strategic positioning; university development management; strategic technology projects and change projects; knowledge production, transfer and application system for technological leadership; leadership and development team.

    After the final list of experts was approved, the Sociocenter team began the final preparation of a large-scale expert work that will cover 113 universities participating in the Priority 2030 program. From September, experts will begin visiting universities across the country to assess their condition and develop recommendations for further development.

    Cross-university assessment is an innovative format for assessing the activities of universities, in which the assessment is carried out by representatives of the professional community of university specialists themselves. This mechanism allows combining the principles of objective assessment with the possibility of mutual learning and dissemination of best practices.

    “This is an excellent expert tool that has not only proven its effectiveness over the past couple of years, but has also ensured the formation of a community of qualified specialists in the field of university development,” commented Oleg Rozhdestvensky, Head of the SPbPU Office of Technological Leadership. “And the main difference this year is that such expert work is becoming systemic — more and more people and universities are getting involved. This is extremely important given the focus of most universities on the federal agenda of achieving technological leadership and the upcoming changes in the higher education system in the country.”

    The Russian Ministry of Education and Science has been implementing the Priority 2030 program since 2021. Since 2025, the program has become part of the federal project Universities for a Generation of Leaders of the national project Youth and Children.

    Based on materials from the Federal State Autonomous Institution “Sociocenter”

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 2,139 freight trains passed through Manzhouli checkpoint in January-June this year

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) — A total of 2,139 freight trains passed through Manzhouli Port on China-Europe international freight routes in the first half of this year, the press service of the people’s government of the city of the same name in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region said Monday.

    These trains transported about 228 thousand standard containers /twenty-foot equivalent unit, TEU/. In particular, 1,360 similar trains passed through this border crossing in the opposite direction, delivering more than 141 thousand TEU to China. Compared to the same period last year, both indicators increased by 7.4 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively.

    As of last month, in terms of the volume of freight train transportation on return trips through the Manzhouli border crossing, this border crossing has been ranked first in the country for six months in a row.

    The Manzhouli checkpoint is located on the border of China with the Zabaikalsky Krai of Russia. Currently, China-Europe freight trains entering China connect Manzhouli with more than 60 cities in the country, including Harbin, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The range of products imported to China through this checkpoint includes essential goods, electronics, cars, edible oil, lumber, etc. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: CPC launches new round of disciplinary inspections

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) — China has launched the sixth round of routine disciplinary inspections by the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC Central Committee). As of Sunday, teams of inspectors had been dispatched to 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, according to an official statement released Monday.

    In addition, joint inspections will be carried out in 10 sub-provincial cities in cooperation with relevant inspection authorities at the provincial level.

    According to the statement, the work under the new round of disciplinary inspections will focus on violations of political and organizational discipline, as well as discipline in following the principles of honesty and integrity, discipline in relation to the masses, labor and everyday discipline.

    Teams of inspectors will be deployed to designated units for a period of approximately two and a half months. Access to duty telephone lines and mailboxes will be open to receive messages and complaints from the public until September 23 this year. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –