NewzIntel.com

Category: Security

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘We pose no threat – our aim is to break the siege’: Tan Safi on joining the Handala Gaza flotilla

    No New Zealanders were on board the Handala in the latest arrest and abductions of Freedom Flotilla crew on humanitarian siege-busting missions to Gaza. However, two Australians were and one talks to The New Arab just before the attack on Saturday.

    INTERVIEW: By Sebastian Shehadi

    The Handala, a 1968 Norwegian trawler repurposed by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail for Gaza from southern Italy on July 20, carrying around 21 people and a cargo of food, medical kits, baby formula, water desalination units and more.

    The ship is named after the iconic Palestinian cartoon figure, Handala, who symbolises Palestinian identity, resilience and the ongoing struggle against displacement and occupation.

    Just hours before departure, the crew uncovered deliberate sabotage: a rope tightly bound around the propeller and a sulfuric acid swap mistaken for water, leading to chemical burns in two people.

    Despite this alarming start, the mission continued, echoing the defiance of past flotilla efforts such as the interception of the Madleen in June and the Israeli drone strike on the Conscience in May.

    However, contact with the vessel was reported lost on July 24, with coalition officials warning that communications have been jammed and drones have been seen near the ship, raising concerns about interception or further hostile action.

    The mission resumed following the brief two-hour communications blackout. “Connection has now been re-established. ‘Handala’ is continuing its mission and is currently less than 349 nautical miles from Gaza,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced on Telegram on July 25.

    Then on Saturday, the Israeli military attacked the ship and violently detained and “abducted” the entire crew and issued a statement saying they were “safe” and on their way to Israel.

    The New Arab spoke to one of Handala’s crew, Lebanese-Australian filmmaker, human rights activist and journalist Tan Safi, before the arrest to find out more about the mission and why she chose to be on board this mission:

    The New Arab: How’s the mood on the ship at the moment?
     Tan Safi: The morale of everyone at the moment is high, as everyone is happy to be here. Of course, different emotions come up, and we talk them out, but as a collective, we’re all looking out for one another. Everyone is very caring and kind.

    We are a group of 21 people from 10 different countries. We have a very proud grandmother, as well as MPs, nurses, a human rights lawyer, a comedian, an actor, human rights activists and more. We’re from many different walks of life, and we pose absolutely no threat to anyone.

    We’re simply trying to challenge something illegal. Like previous Freedom Flotilla actions, we will be sailing through international waters into Palestinian territorial waters.

    Australian Handala crew member Tan Safi . . . “Back in 2010, we sent a flotilla that was caught in a deadly raid. The Israelis came in a helicopter, boarded the ship and killed nine people instantaneously, while another person died from a coma years later.” Image: FFC

    How are you preparing for the very real threat of Israeli violence?
     Back in 2010, we sent a flotilla that was caught in a deadly raid. The Israelis came in a helicopter, boarded the ship and killed nine people instantaneously, while another person died from a coma years later.

    So we know very well that Israel poses a real threat.

    More importantly, we’ve seen what they’re capable of over the last two years. The most horrific things imaginable. Israeli soldiers are committing endless crimes against Gazan children, and then going into the homes of the Palestinians they’ve murdered and taking selfies in women’s lingerie. We know what they’re capable of.

    Any interception of our vessel would violate international maritime law. The ICJ [International Court of Justice] itself ordered Israel not to interfere with any delivery of international aid. Of course, we know that Israel gets to exist in this world by hopping over international law, without any accountability, without any real sanctions.

    In terms of processing, what might happen to me? I’ve had to do it time and time again whenever I’ve joined FFC missions over the last two years. I’ve had to say goodbye to my friends and family, but also try to keep them reassured.

    Sometimes I feel like I’m lying, to be honest. I tell them that “everything will be okay”. But it’s psychologically impossible to explain.

    Are you worried that Handala is less protected than the last ship, Madleen, which had the global media attention (and protection) of having Greta Thunberg on board?

    A Gaza Freedom Flotilla Instagram poster. Image: Instagram/@loremresists

    No matter how many Instagram followers you have, your life is just as important as the next person’s. We have people on this boat who have Instagram. We have people who do.

    The lives of all these people are as valuable as everyone else’s. I would just try to focus on the fact that we’re all human beings, just as every Palestinian in Gaza is. I’m more worried that Israel’s violence will expand until it’s too late, and people wish that they had done more. The time is now.

    What is your message to global or Australian leaders?
     I’m Lebanese, but I grew up in so-called Australia, a country that has such a dark history. What our politicians forget is that so-called Australia was not theirs to begin with. Australia was, and will always be, Aboriginal land. They can try to hide their dark truths, just like Israel used to as well. But the truth will become exposed in time.

    To this day, Aboriginal people are abused and discriminated against by the state. My message to Australia’s leadership is: how can you watch tens of thousands of men, women and children being slaughtered and still be enabling Israel’s siege and genocide?

    The Australian embassy in Israel sent me a message urging me to “please reconsider your decision to join a humanitarian aid trip to Gaza”. If they’re so concerned about the two Australians on this boat, I would urge them to be more concerned with the millions of Palestinians who are suffering daily.

    The Palestinian cartoon character Handala . . . reimagined with deliberate starvation by the Israeli military forces. Image: X/@RimaHas

    Can you tell us more about daily life and organisation on the ship?
     We all put our hands up to volunteer for various tasks throughout the day. Some of us are more skilled in certain areas than others. For example, we have someone here from France who is a nurse, and they’re helping anyone who is feeling sick.

    We have the proud grandmother, Vigdis from Norway, who loves to cook. And then someone will put their hand up to do the dishes. No one is too good to clean the toilets.

    We’re all helping out to keep this ship organised. We also do shifts, helping out with the crew when needed. No one is sitting around. And if someone is, it’s because it’s really hot or the seas are rough.

    What do you hope Handala will achieve, beyond potentially breaking the siege?
     I hope this action will encourage all forms of solidarity and, more importantly, inspire direct action. I know that protests and non-direct actions serve a purpose, but we have talked and talked and talked at length. I don’t know how people are finding the strength.

    Sometimes when I’m asked to talk at events, I just don’t know what to say, because if you need me to explain this, maybe you will never understand.

    But what we clearly need to do is disrupt the financial flow that enables and fuels this genocide. The BDS movement is huge. People used to look down on it and question its efficacy. But now we’re able to quantify that it’s actually affecting real, big business.

    I’ve always been advocating for that and asking people to be aware of the companies they consume from, such as Unilever, Nestle and Coke. This is having a real impact on these companies that are profiteering from unethical practices to begin with, that extends far beyond the genocide in Gaza.

    Direct action could also involve blockading shipments of weapons from ports and docks, as seen in Greece. It’s amazing to see more countries step up. However, we often see a lot of lip service as well. It takes everyday people to actually stand up and say: “I’m able-bodied. I’m sick to my stomach. I’m gonna listen to my instinct and explore other options”.

    If protesting is not working, explore other options. If there is no direct action group, create one. All it takes is one person to begin.

    Are there any final or other messages you’d like to convey?
     The Handala ship is the 37th boat from the FFC to travel to Gaza. There are thousands of people behind each of these journeys who make these voyages happen.

    The FFC has existed for as many years as Israel’s siege on Gaza has. The FFC exists only because of Israel’s illegal siege.

    We are people from around the world who are united in our shared consciousness and care for Palestine. We pose no threat. I’m looking at a bunch of toys and baby formula. We have as much food as we can carry, but our main goal is to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza because you need to fix a problem at the root of the cause.

    Sebastian Shehadi is a freelance journalist and a contributing writer at the New Statesman. This article was first published by The New Arab. Follow Shehadi on X: @seblebanon

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Search for driver after business and cars rammed

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Police are looking for a driver after he allegedly drove into a Campbelltown cafe and a police car at Prospect last night.

    Police were called to a cafe on Newton Road, Campbelltown about 8pm on Sunday 27 July by reports of a collision.

    A woman had been sheltering inside the cafe during an altercation with the driver of a silver Holden sedan.  It will be alleged that he reversed into the front of the cafe causing damage to the windows.

    Luckily, no one was standing near the windows inside the cafe at the time and there were no injuries.

    The man drove off.

    The 35-year-old Plympton Park woman was wanted for other matters and arrested.  She did not apply for bail and will face court today.  It is believed the pair are known to each other and this was not a random incident.

    A Dog Operations patrol spotted the Holden sedan on Main North Road, Prospect about 8.45pm and followed it into the car park of a fast-food restaurant.

    The driver then allegedly rammed the Dog Operations patrol vehicle and crashed into a Ford Ranger parked in the car park.

    The Holden drove off and was abandoned in John Street, Prospect.  The driver ran off and despite a search of the suburb, he has not yet been located.  The Holden was seized by police and is suspected of being stolen.

    A police officer sustained an injury to his hand, believed to have occurred while smashing the window of the Holden Commodore in an attempt to stop the vehicle in the car park at Prospect.

    Inquiries are continuing to locate the suspect.

    Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Want to save yourself from super scams and dodgy financial advice? Ask these questions

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angelique Nadia Sweetman McInnes, Academic in Financial Planning, CQUniversity Australia

    Is there anything you can do to protect your superannuation from dodgy providers or questionable financial advice? And if someone rings you out of the blue and tempts you with a better return on your savings – what should you do?

    Around 12,000 Australians with A$1.2 billion in retirement savings have been caught up in three collapsed or frozen funds: First Guardian, Shield and Australian Fiduciaries.

    People have described being cold-called or seeing ads on social media, suggesting they could earn more by leaving their current super fund. Several financial advisers linked to these funds have now been banned for giving “inappropriate advice” to clients, containing “false and misleading statements”.

    As a former financial adviser and now researcher, here are the questions I wish more people asked to screen out scammers and dodgy financial advisers faster – and places to seek help if you need it.

    What do I do if someone calls with an unexpected sales pitch?

    The first thing you need to know is that in Australia we have anti-hawking legislation. This prohibits people making cold calls or unsolicited face-to-face approaches for financial products, such as superannuation.

    If you get a phone call like that, the official advice is now to hang up immediately. If they persist, you could say:

    I didn’t request this cold call. Did you know you’re breaking the law and I can report you?

    They will probably put the phone down! They know they’re not doing the right thing. If they keep talking, hang up.

    Block their number. Tell a family member if you need help. If you’ve shared personal information, call your super fund or bank.

    I’m thinking of switching super funds. What should I ask first?

    Whether you’re talking to a super fund or a financial adviser, my first three questions would be about their fees, what’s known as “the 4Ps” – philosophy, people, process and performance – and risk profile.

    What are the fees?

    Don’t just look at a super fund’s returns: look closely at their fees.

    Your super fund statement will disclose how much administration, insurance premiums, transactions, buy/sell spread and investment fees and costs are being deducted.

    High fees charged by a trustee eat up your super balance over time. If a fund earns 7% annually and charges fees of 0.63% annually, then your actual return is only 6.37%.

    Is the fund a good match on “the 4 Ps”?

    Go to the provider’s website to understand whether the fund’s philosophy reflect your core beliefs about investing and risk.

    Learn about the reputations of the people behind the fund who lead and invest your money.

    Find out what process they use to select and manage investments. Finally, consider how well and consistently the fund has performed over the past five to ten years.

    What’s the risk profile?

    Super funds classify investment options into risk profiles (such as conservative, balanced or growth) to provide you with investments to match your risk tolerance and age.

    You can find a fund’s risk profile on the fund’s website under investment options, in the product disclosure statement and target market determination.

    How can I compare my super fund?

    Want to check if your retirement savings are in an underperforming fund? For the past few years, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has called out MySuper funds that aren’t performing to standard.

    Compare funds with the Australian Tax Office’s YourSuper Comparison Tool.

    How I can find out if a financial adviser’s been in trouble?

    On advisers, you can investigate their reputation or past complaints at:

    If you’re comfortable using OpenAI, such as ChatGPT or CoPilot, you can try searching with the following prompts.

    • “Can you find any complaints or disciplinary actions against (name of adviser/fund)?”
    • “What is the public reputation of (adviser/fund) in financial forums or news?”
    • “Has (adviser/fund) been mentioned in any ASIC enforceable actions, bans or media reports?”

    More action promised, but not yet delivered

    There are echoes in what’s allegedly happened with First Guardian and Shield of Storm Financial’s collapse in 2009, which also hit thousands of people.

    There are bad apples in every industry. Whether it’s in finance or medicine, it’s often colleagues who know who the dodgy operators are. Then it’s a question of whether anyone does anything about it.

    In the case of First Guardian and Shield, other financial advisers helped raise the alarm – unfortunately several years before the corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, acted.

    The commission says they’re now working with the federal government on more “reform options”. But that won’t help the thousands of people currently without access to their retirement savings, uncertain how much of those funds they’ll recover.

    You can seek free counselling and advice from the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007); Mob Strong Debt Helpline (1800 808 488) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; or the Consumer Action Law Centre.

    Disclaimer: this is general information only and not to be taken as financial advice.

    Angelique Nadia Sweetman McInnes received funding from the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand and Central Queensland University. She is presently on a panel in her academic capacity assisting the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA) review and update their Professional Standards. She is also a council member of the FAAA Financial Planning Education Council. Angelique was an authorised representative (practicing financial adviser) from 2009 to 2012.

    – ref. Want to save yourself from super scams and dodgy financial advice? Ask these questions – https://theconversation.com/want-to-save-yourself-from-super-scams-and-dodgy-financial-advice-ask-these-questions-261756

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Barnaby Joyce wants Australia to abandon net zero – but his 5 central claims don’t stack up

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Vines, Post-doctoral researcher, Green Lab, Monash University

    One-time Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce sought to dominate the first sitting week of the current federal parliament by proposing a divisive plan to reverse Australia’s net zero emissions target.

    The campaign, backed by fellow former Nationals leader Michael McCormack, aims to repeal what Joyce calls Australia’s “lunatic crusade” of net zero by 2050. It comes as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley convenes a working group to set a way forward on climate and energy policy following the Coalition’s historic election defeat.

    Meanwhile, the Albanese government is considering Australia’s next round of emissions reduction targets. And scientists warn just three years remain for the world to keep global warming below the vital 1.5°C threshold.

    If Australia is to take meaningful climate action, federal parliament must engage with the facts honestly and without distortion. So let’s take a closer look at whether Joyce and McCormack’s latest claims withstand scrutiny.

    Claim 1: Australia’s net zero policy will not address climate change

    Joyce describes as “perverse” the notion that Australia’s net zero goal can meaningfully help address global climate change.

    This claim is not backed by science.

    Every tonne of greenhouse gas emissions adds to global warming. What’s more, Joyce’s claim ignores the near-universal agreement of nations signed up to the Paris Agreement – including Australia – to pursue efforts (including domestic measures) to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

    It’s true that collective national efforts to curb warming have so far been insufficient. But that doesn’t mean they should be abandoned.

    Claim 2: Global support for net zero is waning

    McCormack claims there is a growing global shift against net zero, and Joyce describes it as “a peculiar minority position”.

    This statement is not backed by evidence.

    In fact, the number of countries, cities, businesses and other institutions pledging to get to net-zero is growing.

    In the United States, President Donald Trump has dismantled climate policy, damaging that nation’s progress towards net zero. But many US states have retained the target, and global climate action will continue regardless of Trump’s actions.

    A landmark court ruling this week is likely to further strengthen global pressure for nations to ramp up emissions reduction. The advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice observed countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change – including by regulating the fossil fuel industry.

    As others have noted, Australia must now reconsider its stance on approving new fossil fuel projects – including those geared to export markets.

    the International Court of Justice said countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change.
    JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

    Claims 3: the net zero goal is a security threat

    Joyce claims a net zero policy agenda is “treacherous” for Australia’s security and will “inflame our incapacity” to contend with geopolitical threats.

    But evidence suggests the opposite is true. There is a significant link between climate change and certain types of military conflicts.

    Research predicts the Australian Defence Force will become involved in more wars as the climate crisis escalates, and respond to more frequent climate-related disasters inside our borders.

    Claim 4: net zero is bad for regional Australia

    Both Joyce and McCormack say the net zero target and associated renewable energy rollout is devastating regional Australia. The Institute of Public Affairs, a prominent right-wing think tank, this week launched a documentary making similar claims.

    Joyce cited division in rural communities over renewable energy. In reality, there is significant support in regional Australia for such technology. A poll last year by Farmers for Climate Action found 70% of regional Australians in renewable energy zones support the development of renewable energy projects on local farmland.

    Joyce also pointed to “the removal of agricultural land from production” to support his stance. However, analysis shows very little farmland is required for the clean energy transition.

    What’s more, the cost of inaction is high. Climate change is disproportionately affecting cost of living for regional households – for example, due to higher insurance premiums.

    Joyce also appears deaf to the myriad regional voices calling for stronger climate action.

    The Mackay Conservation Group, for example, is challenging Whitehaven’s Winchester South coal mine in Queensland’s Land Court. Similarly, an environment group based in the NSW Hunter Valley this week successfully appealed the expansion of MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant coal mine.

    Only facts can stop a new wave of climate wars

    Clearly, the efforts of Joyce and McCormack to undermine Australia’s net zero goal are not backed by evidence.

    The Coalition must heed the facts – not backbench pressure – as it weighs its climate and energy policy. Only then can Australia avoid reigniting the divisive climate wars that stalled progress and positioned Australia as a global laggard.

    Likewise, the Albanese government must not be distracted from the climate action task. Australia’s next round of climate targets should be based on the best available science, and make a meaningful, credible contribution to the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

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

    – ref. Barnaby Joyce wants Australia to abandon net zero – but his 5 central claims don’t stack up – https://theconversation.com/barnaby-joyce-wants-australia-to-abandon-net-zero-but-his-5-central-claims-dont-stack-up-261837

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ghost of Robodebt – Federal Court rules billions of dollars in welfare debts must be recalculated

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney

    A recent landmark court decision could have significant ramifications for several million social security recipients.

    The ruling means the federal government will need to recalculate more than A$4 billion in debts owed to the Department of Social Services, which administers Centrelink.

    Some of the debts – which occurred due to overpayment of benefits – stretch back decades.

    Reminiscent of Robodebt, the problem occurred because an unlawful method – income apportionment – was used to calculate the money Centrelink claimed it was owed.

    The judgement

    From the early 1990s until 2020, more than 5.3 million welfare debts were calculated using income apportionment.

    In the test case Chaplin v Secretary, Department of Social Services, the full Federal Court approved a method proposed by the government to recalculate the debts.

    The court was not asked whether the debts were unlawful – a point the department had already conceded – but whether its remedy was legally sound. In a two-judge majority, the court ruled it generally was.

    Following the judgement, the department swiftly resumed debt recovery, which had been paused in 2023, pending the legal decision. It said in a statement:

    now there is certainty to the legal position, assessments will recommence in line with the court’s decision.

    The scale of the problem

    The unlawful debts are worth $4.31 billion in total, and affect almost three million Australians. About 91% of these debts – $3.93 billion – has already been repaid to Centrelink.

    Another 170,000 debts – totalling $347 million – remain outstanding.

    All the debts – either repaid or still owing – must be recalculated using the revised method approved by the court.

    According to the government, the median debt is $330 and has been owed for 19 years, on average.

    But the judgement does not compel the government to actually recover the money. Some media reports suggest a waiver is being considered.

    For its part, the government says it will “evaluate” the court decision and develop a “suitable response”.

    What is income apportionment?

    An internal anti-fraud policy meant Centrelink was obliged to calculate a person’s income when it was “earned” rather than “received”.

    This led to the use of income apportionment – essentially an educated guess about a person’s fortnightly earnings when their pay cycle didn’t align with their income reporting period.

    This process, which typically produced overpayments to recipients, spread income outside an instalment period, which was contrary to the applicable law. It also attributed earnings to a person for days and fortnights they hadn’t worked.

    Income apportionment was discontinued in 2020. Three years later, the Commonwealth ombudsman found the method was unlawful.

    Is this different to Robodebt?

    While Social Services has sought to distinguish income apportionment from Robodebt, the two methods of calculating debt are comparable.

    Both attributed a person’s daily income beyond the timeframe permitted by law.

    But there are differences in source and scale.

    Where apportionment was personalised by using individual customer payslips, Robodebt used Australian Tax Office records to raise debts en masse.

    Significantly, while the ombudsman said the department’s understanding of the law relating to apportionment was “incorrect”, it was also “genuinely held”.

    On the other hand, the infamous Robodebt scheme was designed to ramp up debt clawbacks. Claims of misfeasance in public office continue to be litigated.

    Other troubling overlaps remain.

    Many individuals affected by apportionment debts raised after 2015 will be the same people served with Robodebt notices.

    Evidentiary burden

    A troubling aspect of the test case was the suggestion by the majority judges – citing High Court precedent –
    that the evidentiary burden could shift to the welfare recipient when overpayments are believed to occur through “wrongdoing”.

    This could force an individual to disprove their alleged debt if a decision-maker concluded the recipient had accidentally under-reported – as occurred in the test case – and a lack of evidence made it difficult for the government to prove its allegation.

    The finding arguably runs counter to the Robodebt Royal Commission’s observation that most welfare recipients lack the power to disprove a debt because their historical records are unavailable.

    The dissenting judge in the case rejected the government’s proposed recalculation method, finding it “not proper” for recovery action to be taken without probative evidence.

    He said the majority decision meant Centrelink could reassess debts in the future after evidence had been lost, and recipients would be powerless to disprove them.

    Expensive fix

    The administrative burden of reassessing these unlawful debts is immense.

    Late last year, a team of 150 public servants, each costing $117,400 per annum, was assigned to rectify income apportionment.

    Their internal sampling revealed 64% of people issued debt bills were overcharged, 29% were undercharged, while 4% are owed a total refund.

    The remediation process has been chaotic.

    In the year following the ombudsman’s report, recipients lodged 531 appeals and made 530 complaints, highlighting the human impact of income apportionment.

    But in a five-month period, a mere 83 cases have been finalised.

    Controversially, Social Services offered to process debts on request, contrary to a provisional finding of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which dismissed the method being used by the department.

    Political choice

    While the Federal Court has seemingly given the government a legal victory, the ultimate outcome will be costly – especially if the debts are waived.

    The court ruling requires recipients be afforded “procedural fairness”, meaning resource-intensive investigations will need to be undertaken into the millions of cases yet to be reviewed.

    The final price tag is yet unknown. In the 2025–26 budget, income apportionment was recorded as a “contingent liability – unquantifiable”.

    Almost all of the outstanding debts would have already been resolved if the government had implemented the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendation that welfare overpayments should not be pursued if they are more than six years old.

    The court’s decision also fails to address the 159 Australians believed to have been criminally prosecuted over unlawful debts since 2018. These people – and likely many more before that year – may have been convicted on defective evidence.

    The response to these issues will be a test for the government.

    Has it learned the lessons of previous egregious mistakes, or will it allow the ghost of Robodebt to continue to haunt our welfare system?

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

    – ref. The ghost of Robodebt – Federal Court rules billions of dollars in welfare debts must be recalculated – https://theconversation.com/the-ghost-of-robodebt-federal-court-rules-billions-of-dollars-in-welfare-debts-must-be-recalculated-261543

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong movies showcased at 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong movies showcased at 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal  
         Speaking before the world premiere of “Good Game” on July 27 (Montreal time), the Acting Director of the Toronto ETO, Mr Gavin Yeung, highlighted the efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in supporting the development of Hong Kong’s film industry and strengthening Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between East and West for international cultural exchanges.
     
    “The HKSAR Government actively finances the production of small-to-medium budget films, provides funding support for the industry professionals to participate in international film festivals, and subsidises training programmes to nurture young directors and film talent,” said Mr Yeung.
     
         He added that Hong Kong’s film industry has been globally recognised. “Hong Kong boasts a rich pool of creative talent and is one of Asia’s leading filmmaking hubs. Over the past decade, our films and filmmakers have received numerous prestigious international awards,” he noted.
     
    Also present at the screening was the writer and actor of “Good Game”, Ken Law, who introduced the film before the screening and engaged with the audience during a post-screening Q&A session.
     
    The other Hong Kong films featured at the Festival are: “Stuntman”, “A Chinese Ghost Story III”, “The Battle Wizard” and “Bullet in the Head”.
    Issued at HKT 3:54

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District holds Change of Command ceremony

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    News Release  

    U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District PA Detachment Astoria
    Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Astoria
    Office: (503) 861-6380
    After Hours: (206) 220-7237
    PA Detachment Astoria online newsroom

     

    07/27/2025 03:18 PM EDT

    U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District held a change of command ceremony at Base Seattle, Friday. Rear Adm. Arex Avanni assumed the duties and responsibilities of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Northwest District Commander from Rear Adm. Charles Fosse. Avanni now assumes responsibility for all Coast Guard operations throughout the Northwest region which encompasses the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. This area includes more than 4,400 miles of coastline, 600 miles of inland waterways, and a 125 nautical mile international border with Canada.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: ICE Lodges Arrest Detainer for Illegal Alien Who Killed Two Teens While Intoxicated in Sanctuary Jurisdiction of Wisconsin

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Criminal illegal alien from Honduras driving while intoxicated killed 18-year-old girl and 19-year-old boy in car wreck in Dane County, WI

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer against a criminal illegal alien responsible for driving while intoxicated and causing a fatal car wreck that killed two American teens, an 18-year-old girl and 19-year-old boy in Dane County, Wisconsin.  

    According to local reports, on July 20, 2025, Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila—a criminal illegal alien from Honduras—struck a vehicle while driving the wrong direction on a highway, killing 18-year-old Hallie Helgeson at the scene. Martinez-Avila also gravely injured 19-year-old Brady Heiling who died from his injuries on July 25, 2025.

    Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila has been charged with two counts of felony vehicular homicide and impaired driving by Wisconsin law enforcement. ICE lodged an arrest detainer for this illegal alien’s arrest and removal from the country.

    Dane County, where the crash took place, has historically not honored ICE detainers due to sanctuary jurisdiction policies.  

    “Hallie Helgeson and Brady Heiling had their whole lives ahead of them—and they would still be alive today if it weren’t for Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila—a criminal illegal alien from Honduras. Martinez-Avila recklessly drove the wrong way on a highway while intoxicated and killed these two teens,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “ICE has lodged an arrest detainer to remove this public safety threat from the U.S. Unfortunately, this sanctuary jurisdiction has a history of not honoring ICE arrest detainers often leading to the release of murderers and other heinous criminals. Under Secretary Noem, these precious victims will not be forgotten, and we will fight for justice.” 

    DHS law enforcement is protecting American communities every day from another senseless tragedy like this taking place in another town, to another family. Victims of illegal alien crime may receive support from the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office by contacting 1-855-488-6423. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Police intensify probe on Basotho military training claims

    Source: Government of South Africa

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) has intensified its operations into the investigation of allegations that Basotho nationals are undergoing militarily training on South African farms, as part of a growing land reclamation campaign.

    This was revealed during a Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting, where National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola met with all nine provincial commissioners to discuss crime combatting efforts in the country.

    The BOC is the highest decision-making body of the SAPS inclusive of all Provincial Commissioners, Divisional Commissioners and the Acting National Head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks.

    “During the meeting, General Fannie Masemola highlighted his satisfaction that organised crime syndicates in the country are being dismantled, dislodged, displaced and arrested,” the SAPS said in a statement on Saturday.

    The comments, initially made by the Lesotho Police Chief, Advocate Borotho Matsoso, were high on the agenda. A preliminary report from the SAPS Crime Intelligence Division was discussed, confirming that intelligence structures have highlighted their operations to investigate allegations made and where necessary, track down and takedown such illegal activities.

    The DPCI’s Crimes Against the State (CATS) unit has also been roped in to investigate. Various searches have been undertaken by CATS at various identified farms, and no such evidence has been found to date.

    “Further to this, the National Commissioner has reached out to the Lesotho Police Chief, where the two commissioners discussed the allegations made by Advocate Matsoso. Both commissioners agreed that both law enforcement agencies intelligence structures are on the ground to investigate the existence of such camps.

    “General Masemola assures all people living in South Africa that the safety and security of the people of SA is of paramount importance, and anyone who is found to be in the country committing illegal acts will face the full might of the law. To this effect, intelligence structures and operatives are on the ground to establish facts,” the SAPS said. 

    The SAPS has urged South Africans not to panic or worry as police from both countries remain on high alert. –SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Counterfeit goods worth R156m seized

    Source: Government of South Africa

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) has seized counterfeit and illicit goods worth more than R156 million during operations in Pretoria, Mbombela and Limpopo.

    In the past three weeks, the integrated team executed search-and-seizure warrants in terms of the Counterfeit Goods Act 37 of 1997, as well as the Customs and Excise Act at targeted shops in Marabastad, Mokopane, Mbombela, Bela Bela, Mookghopong, and Modimolle.

    “During these takedowns, the team seized more than 23 000 items imitating high-end designer brands that include clothing, shoes, bags, caps, and watches as well as counterfeit jewellery, sunglasses, perfumes, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

    “Also amongst the seized items are sports apparel that bears the Springboks trademark and other well-known brands. These counterfeit items were seized outside Mbombela stadium and Loftus stadium respectively during recent Springbok rugby games against visiting countries. The team also confiscated illicit cigarettes valued at over R50 000,” SAPS said in a statement on Saturday.

    The operations were led by the National Counterfeit and Illicit Goods unit, with support from Public Order Policing (POP), the South African Revenue Services (SARS) Customs and Enforcement team, counterfeit depot officials, brand protectors, and private security personnel.

    “SAPS remains committed to eradicate the illegal trade in counterfeit goods in an effort to protect consumers, support legitimate businesses, and ensure the integrity of South Africa’s economy.

    “The Counterfeit Goods Act aims to combat the trade in counterfeit goods by protecting trademarks, copyrights, and certain mark owners from the unlawful use of their intellectual property on goods and preventing such counterfeit goods from entering the market,” the SAPS said. –SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Govt condemns foreign officials

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it strongly opposes and disapproves of smears by government officials and politicians from the US, Canada and Australia, and by anti-China organisations, regarding its lawful acts to pursue individuals wanted in connection with national security offences who have absconded from Hong Kong.

    Nineteen people suspected of involvement in a subversive organisation named the “Hong Kong Parliament”, in breach of Article 22 of the National Security Law (HKNSL), have been put on the city’s wanted list.

    In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government explained that the HKNSL is applicable to Hong Kong permanent residents, and to incorporated or unincorporated bodies set up in Hong Kong, if such residents or bodies commit offences under the HKNSL outside the Hong Kong SAR. Additionally, it said, the HKNSL is applicable where offences under it are committed elsewhere against the Hong Kong SAR by individuals who are not Hong Kong permanent residents.

    The Hong Kong SAR Government stressed that the Hong Kong Police Force therefore has a responsibility to pursue, in accordance with the law, people suspected of committing offences under the HKNSL outside of Hong Kong. Acts smearing Hong Kong’s work to safeguard national security are hypocritical and irresponsible, and will not win any public support, it added.

    The statement iterated that both the HKNSL and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance clearly stipulate that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong SAR, but clarified that the Hong Kong SAR Government will not condone criminal acts, and will not give up pursuing them those who commit them.

    Emphasising that absconders should not think that they can evade criminal liability by absconding from Hong Kong, the Hong Kong SAR Government also remarked that no country or organisation should harbour criminals or try to exonerate absconders.

    Any attempt by foreign countries or external forces to undermine Hong Kong’s situation will be doomed to fail, the Hong Kong SAR Government added, reiterating that it will continue to discharge its duty in safeguarding national security unwaveringly.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: PRASA welcomes developments in tender corruption case

    Source: Government of South Africa

    Sunday, July 27, 2025

    The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has welcomed developments in the investigation into allegations of corruption involving multi-billion-rand tenders for train signalling equipment.

    On Wednesday, 23 July 2025, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) presented a search warrant at PRASA’s Braamfontein offices to obtain various information and electronic devices, as part of its ongoing investigation.

    In a statement issued on Friday, PRASA reaffirmed its support for the investigation, emphasising its commitment to transparency and accountability.

    “The agency has nothing to hide and stands ready to provide complete cooperation to law enforcement authorities,” PRASA said.

    The agency said it had initiated an independent forensic investigation after receiving a submission from a whistleblower. 

    “Documents and information related to this matter were secured through this proactive forensic investigation. This demonstrates PRASA’s commitment to acting on information received via its whistleblower process. This independent report has been handed to the shareholder.

    “This information was readily available for sharing with the law enforcement authorities. PRASA remains committed to its mandate of providing safe, reliable, and efficient rail services to the South African public.”

    The agency said it will continue to implement robust governance measures and maintain the highest standards of accountability while fully supporting all legitimate investigative processes.

    PRASA will provide further updates as appropriate, while respecting the integrity of the ongoing investigation. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • Aim is to make India a sporting superpower, says PM Modi in ‘Mann Ki Baat’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday shared his vision for making India a sporting superpower and praised the Indian contingent for winning nearly 600 medals at the recent World Police and Fire Games.

    In the 124th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said that the government’s ‘Khelo Bharat Niti 2025’ has been widely appreciated.

    “The goal of this policy is clear — to make India a sporting superpower,” he said, adding that startups related to sports, whether in sports management or manufacturing, will be supported in every possible way.

    The PM said the policy gives special attention to villages, the underprivileged, and daughters. “Schools and colleges will now make sports a part of everyday life,” he said.

    “Imagine how much strength the mission of self-reliance would gain when the youth of the country play with self-made rackets, bats, and balls. Friends, sports create team spirit. This is the path to fitness, self-confidence, and building a strong India. So, play a lot and blossom a lot,” he added.

    Speaking about the biennial World Police and Fire Games, which concluded on July 6 in Birmingham, Alabama, PM Modi said India’s uniformed heroes are making headlines not just through their service, but also in sports.

    “This time, the tournament was held in America, and India created history. We won close to 600 medals and ranked among the top three out of 71 countries. The hard work of our uniformed personnel, who serve the country day and night, has paid off. These friends of ours are now raising the tricolour in the sports arena as well. I congratulate all the players and the coaching team,” he said.

    The Prime Minister also tested the listeners’ knowledge by asking, “Do you know which is the biggest sporting event after the Olympics? The answer is — the World Police and Fire Games… a sports tournament between policemen, firefighters, and security personnel from all over the world.”

    He added, “By the way, it will also interest you to know that in 2029, these games will be held in India. Players from across the world will come to our country. We will showcase India’s hospitality and introduce them to our sports culture.”

    The government plans to host the event in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Ekta Nagar.

    —IANS

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Call for witnesses – Assault – Tennant Creek

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force are calling for information in relation to an alleged assault that occurred in Tennant Creek early this morning.

    Around 1am, emergency services received reports that a woman, aged in her 40’s, was allegedly physically assaulted in the vicinity of Maloney Street by and unknown man, who then also attempted to indecently assault her.

    The woman received minor injuries and was conveyed to the Tennant Creek Hospital for assessment.

    Investigators have canvassed all available CCTV and are now requesting the publics assistance.

    Police are urging anyone who was in the vicinity of Maloney Street around 1am on Sunday 27 July 2025, or who has information about this matter to contact 131 444 and quote reference NTP2500075470.

    Anonymous reports can also be made through CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Six killed, 29 injured in Hindu temple stampede in northern India

    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

    NEW DELHI, July 27 (Xinhua) — At least six people were killed and 29 others injured in a stampede at a Hindu temple in India’s northern Uttarakhand state on Sunday, local police said.

    The incident took place at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar district, located 53 km south of Uttarakhand’s capital Dehradun.

    One of the devotees apparently received an electric shock on the stairs located 100 meters from the temple, causing panic among others, said local police spokesman Pramendra Singh Dobal. He said an investigation into the incident was underway.

    Police and the National Emergency Response Force have been dispatched to the scene to carry out rescue operations. The injured have been taken to hospitals.

    According to police, a huge crowd had gathered at the temple before the incident. As a result, the death toll is likely to rise.

    Haridwar is one of the major pilgrimage centres in Hinduism. –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.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rose Nakayi, Senior Lecturer of Law, Makerere University

    Populism is rife in various African countries. This political ideology responds to and takes advantage of a situation where a large section of people feels exploited, marginalised or disempowered. It sets up “the people” against “the other”. It promises solidarity with the excluded by addressing their grievances. Populism targets broad social groups, operating across ethnicity and class.

    But how does populism fare when it informs state interventions to address long-standing societal issues under capitalism? Do populist state measures – especially when launched by a politically powerful leader – deliver improvements for the stated beneficiaries?

    As academics who have researched populism for years, we were interested in the implementation and outcomes of such policies and programmes. To answer these questions, we analysed a populist intervention by President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda to address rampant land conflicts. In 2013 he set out to halt land evictions.

    What good came of this? Did it help the poor?

    We analysed land laws, court cases, government statements and media reports and found that, for the most part, the intervention offered short-term relief. Some people returned to the land, but the underlying land conflict was unresolved.

    This created problems that continue to be felt today, including land disputes and land tenure insecurity. The intervention also increased the involvement of the president and his agents personally in providing justice.

    It didn’t make pro-poor structural changes to address the root of the problem.

    Yet, the intervention had several political benefits:

    • it enhanced the political legitimacy of the president and state

    • it offered a politically useful response to a land-related crisis and conflict

    • it addressed broader criticisms over injustice and poverty by sections of the public and opposition leaders, some of whom (like Robert Kyagulanyi) also relied on populist rhetoric.

    The promise to deal with land evictions “once and for all” has yet to be realised over a decade later. During Heroes Day celebrations on 9 June 2024, Museveni’s speech repeated his promise to stop evictions.

    Such promises of getting a grip on and ending evictions via decisive state actions, including proposed new legal guidelines, were also made more recently, for example during Heroes Day 2025. This indicates that evictions – and state responses to them – remain a top issue on the political agenda ahead of Uganda’s 2026 election.

    Persistent evictions

    Evictions were rampant in the 2010s, especially in central Uganda’s Buganda region. They were driven by increased demand for land amid a growing population and legal reforms that seemed to protect tenants over landlords. Some landlords, desperate to free their land of tenants, were carrying out the evictions themselves.

    The president condemned the evictions, but they continued. Soon, the number of evictees was in the thousands.

    In response, Museveni set up a land committee within the presidency. He announced at a press conference in early 2013 that:

    all evictions are halted. There will be no more evictions, especially in the rural areas. All evictions involving peasants are halted.

    The dynamics of populism-in-practice

    Museveni’s attempts to personally deal with evictions illustrate a continued power shift in Uganda, from institutions to the president’s executive units.

    Despite its shortcomings, such as case backlogs, the judicial system offers an opportunity to present cases in a more neutral environment. It also allows parties to appeal decisions. This way, higher courts can correct errors where necessary.

    The presidential land committee, we found, tended to be biased in favour of tenants, paying less attention to the landlords’ cases.

    The president’s intervention wasn’t adequate to address the immediate causes and effects of the evictions, nor the root causes.

    Those included land tenure insecurities. Due to legal reforms, land-rich landlords were unable to get rent at market value from tenants. Neither could they evict them lawfully where rent was in arrears.

    In some cases, legal options such as land sales between landlords and tenants were applied. This was often to the detriment of tenants, especially where there was no neutral actor to oversee negotiations.

    Land reforms need to be institutionalised and funded to deliver the intended outcomes. Otherwise, unlawful sales and evictions become a quick option for landlords.

    Museveni’s populist initiative also unleashed new problems for beneficiaries. Some secured land occupancy in the interim but lived in fear of a relapse of conflict. Mistrust and scarred interpersonal relationships hampered cohesion in some communities. Disputes over land put political actors who would ideally be working together to restore calm at loggerheads.

    Populism as power

    The creation of populist presidential units has become routine in Uganda. More recently, Museveni created a unit to protect investors, which has resolved some investment-related land disputes. Another one was established to fight corruption. Both units remain very active.

    Our research finds that the government needs these units and interventions for a number of reasons. It uses them to govern the country’s conflict-ridden economy and society. They allow the government to assemble a politically useful response to crises and to address some on-the-ground problems. They make the state look concerned and responsive to people’s needs. And they allow ruling party political actors to increase their popularity locally.

    Museveni and his ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, therefore, benefit from a key aspect of populism. It allows the merging of disparate, competing and contradictory views, interests and demands of members of various societal classes and groups into a significantly simplified and uniform narrative that (potentially) speaks to all. This could mean: end corruption, end evictions, wealth for all, and so on.

    A general election is due in early 2026. The steps Museveni has taken on evictions, and the units set up to fight corruption or protect investors, need to be seen with this political context in mind.

    Museveni has put protecting people from evictions high on his government’s agenda. Speaking to party members in August 2024, he emphasised

    the importance of adhering to the mass line, which prioritises the needs and rights of the masses over those of the elite.

    In our view, this pre-election narrative signifies the continued political and social relevance of populism in today’s Uganda. This could result in heightened populist state activity in the run-up to and after the election.

    – Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?
    – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-land-eviction-crisis-do-populist-state-measures-actually-fix-problems-260512

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Rose Nakayi, Senior Lecturer of Law, Makerere University

    Populism is rife in various African countries. This political ideology responds to and takes advantage of a situation where a large section of people feels exploited, marginalised or disempowered. It sets up “the people” against “the other”. It promises solidarity with the excluded by addressing their grievances. Populism targets broad social groups, operating across ethnicity and class.

    But how does populism fare when it informs state interventions to address long-standing societal issues under capitalism? Do populist state measures – especially when launched by a politically powerful leader – deliver improvements for the stated beneficiaries?

    As academics who have researched populism for years, we were interested in the implementation and outcomes of such policies and programmes. To answer these questions, we analysed a populist intervention by President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda to address rampant land conflicts. In 2013 he set out to halt land evictions.

    What good came of this? Did it help the poor?

    We analysed land laws, court cases, government statements and media reports and found that, for the most part, the intervention offered short-term relief. Some people returned to the land, but the underlying land conflict was unresolved.

    This created problems that continue to be felt today, including land disputes and land tenure insecurity. The intervention also increased the involvement of the president and his agents personally in providing justice.

    It didn’t make pro-poor structural changes to address the root of the problem.

    Yet, the intervention had several political benefits:

    • it enhanced the political legitimacy of the president and state

    • it offered a politically useful response to a land-related crisis and conflict

    • it addressed broader criticisms over injustice and poverty by sections of the public and opposition leaders, some of whom (like Robert Kyagulanyi) also relied on populist rhetoric.

    The promise to deal with land evictions “once and for all” has yet to be realised over a decade later. During Heroes Day celebrations on 9 June 2024, Museveni’s speech repeated his promise to stop evictions.

    Such promises of getting a grip on and ending evictions via decisive state actions, including proposed new legal guidelines, were also made more recently, for example during Heroes Day 2025. This indicates that evictions – and state responses to them – remain a top issue on the political agenda ahead of Uganda’s 2026 election.

    Persistent evictions

    Evictions were rampant in the 2010s, especially in central Uganda’s Buganda region. They were driven by increased demand for land amid a growing population and legal reforms that seemed to protect tenants over landlords. Some landlords, desperate to free their land of tenants, were carrying out the evictions themselves.

    The president condemned the evictions, but they continued. Soon, the number of evictees was in the thousands.

    In response, Museveni set up a land committee within the presidency. He announced at a press conference in early 2013 that:

    all evictions are halted. There will be no more evictions, especially in the rural areas. All evictions involving peasants are halted.

    The dynamics of populism-in-practice

    Museveni’s attempts to personally deal with evictions illustrate a continued power shift in Uganda, from institutions to the president’s executive units.

    Despite its shortcomings, such as case backlogs, the judicial system offers an opportunity to present cases in a more neutral environment. It also allows parties to appeal decisions. This way, higher courts can correct errors where necessary.

    The presidential land committee, we found, tended to be biased in favour of tenants, paying less attention to the landlords’ cases.

    The president’s intervention wasn’t adequate to address the immediate causes and effects of the evictions, nor the root causes.

    Those included land tenure insecurities. Due to legal reforms, land-rich landlords were unable to get rent at market value from tenants. Neither could they evict them lawfully where rent was in arrears.

    In some cases, legal options such as land sales between landlords and tenants were applied. This was often to the detriment of tenants, especially where there was no neutral actor to oversee negotiations.

    Land reforms need to be institutionalised and funded to deliver the intended outcomes. Otherwise, unlawful sales and evictions become a quick option for landlords.

    Museveni’s populist initiative also unleashed new problems for beneficiaries. Some secured land occupancy in the interim but lived in fear of a relapse of conflict. Mistrust and scarred interpersonal relationships hampered cohesion in some communities. Disputes over land put political actors who would ideally be working together to restore calm at loggerheads.

    Populism as power

    The creation of populist presidential units has become routine in Uganda. More recently, Museveni created a unit to protect investors, which has resolved some investment-related land disputes. Another one was established to fight corruption. Both units remain very active.

    Our research finds that the government needs these units and interventions for a number of reasons. It uses them to govern the country’s conflict-ridden economy and society. They allow the government to assemble a politically useful response to crises and to address some on-the-ground problems. They make the state look concerned and responsive to people’s needs. And they allow ruling party political actors to increase their popularity locally.

    Museveni and his ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, therefore, benefit from a key aspect of populism. It allows the merging of disparate, competing and contradictory views, interests and demands of members of various societal classes and groups into a significantly simplified and uniform narrative that (potentially) speaks to all. This could mean: end corruption, end evictions, wealth for all, and so on.

    A general election is due in early 2026. The steps Museveni has taken on evictions, and the units set up to fight corruption or protect investors, need to be seen with this political context in mind.

    Museveni has put protecting people from evictions high on his government’s agenda. Speaking to party members in August 2024, he emphasised

    the importance of adhering to the mass line, which prioritises the needs and rights of the masses over those of the elite.

    In our view, this pre-election narrative signifies the continued political and social relevance of populism in today’s Uganda. This could result in heightened populist state activity in the run-up to and after the election.

    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. Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems? – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-land-eviction-crisis-do-populist-state-measures-actually-fix-problems-260512

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sanctioning Senior Members of Longstanding Hizballah Financial Institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH)

    Source: United States Department of State (2)

    Tammy Bruce, Department Spokesperson

    Sanctioning Senior Members of Longstanding Hizballah Financial Institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH)

    Press Statement

    July 3, 2025

    Today, the United States sanctioned seven senior officials and one entity linked to Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH), a Hizballah-controlled financial institution.  These officials, through their management roles, have facilitated Hizballah’s evasion of sanctions, enabling AQAH to conduct millions of dollars in transactions through “shadow” accounts.

    In addition, the Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of Hizballah financial mechanisms.  Individuals with useful information should contact RFJ via Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at +1-202-702-7843. They could be eligible for a reward and relocation.

    The United States remains committed to supporting Lebanon by disrupting schemes that empower Hizballah’s destabilizing influence.  We will continue to employ all available tools to ensure that this terrorist group no longer poses a threat to the Lebanese people and the region.

    Today’s action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, which targets terrorist groups and their supporters.  The Department of State previously designated Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. More information regarding today’s designations can be found in Treasury’s press release.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fourteenth Meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group Focused on Countering Hizballah’s Terrorist and Illicit Activities

    Source: United States Department of State (2)

    Office of the Spokesperson

    Fourteenth Meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group Focused on Countering Hizballah’s Terrorist and Illicit Activities

    Media Note

    July 10, 2025

    The United States Department of State, United States Department of Justice, and Europol convened the fourteenth meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) on countering Hizballah’s terrorist and illicit activities on July 9-10. Law enforcement, prosecutors, and financial practitioners from approximately 30 governments from across the Middle East, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America participated in this session.

    The LECG took stock of Hizballah’s global terrorist and lethal plotting capabilities, in light of the significant blows the organization has taken over the past year. LECG participants assessed that Hizballah remains a dangerous organization, determined to maintain its overseas footprint, with the ability to strike with little to no warning against targets around the world. LECG members also discussed Hizballah’s shaky financial state and agreed that Hizballah may seek to increase its fundraising and procurement activities in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and other locales. Participants highlighted recent actions that governments have taken to counter Hizballah’s financial mechanisms and criminal schemes, as well as its international terrorist operations.

    Officials from the U.S. Department of Treasury and National Counterterrorism Center also participated in this meeting. The LECG was established by the United States and Europol in 2014 as a global forum to improve international coordination with governments from around the world to counter Hizballah’s terrorist and other illicit activities.

    For further information, please contact CTPublicAffairs@state.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: United States Disrupts North Korea Revenue Generation, Offering Rewards of Up to $15 Million

    Source: United States Department of State (2)

    Office of the Spokesperson

    United States Disrupts North Korea Revenue Generation, Offering Rewards of Up to $15 Million

    Media Note

    July 24, 2025

    Today, the Departments of State, Justice, and the Treasury are executing coordinated, decisive actions to keep Americans safe from North Korea’s malicious and illicit revenue generation schemes. The Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) is offering rewards totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions, in any country, of North Korean nationals Sim Hyon-sop and six co-conspirators involved in these schemes.

    North Korea’s revenue generation schemes—which include cryptocurrency theft, illicit information technology (IT) work, trafficking in counterfeit goods, oil smuggling, and other transnational criminal activities—often target U.S. companies and U.S. citizens to raise funds for North Korea’s dangerous and unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs, which threaten the U.S. homeland and stand in contravention of UN and U.S. sanctions. In many cases, these ballistic missiles have been unlawfully transferred to Russia, where they have been used to strike Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv.

    Today’s actions illustrate the U.S. government’s commitment to mitigating such threats posed by North Korea to protect U.S. companies, the U.S. financial system, and American citizens. The United States will not stand idly by while North Korea profits from criminal activity to fund its destabilizing actions.

    Sim Hyon-Sop and six co-conspirators were charged for their role in illicit activities to buy and sell tobacco from North Korea to gain access to U.S. dollars. The Department of State’s reward offers include an increase of up to $7 million for Sim Hyon-Sop, up to $3 million each for Myong Chol-Min and Kim Se-Un, and up to $500,000 each for Kim Yong-Bok, Kim Chol-Min, a/k/a “Jack,” Ri Tong-Min, a/k/a “Elvis,” and Ri Won-Ho.

    Sim Hyon-Sop and some of his co-conspirators—including Kim Se-Un—have also been involved in illicit IT worker schemes. North Korea dispatches thousands of IT workers abroad to orchestrate fraudulent IT work, often from Russia and China. Today, the Department of the Treasury is designating Korea Sobaeksu Trading Company, which has previously deployed IT workers to Vietnam, and three North Korean nationals, including Kim Se Un, Myong Chol Min, and Jo Kyong Hun, who have been involved in illicit revenue generation schemes. North Korea’s overseas networks provide it with access to technology, illicit finance networks, and facilitators to support its revenue generation to fund UN and U.S. sanctioned entities including the Munitions Industry Department and Ministry of Atomic Energy and Industry. The Department of State continues to engage foreign countries that support North Korean IT workers in order to prevent the targeting of Americans by North Korean revenue generation schemes.

    In addition, Christina Marie Chapman, an American citizen, will be sentenced today in the District of Columbia for her role in a North Korean IT worker scheme that defrauded more than 300 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 corporations. North Korean IT workers specifically target remote jobs with U.S. companies due to the high salaries, which they remit back to North Korea to fund the unlawful production of WMD and ballistic missiles.

    Today’s individual reward offers are authorized by the Secretary under the TOCRP, which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational crime globally and bring fugitives to justice. If you have information, please send tips to the FBI via phone/text/WhatsApp at +1-480-695-1388. If you are located outside of the United States, you can also visit the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. If you are in the United States, you can also contact the local FBI field office.

    THE IDENTITIES OF ANYONE PROVIDING TIPS WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. Per 22 U.S.C. section 2708(f), government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards if information is provided in the performance of official duties.

    Separately, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) national security program has a standing reward offer of up to $5 million for information that leads to the disruption of financial mechanisms of persons engaged in certain activities that support the North Korean government and its sanctions evasion. Rewards can be paid for actionable information regarding IT worker schemes, money laundering, cyber activity, and other illicit activities that support WMD proliferation and missile development. More information on RFJ’s North Korea reward offers is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE attends district forum

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Chief Executive John Lee today led 21 principal officials in attending the 2025 Policy Address District Forum to gather views and suggestions form members of the community ahead of the current-term Government’s fourth Policy Address.

     

    Held at Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School (Hung Hom Bay), the forum was attended by about 120 people from different backgrounds.

     

    The two-hour forum consisted of two sessions. In the first, the Chief Executive and principal officials listened to the views of members of the public. Matters raised straddled land and housing; transport; innovation and technology; financial services; culture and sports; education; youth issues, poverty alleviation; healthcare; and social welfare.

     

    In the second session, community participants, divided into four groups, focused on “pursuing development and economic growth” and “improving people’s livelihood and building our future together” as they engaged in extensive exchanges with the Chief Executive and the officials. Mr Lee also held discussions in turn with each of the groups and listened to their views.

     

    He said: “There are issues that members of the public care deeply about, so I attach great importance to district consultations.

     

    “These views will let me have a better grasp on formulating policies and allocation of resources when I prepare the Policy Address.”

     

    Principal Officials attending today’s event included Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki; Financial Secretary Paul Chan; Secretary for Justice Paul Lam; Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing; Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong; Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan; Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang; Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui; Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung; Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan; Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau; Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau; Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn; Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho; Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung; Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong; Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak; Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun; Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan; Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law; and Acting Secretary for Education Sze Chun-fai.

     

    The Government said it will continue to gather input from a wide variety of organisations and individuals over the coming month through consultation sessions and district visits. Members of the public can also give their views via the Policy Address website, social media platforms, hotlines, email, fax and post.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gaza condemns Israeli ‘piracy’ over storming of Handala aid ship

    Asia Pacific Report

    The Gaza Government Media Office has condemned “in the strongest terms” Israel’s storming of the Handala aid ship, calling it an act of “maritime piracy”, reports Al Jazeera.

    “This blatant aggression represents a flagrant violation of international law and maritime navigation rules,” the office said in a statement.

    “It reaffirms once again that the [illegal Israeli] occupation acts as a thuggish force outside the law, targeting every humanitarian initiative seeking to rescue more than 2.4 million besieged and starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

    The office also called on the international community, including the United Nations and rights groups, “to take an urgent and firm stance against this aggression and to work to secure international protection for the convoys”.

    Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement today that the Israeli navy had intercepted the Gaza-bound Handala, and it was now heading towards Israel.

    “The Israeli navy has stopped the vessel Navarn from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza,” said the statement, using the aid ship’s original name.

    “The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,” it added. “All passengers are safe.”

    Freedom Flotilla slams ‘abductions’
    A statement by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel military of “abducting” the 21 crew members of the Handala, saying the ship had been “violently intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza.

    “At 23:43 EEST Palestine time, the Occupation cut the cameras on board Handala and we have lost all communication with our ship.

    “The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized.

    “The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law.”

    The Handala carried a shipment of critical humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, including baby formula, diapers, food, and medicine, the statement said.

    “All cargo was non-military, civilian, and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel’s illegal blockade.”

    The Handala carried 21 civilians representing 12 countries, including parliamentarians, lawyers, journalists, labour organisers, environmentalists, and other human rights defenders.

    Seized crew members, journalists
    The seized crew includes:

    United States: Christian Smalls — Amazon Labor Union founder; Huwaida Arraf — Human rights attorney (Palestine/US); Jacob Berger — Jewish-American activist; Bob Suberi — Jewish US war veteran; Braedon Peluso — sailor and direct action activist; Dr Frank Romano — International lawyer and actor (France/US).

    France: Emma Fourreau — MEP and activist (France/Sweden); Gabrielle Cathala — Parliamentarian and former humanitarian worker; Justine Kempf — nurse, Médecins du Monde; Ange Sahuquet — engineer and human rights activist.

    Italy: Antonio Mazzeo — teacher, peace researcher, journalist; Antonio “Tony” La Picirella — climate and social justice organiser.

    Spain: Santiago González Vallejo — economist and activist; Sergio Toribio — engineer and environmentalist.

    Australia: Robert Martin — human rights activist; Tania “Tan” Safi — Journalist and organiser of Lebanese descent.

    Norway: Vigdis Bjorvand — 70-year-old lifelong justice activist.

    United Kingdom/France: Chloé Fiona Ludden — former UN staff and scientist.

    Tunisia: Hatem Aouini — Trade unionist and internationalist activist.

    The two journalists on board:

    Morocco: Mohamed El Bakkali — senior journalist with Al Jazeera (based in Paris).

    Iraq/United States: Waad Al Musa — cameraman and field reporter with Al Jazeera.

    The attack on Handala is the third violent act by Israeli forces against Freedom Flotilla missions this year alone, said the statement.

    “It follows the drone bombing of the civilian aid ship Conscience in European waters in May, which injured four people and disabled the vessel, and the illegal seizure of the Madleen in June, where Israeli forces abducted 12 civilians, including a Member of the European Parliament.

    “Shortly before their abduction, the Handala‘s crew affirmed that they would be hunger-striking if detained by Israeli forces and not accepting any food from the Israeli Occupation Forces.”

    Israeli officials have ignored the International Court of Justice’s binding orders that require the facilitation of humanitarian access to Gaza.

    The continued attacks on peaceful civilian missions represent a grave violation of international law, said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

    Kia Ora Gaza support for Handala
    In Auckland, Kia Ora Gaza spokesperson Roger Fowler, who is recovering from cancer treatment, said in a statement:

    “Kia Ora Gaza is a longtime member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and supports the current Handala civil mission to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza and end Israel’s campaign to wipe out the Palestinian population.

    “All governments must urgently take strong effective action to stop the genocide and occupation and end all complicity with Israel. There are no Kiwis on the Handala which was intercepted under an enforced communications blackout today.”

    Activists on board the Handala aid ship before leaving Italy’s Gallipoli Port on July 20, 2025. Image: Valeria Ferraro/Anadolu

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump’s ceasefire call

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Cambodia and Thailand each said the other had launched artillery attacks across contested border areas early on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of both countries had agreed to work on a ceasefire.

    Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, mainly civilians. More than 130,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the two countries.

    Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points, including in Phnom Kmoach, which borders Thailand’s coastal Trat province. The ministry’s spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at temple complexes.

    The Thai army said Cambodia had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, early on Sunday. The governor of Surin told Reuters artillery shells had been fired into the province, damaging a house and killing some livestock.

    In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling early on Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on.

    “If there is a ceasefire, things will be better,” Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters. “It’s great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace.”

    TRUMP SPEAKS TO BOTH LEADERS

    Trump said on Saturday that he had spoken with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and they had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end fighting that began on Thursday. Bangkok and Phnom Penh each say the other side started the hostilities.

    “Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,” Trump wrote on social media. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet endorsed the call for the fighting to stop.

    “I made it clear to Honourable President Donald Trump that Cambodia agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces,” Hun Manet posted on Facebook, noting he had also agreed to Malaysia’s earlier ceasefire proposal.

    Thailand’s response was more qualified, as it had been with the proposal from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, saying Cambodia needed to do more before talks could begin.

    “I thanked President Trump for his concern and expressed that Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place. However, Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side,” acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Facebook.

    The countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand’s fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.

    Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes.

    Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths.

    Cambodia said in June it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court’s jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.

    -REUTERS

  • Plays vital role in security apparatus: PM Modi on CRPF’s 87th Raising Day

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended heartfelt greetings to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on its 87th Raising Day, praising the force for its crucial contributions to the nation’s security.

    Acknowledging the CRPF’s unwavering role in safeguarding the country, PM Modi took to X and wrote, “Raising Day wishes to all CRPF personnel. This force has played a vital role in our security apparatus, especially in challenging aspects relating to internal security.”

    The Prime Minister further lauded the dedication and valour of the force, stating, “CRPF personnel have made a mark for their duty, courage and steadfast commitment in the most testing of situations. Their contribution in overcoming humanitarian challenges is also commendable.”

    The CRPF began its journey on July 27, 1939, as the Crown Representative Police. It was officially renamed the Central Reserve Police Force on December 28, 1949, following the enactment of the Central Reserve Police Force Act.

    This transformation marked a new identity for the force as a central armed police unit under the jurisdiction of the Government of India.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah also extended his greetings to CRPF personnel on the occasion.
    In a post on X, he said, “Heartfelt greetings to all CRPF personnel on their Raising Day. Your selfless sacrifices have been the backbone of our nation’s security, and your unwavering courage to end Naxalism is truly commendable.”

    “Time and again, you’ve stood fearlessly on the frontlines, standing tall against every adversity with fearless resolve. A proud salute to the martyrs of CRPF, your legacy of valour continues to inspire the nation,” HM Shah added.

    The CRPF, in its official message, paid tribute to its personnel and their families.
    “On 27th July, we celebrate 86 glorious years of bold courage, supreme sacrifice, and resolute commitment — deeply inscribed in the legacy of the nation’s security and service,” the force said in a post on X.

    The inception of the CRPF was significantly influenced by the Madras Resolution passed by the All India Congress Committee in 1936, which underlined the need for a robust internal security mechanism.

    This vision took shape under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the then Home Minister, who emphasised the necessity of a strong and adaptable force to meet the evolving security demands of independent India.

    Notably, the CRPF remains the only paramilitary force in India with six all-women battalions. The first of these, the 88 (M) Battalion, was established in 1986 and is headquartered in Delhi. These battalions reflect the force’s commitment to inclusivity and the evolving role of women in India’s security forces.

    IANS

  • MIL-OSI Australia: UPDATE: Charges – Recklessly endanger life – Darwin

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force have charged a youth after a serious assault at the Royal Darwin Show overnight.

    Around 8:20pm, police received reports that a 15-year-old male had assaulted another 15-year-old male with a knife at the showgrounds after an altercation.

    Police and St John Ambulance attended, and the victim was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital where he currently remains in a stable condition.

    The alleged offender fled the scene, with police arresting him a short time later at a residence in Palmerston.

    He has now been charged with Recklessly endanger life and Possess, carry, use a controlled weapon.

    The 15-year-old remains in custody awaiting a bail review.

    Police are still urging anyone with information to make contact on 131 444 and quote reference P25199834.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cindy Rodriguez Singh Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

    Source: US FBI

    Noel has a history of health and developmental issues, including chronic lung disease, pulmonary edema, and esotropia. He required regular medical appointments and medications, including ophthalmologist and speech therapy appointments, as well as albuterol inhaler medication.

    “Cindy, as the primary adult responsible for Noel’s safety and well-being, failed numerous times to meet his health and developmental needs,” said Kecev.

    Rodriguez Singh has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, which previously prompted the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to place her children into foster care at one point.

    On March 20, 2023, at the request of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, officers from the Everman Police Department conducted a welfare check on Noel. Rodriguez Singh claimed Noel was not at the residence and that he had been living with his biological father in Mexico since November 2022.

    But when the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services contacted Noel’s biological father in Mexico, he said he did not have custody of Noel or any type of relationship with him.

    Then, on March 22, 2023—two days after the welfare check—Cindy Rodriguez Singh, along with her husband, Arshdeep Singh, and six children, flew from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India. This is the last confirmed sighting of Rodriguez Singh.

    “All airline tickets were purchased within 24 hours of flight departure, and Cindy Rodriguez Singh had unenrolled Noel and his siblings from school,” said Kecev.

    Along with the capital murder charge, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez Singh on November 2, 2023, for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Kecev said it is a team effort among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies who have been diligently working to locate Noel.

    “None of us will ever forget Noel, and we will continue to put forth all our effort to one day find justice for him,” said Kecev. “That will include Cindy Rodriguez Singh being apprehended and returned to the United States so she can answer for her alleged crimes. I believe—and I can speak for the investigative team including the state, local, and federal investigators as a unit—that her arrest will play a significant part in locating Noel’s whereabouts.”

    Rodriguez Singh is 40 years old. She was born in Dallas, Texas, and is believed to have ties to India and Mexico. She is between 5’1″ and 5’3″ tall and 120 to 140 pounds, and she has a medium complexion with tattoos on her back, both legs, right arm, right hand, and right calf. She has brown eyes and brown hair. Rodriguez Singh also goes by Cecilia Rodriguez, Cindy Rodriguez, Cindy C. Rodriguez, and Cindy Cecilia Rodriguez.

    If you have any information about Rodriguez Singh, please contact your local FBI office, local law enforcement agency, or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. You can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the FBI’s Dallas Field Office at 972-559-5000. Tips can also be submitted digitally at tips.fbi.gov. All information can remain anonymous, and confidentiality is guaranteed.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Roswell, Georgia, Man Sentenced for Threatening Former FBI Director Christopher Wray

    Source: US FBI

    ATLANTA – John Woodbury, 35, of Roswell, GA, has been sentenced to seventeen months in prison after pleading guilty to transmitting threats to injure then-FBI Director Christopher Wray.                                       

    “My office has zero tolerance for threats against law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Threatening to harm public servants who enforce our criminal laws weakens the foundation of our society and will be punished accordingly.”

    “The functioning of our democracy requires that our country’s public servants be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “The sentencing of John Woodbury is yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to holding those accountable who threaten public officials.

    According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 7, 2023, Woodbury posted a message on 4chan.org that threatened violence against then-FBI Director Wray. In his message, Woodbury posted Director Wray’s purported home address and wrote: “Let’s show them what a fucking ‘Nazi’ . . . looks like. . . . It’s time to burn these mother fuckers down and hang them from trees. Hit them where it fucking hurts. Hit Chris at his home. Make his family fear stepping one foot outside their god damn door.”   

    Earlier today, United States District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty sentenced Woodbury to seventeen months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Woodbury was convicted of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, after he pleaded guilty on April 18, 2025.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Felony Fugitive Homicide Suspect Arrested by FBI in Kenya

    Source: US FBI

    On Friday, July 18, FBI Seattle took felony fugitive Salman Haji into custody in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of an operation targeting violent crime. Haji was wanted for the January 2024 homicide of Mingyuan Huang in the parking lot of a business in Tukwila in what the investigation has determined to have been an attempted robbery. Haji is also charged in a federal armed carjacking case.

    “International fugitive investigations like this one require significant coordination with domestic and international law enforcement partners as well as our Legal Attaché offices, which advance the FBI’s mission worldwide,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “The FBI is committed to pursuing those who attempt to flee the criminal justice system and bringing them to justice, even when they seek to evade accountability by hiding overseas. This international operation was a joint effort by the Tukwila Police Department, FBI Seattle, FBI Legal Attachés Nairobi and The Hague, the DEA Nairobi Country Office, and Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations and Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.”

    “The Tukwila Police Department would like to thank the FBI and all the involved federal and international law enforcement partner agencies for their assistance in locating and taking Haji into custody and stand trial for the homicide of Mingyuan Huang,” said Eric Drever, Chief of Police, Tukwila Police Department.

    The operation that ultimately led to Haji’s arrest is part of Summer Heat, the FBI’s nationwide initiative targeting violent crime during the summer months. As part of this effort, the FBI has launched a multi-pronged offensive to crush violent crime. By surging resources alongside state and local partners, executing federal warrants on violent criminals and fugitives, and dismantling violent gangs nationwide, we are aggressively restoring safety in our communities across the country.

    For information on the federal case, view a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington: King County, Washington, murder suspect now indicted in armed carjacking in Seattle.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Shooting at Munno Para West

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man has died after a shooting incident at Munno Para West.

    Just after 11pm on Saturday 26 July, police were called to a house on Stebonheath Road after reports of a disturbance.

    A struggle has occurred between two men at the house after one of the men made threats with a firearm.

    Patrols arrived and found a 53-year-old Taperoo man dead from a gunshot wound, believed to be from a gun in his possession.

    The gun was recovered nearby.

    A 31-year-old man from the house is assisting police with their enquiries.

    There are no other persons sought over the matter.

    Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Man arrested after Hindley Street incident

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man has been arrested after an incident in the Adelaide CBD last night.

    It will be alleged that about 5.15pm on Saturday 27 July, a man forced his way into a massage business on Hindley Street and barricaded himself alone inside the premises.

    Staff members were not injured.

    Security Response Section members and negotiators were called to the scene to assist patrols in removing the man from the business.

    Police used capsicum spray and a taser to safely detain the suspect, a 43-year-old Camden Park man.

    He was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment and later released into police custody, where he was charged with trespass, disorderly behaviour and resist arrest.

    He was bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 15 September.

    MIL OSI News –