Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) has today released its latest bushfire outlook for Autumn 2025, highlighting an elevated risk of bushfires in parts of Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria. Dry conditions are expected to persist along much of Australia’s southern coastline during the outlook period.
The Northern Territory (NT) is currently facing a normal risk of bushfire, however, a dry spell could increase the likelihood of fires spreading in areas with available fuel, particularly in Central Australia.
The AFAC outlook highlights higher fuel loads in regions southwest of Alice Springs, including the southern Tanami and MacDonnell Ranges. Landholders in these areas are strongly encouraged to prepare their properties for ongoing fire risk.
Stephen Hunter A/Deputy Chief Fire Officer emphasised the importance of avoiding complacency and encouraged landholders to ensure their fire management plans are up-to-date and firefighting equipment is in working order.
“Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service reminds the public that the Central Australian bushfire season will continue through until April 2025. We encourage everyone to stay informed about fire danger ratings and bushfire warnings, and to be prepared to implement emergency plans,” he said.
“Fire activity is recurring in Central Australia, even in areas affected by last year’s fires, so it is important to monitor grass regrowth and perform regular property maintenance.”
One of the best ways to protect your property and community is by maintaining firebreaks. Ensure firebreaks are at least 4 meters wide, and vegetation within them is kept below 50mm in height.
In the Top End, Territorians are reminded that prescribed burning is common during this time and there is a possibility that controlled burns may impact surrounding areas with smoke and falling ash.
It is recommended that residents:
Close windows and bring any washing in.
Anticipate smoky conditions for the duration of the burns.
When driving pay attention and if the roads are smoke affected, turn on your lights and drive carefully.
For more information on the AFAC outlook, visit AFAC Seasonal Bushfire Outlook Autumn 2025.
For fire ban information, bushfire warnings, and advice, visit Secure NT
Attribute to Inspector Will Loughrin, Area Commander Waikato West
Police had a large presence in the Ngaruawahia and Taupiri area today in relation to a tangi for a patched gang member.
An operation to monitor the behaviour of those involved in the tangi was carried out by Police to ensure minimal disruption to the public.
During the operation, one person was arrested for displaying gang insignia and another person who was unrelated to the tangi was arrested for a Warrant to Arrest.
Police staff monitoring the tangi saw the man of interest travelling in the area and he was taken into custody sometime later.
Police engaged with the whānau and Marae throughout the day to ensure minimal impact to the community, while allowing those attending the tangi to have space to grieve.
While it is not always possible to take action at the time, Police are committed to enforcing the gang insignia legislation and will take every opportunity to not only follow up on these breaches but also any other unlawful activity.
We would like to thank the members of the Ngaruawahia community for their patience.
Police encourage the public to report any instances of unlawful activity to us, so we can take appropriate action.
Please contact 111 if it is happening now, or report non-emergencies to Police by calling 105 or making an online report via 105.police.govt.nz.
Injured skipper rescued from yach near Eddystone Point
Thursday, 27 February 2025 – 2:58 pm.
A man has been rescued after being injured while sailing from George Town to Hobart yesterday. A distress call was received by Tas Maritime Radio about 2.30pm Wednesday after the skipper of a yacht – who was sailing alone – had been struck in the head by the yacht’s boom. Tasmania Police’s Northern Marine Services was contacted and police boarded a St Helens Volunteer Marine Rescue vessel along with an Ambulance Tasmania paramedic. The man was treated on the yacht by the paramedic while the vessel was skippered by police to Binalong Bay. The patient was transferred from the yacht about 9pm and transported to St Helens District Hospital for assessment. Tasmania Police would like to thank the members of St Helens Volunteer Marine Rescue for their assistance and skill during difficult sailing conditions.
Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
Without Congressional Action, The WTCHP Will Have To Start Turning Away First Responders And Survivors, Cut Back Access To Care For Existing Enrollees By 2028
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Dan Goldman (D-NY) joined advocates and survivors to introduce the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025. Representative Tom Kean (R-NJ) is also an original House cosponsor.
Despite recent congressional action, the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) continues to face an impending funding shortfall. As a result, by October 2028, the program will be forced to close enrollment to new 9/11 responders and survivors, and existing enrollees will face direct cuts to their care and be denied medical monitoring and treatment.
The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 would update the program’s outdated funding formula to ensure adequate funding until the program’s expiration in 2090. The bill would also increase funding for data collection on 9/11-related conditions and expand access to mental health care for program members.
A full recording of the press conference is available here.
“Yet again, we are introducing a bill to fix a projected funding shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Thousands of Americans risked their lives to protect our country in its darkest hour, and it is now our responsibility as members of Congress to be there for them as they continue to battle the horrific health ramifications from that day and the many days after. Our bill updates the funding formula for the WTCHP so that no 9/11 hero has to worry about losing coverage year after year. It is beyond time to get this passed, and I look forward to working across the aisle to do so.”
“‘Never Forget’ does not mean just commemorating 9/11, it is a promise to always take care of our 9/11 first responders and survivors. That’s why we are introducing legislation to stop funding patches and make this healthcare program funded permanently: now and forever,” said Senator Schumer. “Our 9/11 heroes should not have to come down here year after year, month after month, pleading for the funding for the healthcare they have earned, deserve, and was promised to them. It’s time for America to put its money where its mouth is and prove to the heroes of 9/11 that we mean it when we say will Never Forget.”
“Today, alongside my House and Senate co-leads, responders, and survivors, I was proud to announce the reintroduction of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act,” said Congressman Garbarino. “This legislation would ensure the World Trade Center Health Program has the resources it needs to continue providing care for those suffering from 9/11-related conditions. We made a promise to never forget, and today, we stood together to reaffirm our commitment to delivering on that promise.”
“While over twenty years have passed since the 9/11attacks, so many of our heroic responders and survivors continue to carry with them the burden of that terrible day as they have fallen sick from the air surrounding Ground Zero,” said Congressman Nadler. “Congress must uphold the promise made to our first responders and survivors by fully funding the WTCHP to provide the injured and their families the aid they need and deserve. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, which will address the funding shortfall to keep the program available for those who need it for years to come.”
“Every New Yorker has been impacted by the profound loss and devastating pain from the September 11th attacks, including those like me who lived in Lower Manhattan at the time,” said Congressman Goldman. “We owe a permanent debt to the first responders and unwavering support for the survivors who continue to bear the physical and emotional scars. The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act will ensure that these heroes receive the health care they are owed. As representatives of New York, it is our bipartisan duty to guarantee that these American heroes receive the assistance they deserve from the federal government.”
“Everyone remembers the dark day of 9/11, a day etched in history,” said Congressman Kean. “We honor all who ran toward danger, risking everything to help those in need. As an original cosponsor of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, I am committed to ensuring that the heroes and survivors of 9/11 receive the care and support they deserve. This bill corrects outdated funding formulas, expands mental health resources, and strengthens data collection to address the long-term health impacts of that tragic day. We have a responsibility to stand by those who sacrificed so much, and this legislation reaffirms that commitment.”
In addition to Reps. Garbarino, Nadler, Goldman, and Kean the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 is cosponsored by Reps. Michael Lawler (R-NY), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), George Latimer (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Josh Riley (D-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Nydia Valazquez (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tim Kennedy (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
“Cancer, COPD, Pulmonary Fibrosis and other serious respiratory illnesses are literally decimating the 9/11 Community from the toxic aftermath of 9/11,” said 9/11 advocate John Feal. “But we fail to mention the Toxic Redundancy in DC that continues to to take its toll on the deathly ill men & women, uniform and non uniform heroes and survivors who continue to travel over and over and over again to implore lawmakers to enact legislation again. The redundancy of traveling, the redundancy of being away from family, the redundancy of telling their stories, and the redundancy of me watching them die one by one. So one more time, no one last time we implore Congress to “ACT” now, so we can be left alone. The WTCHP is a lifeline for 140,000. $3 billion is a small ask for what we have been through dealing with our injuries, illnesses and most of all the redundancy we had to put up with for over two decades now. Together, today “WE” all have the opportunity “NOW” to stop the madness, the cruelty and redundancy!”
“My name is Mariama James. I’m the daughter of two now late survivors dead of 9/11-related disease, the mom of three young survivors all with multiple WTC Health Program certifications, and I’m a health-impacted survivor myself,” said Mariama James, 9/11 survivor and advocate. “I stepped into this fight as a young woman, believing justice and care would swiftly follow the devastation of 9/11. Now, nearly 24 years later, I stand here still, imploring our leaders: fully and permanently fund the WTC Health Program. Time is not healing, it’s revealing the ongoing toll, and our commitment must match that reality.”
“Firefighters and officers are suffering from 9/11-related illnesses every day,” said Jim Brosi, President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. “Congress has a duty to uphold the promise made to first responders and ensure the WTCHP is fully funded for as long as our members need care. Access to treatment and medication is the least we can do for those who sacrificed their personal health to save the lives of countless victims.”
“While it has been nearly 24 years since terrorists attacked our nation on 9/11, we still have daily reminders of the heavy price paid by the NYPD, FDNY, and first responders across this nation who willingly and selflessly answered the call to duty,” said NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) President Vincent Vallelong. “These brave men and women did not delay, they did not hesitate, and their actions in the weeks and months that followed September 11 gave our nation hope and the strength to rebuild. The original Zadroga Act and the World Trade Center Health Program recognize our nation’s obligation to care for those first responders who sacrificed so much on that fateful day. The SBA is grateful for the continuing strong leadership of Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Garbarino, Sen. Schumer, and the New York delegation in reintroducing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act and ensuring Congress fulfills its obligation to fully fund this critical program.”
““We walked the halls of Congress in 2010 to enact the World Trade Center Health Program, and again in 2015 to reauthorize this vital program to ensure our nation took care of those suffering from 9/11-related chronic health conditions as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Attacks that left many Port Authority Police Officers with severe disabling and life-threatening illnesses contracted during the selfless performance of their duties in the World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery efforts,” said Frank Conti, President of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association. “The WTCHP is facing a significant funding gap that, if not addressed by Congress, will impact its ability to provide necessary care to our nation’s 9/11 responders and survivors, including the officers we represent. We thank Senator Gillibrand and Representatives Garbarino and Goldman for their support, and we stand with them in urging Congress to pass the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act now. This is not over…the sacrifice continues.”
“We fought for the enactment and near permanent reauthorization of the WTCHP as we view it as our obligation and duty to ensure that responders, who risked their lives to protect us, and survivors continue to receive the care that they deserve,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. “The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act honors that obligation and ensures the WTCHP is fully funded. We thank Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Garbarino for their leadership and stand with them in support of this legislation.”
We have vowed to never forget our heroes and survivors of the horrific attacks of 911. Yet, here we stand today, fighting for them once more. The actions Elon Musk has taken against the World Trade Center Health program are as insulting as they are inhumane. Our heroes and survivors deserve the utmost respect and the best possible care. I would like to thank the New York and New Jersey Republican members of Congress, led by Congressman Garbarino, for having the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with us. Their actions were instrumental in having President Trump rescind the termination of many of the program’s key providers. Standing here in solidarity, hopefully Congressman Garbarino can convince more of his colleagues to do the right thing and fully fund the World Trade Center Health Program. As stated earlier we will never forget, and we will never go away until all our heroes and survivors are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.” said Thomas Hart, President of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act and President of Local 94 International Union of Operating Engineers.
Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Bev Lawton ONZM (Ngāti Porou), founder of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s national centre for women’s health research, gets up every morning to save lives—and she’s up for the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year award for her groundbreaking research.
Throughout her career, first as a GP, then as founder of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, Bev has sought to reduce preventable harm and death for Māori and non-Māori women, their children and whānau. With a kaupapa Māori lens, she focuses on clinical care pathways, and systems to identify how these can better perform for women, babies, and whānau.
“Every member of my team works to eliminate preventable harm and death for women, babies, and whānau. One such goal includes eliminating cervical cancer. With the taonga of vaccination, and HPV self-testing, this is now achievable,” says Bev.
The achievement Bev is most proud of in her career is her advocacy for HPV self-testing. She says, “The voices of women in Aotearoa New Zealand have contributed to everything about the way in which this programme has been implemented. It was research in real-time. Those that had had the test as part of research projects, were informing the programme as it was being rolled out.”
“Regularly I meet people who tell me they were not just happy to do their HPV self-test, they were proud of it—because they own it, and they tell their friends to do it too. It is reaching a lot of people. Screening rates are going up.”
Bev is a partner in the ongoing campaign to eliminate cervical cancer. “We have the tools, but it will require funding, and a plan. The introduction of HPV self-testing in September 2023 is a fantastic step, but our HPV vaccination coverage is very low in comparison to Australia, where their government has committed nearly $50m to support the national elimination strategy.
“If I had a wish, it is that tomorrow, myself and every woman in Aotearoa be literally or figuratively, standing behind the Minister of Health when they announce their commitment to resourcing a cervical cancer elimination strategy.”
Previous Patron of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine and advisory board member Dame Silvia Cartwright says, “Over many years of association with Bev, I have been deeply impressed both by the quality and breadth of her research, but also by the skill she has demonstrated in nurturing the work of a whole generation of younger researchers who share her passion for the improvement in health care delivery. Bev has the rare ability to gather wide support for her work, but also to make it available at every level of the health care community. Her academic rigour and advocacy for improvement in health care together make her stand out in a field where it is notoriously difficult to achieve real, practical results.”
Working with iwi and communities, including Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Toa, Bev leads projects and programmes to create positive, long term health system transformation. Each, she says, comes from years of relationship-building across iwi, hapū, health care providers and champions—all with the overall goal or serving community to reduce harm and save lives.
Bev speaks to the impact of having a rōpū Kaumātua advising her, saying, “The kaumātua ensure our mahi is tika (true) and responds to community. I get the right people on the waka. It’s not just my effort that has achieved the successes we have had in women’s health. It takes a lot of people to make this happen, as well as our vision for māmā and pēpi flourishing,” says Bev.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Māori, Professor Rawinia Higgins says, “Bev’s career exemplifies how research can create real-life, meaningful change. Her research shapes a better world, where women and children live longer, healthier lives.
“Her ability to collaborate with health providers, policy advisers, kuia kaumātua, funders, and people in the Māori community, exemplifies what we as a university want to achieve through research. Her achievement, to become a finalist in these prestigious awards, is superbly well-deserved—and if one more person self-tests because they’ve seen her story and experienced her advocacy, then she has achieved her goal.”
The other two finalists in New Zealander of the Year are Dame Lisa Carrington for pushing boundaries in sport and inspiring the next generation, and Sarah Hirini ONZM for redefining what is possible on and off the rugby field.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on 20 March.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for information in relation to a serious assault that occurred in Katherine this morning.
Around 03:30am, police received a report that a woman had been located at an address on Maluka Road with serious injuries. It is alleged she was assaulted by her partner while they were exiting a taxi on Maluka Road.
Police and St John attended, and the 35-year-old woman was conveyed to Katherine Hospital for treatment for serious physical injuries to her neck.
The alleged offender was not at the scene at the time of police attendance.
Detectives from the Northern Investigation Section are investigating and urge anyone who was in the area of Maluka Road and Acacia Drive between midnight and 3am to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference NTP2500021142.
Alternatively, you can report anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Lofgren Ask DOJ to Investigate United Kingdom Notice to Apple Threatening U.S. Cybersecurity Interests
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) review the United Kingdom’s recently reported notice that would provide the British government access to Apple iCloud users’ protected data and could severely limit Apple’s ability to offer encrypted iCloud backups around the world. The lawmakers asked DOJ to investigate whether the United Kingdom may have breached the terms of the U.S.-U.K. Agreement on Access to Electronic Data for the Purpose of Countering Serious Crime and that DOJ reevaluate the United Kingdom’s eligibility for an agreement under the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act. The CLOUD Act allows select foreign governments to seek data directly from U.S. technology companies for the investigation and prosecution of crimes without individualized review by the U.S. government.
The U.K.’s notice reportedly requires Apple to weaken the encryption of its entire global iCloud backup service and give the U.K. government the “blanket capability” to access customers’ data in plaintext. Reports further suggest the U.K. believes its notice applies not just domestically to U.K. companies, but across borders with global effect. The U.K. law could conflict with the laws and public policy of other jurisdictions, intrude on the rights of people across the globe, and significantly hamper the United States’ ability to make sure American companies follow responsible cybersecurity practices. Last week, Apple announced the company can no longer offer encrypted cloud backup in the U.K. to new users, and that current U.K. users would eventually need to disable this security feature.
“If these press reports are true, they necessitate the Department of Justice’s review of its approval of the U.K. as a qualifying nation under the CLOUD Act, and whether the notice may violate or otherwise be inconsistent with U.S. law and public policy, as well as with the Agreement,” wrote the lawmakers.
“Encryption is also acknowledged by all to be a critical means to secure information systems essential to the national security and economy of our country,” added the lawmakers. “… It is difficult to see the U.K.’s notice to Apple, if the reports are accurate, as anything less than an action that undermines U.S. law, public policy, and information security by requiring U.S. companies to take such reckless action as undermining encryption for all users globally.”
“Therefore, given the U.K.’s reported conduct, and Congress’s important oversight role in these matters, we respectfully request that the DOJ conduct a review of the U.K.’s compliance with the statutory requirements of the CLOUD Act and the terms of the Agreement, taking into account the factual predicates behind the CLOUD Act, the sovereign interests of the U.S. in regulating the conduct of U.S. companies, and cybersecurity public policy imperatives,” continued the lawmakers. “This review is essential to ensure that agreements under the CLOUD Act uphold the privacy, security, and human rights standards that Congress set in enacting the CLOUD Act and will inform Congress as to whether statutory reforms are necessary to protect these strong U.S. interests.”
In the 2018 CLOUD Act, Congress enacted one of the first significant changes in decades to U.S. law governing cross-border access by law enforcement to electronic communications held by private companies. CLOUD Act agreements remove legal restrictions on certain foreign nations’ ability to seek data directly from U.S. providers in cases involving “serious crimes,” provided that the data requests do not target U.S. persons, and so long as the Executive Branch has determined that the foreign nation’s laws adequately protect privacy and civil liberties, among other requirements. The CLOUD Act also gives Congress the power to prevent a proposed executive agreement from entering into force through expedited congressional review provisions after the agreement certifications are provided by the DOJ.
The United Kingdom received the first CLOUD Act agreement in 2019, which went into force in 2022. These agreements are authorized for five years, and the U.K. agreement was renewed in November 2024.
Notably, U.S. cybersecurity officials have urged Americans to use encrypted services to protect their communications, including in the wake of recent significant cybersecurity compromises, such as China’s Salt Typhoon operation attacking AT&T and Verizon’s systems.
The lawmakers also asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to respond to additional questions regarding the U.K.’s concerning notice by March 5, 2025.
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
We write to seek the Department of Justice’s views on whether the United Kingdom (U.K.) may have breached or otherwise acted inconsistently with the terms or spirit of the U.S.-U.K.’s Agreement on Access to Electronic Data for the Purpose of Countering Serious Crime (“Agreement”) authorized by the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (“CLOUD Act”).
According to press reports, the U.K.’s Home Secretary served Apple, a major U.S. technology firm, with a secret technical capabilities notice (“Notice”) last month. This notice reportedly requires the U.S. company to weaken the encryption of its entire global iCloud backup service and give the U.K. government the “blanket capability” to access customers’ data in plaintext. Reports further suggest the U.K. believes its notice applies not just domestically to U.K. companies, but across borders with global effect. As reported, the U.K. law is no mere domestic law and could conflict with the laws and public policy of other jurisdictions, intrude on the rights of far more people than just U.K. citizens, and significantly affect U.S. interests in ensuring U.S. companies follow responsible cybersecurity practices. Last week, Apple announced the company can no longer offer encrypted cloud backup in the U.K. to new users, and that current U.K. users would eventually need to disable this security feature, giving rise to the inference that the U.K. did indeed issue a notice to Apple, as reported. Apple is reportedly prohibited from acknowledging that it received such a notice, which limits Congressional oversight into the matter, including the extent to which the U.K. is asserting its authority over U.S. persons and entities outside of the U.K.
If these press reports are true, they necessitate the Department of Justice’s review of its approval of the U.K. as a qualifying nation under the CLOUD Act, and whether the notice may violate or otherwise be inconsistent with U.S. law and public policy, as well as with the Agreement.
The case made for the CLOUD Act rested on the argument, asserted by U.K. officials in hearings before Congress and elsewhere, that without it, the U.K. would not be able to reach providers under U.S. jurisdiction to assist in investigating serious crime without those providers violating U.S. law. As you know, relying on these representations, Congress authorized the DOJ via the CLOUD Act to form an executive agreement with qualifying jurisdictions, which would partially lift the U.S. legal prohibitions on providers voluntarily honoring foreign legal process. The Attorney General, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, must determine and submit a written certification to Congress that the criteria set out in the CLOUD Act have been met. The certification must also include an explanation of each of the statutory considerations.
Section 2523(b)(3) of Title 18 emphasizes that agreements must not create an obligation that providers be capable of decrypting data. While the statute does not say that a qualifying jurisdiction is barred from adopting laws that undermine encryption, the U.K.’s notice to Apple has the effect of extending to U.K. disclosure demands made under the Agreement the obligation to decrypt. This obligation would not exist but for the fact that the Agreement effectively removes the bar to disclosure on which Apple would otherwise rely in refusing to make the disclosure. It splits the finest of hairs to say that because the Agreement itself does not contain an obligation to decrypt that a CLOUD Act country can impose such an obligation on a U.S. provider, issue disclosure orders under the Agreement that rely on such obligation, and impose penalties for non-disclosure when compliance with such orders is refused.
Notably, there is no obligation under U.S. law to require a provider subject to U.S. jurisdiction to take the actions reportedly required by the U.K. notice. Encryption is also acknowledged by all to be a critical means to secure information systems essential to the national security and economy of our country. In the wake of recent significant cybersecurity compromises, such as the Salt Typhoon hack, U.S. officials have encouraged the adoption of encrypted communications. It is difficult to see the U.K.’s notice to Apple, if the reports are accurate, as anything less than an action that undermines U.S. law, public policy, and information security by requiring U.S. companies to take such reckless action as undermining encryption for all users globally.
In addition, to qualify for an agreement with the U.S. and gain the benefits of streamlined enforcement, section 2523(b)(1)(B)(v) of Title 18 requires the foreign government’s domestic surveillance law to have sufficient accountability and transparency. The complete secrecy surrounding this matter suggests serious cause for concern that this requirement is being violated by the U.K. Gagging the recipient of such a notice to disclose its effect to its users – or even to the U.S. government – seems inconsistent with the commitment to transparency on which the certification of the Agreement in part rests.
These agreements are a product of legislation passed by the Congress. The statute contemplates Congress continuing to play a significant role in the agreements signed between the United States and foreign governments. As you know, the CLOUD Act gives Congress the power to prevent a proposed executive agreement from entering into force through expedited congressional review provisions after the certifications are provided by the Department.
Therefore, given the U.K.’s reported conduct, and Congress’s important oversight role in these matters, we respectfully request that the DOJ conduct a review of the U.K.’s compliance with the statutory requirements of the CLOUD Act and the terms of the Agreement, taking into account the factual predicates behind the CLOUD Act, the sovereign interests of the U.S. in regulating the conduct of U.S. companies, and cybersecurity public policy imperatives. This review is essential to ensure that agreements under the CLOUD Act uphold the privacy, security, and human rights standards that Congress set in enacting the CLOUD Act and will inform Congress as to whether statutory reforms are necessary to protect these strong U.S. interests.
In addition to your broader review, we ask that you respond in writing to the following questions:
1. Was the Department of Justice or anyone in the Trump Administration notified of, or consulted about, the U.K. Home Secretary’s Notice? And if so, by what means and when?
2. Is the Department of Justice aware of the issuance of such a Notice to any other U.S. tech company respecting an encrypted service offered by such company, or of any plans by the U.K. government to issue such a Notice to any other U.S. tech company with respect to an encrypted service?
3. What is the Department’s view on whether the U.K.’s Notice is evidence that the domestic authorities under the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act may be inconsistent with the statutory criteria required of the CLOUD Act?
4. What is the Department’s view as to whether because of the U.K.’s Notice or the nontransparent nature of its issuance, the DOJ should reassess the U.K. as a qualifying foreign government for purposes of the CLOUD Act?
5. What is the Department’s view on the imposition of extraterritorial regulations by a foreign government on U.S. providers that are contrary to U.S. law or public policy?
6. In its report to Congress accompanying the renewal of the U.S.-U.K. CLOUD Act Agreement in November 2024, the DOJ stated that it had “taken the opportunity of this determination to remind the U.K. of the statute’s requirements that the terms of the Agreement shall not create any obligation that providers be capable of decrypting data or limitation that prevents providers from decrypting data.” Please share with whom the DOJ met, what specifically was communicated, and whether the DOJ considered whether the U.K.’s use of its Investigatory Powers Act might undermine U.S. interests.
7. Has the DOJ taken any steps to protect U.S. interests as contemplated by the CLOUD Act and the Agreement before or since the reports became public?
8. If Apple were to comply with the Notice as initially reported: (a) could the U.K. obtain U.S. person data, which would have been encrypted absent compliance with the Notice, through means other than the CLOUD Act, and (b) could other jurisdictions obtain data, which would have been encrypted, absent compliance with the Notice?
We appreciate your timely attention to this serious matter and welcome hearing your response by March 5, 2025.
Sincerely,
While food systems account for up to 30% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, Vietnam is holding high-level talks aimed at creating more sustainable farming systems in the country’s ‘food bowl,’ the Mekong Delta region.
However, public policy experts are asking whether an extended series of government and large organisations running high-level multistakeholder forums (MSFs) is the best approach – and with few signs of low-emission food production systems commencing since the forums started almost 30 years ago.
Based on policy and literature reviews and interviews with 40 organisations in Vietnam, the Vietnamese researchers led by experts from Nong Lam University have joined Flinders University Professor in Public Policy Thuy Pham to highlight the need for policymakers and
MSF organisers to learn and implement important ‘real-world’ changes to greenhouse gas emissions and equity in society.
“Our investigations on the impact of 17 MSFs in Vietnam show they have shared some valuable knowledge but all this has generally made little contribution to outcomes on emissions, climate change mitigation and equity in communities,” says Professor Pham, from Flinders University’s College of Business, Government and Law.
“Current MSFs operate at different scales – regional, national, provincial – targeting different stakeholder groups for different objectives and outcomes,” she says, of a new article published in the World Development Perspectives journal.
“This means there is a lack of effective discussion across the groups, and not all stakeholders know about the forums, so limiting opportunities for collaboration, information sharing, networking and resource efficiency.”
“Rather than running more MSFs, we recommend that the great ideas produced at these forums should be used by policymakers to make progress on emission targets in food production, and in turn on equity.”
The researchers suggest that key policymakers should learn from and work with existing MSFs, rather than establish new ones and waste time.
They say reducing emissions and more sustainable food production requires holistic, cross-sectoral and multilevel solutions developed by multiple stakeholders. Technical solutions need to align with transformative governance and wide-ranging and inclusive stakeholder engagement with all players in food systems – while taking into account the interests and perspectives of these different stakeholders.
Coauthor of the study Dr Tang Thi Kim Hong, from the Nong Lam University in Ho Chi Minh City, says Vietnam’s policies on emission reductions and food systems – such as its Nationally Determined Contribution, and Resolution 34 on national food security until 2030 – require the participation of all sectors, state and non-state stakeholders as well as local communities and ethnic minorities.
“It is important, therefore, to analyse the degree to which a low-emission food system in the Mekong Delta is inclusive, and to assess whether all stakeholders or affected parties and their interests are represented in the decision-making process.”
While MSFs are designed to be “bring together a range of stakeholders to participate in decision-making and/or implementation in order to address a land, climate or resource problem or to achieve a common goal,” too often they are led and controlled by ‘powerful’ stakeholders who have funds, access to knowledge and political networks. This leaves local communities, Indigenous people and women behind, researchers say.
“We would suggest that key policymakers and funding agencies should learn from, and work with, existing MSFs to understand what works, what doesn’t, what works best and where, when and for whom, before establishing new ones,” adds Professor Pham, who is also affiliated with the Center for International Forestry Research in Indonesia (CIFOR).
“These MSFs should also ensure and empower disadvantaged groups such as Indigenous people local communities, women and youth to take the ownership, leadership and have a voice in how these MSFs should be run and operated, and how they can meaningfully address the on-ground problems.”
The article, ‘Multistakeholder forums in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Stakeholders’ perspectives regarding their outcomes and effectiveness for low-emission food systems’ (2025) by Thu Thuy Pham, Thi Kim Hong Tang, Vy Thao Ngo, Ngoc My Hoa Tran, Thi Thuy Anh Nguyen, Thi Van Anh Nguyen, Trung Son Nguyen and Dinh Yen Khue Nguyen has been published in World Development Perspectives DOI:10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100661.
Professor Thuy Pham, based at the Flinders College of Business, Government and Law, also is affiliated with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Indonesia. Other corresponding authors from Vietnam’s Nong Lam University – Dr Kim Tang, from the Faculty of Forestry, and Dr Thao Ngo, from the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, contributed equally to the study.
Food systems account for up to 30% of total global greenhouse gas emissions when accounting for all elements and stakeholders (environment, people, inputs, processing, infrastructure, institutions, etc), according to an FAO report. This includes activities related to the production, processing, distribution, preparation, use, and sale of food, and the outputs of these activities, including socio-economic and environment.
MSFs aim to bring together multiple stakeholders, including farmers and community groups, to develop climate solutions and make meaningful, on-the-ground reforms to set up low-emission food systems and improve equity.
Police are warning motorists to expect delays on some Canterbury roads ahead of a large car enthusiast event this weekend, and are asking people to report any unlawful activity seen.
Police will have extra staff out on Christchurch and rural Canterbury roads monitoring the event, which is due to take place across three nights.
The Antisocial Road User Team will be joined by additional staff, with one clear message: Dangerous driving behaviour will not be tolerated.
We have been in contact with the event organiser who has been very receptive and while we do not expect there to be any issues at the event itself, we know from previous years there may be unlawful activity from a small section of attendees and other motorists following the event.
We want people to enjoy themselves, however not at the expense of others. Where illegal activity is identified Police will be talking enforcement action.
Antisocial road user activity not only puts the drivers at risk, but also passengers, bystanders, and members of the public.
If you witness any unlawful driving behaviour please contact Police, you can report information to us at 111 if it’s happening now or via 105 either online or over the phone if it’s after the fact.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech during 2024 Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Britain, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer was set to meet United States President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday after having pledged to increase British defense spending in the face of what he called a “generational” security challenge.
The decision to raise military expenditure to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, and 3 percent by 2033, was announced on Tuesday, with Starmer saying he had “hard choices” to make in ensuring that the “defense and security of the British people must always come first”.
But his decision to partly fund it by a cut in overseas aid has been criticized by charities and some members of his own governing Labour Party.
“Through those choices, as hard as they are, we must also seek unity — a whole society effort that will reach into the lives, the industries, and the homes of the British people,” Starmer explained.
The timing of the announcement was notable, coming as it did just before his visit to the White House and at a time when security links between Europe and the U.S. are under great strain.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed Starmer’s decision, calling it a “strong step from an enduring partner”.
Trump has long been critical of European members of the NATO military alliance for not contributing enough to the communal defense budget. The current requirement, met by most members, is for 2 percent of GDP to be spent on defense, but Trump has said it should be as high as 5 percent, even though the U.S. itself is currently only the third-highest proportionally contributing member nation, with 3.37 percent of its GDP.
According to data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, in 2023 the UK was the world’s fifth-largest international aid donor.
Writing in The Guardian newspaper, Foreign Minister David Lammy insisted the “most vital programs in the world’s worst conflict zones of Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan” would not be affected, “but there can be no hiding from the fact that many programs doing vital work will have to be put on hold”.
Former Labour Party foreign secretary David Miliband, who is now head of the International Rescue Committee charity, called the aid cut “a blow to Britain’s proud reputation as a global humanitarian and development leader”, while Nick Dearden, director of campaign group Global Justice Now, said it was “a day of shame for Britain” with the move being taken “to appease Trump”.
The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF and the charity Oxfam were also heavily critical of the decision, while Labour Party member of parliament Sarah Champion, who is chair of the parliamentary International Development Select Committee, spoke out against her own party leader, saying: “Aid vs defense isn’t a realistic narrative for keeping the world safe.”
Man charged with trafficking after police seize drugs during Spirit of Tasmania terminal search
Thursday, 27 February 2025 – 1:44 pm.
A 43 year old Blackmans Bay man has been charged with trafficking following a search at the Spirit of Tasmania terminal last night. Members of Western Taskforce Scelus and the Dog Handlers Unit seized approximately 50 grams of methylamphetamine – with a potential for 500 street deals – from the man who was a foot passenger arriving in Tasmania on Wednesday 26 February. The man was arrested and charged with trafficking in a controlled substance along with other minor drug offences. He was bailed to appear in Devonport Magistrates Court on June 10. Anyone with information about illicit substances in the community should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested five males in relation to multiple property offences across the Greater Darwin Region area overnight.
Around 8:50pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) received a report that a group of males were allegedly attempting to start a white Toyota Landcruiser located in the staff car park at the Darwin Airport.
A short time later, the JESCC received further reports of the same vehicle being used to ram the gates of the long-term carpark at the airport.
Around 10:40pm, police received reports of a group allegedly attempting to steal a car from an address in Jingili, significantly damaging the vehicle in the process. The owner of the vehicle confronted the group who fled the scene in a white Toyota Landcruiser.
The JESCC subsequently received two reports of stolen vehicles, one of which identified as a Toyota Landcruiser from a carpark at a shopping centre on Roystonea Avenue and the other from an address on Casuarina Drive.
Strike Force Trident sighted the Land Cruiser stolen from the airport on Vanderlin Drive and attempted to apprehend the vehicle. The Landcruiser failed to stop, and a pursuit was initiated throughout the Northern Suburbs.
A tyre deflation device was successfully deployed on Vanderlin Drive, Karama before the occupants drove into nearby bushland where they abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
The Dog Operations Unit (DOU) deployed and located four males aged 13, 15, 18 and 20.
The males were arrested and remain in police custody.
A short time later, police received intelligence that two of the stolen vehicles were located in a community in Johnston.
SF Trident, DOU and Palmerston general duties attended the location and recovered the two Landcruiser’s and arrested a 13-year-old male who was inside one of the vehicles.
Six remaining offenders fled the area before police arrival.
At around 5:20am, the JESCC received a report that a Toyota Hilux Utility had been stolen from a unit complex in Coolalinga. The Hilux was then observed travelling south on the Stuart Highway with a group of males in the tray.
During the search for the Hilux, a DOU vehicle was rammed by the stolen vehicle before it again fled the scene. Four other Police vehicles were damaged when occupants of the stolen Hilux threw projectiles at police.
The officers inside the vehicle were not injured during the incident.
Investigations are ongoing.
Detective Senior Sergeant Dale Motter-Barnard said, “The actions of these individuals are despicable.
“The officers in the vehicle that was rammed were thankfully unharmed, but the outcome could have been very different.
“Not only are these offenders damaging and stealing from hard working people, but they are also driving erratically throughout Darwin, risking themselves and other road users.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to bring the offenders before the courts.”
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Murray: “Trump and Musk are preparing lifeboats for billionaires who can already buy their own fleet of yachts—but ripping away support for families who have been struggling for years to keep their heads above water.”
***VIDEO HERE***
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, joined a virtual press call to discuss the Trump administration’s recent attacks on child care and Head Start—and President Trump’s utter failure to do anything to help families find and afford child care, despite his promises to lower costs for American families. The call was hosted by Child Care for Every Family, Zero to Three, the National Women’s Law Center, and MomsRising.
Senator Murray blasted the Trump administration’s mass firings at Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care—which reportedly lost roughly 20% and 25% of their staff respectively—as well as the Trump administration’s blanket funding freeze that caused chaos and uncertainty for Head Start centers nationwide, including in Washington state.
“In a shock to no one, a billionaire like Donald Trump and his boss, Elon Musk—the literal richest man on the planet—have absolutely zero clue why child care is so important to families and to our economy. Despite the President’s grand campaign promises to lower families’ costs, Trump and Musk have done absolutely nothing to increase child care openings, nothing to lower child care costs, nothing whatsoever to address the child care crisis,” said Senator Murray. “When it comes to helping themselves, they are gearing up to give themselves and other billionaires trillions in tax cuts—but when it comes to helping parents and kids, a big fat zero.”
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below:
“In a shock to no one, a billionaire like Donald Trump and his boss, Elon Musk—the literal richest man on the planet—have absolutely zero clue why child care is so important to families and to our economy.
“And despite the President’s grand campaign promises to lower families’ costs, Trump and Musk have done absolutely nothing to increase child care openings, nothing to lower child care costs, nothing whatsoever to address the child care crisis.
“Of course, when it comes to helping themselves, they are gearing up to give themselves and other billionaires trillions in tax cuts—but when it comes to helping parents and kids, a big fat zero.
“And really, even that is being far too kind—because all they have done so far is make the child care crisis worse, and all their plans for what to do next are to make it even worse!
“When Trump and Musk are haphazardly freezing Head Start funding, then promising to turn it back on, but not actually ensuring that happens, and throwing Head Start centers and families who count on them into complete chaos; when they are firing, left and right, without rhyme or reason, the very workers who help child care providers and Head Start centers keep their doors open and who help ensure the kids in their care are safe—they are turning their backs on families and making the child care crisis that much worse.
“President Trump and Elon Musk have reportedly already fired a fifth of workers at the federal Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care—and it’s clear they plan to keep firing federal workers with reckless abandon. These are folks that help all of our states keep child care and Head Start centers open.
“There’s no mistaking it: Trump and Musk’s agenda will have devastating consequences for families and for our economy.
“Because—despite how important Elon Musk thinks he is—the reality is that working families are the backbone of our economy. And mom and dad can’t go to work if they can’t get child care.
“And of course, if things weren’t bad enough—Republicans’ next big priority involves ripping health care away from kids and families and seniors to shower even more tax cuts on billionaires. Child care doesn’t become more affordable when parents and their kids get kicked off Medicaid.
“In other words, Trump and Musk are preparing lifeboats for billionaires who can already buy their own fleet of yachts—but ripping away support for families who have been struggling for years to keep their heads above water.
“They are telling fellow billionaires: ‘Whatever you want!’ And telling parents and kids: ‘Tough luck!’
“Well, I have fought for child care from my first day in politics and I am going to make sure they know I am not stopping now.”
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
ICYMI: Senator Murray Presses VA Deputy Secretary Nominee on Mass Firings of VA Researchers, Holding Oracle Accountable to Get EHR Right for Veterans
ICYMI: Murray, Senate Democrats Demand Trump Exempt All VA Employees From Hiring Freeze
***LETTER HERE***
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, sent a letter this week to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins expressing their deep concerns about how the ongoing federal hiring freeze is affecting VA researchers—many of whom have already lost their jobs—as well as the research programs funded by external entities that improve care and services for our nation’s veterans.
The senators wrote, “Without immediate action to address the recent hiring constraints imposed by the Trump Administration, critical research efforts—and the veterans who rely on them—are at risk. Hundreds of VA research-funded positions are in jeopardy due to the hiring freeze. This freeze impacts researcher positions funded by grants, which are awarded as part of competitive funding mechanisms based on peer-review. These roles are essential to the safe and effective conduct of ongoing VA-funded research, by ensuring compliance with biological safety, data security, and other critical protocols.”
The members also pointed out that, according to the National Association of Veterans’ Research and Education Foundations, “[D]uring the next 90 days alone, VA could lose an additional 200 research personnel who directly support research to advance veterans’ health and healthcare access,” highlighting the time-sensitive nature of the impacts to research funding.
Senator Murray has been outspoken in standing up for veterans, VA employees, and VA researchers against Trump and Elon Musk’s indiscriminate mass layoffs that will undermine critical services our nation’s veterans rely on every day. Senator Murray, a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, was among the first to raise the alarm about the layoffs of VA researchers and called on President Trump to immediately reverse the firings. She pressed VA Deputy Secretary nominee Dr. Paul Lawrence on the firings of VA researchers at the hearing on his nomination last week, held a press conference with a VA employee and veteran in Seattle who was abruptly laid off as part of the mass firings with zero justification, and put out a fact sheet on how the indiscriminate mass firings were hurting workers in Washington state, including VA researchers. In January, Murray and others called on President Trump to exempt all VA employees from the hiring freeze issued as part of his Day One Executive Orders.
Senator Murray has also repeatedly sounded the alarm over DOGE access at VA. She voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary—making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk—and joined her colleagues in pressing Secretary Collins to take immediate actions to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and DOGE.
The full text of Sens. Murray and Blumenthal’s letter can be found below and HERE.
Dear Secretary Collins:
We write to express our deep concerns regarding the impact of the ongoing federal hiring freeze on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) research and the research programs funded by external entities that improve care and services for our nation’s veterans. The VA research enterprise has long been a pillar of medical innovation, responsible for groundbreaking advancements that have improved the lives of millions of veterans and Americans, and is a major recruitment tool in bringing top talent to the Department. Researchers at VA have been responsible for revolutionary medical achievements, including implanting the first successful cardiac pacemaker, developing the nicotine patch and other therapies for smokers, maintaining the nation’s largest genomic biorepository, and advancing prosthetics technology. Without immediate action to address the recent hiring constraints imposed by the Trump Administration, critical research efforts—and the veterans who rely on them—are at risk.
Hundreds of VA research-funded positions are in jeopardy due to the hiring freeze. This freeze impacts researcher positions funded by grants, which are awarded as part of competitive funding mechanisms based on peer-review. These roles are essential to the safe and effective conduct of ongoing VA-funded research, by ensuring compliance with biological safety, data security, and other critical protocols. Further, according to the National Association of Veterans’ Research and Education Foundations, during the next 90 days alone, VA could lose an additional 200 research personnel who directly support research to advance veterans’ health and healthcare access. These positions are either funded by non-VA entities, such as other federal agencies or philanthropic organizations, or are short-term assignments from academic institutions to allow VA to capitalize on specific expertise.
These mechanisms are not only fiscally responsible, but essential to sustaining VA’s research mission. At a time when the Trump Administration claims to be hyper-focused on efficient use of taxpayer dollars, it is unacceptable that the Department has targeted cost-effective research aiming to improve veterans’ health outcomes. If these appointments are not processed, an estimated 370 studies and clinical trials could be canceled or suspended in the next 90 days, directly impacting up to 10,000 veterans currently participating in research studies.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of VA research, we have a responsibility to safeguard its future. VA has been at the forefront of medical breakthroughs for a century, and continued investment in its research workforce is essential to ensuring that legacy endures. We strongly urge VA to swiftly reverse the hiring freeze and any related personnel decisions to prevent disruptions to research that directly contributes to improving veteran health outcomes.
We appreciate your attention to this critical issue and stand ready to support swift efforts that will allow VA research to move forward without disruption.
The Government has agreed to introduce legislation that will enable a four-year term of Parliament subject to a referendum, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As stipulated in the National-Act coalition agreement, the Bill is modelled on the ACT Party’s draft Constitution (Enabling a 4-Year Term) Amendment Bill. “This means a standard term of Parliament will remain at three years, but with the ability to extend the maximum term of Parliament to four years. “The main condition is that membership of certain select committees is calculated in a way that is proportionate to the non-Executive parliamentary party membership of the House. “Given the constitutional significance of the term of Parliament, this change would be subject to the outcome of a binding referendum. “Both the National-Act and National-New Zealand First coalition agreements include supporting a bill to select committee. At this stage, no decisions have been made on whether this Bill will proceed beyond this. “It is possible a referendum could be held alongside the next General Election in 2026. However, any final decisions on timing for a referendum will depend on what comes out of the select committee process. “Future decisions will also need to be made by the Government as to whether the bill proceeds as introduced, or whether it should be amended. “We want to hear what New Zealanders think during the select committee process.”
West Hants RCMP Detachment has charged a man with weapons offences following an altercation in Windsor.
On February 25, at approximately 12:30 a.m., RCMP officers responded to a report of a man wielding a knife at another man on Water St. Officers learned that the man with the knife was threatening the other man.
No physical injuries were reported.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers arrested 30-year-old James Lee Marble-Stock of Windsor. At the time of his arrest, Marble-Stock was in the possession of two knives, a box cutter and other sharp objects.
Marble-Stock has been charged with:
Assault with a Weapon
Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
Uttering Threats
Failure to Comply with a Court Order
He was remanded into custody and will return in Kentville Provincial Court today.
The incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact West Hants RCMP at 902-798-2207. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.
Please attribute to Detective Sergeant Glenn Restieaux of Hastings Police:
Police are asking for witnesses to come forward after an assault that left a young person critically injured.
About 12.40pm yesterday, in the vicinity of Bellevue Dairy Gloucester Street, Taradale, a group of young people was approached by a male who had just exited a car with others.
The male then allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old in the group, and a fight broke out between the two groups.
The 14-year-old was transported to hospital with critical injuries. He remains there in a serious but stable condition.
The second group fled in the vehicle, which was later located and seized.
Police are now working to establish the full circumstances of what occurred, and identify those responsible for the assault.
We know there were several other members of the public who were in the area at the time, and we are hoping they have valuable information to share.
If you can help, please use our 105 service and quote reference number 250227/9346.
You can also share information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
One person has died and a homicide investigation has been launched following a firearms incident in Onerahi this morning.
Police received a report of a person injured at Beach Road Reserve at about 11.10am.
Upon arrival, one person was pronounced deceased at the scene.
A second person was located with serious injuries and has been transported to hospital.
Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer, Whangārei CIB, says Police do not believe there is any ongoing risk to the wider community.
“The key focus for us is determining the series of events that led up to this tragic incident.”
Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward, in particular we would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed this incident.
Cordons will remain in place and the community can expect to see an increased Police presence in the area while a scene examination is completed and enquires are carried out.
Members of the public are asked to avoid the area until this has been completed and motorists are advised Beach Road remains closed from Church Road.
“We understand this incident would have been unsettling for the wider community and we appreciate the assistance from the public during this time.”
Police will provide a further update when we are in a position to do so.
If you can assist with our investigation, please call Police on 105 or go online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 quoting job number P061751387.
Information can also be provided anonymously on 0800 555 111 via Crime Stoppers.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO OF KAINE IS AVAILABLE HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) spoke on the Senate floor to highlight the ways President Donald Trump’s war on American-made energy—including through his sham national energy emergency—will raise costs and cost Americans good-paying jobs. Later today, the Senate will vote on legislation led by Kaine and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) to terminate President Trump’s emergency declaration.
“President Trump took a number of actions on his first day in office, and many of them got a lot of attention. One that didn’t get so much attention was his decision on day one—on day one—to declare that the United States was in an energy emergency,” said Kaine.
“I am proud to stand here and tell you, especially as one who has supported many of the policies that has led to this growth in American energy, that America is producing more energy today than at any point in the history of this nation. America is the leader in the world in energy production, and for the last few years, we’ve been an energy surplus nation, producing more than we consume,” Kaine continued.
Kaine said, “Donald Trump and his Administration are attacking wind projects. They’re attacking solar projects. They’re attacking clean energy projects that aren’t oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear, and by doing so, they’re reducing supply and likely raising prices on American consumers.”
“There are a number of projects in Virginia, as an example, that benefited from tax breaks included either in the Inflation Reduction Act for clean energy projects or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for rollout of electric vehicle charging,” Kaine said. “President Trump’s Administration has attacked those projects, has put them on hold, and the Virginians who were intending to invest billions of dollars hiring people to build these projects are now uncertain about what they can do.”
“This would be more than a horrible policy… It would also set a horrible precedent—a precedent that a president of either party can invent a sham emergency and then grab away from Congress powers that Congress has under Article One,” Kaine concluded. “We took an oath to a Constitution that gives Congress certain powers. We should not let the President trample on those powers.”
In the hours following his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed a slew of executive orders, including the national energy emergency order, to withdraw support for renewable energy—despite its benefits to America’s economy and environment—and grant his administration new powers to promote fossil fuels at the cost of bedrock environmental laws. Specifically, the emergency will benefit Big Oil by giving his unelected Cabinet officials the power to oversee the accelerated approval of fossil fuel projects, including oil drilling rigs and pipelines, and explore the use of eminent domain to take Americans’ land for the “siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation” of non-solar and non-wind-related energy production.
Last week, Kaine and Heinrich held a press conference with environmental leaders to urge their colleagues to support their legislation to end the emergency.
Finance Opposition spokesperson, the Hon Pesetatamalelagi Barbara Edmonds visited her alma mater, the University of Auckland to talk with Business academics and learn more about the Pacific Strategy and Pacific Academy initiatives launching this year.
Edmonds (Fale’ula, Faleatiu, Safotu, Fasito’o/Sāmoa) is the MP for Mana and visited the University on 24 February. She met with leaders from the School of Business, Schools and Community Engagement, and the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific.
“It’s nice to be back home, it does feel like home, this is my alma mater where I did my Law and Arts degree that set me up for my career.”
Edmonds says it was good to be amongst Pacific students and to have in-depth discussions focused on economic policies.
“We had good discussions with the School of Business, around macro and micro economic policies that we will be testing as part of our policies that we will be forming,” she says.
Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Professor Jemaima Sipaea Tiatia-Siau says drafting the University’s first Pacific Strategy in 142 years has been a huge task over the last year; having someone with the expertise and calibre of the Finance Opposition Spokesperson view the work undertaken highlights the strategy’s significance.
“We’re grateful to have had the Hon Barbara Edmonds come onto campus, to be able to share with her the work we have undertaken.
“She’s a great example of why drawing up a road map for Pacific success here at the University is important, so that our young people can flourish at the University and leave ready to take on the world.”
Professor Tiatia-Siau says the Mana MP relished learning about initiatives to prepare school leavers for the university environment such as Auckland Maths Challenge and the Pacific Academy, ensuring Pacific youth were able to thrive.
Edmonds says it was also important to encourage the Pacific community into the Business space. She pivoted during her career path starting out in Health Sciences before graduating with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts in 2008, going on to become a specialist tax lawyer.
A mother of eight, her path to becoming a Cabinet Minister began eight years ago while working as a private secretary for the National Party’s Ministers of Revenue, Michael Woodhouse and Judith Collins. The following year in 2017 she was appointed as a political adviser for the Labour Government’s Revenue and Police Minister Stuart Nash. She entered Parliament in 2020 as the MP for Mana and became a Cabinet Minister in 2023, holding the Internal Affairs and Pacific Peoples portfolios.
“I came into the business space through the Arts and through Law, it was a very different pathway, says the 44-year-old.
“I got into the area of tax through law, it’s a good indicator of broadening [your scope]. The Humanities and the Arts are important, it means you have a good grounding for a diverse career.
“I’ve been really fortunate that I had a good grounding here, with the Law School and with the Faculty of Arts, and that means decades later you become a Finance Opposition spokesperson for a major political party – don’t knock the Arts!”
Professor Tiatia-Siau says Edmonds’ visit to give guidance and moral support to developing the Pacific Strategy was timely.
“We are this week welcoming our first-year students and we are also on the eve of a great milestone. The presence of Pesetatamalelagi the Hon. Barbara Edmonds is a show of support for the work we are doing, and she is a wonderful role model of what can be accomplished once you have secured a university education.”
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested an 18-year-old male in relation to an aggravated assault and burglary in Larrakeyah last night.
About 5pm, police received reports of an ongoing disturbance within a unit complex on Mitchell Street. It is alleged that three males unlawfully entered a residence, one armed with a machete, and assaulted two females before fleeing the scene. It is believed the offenders were known to the victims.
Police arrived and conveyed the 13-year-old female who received injuries to her eye to Royal Darwin Hospital for medical assessment and obtained statements from the other two victims.
Later that evening, police arrested an 18-year-old male at a residence in Malak. He is expected to be charged later today and will appear in court at a later date.
Detectives from the Crime Command have carriage of the investigation.
If you have any information in relation to the incident, police are urging you to make contact on 131 444 and reference P25055389.
Four police officers will join the Two Wells Police Station in the coming months in response to the rapidly increasing population of the region.
The increasing population of the Adelaide Plains town and surrounding areas, will also result in an upgrade to the local station to house the additional police in the future.
Commissioner of Police, Grant Stevens said the upgrade to the station will mean it can house up to 20 full time employees – from its current state of three officers.
“Initially there will be four additional positions, including a supervisor with the opportunity to expand in coming years as the housing developments are finalised,” Commissioner Stevens said.
“Currently police travel from other nearby stations to respond to calls for assistance and undertake policing duties. By having more officers based locally we will be able to increase our presence in the community.”
In addition to the Barossa Local Service Area positions, a further six Family and Domestic Violence Investigation Section (FVIS) Sergeant positions will be filled following a successful 12-month trial in the Far North Local Service Area.
“Unfortunately, we know the prevalence of family and domestic violence in our community and these additional resources will be able to support victims and hold offenders to account,” Commissioner Stevens said.
In total there will be 13 reassigned Family and Domestic Violence Investigation Officers and 14 reassigned Volume Crime Team positions and additional three Detective Senior Sergeant positions included in regional areas about 12 months ago.
All positions advertised are part of the additional 71 positions made redirected to frontline policing following additional government funding, and the successful programs such as the introduction of Police Security Officers in custody management areas, the civilianisation of some roles and the rationalisation of some small police stations.
These reassigned positions show SAPOL’s commitment to country policing with more than half of the recommended positions in the Regional Review now allocated.
Mansuri Manuchekhri, 33, of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, was arrested today for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), possessing firearms while unlawfully in the United States, and immigration fraud. Manuchekhri was arrested today and made his initial appearance this afternoon in the Eastern District of New York.
“Under no circumstances will my Department of Justice tolerate terrorism,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We stand ready to find, arrest, and prosecute those who seek to harm American citizens with the full force of the law. I stand with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who work to keep Americans safe and evil off our streets.”
“The defendant allegedly supported ISIS and sent thousands of dollars overseas to individuals connected to ISIS,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI is focused on preventing acts of terrorism and ISIS has a long and violent record of harming U.S. citizens. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to find and hold accountable those who assist terrorists and endanger the safety of Americans at home or abroad.”
“The Justice Department will relentlessly pursue those who fund and support terrorists,” said Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “We will not allow our immigration or financial systems to be exploited. Our country will not be a safe haven for those who try to harm Americans.”
“As alleged, the defendant facilitated thousands of dollars in contributions to ISIS extremists overseas,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “Protecting the homeland and prosecuting evildoers who assist terrorist organizations by funding their violent and hateful agenda, here and abroad, will always be a priority of this office.”
As alleged in the complaint, Manuchekhri traveled to the United States from Tajikistan in June 2016 on a non-immigrant tourist visa and remained in the country after his visa expired in December 2016. In March 2017, Manuchekhri paid an American citizen to enter into a sham marriage with him so that he could obtain legal status in the United States. However, he failed to provide supporting documentation that was requested of him and his petition was never granted.
As alleged in the complaint, Manuchekhri traveled to the United States from Tajikistan in June 2016 on a non-immigrant tourist visa and remained in the country after his visa expired in December 2016. In March 2017, Manuchekhri paid an American citizen to enter into a sham marriage with him so that he could obtain legal status in the United States. However, he failed to provide supporting documentation that was requested of him and his petition was never granted.
From approximately December 2021 through April 2023, while residing in Brooklyn, Manuchekhri facilitated more than $50,000 in payments to ISIS-affiliated individuals in Turkey and Syria, including to an individual who was later arrested by Turkish authorities for his alleged involvement in a January 2024 terrorist attack on a church in Istanbul for which ISIS-K publicly claimed responsibility. Manuchekhri expressed his support for ISIS to others by praising past ISIS attacks in the United States and by collecting jihadi propaganda videos promoting violence and martyrdom.
The complaint further alleges that Manuchekhri possessed and used firearms and made frequent visits to shooting ranges even though he was prohibited from doing so as an alien unlawfully in the United States. In February 2022, Manuchekhri recorded himself firing an assault rifle at a shooting range in New Jersey and sent the video to one of the ISIS-affiliated individuals in Turkey with the message, “Praise God, I am ready, brother.”
If convicted, Manuchekhri faces a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert M. Pollack and Andrew D. Reich for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorneys John Cella, Andrea Broach, George Kraehe, and Ryan White of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Paralegal Specialist Wayne Colón.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
BOSTON – A Torrance, Calif. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his involvement in operating sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia and to his involvement in fraudulently obtaining over $580,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
James Lee, 70, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution; one count of money laundering conspiracy; and one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for April 29, 2025. James Lee was arrested and charged in November 2023 with co-defendants Han Lee, 42, of Cambridge, Mass. and Junmyung Lee, 31, of Dedham, Mass. The defendants were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024.
From at least January 2022 through and including November 2023, James Lee knowingly conspired with Han Lee and Junmyung Lee to operate an interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia designed to entice women to travel interstate to engage in prostitution. James Lee and his co-conspirators also knowingly conspired with one another, and others, to launder the proceeds of the prostitution network by concealing that the money was derived from the prostitution conspiracy.
James Lee rented several high-end apartments in Boston and Eastern Virginia that were used as brothel locations. James Lee was the sole and legal tenant of at least six locations used by this prostitution network. In addition to using his own name to lease the apartments, James Lee would use fraudulent identities and, at times, stolen identities of actual people. James Lee was regularly compensated by his co-conspirators for both leasing apartments and for his travel to and from the brothel locations. Han Lee paid James Lee approximately $1,000 per month per active lease as a commission. James Lee served as a liaison between the females working in the units and the property managers by fielding calls and coordinating any issues that arose relating to maintenance and inspections.
James Lee and his co-conspirators concealed the proceeds of the prostitution network by depositing hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash proceeds into their personal bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers. Additionally, the defendants regularly used hundreds of thousands of dollars of the cash proceeds from the prostitution business to purchase money orders (in values under an amount that would trigger reporting and identification requirements) to conceal the source of the funds. These money orders were then used to pay for rent and utilities at brothel locations in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Beginning in our around March 2020 through September 2021, James Lee submitted fraudulent information in an effort to obtain loans through CARES Act and the Small Business Administration’s programs like the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). James Lee used personal identifying information of a third-party to submit false loan applications and open bank accounts used to accept COVID-19 relief funds. In addition James Lee fraudulently applied for PPP Loans and EIDL funds using the names of businesses that did not exist or served as shell companies in furtherance of the scheme. In support of the loan applications, James Lee submitted fraudulent tax documents in the name of the third party and a fraudulent lease between himself and his fraudulent identity. As a result of the scheme, James Lee obtained at least $580,000 in fraudulent EIDL funds and PPP loans.
Han Lee pleaded guilty in September 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2025. In October 2024, Junmyung Lee pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2025.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
The charge of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $500,000 fine or twice the value of funds laundered, whatever is greater. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the loss from the scheme. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Central District of California; Eastern District of Virginia; U.S. Postal Service; and Watertown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquelle Kaye, of the Asset Recovery Unit are prosecuting the case.
Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that on February 26, 2025, Zachary L. Holt, age 24, and Dezmonique D. Tenzsley (a/k/a “Privilege”), age 36, were sentenced on seventeen counts including Felony Murder in Indian Country, Attempted Murder of a Federal Officer, Assault of a Federal Officer, Attempted Robbery in Indian Country, Robbery Affecting Commerce, as well as several firearm offenses. Holt also was sentenced for First-Degree Murder in Indian Country and Murder Resulting from Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Holt and Tenzsley were convicted of these crimes on November 25, 2024, following a jury trial. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced both men to life in prison, which was the mandatory sentence for Holt and Tenzsley’s crimes.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and numerous federal agencies came together to secure some measure of justice on behalf of the victims in this case,” stated Acting United States Attorney Barker, who served as a lead counsel on the case from the start. “This was a complicated investigation and trial, involving nearly sixty witnesses. The U.S. Attorneys Office would not have been able to present this case without the sacrifices of our incredible law enforcement team.”
According to court documents and information disclosed at trial and sentencing, Holt and Tenzsley went on a six-week crime spree that began in September 2022 in Northern Idaho and continued until the Defendants’ arrests in Eastern Washington on October 21, 2022. Over these six weeks, Defendants Holt and Tenzsley committed home invasions as well as a robbery in Northern Idaho, and then took their firearms and much of the stolen property into Eastern Washington, where they shot and killed Gale and Jeremy Neal at roughly 4:21 p.m. on October 20, 2022, in Keller, Washington. Gale and Jeremy Neal were shot twice inside their trailer during a failed robbery. Eyewitnesses described three armed men wearing masks, who arrived at the trailer in a red sedan. Surveillance video presented at trial showed the red sedan arrive at about 4:19 p.m. and depart two minutes and ten seconds later, at 4:21 p.m., just moments after the murder.
Approximately 30 minutes before the murders, Holt and Tenzsley were driving on a dirt road in the Keller area. Holt, who was speeding, swerved to miss a school bus, causing Holt’s vehicle to roll over into a ditch. Minutes later, Holt’s brother, Curry Pinkham, pulled up in the red sedan to give both Holt and Tenzsley a ride. Just before getting into the car, Holt and Tenzsley moved several firearms – including the murder weapon – and thousands of rounds of ammunition out of the crashed car and into the red sedan – a 2007 Toyota Camry.
Testimony at trial established that Holt was upset about wrecking his car and demanded that Pinkham take them to a location where they could get more drugs and find someone to rob. Pinkham agreed to drive Holt to the home of a known drug dealer in the Keller area.
When Holt, Tenzsley, and Pinkham arrived at the residence of the known drug dealer, Holt and Tenzsley put on rubber gloves and masks. Holt, Tenzsley and Pinkham then grabbed firearms out of the red sedan. Rather than go to the main residence, where the purported drug dealer lived, Holt and Tenzsley walked to the back of the property, where Gale Neal’s trailer was located. As Holt and Tenzsley approached, Jeremy Neal came to the door of the trailer. Holt immediately began demanding Neal’s money and property. Moments later, Holt fired two shots, killing Jeremy Neal. Holt then turned to Gale Neal, who leaned back into the couch in fear, and fired two more shots, killing Gale. Throughout, Tenzsley was standing guard, armed with a shotgun and his face covered by a mask.
After the robbery and murder, and while law enforcement was responding to the scene, Tenzsley, Holt, and Pinkham drove towards Nespelem, Washington. As Pinkham was driving the getaway car, Holt fired several additional shots – this time at law enforcement, who was attempting stop the red Camry. During the chase, a Colville Tribal Police Sergeant, who was cross-deputized as a federal officer, was hit in the forearm. Several additional bullets hit the Sergeant’s patrol vehicle. After shooting the first officer, Holt opened fire at a second Colville Tribal Police Officer, who also had attempted to stop the red sedan. Evidence at trial established that Tenzsley reloaded firearm magazines as Holt continued to fire at law enforcement to evade apprehension after murdering the Neals.
When Holt, Tenzsley, and Pinkham later arrived in the Nespelem area, the three men tried to hide the getaway car under a tarp and fled on foot. They also hid their firearms and ammunition throughout the Nespelem area. When Holt and Tenzsley were finally apprehended the next day, Tenzsley gave a false name. Holt got into fist fight with a concerned citizen, who had called the police just prior to Holt’s arrest.
During the investigation into the murders of Jeremy and Gale Neal, Tribal and federal law enforcement identified a series of other crimes that Holt and Tenzsley committed as part of their six-week crime spree and conspiracy. On September 3, 2022, Holt and Tenzsley robbed and severely assaulted a man at gunpoint inside his trailer in Latah County, Idaho. The pair stole ammunition, gun parts, the victim’s car keys, and a safe containing the title to the victim’s camper trailer. As Holt and Tenzsley were fleeing the robbery scene, they exchanged fire with the robbery victim.
Additional evidence established that on October 12, 2022, Holt and Tenzsley, who again were both armed, invaded two homes and assaulted multiple victims on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho. The evidence at trial showed that Holt and Tenzsley were again looking for someone to rob when they committed these assaults. During the second home invasion that evening, Holt and Tenzsley shot a dog in the face on the Nez Perce Reservation. Fortunately, the dog survived the gunshot.
In the days immediately after the Lapwai, Idaho assaults, Holt and Tenzsley traveled to Keller, Washington – leading to the tragic deaths of Gale and Jeremy Neal, as well as the attempted murder of one federal officer and the assault of another. The firearm used in the shooting on the Nez Perce Reservation was the same gun Holt and Tenzsley used during the Neal murders, as well as the attempted murder and assault of the two federal officers.
“On October 20, 2022, these defendants tragically destroyed too many lives to count. They killed two innocent members of the Colville Tribe, permanently injured a dedicated Tribal officer, and opened fire at another officer,” Acting United States Attorney Barker added. “On the day of these senseless crimes, the entire Nespelem community was in lock down, while Tribal and federal police sought to apprehend Mr. Holt and Mr. Tenzsley. The community then rallied in typical Colville fashion to support the investigation and prosecution of those responsible. Similarly, the Nez Perce Reservation’s Tribal Police Department was instrumental in bringing the Defendants to justice for the criminal conspiracy that began in Northern Idaho.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Barker continued, “The subsequent investigation involved numerous witness interviews across three Tribal communities in two states, dozens of search warrants, extensive forensic testing by the Washington State Patrol, voluminous legal filings, and numerous meetings with victims and their families. In the end, our entire district came together to seek justice for the Neal family and the officers, who were shot and nearly killed. Without our state, local, and Tribal partnerships, as well as every member of my office, the outcome of this case and investigation could have gone much differently. I am particularly grateful for the incredible team of victim advocates, litigation technology specialists, legal support staff, and Assistant United States Attorneys, who worked tirelessly on this case. Our team shows up every day to help keep our communities, neighborhoods, and reservations safe, and this case is just one example of the amazing things our office is able to accomplish.”
The Chairman of the Colville Tribes, Jarred Michael Erickson, said, “These events were incredibly disruptive to the Colville community. People died and their neighbors had to grapple with shock, grief, and fear as these despicable crimes unfolded. It is extremely gratifying to see justice done today as these murderers will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Criminals everywhere must understand that if they commit their crimes on the Colville Reservation, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Chairman Erickson continued, “Our Colville Tribal Police reacted to this crisis with incredible bravery and professionalism. The murderers shot at two Colville officers as the officers attempted to apprehend them, and seriously injured one officer when they shot him in the forearm. As the Colville police continued to work with other law enforcement agencies throughout the investigation and eventual arrest of these felons, Det. McNulty and Chief Brown distinguished themselves with their efforts to bring these killers to justice. The Colville Tribes is grateful for the efforts of every individual and non-tribal agency that assisted in this case, but we especially want to thank Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker, who worked as lead counsel on this case through trial. Richard and his office have been friends and partners to the Colville Tribes for many years now. It is an understatement to say we greatly appreciate the effort and skill the U.S. Attorney’s office devoted to prosecuting this case, and for the work they do every day to keep our community safe.”
“The ruthless violence Mr. Holt and Mr. Tenzsley displayed will not be tolerated and demonstrates that prison is where they belong. Communities across Idaho and Eastern Washington will be safer with them there.” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “It is fortunate more people were not injured or worse by these two dangerous criminals. I am grateful to the courageous officers who were able to apprehend them and to the investigators who put an end to their crime spree and held them accountable for their violent actions.”
“This case is a prime example of how interagency cooperation between state, city, county, tribal, and federal partners can lead to communities being kept safe and take criminals off the street,” stated Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles. “I would personally like to thank our Detective Corporal Ryan Weaver for his exemplary work on this case. I would also like to thank the United States Department of Justice for their relentless prosecution of this case and keeping all local law enforcement agencies involved in this case. Justice has been served.”
This case was investigated by the Colville Tribal Police Department, the FBI, the FBI’s Salish Safe Trails Task Force, Latah County Sherif’s Office, Nez Perce Tribal Police Department, Idaho State Patrol, Spokane Tribal Police Department, Kalispel Tribal Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Okanogan Sheriff’s Office, Ephrata Police Department, Soap Lake Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, and the Washington State Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker, Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Ellis, and Contractor Echo D. Fatsis.
Matthew Podolsky, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that KOFI AMANKWAA, a Bronx-based former immigration attorney, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for immigration fraud in connection with his supervision of a multi-year scheme to file fraudulent immigration documents under the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”). AMANKWAA pled guilty on September 17, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who imposed today’s sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Kofi Amankwaa, a former immigration attorney,made a mockery of the U.S. immigration system and VAWA — a law that provides noncitizen victims of domestic abuse a path to lawful permanent residence status — by filing thousands of immigration documents falsely alleging that his clients were victims of abuse by their children or other family members. Amankwaa repeatedly filed these false applications without telling his clients that he was doing so, and pocketed thousands of dollars from each client he victimized. Amankwaa now faces a significant prison sentence for his crimes.”
According to the allegations in the Information, public filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:
From September 2016 through November 2023, AMANKWAA and others at his direction met with clients and instructed them to sign fraudulent Form I-360 VAWA Petitions falsely stating that the clients were abused by their U.S. citizen children. AMANKWAA also signed the petitions, under penalty of perjury, as the attorney preparer.
AMANKWAA used the filing of the fraudulent Form I-360 VAWA Petitions, among other filings, as a basis to request for his clients advance parole travel documents — documents that enable individuals without legal status in the U.S. to travel abroad temporarily and return. AMANKWAA then directed his clients, upon obtaining the advance parole travel documents, to travel abroad and return to the U.S. Last, AMANKWAA used the fraudulently procured advance parole as a basis for his clients to apply for lawful permanent resident status.
AMANKWAA carried out this illegal scheme knowing that his clients had not, in fact, been abused by their children or without asking whether any such abuse occurred. Moreover, AMANKWAA was often unsuccessful in obtaining lawful permanent resident status for his clients because the clients’ immigration applications were denied on the basis of fraud, among other reasons. AMANKWAA typically charged his clients between $3,000 and $6,000 for his services, plus administrative fees.
In November 2023, following numerous complaints by clients regarding the fraudulent abuse allegations, AMANKWAA’s license to practice law in the State of New York was suspended, and in August 2024, AMANKWAA was disbarred.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, AMANKWAA, 70, of South River, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $13,389,000. As part of his plea agreement, AMANKWAA has also agreed to pay $16,503,425 in restitution to his victims. If you believe you or your family member is a victim of VAWA fraud who may be entitled to restitution from AMANKWAA, please contact USANYS.VAWAFraud@usdoj.gov.
Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security for their support in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Z. Margulies is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Samantha Roberts.
LOS ANGELES – A Simi Valley couple were arrested today on charges that they abused asylum-seeking immigrants from Latin American countries by forcing them to do domestic labor around the house and hand over money they earned working outside the home.
Carolina Rojas, 50, and her husband Jairo John Gastelo, 45, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit forced labor and four counts of forced labor.
Rojas was separately charged with an additional four counts of trafficking with respect to forced labor, three counts of giving immigration documents to unauthorized persons, one count of encouraging and inducing illegal entry, and one count of witness tampering.
During initial appearances Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, a federal magistrate judge ordered them detained and scheduled a trial for April 8.
“As described in the indictment, the defendants smuggled individuals into the United States and exploited them for their own financial gain,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “The enforcement of our immigration laws is critical to preventing forced labor and human trafficking. We will hold accountable those that violate these laws.”
“Today’s indictment shows the great lengths that the defendants went through to enrich themselves off smuggled aliens,” said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “Labor trafficking continues to be an ongoing problem in our communities and HSI remains committed to holding traffickers accountable for their deplorable actions.”
According to the indictment, no later than November 2021 and continuing until at least March 2024, Rojas and Gastelo allegedly worked with each other and others to recruit foreign nationals from specifically Latin American countries to come to the United States for the purpose of providing forced labor upon arrival to their house in Simi Valley.
Rojas allegedly facilitated the foreign nationals’ entry into the United States by providing initial financial assistance and by making travel arrangements for each victim. Once successfully in the U.S., Rojas helped the victims get transportation to California and eventually to Rojas and Gastelo’s house in Simi Valley.
After arriving at the house, the defendants allegedly forced the victims to provide around-the-clock childcare for a child with special needs and perform other domestic labor. The victims received no pay for their services and were told by Rojas and Gastelo that their work was performed in exchange for rent at the home.
The defendants allegedly charged the foreign nationals a fee for being smuggled into the U.S. In some cases, Rojas connected victims with a nearby McDonald’s in Simi Valley where she had an arrangement with the manager to hire individuals she brought to work there. Rojas and Gastelo would then collect money from the victims’ jobs as repayment for their smuggling fee debt.
Before getting outside-the-house employment, Rojas allegedly helped procure fraudulent social security cards and permanent resident cards for the victims to use when seeking jobs. Rojas would then bring the victims to a check cashing company, where they could cash their checks in order to pay Rojas and Gastelo.
If convicted, Rojas and Gastelo face a statutory maximum of five years for conspiracy to commit forced labor and a statutory maximum of 20 years for each charge of forced labor.
Rojas faces an additional statutory maximum of 20 years for each charge of trafficking with respect to forced labor, a statutory maximum of 10 years for each charge of giving immigration documents to unauthorized persons, a statutory maximum of 10 years for encouraging and inducing illegal entry, and a statutory maximum of 20 years for witness tampering.
Indictments contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys K. Afia Bondero of the Major Frauds Section and Matt Coe-Odess of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Strating, Director, La Trobe Asia, and Professor of International Relations, La Trobe University
Debating Australia’s role in world politics is not always high on the political agenda. Elections here are more often fought on economic issues than foreign or defence policy. And while the major parties have different views on foreign policy, there tends to be bipartisanship on the central tenets of our strategic policy, including Australia’s alliance with the United States.
In recent years, however, Australia has found itself wedged between two great powers: its security guarantor, the US, and its major trading partner, China. The increasing strategic competition between these two great powers, especially in Asia, has raised new questions about how Australia should manage these relationships and conceive of its role in the world.
For some countries, having a prominent role on the global stage may be more obvious than for others. Wealthy states with large militaries and populations, for example, often play the part of “great powers”. These countries tend to make claims about their unique rights and responsibilities, such as having a greater say in multilateral institutions (like the United Nations) and the “rules” intended to govern international conduct.
However, most of the world’s countries are not great powers. For a middle-sized nation like Australia, its role on the global stage is not necessarily static but determined by how our leaders balance national interests and values.
These, in turn, are shaped by “material factors”, such as geography, population and economy size, natural resources, shared political ideals (for example, our belief in democratic institutions), norms and culture.
In addition, a middle-sized country’s global role can change depending on how leaders perceive contemporary threats and challenges to their security.
Australia as a ‘middle power’
The National Defence Strategy released in 2024 describes Australia as an “influential middle power”. According to the strategy, this is demonstrated by several things:
our enduring democratic values
our history of safeguarding international rules and contributing to regional partnerships
the strong foundations of our economy
the strength of our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
Whether Australia should be described as a “middle power”, though, has long been the subject of political debate. Since H.V. “Doc” Evatt, then-attorney general and minister for external affairs, used the term in 1945, it has been most often (but not always) associated with the Labor Party.
Recent Coalition governments have been more reluctant to view Australia as “just” a middle power.
Alexander Downer, the foreign minister in the Howard government, would occasionally use the term “pivotal power”. Pivotal powers, as one political analyst put it, are “destined to shape the contours of geopolitics in key regions of the world” due to their strategic location, economic power and political influence.
Meanwhile, Julie Bishop, foreign minister in the Abbott and Turnbull administrations, preferred the term “top 20 country”, arguing this better reflected Australia’s standing and level of influence on the global stage.
At the core of this historical debate is the extent to which a country like Australia can – and does – have influence in the region and globally.
Middle powers have different characteristics from great or smaller powers. Size, geography and economic wealth affect the extent to which they can shape the world. As a result, middle powers often adopt certain types of actions or behaviours to enhance their influence.
There are a number of ways middle powers do this, such as by:
supporting adherence to international law and rules (because these can help restrain more powerful states from imposing their will on others)
encouraging cooperation through multilateralism (cooperation between multiple states)
finding creative new solutions to global problems, such as climate change
taking the diplomatic lead on specific, but important, issues.
A liberal-democratic middle power, such as Australia, may also seek to promote its values internationally, including the respect for human rights, free and open trade, and the principles of democratic governance and accountability.
Australia’s reliance on ‘great and powerful friends’
In addition, middle powers often choose to align themselves with a bigger power to boost their influence even further.
In Australia’s case, its strategic dependence on the United States developed, in part, by historical anxieties that faraway “great and powerful friends”, as former diplomat Allan Gyngell phrased it, might abandon it in a potentially hostile region.
Prior to the second world war, Australia relied on its former colonial ruler, Britain, for its security. The Fall of Singapore in 1942, in which Japanese forces routed British and Australian troops defending the island, demonstrated the risks of our overdependence on a distant ally.
In the aftermath of the war, Australia forged a new security alliance with a new global superpower, the United States, through the ANZUS Treaty. Yet, replacing one “great and powerful” but distant friend with another did not alleviate Australia’s abandonment anxieties.
Since then, debates about Australia’s international role have largely focused on the extent to which it can – and should be – self-reliant in the context of the US alliance, or if it should pursue a more independent foreign policy.
US domestic politics – particularly during President Donald Trump’s time in office – have also driven uncertainty about Washington’s reliability, as well as its commitment to Asia and the implications for allies like Australia.
Despite such concerns, Australia’s relationship with the US is as strong and deeply entwined as it has ever been. In fact, it only got stronger during Trump’s first term. While Canberra has sought to deepen engagement with regional states it views as “like-minded”, such as Japan, South Korea and India, it has done so firmly in the context of its broader alliance with the United States.
This, of course, is driven by the new anxieties over China’s rise as a major economic and military power in the region. In recent years, Beijing’s assertive and coercive behaviours in the region have made it the key national security threat facing Australia.
This is a break from the past, when Australian leaders – both Labor and Liberal – broadly agreed that a “pragmatic approach” to engaging great powers meant Canberra would not have to “choose sides” between China and the US.
In 2023, the Albanese government sought a détente of sorts with China, attempting to return to this pragmatic approach. But wariness of Beijing remains.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Beijing in late 2023.
An Indo-Pacific power?
In the context of these new challenges presented by a rising China, Australia has increasingly leaned into becoming an “Indo-Pacific” power in recent years. There are a number of ways in which this shift is observable.
First, Australia has been instrumental in encouraging the global adoption of this phrase, “Indo-Pacific”, as a new way of referring to the region. This is partly driven by the desire to maintain US leadership and presence in Australia’s neighbourhood. The US is a Pacific state, so this concept anchors the US in our region in a way that “Asia” does not.
And when people used the term “Asia-Pacific” to talk about the region in the past, this had a primarily economic connotation. This is due to the importance of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the move towards free-trade agreements between Australia and other countries in the region.
As such, the new term “Indo-Pacific” has become more of a security concept centred on the region’s waters. Generally, it is used to incorporate South, Southeast and Northeast Asia, Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands) and the United States. By connecting the Indian (“Indo”) and the Pacific Oceans, it has become primarily a maritime strategic concept.
The narratives usually associated with the Indo-Pacific also relate to the need to protect the international rules-based order, and freedom of navigation and overflight for ships and aircraft in the region. This, again, reflects the growing geopolitical anxieties about a rising China, particularly in the disputed South and East China seas and the Taiwan Strait.
Australia does not have territorial or maritime claims in either sea, but we are nonetheless concerned about China’s efforts to undermine the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and what this might mean for the “rules-based order” more generally.
The second way Australia is moving more towards becoming a regional power is in the narrowing of its core defence interests to an “inner ring” focused on the South Pacific and maritime Southeast Asia, and to a lesser extent, an “outer ring” in the broader Indo-Pacific and wider world. These geographical boundaries have consequences for how Australia views its international role.
After nearly two decades of military engagement in the Middle East and Afghanistan, Australia is shifting its focus back on its home region. This reflects not just the limits of our military capabilities, but also new concerns about the changing balance of power in Asia.
Third, Australia is increasingly focusing on a more strategic, narrower form of multilateralism. This, too, has been more centred on our region.
Multilateralism has always been seen as an important part of middle power identity. Australia, for instance, played a key role in setting up institutions like the United Nations.
However, this began to shift under recent Coalition governments. Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed scepticism about such institutions, criticising them as an “often ill-defined borderless global community” that promoted “negative globalism”.
Under successive Coalition governments, Australia instead became a key player in two smaller groups of nations – the re-branded “Quad” in 2017 (along with Japan, the US and India) and AUKUS in 2021 (with the US and United Kingdom).
Under the Albanese government, global multilateralism was reinstated as an important pillar of foreign policy. But Australia’s investment and involvement in these smaller groups has only deepened.
Both AUKUS and the Quad demonstrate Australia’s changing role as a regional power in the Indo-Pacific. These groups offer Australia an opportunity to shape the regional security agenda by joining forces with other powerful states. They also provide a way of encouraging the US to maintain its presence and leadership in the region and to counterbalance China’s rise.
As part of this, Australia has become a key proponent of what the Biden administration coined “integrated deterrence”.
This is a central pillar of the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy that seeks to mobilise “like-minded” states – especially its regional allies such as Australia, Japan and South Korea – to form a regional coalition against rival states. This strategy reflects a growing awareness the US can’t provide security in Asia alone.
The AUKUS security agreement, including the commitment to develop new nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, is a part of this strategy.
Since the announcement of the submarine plan in 2021, both the procurement plan and the language that American and Australian leaders have been using suggest that Canberra is preparing to play a bigger security role in the region alongside the US.
Time for a new ‘strategic imagination’?
Has Australia’s shift to an Indo-Pacific regional power served it well?
It has allowed the deepening of defence relationships with partners like Japan and India. And through its roles in the Quad and AUKUS, Australia has a seat at the table and is more visible in regional security discussions.
But there are risks to a more assertive regional power stance. Australia could be viewed by its neighbours as too focused on military and not invested enough (or in the right way) in diplomacy or regional development. Australia’s overseas aid contribution, for example, has been declining for three decades.
It is also unclear which other regional states are likely to participate in a US-led coalition if a real conflict with China ever broke out. The Quad and AUKUS groups may be viewed by others as exclusionary or contributing to increasing tensions in the region.
How nuclear-powered submarines will “deter” potential adversaries is also yet to be clearly explained. These submarines could potentially entangle Australia in a regional conflict instead. Being able to clearly articulate and distinguish between Australian and US interests will remain vital for ensuring that future governments don’t “sleepwalk” into war.
Finally, Australia’s advocacy of the “rules-based order” has left it – and the US – exposed to criticisms of hypocrisy and double standards, particularly with Washington’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
…one which can develop a coherent security strategy by working with old and new allies and partners to shape the regional order in ways that ensure its security.
The approach emphasises the need for all parts of our government to work in coordination to protect Australians from the range of complex conventional and unconventional challenges it faces (including climate change).
Australia’s security and its international role should not be viewed through the lens of the “China threat” alone. Doing so is counter-productive, as many states in the region do not share the same perception about China.
Instead, as Wallis and I wrote, Australia needs a “more comprehensive, nuanced and contingent understanding of the range of security opportunities and threats” we face.
This is an edited extract from How Australian Democracy Works, a new collection of essays from The Conversation on all aspects of the country’s political landscape.
Rebecca Strating receives funding from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.