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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Vancouver, Senator Murray Meets with Local Businesses, ILWU, Port of Kalama to Discuss How Trump’s Chaotic Trade War is Hurting Washington State

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: In Tacoma, Senator Murray Meets with Local Businesses, Port Commissioners to Discuss How Trump’s Chaotic Trade War is Hurting Washington State
    ICYMI: In Senate Floor Speech, Senator Murray Hammers Trump and Republicans on Chaotic, Painful Trade War and Steep Tariffs Raising Costs on Families and Small Businesses in WA
    ***PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***
    Vancouver, WA— Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion in Vancouver highlighting how local businesses, ports, and the overall economy in Washington state is suffering from President Trump’s senseless and chaotic trade war. Senator Murray was joined for the discussion by John Rudi, CEO of Thompson Metal Fab in Vancouver; Miriam Halliday, CEO of Workforce Southwest Washington; Jared Moultrie, Vice President of the International Longshore & Warehouse Workers’ Union (ILWU) Local 4 in Vancouver; Augusto Bassanini, CEO of United Grain; and Mark Wilson, Executive Director of the Port of Kalama.
    On April 2nd, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on nearly every country, including a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imported goods, and country-specific so-called reciprocal tariffs. Just hours after the reciprocal tariff rates took effect last Wednesday, Trump abruptly changed his mind and put a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs. But Trump is still taxing goods from every country, across the board, at 10 percent at least, and he is escalating his trade war with China, with 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods—which is already leading to higher prices and serious pain for families and small business across Washington state. Senator Murray has always been vocal about the need to out-compete China, but warned that waging an all-out trade war with China on a whim will cause serious economic pain for consumers and small businesses across the country.
    Even with his “pause,” Trump’s new tariff rates are still the highest in decades, and are estimated to cost American families more than $4,000 per year—the largest tax increase since 1968.
    “Trump’s tariffs are a tax—a tax that will hit hardworking Americans the most. Families will be paying higher prices, small businesses will have to lay off workers, and Washington’s ports will be gutted as trade drops. That’s a lot of jobs on the line in our ports like Kalama and Vancouver along the Columbia River,” said Senator Murray. “Congress has the power to step in and put a stop to these senseless tariffs, we can bring back certainty to protect American businesses and the economy.”
    “Businesses can’t function when they are waiting to see if Trump will change his mind again about what countries will have tariffs, and at what rate, as if this should be something decided on a whim,” Senator Murray continued. “Every morning small business owners, port longshoremen, warehouse workers, and families wake up wondering if today will be the day they have to close up shop or will lose their job. Congress needs to step up and put an end to these tariffs—but we need Republicans to join us in order to do that. I will keep shining a light on the consequences of Trump’s painful trade war will bring and amplifying the voices and concerns of people in Washington state.”
    Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs tied to international commerce. Washington state is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will struggle to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs.
    Canada is Washington’s largest overall trading partner, accounting for nearly $20 billion in imports and $10 billion in exports. China is the world’s second-largest economy and Washington state exported over $12 billion in goods to China last year—making China Washington state’s top export partner—and imported $11.2 billion in goods, the second-most in imports from any country aside from Canada. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—for example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.
    “Tariffs simply add cost to major infrastructure projects, and there are very few ways the additional cost impacts of tariffs can be reduced or mitigated,” said John Rudi, CEO of Thompson Metal Fab, a veteran-owned, Vancouver-based metal fabrication company that makes products for the gas and oil industries, and is entering new markets creating products for nuclear, high-tech, and renewable energies. “There are serious concerns about the impact of tariffs on projects that have already been contracted or bid—and an even larger concern than the direct financial impact of tariffs is the uncertainty it creates. Uncertainly only delays, and possibly freezes, major industrial projects. When work is delayed, highly-skilled workers are lost, resulting in long-term impacts to industrial capacity. And once industrial demand stabilizes and returns to normal, the surge in business can result in inflationary costs due to increased competition for workers and resources… Senator Murray has been a strong and consistent advocate for job creation and infrastructure projects in our region and we are pleased to have her visit today to discuss how businesses and the local workforce are impacted by tariffs.”
    “The continued volatility in international tariff strategies is creating significant challenges for workforce development across industries in Southwest Washington,” said Miriam Halliday, CEO of Workforce Southwest, the Local Workforce Development Board designated as the policy, planning and oversight body for the public workforce system in Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties. “Companies are increasingly hesitant to expand or invest in talent due to rising costs and economic uncertainty. For instance, a mid-sized IT Managed Service Provider located in Vancouver WA is facing a 15% increase in order costs, making it difficult to forecast budgets and commit to workforce growth. Similarly, a mid-sized die casting manufacturer located in Vancouver WA has paused its expansion this quarter—not due to lack of demand, but because financial institutions are withholding loans for new equipment out of recession fears. As a result, plans to hire and upskill workers have been deferred, highlighting how external economic pressures are directly stalling local and regional workforce development.”
    “Our ports face significant challenges and uncertainties in light of potential trade wars,” said Jared Moultrie, Vice President of the International Longshore & Warehouse Workers’ Union (ILWU) Local 4 in Vancouver, representing dock workers in the region. “In 2024, the Port of Vancouver supported nearly 20,000 jobs and generated $2.9 billion in regional economic benefits. United Grain Corporation, Longshoremen, Railroad workers, Tugboat crews, Truck operators, and Farmers from the American West and Midwest facilitated the movement of 5.9 million metric tons of agricultural commodities through the Port of Vancouver. The retaliatory tariffs imposed by China have the potential to significantly reduce employment opportunities for these men and women and diminish the economic benefits within our regionThe Port of Vancouver operates as a breakbulk port, and proposed tariffs would heavily impact everything we handle. Steel is projected to experience an estimated 30 percent decrease, having never recovered from the previous set of tariffs. Currently, we service two aluminum ships per month and conduct weekly aluminum loadouts onto trucks or railcars. The aluminum sector would be seriously jeopardized if tariffs were to deepen. As the number one importer of Subaru vehicles, we are already anticipating around a 20 percent decrease in cars arriving at our dock.”
    “At Local 4, our workers are concerned about job security due to the proposed tariffs. We are already contending with rising car payments, mortgage payments, and costs of goods and services. We worry about whether we will be able to afford our children’s tuition, take planned vacations, make substantial purchases, or even dine out. The trickle-down effect on regional companies, truck drivers, farmers, small businesses, and everyone in between could be devastating,” Moultrie continued. “We extend our gratitude to Senator Murray for her dedication and continued commitment to supporting the ILWU and our ports, working-class individuals, our region, our state, and the United States of America.”
    “We greatly appreciate Senator Murray’s engagement and efforts to understand how the proposed tariffs are impacting American grain exports,” said Augusto Bassanini, CEO of United Grain Corporation, which sources grain and oilseeds from more than 2,000 suppliers in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains. “To help the 2,000 American farmers we work with remain competitive in the global market, we need certainty to navigate a global marketplace so we can continue to create jobs, domestic economic development opportunities and feed the world.” 
    Senator Murray has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s chaotic trade war and has been lifting up the voices of people in Washington state harmed by this administration’s approach to trade. Senator Murray continues to call on Republicans to end Trump’s trade war—which Congress has the power to do—and take back Congress’ Constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs. Earlier this month, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state who highlighted how Trump’s ongoing trade war is already a devastating hit to Washington state’s economy, businesses, and our agriculture sector. Senator Murray also took to the Senate floor to lay out how Trump’s chaotic trade war is seriously threatening our economy, American businesses, families’ retirement savings, and so much else. Earlier this week, Senator Murray joined her colleagues in pressing U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting farmers across the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Visits Downtown Vancouver, Highlights Importance of Federal Investment Amid Local Concerns Over Trump Funding Freezes, Tariff Chaos

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: In Vancouver, Senator Murray Meets with Local Businesses, ILWU, Port Commissioner to Discuss How Trump’s Chaotic Trade War is Hurting Washington State
    ***PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***
    Vancouver, WA— Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured businesses in downtown Vancouver, as part of the Main Street Promise project, to see how federal investment has supported their growth and how Trump’s chaotic trade war and federal funding freezes are harming the local economy. Senator Murray was joined for the tour by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle; Michael Walker, Executive Director of the Vancouver Downtown Association; Chris Harder, Deputy Economic Development Director for the City of Vancouver; Julie Arenz, Small Business Connector and Advocate for the City of Vancouver; Ryan Hart, Chair of Visit Vancouver and Chief External Affairs Officer for the Port of Vancouver; Kelsey Jennings, Owner of Ronald Records in downtown Vancouver; and Crystal Lary, Owner of Eryngium Papeterie in downtown Vancouver.
    During the visit, Senator Murray heard from business owners and leaders at the City of Vancouver about how federal investment in Vancouver has helped lay the groundwork for thriving small businesses and spurred other construction and renovation projects in the downtown core. The City of Vancouver has been working on a 20-year revitalization effort that Senator Murray helped kickstart by securing initial federal funding for the Waterfront Redevelopment Project in 2009. The Main Street Promise Project is one of the last phases of the revitalization effort and was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act Senator Murray played a leading role in crafting as then-Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The major reconstruction project on Main Street broke ground in December 2024—with original planning work done in 1993 with the goal of improving the heart of Vancouver. The Main Street Promise Project will reconstruct Main Street to provide a safe, accessible, and connected transportation system to support existing small businesses along Main Street and attract more visitors to Downtown Vancouver.
    Senator Murray also heard from small business owners and local leaders about how the Trump administration’s illegal withholding of federal funding owed to communities across the country and his reckless trade war is leading to serious uncertainty for businesses, consumers, and communities across Southwest Washington. Trump is currently taxing goods from every country—including close allies like Canada—at a minimum 10 percent tariff rate across-the-board, and he has significantly escalated his trade war with China, with 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods—meaning higher prices and serious pain for families and small businesses across the country. Even with his 90-day “pause” on reciprocal tariffs, Trump’s new tariffs are still the highest tariff rates in decades, and are estimated to cost American families more than $4,000 per year—the largest tax increase since 1968.
    “It’s wonderful to see how the federal investment I’ve fought to bring to Southwest Washington over the years has helped downtown Vancouver thrive—with so many great small businesses and new infrastructure and renovation projects that are making the heart of Vancouver a destination for shopping, eating, nightlife, and more,” said Senator Murray. “Trump is putting all the progress our communities have made at risk by illegally canceling and holding up federal funding our communities are owed, and he is putting businesses in constant turmoil with his pointless and destructive trade war. I will continue to sound the alarm on the consequences Trump’s illegal funding freezes and his ham-fisted trade war will have for American families, and I will always lift up the voices and concerns of people in Washington state.”
    “The transformation of Vancouver’s downtown into a regional and national destination is years in the making,” said Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle. “The current reconstruction of Main Street into a pedestrian-centered and vibrant commercial corridor represents downtown Vancouver’s most recent evolution. Over the past 20+ years, Senator Murray has been one of Vancouver’s biggest champions, helping to steer critical federal funds, such as American Rescue Plan Act dollars, to our community to help fund placemaking and infrastructure investments. The City of Vancouver would like to thank Senator Murray for her leadership and we are grateful for her willingness to partner on important local projects like Main Street Promise.”    
    “The Main Street Promise is a realization of a vision that’s been decades in the making. This is the third time our community has tried to bring this project to life, and now—thanks to Senator Patty Murray and the American Rescue Plan—we finally have what we need to get it done,” said Michael Walker, Executive Director of Vancouver’s Downtown Association. “This is the largest investment in Main Street in 116 years, and it’s going to reshape the heart of our downtown into a safer, more connected, and more accessible place for everyone. This project is about building a strong foundation for the future of our downtown—leaving something great for the next generation and beyond. Senator Patty Murray’s steadfast advocacy on behalf of Vancouver has helped us achieve real outcomes in the heart of our community—improving quality of life, supporting local businesses, and strengthening our downtown economy for the long term.”
    “In addition, thanks to the unique opportunity provided by ARPA dollars, we’re able to go beyond traditional infrastructure work,” Walker continued. “We have staff on the ground every day and thoughtful mitigation efforts in place—like block-by-block construction—to help minimize disruption. Businesses are staying open, sidewalks remain accessible, and we’ve built a strong network of peer support to help keep our business community resilient and thriving throughout the process. For a project of this scale, we’re doing everything we can to make sure it’s as smooth and supportive as possible.
    Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs tied to international commerce. Washington state is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will be unlikely to be able to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs. Canada is Washington’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly $20 billion in imports and $10 billion in exports. China is the world’s second-largest economy and Washington state exported over $12 billion in goods to China last year—making China Washington state’s top export partner—and imported $11.2 billion in goods, the most in imports from any country aside from Canada. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—for example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.
    Senator Murray has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s chaotic trade war and has been lifting up the voices of people in Washington state harmed by this administration’s approach to trade and calling on Republicans to end Trump’s trade war—which Congress has the power to do—and take back Congress’ Constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs. Earlier this month, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state who highlighted how Trump’s ongoing trade war is already a devastating hit to Washington state’s economy, businesses, and our agriculture sector. Senator Murray also took to the Senate floor to lay out how Trump’s chaotic trade war is seriously threatening our economy, American businesses, families’ retirement savings, and so much else. Earlier this week, Senator Murray joined her colleagues in pressing U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting farmers across the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China reinforces documentary heritage protection with new UNESCO designations

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng is pictured in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China has shown the world its unrelenting commitment to protecting humanity’s shared cultural legacy with three new documentary heritage items added to the Memory of the World (MoW) Register of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday.

    With the latest additions — the Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, the Steles of Shaolin Temple (566-1990) and Trilingual Inscription (TribhashaSellipiya) — China now has 18 entries in the international register, which was launched by UNESCO in 1992 to facilitate preservation of the world’s documentary heritage, enable universal access to documentary heritage worldwide and enhance public awareness.

    Dubbed the world’s first “sound-producing music textbook,” the Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, dating back more than 2,400 years, is currently on display at the Hubei Provincial Museum in central China. The bronze percussion instrument weighs nearly 5 tonnes, and comprises 65 bianzhong, or chime bells.

    The bells, which are arranged across three tiers and eight groupings at the exhibition, featured 3,755 inscribed Chinese characters — the only known systematic musical treatise from the 5th century B.C.

    In 2024, the museum reported more than 5 million visits. During peak periods, daily visits to the bianzhong exhibition exceeded 30,000 people, said Zhang Xiaoyun, curator of the museum.

    To better preserve such documentary heritage, in 1984, the museum commissioned a full set of replicated chime bells to be used for performances and research, allowing the ancient instrument to resonate beyond museum walls. Three years later, the museum established a bianzhong performance troupe, with its members having performed to over 10 million live spectators worldwide.

    For more than 40 years, specialists in archaeology, metallurgy, acoustics, astronomy, ancient writing, chemistry, music and other fields from across the globe have researched the chime bells and their inscriptions.

    UNESCO’s recognition is also reflected through the continuous conservation work at the Shaolin Temple in the central Henan Province, where 499 ancient steles chronicle the extensive exchanges and interactions between the temple — the birthplace of kung fu — and ancient officials, celebrities, overseas Buddhists and secular society between 556 and 1990.

    The steles distributed at the temple and its surrounding areas are protected according to each monument’s condition and location. “We have installed glass cases around fragile inscriptions or protective railings around exposed pieces,” said Yang Hongrui, the temple’s chief archivist.

    According to Yang, the temple has collaborated with institutions to digitally archive the entire collection and establish a digital archives exhibition hall.

    “During its trial operation last September, the digital archives exhibition hall, spanning approximately 100 square meters, drew overwhelming crowds, averaging 14 visitors per minute with some staying for up to two to three hours,” Yang said.

    Yang added that to celebrate its inclusion in the MoW Register, the hall will officially open to the public ahead of May, and there are plans for international touring exhibitions of these archival treasures at the temple’s 168 overseas cultural centers.

    Similar to the Shaolin steles, Trilingual Inscription (TribhashaSellipiya), jointly submitted by China and Sri Lanka, also provides evidence of China’s interactions with other civilizations.

    The monument, brought to Sri Lanka over 600 years ago by renowned Chinese navigator Zheng He during his third voyage, is held by the national museum in Colombo as one of the most precious collections. It is a testament to cultural exchanges between China and the outside world, as inscriptions written in Chinese, Persian and Tamil recorded ceremonial offerings to a sacred mountain shrine by Zheng’s fleet.

    “The joint efforts underscore the mutual respect and commitment to cultural preservation that Sri Lanka and China have cultivated over the years. Such recognition will undoubtedly encourage further collaborations in fields such as archaeology, education and tourism,” Ruwan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka’s deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, told Xinhua.

    China made its first application to the MoW Register in 1997, establishing itself as one of the earliest participants and the first nation to create a dedicated national committee for the program.

    “The inclusion in the MoW Register underscores the remarkable richness of Chinese archival heritage. This designation highlights the nation’s wealth of documentary resources worthy of preservation,” said professor Chen Shaofeng from Peking University. He noted that authorities can focus on more ethnic minority documents for future UNESCO nominations.

    To date, China has officially recognized 198 items or groups of archival heritage at the national level. The National Archives Administration of China has further urged provincial-level archives authorities to develop regional catalogues to expand and refine the global memory preservation framework. 

    This undated file photo shows a stele in Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng City, central China’s Henan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Visitors look at the Trilingual Inscription at the Colombo National Museum in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 17, 2025.  [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Learning Chinese language opens a lot of doors, says South African student

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    “Learning the Chinese language opens a lot of doors for me,” said Sasha-Leigh Allen, a South African student participating in a vibrant celebration to mark the 2025 International Chinese Language Day.

    The celebration, themed “Chinese Language: Together for a Bright Future,” was held on Thursday at the Iziko Learning Center in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa. More than 100 representatives from the political, business, and academic sectors of China and South Africa, along with faculty and students from universities across Cape Town, came together to celebrate the beauty of the Chinese language.

    Co-hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of the Western Cape and the Iziko Museums of South Africa, the event offered rich Chinese cultural experiences, featuring “101 Wishes: The Beauty of Chinese Characters” Exhibition, Guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) performance, traditional Chinese tea tasting, and Chinese calligraphy practice.

    In his opening remarks, Bongani Ndhlovu, acting chief executive officer of the Iziko Museums of South Africa, emphasized the multiple layers of significance that Chinese Language Day carries. “Language is not only the carrier of meaning, but also that through it, our values, our cultures, our traditions, our heritage are embedded in each (of us),” he said.

    His remarks were echoed by Tang Chang’an, deputy consul general of the Chinese Consulate-General in Cape Town. “Chinese is more than a language — it is a bridge connecting civilizations, fostering understanding, and promoting cultural change across the world,” said Tang.

    In his speech, Tang noted that the Chinese language reflects the wisdom of a 5000-year-old civilization rooted in values of peace, harmony, and cooperation. “In today’s interconnected world, cultural and linguistic exchanges play a crucial role in building mutual respect and friendship among nations,” he said.

    “Let us take this opportunity to use language as a bridge to deepen mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation. Together, we can build a more just and inclusive world,” he added.

    Sasha-Leigh Allen, a sophomore at the University of the Western Cape who attended the event, has been studying the Chinese language for nearly two years. “I believe that Chinese characters are an art, an art that in the beginning is very difficult to understand, but when you go up close, it’s very simplistic and beautiful,” she told Xinhua.

    “When I learned Chinese characters, it made me more open-minded to understand the Chinese language, Chinese people, their culture, the way they speak, and the different kinds of meanings,” she said, adding that she also encouraged her friends to learn the language.

    Allen went on to talk about the potential benefits that learning the Chinese language could bring to her future career.

    “Personally, for me, learning Chinese characters opens a lot of doors for me, especially in my career. Hopefully, if I’m able to continue learning Han Zi (Chinese characters), it will help a lot,” she said.

    MIL OSI China News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fire Safety – Most of Northland now in open fire season

    Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Fire and Emergency New Zealand has moved most of Te Tai Tokerau Northland District back to an open fire season from 12am this morning, Friday 18 April, until further notice.
    An open fire season means people planning to light fires outdoors no longer need to apply to Fire and Emergency for authorised permits.
    However, the Muriwhenua area remains in a restricted fire season where permits are still required, and outdoor fires are still prohibited on off-shore islands.
    Northland District Manager Wipari Henwood says lower temperatures and some solid rainfall means the fire risk present over summer has lessened in the district.
    “After dealing with some significant and prolonged wildfires over the summer, recent fires have been small and quickly contained,” he says.
    “We do ask people to continue to take care when lighting any fires, and if you’re not sure what the conditions are for your location, go to checkitsalright.nz .
    “It’s important we all do our part to keep Te Tai Tokerau safe from wildfire all year round.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fire Safety – Open fire season starts for Thames-Coromandel, Waikato Northern

    Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Fire and Emergency New Zealand is moving the Waikato Northern and Thames-Coromandel Districts back to an open fire season from 8am, Friday 18 April, until further notice.
    An open fire season means people planning to light fires outdoors no longer need to apply to Fire and Emergency for authorised permits.
    Waikato District Manager Daryl Trim says the summer temperatures have given way to cooler autumn conditions, so the fire risk has lowered.
    “As always, we ask people to take care when considering lighting any fires, and to check the conditions for your location on www.checkitsalright.nz,” he says.
    “This weekend however, with the expected wind from ex Tropical Cyclone Tam, we urge the public to delay the lighting of any fires.
    “Once the windy conditions ease, we urge everyone to always take care with any fire, and check for reignition, which can still happen weeks after a fire has been thought to be extinguished.”
    Department of Conservation lands are still in a restricted season, so permits are needed from Fire and Emergency before lighting any fires in those areas.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: DelBene Underscores Impact of Republican Cuts to Medicaid in Washington

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) hosted a roundtable at EvergreenHealth Monroe with Medicaid recipients, providers, and health systems to highlight the impact of the cuts Trump and Congressional Republicans are advancing to Apple Health, Washington state’s Medicaid Program.

     

    Earlier this month, House and Senate Republicans advanced legislation that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for wealthy people and big corporations. This would amount to the largest cut in Medicaid’s history and leave states like Washington with the painful choice of cutting people from the program and reducing what services it covers. When Medicaid is cut, providers are forced to scale back services and health care costs rise for everyone.

    1.8 million Washingtonians are enrolled in Apple Health. This includes children, pregnant women, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Approximately half of Apple Health’s budget comes from the federal government. The other half is provided by the state government.

    “President Trump and Congressional Republicans promised to lower the cost of living for American families. Instead, they are trying to make the biggest cut to Medicaid in the program’s history so they can pay for tax breaks for the wealthy,” said DelBene. “Medicaid covers nearly 2 million Washington children, seniors, and others in our state. I hear from constituents daily who are worried about what these cuts would mean for them and their families. Cuts to Medicaid hurt everyone in our community because they force providers to scale back the services and health care costs go up for everyone. I will continue to stand up for Medicaid access and against these drastic cuts.”

    “As a community-owned hospital, EvergreenHealth is an advocate for ensuring everyone has unhindered access to affordable care and services that they need close to home,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Ettore Palazzo, MD, FACP. “The proposed reductions could lead to significant coverage losses and financial strain on health care providers, potentially affecting millions of Americans, including more than one hundred thousand residents of King and Snohomish counties, who rely on Medicaid for essential health services.”

    “Apple Health (Medicaid) provides access to health care and behavioral health services for nearly 2 million people in Washington state, including children, older adults, people with disabilities, and working families. When funding is at risk, it puts real pressure on the services for our state’s most vulnerable residents,” said Dr. Charissa Fotinos, Medical Director, State Medicaid and Behavioral Health, Washington State Health Care Authority.

    Organizations participating in the event and supporting Medicaid patients include EvergreenHealth, Compass Health, Sea Mar, SEIU 775, Full Life Care, and the Washington State Health Care Authority.

    More information about Medicaid’s role in Washington and the impacts of Republicans’ cuts can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Releases Statement in Response to USTR Placing Service Fees on Chinese Ships

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) today released the following statement in response to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer announcing actions to restore American shipbuilding and address China’s unreasonable acts to dominate the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding industries.
    “Thanks to President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for putting America first by placing industry-friendly service fees on Chinese-manufactured ships that carry U.S. farm commodities,” said Senator Marshall. “China has dominated global shipping fleets for too long. This move protects American agriculture, boosts domestic shipbuilding, and strengthens our national security.”
    Background:

    According to the Office of the USTR, the United States only accounts for 0.1% of global shipbuilding while China produces more than the rest of the world combined.
    For nearly three decades, China’s targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance has marginalized America’s shipbuilding capabilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER: UNDER GOP PLAN TO CRIPPLE MEDICAID, ROCKLAND COUNTY WOULD BE AMONG HARDEST HIT IN THE COUNTRY, RIPPING AWAY HEALTHCARE, SENIORS COULD BE KICKED OUT OF NURSING HOMES, & LAYOFFS AT LARGEST…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
    Last Week House Republicans Voted To Advance The Biggest Medicaid Cut In History -$880 BILLION; Senator Says It Would Be A Dagger To Heart Of Rockland County With Over 150,000 On Medicaid, One Of Highest Percentages Of Beneficiaries In The State, Including Nearly Half Its Children
    New Reports Show NY-17 Could Lose Whopping $2+ Billion Under GOP Cuts, Hammering Hospitals, Nursing Homes & Clinics – Devastating Regional Healthcare With 31,000 Workers At 15 Hospitals & 51 Nursing Homes
    Schumer: Rockland County May Be Where The Fate Of Medicaid In America Is Decided, NY Republicans Must Show Which Side They Are On
    On national Medicaid Matters Day of Action, just a week after Congressional Republicans voted for the second time to enact the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stood with Hudson Valley healthcare leaders, seniors, nurses, and concerned families at Helen Hayes Hospital to break down how the GOP plan would be a dagger to the heart of Rockland County’s healthcare system.
    Schumer detailed how the proposed $880 billion cut from Medicaid could directly impact over 150,000 in Rockland on Medicaid and millions more across the nation ripping away healthcare for seniors and kids alike, devastating Rockland’s largest employers, and forcing counties to fill a massive budget gap. The senator called on NY House Republicans to block Trump’s plan to decimate Medicaid.
    “The future of Medicaid in America may be decided right here in the Hudson Valley. If these cuts go through, Rockland County would be hit first and among the hardest in the country. It would blow a crater in the Hudson Valley’s healthcare system. Hospitals like Helen Hayes say they don’t know how they’d recover from the loss of funding. Jawonio, one of Rockland’s largest employers and a lifeline for people with disabilities, gets over 70% of their budget through Medicaid. Many fear these cuts would go so deep it would not only slash services but they could lead to devastating layoffs for the 31,000 healthcare workers in NY-17,” said Senator Schumer. “Seniors could be kicked out of nursing homes, addiction recovery centers decimated worsening the opioid crisis, and nearly 50% of children in the district who rely on Medicaid could be left without a safety net. We are in the fight of our lifetime to block the Republican plan to gut Medicaid by $880 billion. It only takes a few NY House Republicans to stop the largest Medicaid cut in history and we need NY Republicans to show us which side they are on with their actions.”
    Schumer said Medicaid is a lifeline and an $880 billion cut could force healthcare facilities to cancel services, lay off staff, rip away healthcare for thousands of seniors and kids, all while forcing counties to fill a huge budget gap resulting from these Medicaid cuts. NY-17 specifically has one of the highest percentages in the state of those covered under Medicaid at 35% and one of the highest percentages of children covered at 46%. According to NYSDOH:
    Over 156,000 children are enrolled in Medicaid in NY-17 receiving $742 million in funding. Across NY-17, 62% of children under 6 and 39% of children ages 6-18 are on Medicaid.
    Nearly 45,000 seniors in NY-17 receive $1.3 billion in Medicaid benefits.
    Over 25,000 people with disabilities in NY-17 are enrolled in Medicaid receiving $1.4 billion.
    While the full extent of Republican cuts to Medicaid is not yet known, a study by the Center for American Progress found the current proposal could lead to a whopping more than $2 billion loss for NY-17. The Senator said Rockland has long been a hub for the healthcare sector supporting 31,000 healthcare workers at 15 hospitals & 51 nursing homes, making this proposal especially dire for the region.
    The GOP’s $880 billion in cuts would inevitably shift the costs of care to states, resulting in agonizing decisions with county executives and state legislators forced to decide where to make up for the huge budget hole caused by a near insurmountable loss in federal funding. Counties like Rockland could be forced to shoulder the burden of increased costs in Medicaid, using more local dollars to provide coverage because less federal funding will be coming in. Schumer said while some Congressional Republicans claim this plan won’t cut Medicaid, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found the GOP plan could not be reached without reducing the funding that goes to Medicaid. There is no way to protect Medicaid benefits if Republicans move ahead with these cuts.
    Schumer added, “NY Republicans are tying themselves in knots to try to justify these cuts, but the math shows you cannot move forward with this plan without hurting our seniors, families, and healthcare providers who rely on Medicaid. Trump wants these cuts for one reason: to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. They are trying to use smoke and mirrors with bogus claims of this $880 billion only stopping fraudsters but nobody, especially not in the Hudson Valley, is buying that BS.”
    Across the Hudson Valley, thousands of New Yorkers have been rallying to protect Medicaid, and earlier this month, Rockland County legislators unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to protect Medicaid funding because of how reliant the area is on this funding.
    Helen Hayes Hospital is 34% reliant on Medicaid. The hospital, which is one of the oldest and premier rehabilitation centers in the nation, helps treat New Yorkers recovering from disabling injuries and illnesses. Jawonio, Rockland’s 5th biggest employer with over 900 staff, provides 3,500 children and adults with disability, mental health, education, and other services is 73% reliant on Medicaid and said if these cuts went through would slash healthcare services for thousands across the Hudson Valley. In total, 15 Hospitals & 51 Nursing Home facilities across NY-17 could face devastating Medicaid cuts: Westchester Medical Center received $265 million from Medicaid and has over 9,000 employees. St. John’s Riverside Hospital receives $200 million from Medicaid and has nearly 1,800 full-time employees. Blythedale Children’s Hospital receives $75 million from Medicaid and has approximately 462 full-time employees. United Hebrew Geriatric Center receives $15 million from Medicaid and has approximately 271 full-time employees. The New Jewish Home, Sarah Neuman receives $26 million from Medicaid and has approximately 374 full-time employees. Along with many others including community health centers like Refuah and Sun River.
    New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Medicaid makes healthcare possible for the most vulnerable among us. Cuts to Medicaid hurt everyone. Make no mistake: these proposed Medicaid cuts will broaden health disparities. These cuts aren’t just numbers on a page – they’re going to hurt real people in every corner of New York.”
    “Medicaid is essential to ensuring access to rehabilitation and long-term support for people recovering from serious injuries and illnesses, and those living with disabilities,” said Yvonne Evans, Acting Chief Executive Officer of New York State Department of Health’s Helen Hayes Hospital. ”We see daily how important this coverage is for our patients and their families. Protecting Medicaid means protecting health, independence, and dignity and we thank Sen. Schumer, Gov. Hochul and Dr. McDonald for their support.”
    “Any potential cuts to Medicaid funding could have devastating effects on both the individuals who rely on it and the providers who support them. Reduced funding could lead to fewer resources…increased workloads…and the inability to provide necessary services. Medicaid is indispensable for people with disabilities,” said Randi Rios-Castro, CEO of Jawonio.
    “Everyone deserves high-quality healthcare, including affordable doctors’ appointments and low-cost prescriptions,” said Carolyn Martinez-Class, Campaign Manager for Invest in Our New York. “Taking away 7 million New Yorkers’ ability to live healthy lives, especially to pay for tax breaks for the obscenely rich, is absolutely unacceptable. We expect every New York representative to follow Senator Schumer’s lead by opposing these devastating cuts and standing up for the communities they represent.”
    “Westchester Medical Center, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, and the Behavioral Health Center are safety-net hospitals serving all patients, regardless of their ability to pay,” said David Lubarsky, MD, MBA, President and CEO of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth). “As regional referral centers, these hospitals handle over 12,000 transfers annually, providing advanced care to the critically ill. As the largest Medicaid provider in the region, serving one in three Medicaid patients, any cuts to Medicaid would restrict access for underserved Hudson Valley communities, deter preventive care, increase untreated conditions, and heighten reliance on emergency departments. This burdens patients and strains public hospitals. Sustained support is critical to meet our region’s complex healthcare needs.”
    Schumer warned that Medicaid serves as a lifeline for more than 7 million New Yorkers and is the primary payer for long-term care in the United States, including at nursing homes and for people living at home. Medicaid pays for services for 2 in 3 nursing home residents. Families will have nowhere else to turn if Medicaid is cut, and millions of people will be left trying to figure out how to access the care and services they rely on every day.
    Nearly 1 in 4 Medicaid enrollees are eligible for the program because they are ages 65 and older or have a disability. Proposals to limit federal spending on Medicaid will force states to consider dropping or limiting eligibility or coverage for seniors and people with disabilities to make up for a huge budget hole with fewer federal dollars coming to New York. Loss of Medicaid coverage poses unique challenges for seniors and people with disabilities, people who are likely to live on fixed incomes, have high health care spending, and rely on Medicaid for help with everyday life and for coverage of long-term care.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Death following Hobart CBD crash

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Death following Hobart CBD crash

    Friday, 18 April 2025 – 10:36 am.

    Sadly, police can confirm a 75-year-old man has died following a pedestrian crash in Hobart’s CBD on 8 April.
    The man was crossing the road just down from the traffic lights when he was hit by a vehicle travelling along Davey St.Following the crash the man was taken to hospital in a critical condition and has since passed away.
    A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
    Our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.

    MIL OSI News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SEN ELIZABETH WARREN: Social Security is under attack. Gutting it is a broken promise

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 15, 2025

    We shouldn’t be cutting Social Security services and threatening Americans’ benefits — we should be making the program stronger

    Gutting Social Security isn’t “efficient” — it’s a broken promise. Democrats and Republicans should stand up and fight back to protect it.

    Social Security is not charity. Americans pay in, paycheck after paycheck, over a lifetime of hard work. When they get older, they get that money back to help them retire. That’s the iron-clad, take-it-to-the-bank promise that America makes to workers.

    But right now, Social Security is under attack like it has never been before. Billionaire Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said seniors won’t complain if they miss a Social Security check. Elon Musk called Social Security the “world’s biggest Ponzi scheme.” Musk then sent his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to gut the agency by indiscriminately firing workers, closing down offices, and trying to cut phone services.

    What does it mean to slash staff and services with no rhyme or reason? Two things: more mistakes in delivering checks to Americans, and fewer workers to fix those mistakes. And when people don’t get their checks, that’s a cut to the benefits they have earned.

    Mistakes are already showing up. After DOGE got its hands on Social Security, Ned, a retiree from Washington state, was marked “dead” in the Social Security system — despite being very much alive. He had $5,000 in benefits snatched right out of his bank account (paid while he was “dead”) and his monthly checks ceased. Ned spent weeks trying to fix the mistake and still hasn’t gotten paid back for two months of missing checks.
    Or take Tom and Chris from Westborough, Massachusetts, whose son has autism. For years, disability benefits through Social Security have helped pay for his care. And for years, those benefits have come through on time, without fail. But when they checked their son’s Social Security account recently, his benefits had been terminated. No explanation — just stopped. The money eventually came through, but it led to panic over how they would pay the bills.

    And while people aren’t getting their checks, there are fewer Social Security workers to help fix problems. Slashing staff and shutting down regional offices means Americans are forced to drive hours to get help with their applications or missing benefits. Once they get to an office, the lines can be out the door. They wait hours before they can get help — if they get help at all.

    Elon Musk and DOGE claim the reason they’re hacking away at people’s Social Security is to cut down on “extreme levels of fraud,” saying tens of millions of dead people over the age of 100 are getting payments. But even current Social Security Acting Administrator Leland Dudek — put in place by Donald Trump in February — contradicts that claim.
    Here’s the thing: if Elon Musk and DOGE truly want to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, there are easy ways to do it. I gave them 30 suggestions that would cut $2 trillion in government waste. Gutting the Social Security Administration so that it works worse for our seniors, veterans, and Americans with disabilities is not one of those ways.
    But don’t just take it from me. President George W. Bush’s Social Security Administration Commissioner said that if Elon Musk and DOGE wanted to make changes to increase efficiency at the agency, they could, “but we’re doing it the way that 22-year-old frat boys that have never seen the system think is a good idea, and that’s a mistake.”
    Musk himself said he’ll make mistakes, and it’s clear that coming for Social Security is a giant one. If he’s really honest enough to admit his own mistakes, why doesn’t he reverse course? Instead of recognizing that DOGE’s Social Security takeover is only hurting Americans, he’s doubling down, even encouraging President Trump to make the same false claims. President George W. Bush’s Social Security Commissioner called it “a real disservice to President Trump.” More importantly, it’s a deep disservice to the American people.
    We shouldn’t be cutting Social Security services and threatening Americans’ benefits — we should be making the program stronger. People are struggling with sky-high prices while their retirement savings are evaporating. We need a temporary increase in benefits right now to give people some relief. We should also protect the long-term security of the system by lifting the cap on the amount millionaires and billionaires pay into Social Security, which would also yield enough money to permanently expand benefits.
    Social Security shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It was first created by a nearly unanimous vote by members of Congress from both parties. Even now, as gutting the agency has become a key part of the administration’s agenda, Republicans know that DOGE’s “efficiency” mission isn’t working. They’re seeing reports of long lines at offices, long waits on the phone, and website crashes from their own constituents in places like Arizona, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. So where are they? Why are Democrats the only ones concerned about what happens with Social Security?
    Social Security isn’t something we give away out of the goodness of our hearts. It’s something Americans earned over a lifetime of hard work — an ironclad contract that they can count on. Now, Donald Trump, Musk, and DOGE are trying to skip out on that contract and calling it “efficient.” But it isn’t efficiency — it’s a broken promise to the American people, and Democrats and Republicans alike should stand up and fight back.
    Read the op-ed on Fox News here. 

    By:  Senator Elizabeth Warren
    Source: Fox News

    Previous Article

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Money Service Business Faces Federal Charges for Laundering Drug Proceeds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Ore.—The owner and operator of La Popular, a money service business with locations in Oregon and Washington, was arraigned in federal court today after she was charged with laundering drug proceeds.

    Brenda Lili Barrera Orantes, 39, a Guatemalan national residing in Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with money laundering.

    According to court documents, between 2021 and 2024, Barrera Orantes is alleged to have accepted cash from drug proceeds and wired the funds through La Popular stores in Oregon and Washington. In return, Barrera Orantes charged a ten percent commission. Barrera Orantes is further alleged to have worked with others to divide large sums of money into several smaller transactions and used fictitious sender information to conceal her money laundering activities. Financial records indicate that Barrera Orantes transferred more than $89 million through her La Popular stores, including $18.5 million to regions in Mexico and Honduras that are associated with drug trafficking organizations.

    “This investigation has revealed the pivotal role that money service businesses play in laundering the enormous proceeds of trafficking illegal drugs in our community,” said Katie de Villiers, Chief of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division for the District of Oregon. “The amount of dirty money allegedly flowing through these small businesses and back to Mexico and Honduras is truly staggering. We intend to hold accountable the operators of these businesses who profit by assisting drug trafficking organizations in laundering their proceeds.”

    “Because crime is such a coordinated effort, it is critical that we respond in kind,” said Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI specializes in fighting illicit financial activity, and we are proud to partner closely with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”

    “Money laundering allows drug traffickers to thrive in the shadows, and by severing their cash flow we are striking at the very thing that incentivizes their illicit pursuits,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy. “By stopping those that try to conceal criminal profits, communities are protected from the violence, addiction, and instability caused by the drug trade.”

    “The defendant in this case is suspected of providing financial support to overseas drug organizations under the guise of business transactions,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson. “These are serious allegations that cause significant harm to our communities. We will never tolerate individuals who profit from activities that support a drug epidemic that harms our citizens.”

    On April 16, 2025, investigators executed federal search warrants at Barrera Orantes’ residence and three La Popular stores located in Beaverton, Hillsboro, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. Barrera Orantes was arrested in Beaverton without incident.

    Barrera Orantes made her first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. She was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

    If convicted, Barrera Orantes faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, five years’ supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the money laundered.

    This case is being investigated by the IRS-CI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI, and the Westside Interagency Narcotics team. It is being prosecuted by Christopher L. Cardani and Julia Jarrett, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    The Westside Interagency Narcotics team is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and is composed of members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, FBI, HSI, and the Oregon National Guard. The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

    A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    This case is 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 Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

    Since 2018, IRS-CI has maintained a Third Party Money Laundering (3PML) Project. This project focuses on Complicit Money Service Businesses (MSB) working for Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations. The purpose of this project is to develop high-impact 3PML cases for IRS-CI and other agencies across the United States, by utilizing data analytics.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Celebrates Wenatchee Confluence Parkway Groundbreaking, Made Possible by Her Freight-Focused Grant Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    04.17.25
    Cantwell Celebrates Wenatchee Confluence Parkway Groundbreaking, Made Possible by Her Freight-Focused Grant Program
    Project is part of the Apple Capital Loop, which received $92M from Cantwell-led program & will help Central WA’s tree fruit growers get their products to market faster; Cantwell: “I can tell you one thing: Wenatchee is on the move”
    WENATCHEE – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined local leaders in a groundbreaking celebration for the Confluence Parkway Phase I project, the next step of the Wenatchee Valley’s 15-year effort to expand its transportation network.
    “When you’re making infrastructure investment, you should try to prioritize projects that move freight – and that is because they grow jobs, they grow the economy, they help us get products to market,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I just want to give my congratulations today to everybody that’s been working hard on this. I know that the Confluence project obviously is going to solve some of those transportation challenges by reducing that congestion – 4,000 trucks travel through the area each day, as well as 24 trains […] all of this is going to make Wenatchee a little bit better, from this transportation infrastructure investment.”
    “What a great day for the Confluence Project. What a great day for Wenatchee,” she continued. “I can tell you one thing: Wenatchee is on the move.”
    Phase I of the Confluence Parkway Project will include:
    Elimination of two highway rail grade crossings by constructing an underpass at McKittrick Street and an overpass North Miller Street
    1.25 miles of new street for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists
    Extension of McKittrick Street from North Wenatchee Ave to the waterfront
    New signalized intersection at Maple Street
    New roundabout intersection
    Direct access to parks and trails
    The Confluence Parkway project is part of the Wenatchee’s transformative Apple Capital Loop, a network of projects that make up the transportation backbone for Chelan and Douglas Counties and includes several key components that provide connectivity for freight, vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Planning for the Apple Capital Loop began 15 years ago when the City of Wenatchee and regional partners started working on a transportation solution to meet the demands of the local Wenatchee Valley, which is the economic, government, medical, and services center of the region. Overall, Apple Capital Loop project will increase the traffic capacity of the Loop by about 60,000 vehicles per day, saving freight and motorists 32 million hours over the next 20 years – that’s 4,000 fewer hours spent in traffic, every day, for the next two decades. The project will also significantly improve wildfire safety for the region by adding two new evacuation routes out of Wenatchee.
    In 2021, the project received a $92 million federal grant from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program, $80 million of which is being used by this Phase I of the Confluence Parkway project. The reminder will be used to support future phases. The INFRA grant program was imagined, developed, and pushed through Congress by Sen. Cantwell as part of the FAST Act of 2015 and received a 78% funding increase in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, bringing the program’s total funding $8 billion. The INFRA Program provides financial support to nationally and regionally significant freight and highway projects. In 2022, Sen. Cantwell joined then-Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in Wenatchee to celebrate the $92 million INFRA grant award.
    The Wenatchee Valley is a key transportation hub for Washington state’s $2.6 billion tree fruit industry. According to the City, $1 billion worth of tree fruit travels through Wenatchee’s transportation network annually in order to reach terminals around the Puget Sound for distribution. This activity has resulted in increased congestion and delayed freight access to nearby cold storage facilities and fruit packing warehouses on North Wenatchee Avenue.
    Video of the press conference is available HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s speech is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Woman missing in Dunedin

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police making inquiries to locate a woman missing in Dunedin are seeking help from the public.

    Heather was last seen at her home in Maori Hill on Thursday around 2:30pm. and there are concerns for her welfare.

    Police believe the 75-year-old may have been in the Ross Creek area yesterday afternoon, and are in particular seeking information from anyone who in and around this area at the time.

    It is unclear what she may have been wearing, but possibly a green knitted cardigan and beige sandshoes.

    Police are appealing to anyone who may have information that could help to call 111 and quote event number P062274708.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Interim chief medical officer of health appointed

    Alberta’s government welcomes Dr. Sunil Sookram as interim Chief Medical Officer of Health, effective immediately. This temporary appointment ensures continuity while arrangements are finalized for a longer-term appointment. Additional updates will be shared in the coming weeks as the process progresses.

    “Dr. Sookram has served Albertans through emergency medicine throughout his career. He brings a wealth of experience to this interim role. I appreciate his willingness to serve in this capacity on a temporary basis as we work to finalize the candidate for the interim Chief Medical Officer of Health position. I also wish to thank Dr. Mark Joffe for his service and dedication over the past three years.”

    Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

    Dr. Sookram currently serves as facility medical director and chief of medical staff at Strathcona Community Hospital. He is also a clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Alberta and practises as an emergency physician at the University of Alberta Hospital. He brings years of front-line experience and leadership to the interim role. He also has recent experience working within Alberta Health. Through this period of transition Dr. Sookram will also be supported by Zone Medical Officers of Health at Alberta Health Services.

    “I’m happy to serve as Alberta’s interim chief medical officer of health. I look forward to working with the government, my colleagues and health partners to promote and protect the health of all Albertans.”

    Dr. Sunil Sookram, interim chief medical officer of health

    The Chief Medical Officer of Health plays a key role in monitoring and supporting public health, advising on disease control, and helping guide population health efforts across the province. The position acts as a liaison between the government and Alberta Health Services, medical officers of health and executive officers in administering the act.

    Current measles information

    As of April 17, there have been 89 confirmed measles cases in Alberta. Of those, 83 individuals are now past the period of communicability.

    Measles is an extremely contagious disease that spreads easily through the air. While outbreaks can happen, they are preventable. The measles vaccine is highly effective and offers strong protection against infection and complications from the disease. Albertans can protect themselves, their loved ones and people around them by ensuring their measles immunizations are up to date.

    In Alberta, the MMR primary series is administered at 12 months and 18 months of age. In January 2021, Alberta changed its immunization schedule for the second dose of measles-containing vaccine from four to six years to 18 months, primarily to support children entering daycare, pre-school programs and kindergarten.

    As of April 17, all infants six to 12 months travelling outside of Canada are eligible for a null dose. In addition, infants six to 12 months travelling to or through areas where measles is spreading in Canada are also eligible. This includes:

    1. Alberta: Central Zone, South Zone, and Areas 1 and 8 in North Zone
    2. Ontario: Southwestern region

    If you have any questions about measles or immunizations, please contact your primary care provider such as your doctor, pharmacist, midwife, nurse practitioner or public health nurse.

    If you don’t know you or your child’s immunization history, text “vaccine record” to 88111, call Health Link at 811, or call your local public health or community health centre.

    Related information

    • Measles
    • Measles exposures in Alberta

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China, Cambodia agree to build all-weather community with shared future in new era

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

    China, Cambodia agree to build all-weather community with shared future in new era

    Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    PHNOM PENH, April 17 — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday agreed to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, and designated 2025 the China-Cambodia Year of Tourism.

    Xi said the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia enjoys a profound history, a solid political foundation and a strong internal driving force, adding that no matter how the international situation changes, the two countries have always been at the forefront of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

    Xi noted that at present, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, saying that deepening the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples.

    China will, as always, support Cambodia in following a development path that suits its national conditions, support the Cambodian government’s successful governance of the country, and back Cambodia in playing a more important role in international and regional affairs, he added.

    Xi called on both sides to take the building of an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era as a new starting point, build on the momentum, continue to implement a new action plan on building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future, strengthen unity and cooperation, and speed up the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

    He also urged the two sides to deepen political mutual trust at a higher level, expand mutually beneficial cooperation of higher quality, consolidate security guarantees of a higher level, carry out people-to-people and cultural exchanges at a higher frequency, and strengthen strategic coordination of higher standards, so as to bring greater benefits to the two peoples.

    The Chinese president called for maximizing the role of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee, ensuring the strategic dialogues between the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries a success, strengthening exchanges through such channels as political parties and legislative bodies, jointly addressing risks and challenges, and safeguarding the common interests of both sides.

    The Chinese side, Xi said, is ready to share opportunities and seek common development with Cambodia.

    He called on both sides to vigorously promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and continuously enrich the “Diamond Hexagon” cooperation framework, so as to inject new impetus into their respective modernization efforts.

    China, Xi said, encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia, adding that it will open its mega-market to Cambodia and import more high-quality agricultural products from the country.

    The people of the two countries should enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings for each other, and promote exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Cambodian civilizations, he added.

    China will continue to offer government scholarships to Cambodia, support the establishment of a dialogue and exchange mechanism for youths between the two countries, and encourage more exchanges at the local level, as well as between media outlets and think tanks, so as to bring the people of the two countries closer and closer, he said.

    He called on the two countries to take stronger and more effective measures to resolutely crack down on online gambling and telecom fraud, and to maintain social stability and the normal order of exchanges among regional countries.

    Xi said China and Cambodia, important forces in the Global South, should stick to the common values of peace, unity and cooperation.

    He called on both sides to oppose unilateral bullying, practice true multilateralism, firmly oppose bloc confrontation, strengthen coordination and cooperation within the frameworks of ASEAN and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and jointly safeguard hard-won regional peace and development, so as to contribute to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

    For his part, Hun Manet said Cambodia and China have long respected each other and treated each other as equals, hailing China as Cambodia’s most reliable and trustworthy friend.

    He said Xi’s visit is of great significance, which will deepen political mutual trust between the two countries and effectively promote the building of an all-weather Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era.

    Hailing China’s achievements in economic and social development, Hun Manet said he firmly believes that under Xi’s strong leadership, China will achieve the Second Centenary Goal as scheduled. He thanked China for its strong support for Cambodia’s economic development and for safeguarding its independence.

    The prime minister said Cambodia firmly adheres to the one-China policy and supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, noting that Cambodia is firmly committed to its friendship with China and is willing to maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic and security cooperation, and deepen the ironclad friendship.

    Noting that China is Cambodia’s largest trading partner and the top source of investment, Hun Manet said Cambodia is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, investment, industrial and supply chains, agriculture and infrastructure, jointly combat online gambling and telecom fraud, strengthen people-to-people exchanges in such fields as education and culture, and ensure the Cambodia-China Year of Tourism a success.

    He said Cambodia highly appreciates China’s active role in international and regional affairs, and supports Xi’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, as well as the three major global initiatives and the Belt and Road cooperation proposed by Xi.

    Amid global turbulence caused by unilateralism and shocks to the multilateral trading system, China has played a leading role and provided valuable stability to the world, Hun Manet said, adding that Cambodia is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to safeguard their common interests.

    After the meeting, leaders of the two countries witnessed the exchange of more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents covering fields including production and supply chain cooperation, artificial intelligence, development assistance, customs inspection and quarantine, as well as health and news.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet jointly witness the exchange of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. Xi held talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran National Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Ore.— Juan Jose Varela-Espinoza, 31, a Honduran national residing in Portland, was sentenced Wednesday to 120 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release for possessing nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, and a stolen firearm.

    According to court documents, in July 2023, the Multnomah County Dangerous Drug Team (DDT) learned that Varela-Espinoza was distributing thousands of fentanyl pills in Portland.

    On July 25, 2023, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) requested assistance from Multnomah County DDT with locating and arresting Varela-Espinoza on an outstanding felony warrant for distributing dangerous drugs in Colorado. The same day, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on Varela-Espinoza’s residence and vehicles. Investigators arrested Varela-Espinoza and seized nearly 16 pounds of powdered fentanyl, 57,700 fentanyl pills, $5,042 in cash, a stolen firearm, ammunition, and two pill press machines.

    On August 8, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Varela-Espinoza with conspiracy to possess and possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    On December 10, 2024, Varela-Espinoza pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

    This case was investigated by the Multnomah County DDT and was prosecuted by Kemp L. Strickland, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    The Multnomah County DDT is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Multnomah County Parole and Probation, Gresham Police Department, the FBI and USMS.

    The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Purpose Investments Inc. Announces April 2025 Distributions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”) is pleased to announce distributions for the month of April 2025 for its open-end exchange-traded funds and closed-end funds (“the Funds”).

    The ex-distribution date for all Open-End Funds is April 28, 2025. The ex-distribution date for all closed-end funds is April 30, 2025. 

    Open-End Funds Ticker Symbol Distribution per share/unit Record Date Payable Date Distribution Frequency
    Apple (AAPL) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units APLY $0.1667 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Canadian Financial Income Fund – ETF Series BNC $0.1225¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Bond Fund – ETF Units BND $0.0840 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units BRKY $0.1000 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF – ETF Units BTCY $0.0850 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF – ETF Non-Currency Hedged Units BTCY.B $0.0970 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF – ETF USD Units BTCY.U US $0.0815 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Credit Opportunities Fund – ETF Units CROP $0.0875 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Credit Opportunities Fund – ETF USD Units CROP.U US $0.0975 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Ether Yield – ETF Units ETHY $0.0405 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Ether Yield ETF – ETF Non-Currency Hedged Units ETHY.B $0.0500 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Ether Yield ETF – ETF Units Non-Currency Hedged USD Units ETHY.U US $0.0395 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund – ETF Units FLX $0.0461 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund – Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Units FLX.B $0.0551 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund – Non-Currency Hedged USD – ETF Units FLX.U US $0.0385 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Global Bond Class – ETF Units IGB $0.0860¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Microsoft (MSFT) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF units MSFY $0.1100 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Enhanced Premium Yield Fund – ETF Series PAYF $0.1375¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Total Return Bond Fund – ETF Series PBD $0.0590¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Core Dividend Fund – ETF Series PDF $0.1050¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Enhanced Dividend Fund – ETF Series PDIV $0.0950¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Real Estate Income Fund – ETF Series PHR $0.0720¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose International Dividend Fund – ETF Series PID $0.0780 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Monthly Income Fund – ETF Series PIN $0.0830¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Multi-Asset Income Fund – ETF Units PINC $0.0840 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Conservative Income Fund – ETF Series PRP $0.0600¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Premium Yield Fund – ETF Series PYF $0.1100¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Premium Yield Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Series PYF.B $0.1230¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Premium Yield Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF USD Series PYF.U US $0.1200¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Core Equity Income Fund – ETF Series RDE $0.0875¹ 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Emerging Markets Dividend Fund – ETF Units REM $0.0950 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Canadian Preferred Share Fund – ETF Units RPS $0.0950 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose US Preferred Share Fund – ETF Series RPU $0.0940 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose US Preferred Share Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Units2 RPU.B / RPU.U $0.0940 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Strategic Yield Fund – ETF Units SYLD $0.0970 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    AMD (AMD) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YAMD $0.2000 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Amazon (AMZN) Yield Shares Purpose ETF- ETF Units YAMZ $0.4000 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Broadcom (AVGO) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YAVG $0.1500 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Coinbase (COIN) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YCON $0.3000 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Costco (COST) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YCST $0.1000 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Alphabet (GOOGL) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units YGOG $0.2500 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Tech Innovators Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YMAG $0.2000 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    META (META) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YMET $0.1600 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Netflix (NFLX) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YNET $0.1100 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    NVIDIA (NVDA) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units YNVD $0.7500 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Palantir (PLTR) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YPLT $0.2500 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Tesla (TSLA) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Units YTSL $0.5500 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    UnitedHealth Group (UHN) Yield Shares Purpose ETF – ETF Series YUNH $0.1100 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
               
    Closed-End Funds Ticker Symbol Distribution
    per share/unit    		 Record Date Payable Date Distribution Frequency
    Big Banc Split Corp, Class A BNK $0.1200¹ 04/30/2025 05/14/2025 Monthly
    Big Banc Split Corp – Preferred Shares BNK.PR.A $0.0700¹ 04/30/2025 05/14/2025 Monthly


    Estimated April 2025 Distributions for Purpose USD Cash Management Fund, Purpose Cash Management Fund, Purpose High Interest Savings Fund, and Purpose US Cash Fund

    The April 2025 distribution rates for Purpose USD Cash Management Fund, Purpose Cash Management Fund, Purpose High Interest Savings Fund, and Purpose US Cash Fund are estimated to be as follows:

    Fund Name Ticker Symbol Estimated Distribution per unit Record Date Payable Date Distribution Frequency
    Purpose USD Cash Management Fund – ETF Units MNU.U US $ 0.3785 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose Cash Management Fund – ETF Units MNY $0.2705 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose High Interest Savings Fund – ETF Units PSA $0.1146 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly
    Purpose US Cash Fund – ETF Units PSU.U US $ 0.3720 04/28/2025 05/02/2025 Monthly

    Purpose expects to issue a press release on or about April 25, 2025 , which will provide the final distribution rate for Purpose USD Cash Management Fund, Purpose Cash Management Fund, Purpose High Interest Savings Fund, and Purpose US Cash Fund. The ex-distribution date will be April 28, 2025.

    (1) Dividend is designated as an “eligible” Canadian dividend for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any similar provincial and territorial legislation.
    (2) Purpose US Preferred Share Fund Non-Currency Hedged – ETF Units have both a CAD and USD purchase option. Distribution per unit is declared in CAD, however, the USD purchase option (RPU.U) distribution will be made in the USD equivalent. Conversion into USD will use the end-of-day foreign exchange rate prevailing on the ex-distribution date.

    About Purpose Investments Inc.

    Purpose Investments is an asset management company with more than $21 billion in assets under management. Purpose Investments has an unrelenting focus on client-centric innovation and offers a range of managed and quantitative investment products. Purpose Investments is led by well-known entrepreneur Som Seif and is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent technology-driven financial services company.

    For further information please contact:
    Keera Hart
    Keera.Hart@kaiserpartners.com
    905-580-1257

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus and other disclosure documents before investing. Investment funds are not covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government deposit insurer. There can be no assurance that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. If the securities are purchased or sold on a stock exchange, you may pay more or receive less than the current net asset value. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

    The MIL Network –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tucson Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Firearms Trafficking Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TUCSON, Ariz. – Julian Canastillo, 23, of Tucson, was sentenced on April 15, 2025, by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to six years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Canastillo previously pleaded guilty to six counts of Smuggling Goods from the United States and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

    Canastillo was the lead defendant in a 51-count indictment filed on September 15, 2022, charging 10 individuals involved in a firearms trafficking organization based in Tucson. An investigation leading to the indictment revealed a series of transactions linked to the organization for firearms that were later seized in the Republic of Mexico. In total, the Tucson-based organization is connected to more than 200 firearms transactions, and Canastillo alone admitted to smuggling 36 firearms into Mexico.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela W. Woolridge, Craig H. Russell, and Matthew C. Cassell, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:            CR-22-01857-001-TUC-JCH
    RELEASE NUMBER:           2025-058_Canastillo

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in Oregon and Maine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MEDFORD, Ore.—A Romanian national residing in Garden Grove, California, was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $176,000 by installing Automated Teller Machine (ATM) skimming devices throughout Oregon and Maine.

    Florin George Ionita, 45, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $176,922 in restitution to his victims.

    According to court documents, between June and August 2023, Ionita installed skimming devices on ATMs and used the devices to steal account information and Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) from customers who conducted transactions at the ATMs. Ionita used the stolen information to produce counterfeit debit cards and withdraw cash from victims’ accounts. Over the course of his scheme, Ionita accessed hundreds of bank accounts and stole more than $176,000 from victims in Oregon and Maine.  

    On August 22, 2023, the Medford Police Department (MPD) received a report of a masked individual installing a skimming device. Investigators received photos of the man and distributed a law enforcement bulletin to identify the unknown individual. The following day, investigators from Kennebunk Police Department in Kennebunk, Maine, identified Ionita and informed MPD investigators of their investigation of Ionita installing skimming devices in Maine. Investigators learned that due to his immigration status, Ionita was required to wear a Global Positioning System (GPS) monitor which confirmed his location at several banks where the ATM skimming devices were installed.

    On November 2, 2023, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a nine-count indictment charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

    On March 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in the District of Maine returned a fifteen-count indictment charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

    On December 6, 2024, Ionita pleaded guilty to one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for his crimes in Oregon, and one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for his crimes in Maine.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force, the Medford Police Department Criminal Investigative Division, the Kennebunk Police Department, and the Freeport Police Department. It is being prosecuted by John C. Brassell, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese premier urges efforts to improve social expectations

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

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang presides over a study session held by the State Council on April 17, 2025. Li Qiang has stressed the importance of improving social expectations and coordinating efforts to address risks and challenges while advancing high-quality development. [Photo/Xinhua]

    BEIJING, April 17 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang has stressed the importance of improving social expectations and coordinating efforts to address risks and challenges while advancing high-quality development.

    Li made the remarks at a study session held by the State Council on Thursday. Also in attendance were He Lifeng and Zhang Guoqing, both of whom are vice premiers, and State Councilor Wu Zhenglong.

    Li emphasized the need to regulate the supply-demand balance, and to pay close attention to expectation management and guidance in macroeconomic governance.

    Policies should be targeted and tailored to address specific issues, he said, adding that the timing of policy introductions should be carefully considered to exert positive influence on market expectations.

    Li stressed the importance of strengthening communication with the market to ensure policies truly benefit the people and businesses.

    He also called for efforts to accelerate the implementation of major strategies and reforms, guide the development of clear and stable market expectations, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of all business entities in an improved manner.

    MIL OSI China News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi says unilateralism, hegemonism receive no support of the people

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

    Building China-Cambodia community with shared future a choice of history, the people: Xi

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian People’s Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    PHNOM PENH, April 17 — Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Thursday that building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future is a choice of history and the people.

    Xi made the remarks when meeting with Cambodian People’s Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

    China and Cambodia are not only friendly neighbors but also ironclad friends, he said, noting that both countries are currently at a critical stage of national development.

    Xi said that the two sides should keep in mind the well-being of their people and the progress of humanity, strive to set an example for building a community with a shared future for mankind in the course of advancing their respective modernization endeavors, and join hands to become forces for peace, stability and progress in a world undergoing profound transformations unseen in a century.

    China believes that Cambodia’s road to national development and revitalization will become wider and wider, and will, as always, support the Cambodian People’s Party in leading the Cambodian people to maintain national stability and economic development, Xi said, adding that China supports Cambodia in playing a more important role in the regional and international arena.

    The Chinese president said that the two sides should make good use of the newly established “2+2” strategic dialogue mechanism between foreign ministers and defense ministers of the two countries to strengthen strategic coordination.

    The two sides should deepen practical cooperation across various fields, advance the construction of Cambodia’s Industrial and Technological Corridor and Fish and Rice Corridor, and strengthen collaboration in energy, transportation and other key sectors, enabling Cambodia to share more in China’s development opportunities, Xi said.

    Xi emphasized that China is willing to engage in exchanges and mutual learning with Cambodia on major issues such as strengthening party building and advancing reform and development, and to deepen friendly cooperation between China’s National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference with National Assembly and Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

    Unilateralism and hegemonism receive no support of the people, Xi said.

    History has shown the unstoppable trend toward a multipolar world, economic globalization, and cultural diversity, Xi said, adding that no country wants to return to isolation.

    The trade wars undermine the multilateral trading system and disrupt global economic order, Xi said, urging all countries to unite and firmly keep the reins of national security and development in their own hands, uphold mutual respect, pursue win-win cooperation and common development, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

    As Asia embarks on a new journey of collective revitalization, Xi noted, China will continue to follow the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and the policy of developing friendship and partnership with neighboring countries, maintain the continuity and stability of its neighborhood diplomacy, deepen friendly cooperation with neighboring countries, so as to share the fruits of Chinese modernization more widely across the region, promote the building of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries, and work together to advance Asia’s modernization.

    For his part, Hun Sen said this visit is of great significance to Cambodia.

    Noting that China is Cambodia’s most steadfast supporter and most reliable partner, Hun Sen said China’s support has made significant contributions to Cambodia’s economic and social development and improvement of people’s lives, for which the Cambodian side expresses its deep gratitude.

    Cambodia firmly adheres to the one-China policy, supports China’s positions on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Xizang, and opposes any forces’ interference in China’s internal affairs, he said.

    China and Cambodia are ironclad friends, and the two countries’ decision to build a China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era will make further progress, promoting high-level, high-quality and high-standard development of bilateral relations, Hun Sen said.

    The two countries will always move forward hand in hand, stand together through thick and thin and share a common destiny, he added.

    Hun Sen said that Cambodia is willing to strengthen strategic security cooperation with China and expand bilateral trade.

    Cambodia welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in the country, and will join hands with China to promote the deepening of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and intensify the crackdown on online gambling and telecom fraud, he added.

    The Cambodian side highly appreciates China’s constructive role in promoting world peace and sustainable development, and supports the Belt and Road cooperation and the three major global initiatives proposed by China, which are conducive to safeguarding the common interests of the international community and promoting world peace, security and stability, Hun Sen said.

    Trade wars and tariff wars have undermined the legitimate interests of all countries and triggered turmoil in the international situation, Hun Sen said, adding that Cambodia is willing to strengthen cooperation with China and jointly address various risks and challenges.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian People’s Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi says China, Cambodia set a model for equality, mutual trust, win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes

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

    Xi says China, Cambodia set model for equality, mutual trust, win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    PHNOM PENH, April 17 — Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that China and Cambodia set a model for equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes.

    Xi made the remarks when meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni during his state visit to Cambodia.

    Noting that Cambodia has recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of King Sihamoni’s enthronement and the Khmer New Year, Xi said he is delighted to visit the beautiful country of Cambodia at the invitation of the king, extending his heartfelt New Year greetings to the Cambodian people.

    Xi said that Cambodia’s nation-building is thriving, and he firmly believes that, under the blessings of King Sihamoni, the hardworking and intelligent Cambodian people will surely build an even more prosperous and stronger nation.

    Xi pointed out that China and Cambodia share a millennia-old friendship, with their people having always striven together and thrived together. Regardless of changes in the international landscape, China and Cambodia have stood by each other in good faith and with mutual assistance, offering unwavering support on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns.

    China and Cambodia have always been at the forefront of building a community with a shared future for mankind, bringing tangible benefits to the Cambodian people, said Xi.

    He said that China values its friendship with the Cambodian royal family, and spoke highly of the important contributions made by the Cambodian royal family to the cause of China-Cambodia friendship over the years.

    Under the new circumstances, China and Cambodia should cherish and carry forward the ironclad friendship jointly forged by the elder generation of Chinese leaders and King Father Norodom Sihanouk, endow the China-Cambodia community with a shared future with new connotations of the time, serve the development of their respective countries and the well-being of their people, and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi.

    He noted that China firmly supports Cambodia in maintaining stability, accelerating development, improving people’s livelihoods and following a development path that suits its national conditions.

    Xi said that he believes Chinese modernization will bring more opportunities to Cambodia and other neighboring countries and expressed confidence in writing a splendid chapter of building an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

    For his part, King Sihamoni said the friendship between Cambodia and China was created and cultivated by the elder generation of leaders of the two countries, adding that with the joint efforts of both sides, cooperation in various fields has become increasingly close and the building of a community with a shared future has been continuously deepened.

    The Cambodian side, he said, firmly adheres to the one-China principle, highly appreciates the three major global initiatives proposed by Xi, and appreciates the huge development opportunities brought to Cambodia via the Belt and Road cooperation.

    He hailed Xi’s visit a historic one, which will deepen the ironclad friendship between the two countries, enrich the cooperation framework of the “Diamond Hexagon,” and take bilateral ties to a new level.

    The king also said his country is ready to enhance coordination and cooperation with China in such multilateral mechanisms as ASEAN-China Cooperation and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and jointly promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.

    The king also presented the National Order of Independence – Grand Collar to Xi.

    He said Xi holds special friendly feelings towards Cambodia and has made outstanding contributions to promoting the development of Cambodia-China relations, adding that Xi is a great friend of Cambodia.

    It is believed that under the leadership of President Xi, China will achieve greater development accomplishments and play a more important role in international and regional affairs, he added.

    Xi said that this medal fully demonstrates Cambodia’s high regard for developing China-Cambodia relations and carries the deep friendship of the Cambodian people towards the Chinese people.

    This honor, he said, belongs not only to him personally, but also to all the friendly people who have cultivated and contributed to the friendship between China and Cambodia.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni walk at the Royal Palace after their meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. Xi met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni presents the National Order of Independence – Grand Collar to Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. Xi met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Homes fit for heroes: Raft of news measures to improve military family housing

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Homes fit for heroes: Raft of news measures to improve military family housing

    Living conditions for families in military housing will be transformed under a new Consumer Charter, as Defence Secretary John Healey promised to “stop the rot” in military housing.

    Defence Secretary John Healey visits military housing

    • New Consumer Charter for families in military homes, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.
    • Measures will include higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs, renovation of the worst homes, and a named housing officer for every family – all in place before the one-year anniversary of 36,000 military homes being brought back into public ownership.
    • Pledge comes alongside the announcement of an independent, expert team appointed to help deliver a rapid Defence Housing Strategy – with work already underway.

    The Charter will be part of a new Defence Housing Strategy, to be published later this year, which will set out further plans to improve the standard of service family homes across the country.

    Under the Charter, basic consumer rights, from essential property information and predictable property standards, to access to a robust complaints system, will be rapidly introduced. These will be underpinned by new, published satisfaction figures, putting forces families front and centre.

    The wider Defence Housing Strategy – overseen by the Defence Secretary and the Minister for Veterans and People, Al Carns – will also turbocharge the development of surplus military land, creating opportunities for Armed Forces homeownership. It will further support the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

    It follows the Government’s landmark deal, completed in January, to bring back 36,000 military homes into public ownership, reversing a 1996 sale described by the Public Accounts Committee as “disastrous”, and saving the taxpayer £600,000 per day by eliminating rental payments to a private company.

    The announcement follows the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to deliver “homes for heroes” and means that under this government, support will be there for veterans at risk of homelessness. This included removing local connection tests for veterans seeking social housing, meaning as of November, veterans will have access to the housing support they need.

    Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:

    Our Armed Forces serve with extraordinary dedication and courage to keep us safe. It is only right that they and their families live in the homes they deserve.

    For too long, military families have endured substandard housing without the basic consumer rights that any of us should expect in our homes. That must end and our new Consumer Charter will begin to stop the rot and put families at the heart of that transformation.

    We cannot turn around years of failure on forces housing overnight, but by bringing 36,000 military homes back into public ownership, we’ve already taken greater control and are working at pace to drive up standards. This is about providing homes fit for the heroes who serve our nation, and I’m determined to deliver the decent, affordable housing that our forces families have every right to expect.

    The new Consumer Charter will include the following commitments: 

    • A strengthened move-in standard so families can have confidence that the home they are moving into will be ready on time and will be clean and functional.

    • Improved, clearer information for families ahead of a move, including photographs and floor plans of all homes when a family applies for housing.

    • More reliable repairs, including an undertaking to complete urgent repairs within a set timeline consistent with Awaab’s Law, and a new online portal for service personnel to manage repairs.

    • Raising the minimum standard of forces family housing with a new programme of works targeted at the worst homes, with up to 1,000 refurbished as a downpayment on the broader programme of renewal to be set out in the Defence Housing Strategy.

    • Better and clearer communication for families, including a named housing officer for every service family who they can contact for specific housing related queries.

    • A new, simpler complaints process that will shorten the process to two stages in line with industry best practice, so that service personnel and families have a quicker resolution, backed up by the new Armed Forces Commissioner.

    • Modernising policies to allow more freedom for families to make improvements, giving them a greater sense of pride in their homes.

    These improvements will be in place by the one-year anniversary of the announcement to buy back military homes last December, with final detail to be set out in the Defence Housing Strategy following consultation with military personnel and their families.

    Many of the commitments in the Charter will be achieved by driving better performance – and better value for the taxpayer – from existing suppliers of maintenance and support for service family housing.

    The new standards will be underpinned by new published customer satisfaction measures and enhanced accountability so families can have confidence in the improvements being made. This will sit alongside an independently conducted stock survey, as recommended by the Kerslake review of military housing which was published last year.

    The Defence Housing Strategy will be driven by an independent review team whose members have been announced today, and which will be chaired by former Member of Parliament and housing expert Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE, drawing on expertise from industry and forces families.

    In the meantime, the Defence Secretary and the Minister for Veterans and People have instructed the MOD to immediately plan improvements for the new Consumer Charter, as part of a short-term action plan to enhance the family homes after years of neglect.

    Natalie Elphicke Ross, Chair of the Defence Housing Strategy Review said:

    Our pride in our armed forces must include pride in our military homes. Delivering better housing, boosting home ownership opportunities for service personnel and improving the experiences of service families will be at the heart of our work.

    David Brewer, Chief Operating Officer of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said:

    We are dedicated to making changes that will bring real improvements to the lives of families living in military homes and the plans set out in the new charter are an important step towards doing this.

    The advisory team, announced today, brings together an exceptional group of individuals, who through their expertise and experience will help ensure our housing strategy maximises benefits, not just to families living in military homes, but to communities and industry more widely.

    Antony Cotton MBE said:

    Our Armed Forces community are the backbone of our society, so improving the standard of service family housing is essential if we are to continue to retain and recruit the soldiers, sailors and aviators that protect us selflessly, every day. I welcome this consumer charter as a starting point to give our military families an improved service, and homes they deserve.

    Background

    The members appointed to the Defence Housing Strategy review team are: 

    • Chair, Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE, Director and Head of Housing at The Housing & Finance Institute. Previously Natalie chaired the New Homes Quality Board on standards and redress for customers of new build homes, co-chaired the Elphicke-House Report 2015 on the role of local authorities in housing supply and served as an expert adviser on the development of the national strategy for estate regeneration. A former law firm partner specialising in housing finance, Natalie’s experience includes advising central and local governments, lenders, developers and housing associations on financing, structuring and delivering homes across all tenures.

    • Bill Yardley, Chair of McCarthy Stone Shared Ownership Limited. Bill serves as Chair of a regulated residential development company and is a Non- Executive Director at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, in the Houses of Parliament and at the Surrey Property Group Limited. He has previously worked at board level in the public and private sectors in residential development, regulated housing, property investment, education and the NHS and has been a public member of Network Rail and chaired a charity. Bill has also served as a Crown Representative and on the Government Construction Board.

    • Cat Calder, Housing Specialist, Army Families Federation. Cat is a housing professional with over 13 years of experience advocating for improved living conditions for families in military accommodation. She has held key positions within the Army Families Federation and has direct experience of military housing, having previously lived in service family accommodation for a number of years.

    • Nigel Holland, former Divisional Chair, Taylor Wimpey and Non-Executive Director of The Riverside Group. Formerly a Divisional Chair of Taylor Wimpey, one of the UK’s largest residential developers. Nigel is also a Non-Executive Director of The Riverside Group, a major provider of affordable housing, care and support services in England and Scotland, with more than 75,000 homes in management. He has a wealth of experience in the homebuilding industry, leading large-scale developments in the UK and overseas. 

    • Alex Notay, Chair and Commissioner, Radix Big Tent Housing Commission. Alexandra is an internationally recognised expert on housing, placemaking and ESG. She has 20 years’ strategic advisory and investment experience across four continents and in August 2024 took over as Chair of the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission. Until July 2024 she was Placemaking and Investment Director at Thriving Investments, the fund and asset management arm of Places for People Group, overseeing a UK-wide residential strategy.

    • James Hall, Housing and Land, Greater London Authority. James has over a decade’s experience in housing and development, working with the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. He worked extensively on strategy, policy and communications in Westminster and Whitehall, and most recently worked at the Greater London Authority on housing policy and delivery.

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    Published 18 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union Applauds USTR’s Action to Revitalize American Shipbuilding, Protect U.S. Workers from Unfair Chinese Trade

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    The 600,000-member IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) applauds the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for enacting measures to protect American jobs, national security and the American shipbuilding industry with much-need relief measures.

    Along with other allies in labor, the IAM helped lead a Section 301 petition to USTR and has worked collaboratively with allies and two administrations.

    “The IAM Union is pleased to see meaningful remedies put forward to reinvigorate domestic shipbuilding,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant, who recently testified at the USTR’s hearing on Section 301 proposed remedies to China’s aggressive targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. “We will continue to work to ensure these policies are properly implemented so that we are successful in creating high-quality jobs for IAM members in the shipbuilding and ship repair industries.”

    The USTR shipbuilding remedies include targeted fees on Chinese-built vessels when they dock at U.S. ports, and include higher charges for Chinese-owned and operated ships.

    In January, IAM Union and its labor partners welcomed a comprehensive report from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) of its investigation on commercial shipbuilding and its findings that PRC engaged in a broad range of tactics designed to dominate and control the maritime, shipbuilding and logistics sectors.

    The report illustrates how the PRC decimated U.S. shipbuilding, maritime and logistics capabilities, contributing to the loss of thousands of jobs. These illegal trade practices, including subsidies, preferential sourcing policies and unfair labor practices, also significantly weakened the nation’s economic and military strength. 

    In March, IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan joined U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) for a press conference at the IAM-represented Mare Island Dry Dock. The coalition called for action against China’s unlawful trade and promoted Garamendi’s SHIPS for America Act to help rebuild America’s shipbuilding industry and empower American workers. 

    “Today marks a major achievement for policy to reinvigorate domestic shipbuilding, but the IAM will continue to fight to make sure these policies usher in real results,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “We will continue to fight for high-quality shipbuilding jobs across the country and to advance this industry forward for the sake of economic and national security.”

    The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.

    goIAM.org | @IAM_Union

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bahamian Alien Smuggler Sentenced to 20 Months in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – A federal district judge in Miami sentenced a Bahamian national to 20 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after previously pleading guilty to alien smuggling in January.

    On Nov. 8, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers interdicted an alien smuggling vessel approximately six miles off the coast of Miami, Florida. The CBP vessel intercepted Keith Kevin Russell, 46, while he was transporting 18 individuals on his boat from The Bahamas to the United States. Russell initially refused to stop, only stopping when CBP officers shot warning flares near the vessel. The CBP officers brought the individuals from Russell’s boat onboard the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Richard Etheridge and confirmed that all the individuals were aliens who did not have authorization to enter the United States. The aliens on the vessel were from China, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. The Coast Guard officers and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents also determined that Patrick Angelo Percentie, 45, was a Bahamian alien that had been previously removed from the United States after a conviction for an aggravated felony.

    USCG officers brought Russell and Percentie to shore to face charges. The rest of the aliens were returned to the Bahamas. Percentie also pled guilty and received a 16-month prison sentence.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of HSI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence.

    HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from CBP and USCG, 7th Coast Guard District. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl is prosecuting the case.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20514.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iranian National Indicted for Operating Online Marketplace Offering Fentanyl, Other Drugs, and Money Laundering Services

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CLEVELAND – A federal grand jury has charged Behrouz Parsarad, an Iranian national, for his role as the creator and operator of Nemesis Market, a dark web marketplace designed to enable users to buy and sell illegal drugs and other illicit goods and criminal cyber-services, such as obtaining stolen financial information, fraudulent identification documents, counterfeit currencies, and computer malware.

    According to the indictment, Parsarad, 36, of Tehran, Iran, launched Nemesis Market in or around March 2021. Nemesis Market operated on the dark web, a network that uses The Onion Router (TOR) to encrypt traffic and hide users’ Internet Protocol (IP) address. At its peak, Nemesis Market had over 150,000 users and more than 1,100 vendor accounts registered worldwide. Between 2021 and 2024, Nemesis Market processed more than 400,000 orders, including more than 60,000 orders in 2022 and more than 250,000 orders in 2023. Of these, more than 55,000 orders were categorized as stimulants, which included sub-categories for methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base (crack), and other controlled substances. More than 17,000 orders were categorized as opioids, which included sub-categories for fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone. All of the substances covertly purchased by the government and marketed on Nemesis as “isotonitazene,” “M30s” (purporting to be oxycodone), and “Percs” (purporting to be Percocet) were confirmed by laboratory reports to be mixtures and substances containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance and/or acetylfentanyl, heroin, and/or protonitazene, each a Schedule I controlled substance.

    “The allegations in this indictment span over four hundred thousand transactions involving fentanyl, other dangerous drugs, and a wide range of contraband made accessible on the darknet for more than three years,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Through cooperation with German and Lithuanian partners, the alleged administrator of this marketplace has been charged, servers and other infrastructure have been seized, and dangerous drugs and other contraband have been stopped from entering the United States. This case demonstrates the Department’s tireless commitment to protecting U.S. communities from the harms caused by fentanyl and darknet marketplaces and pursuing accountability for those who would endanger our communities no matter where they are located.”

    “Anyone who tries to profit from the sale of illegal drugs – whether it’s on the streets or online – will face consequences. Whether you sell or help others sell these dangerous drugs, you will be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik for the Northern District of Ohio. “I want to acknowledge the excellent investigative work of our federal agency partners here in Ohio who helped us to bring the charges in this case. Together, we remain committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe and our streets free from illegal narcotics.”

    “This indictment, made possible by the assistance of our German and Lithuanian allies, underscores the importance of global partnerships and international collaboration,” said FBI Cleveland Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Johnston. “Nemesis Market, through the darknet, was a borderless powerhouse of criminal activity that not only fueled the drug epidemic, but also a multitude of illegal acts with the capacity to harm our citizens and destroy our communities. The FBI stands firm in its commitment to identify and investigate unlawful individuals and dismantle their networks operating with criminal intent.”

    Parsarad is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances in the Northern District of Ohio and elsewhere. In addition, Parsarad is also charged with money laundering conspiracy for both using proceeds to promote illegal drug dealing and for offering money laundering services through Nemesis Market by mixing cryptocurrencies used to pay for goods and services to obscure their origins. Nemesis users were not allowed to conduct transactions in official, government-backed currencies.

    On March 20, 2024, U.S. law enforcement, in cooperation with German and Lithuanian authorities, seized Nemesis Market and stemmed the flow of these drugs into the United States and elsewhere. In March 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Parsarad for his role as the administrator of Nemesis Market. According to OFAC, Nemesis Market facilitated the sale of nearly $30 million worth of drugs between 2021 and 2024.

    If convicted, Parsarad faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum penalty of life.

    The FBI Cleveland Division is investigating the case with assistance from the DEA and IRS-CI. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust provided significant assistance.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Segev Phillips for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Northern District of Illinois and District of Massachusetts.

    This case was investigated as part of an FBI-led interagency Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) operation. J-CODE brings together experts from the DEA, the Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the Department of Defense and the Customs and Border Protection, along with the FBI. The Justice Department appreciates the cooperation and significant assistance provided by law enforcement partners in the British Virgin Islands, Germany, Lithuania, and Türkiye.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Purpose Investments Clarifies that It Has Debuted One of the World’s First Solana ETFs with Staking Rewards Accruing Directly to the Fund – Continuing Its Leadership in Global Crypto Innovation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”), the firm behind the world’s first spot Bitcoin ETF and spot Ether ETF, is expanding its digital asset suite with the launch of the Purpose Solana ETF (ticker: SOLL). SOLL is one of the first ETFs worldwide to provide direct physical exposure to Solana while delivering staking rewards accruing directly to the fund. With native staking powered by Purpose’s proprietary in-house staking infrastructure, SOLL is designed to deliver the highest staking rewards currently available through spot Solana ETFs in Canada.

    Now trading on the TSX, the Purpose Solana ETF reinforces Purpose’s position as a global leader in digital asset ETF innovation and Canada’s largest digital asset ETF manager. Backed by deep expertise and a proven track record, Purpose continues to make digital assets safer and easier for investors to access.

    Canada’s Crypto Leader Setting the Standard for Global Innovation

    “Solana is pushing the boundaries of blockchain innovation from speed and scalability to real-world decentralized applications,” said Vlad Tasevski, Chief Innovation Officer. “With the Purpose Solana ETF, we’re giving investors efficient, regulated access to this rapidly growing digital ecosystem, with the added benefit of native staking. As the only fund manager operating key aspects of the fund in-house through our technology infrastructure, we’re able to deliver a secure and seamless investment experience, along with more efficient returns and higher yields. This launch builds on the broadest suite of crypto ETFs in the country – and our mission to lead digital asset investing both here in Canada and globally with thoughtful, purpose-built solutions that meet investors where they are and help them move forward with confidence.”

    Purpose Solana ETF Key Benefits

    • Direct Exposure to Solana: Gain direct exposure to SOL, the native asset of a high-performance platform known for its speed, scalability, and growing developer ecosystem.
    • Native Staking Yield: Capture Solana’s staking yield through a regulated ETF structure – without the complexity of setting up wallets or managing on-chain assets.
    • Crypto-Native Advantage: Purpose’s in-house validator infrastructure and deep involvement in the Solana ecosystem will help to reduce cost and improve investor staking yield – offering one of the most efficient Solana staking programs on the market.
    • Secure, Portfolio-Ready Structure: Held in cold storage with institutional-grade custodians, the ETF trades on the TSX and can be held in registered accounts like RRSPs and TFSAs – no wallets, keys, or crypto exchanges required.
    • Uniquely Available With Three Currency Exposures: The ETF is available in CAD hedged units (ticker: SOLL), CAD non-hedged units (ticker: SOLL.B), and USD non-hedged units (ticker: SOLL.U).

    “The Purpose Solana ETF provides direct access to Solana’s high-throughput network, with staking integrated through our proprietary validator infrastructure,” said Paul Pincente, VP of Digital Assets. “By internalizing key operational components – including staking and reward management – we reduce counterparty risk, improve net yield capture, and create a more efficient, institutional-grade investment structure. This level of control helps us support a more consistent and streamlined investment experience as the digital asset space continues to evolve.”

    Leading Crypto-Native Capability and Unmatched In-House Staking Expertise

    At the core of its platform is true crypto-native capability, supported by Purpose Unlimited’s in-house staking infrastructure. Having deep control over the technology will enable greater operational efficiency and the ability to deliver higher yields to investors. This integrated approach is designed to enhance performance and security and positions Purpose as a leader in bringing institutional-grade crypto ETF solutions.

    The Broadest Suite of Crypto ETFs in Canada

    Purpose offers the most comprehensive suite of digital asset ETFs in Canada, designed to meet the needs of every investor profile, from active traders to long-term allocators and income-focused investors.

    Purpose Digital Assets lineup includes:

    • Purpose Bitcoin ETF (BTCC) and Purpose Ether ETF (ETHH): The world’s first spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, offering regulated access, high liquidity, and a strong track record – backed by advanced features for active traders and tactical allocators.
    • Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF (BTCY) and Purpose Ether Yield ETF (ETHY): Yield-generating ETFs that use covered call strategies to help investors earn income from their Bitcoin and Ether holdings.
    • Purpose Ether Staking Corp. ETF (ETHC.B): A staking-focused Ether ETF, giving investors access to Ethereum’s proof-of-stake rewards in a regulated structure.
    • Purpose Solana ETF (SOLL): Unlocking direct exposure to a high-speed, low-fee blockchain known for its lightning-fast transactions, developer momentum, and real-world potential with staking rewards accruing directly to the fund.

    With the launch of the Purpose Solana ETF, Purpose Investments continues to expand its industry-leading digital asset lineup, providing investors with secure and simple access to blockchain innovation. This new ETF complements Purpose’s existing crypto suite, which includes the world’s first spot Bitcoin ETF and first Ether ETF, offering investors a comprehensive range of digital asset solutions. As blockchain technology transforms financial markets, Purpose remains committed to bridging traditional finance with the future of decentralized and emerging financial technology, helping investors navigate the evolving digital economy with confidence.

    To explore the full suite of crypto ETFs, visit the Purpose Digital Assets Suite.

    About Purpose Investments

    Purpose Investments Inc. is an asset management company with over $22 billion in assets under management, focused on client-centric innovation across ETFs and investment funds. Purpose Investments is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent financial technology company led by entrepreneur Som Seif.

    For further information, please email us at info@purposeinvest.com.

    Media inquiries:
    Keera Hart
    keera.hart@kaiserpartners.com
    905-580-1257

    The content of this document is for informational purposes only and is not being provided in the context of an offering of any securities described herein, nor is it a recommendation or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any security. Information contained in this document is not, and under no circumstances is it to be construed as, an offering memorandum, prospectus, advertisement or public offering of securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority has reviewed this information, and any representation to the contrary is an offence. The information contained in this document is believed to be accurate and reliable; however, we cannot guarantee that it is complete or current at all times. The information provided is subject to change without notice.

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses may all be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus and other disclosure documents before investing. Crypto assets can be extremely volatile, and there can be no assurance that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. If the securities are purchased or sold on a stock exchange, you may pay more or receive less than the current net asset value. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. Fund distribution levels and frequencies are not guaranteed and may vary at Purpose Investments’ sole discretion.

    Certain statements in this document may be forward-looking. Forward-looking statements (“FLS”) are statements that are predictive in nature, depend on or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” or other similar expressions. Statements that look forward in time or include anything other than historical information are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results, actions or events could differ materially from those set forth in the FLS. FLS are not guarantees of future performance and are, by their nature, based on numerous assumptions. Although the FLS contained in this document are based upon what Purpose Investments believes to be reasonable assumptions, Purpose Investments cannot assure that actual results will be consistent with these FLS. The reader is cautioned to consider the FLS carefully and not to place undue reliance on the FLS. Unless required by applicable law, it is not undertaken, and specifically disclaimed, that there is any intention or obligation to update or revise FLS, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    The MIL Network –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley Reintroduces Vital Legislation to Address Growing Childhood Trauma Crisis

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

    As White House Slashes Essential Federal Programs, Pressley Reintroduces the STRONG Support for Children Act to Invest in Children’s Mental Health and Trauma Recovery

    Bill Text

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) reintroduced the STRONG Support for Children Act. This bill would support communities in addressing childhood trauma through healing-centered, neighborhood-based, gender-responsive, culturally specific, and trauma-informed approaches that acknowledge the impact of systemic racism and inequities over generations.

    “Every child deserves to thrive,” said Rep. Pressley. “The STRONG Support for Children Act would provide critical resources and approach childhood trauma through a reparative, healing-centered, and trauma-informed lens. Children too often carry the weight of trauma throughout their entire lives because these wounds don’t just heal on their own. With this legislation, we will invest in breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and ensure children are supported.”

    With over two-thirds of children experiencing at least one traumatic event by age 16, the urgency to address childhood trauma demands a comprehensive approach. Instead, the Trump Administration has slashed $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through canceled grants and reduced staff by 50%, leaving critical trauma-focused programs—including suicide prevention hotlines, opioid addiction treatment, and crisis stabilization services— to face imminent shutdowns.

    Unaddressed childhood trauma is linked to several leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, lung disease, substance use, and suicide.  Studies show that exposure to poverty, homelessness, food insecurity and malnutrition, discrimination, family separation, and deportation increase the likelihood of negative health outcomes and can lead to complex trauma and toxic stress.

    The Services and Trauma-Informed Research of Outcomes in Neighborhood Grants (STRONG) for Support for Children Act would establish two new grant programs under the Department of Health and Human Services to support local public health departments in addressing trauma and ensure that programming is conveniently located and accessible to all children and families regardless of immigration status, ability to pay, and prior involvement in the criminal legal system. The legislation would prohibit grant recipients from using funds to increase surveillance and policing of vulnerable communities.  

    Joining Rep. Pressley in introducing the STRONG Support for Children Act are Representatives Shri Thanedar, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Rashida Tlaib.

    This legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP); The National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives; Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice; American Academy of Pediatrics; Regina Triplett, MD, MS; and Ujima Inc.

    A copy of the bill text can be found here.

    Throughout her career, Congresswoman Pressley has been a tireless advocate for trauma-conscious policymaking.

    Last week, she reintroduced the Ending PUSHOUT Act and Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act to collectively end the discriminatory treatment of Black and brown students, LGBTQIA+ students, and students with disabilities in schools, and invest in safe, nurturing learning environments for all students.

    In February 2024, Rep. Pressley sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services to address the growing crisis of childhood trauma that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In March 2023, Rep. Pressley celebrated $250,000 in Community Project Funding she secured for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston (Big Sister) to support its one-to-one mentoring and enrichment programs for girls.

    In March 2021, Rep. Pressley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to address the nation’s growing trauma crisis and laying out a series of steps the administration should take to confront the far-reaching hurt plaguing our communities and our nation.  In April 2021, she published an op-ed where she reflected on the collective pain experienced by communities in her district over the past year.

    In July 2019, she worked with Chairman Cummings to convene the first-ever Congressional hearings on childhood trauma.  Watch Congresswoman Pressley’s full question line and follow-up questions here and here.

    As a Boston City Councilor, she convened the Council’s first-ever listening-only session to hear directly from those impacted by the trauma of community gun violence.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Volcano Watch — How to build a beach: Pohoiki growth over the years

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. Today’s article was written by University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo staff Meghann Decker and Lis Gallant, along with students Susan Richfield and Lichen Forster. 

    Satellite image showing changes in the Pohoiki area on the Island of Hawaiʻi. The pre-2018 coastline is shown in white, extent of the first and second phase of growth in blue (about 1 year after the end of the 2018 eruption), and the current active phase as seen in the satellite image from March 2024. Satellite image from GoogleEarth. A cross-section schematic of the beach in Second Bay, as seen in ground penetrating radar data. The orange arrow in each of the images and the cross-section represents a length of approximately 500 ft (152 meters). 

    Pohoiki, which means ‘little depression,’ has been an important ocean access point for people in the District of Puna. Before 2018, this area was a rocky coastline of Kīlauea lava flows emplaced 750–1,500 years ago. The boat ramp was constructed in 1963 and the breakwater in 1979, both by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. 

    The beach at Pohoiki grew rapidly in the year following the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea and it has continued to evolve since then. The boat ramp was cut off from the ocean, and local warm springs formed in several low-lying areas. 

    The material that makes the beach at Pohoiki has a distinct black color and bumpy texture. It originally formed as molten lava poured into the ocean cooled and shattered into sand- to block-sized fragments. These fragments were then ground down even further by wave action and redistributed by the longshore current.

    A longshore current flows parallel to the shore within the zone of breaking waves. They develop when waves approach a beach at an angle and can push sediments along the coastline. The typical longshore current on the east side of the Island of Hawai‘i transports material from the 2018 lava flows north of the beach and deposits it at Pohoiki. The first area of sediment accumulation in 2018 was around the boat ramp and breakwater. 

    The beach profile at Pohoiki has also experienced changes due to seasonal ocean swells. Overall, this has resulted in a bigger beach spanning further south into areas known as Second Bay and Third Bay. However, during the summer months, south swells disrupt the longshore current and move material from Third Bay to Second Bay. This results in steepening of the main beach face at Second Bay. 

    This seasonal reworking of sediment forms internal dune structures at Second Bay. Dune structures are landforms composed of wind- or water-driven particles that typically take the form of mounds, ridges, or hills. They can be found in coastal areas, deserts, and anywhere with large amounts of loose sediment and strong winds. Specifically, coastal dune structures form when wind and waves transport material from the beach inland, causing it to accumulate. Students from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo recently conducted a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey of the beach in Second Bay to study these internal features. 

    GPR is a technique that uses small radar pulses to detect objects and changes beneath the ground. When these pulses are transmitted into the ground, they encounter obstacles and reflect back towards the surface, where they are captured by a receiving antenna. GPR uses low-frequency radio waves no more powerful or harmful than those picked up by household radios. 

    The GPR survey showed that much of the beach growth was the result of migrating dunes. The first phase was dominated by primary dune structures built from the finer grained material created when the 2018 lava flows entered the ocean. This process of beach growth—called progradation—rapidly resulted in the filling in of Second bay and the accumulation of a beach face. Progradation is the process of a shoreline, delta, or fan growing towards the ocean over time. 

    The second phase of beach growth is characterized by continued progradation and sediment accumulation. The dune structures from this phase display cross-bedding. Cross-beds are formed as dunes migrate from erosion and redeposition of sediment. The first phase dunes also have cross beds, but at a higher angle; this tells us that the growth of the beach during the first phase was faster and more energetic than growth during the second phase. 

    The currently active phase of growth at the beach is characterized by stabilization of low-angle dune formation above sea-level that is affected by tide changes. 

    This GPR data represents what the beach looks like at one moment in time. With dredging to restore access to Pohoiki boat ramp planned for later this year, the shape and structure of the beach will continue to evolve.

    Volcano Activity Updates

    Kīlauea has been erupting episodically within the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is WATCH.

    The summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began in Halemaʻumaʻu crater on December 23 continued over the past week. Episode 18 began the evening of April 16, when lava overflowed from the north vent; the continuous lava fountaining phase of episode 18 is most likely to start between today and this weekend. Since the end of episode 17, the summit region has showed inflation suggesting another episode is possible. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during active eruption episodes. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. 

    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

    One earthquake was reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.3 earthquake 9 km (5 mi) NE of Pāhala at 33 km (20 mi) depth on April 12 at 7:13 a.m. HST.

    HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

    Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025
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