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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Coons condemns Trump attacks on AmeriCorps in U.S. News op-ed

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
    WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) published an op-ed in U.S. News & World Report yesterday decrying President Trump’s and Elon Musk’s devastating attacks on AmeriCorps, a program that has long stood as an example of Americans’ generosity and commitment to serving our communities. Senator Coons is a Co-chair of the National Service Caucus.
    Additionally, Senator Coons led a letter to Trump yesterday co-signed by 148 of his colleagues in Congress defending AmeriCorps and NCCC AmeriCorps members. The letter calls on President Trump to reverse cuts made last week by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the agency that deploys more than 200,000 Americans a year through programs such as AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors that support critical community services at more than 35,000 locations across the country. 
    “Helping is an American value that has guided us since our nation’s founding,” Senator Coons wrote. “But our current president and his biggest donor, Elon Musk, whom Trump has put in charge of slashing the federal government, have been systematically firing helpers all across our country…. I believe we are born onto this earth to care for one another, to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly. To not just look for the helpers, but to be them.” 
    Last week, nearly every AmeriCorps staff member was put on administrative leave, which has been followed by a wave of “Reduction in Force” notices today. This extreme reduction in force will make it impossible for AmeriCorps to continue delivering critical services to Americans, including disaster response, teaching and tutoring, and supporting veterans.
    “In the next hurricane, the next earthquake, the next teacher shortage, where will the helpers be?” Senator Coons asked. “Cut by cut, Americans will be looking for helpers who never come.”
    Senator Coons also made the point that AmeriCorps isn’t a waste of taxpayer dollars—it’s a sound economic investment. Despite costing only one-fiftieth of 1% of the $6.8 trillion federal budget, AmeriCorps returns $17 in societal benefits for every dollar spent.
    You can read the full op-ed here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Beating malaria: what can be done with shrinking funds and rising threats

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Taneshka Kruger, UP ISMC: Project Manager and Coordinator, University of Pretoria

    Healthcare in Africa faces a perfect storm: high rates of infectious diseases like malaria and HIV, a rise in non-communicable diseases, and dwindling foreign aid.

    In 2021, nearly half of the sub-Saharan African countries relied on external financing for more than a third of their health expenditure. But donor fatigue and competing global priorities, such as climate change and geopolitical instability, have placed malaria control programmes under immense pressure. These funding gaps now threaten hard-won progress and ultimately malaria eradication.

    The continent’s healthcare funding crisis isn’t new. But its consequences are becoming more severe. As financial contributions shrink, Africa’s ability to respond to deadly diseases like malaria is being tested like never before.

    Malaria remains one of the world’s most pressing public health threats. According to the World Health Organization there were an estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths globally in 2023 – an increase of 11 million cases from the previous year.

    The WHO African region bore the brunt, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths. It is now estimated that a child under the age of five dies roughly every 90 seconds due to malaria.

    Yet, malaria control efforts since 2000 have averted over 2 billion cases and saved nearly 13 million lives globally. Breakthroughs in diagnostics, treatment and prevention have been critical to this progress. They include insecticide-treated nets, rapid diagnostic tests, artemisinin-based combination therapies (drug combinations to prevent resistance) and malaria vaccines.

    Since 2017, the progress has been flat. If the funding gap widens, the risk is not just stagnation; it’s backsliding. Several emerging threats such as climate change and funding shortfalls could undo the gains of the early 2000s to mid-2010s.

    New challenges

    Resistance to drugs and insecticides, and strains of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum that standard
    diagnostics can’t detect, have emerged as challenges. There have also been changes in mosquito behaviour, with vectors increasingly biting outdoors, making bed nets less effective.

    Climate change is shifting malaria transmission patterns. And the invasive Asian mosquito species Anopheles stephensi is spreading across Africa, particularly in urban areas.

    Add to this the persistent issue of cross-border transmission, and growing funding shortfalls and aid cuts, and it’s clear that the fight against malaria is at a critical point.

    As the world observes World Malaria Day 2025 under the theme “Malaria ends with us: reinvest, reimagine, reignite”, the call to action is urgent. Africa must lead the charge against malaria through renewed investment, bold innovation, and revitalised political will.

    Reinvest: Prevention is the most cost-effective intervention

    We – researchers, policymakers, health workers and communities – need to think smarter about funding. The economic logic of prevention is simple. It’s far cheaper to prevent malaria than to treat it. The total cost of procuring and delivering long-lasting insecticidal nets typically ranges between US$4 and US$7 each and the nets protect families for years. In contrast, treating a single case of severe malaria may cost hundreds of dollars and involve hospitalisation.

    In high-burden countries, malaria can consume up to 40% of public health spending.

    In Tanzania, for instance, malaria contributes to 30% of the country’s total disease burden. The broader economic toll – lost productivity, work and school absenteeism, and healthcare costs – is staggering. Prevention through long-lasting insecticidal nets, chemoprevention and health education isn’t only humane; it’s fiscally responsible.

    Reimagine: New tools, local solutions

    We cannot fight tomorrow’s malaria with yesterday’s tools. Resistance, climate-driven shifts in transmission, and urbanisation are changing malaria’s patterns.

    This is why re-imagining our approach is urgent.

    African countries must scale up innovations like the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine and next-generation mosquito nets. But more importantly, they must build their own capacity to develop, test and produce these tools.

    This requires investing in research and development, regional regulatory harmonisation, and local manufacturing.

    There is also a need to build leadership capacity within malaria control programmes to manage this adaptive disease with agility and evidence-based decision-making.

    Reignite: Community and collaboration matters

    Reigniting the malaria fight means shifting power to those on the frontlines. Community health workers remain one of Africa’s greatest untapped resources. Already delivering malaria testing, treatment and health education in remote areas, they can also be trained to manage other health challenges.

    Integrating malaria prevention into broader community health services makes sense. It builds resilience, reduces duplication, and ensures continuity even when external funding fluctuates.

    Every malaria intervention delivered by a trusted, local health worker is a step towards community ownership of health.

    Strengthened collaboration between partners, governments, cross-border nations, and local communities is also needed.

    The cost of inaction is unaffordable

    Africa’s malaria challenge is part of a deeper health systems crisis. By 2030, the continent will require an additional US$371 billion annually to deliver basic primary healthcare – about US$58 per person.

    For malaria in 2023 alone, US$8.3 billion was required to meet global control and elimination targets, yet only US$4 billion was mobilised. This gap has grown consistently, increasing from US$2.6 billion in 2019 to US$4.3 billion in 2023.

    The shortfall has led to major gaps in the coverage of essential malaria interventions.

    The solution does not lie in simply spending more, but in spending smarter by focusing on prevention, building local innovation, and strengthening primary healthcare systems.

    The responsibility is collective. African governments must invest boldly and reform policies to prioritise prevention.

    Global partners must support without dominating. And communities must be empowered to take ownership of their health.

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

    – ref. Beating malaria: what can be done with shrinking funds and rising threats – https://theconversation.com/beating-malaria-what-can-be-done-with-shrinking-funds-and-rising-threats-255126

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Democratic Senate Colleagues Demand President Trump Comply with Supreme Court Order to Return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Uphold Immigrants’ Right to Due Process

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper

    Senators: “Our laws also do not allow you to send individuals from U.S. soil to El Salvador without due process”

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and 25 of his Democratic Senate colleagues recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to immediately comply with the Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S., and rescind his claim that he may transfer incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador.

    In their letter, the senators condemn the Trump administration’s efforts to deport hundreds of migrants to a prison in El Salvador without due process. 

    “Your unprecedented actions threaten the constitutional protections of all Americans and violate the fundamental principles on which this nation was founded,” the senators wrote. 

    “The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear,” they continued.

    Last month, the Trump Administration deported over 261 immigrants to El Salvador in violation of a federal court order. One of the migrants, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was deported despite a court order specifically prohibiting his removal. The Trump administration has so far resisted a Supreme Court order directing the administration to return Abrego Garcia to the United States. 

    In their letter, the senators demand that the Trump administration: 

    1. Immediately facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia by no longer paying the government of El Salvador to detain him
    2. End unlawful attempts to deport noncitizens without due process under the Alien Enemies Act, as the Supreme Court ordered
    3. Withdraw dangerous and offensive claims that the President may transfer U.S. citizens to a foreign prison

    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

    Dear President Trump:

    We call on you to immediately rescind the dangerous and offensive claim that you may transfer incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador. We further urge you to follow the law and adhere to all applicable court orders and immediately facilitate the return to the United States of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom your Administration illegally deported to El Salvador in direct contravention of a court order specifically prohibiting such removal. Your unprecedented actions threaten the constitutional protections of all Americans and violate the fundamental principles on which this nation was founded.

    With regard to your shocking assertion about transferring Americans to El Salvador, you cannot deport Americans to a foreign country for any reason. This nation’s founding fathers declared independence based on “repeated injuries and usurpations” by the then-King of Great Britain, including “transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences” and “depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.” Accordingly, Congress has passed no provision into law that would permit exiling United States citizens to a foreign country for any reason. One conservative legal scholar called your threats to deport U.S. citizens “obviously illegal and unconstitutional.”

    Our laws also do not allow you to send individuals from U.S. soil to El Salvador without due process. Further, the Executive Branch must comply with longstanding domestic and international law that prohibits the United States from transferring any person from our jurisdiction or effective control to a place where the person would face certain serious human rights violations. Your Administration’s actions in sending individuals to a Salvadoran prison notorious for inhumane conditions underscore the urgency and applicability of these requirements. The bedrock principles of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause protect individuals from being “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Throughout our nation’s history, the Supreme Court has long read the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process to require that the government provide persons with certain procedural due process protections, including notice and an opportunity to be heard before any such deprivation of liberty.

    Even under extraordinary wartime authorities such as the Alien Enemies Act, the Supreme Court of the United States has held that noncitizens should, at a minimum, have an opportunity to prove whether or not the Act should apply to them. In a statement accompanying the Supreme Court’s recent order for the federal government to facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia and “ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,” Justice Sotomayor noted that your Administration’s argument suggesting that the government is permitted to leave Mr. Abrego Garcia in the Salvadoran prison after wrongfully sending him there “implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U.S. citizens, without legal consequence, so long as it does so before a court can intervene.” She went on to note that this is a “view [that] refutes itself.”

    You must immediately facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia, which is unquestionably within your power to do since your Administration is paying the government of El Salvador to detain him. As Judge Harvie Wilkinson, a conservative appointee of President Reagan, wrote in a unanimous Fourth Circuit opinion rejecting your Administration’s efforts to delay taking steps to bring Mr. Abrego Garcia back to the United States:

    The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.

    You must also end your unlawful attempts to deport noncitizens without due process under the Alien Enemies Act, as the Supreme Court ordered this weekend. You have no authority to openly defy court orders requiring you: (1) to return someone who has been wrongfully deported, or (2) to grant individuals the due process they are owed under our laws.  As Judge Boasberg wrote in his order last week concluding that probable cause exists to find the government in criminal contempt:

    The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders—especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it. To permit such officials to freely “annul the judgments of the courts of the United States” would not just “destroy the rights acquired under those judgments”; it would make “a solemn mockery” of “the constitution itself.” …“So fatal a result must be deprecated by all.”

    You must immediately facilitate the return to the United States of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, follow all court orders, and withdraw your dangerous and offensive claims that you may transfer U.S. citizens to a foreign prison. The Constitution demands it.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: PD Enzo sniffs out suspect

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man has been arrested after a pursuit through the northern suburbs earlier this morning.

    About 12.30am on Friday 25 April, Northern District patrols spotted a red MG bearing false plates on Montague Road at Pooraka and attempted to stop the car however it took off a speed.

    PolAir were overhead and tracked the car travelling at 130km/h in a 60km/h zone.  The car turned onto Berryman Drive and made it’s way onto North East Road and eventually back onto Montague Road.

    The sedan drove through the back streets of Valley View where it was successfully spiked on Brougham Drive.

    The car eventually came to a stop on Wright Road and the occupant ran from the vehicle and headed north over fences of residential properties.

    Patrols quickly set up cordons and PD Enzo was called in to assist with the search of the man, where he tracked him to a property on Malbanda Avenue at Para Vista and he was arrested without incident.

    Police searched the car and located a taser, a knife and ice pipes.

    Checks revealed the car had been stolen from a Glengowrie address in December last year.

    A 41-year-old man from Semaphore Park was charged with engaging in a police pursuit, driving unlicenced, possessing a prohibited weapon, carrying an offensive weapon, illegal use and altering plates.  He was granted police bail to appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court on 4 June.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s Shenzhou-20 manned spaceship docks with space station combination

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

    BEIJING, April 24 — China’s Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship successfully docked with the space station combination late on Thursday night, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

    The spaceship made a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station’s core module Tianhe at 11:49 p.m. (Beijing Time). The whole process took approximately 6.5 hours, said the CMSA.

    The astronaut trio aboard the spaceship will then enter the Tianhe module. Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-19 crew members are ready for their arrival.

    The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China earlier on Thursday.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Granite Credit Union Celebrates New Branch Grand Opening at Rancho Plaza on Día del Niño

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SALT LAKE CITY, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Granite Credit Union will host a grand opening of its Rancho Plaza branch at 2470 S. Redwood Rd., Ste 110, West Valley City, inside the Latino Mall on Wednesday, April 30 from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The celebration coincides with Día del Niño (Day of the Child). It will feature the Latinos in Action from Kearns High School, food, games, and exciting giveaways—including a premium Real Salt Lake (RSL) package and Rancho Market gift cards.

    The new Rancho Plaza location, opened earlier this year, marks Granite Credit Union’s investment in the West Valley community. The upcoming grand opening celebration will bring families and community members together for an afternoon of fun, connection, and celebration.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    “We’re so excited to celebrate this special location with our members and neighbors finally,” said Kim Reyes, Rancho Plaza Branch Manager. “It’s an honor to serve such a diverse and welcoming community. We’ve already felt so much support since opening, and we can’t wait to connect with even more families and local businesses during this celebration.”

    Highlights of the event include:

    • A live remote broadcast with 97.9 FM throughout the event
    • Carnival activities hosted by Latinos in Action from Kearns High School (3:00–5:00 pm)
    • A Cash Cube Experience for guests who open an account or apply for a loan on-site
    • Food vouchers for authentic Mexican dishes from the on-site café
    • A Grand Prize RSL Giveaway – including four premium tickets with private table seating, a $25 team store gift card, and parking
    • Two additional $50 Rancho Market gift cards

    This celebration is part of a larger milestone year for Granite Credit Union, which is proudly commemorating its 90th anniversary of serving Utahns. The event embodies the credit union’s long-standing commitment to helping members and communities thrive through accessible financial services and meaningful local partnerships.

    To learn more, please visit Granite Credit Union.

    About Granite Credit Union
    Founded in 1935, Granite Credit Union serves over 35,000 members and has over $800 million in assets. Committed to helping members achieve their financial goals, Granite Credit Union offers a variety of financial products and services, including competitive rates, flexible lending options, and personalized financial guidance. With a vision of “always there… so you can make life happen,” the credit union strives to empower members with the tools and support they need to succeed financially. Members enjoy access to secure mobile banking services, online tools, and personalized in-branch assistance at locations across Utah. Granite Credit Union is dedicated to positively impacting the communities it serves through financial education, trusted relationships, and exceptional service. Granite Credit Union is always there… so you can make life happen. Learn more at granite.org.

    Media Contact:
    marketing@granite.org

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy – African Energy Chamber (AEC) Champions Smart Policy, Strategic Partnerships to Advance Namibia’s Oil & Gas Discoveries

    SOURCE: African Energy Chamber

    The African Energy Chamber is a strategic partner of the Namibia International Energy Conference, which kicked off today in Windhoek

    WINDHOEK, Namibia, April 24, 2025/ — As a strategic partner of the Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC), the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) is calling for a deliberate and accelerated approach to moving Namibia’s recent oil and gas discoveries into production – emphasizing the importance of speed, investor confidence and strategic collaboration.

    Speaking during a high-level panel at NIEC 2025, AEC Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk urged Namibia to seize the momentum of its frontier discoveries, while avoiding the pitfalls that have stalled progress in other hydrocarbon-rich African nations. He emphasized that Namibia’s path to becoming a regional energy hub hinges on its ability to learn from international case studies and execute deals that ensure long-term national benefit.

    “Namibia needs to move fast, produce quickly and negotiate the best deals with its partners to ensure the rapid development of its oil discoveries,” Ayuk stated. He pointed to Guyana as a prime example, noting how the South American country developed a robust strategy focused on national benefit and successfully attracted billions in investments to fast-track its energy projects.

    In contrast, Ayuk cautioned against the delays experienced by countries like Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa, where production was significantly postponed, leading to rising project costs and lost opportunities. “There is a growing movement trying to discourage Africa – and Namibia – from producing its oil and gas. We must resist that,” he added.

    Reinforcing the need for investor-friendly terms, Justin Cochrane, Africa Upstream Regional Research Director at S&P Global Commodity Insights, highlighted the necessity of contract stability, transparent data-sharing and a balanced approach to fiscal negotiations. “It’s natural that Namibia wants to maximize its benefits, but pushing too hard on IOCs can result in getting 100% of nothing… The first milestone must be achieving first oil,” said Cochrane.

    Representing Namibia’s national oil company, Victoria Sibeya, Interim Managing Director of NAMCOR, stressed that the company is actively engaged in every phase of the industry, from data acquisition and exploration to shaping the downstream and midstream vision. “We are not just bystanders,” said Sibeya. “NAMCOR is deeply involved in data acquisition, exploration and the exchange of knowledge and technology with our partners. We are also preparing to invest in downstream and midstream sectors to ensure that we can add value once production begins.”

    Echoing the call for local development, Adriano Bastos, Head of Upstream at Galp, underscored the need for early and continuous skills development – proposing that Namibians be trained abroad in specialized areas like FPSO operations to ensure they are prepared to lead once production begins at home. “Namibia has capabilities that are rare in the region, but more collaboration with international partners is essential to build the local skills base,” he said.

    Bastos noted that Namibians make up 25% of Galp’s workforce in the country, including its first female offshore base manager. “We are proud of the strides we have made. Our nationalization plans are aggressive, and we work closely with [the Namibian Ports Authority] and other local entities to implement meaningful capacity-building projects.”

    As Namibia stands on the cusp of transforming exploration success into production, the message from industry leaders is clear: time, trust and talent will determine the country’s trajectory. Through cross-border collaboration, pragmatic deal-making and a strong national vision, Namibia can emerge not just as an oil producer – but as a continental model for inclusive, forward-thinking energy development.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Public invited to line Mall for VE Day 80 procession and fly past

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Public invited to line Mall for VE Day 80 procession and fly past

    Members of the public are able to watch the VE Day 80 military procession taking place on Monday 5 May

    • More than 1,300 members of the Armed Forces, uniformed services and young people will march from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace
    • Procession on Bank Holiday Monday begins with a performance of a Churchill speech and finishes with a flypast including the world-famous Red Arrows
    • Public encouraged to host a street party as part of the Great British Food Festival

    Commemorations to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe, known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day, will kick off on Monday 5 May with a military procession featuring 1,300 members of the Armed Forces and thousands of members of the public watching along the Mall.

    The events will pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front.

    The procession will begin in Parliament Square when Big Ben strikes midday, and an actor will recite extracts from the iconic Winston Churchill VE Day speech. A young person will then pass the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace to Alan Kennett, 100, a Second World War veteran who served in the Normandy campaign. The Torch for Peace is an enduring symbol, honouring the contributions made by individuals, which will act as a baton to pass and share stories to future generations.

    The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery will then lead the procession from Parliament Square, down Whitehall and past the Cenotaph which will be dressed in Union Flags, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall through to Buckingham Palace where the procession will finish.

    They will be followed by a tri-service procession group featuring marching members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. Cadets from all three services and other uniformed youth groups will also take part in the procession to ensure the message of VE Day is handed down to a new generation.

    The Prime Minister and Second World War veterans supported by the Royal British Legion will watch the procession from a specially built dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial.

    The procession will conclude with the Mall being filled with members of the public and a fly past featuring the Red Arrows and 23 current and historic military aircraft.

    VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival, led by the Together Coalition and the Big Lunch in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

    Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

    VE Day 80 is a chance for us to come together and celebrate our veterans and ensure their legacy of peace is passed on to future generations. Whether by watching on TV or having a street party with neighbours, everyone can take part. This is one of the last chances we have to say thank you to this generation of heroes and it is right that we do just that.

    Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

    As we mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe, I look forward to joining our veterans, serving Armed Forces personnel and young people to remember the remarkable generation who defended the freedoms we enjoy today.

    Our whole nation is invited to join together to reflect on the sacrifices of all those who fought for peace and ensure their legacy is never forgotten.

    Alan Kennett, who travelled to Normandy with the Royal British Legion for D-Day 80, said:

    It is a huge honour to be part of the military procession to start the VE80 commemorations. I remember Battle of Britain pilot Johnnie Johnson bursting in and shouting ‘the war is over’. A big party soon followed, filled with lots of drinking and celebrating the news. The 80th anniversary of VE Day brings back so many memories, and it will be such a privilege to be there with everyone.

    Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said:

    The 80th anniversary of VE Day is a special moment for the country and the Royal British Legion is incredibly proud to put Second World War veterans at the heart of the commemorations. It’s important we remember those who went to war, who fought for the freedom of not just Europe but everywhere, and those who risked their lives and never made it back.

    Brendan Cox, co-Founder of the Together Coalition, said:

    VE Day 80 is a moment to celebrate our shared victory and remember the sacrifices it took. Whether it’s hosting a street party, sharing a meal, or writing a message of thanks to a veteran, this is a unique opportunity to thank those who served and to celebrate the values that hold us together. We’re proud to be supporting communities across the UK to mark this occasion in ways that are meaningful, joyful and inclusive. Most importantly, this is a moment for everyone to take part – regardless of background, age or postcode.

    The procession and flypast will be broadcast live on Monday 5 May. On Thursday 8 May, 80 years to the day since the end of the Second World War in Europe, a service will take place at Westminster Abbey followed by a concert in the evening on Horse Guards Parade in which stars of stage and screen will tell the story of the end of the war.

    Armed Forces of Commonwealth nations have been invited to join the procession to celebrate the contribution of people from throughout the Commonwealth to the allied effort during the Second World War. They will be led by The Band of the Irish Guards on parade.

    Military musicians on parade include The Band of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, The Band of HM Royal Marines and a military band from the Royal Corps of Army Music.

    The flypast will include a Voyager transport aircraft, a P8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft, Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets  and will culminate with the iconic red, white, and blue smoke of the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows.

    Historic Second World War-era aircraft from the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will also take part in the flypast.

    ENDS

    Notes to editors:

    Flypast details:

    • P8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft has recently flown over the North Sea and North Atlantic to monitor Russian vessels near UK waters.
    • The UK’s fleet of Voyager aircraft has been extensively involved in our support to Ukraine, delivering tonnes of equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and flying thousands of Ukrainian recruits to the UK for military training.
    • Typhoon fast jets are on standby 365 24/7 to protect UK airspace and frequently deploy overseas to help protect our allies from airborne threats as part of NATO Air Policing. Typhoons are currently deployed to Poland.
    • The F-35 Lightning is a fifth-generation fighter jet which deploy on board the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers – HMS Prince of Wales set sail earlier this week on its eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific.

    Members of the public can find street parties and events near them on the governments VE Day 80 website at www.ve-vjday80.gov.uk

    The Royal British Legion has been given funding by DCMS to support veteran attendance at government led events in the UK to mark VE Day 80. This includes travel costs and welfare support.

    Read guidance for the public wishing to attend the procession in London

    As announced last week by the Prime Minister, pubs will be able to stay open an additional two hours on Thursday May 8 to celebrate. More information

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Unlocking the power of Engineering Biology

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Unlocking the power of Engineering Biology

    New report outlines the transformative potential of Engineering Biology to tackle modern-day challenges.

    Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean has today launched a new Foresight report, Engineering Biology Aspirations, which highlights the transformative potential of Engineering Biology (EngBio) to address some of the major challenges of our time – from lab-grown blood to biologically derived materials for fashion. 

    This fast-moving, innovative technology applies engineering principles to the design of biological systems and processes. It can create practical solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges, addressing issues faced by people and the planet, both now and in the future. 

    The report, published by the Government Office for Science, examines how we can harness EngBio to create a more sustainable future, helping to solve problems in areas such as healthcare, environmental sustainability, agriculture and energy. 

    Read the Engineering Biology Aspirations report.

    Science Minister Lord Vallance said:

    This is a timely report. Engineering biology is a technology with enormous potential, and it is already delivering innovations from healthcare to clean energy, supporting the missions that underpin this Government’s Plan for Change. 

    Our commitment to the UK’s burgeoning engineering biology sector is clear: from £100 million investment in the Engineering Biology Mission Hubs and Awards, to efforts to improve the regulation of this critical technology, including through the new Regulatory Innovation Office.

    Commenting on the report, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean said:

    Engineering biology has the power to drive economic growth and deliver transformative solutions to a wide range of challenges.

    This report aims be a source of inspiration across Government, industry, academia and the public, demonstrating what might be possible if we can harness the opportunities offered by engineering biology.

    The paper features expert-authored chapters that consider how EngBio can aid efforts to solve global challenges. One examines the revolutionary solutions that lab-grown blood could present. Another explores how biologically derived fashion materials could reduce environmental pollution to create a more sustainable industry. Further chapters include how nitrogen-fixing cereals could produce a new sustainable generation of crops, and how microbes can help solve metal scarcity and be manufactured to create sustainable fuels and chemicals from waste. 

    As the report highlights, although there is still progress to be made, with continued research, development, scale-up, and regulatory considerations, EngBio can help to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.  

    The “Engineering Biology Aspirations” report is a result of cross-Government work and collaboration with leading scientists to understand this transformative technology and its vast applications.  

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British satellite to map Earth’s forests in 3D for the first time to help combat climate change

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    British satellite to map Earth’s forests in 3D for the first time to help combat climate change

    Satellite developed by British academics and engineers set to become the first in the world to measure condition of the Earth’s forests from space.

    • World’s first mission to map the world’s forests in 3D from space will use cutting edge tech to inform climate change policies and protect future generations.  

    • Supports UK sector worth around £18.9 billion and likely to attract further investment that can grow the economy and help drive our Plan for Change.  

    • Project has supported around 250 highly skilled jobs in Stevenage, bolstering UK’s 52,000 strong space workforce.

    A satellite developed by British academics and engineers is set to become the first in the world to measure the condition of the Earth’s forests from space.   

    This work will be crucial to helping us understand how tropical forests are changing so we can protect future generations from climate breakdown and accelerate the transition to net zero under our Plan for Change.   

    From conception to construction, the satellite – called Biomass – has been built in the UK, capitalising on our industrial and academic expertise in space technology while opening up new opportunities to attract future backing from global investors watching its landmark launch on 29 April.  

    Throughout construction, it has supported approximately 250 highly skilled jobs at Airbus UK, in Stevenage, where it was manufactured, supporting the local economy and bolstering the UK’s 52,000 strong space workforce.  

    The Biomass satellite will launch from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Since 2016, the UK has won almost 91 million Euros in contracts for Biomass through its membership of the European Space Agency (ESA). 

    Conceived by University of Sheffield academic Professor Shaun Quegan, it is a hallmark of British innovation, facilitating jobs in everything from design and development to assembly integration and test. The satellite will create a 3D map of tropical forests after 17 months, then new (non-3D) maps every 9 months for the rest of the 5-year mission,  providing insights normally hidden from human sight because of the difficulty in accessing these environments.   

    Its revolutionary technology will help scientists capture vital data on the changes to carbon in forests as ecosystems are increasingly impacted by deforestation.    

    Minister for Space Sir Chris Bryant said:

    The Biomass mission showcases British ingenuity at its very best, from conception in Sheffield to construction in Stevenage.      

    Britain is not only stepping to the forefront of the space industry, but of global climate action too.     

    Contributing to such great extent to a European mission set to deliver vital global results is testament to the UK’s industrial and academic expertise in space technology and will attract global investment into our vibrant space ecosystem, helping us boost growth and deliver our Plan for Change. 

    Both deforestation, which releases carbon dioxide, and forest growth, which soaks up CO2 from the atmosphere, are crucial parts of climate change.   

    Data on the biomass of tropical forests is very limited because they are difficult to access.      

    The Biomass satellite will be able to penetrate cloud cover and measure forest biomass more accurately than any current technology, which only see the top of the canopy. By providing better data it will help create a more accurate global carbon budget and better understanding of carbon sinks and sources which will help in developing and implementing effective strategies to achieve net-zero goals.   

    Observations will also lead to better insight into the rates of habitat loss and, as a result, the effect this may have on biodiversity in the forest environment.    

    Shaun Quegan, University of Sheffield’s Professor and lead proposer of the mission concept to the European Space Agency, said:

    It’s been a privilege to have led the team in the development of a pioneering mission that will revolutionise our understanding of the volume of carbon held in the most impenetrable tropical rainforests on the planet and, crucially, how this is changing over time. Our research has solved critical operational scientific problems in constructing the Biomass satellite.    

    Conceived and built in the UK, Biomass is a brilliant example of what we can achieve in collaboration with our partners in industry and academia. The mission is the culmination of decades of highly innovative work in partnership with some of the best scientists in Europe and the US.

    Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency said:

    The Biomass satellite represents a major leap forward in our ability to understand Earth’s carbon cycle. By mapping the world’s forests from space in unprecedented detail, it will provide critical insights into how our planet is responding to climate change — helping scientists, policymakers, and conservationists take informed action. We’re proud of the leading role the UK has played in this important mission.  

    Kata Escott, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space in the UK, said:

    Biomass is a groundbreaking mission that will advance our understanding of how carbon is stored in the world’s forests – delivering crucial data in the fight against climate change. With more than 50 companies involved across 20 nations, the team in Stevenage has shown exceptional leadership in delivering this flagship ESA mission.    

    Climate Minister, Kerry McCarthy, said:

    The UK is back in the business of climate leadership and protecting the world’s forests through emerging and cutting-edge technologies is crucial to tackling the climate crisis. 

    This innovative tool shows how climate action attract investment in the UK, driving growth as part of our Plan for Change.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: MALLALA ROAD, KORUNYE (Building Fire)

    Source: South Australia County Fire Service

    Issued on
    25 Apr 2025 08:27

    Issued for
    KORUNYE near Two Wells in the Mid North.

    Warning level
    Advice – Avoid Smoke

    Action
    Smoke from KORUNYE is in the Two Wells, Middle Beach and Lower Light area.

    Smoke can affect your health. You should stay informed and be aware of the health impacts of smoke on yourself and others.

    Symptoms of exposure includes shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing, burning eyes, running nose, chest tightness, chest pain and dizziness or light-headedness.

    If you or anyone in your care are having difficulty breathing, seek medical attention from your local GP. If your symptoms become severe, call 000.

    More information will be provided by the CFS when it is available.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: First Responders – Auckland Hillside Road recycling plant fire update #4

    Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Fire crews are today back working at the large fire which started at a recycling plant on Hillside Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland around 5.30pm last night.
    Assistant Commander James Hall say three fire trucks and two ladder trucks are working with two diggers to open up the structure to fully extinguish the fire.
    “While there are small flare ups, there is no significant smoke and the lithium-ion batteries involved in the fire are no longer a hazard,” he says.
    “The emergency message alert advising people to stay inside was lifted during the night.
    “Crews continue to monitor the fire and an investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is underway.
    “Crews are expected to remain at the scene until later this afternoon.”
    This is the final update.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ex-Orange County Resident Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Kickbacks from Sober Living Homes, Firearms Trafficking

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    LOS ANGELES – A former resident of Orange County was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for soliciting and receiving nearly $500,000 in illegal kickbacks from corrupt sober living homes in exchange for finding them new patients in a process known as “body brokering” and for firearms trafficking.

    Darius Moore, 31, formerly of Santa Ana but most recently of North Carolina, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton.

    Moore pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of conspiracy to pay or receive illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities and one count of soliciting or receiving illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities.

    From no later than February 2020 to December 2020, Moore conspired with addiction treatment facility owners to broker patients to the facilities for drug addiction treatment services. Moore knew the facilities would bill the referred patients’ private health insurance plans for the treatment services and then pay Moore a share of the resulting insurance proceeds as kickback payments.

    Over the course of his time working as a body broker, Moore was paid nearly $500,000 in kickbacks from the facilities.

    While free on bond in the “body brokering” criminal case, Moore violated his pretrial release conditions on several occasions, including in May 2023 when he sold two firearms and a drum magazine to buyers. In September 2023, a federal grand jury in the Western District of North Carolina charged him with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. After the North Carolina federal case was transferred to this district, Moore pleaded guilty in Los Angeles on February 14 to that count.

    Moore has been in federal custody since August 2023.

    The FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this matter with assistance from the California Department of Insurance.

    Assistant United States Attorney Nandor F.R. Kiss of the Orange County Office and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – Keeping tabs on native woodland vegetation in times of flood and drought – Flinders

    Source: Flinders University

    Like farmland in Australia, native forests struggle with drought and flooding, so future management decisions need more sophisticated systems to monitor and manage their water needs.  

    A new study led by Flinders University aims to provide a good estimate of water used by trees and plants and bushes under the treetops (or the forest understorey) to help improve management of native woodlands.

    Researchers tested an advanced way to measure evapo-transpiration (ET) patterns in understorey (compared to canopy) vegetation at two different rainfall locations in South Australia to help develop better water and woodland management decision-making in future.

    ET returns water from the soil and plants into the atmosphere and is the major component of terrestrial water balance, explains Professor of Environmental Science and Hydrology Huade Guan, from the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training at Flinders University.

    “Woodland understorey ET is difficult to monitor using conventional methods. Our latest study tested a new method of measuring understorey evapotranspiration in floodplains and catchment areas,” he says.

    This is important to understand because understorey ET can contribute between 10% (in cooler seasons) and up to 50% (during hot weather) of ecosystem water use, researchers say.

    The latest study, published in the Journal of Hydrology with collaborators around Australia, China and the US, retrieved understorey temperature from airborne thermal imagery and used it in a ‘maximum entropy production’ model (called the ‘MEP model’) to map understorey ET.

    Researchers hope to improve ecosystem water evaluations to create more effective management strategies for increasingly scarce river and freshwater resources.

    The research was based on investigations in a River Red Gum woodland of a Murray floodplain near Bookpurnong in the Riverland and a hilly woodland catchment near Mount Wilson in the Willunga Basin. The locations reflected different topographical, hydrological and climate conditions.  

    Both locations showed understorey ET was a key component of ecosystem water balance, so working out the best way to support River Red Gum and other woodland environmental water requirements could incorporate broadscale monitoring and mapping with high-resolution thermal data from satellites in future.

    The study found that flooding modified water availability and vegetation response, influencing understorey ET dynamics over time, says Flinders University Professor Guan, who leads the Eco-hydrology and Hydro-meteorology Research Group (EcoH2OMe) at the College of Science and Engineering.

    For example, after major flooding in 2022-23, the fraction of understorey ET to the total ecosystem ET declined, likely due to increased overstorey transpiration.

    In the hilly environment, slope orientation plays a key role in regulating ET by controlling solar radiation exposure and soil moisture retention.

    North-facing slopes generally have higher understorey ET than south-facing slopes, particularly in a wet winter, where understorey ET on the north-facing slopes accounts for up to 50% of total surface ET.

    This high understorey ET on north-facing slopes consumes soil moisture a lot quicker, resulting in less water for vegetation use in dry summer than south-facing slopes.

    The study highlights the advantages of integrating new methods and technologies in addressing environmental problems.

    Meanwhile, South Australia is currently experiencing particularly dry weather, which is most likely the result of climate change, according to the SA Water for Good plan. This means less rain and a reduction of flows into traditional water sources such as our reservoirs, rivers and groundwater. The CSIRO has forecast an overall decline in rainfall of between 15% to 30% by 2050.

    The SA Government plan emphasises the need for proactive management of non-prescribed water resources to ensure water security to 2050, including a deeper understanding of overall water resource capacity to prevent over-exploitation and enhance sustainability.

    The article, ‘Integrating the Maximum Entropy Production model and airborne imagery for understorey evapotranspiration mapping’ (2025) by Wenjie Liu, Okke Batelaan, David Bruce, Jingfeng Wang, Hugo Gutierrez, Hailong Wang, Robin Keegan-Treloar, Jianfeng Gou, Robert Keane, Jessica Thompson and Huade Guan has been published in the Journal of Hydrology (Elsevier) DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133076

    Acknowledgements: Field data were obtained in the projects funded by Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MD005764) and National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (SR08000001). Researchers acknowledge fieldwork by Karina Gutierrez, Lawrence Burk, Zhongli Liu, Zhechen Zhang, Xiang Xu and Rose Deng and landowners Langdon Badger and Steve Clark for access. Wenjie Liu received support from the China Scholarship Council (201906370006) and Jingfeng Wang’s research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation Hydrological Sciences and Physical and Dynamic Meteorology Program Grant EAR‐2006281.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Strickland Reintroduces Bill to Help Servicemembers Access Fertility Care

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10)

    Washington, DC – Today, during National Infertility Awareness Week, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), led the reintroduction of the Expanding Access to Fertility Care for Servicemembers and Dependents Act, which would expand TRICARE coverage to make assisted reproductive services, including IVF, available to all active-duty servicemembers (including the Reserve and National Guard) and dependents – regardless of service-connection requirements, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or marital status of the servicemember or their dependent.

    This bill has been endorsed by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the Modern Military Association of America.

    “Answering the call to serve often means making a great number of sacrifices for your country. Being able to start a family should not be one of them. This bill removes current barriers in TRICARE and helps ensure that all servicemembers can access the fertility care they deserve to start a family,” said Strickland.

    “Our nation’s servicemembers and their families make incredible sacrifices every day, and they deserve access to the full spectrum of medical care to build their families. The majority of Americans — 85% — support access to IVF, one of the most effective medical treatments for those struggling to build their family. Expanding TRICARE coverage to include IVF and fertility care is not just the right thing to do—it’s a critical investment in the health and well-being of military families. RESOLVE stands strongly in support of this long-overdue change, and we urge Congress to act swiftly to ensure that no one who serves our country is denied the chance to become a parent,” said Barbara Collura, President/CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

    “For decades, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has been a leader in promoting policies that expand access to fertility treatments like IVF for military families, who face unique family building challenges due to the nature of their work in service to our country,” said Sean Tipton, ASRM Chief Advocacy & Policy Officer. “We thank Congresswoman Strickland, Delegate Norton, Congressman Takano, and Congresswoman Pressley for calling attention to the fact that current Department of Defense (DoD) policy – which limits TRICARE coverage for fertility treatments to only service members with a service-connected illness or injury – fails to provide our military families with adequate access to care. It’s about time we address this shortcoming so that our brave men and women in uniform do not have to juggle the out-of-pocket costs for treatment with their service, end their military careers to access health care, or forego their dreams of having a family.”

    “The Expanding Access to Fertility Care for Servicemembers and Dependents Act is a critical piece of legislation. By removing legal barriers that currently exclude from insurance coverage servicemembers whose infertility is not directly service-related, and safeguarding against discrimination in coverage of this care, the Act gets us closer to ensuring that all servicemembers and their dependents can have equitable and non-discriminatory access to the fertility health care they need to build their families,” said Karla Torres, Senior Human Rights Counsel, Center for Reproductive Rights

    The legislation is cosponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-7).

    Read the full bill text here.

    Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is Whip of the New Democrat Coalition, Secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Celebrates Exceptional North Carolinians at Long Leaf Pine and Laurel Wreath Presentation

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Celebrates Exceptional North Carolinians at Long Leaf Pine and Laurel Wreath Presentation

    Governor Stein Celebrates Exceptional North Carolinians at Long Leaf Pine and Laurel Wreath Presentation
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today, Governor Josh Stein inducted eight North Carolinians into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for their lifelong careers in public service. He also presented the Laurel Wreath to two North Carolinians who have made outstanding contributions to sports or athletics. 

    “North Carolina is full of outstanding individuals who have contributed to our state through careers in government, law, business, philanthropy, and sports,” said Governor Josh Stein. “This group exemplifies the best of our state, and I am pleased to honor them today.”

    The Laurel Wreath honorees are as follows:

    • Erin Matson – field hockey coach, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill 
    • Parker Byrd – baseball player, East Carolina University 

    The Order of the Long Leaf Pine honorees are as follows:

    • John Lucas, Sr. – former Principal of Hillside High School (Posthumous) 
    • Jim Johnson – William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at UNC Chapel Hill 
    • Sue Henderson – former regional managing director of the Triad West Region of Wells Fargo 
    • Janice Cole – Hertford Town Manager and former U.S. Attorney 
    • Lora Cubbage – Greensboro Deputy City Attorney and former Superior Court Judge 
    • Randy Woodson – Chancellor of North Carolina State University 
    • Steve Troxler – North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture 
    • G.K. Butterfield – former United States Representative 
    Apr 24, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fugitive Captured After Brockton Shootout

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant arrested after two-month search following a house party shootout that was captured on home surveillance system

    BOSTON – Early this morning, an indicted fugitive was apprehended in connection with his alleged participation in a violent shootout that left a female victim with a gunshot wound to her chest.

    Romeo Miller, 26, of Brockton, was arrested in Taunton on federal charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston Miller was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for May 5, 2025.

    In February 2025, Miller was indicted by a federal grand jury along with three other Brockton men in connection with the shootout, all of whom remain in custody: 

    1. Natalio Miranda, 33, charged with one count each of possession of a machinegun and being a felon in possession of ammunition; 
    2. Jonathan Alves, 28, charged with one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition; and
    3. Jahleil Monteiro, 25, charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to Miller’s felon in possession charge.

    According to court filings, on June 2, 2024, at approximately 1:45 a.m., law enforcement responded to a “shots fired” call to a home in Brockton. Upon arrival, officers observed a large crowd outside the home and a 31-year-old female victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital and survived.

    It is alleged that numerous bullet casings were found scattered throughout the front yard and driveway of the Brockton residence. According to court documents, video footage obtained from the home’s surveillance system determined that a house party at the residence led to a physical altercation in the driveway and, allegedly, an exchange of gunfire between the victim and Miranda, Miller and Alves.

    Specifically, surveillance video allegedly captured Miranda as he discharged several bursts of ammunition from an automatic weapon in the front yard of the residence before leaving the scene. Miller and Alves are also allegedly seen firing towards the victim from the driveway. It is further alleged that Miller is later seen on the footage crossing the street to hide behind a parked car, where he shot the victim in the chest. Surveillance video then allegedly captured Miller returning to the driveway, where he passed his firearm off to Monteiro, before the two drove away in separate parked cars.

    According to court records, at the time of the shooting, Miranda was on federal supervised release for his fentanyl distribution conspiracy conviction and has a prior state conviction for cocaine distribution. Additionally, at the time of the shooting, Miller and Monteiro were on probation for prior state convictions for unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing a high capacity feeding device, assault and battery on a police officer and/or fentanyl distribution. Alves has a prior state conviction of possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.

    The charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition each provide for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of a machinegun provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being an accessory after the fact to a felon in possession provides for a sentence of up to half the maximum punishment for the underlying offense. 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; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Division; Brian A. Kyes, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Brockton Police Chief Brenda I. Perez made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Pohl of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Five in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy that Used Semi-Trucks to Transport Liquid Meth from Mexico to Oklahoma

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    18 Now Convicted as Part of Drug Trafficking Organization Responsible for Approximately 16,000 Kilos of Methamphetamine with Estimated Street Value of $64,000,000

    OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted JUAN HERNANDEZ, 49, a Mexican-national living in Oklahoma City, JESSICA MUNIZ, 32, of Oklahoma City, and DENIS LEAL GUTIERREZ, 59, CESAR AZAMAR, 52, and ADRIAN NARVAEZ, 58, of Texas, for their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that specialized in transporting liquid methamphetamine by semi-truck from Mexico, through Texas, to Oklahoma City, and laundering the subsequent drug proceeds, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    “Coordinating their drug trafficking scheme across international borders and state lines, these defendants flooded our state with methamphetamine worth millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “I praise the exceptional work of the federal and state law enforcement, and the federal prosecutors, for untangling and disrupting this major drug operation and for stopping its flow of lethal drugs into our communities.”

    “This multi-year collaboration among the FBI, DEA, IRS, Oklahoma City Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has effectively dismantled a major drug trafficking organization that had been poisoning our community with deadly narcotics for years,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “Together, we will continue to ensure those who participate in these dangerous criminal networks face the full weight of the American justice system.”

    On December 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a 16-count Second Superseding Indictment, charging the defendants for their respective roles in the DTO. The Second Superseding Indictment charged Gutierrez, Azamar, and Narvaez with drug conspiracy, Muniz with money laundering conspiracy, two counts of domestic money laundering, and five counts of international money laundering, and Hernandez with money laundering conspiracy, three counts of domestic money laundering, and three counts of international money laundering.

    On April 18, 2025, following a nine-day trial, a federal jury convicted the defendants on all counts.

    According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants and other co-conspirators worked with high-ranking members of a Mexico-based DTO to import liquid methamphetamine into the U.S. hidden in the gas tanks of semi-trucks. Gutierrez’s trucking company, DGC Express Co., had been responsible for transporting shipments of liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma as far back as February 2021. Another trucking company owned by Gutierrez, Dare Express Co., assumed responsibility for transporting the liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and Georgia starting in at least May of 2023.  Evidence at trial further showed that Azamar was responsible for facilitating the transfer of the liquid methamphetamine from the Mexico-based semi-truck into the Dare Express semi-truck, which first occurred at a property rented by Gutierrez in Alamo, Texas, and later at the main business location of Dare Express in Edinburg, Texas. The Dare Express semi-truck used throughout 2023 to deliver liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and Georgia was registered under Narvaez’s name, and both Gutierrez and Narvaez instructed the truck drivers to deliver this liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and elsewhere.

    At trial, evidence also established that law enforcement seized significant amounts of methamphetamine during the investigation, including:

    • 907 kilograms on March 3, 2021, in Tecumseh, Oklahoma;
    • 92 kilograms on September 6, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
    • 615 kilograms on December 8, 2023, in Wellston, Oklahoma;
    • 42 kilograms on April 1, 2024, in Tecumseh, Oklahoma; and
    • 86 kilograms on April 2, 2024, in Newalla, Oklahoma.

    There was also evidence presented at trial about the DTO’s money laundering activities. A high-ranking member of this DTO in Mexico directed family members in Oklahoma, specifically his brother, Hernandez, and his niece, Muniz, to launder drug proceeds on his behalf. Testimony and other evidence, including court documents, CashApp records, international wire remitter service records, and records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Oklahoma Department of Corrections, also established that this DTO supplied Oklahoma prison gangs with methamphetamine, specifically the Irish Mob Gang, the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, and the Sureños. These gang members or their associates then sent payments for methamphetamine disguised as CashApp payments to Hernandez and Muniz, who then wired the money to close associates of the DTO’s head in Mexico.

    At sentencing, Gutierrez, Azamar, and Narvaez each face up to life in federal prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000.  Following their convictions for money laundering conspiracy, domestic money laundering, and international money laundering, Hernandez and Muniz face up to 20 years in federal prison and fines of up to $500,000 per charge.

    As part of the overall investigation and prosecution of this DTO, two additional defendants have previously been sentenced and 11 additional codefendants have already pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.  In total, law enforcement has attributed responsibility to this DTO for bringing approximately 16,000 kilograms of methamphetamine into the U.S. from Mexico at an estimated street value of $64,000,000.

    In November 2024:

    • EVER ALONSO PANDO, 47, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 96 months in federal prison, and three years of supervised release, for two counts of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and
    • HECTOR REYES, 43, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 90 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

    The remaining defendants have pleaded guilty as follows:

    • ADAN GARCIA MIRANDA, 29, of Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Miranda faces up to 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5,000,000;
    • JORGE RAUL VEGA GARCIA, 30, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Garcia faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • LUIS ALBERTO ROJAS PRECIADO, 28, of Illinois, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Preciado faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • JOSE ALFREDO EQUIHUA, 39, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Equihua faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • EDGAR RODRIGUEZ ONTIVEROS, 32, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Ontiveros faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • ADRIAN PEREZ, 39, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Public record shows that Perez has previous felony convictions that include being a felon in possession of a firearm in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2022-4831 and using a vehicle to facilitate the intentional discharge of a firearm in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2003-1656. At sentencing, Perez faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,250,000;
    • PHILLIP RAY HOWARD, 53, of Newalla, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Public record shows that Howard has previous felony convictions that include possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2005-878. At sentencing, Howard faces up to 40 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, 15 years in prison for the firearm possession charge, and fines of up to $5,250,000;
    • RAY DAVID LARA, JR., 44, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Perez faces up to life in federal prison and a fine of up to $10,250,000;
    • HERIBERTO DONAN OCHOA, 33, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Ochoa faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000;
    • BRAULIO PADILLA, 50, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Public record reflects that Howard has several felony convictions, including for possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a child under 12 and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Oklahoma County District Court case numbers CF-2010-4880 and CF-2019-155, respectively. At sentencing, Padilla faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,250,000; and
    • MICHAEL J. ESTRADA, 36, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At sentencing, Estrada faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the Oklahoma City Police Department. This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve Six Years in Federal Prison after Domestic Violence Call Leads to Illegal Firearm and Ammunition Possession Conviction

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – TRAYVEON RAMON CALDWELL, 34, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 72 months in federal prison for illegal possession of ammunition and a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On July 2, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a three-count Indictment against Caldwell, charging him with two counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to public record, on August 28, 2023, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to Caldwell’s home on a reported domestic violence incident. The victim told OCPD Caldwell threatened to kill her, attempted to choke her, struck her head, and fired a gun near her head inside the home. Officers searched the home, found a spent shell casing on Caldwell’s bed, and arrested Caldwell on domestic abuse allegations. That same day, OCPD executed a search warrant on Caldwell’s home following two controlled purchases of crack cocaine from the house. During the search, OCPD seized a handgun and several live rounds of ammunition.

    On December 12, 2024, Caldwell pleaded guilty to the Indictment, and admitted he possessed a firearm, spent shell casing, and other live rounds of ammunition despite his previous felony convictions.

    At the sentencing hearing on April 23, 2025, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Caldwell to serve 72 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the violent circumstances surrounding the offense and Caldwell’s criminal history. Public record reflects that Caldwell has felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of drug proceeds, and possession of an offensive weapon while committing a felony in case number CF-2011-331, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in case number CF-2012-4320.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and OCPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Gridley prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. In October 2017, the Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement have learned since the program’s launch in 2001. This case is also part of “Operation 922,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN, which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Dubuque, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.  Juan Jose Ruiz, age 29, from California, was convicted of conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and 50 grams or more of actual (pure) methamphetamine.   

    In a plea agreement, Ruiz admitted that between January 2021 and December 2021, he agreed with others to distribute methamphetamine.  On December 14, 2021, in Clear Creek County, Colorado, law enforcement officers stopped Ruiz as he was driving to Dubuque.  Officers found over 25 pounds of ice methamphetamine in his car.  Ruiz intended to distribute the methamphetamine to a co-conspirator in Dubuque.   

    Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Ruiz remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Ruiz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $10,000,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

    The case file number is 23-CR-1006.  

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Gran Tierra Energy Inc. Provides Release Date for its 2025 First Quarter Results and Details of Annual Meeting of Stockholders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (“Gran Tierra” or the “Company”) (NYSE American:GTE) (TSX:GTE) (LSE:GTE) announces that the Company will release its 2025 first quarter financial and operating results on Thursday, May 1, 2025, post-market. Gran Tierra will host its first quarter 2025 results conference call on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Time, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

    Gran Tierra’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Our Annual Meeting will be held as a virtual-only stockholder meeting with participation occurring electronically as explained further in the Proxy Statement dated March 18, 2025.

    How to Participate in the Virtual Annual Meeting

    Shareholders can participate electronically at https://web.lumiagm.com/208908912. We recommend that you log in 15 minutes before the Annual Meeting starts. If you are a registered stockholder, to attend the Annual Meeting and vote your shares electronically and submit questions during the meeting, you will need the control number included on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or proxy card that accompanied your proxy materials. If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” and wish to attend the meeting, insert your name in the blank space included in the proxy form provided by your broker or other agent and submit such proxy form to your broker or other agent prior to the voting deadline to vote your shares and submit questions during the meeting. In addition, you must also register your appointment (of your broker or other agent) by emailing appointee@odysseytrust.com no later than the voting deadline and provide Odyssey with your name, email, number of shares appointed and name of broker or other agent where shares are held, so that Odyssey may email the appointee their control number. Guests may also view the event at https://web.lumiagm.com/20208908912 by registering as a guest.

    Full details on how to vote, change or revoke a vote, appoint a proxyholder, attend the virtual Annual Meeting, ask questions and other general proxy matters are available in the Proxy Statement available on the Company’s website at https://www.grantierra.com/events/2025-annual-meeting/.

    Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we urge you to vote and submit your proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting.

    How to Participate in the 2025 First Quarter Conference Call

    Interested parties may register for the 2025 first quarter conference call by clicking on this link. Please note that there is no longer a general dial-in number to participate, and each individual party must register through the provided link. Once parties have registered, they will be provided a unique PIN and call-in details. There is also a new feature that allows parties to elect to be called back through the “Call Me” function on the platform.

    Interested parties can also continue to access the live webcast from their mobile or desktop devices by clicking on this link, which is also available on Gran Tierra’s website at https://www.grantierra.com/investor-relations/presentations-events/. An audio replay of the conference call will be available at the same webcast link two hours following the call and will be available until May 2, 2026.

    Additional Information and Where to Find It

    Shareholders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and other documents the Company files with the SEC (when available) through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. The Company makes available free of charge on its investor relations website copies of materials it files with, or furnishes to, the SEC.

    Contact Information

    For investor and media inquiries please contact:

    Gary Guidry
    President & Chief Executive Officer

    Ryan Ellson
    Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

    +1-403-265-3221
    info@grantierra.com

    About Gran Tierra Energy Inc.

    Gran Tierra Energy Inc. together with its subsidiaries is an independent international energy company currently focused on oil and natural gas exploration and production in Canada, Colombia and Ecuador. The Company is currently developing its existing portfolio of assets in Canada, Colombia and Ecuador and will continue to pursue additional new growth opportunities that would further strengthen the Company’s portfolio. The Company’s common stock trades on the NYSE American, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GTE. Additional information concerning Gran Tierra is available at www.grantierra.com. Except to the extent expressly stated otherwise, information on the Company’s website or accessible from our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into and should not be considered part of this press release. Investor inquiries may be directed to info@grantierra.com or (403) 265-3221.

    Gran Tierra’s Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) filings are available on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company’s Canadian securities regulatory filings are available on SEDAR+ at http://www.sedarplus.ca and UK regulatory filings are available on the National Storage Mechanism website at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Azerion Group publishes its 2024 Annual Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

     Azerion Group publishes its 2024 Annual Report 

    Amsterdam, 24 April 2025 – Azerion Group N.V. (EURONEXT:AZRN) today published its audited Annual Report for the financial year ended December 31, 2024. The 2024 Annual Report has been filed with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (the AFM) and is available at www.azerion.com/reports/ as a PDF file as well as in the ESEF (European Single Electronic Format) and HTML format.

    The Annual Report confirmed the preliminary Full Year 2024 unaudited financial figures published on 28 February 2025 with revenue of €551.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA of €75.1 million in line with 2024 guidance. 

    The audited net loss of €(56.0) million differs from the preliminary unaudited financial figures (net loss €(35.4) million). This variance relates to the non-recurring accounting treatment associated with contingent earn-out conditions from the 2023 social card games portfolio divestment. The final disputed amount of the outstanding earn-out receivable as well as the anticipated due date could not be reasonably assessed at this moment. As a result, the Group restated the original financial asset of €21.9 million to €0 as of 31 December 2024 and any potential positive outcome from this dispute would improve the future net result of the Group.

    Group 2025 guidance remains unchanged. 2025 revenue is expected to be in the range of approximately €600 million to €650 million and Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be at least approximately €85 million.

    About Azerion
    Founded in 2014, Azerion (EURONEXT: AZRN) is one of Europe’s largest digital advertising and entertainment media platforms. Azerion brings global scaled audiences to advertisers in an easy and cost-effective way, delivered through our proprietary technology, in a safe, engaging, and high-quality environment, utilizing our strategic portfolio of owned and operated content with entertainment and other digital publishing partners.

    Having its roots in Europe and with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Azerion has commercial teams based in 21 cities around the world to closely support our clients and partners to find and execute creative ways to make a real impact through advertising.

    For more information visit: www.azerion.com

    Contact:
    Investor Relations
    ir@azerion.com
    Media
    press@azerion.com

    Disclaimer

    This communication is for information purposes only. The information contained in this communication does not purport to be full or complete and, in particular, is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision. No reliance must be placed by any person for any purpose on the information contained in this communication or its accuracy, fairness or completeness. Azerion is not liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on the information contained in this communication

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Calian Announces Appointment to Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OTTAWA, Ontario, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Calian® Group Ltd. (TSX:CGY), a trusted provider of mission-critical solutions for defence, space and healthcare, today announced the appointment of Eric Demirian to its Board of Directors.

    Since 2003, Demirian has served as President of Parklea Capital Inc., a boutique financial and strategy advisory firm, and of Demicap Inc., a private investment firm. He was previously Executive Vice President at Group Telecom Inc. (2000–2003) and a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (1983–2000), where he led the Information and Communications Practice. Demirian holds a Bachelor of Business Management from Toronto Metropolitan University and is a CPA, CGA and CA.

    Demirian has been Chair of the Board of Descartes Systems Group Inc. (TSX: DSG, NASDAQ: DSGX) since 2014, having joined the board in 2011 and previously chaired its Audit Committee. He currently serves on Descartes’ Audit and Corporate Governance Committees. He is also a director of IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and has held board and audit committee roles at a number of public and private companies, including Enghouse Systems Ltd. (TSX: ENGH), from 2004 through 2025.

    “We are pleased to welcome Eric to our Board. His extensive financial expertise and experience on public company boards bring a depth of knowledge that will be invaluable to Calian. Eric’s proven ability to navigate complex financial landscapes, lead through mergers and acquisitions, and oversee organizations across diverse industries positions him as a strategic asset. His track record of guiding companies through growth and transformation speaks for itself. We are confident that he will be a highly effective and influential board member, with a keen understanding of both operational detail and long-term strategic vision,” said George Weber, Chair of the Board, Calian.

    “I am honored to join Calian’s Board as it continues on its exciting growth journey. I look forward to contributing my experience in scaling businesses and executing growth strategies to support the team and help drive long-term value for shareholders,” stated Demirian.

    Demirian’s appointment is effective immediately. With the recent additions of Josh Blair and Lisa Greatrix in February, the appointment of Demirian brings the total number of board members to 10, of which nine are independent and half are women.

    About Calian

    We keep the world moving forward. Calian® helps people communicate, innovate, learn and lead safe and healthy lives. Every day, our employees live our values of customer commitment, integrity, innovation, respect and teamwork to engineer cannot-fail solutions that solve complex problems. That’s Confidence. Engineered. A stable and growing 40-year company, we are headquartered in Ottawa with offices and projects spanning North American, European and international markets.

    Visit calian.com to learn about innovative healthcare, communications, learning and cybersecurity solutions.

    Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

    Media inquiries:
    media@calian.com
    613-599-8600

    Investor Relations inquiries:
    ir@calian.com

    —————————————————————————–

    DISCLAIMER

    Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Company’s most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them.

    Calian · Head Office · 770 Palladium Drive · Ottawa · Ontario · Canada · K2V 1C8
    Tel: 613.599.8600 · Fax: 613-592-3664 · General info email: info@calian.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Pope Francis became a climate change influencer

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Will de Freitas, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    “The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.” These aren’t the words of a radical sociologist or rogue climate scientist. They aren’t the words of a Conversation editor either. Nor are these:

    “A selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged.”

    These are in fact quotes from Pope Francis, who died last weekend.

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    I never thought this job would have me writing newsletters in praise of a papal climate influencer, but here we are. You can read various obits and interesting takes on Pope Francis and what’s next for the Catholic church elsewhere on The Conversation. But here I want to focus on his thoughts on climate change and the impact he had.

    Our common home

    In 2015, two years after becoming pope, Francis published Laudato Si (Praise Be to You), a 183-page papal letter sent to all Catholic bishops on “care for our common home”. It was a significant intervention made just a few months before the climate summit that led to the Paris agreement.

    Writing at the time, sustainability professor Steffen Böhm said that what made it so radical “isn’t just [Pope Francis’s] call to urgently tackle climate change. It’s the fact he openly and unashamedly goes against the grain of dominant social, economic and environment policies.”

    For Böhm, who was then at the University of Essex but now works at Exeter, this radical message “puts him on a confrontation course with global powerbrokers and leaders of national governments, international institutions and multinational corporations”.

    He quotes a section where the Pope says “those who possess more resources [and] power seem seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms, simply making efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts of climate change”. The Pope warns that “such effects will continue to worsen if we continue with current models of production and consumption”.

    Böhm points out the Pope “might be the only person with both the clout and the desire to meaningfully deliver a message like this”.



    Read more:
    Pope’s climate letter is a radical attack on the logic of the market

    Bernard Laurent of EM Business School in Lyon, says that in France the Pope’s message “managed to bring together both conservative currents – such as the Courant pour une Écologie Humaine (Movement for a Human Ecology), created in 2013 – and more open-minded Catholic intellectuals such as Gaël Giraud, a Jesuit and author of Produire Plus, Polluer Moins : l’Impossible Découplage? (Produce more, Pollute Less: the Impossible Decoupling?)”



    Read more:
    Pope Francis and Laudato Si’: an ecological turning point for the Catholic Church

    Clearly, this was a unique figure able to reach people who might not listen to a Greta Thunberg or an Al Gore.

    But, while it’s great the Paris agreement was signed, it was still filled with the exact sort of market logic and buck-passing – carbon credits, “emit now, clean up later”, and so on – the Pope had criticised a few months previously. And climate change itself only got worse. In the years following, Pope Francis spoke at the UN and published a series of other “exhortations” related to climate change.

    Did any of this make any difference?

    Celia Deane-Drummond is a theology professor at the University of Oxford and director of a research institute named after the 2015 papal letter. In a piece published the same day Pope Francis’s death was announced, she looked at his influence on the global climate movement.

    Deane-Drummond notes Pope Francis’s emphasis on listening to Indigenous people for instance in his lesser-known exhortation Querida Amazonia, which means “beloved Amazonia”, from February 2020.

    “This exhortation resulted from his conversations with Amazonian communities and helped put Indigenous perspectives on the map. Those perspectives helped shape Catholic social teaching in the [papal letter] Fratelli Tutti, which means ‘all brothers and sisters’, published on October 3 2020.”

    A key influencer

    Perhaps the Pope’s biggest influence was on activists rather than policymakers. Deane-Drummond says he was often mentioned by participants in a research project on religion, theology and climate change she was part of.

    “When we asked more than 300 [religious] activists representing six different activist groups who most influenced them to get involved in climate action, 61% named Pope Francis as a key influencer.”

    The 2015 papal letter also gave rise to the Laudato Si movement which Deane-Drummond points out “coordinates climate activism across the globe. It has 900 Catholic organisations as well as 10,000 of what are known as Laudato Si ‘animators’, who are all ambassadors and leaders in their respective communities.”



    Read more:
    Three ways Pope Francis influenced the global climate movement

    There are specific religious arguments he was able to make to appeal to these groups, note Joel Hodge and Antonia Pizzy of Australian Catholic University.

    They write that: “Francis argued combating climate change relied on the ‘ecological conversion’ of the human heart, so that people may recognise the God-given nature of our planet and the fundamental call to care for it. Without this conversion, pragmatic and political measures wouldn’t be able to counter the forces of consumerism, exploitation and selfishness.”



    Read more:
    Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies

    It’s not an argument that will particularly work on me. But then addressing the climate crisis will require all sorts of people to be persuaded of the need for serious action, including policy wonks, tech bros, radical activists, worried parents and, yes, people motivated by their religion.

    The last pope didn’t have to say anything about the climate crisis. It’s not necessarily in the job description. But it’s a good thing that Pope Francis did speak about it and, as Deane-Drummond says: “We can only hope [the next pope] will build on his legacy and influence political change for the good, from the grassroots frontline right up to the highest global ambitions.”

    – ref. How Pope Francis became a climate change influencer – https://theconversation.com/how-pope-francis-became-a-climate-change-influencer-255086

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Investigation into Unlawful “Straw Donor” and Foreign Contributions in American Elections

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-center”>April 24, 2025

    MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
                   THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
                   THE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
     
    SUBJECT:       Investigation into Unlawful “Straw Donor” and Foreign Contributions in American Elections

     
    Federal law (52 U.S.C. 30121 and 30122) strictly prohibits making political contributions in the name of another person, as well as contributions by foreign nationals.
     
    Notwithstanding these laws designed to protect American democracy, press reports and investigations by congressional committees have generated extremely troubling evidence that online fundraising platforms have been willing participants in schemes to launder excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees. 
     
    Specifically, these reports raise concerns that malign actors are seeking to evade Federal source and amount limitations on political contributions by breaking down large contributions from one source into many smaller contributions, nominally attributed to numerous other individuals, potentially without the consent or even knowledge of the putative contributors.  The reports also raise concerns that such “straw donations” are being made through “dummy” accounts, potentially using gift cards or prepaid credit cards to evade detection.
     
    Further, there is evidence to suggest that foreign nationals are seeking to misuse online fundraising platforms to improperly influence American elections.  A recent House of Representatives investigation revealed that a platform named ActBlue had in recent years detected at least 22 “significant fraud campaigns”, nearly half of which had a foreign nexus.  During a 30-day window during the 2024 campaign, the platform detected 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using prepaid cards, indicating that this activity remains a pressing concern. 
    These activities undermine the integrity of our electoral process.  Therefore, I direct the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to use all lawful authority, as necessary, to investigate allegations regarding the unlawful use of online fundraising platforms to make “straw” or “dummy” contributions or foreign contributions to political candidates and committees, and to take all appropriate actions to enforce the law.
     
    I further direct the Attorney General to report back to me through the Counsel to the President within 180 days of the date of this memorandum on the results of the investigation.
     
    This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
     
     
     
                                  DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Pressley, Markey, McGovern Recount Harrowing Visit with Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil at ICE Facilities in Louisiana

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    At Press Conference, Lawmakers Shared Stories of Medical Neglect, Sleep Deprivation, Inadequate Food and Religious Accommodations, Cold Temperatures, Denial of Personal Necessities, and More

    Video (YouTube)

    BOSTON – Today, at Logan Airport in Boston, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02) held a press conference to recount their harrowing visit to Louisiana where they met with Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil at ICE detention centers. The lawmakers made the visit yesterday to ICE facilities in Basile and Jena, where Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil are being unlawfully detained and subjected to inhumane conditions in retaliation for their protected speech.

    Rep. Pressley, Senator Markey, and Rep. McGovern were joined by House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (MS-02) and Representative Troy Carter (LA-02) on the visit, which also included a meeting with Wendy Brito, an asylum-seeker from El Salvador and New Orleans-area resident who never returned from a regular check-in last month with ICE.

    “Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil are being unlawfully held in harrowing conditions at ICE facilities in Louisiana and enduring shameful indignities that no one person should ever have to – and yet they continue to center the dignity and humanity of all people,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). “We will never stop fighting for Rümeysa, Mahmoud, and everyone who has been harmed by this cruel and callous White House. We reject Donald Trump’s draconian vision for our country, where dissenting voices are silenced and innocent people are disappeared off the street. He is a dictator, and the only way to beat a dictator is with defiance.”

    “It’s no secret that the detentions of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil are part of an alarming trend by the Trump administration: abduct students and secret them away to remote prisons in jurisdictions where the Administration expects to receive favorable court rulings through its forum shopping. Neither Öztürk nor Khalil has been charged with a crime. When a government imprisons individuals based on their words, denies constitutional due process for political convenience, and cloaks oppression in the language of national security, we must ring the alarm bells loudly and clearly across this country. What the Trump administration is doing is not immigration enforcement – it is authoritarianism,” said Senator Markey. 

    “What’s happening to Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil is a chilling and dangerous violation of their human rights. They’ve committed no crimes, they’ve been charged with no offenses, and they’ve broken no laws. Let’s not mince words: They are political prisoners—held in detention by a government which seeks to punish them for their views and silence their speech. That is immoral and wrong,” said Congressman Jim McGovern, Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. “Their arbitrary detention and deprivation of due process is a violation not only of their constitutional rights, but also their rights under international human rights law. This starts with Rümeysa and Mahmoud—but it ends with you. Now is the time to speak out before it is too late. Unless we fight back, this administration will continue weaponizing the government to violate the human rights of those who dare to disagree. We cannot and will not accept this as the new normal.”

    In Louisiana, the lawmakers held a media availability outside of the Basile facility to speak about their meetings, renew their calls for their release, demand accountability, and conduct oversight over the ICE facilities they are being held in. Full video of that media availability is available here.

    A full transcript of Congresswoman Pressley’s remarks at the Boston press conference, as delivered, is available below and the full video is available here.

    Transcript: Pressley Recounts Harrowing Visit with Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil at ICE Facilities in Louisiana
    Boston Logan Airport
    April 23, 2025

    Thank you all for being here today. Indeed, it was an honor to join my delegation partners, Senator Markey, Congressman McGovern, on this important congressional delegation. 

    It was an honor, and it was also our responsibility. It was essential that we go, not only to conduct oversight, but to bear witness. 

    Yesterday, we visited Louisiana to conduct oversight of two ICE detention facilities in Jena and Basile, where Mahmoud Khalil and my constituent, Rümeysa Öztürk are currently being held. 

    I know Rümeysa has become a symbol of the hurt and harm of the Trump administration, but she is a person. 

    She is a person and a brilliant scholar, a woman who is a committed community member, someone who was making meaningful contributions to public life and academia in Massachusetts. 

    She has asthma, and shamefully, she has not received adequate medical attention that she needs. 

    Rümeysa has not committed any crime. She was abducted, kidnapped in broad daylight -simply for co-authoring an op-ed that this White House didn’t like, one that called for the dignity and humanity of every person to be respected. 

    Detaining her serves no purpose other than to silence dissent, to stoke and instill fear – which is exactly what a dictator does. 

    Similarly, Mahmoud Khalil has not been convicted of any crime. He was simply exercising his right to free speech, something that should be protected and not punished. And now, instead of being home with his wife and their newborn son, he is being unlawfully detained at a facility thousands of miles away from the community he belongs to. 

    This is cruel, it is unjust, and it is unacceptable. 

    We had the chance to meet with Rümeysa and Mahmoud during our visit, to hear directly from them about their experiences and conditions inside these facilities.

    What we saw and heard was harrowing. It was heartbreaking, and it is enraging.

    They are being denied proper medical care. They are being deprived of sleep. They are not being fed nutritious meals. Rümeysa herself shared the story of having to wait three days, despite repeated requests, simply for toilet paper. And you can’t even get an extra blanket at night when you are cold.

    The cruelty is the point. 

    The women that I met are mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, artists, teachers, activists. They are humiliated daily, degraded, and denied the basic necessities of any human being. 

    As I said, many of the women there have a history of doing humanitarian work, Rümeysa amongst them. She’s done humanitarian work with refugees, and she told us she was shocked that this sort of facility even existed in the country that she has grown to love – that this could exist in America, the country she loves dearly and has given so much to.

    Mahmoud, who has lived in Syria under Assad, knows exactly what authoritarianism looks like, and offered that that is exactly what we are seeing in this moment. This is authoritarianism in Donald Trump’s America.

    Despite these horrific experiences, what stood out to me the most about each of them was that their first concern – in fact, their first priority – was not to make appeal for their own respective cases and unique and extreme circumstances, but instead, they put their own well-being, safety, and uncertainty of their future to the side to advocate for those that are detained with them. 

    It was the compassion that they felt, the conviction that they walked with. Rümeysa came as someone who is a qualified researcher. She’s been actively listening to and spending time with the women that she is confined with, hearing their stories, and came with copious notes that she had collected. 

    Some of the stories she shared with us were stories of women being ripped away from their babies, women with breast cancer who can’t get the care that they need, pregnant women denied prenatal care. When I asked her if anyone she knew had experienced sexual abuse or assault, she told me she did not have the consent to share. 

    What Rümeysa and Mahmoud are experiencing isn’t an anomaly. There are hundreds of students just like them who had their visas revoked, and there are millions of people being held in similar conditions in facilities across this country. 

    These are private detention centers operated by billion dollar corporations. Like my opposition to private prisons and profiting off of mass incarceration, I vigorously oppose these companies making money on disappearing immigrants. 

    As someone who has visited several detention centers throughout my time in Congress, I can tell you that this visit is not about optics. It is about accountability. It is about transparency, and it is about affirming that no one in America – regardless of background, immigration status, political beliefs, and more – should have their constitutional rights to free speech and due process ripped away. 

    Before we met with Rümeysa, we went to one of the dorms – as the only woman in our delegation – when I entered, there were 15 women in the door clad in orange scrub outfits, and they just fell into my arms. 

    They were desperate and crying and fearful. And they kept asking, they kept saying, ‘I want to talk to you. I want to tell you what’s happening here, but will you protect us when you leave? Who will protect us?’ They were visibly shaking. 

    We went to conduct real-time oversight, we went to bear witness. I feel a responsibility to carry the stories that I heard in my heart and for that to inform my strategy and my advocacy. 

    Yesterday was a physically and emotionally grueling and depleting day, and it has only strengthened each of our collective resolve to fight for Mahmoud, Rümeysa, and all that are there who question if God has forgotten about them, if the world has forgotten about them. We will not. We cannot.

    Today, we’re sending a clear message to Rümeysa, Mahmoud, and everyone who has been harmed or stands to be harmed by this cruel and callous White House that we have not forgotten. We see you, and we are fighting for you every day. 

    And we’re sending a message to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their Republican co-conspirators that Congress is watching, and we will not allow these abuses of power to go unchecked. 

    I want to thank Ranking Member Thompson and the House Homeland Security Committee for organizing this trip; Representative Troy Carter for hosting us; my friends and brother colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation, Senator Markey and Congressman McGovern, for showing up in solidarity and in strength. 

    This is what it means to conduct real-time congressional oversight. They’re flooding the zone, and so are we. 

    We will leverage every single avenue, tool available to us – we will be exhaustive. 

    This is what it means to conduct real-time oversight, and this is the type of bold activist leadership that this moment demands. 

    We must hold ICE and this hostile, lawless Trump administration accountable. We must protect our democracy and the fundamental rights of everyone who calls America home.

    And we must bring Rümeysa and Mahmoud home now.

    And with that, I’ll bring to the podium my brother colleague, Congressman McGovern, nationally known for his work in human rights.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: BREAKING: Pressley, Colleagues Visit Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil, Tour ICE Facilities in Louisiana

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Pressley, Markey, McGovern Join Ranking Member Thompson, Rep. Carter to Conduct Oversight, Demand Accountability

    Watch Media Availability Here

    LOUISIANA – Today, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) visited the ICE detention facilities in Basile and Jena with her colleagues, where Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil are being unlawfully detained, respectively. Joined by House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02), the Congresswoman’s visit included direct meetings with Ms. Öztürk and Mr. Khalil, two students who have been unlawfully detained by ICE and transported to Louisiana from their homes in retaliation for their protected speech. They also met with Wendy Brito, an asylum-seeker from El Salvador and New Orleans-area resident who never returned from a regular check-in last month with ICE.

    “Rümeysa Öztürk is my constituent, an accomplished scholar, and a valued member of our Massachusetts community. Like Rümeysa, Mahmoud Kahlil has committed no crime and is being punished by Donald Trump simply for exercising his right to free speech. Both are being unlawfully detained in ICE facilities a thousands miles away from home, and denied the dignity, medical care, and due process they deserve,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “We’re in Louisiana to demand answers, shine a light on this damning violation of their constitutional rights, and call for their immediate release. Our destinies are tied, and we will not allow these abuses of power to go unchecked.”

    Rep. Pressley, along with Sens. Warren and Markey, have pushed for answers and action since Öztürk’s March arrest. Last month, they led over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about Öztürk’s arrest and detention as well as similar incidents across the country.

    Earlier this month, the lawmakers sounded the alarm on Öztürk’s medical neglect in DHS custody and renewed urgent calls for her release. Last week, Pressley, Warren and Markey demanded Secretary of State Rubio released any documents related to her arrest after a recent report indicated that an internal State Department memo concluded that the key premise underlying Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s arrest and detention was false. Last month, Congresswoman Pressley issued a statement condemning reports that ICE arrested and detained Rumeysa Ozturk, an international student with legal status in a graduate program at Tufts University. Earlier in the week, Rep. Pressley issued a statement following reports of ICE activity in Boston and other municipalities in Massachusetts.

    During her time in Congress, Congresswoman Pressley has been a leading advocate for a just and humane criminal legal system, and has visited prisons in Texas, California, and Massachusetts to hear from detainees, advocate for them, and conduct oversight on the conditions in which they are being detained. Rep. Pressley’s visit to Louisiana is a continuation of her advocacy for a People’s Justice Guarantee, her comprehensive, decarceration-focused resolution that outlines a framework for a fair, equitable and just legal system.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: At Somerville Town Hall, Pressley Details Meeting with Detained Somerville Resident Rümeysa Öztürk

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Congresswoman Also Discussed her Fight to Protect Federal Workers, Social Security and Medicaid, Federal Education Funding, and More

    Video (YouTube)

    SOMERVILLE – At a town hall yesterday at Somerville High School, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) discussed her meeting in Louisiana with Somerville resident Rümeysa Öztürk and outlined how she’s fighting back against Donald Trump’s cruel and callous agenda to divide communities and impose wholesale harm.

    Having returned earlier in the day from Louisiana, Congresswoman Pressley shone light on her experience meeting with Ms. Öztürk, a Tufts PhD student, at the ICE facility where she is being unlawfully detained. She exposed the indignities, injustice, and fear that Rümeysa has endured – and how she remains kind-hearted, courageous, and committed to centering the humanity and dignity of all people.

    The Congresswoman, joined for the town hall by Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, also took questions and discussed her efforts to fight back against the Trump-Musk cuts to critical federal programs like Social Security and Medicaid, her support for our federal workers and immigrant neighbors, her defense of federal Department of Education funding, and more.

    A transcript with highlights from the Congresswoman’s opening remarks are available below (edited lightly for clarity), and video is available here.

    Transcript: At Somerville Town Hall, Pressley Details Meeting with Detained Somerville Resident Rümeysa Öztürk
    U.S. House of Representatives
    April 24, 2025

    Truly, it is so good to be home.

    I just landed at Logan this morning returning from my trip to rural Louisiana to meet with my constituent and your neighbor Rümeysa.

    Rümeysa, who has been unjustly detained as a political prisoner after being abducted from the streets of Somerville, has been detained for over a month now by ICE.

    Many of you have seen the video – the harrowing video. And I wanted to thank the concerned community member and bystander. Rümeysa asked me to say that, for filming that video in the first place.

    Rümeysa was taken by plainclothes officers, hurried into an unmarked car, shackled.

    She shared with me that when they transitioned her from handcuffs to shackles, she thought surely she was going to bee killed, but they would torture her before.

    She had no idea where she was going, why she had been abducted.

    She was sent over a thousand miles away to a detention facility in Basile, Louisiana.

    Let me begin by recognizing that she is detained in a for-profit facility owned and operated by a multi-billion dollar corporation. Now, I have fought long and hard against the use of private prisons and the exploitation of people in carceral settings.

    And that also applies to the immigration system. Which is why I believe if you care about mass deportations, you should care about mass incarceration. And if you care about mass incarceration, you should care about mass deportations. They are two sides of the same coin.

    Now, Rümeysa was transported from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to Georgia and then finally to rural Louisiana. So I went to rural Louisiana to see about her.

    Alongside me was Senator Markey and Congressman McGovern. And I want to acknowledge the leadership of my brother colleague Congressman Troy Carter of Louisiana and Ranking Member Bennie Thompson who leads the House Homeland Security Committee for organizing this CODEL, this fact-finding mission.

    The meeting with Rümeysa was a true testament to her character. She was kind, despite the cruelty she endured. She was dressed in an orange jumpsuit and wearing the same hijab she was arrested in.

    I could feel her uneasiness. Yet she spent most of the meeting not talking about herself, but advocating for the other women locked in the facility – she had with her copious handwritten notes, putting her research skills as a PhD student to work. 

    Rümeysa is enduring indignities that no one should ever have to. Denied access to legal counsel, denied access to toilet tissue even, for three days. Experiencing sleep deprivation, malnutrition, frigid temperatures. She has suffered multiple asthma attacks, and the medical care is grossly insufficient and culturally incompetent. Rümeysa shared that a nurse removed her hijab without consent.

    For her and many other women we met with, the fear was palpable. They wept openly, visibly shaken. They expressed fear of never seeing their loved ones again. Fear of deportation from the only country they call home. Fear of retaliation just for being honest about their confinement.

    Despite Rümeysa’s fear – actually, in spite of her fear – Rümeysa remains kind-hearted and courageous.

    I asked her pointedly if she had a message for the people of Somerville and she told me to tell all of you: thank you for being her community.

    On that frightful day when she was surrounded by ICE agents and unsure of what would happen to her, she looked up. She saw a neighbor that she didn’t know, hadn’t spoken to, and was pretty much a stranger. But that neighbor was recording the arrest and when they made eye contact, the neighbor raised their hand as if to say to Rümeysa: I am with you.

    And she expressed just how much that meant to her, that it gave her comfort in that moment, after she had screamed, that someone cared. That she didn’t know how much they had captured but it gave her some calm, that someone had seen what had happened and maybe they will be able to help me.

    And today, more than a thousand miles away, we are still with Rümeysa.

    The Massachusetts 7th is not simply a congressional district; it is a community.

    And in the face of a dictator, we will resist – because the only way to beat a dictator is with defiance.

    That is why I am demanding answers from Marco Rubio on why Rümeysa’s visa was revoked despite a State Department memo saying she did nothing wrong.

    That is why I am demanding that ICE comply with the judge’s ruling that they bring her back to New England.

    That is why I am leveraging my power on the Committee on Oversight to go into these detention facilities and ensure every person is treated with dignity and respect, and have their constitutional right to due process.

    Remember, this is much bigger than Rümeysa. It’s a policy of cruelty and a system of chaos.

    For those who might be tempted to marginalize or to other who might be vulnerable, Donald Trump is coming after all of us.

    If you are an immigrant, regardless of your status – be it as a DACA recipient, a naturalized citizen, a TPS holder, a student visa, an asylum seeker – he seeks to do things that are harmful and unconstitutional and unlawful.

    I’m sure you heard him on that hot mic moment in the Oval Office, saying that he will eventually look to deport people with criminal records.

    Again, blatantly unconstitutional and incredible ironic given his own criminal record.

    But it is consistent, as a dictator, he seeks to silence dissent.

    So when I say he is coming for all of us, I mean it could be you tomorrow. It could be you tomorrow for suffering a miscarriage. It could be you tomorrow for reading a banned book. It could be you tomorrow simply for being Black. It could be you tomorrow for being trans. It could be you tomorrow for practicing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It could be you tomorrow for co-authoring an op-ed, practicing free speech.

    Our freedoms and our destinies are truly tied.

    In a letter James Baldwin wrote to Angela Y. Davis, he said: ‘If they take you in the morning, they will surely be coming for us that night.’

    And that is the truth.

    So I am ten toes down, fighting for this district every day. It is a true honor and privilege to be your Congresswoman – I don’t take it for granted, not for a minute.

    You deserve someone who fights for you in Washington like you are family – because you are.

    And with that let’s get into a dialogue and answer as many of your questions as we can in this time we have together today. Thank you for being here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DEA’s National Take Back Day Returns April 26th to Help Prevent Prescription Drug Misuse

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Memphis, TN – The Drug Enforcement Administration, in coordination with more than 4,400 law enforcement partners across the country, will host the 28th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering communities across the United States a safe, convenient, and anonymous way to dispose of unneeded prescription medications.

    With nearly 4,500 collection sites nationwide, Take Back Day aims to reduce the risk of prescription drug misuse by helping Americans safely remove expired, unwanted, or unused medications from their homes—medications that might otherwise be misused.   

    “Disposing of unneeded, expired medications helps us protect the safety and health of our communities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Derek S. Maltz. “Families can minimize the risk of medications falling into the wrong hands by simply bringing unused medications to one of the 4,500 drop-off locations this Saturday. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day would not be possible without our incredible local and state law enforcement partners and the community groups who work every year to make Take Back Day a success.”

    “I encourage everyone to join us this weekend and participate in Take Back Day,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division. “The small act of cleaning out your home medicine cabinet can have a big impact on the safety of our community by keeping addictive medications away from those who might abuse them.”

    DEA and its partners will accept tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids, such as cough syrups, must remain tightly sealed in their original containers. Take Back Day locations will accept vaping devices and cartridges if the lithium batteries are removed. Syringes, sharps, and illicit substances will not be collected.

    According to The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine are among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications. In October 2024, DEA and its partners collected nearly 630,000 pounds of medications. Since the program’s inception in 2010, more than 19.2 million pounds of medications have been collected and safely destroyed.

    For Saturday’s event, find a collection site near you by visiting www.DEATakeBack.com.  

    For those unable to participate on April 26, nearly 17,000 pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and law enforcement locations offer year-round drug disposal options across the country to ensure Every Day is Take Back Day.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bank General Counsel Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for $7.4 Million Embezzlement Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES BLOSE, 56, of Fairfield, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses stemming from a decade-long embezzlement scheme at banks where he served as General Counsel and held other high-ranking positions.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2013 to January 2022, Blose was an attorney and held high-ranking positions, including General Counsel, at Hudson Valley Bank and Sterling National Bank.  From approximately January 2022, when Webster Bank acquired Sterling National Bank, until February 2023, Blose served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Webster Bank.

    From approximately 2013 until Webster Bank discovered his scheme and his employment was terminated in February 2023, Blose defrauded his employers (“The Bank”) in various ways.  In certain commercial loan transactions where The Bank was the lender, Blose fraudulently retained for himself portions of closing costs, including legal fees.  In certain real estate transactions in which The Bank was the seller, Blose retained portions of the sale proceeds for himself.  For some of the real estate transactions, Blose created false documents in order to hide his theft from The Bank.  Blose also stole from The Bank in other ways.

    As part of the scheme, Blose used his attorney trust accounts to make personal expenditures, and to transfer funds to accounts in the names of business entities he created and controlled, and then used those funds for his personal benefit.  Through this scheme, Blose stole approximately $7.4 million from his employers, and used the stolen funds to purchase a vacation property on Kiawah Island in South Carolina, for construction of his Connecticut home, and for luxury vehicles, jewelry, private jets charters, multiple country club memberships, and other expenses.

    Judge Chatigny will determine restitution after additional court proceedings.

    On December 20, 2024, Blose pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of engaging in illegal monetary transactions.

    Blose, who is released on a $250,000 bond, is required to report to prison on June 23

    This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection’s Office of the Inspector General.  Financial crimes investigators from Webster Bank assisted the investigation.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.

    MIL Security OSI –