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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK tightens Oil Price Cap in blow to Putin’s war machine

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK tightens Oil Price Cap in blow to Putin’s war machine

    The UK and EU will lower the crude Oil Price Cap.

    • UK and EU lower the crude Oil Price Cap, striking at the heart of Putin’s oil revenues

    • new measure will drive down the market value of Russian oil, disrupting the flow of oil money into Putin’s war chest

    • coordinated action comes as the UK and allies continue to ratchet up economic pressure on Russia

    UK will ramp up economic pressure on Russia with fresh measures directly targeting Putin’s critical oil revenues. 

    The UK and EU have today announced a lowering of the Crude Oil Price Cap, striking at the heart of Putin’s oil revenues.  

    Today’s action will lower the Crude Oil Price Cap from $60 barrel to $47.60 directly hitting Russia’s oil revenues, which have already fallen 35% year-on-year to May.  

    This will clamp down on Putin’s oil industry, driving down the market value of Russian crude oil and hurting a crucial source of funding for the Kremlin’s illegal war in Ukraine.

    Every financial blow against Russia’s oil revenues is another step towards a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine, and a step towards security and prosperity in the UK and beyond, which is a key foundation of the government’s Plan for Change.

    Speaking at the G20 in South Africa, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: 

    The UK and its EU allies are turning the screw on the Kremlin’s war chest by stemming the most valuable funding stream of its illegal war in Ukraine even further.  

    This decisive step to lower the Crude Oil Price Cap will target Russia’s oil revenues and ramp up the pressure on Putin by exploiting his biggest vulnerability – while keeping energy markets stable.

    Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

    As Putin continues to stall on serious peace talks, we will not stand by.  

    That’s why we’re striking at the heart of the Russian energy sector alongside the EU. Together we will continue to apply relentless pressure on Putin, squeezing his critical oil industry and cutting off funding for his illegal war in Ukraine.

    The UK is taking decisive action to cut off Putin’s oil supply pipeline and has to date sanctioned over 250 ships responsible for transporting Russian energy.

    The UK has been clear that delaying peace efforts will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine to defend itself and ratchet up pressure on Russia. That’s why the UK has committed £3 billion a year of military support for Ukraine for as long as it takes. 

    Today’s action comes as the UK further clamps down on Russian malign activity, exposing and sanctioning Russian spies responsible for spreading chaos and disorder on Putin’s orders.    

     The UK and EU are working in lockstep to combat those callously fuelling the fires of destruction in Ukraine and are committed to ramping up economic pressure on Putin, forcing him to the table to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

    Background 

    • The Crude Oil Price Cap, introduced in December 2022, is a measure to limit the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war against Ukraine, and prohibits G7 companies from shipping, insuring, or otherwise servicing Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel. Now, the UK and EU are lowering this to $47.60 per barrel, directly slashing Putin’s oil profits. 

    • The price caps of $100 on high-value refined oil products, such as diesel and petrol, and $45 on low-value refined oil products, such as fuel oil, remain unaffected. 

    • Oil exports are one of Russia’s key vulnerabilities: energy revenues account for around 30% of total federal revenues which in turn fund Russia’s war machine. 

    • The government is giving UK businesses time to adapt to the lower price cap. The lowered Oil Price Cap of $47.60 per barrel comes into effect at 23:01 (BST), Tuesday, 2 September 2025. Additionally, for any trades with an effective date of contract before this date, and which are compliant with the existing price cap of $60 per barrel, there will be a wind-down period of 45 days, ending at 23:01 (BST), Friday, 17 October 2025.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 July 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Call for packaging value chain representatives to join the pEPR Scheme Administrator Steering Group (SASG)

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Call for packaging value chain representatives to join the pEPR Scheme Administrator Steering Group (SASG)

    PackUK are now welcoming expressions of interest (EOI) for the appointment of members of the Scheme Administrator Steering Group.

    PackUK, the Scheme Administrator for Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR), is committed to working with experts from across the packaging value chain to guide it in its work.

    The Scheme Administrator Steering Group plays a key role in supporting this close working relationship and brings together skilled professionals from across the packaging value chain who are passionate about recycling and environmental sustainability.

    The Steering Group provides valuable perspectives and recommendations to the Scheme Administrator Executive Committee (SA ExCo) on the operational functions of the Scheme Administrator, supporting it to:

    • deliver a system that creates maximum environmental benefits through knowledge sharing and collaboration
    • deliver maximum efficiency and effectiveness of the collection and packaging system

    These recommendations play a central role in shaping PackUK as it grows and develops. While the group is not directly involved in decision-making, it serves as a trusted source of insight comprising members who will have a wealth of operational and policy expertise from a variety of both public and private sector organisations.

    Expressions of interest for the role of Steering Group Member now open

    We are delighted to announce that we are now welcoming expressions of interest (EOI) for the appointment of members of the Scheme Administrator Steering Group.

    This voluntary role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to one of the most significant environmental reforms of our time: making a direct contribution to the UK’s achievement of decarbonisation and net zero by 2050.

    As a member, you’ll provide valuable feedback, recommendations, and technical advice that will contribute to the UK’s first pEPR scheme, a key milestone in the transition to a circular economy.

    Applications will close 11th August. Applicants must be able to demonstrate a variety of skills, experience and knowledge from across the value chain and will be subject to a fair and open competitive application process.

    Further information on how to apply can be found below.

    Details on the steering group

    In line with international best practice for EPR Schemes, the Steering Group will be producer led. The makeup of the seats on the Steering Group is as follows:

    The Steering Group will consist of 10 individuals from producer organisations and trade association representatives (1 designated seat for the food sector and 1 designated seat for packaging manufacturing) and 11 other members, representing Local Authorities (LAs) in each of the four nations, waste management organisations, environmental Non-Government Organisations (NGO), compliance schemes, and an independent chair.

    How to apply

    More information can be found in the following documents:

    To apply for this voluntary role, your CV and supporting statement should be returned to SASteeringgroup@defra.gov.uk by mid-day on 11 August 2025, marking the email as ‘Member of Scheme Administrator Steering Group’ in the subject field.

    All candidates are also required to submit the following:

    • Diversity information and conflicts of interest form

    • CV of no more than two sides of A4 outlining your experience, any professional qualifications and employment history

    • a supporting statement demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria, providing specific examples (750 words maximum)

    Please indicate in the email which Steering Group seat you are applying to (for example, Producer, Waste Management Organisation, e-NGO, Compliance Scheme).

    If you have any queries, please email SASteeringgroup@defra.gov.uk.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK welcomes the Colombian Government’s announcement of the Comprehensive Protection Programme: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    The UK welcomes the Colombian Government’s announcement of the Comprehensive Protection Programme: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Colombia.

    The UK remains committed to the implementation of the 2016 Agreement as the main vehicle for lasting peace in Colombia.

    I’d like to start by welcoming the Colombian Government’s announcement of the Comprehensive Protection Programme in June as a measure to address increasing levels of violence across the country, including the assassination attempt on Senator Miguel Uribe on 7 June.  

    And I join others in hoping for his continued recovery.  

    Nine signatories were killed during the reporting period, bringing the total to 469 since the Agreement was signed.

    These attacks, often deliberately targeting those who are committed to peace and societal change, underline the urgent need to implement the Comprehensive Protection Programme and for stronger protection measures. 

    President, as SRSG Massieu reminded us, transitional justice remains a critical component of the 2016 Agreement, as we also heard during our visit last year.

    Colombians need to see restorative justice in action. So, we encourage the Jurisdiction to maintain the pace of sentencing and the government to ensure complementary actions advance in parallel.

    We welcome the presence of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in this chamber and its President, Alejandro Ramelli.  

    We understand that the Special Jurisdiction for Peace will shortly issue sentences under two Macro Cases. 

    This would represent a significant advance in the work of the Jurisdiction.

    And this, as SRSG Massieu reminded us, is essential to maintain the trust of the victims, the signatories and the Colombian people. 

    Finally, President, as this government enters its final year in office, and with elections in view, we urge the government to prioritise implementation of the Agreement and to fund it adequately.

    The Secretary General’s latest report shows that implementation of the 2016 Agreement remains uneven, with key challenges unaddressed across several chapters, despite progress in others.

    We welcome the meeting in May of the Commission for the Follow-up, Promotion, and Verification of the Implementation, ‘the CSIVI’, where parties agreed an action plan for the remainder of the year. 

    We commend efforts to strengthen institutional coordination and support civil society.

    Convening institutional structures of the Agreement is key to sustaining peace efforts, particularly as Colombia transitions into its electoral period.

    President, the UK is and will remain a key partner on the path to sustainable peace in Colombia.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘You have to be able to rule your life’: The care revolution in Latin America

    Source: United Nations 2-b

    The workers we don’t pay or see are grandmothers, mothers, daughters — the women who take care of children, look after ill family members, and give dignity to the elderly. 

    To do this vital care work, they give up formal employment with pay cheques. 

    “Our system is designed as if women didn’t do care work. And that forces us to choose between raising children or working,” said Meredith Cortés Bravo, a founder of a grassroots organization in Chile that supports these women.

    But in Latin America, this is slowly changing — a care revolution is underway that is asking governments and employers to consider what it would mean to recognize, protect and fund care work. 

    “Care is essential for every family and for every community. The revolution is to make it visible, to make it valuable and to invest,” María Noel Vaeza, UN Women’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told UN News.

    The most off-track goal

    The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is convening at UN Headquarters in New York in order to discuss progress – or lack thereof – towards the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    While 18 per cent of the Goals are on track for 2030, achieving gender equality remains the Goal that is most off-track. Discriminatory laws and gender-based norms persist worldwide, with women dedicating approximately twice as many hours to unpaid care work as men.   

    “Gender equality is not a side issue. It is central to peace, it is central to justice, and it is central to sustainable development and the credibility of the multilateral system itself,” Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women said at an HLPF session this week.

    The revolution is underway

    Before the revolution began, Latin America faced a care crisis during the coronavirus“>COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ms. Vaeza.  There was not enough care available outside of the home for sick people, forcing society to recognize that taking care of others is work. 

    “Unpaid care work is what keeps the economy running, but it’s unfair because it’s invisible, undervalued and underfunded. We must recognize it,” Ms. Vaeza said. 

    In Latin America, 17 are countries actively working to redesign their care economies, ensuring more protections and income for the women and men who provide this work. 

    “The biggest shift has been putting care at the centre of public policy, not just academic debates,” said Virginia Gontijo, UN Women programme lead in Brazil.

    This work is already bearing fruit. 

    In Chile, one of the region’s most ambitious care systems is already delivering in 151 municipalities, with the ultimate goal of reaching 75,000 people in the next few years.  

    UN Women is working with State governments and civil society groups to ensure that these new systems, policies and laws are shaped by and for caregivers.

    A care system in Brazil worked closely with a care activist network to train caregivers in labour rights and promote long-term professional development.  

    “I never felt my work was valued. But after this project, I feel better prepared to take part in political discussions and make our voices heard,” said Lucileide Mafra Reis, a domestic worker activist in Brazil.

    Care is a human right

    Mexico and Peru have taken a more rights-based approach to care, codifying it as a basic human right. 

    While the international community has yet to make a similar guarantee, Ms. Vaeza said that the human rights framework is an exceptionally effective one — it restores dignity and recognizes that care is a fundamental part of human life trajectories, from birth to death.

    “If you say that care is a human right, it means that the government and the state have to provide support,” she Ms. Vaeza.  

    For Aideé Zamorano González — a mother who founded Mama Godin, an organization in Mexico which evaluates the impact of care policies on women — it is equally as important that employers protect women’s right to do care work. 

    This means ensuring that workplaces have policies that are supportive of mothers as workers, such as schedules that allow them to drop their children off at school.

    For her, these sorts of policies are crucial for women’s rights and particularly for their freedom and autonomy.

    “You have to be able to rule your life,” Ms. Zamorano González told UN News. 

    Beyond just autonomy, however, it is also about safety. If a woman can make her own money — and therefore, her own decisions — she can leave abusive relationships and avoid economic exploitation. 

    “Every other type of violence depends on the economic power that you have. If you have the ability to make your own decisions and own money, you are safer,” said Ms. Zamorano González. 

    An economic investment

    Changes to legal classifications and governmental support for care work not only benefit the caregivers but also promote economic growth across societies. 

    “[Care] is an investment, a strategic investment for social justice, for gender equality and for sustainable development,” Ms. Vaeza said.

    She noted that dedicating government funds to paying caregivers will return the investment threefold — both by increasing caregivers’ purchasing power and by generating tax revenue. 

    In Chile and Colombia, new care systems are estimated to contribute 25.6 per cent and 19.6 percent respectively to their national GDPs, according to UN Women.

    “When you invest in a women’s organization, you strengthen a living network, a tree with many branches that reaches places no office or institutional programme ever could,” Ms. Bravo said. 

    Export the revolution

    Latin America’s progress on care is a model for other regions around the world, Ms. Vaeza said, and demonstrates the importance of changing legal frameworks for women and girls. 

    “It’s extremely important that this revolution be exported. It’s an investment, a strategic investment for social justice, for gender equality and for sustainable development,” she said. 

    But while the revolution is ongoing, Ms. Zamorano González underlined the importance of economic empowerment for women as a means to protect their own rights even when laws and policies fall short. 

    “We are under capitalism, so while we change the system, let’s play the game. Let’s get our own means to have freedom,” she said. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carter Introduces Bill to Increase Funding for Veteran Health Care

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

    Headline: Carter Introduces Bill to Increase Funding for Veteran Health Care

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) today introduced the Veterans Health Care Stamp Act of 2025, a bill directing the United States Postal Service to issue and sell a stamp that will fund medical care and treatment for veterans.

    For every stamp sold, proceeds will be contributed to an account within the Department of Veterans Affairs, providing the public with a convenient way to contribute to health care services for veterans. 

    “This common-sense legislation will provide additional support to our heroic veteran community for the sacrifices they have made in defense of our country,” said Rep. Carter. “With this bill, we will increase the quality, accessibility, and affordability of health care for our nation’s veterans, fulfilling our promise to defend them as fully as they defended us.” 

    “I served as an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a veteran, caring for our veterans is personal to me. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to help support the VA health system and provide better care for those who have served our country,” said Rep. Crow.

    Read full bill text here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carter Introduces Bill to Increase Funding for Veteran Health Care

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

    Headline: Carter Introduces Bill to Increase Funding for Veteran Health Care

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) today introduced the Veterans Health Care Stamp Act of 2025, a bill directing the United States Postal Service to issue and sell a stamp that will fund medical care and treatment for veterans.

    For every stamp sold, proceeds will be contributed to an account within the Department of Veterans Affairs, providing the public with a convenient way to contribute to health care services for veterans. 

    “This common-sense legislation will provide additional support to our heroic veteran community for the sacrifices they have made in defense of our country,” said Rep. Carter. “With this bill, we will increase the quality, accessibility, and affordability of health care for our nation’s veterans, fulfilling our promise to defend them as fully as they defended us.” 

    “I served as an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a veteran, caring for our veterans is personal to me. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to help support the VA health system and provide better care for those who have served our country,” said Rep. Crow.

    Read full bill text here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Increase Access to Affordable Childcare in Maine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining legislation to lower childcare costs and address the nationwide shortage of affordable childcare. The Child Care for Working Families Act is comprehensive legislation that would put a cap on childcare costs for working families, address childcare deserts by providing grants to open new facilities, support higher wages for childcare workers, provide comprehensive funding for Head Start to provide full-day, full-year programming, and expand access to pre-K programs.
    Included in the legislation is a provision that would enable the typical family in America to pay less than $15 a day for childcare—with many families paying nothing at all—and no eligible family paying more than 7% of their income on childcare.
    “Affordable and accessible childcare is one of the most pressing needs for working families in Maine and across the nation, and it presents a huge hurdle to mothers and fathers who want to enter the workforce,” said Senator King. “The Child Care for Working Families Act would provide ample resources for communities across the country to support childcare options that are open for the full day and don’t break the bank. When families have access to care, they can succeed as parents and professionals.”
    The average cost of childcare is now $13,128—a 29% increase since 2020 that outpaces inflation. In 49 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual costs of child care for two children exceeds median rent—and in 41 states and the District of Columbia, the cost of care for one infant exceeds in-state university tuition. The crisis costs the U.S. economy over $100 billion each year. An estimated 18,000 people in Maine are currently out of the labor force due to a lack of child care, while the child care crisis costs Maine nearly $403 million in annual costs.
    More specifically, the Child Care for Working Families Act will:
    Make childcare affordable for working families.
    The typical family earning the state median income will pay less than $15 a day for childcare.
    No working family will pay more than seven percent of their income on childcare.
    Families earning below 85% of state median income will pay nothing at all for childcare.
    If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.
    Improve the quality and supply of childcare for all children and expand families’ childcare options by:
    Addressing childcare deserts by providing grants to help open new childcare providers in underserved communities.
    Providing grants to cover start-up and licensing costs to help establish new providers.
    Increasing childcare options for children who receive care during non-traditional hours.
    Supporting childcare for children who are dual-language learners, children who are experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
    Support higher wages for childcare workers.
    Childcare workers would be paid a living wage and achieve parity with elementary school teachers who have similar credentials and experience.
    Childcare subsidies would cover the cost of providing high-quality care.
    Dramatically expand access to high-quality pre-K.
    States would receive funding to establish and expand a mixed-delivery system of high-quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds.
    States must prioritize establishing and expanding universal local preschool programs within and across high-need communities.
    If a state does not choose to receive funding under this program, the Secretary can provide funds to localities, such as cities, counties, local governments, districts, or Head Start agencies.
    Better support Head Start programs by providing the funding necessary to offer full-day, full-year programming and increasing wages for Head Start workers.
    In addition to King, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MN), Corey Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
    Senator King has long worked to expand access to childcare. He secured millions to improve child care services in the 2022 and 2023 omnibus appropriations bills, and worked to authorize the planning and development of a new child development center at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. He is also the cosponsor of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act, which would permanently expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit that helps households offset their childcare costs. Most recently, he joined bipartisan legislation to lower childcare costs and address the nationwide shortage of affordable childcare. The Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act would provide competitive grants for states to train childcare workers and build or renovate childcare facilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coventry’s revolutionary Very Light Rail system to take centre stage at national UK event

    Source: City of Coventry

    Coventry’s innovative Very Light Rail (CVLR) system is to showcase its pioneering technology at a prestigious national conference next week.

    CVLR is designed to create an affordable rail-based travel system that can be delivered at less than half the cost and in half the time of conventional light rail systems.

    It will now be showcased at next week’s UK Light Rail conference in Leeds. From 22 July, the two-day convention is the UK’s premier event dedicated solely to the advancement of light rail, featuring over 50 expert speakers and bringing together key decision-makers, manufacturers, operators and innovators from across the sector.

    Coventry will present to the conference on Wednesday 23 July with a dedicated session titled: CVLR: Coventry’s first On Road Test installation and operation.  The CVLR team will also participate in a discussion panel called Smarter moves in light rail, demonstrating the breadth of expertise and innovation the project represents.

    The recognition represents a significant milestone for the project, which has achieved remarkable success during its recent on-road testing phase.

    The 220-metre track was laid in the city centre of Coventry in just eight weeks – a timeframe unmatched anywhere in the world. Over six weeks, more than 3,000 members of the public experienced the future of urban transport first-hand through test rides, providing overwhelmingly positive feedback.

    Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said: “Being invited to showcase Coventry’s Very Light Rail at the UK’s premier light rail conference is testament to the ground-breaking innovation we’ve achieved here in Coventry.

    “Our successful on-road testing, which saw over 3,000 people experience this revolutionary transport system, proves that we can deliver affordable, sustainable rail solutions at unprecedented speed and cost.

    “The fact that we laid our 220-metre track in just eight weeks – faster than anywhere else in the world – demonstrates how CVLR can transform the way cities approach public transport infrastructure.

    “Crucially, this isn’t just a transport system – it’s designed and built right here in Coventry, creating jobs and establishing a whole new industry for our city.

    “As we begin work on our next 800-metre section connecting the railway station to University Technology Park, we’re not just building a transport system for Coventry – we’re pioneering a solution that could revolutionise urban mobility across the UK and beyond while positioning Coventry as the home of this innovative technology and the skilled jobs it brings.”

    The Very Light Rail system addresses the critical challenge facing many UK cities seeking sustainable transport solutions. Where conventional light rail systems can cost upwards of £25 million per kilometre to install and as much as £100 million per kilometre in city centres, CVLR delivers a solution that provides the benefits of a conventional tram but at a significantly reduced installation cost.

    Key innovations that set CVLR apart:

    Revolutionary Vehicle Design: The battery-powered vehicle eliminates the need for overhead wires and features an innovative turning system, enabling it to handle 15m radius curves. This allows for installation in tight corners within the existing highway. The vehicle has a capacity of 56, is comfortable and has low floors to enable passengers to embark and disembark easily.

    Ultra-Thin Track Technology: The new track is laid just 30cm within the road’s surface, minimising the need to relocate pipes and cables, which is time-consuming and expensive. It achieves this by leveraging cutting-edge materials science, while still utilising standard rail parts to ensure ease of manufacture.

    Sustainable Impact: Transport is responsible for nearly 30% of carbon emissions. The CVLR system will help improve air quality, reduce congestion, support housing development, and provide jobs and skills while securing local investment and putting Coventry at the forefront of the green industrial revolution.

    The project represents a collaborative effort involving multiple partners, including the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, WMG at the University of Warwick and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.

    Recent months have seen significant progress, with Simon Lightwood, Minister for Local Transport, visiting the CVLR track during Better Transport Week, demonstrating growing government interest in the technology’s potential. Work has also started on the next stage, which will see an 800-metre section laid from the railway station to the University Technology Park on Puma Way.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran National Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HAMMOND – Yesterday, Luis Banegas Rodriguez, 25 years old, of Honduras, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in two cases, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

    Banegas Rodriguez was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by 1 year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $533,043 in restitution.

    According to documents in each case, on January 11, 2023, Banegas Rodriguez and his co-conspirators used fake identification cards to cash 169 fraudulent paychecks totaling $233,569 at three branches of the same bank in the Northern District of Indiana. The fraudulent paychecks were designed to look like they had been issued by a company that operates dairy farms in the Northern District of Indiana.

    Almost six months later, on June 23, 2023, Banegas Rodriguez and his co-conspirators used fake identification cards to cash 178 fraudulent paychecks totaling $299,474 at five branches of the same bank and three check cashing businesses in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The fraudulent paychecks were designed to look like they had been issued by a building materials supply company in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    “Banegas Rodriguez participated in a far-reaching conspiracy that caused major financial harm to community banks and small businesses across the United States. Due to the unwavering efforts and collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement, Banegas Rodriguez was brought to justice for his role in this scheme,” said Proctor. “The sentence imposed by the court sends a message that there are real consequences for engaging in fraud, particularly in northwest Indiana.”

    “The illicit actions of co-conspirators to commit bank fraud as they travel throughout the United States will not be tolerated,” said Matthew J. Scarpino, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago. “HSI will continue to partner with our fellow law enforcement agencies to disrupt these types of offenders and hold them accountable for their crimes.”

    These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Indiana State Police, with valuable assistance provided by the Benton County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Department, the Benton County (Indiana) Prosecutor’s Office, the Poteau (Oklahoma) Police Department, and the Houston (Texas) Police Department. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven J. Lupa from the Northern District of Indiana and Assistant United States Attorneys Kara Traster and Jordan Howanitz from the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the General Assembly to mark the observance of Nelson Mandela International Day [bilingual, as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-French]

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    oday, we celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. 

    Madiba’s extraordinary life was a triumph of the human spirit. 

    He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division — but of reconciliation, peace and unity. 

    Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility. 

    We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity. 

    One of the central lessons of Mandela’s life was that power is not a personal possession, to be hoarded. 

    Power is about lifting others up.

    It is about what we can achieve with one another, and for one another. 

    Power is about people. 

    In every facet of his life, Nelson Mandela demonstrated the power of collective, grassroots action to drive change and progress, and deliver power to the powerless. 

    This same spirit can be found in today’s winners of the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize. 

    Ms. Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada. 

    She is a social worker, who turned her struggle against the most hideous of crimes against children into a national force for change, supporting and developing trauma responses for survivors and families of the residential schools system. 

    Mr. Kennedy Odede grew up in the Kibera slum in Kenya.

    A long-time community activist, the organization he founded unites community groups from across the country and now reaches more than 2.4 million people each year with essential services — everything from education to water. 

    Both prize winners embody Nelson Mandela’s words, which are engraved on their Prizes: 

    “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.” 

    On behalf of the United Nations, I congratulate Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Odede on this well-deserved recognition. 

    Excellences,

    Alors que l’Organisation des Nations Unies célèbre ses 80 ans, l’héritage de réconciliation et de transformation transmis par Nelson Mandela continue de nous inspirer et de nous motiver.

    Partout dans le monde, les droits humains et la dignité sont menacés – non seulement par les conflits et l’instabilité, mais aussi par les inégalités systématiques, l’exclusion, les catastrophes climatiques et le recul de libertés chèrement acquises.

    Le moment est venu de renouveler notre engagement collectif envers les principes qu’incarne notre Organisation – et qui ont défini la vie exceptionnelle de Nelson Mandela.

    La liberté. La justice. L’égalité des droits. La solidarité. La réconciliation. La paix.

    Aujourd’hui, et chaque jour, poursuivons le chemin tracé par la vie de Nelson Mandela — une vie au service des autres et du progrès. 

    Je vous remercie.

    *******
    [All-English]

    Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. 

    Madiba’s extraordinary life was a triumph of the human spirit. 

    He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division — but of reconciliation, peace and unity. 

    Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility. 

    We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity. 

    One of the central lessons of Mandela’s life was that power is not a personal possession, to be hoarded. 

    Power is about lifting others up.

    It is about what we can achieve with one another, and for one another. 

    Power is about people. 

    In every facet of his life, Nelson Mandela demonstrated the power of collective, grassroots action to drive change and progress, and deliver power to the powerless. 

    This same spirit can be found in today’s winners of the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize. 

    Ms. Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada. 

    She is a social worker, who turned her struggle against the most hideous of crimes against children into a national force for change, supporting and developing trauma responses for survivors and families of the residential schools system. 

    Mr. Kennedy Odede grew up in the Kibera slum in Kenya.

    A long-time community activist, the organization he founded unites community groups from across the country and now reaches more than 2.4 million people each year with essential services — everything from education to water. 

    Both prize winners embody Nelson Mandela’s words, which are engraved on their Prizes: 

    “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.” 

    On behalf of the United Nations, I congratulate Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Odede on this well-deserved recognition. 

    Excellencies,

    As the United Nations celebrates its 80th anniversary, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation and transformation continues to inspire and drive us. 

    Around the world, human rights and dignity are under threat — not only from conflict and instability, but from systematic inequalities, exclusion, climate disasters, and the rollback of hard-won freedoms. 

    Now is the time to renew our global commitment to the principles that define our organization — and indeed, the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela. 

    Freedom. Justice. Equal rights. Solidarity. Reconciliation. Peace. 

    Today, and every day, let’s continue following the path and principles set by Nelson Mandela’s life of service and progress. 

    Thank you.

    *********
    [All-French]

    Nous célébrons aujourd’hui la vie et l’héritage de Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

    La vie extraordinaire de Madiba a été un triomphe de l’esprit humain.

    Accablé du poids brutal de l’oppression, il en est ressorti avec une vision, non pas de vengeance et de division, mais de réconciliation, de paix et d’unité.

    Aujourd’hui, l’héritage de Madiba est entre nos mains.

    Nous devons perpétuer son engagement en faveur de la paix, de la justice et de la dignité humaine.

    La vie de Mandela nous apprend notamment que le pouvoir n’est pas un bien personnel que l’on peut monopoliser.

    Le pouvoir consiste à tirer les autres vers le haut.
    Il faut se poser la question en ces termes : que pouvons-nous accomplir les uns avec les autres, et les uns pour les autres ?

    Le pouvoir concerne le peuple.

    Dans tous les aspects de sa vie, Nelson Mandela a prouvé que l’action collective et locale pouvait être porteuse de changement et de progrès, et donner du pouvoir à ceux qui n’en avaient pas.

    C’est ce même esprit qui anime aujourd’hui les lauréats du prix Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

    Madame Brenda Reynolds est une Saulteaux de la Première Nation de Fishing Lake, au Canada.

    Assistante sociale de profession, elle a fait de sa lutte contre le plus ignoble des crimes contre les enfants une force nationale de changement : elle a établi et porté des protocoles de prise en charge du traumatisme pour les survivants du système de pensionnats et leurs familles.

    Monsieur Kennedy Odede a grandi dans le bidonville de Kibera, au Kenya.

    Militant local de longue date, il a fondé une organisation qui rassemble des groupes communautaires de tout le pays et apporte aujourd’hui à plus de 2,4 millions de personnes chaque année des services essentiels, allant de l’éducation à l’accès à l’eau.

    Les deux lauréats incarnent les mots de Nelson Mandela, qui sont gravés sur leurs prix :

    « Ce qui compte dans la vie, ce n’est pas le simple fait d’avoir vécu. C’est la différence que nous avons apportée à la vie des autres qui déterminera l’importance de la vie que nous menons. »

    Au nom de l’ONU, je félicite Madame Reynolds et Monsieur Odede pour cette reconnaissance amplement méritée.

    Excellences,

    Alors que l’Organisation des Nations Unies célèbre ses 80 ans, l’héritage de réconciliation et de transformation transmis par Nelson Mandela continue de nous inspirer et de nous motiver.

    Partout dans le monde, les droits humains et la dignité sont menacés – non seulement par les conflits et l’instabilité, mais aussi par les inégalités systématiques, l’exclusion, les catastrophes climatiques et le recul de libertés chèrement acquises.

    Le moment est venu de renouveler notre engagement collectif envers les principes qu’incarne notre Organisation – et qui ont défini la vie exceptionnelle de Nelson Mandela.

    La liberté. La justice. L’égalité des droits. La solidarité. La réconciliation. La paix.

    Aujourd’hui, et chaque jour, poursuivons le chemin tracé par la vie de Nelson Mandela — une vie au service des autres et du progrès. 

    Je vous remercie.

    ***

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trahan, Ross, Schrier, Castor, and Fletcher Introduce Legislation to Guarantee Access to FDA-Approved Medicines

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congresswomen Lori Trahan (MA-03), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), Kathy Castor (FL-14), and Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) introduced the Right to FDA-Approved Medicines Act, new legislation to protect Americans’ ability to access safe, effective medications that have been reviewed and authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This bill clarifies that FDA approval of medicines preempts state efforts to ban their prescription, provision, or use.
    “When politicians override science to push an agenda, it puts everyone’s health at risk,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Doctors should be able to prescribe safe, effective, FDA-approved medications based on what’s best for their patients – not what politicians believe. The Right to FDA Approved Medicines Act protects access to lifesaving prescriptions like mifepristone and ensures health care decisions stay between patients and their doctors, not politicians.”
    This legislation comes at a time when many Republican-controlled states are working to ban or limit access to mifepristone, one of two drugs approved for pregnancy termination. Just this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that federal law does not prevent West Virginia from restricting medication abortion. If states are effectively able to ban FDA-approved medications like mifepristone, that could open the door to bans of birth control, PrEP, vaccines, and other life-saving FDA-approved medications.
    “In recent years, we’ve seen a troubling rise in politically motivated attempts by extremist state legislatures to block access to safe, effective medications approved by the FDA,” said Congresswoman Ross. “This legislation clarifies that if a medication is approved by the FDA, no state can stand in the way of a patient who needs it. Allowing states to second-guess the FDA and ban safe, life-saving medications sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the entire drug approval process. Science, not politics, should guide health care in this country. Thank you to my colleagues for joining me in this important effort.”
    “Patients should never lose access to medications because of where they live, and we’ve already seen states try to ban medications such as mifepristone. As a physician, I know that blocking access to critical medicines will compromise people’s health and inevitably lead to adverse outcomes for patients,” said Congresswoman Schrier, M.D. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce this legislation to ensure that patients across the country have access to FDA-approved medications, vaccinations, and reproductive care.
    “The safety and efficacy of medications should be determined by science and medical experts – not partisan politics,” said Congresswoman Castor. “FDA sets the gold standard for drug review and approval. Floridians and Americans across the country deserve consistent access to FDA-approved medications, whether it’s for abortion care or cancer treatments. This legislation ensures that extremist politicians cannot deny patients the right to get the care and medication they need to live healthy lives.”
    “Everyone deserves access to life saving, FDA-approved drugs,” said Congresswoman Fletcher. “But states like Texas have attempted to block Americans’ access to safe and effective abortion care medications like Mifepristone, which was approved by the federal government more than 20 years ago. I am glad to join Congresswoman Ross in introducing the Right to FDA-Approved Medicines Act to protect access to FDA-approved drugs like Mifepristone and to protect the health, dignity, and freedom of women and families across our country.”
    This bill would:

    Clarify that individuals maintain the right to access medications that have been approved, licensed, or authorized by the FDA.
    Affirm the right of health care providers to prescribe and dispense these medications without fear of criminalization or civil penalties from state governments.
    Prevent state governments from banning, restricting, or interfering with access to FDA-approved drugs, including reproductive health medications.

    The text of the legislation can be found HERE.
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran man pleads guilty, sentenced for illegal re-entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jose Manuel Ramos-Godoy, 42, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to illegal re-entry. Ramos-Godoy was then sentenced to serve three months in federal prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Fauzia K. Mattingly, who handled the case, stated that Ramos-Godoy is an alien without any legal status in the United States. In July 2006 and September 2014, he was physically removed from the United States pursuant to an order of removal. On May 13, 2025, Ramos-Godoy was found in Erie County while driving a vehicle in a hotel parking lot in Amherst, NY.  He did not have any documents allowing him to be lawfully present in the United States.

    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.

    The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Martin B. Coombs.   

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tigard Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Murder and Aggravated Assault for Shooting a U.S. Postal Service Employee

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A Tigard, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for shooting a United States Postal Service letter carrier.

    Kevin Eugene Irvine, 34, was sentenced to 205 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, on December 24, 2022, while driving a white van through a Milwaukie, Oregon neighborhood, Irvine made eye contact with a letter carrier delivering mail on foot. Irvine threw his arms in the air, which the letter carrier mistook as waving, and the letter carrier waved back.  

    A short time later, on an adjacent street, the letter carrier noticed the same van and again made eye contact with Irvine as he drove past. Irvine stopped the van several houses away, got out of the van with a rifle, knelt on the street and fired three rounds, striking the letter carrier once as the letter carrier ran for cover. After the shooting, Irvine picked up his shell casings and drove off.

    On December 28, 2022, officers spotted the van in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where they stopped the vehicle and arrested Irvine. Later, investigators sought and obtained a search warrant for Irvine’s van and found three rifles, ammunition, spent shell casings, a knife, shooting targets and ballistic gear.

    On February 8, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Irvine with aggravated assault on a federal employee with a firearm, attempted murder of a federal employee, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

    On March 26, 2025, Irvine was convicted of all three counts following a bench trial.

    This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Milwaukie Police Department and the Lake Oswego Police Department. It was prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman and Eliza Carmen Rodriguez, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: McMinnville Repeat Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl in Oregon

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Ore.— A McMinnville, Oregon man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to federal prison today for possessing and distributing fentanyl in Oregon.

    Travis Charles Donnahoo, 46, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison and four years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, on March 12, 2023, officers from the McMinnville Police Department arrested Donnahoo, who has a long history of drug trafficking including five prior state convictions for distributing drugs in Oregon, on four outstanding warrants issued for his arrest. The officers searched Donnahoo and seized a firearm, cash, and a black zippered case. The following day, on March 13, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant on the black case and found 145 grams of methamphetamine and 322 grams of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.   

    On March 22, 2023, Donnahoo was charged by criminal complaint with possessing fentanyl and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm.

    On April 8, 2025, Donnahoo pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

    This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, McMinnville Police Department, and Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 2-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.

    If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.

    If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Men Plead Guilty To Money Laundering In Connection With Phishing Scams That Targeted SF-Based Company, Other Victims

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN FRANCISCO – George Aboagye and Dennis Jordan pleaded guilty to money laundering in connection with their roles in online phishing scams.  Aboagye entered his guilty plea today and Jordan pleaded guilty on July 10, 2025.  

    Aboagye, 44, who previously resided in Stone Mountain, Ga., and Jordan, 39, who previously resided in Dallas, Texas, were originally indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 and charged by superseding informations in July 2025.

    According to court documents and the plea agreements, in December 2019, Aboagye laundered $922,445.34 fraudulently obtained from a San Francisco-based business through a business email compromise scam.  Employees at the victim business received a fraudulent email that purported to be from one of the business’s actual service providers.  The email induced employees at the victim business to send a wire transfer in the amount of $922,445.34 to a bank account for a fake company.  Aboagye and others used the fake company’s bank account to receive and launder the proceeds from this scam.  

    To conceal the source of the fraudulently obtained funds, portions of the $922,445.34 were distributed to Aboagye and other individuals, including Jordan, who deposited a $20,000 cashier’s check derived from the fraud proceeds into a bank account he set up under another fake business name.  

    Aboagye also wired other ill-gotten proceeds into accounts held in his name, including portions of $173,315.70 fraudulently obtained from a North Dakota state agency in May 2020 as part of a business email compromise and fraudulent payments totaling $80,300 from the Small Business Administration in August 2020.  In sum, Aboagye admitted to laundering between $1.5 million to $3.5 million in fraudulent proceeds.

    Jordan also admitted to using multiple fake companies and identities to open bank accounts, which he then used to receive funds from various victims, including $15,000 in January 2020 from a victim in California who believed the money was going to be used to obtain a shipment of gold from Australia, and $40,000 in April 2020 from a victim in California who believed the money was being used to help Covid-19 research.  Jordan also used one such account to obtain a $220,000 loan through the Small Business Administration’s Covid-19 Paycheck Protection Program.  Jordan used some of these funds to purchase a residence for himself in Dallas.  In sum, Jordan admitted to laundering $336,600 in fraudulent proceeds.  

    United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.

    Both defendants have remained in custody since their arrests and both were remanded into custody following their guilty pleas.  Jordan and Aboagye are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin.  Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.  Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    Assistant United States Attorneys S. Waqar Hasib and Kevin Yeh are prosecuting the case.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Indicted for Fraudulent FEMA Claims for Lahaina Fire and California Fire Federal Disasters

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Daylyn Harris, 34, and Chelsea Johnson, 32, of Honolulu, Hawaii, were arrested on July 15, 2025 and charged in a seven-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2025.

    The indictment alleges that Harris and Johnson conspired with each other and carried out a wire fraud scheme, wherein Harris and Johnson submitted false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”), claiming to have suffered income, housing, and property losses as a result of two federal disasters, when, as Harris and Johnson both knew, they did not live in the disaster area or suffer any such losses. Specifically, Harris falsely claimed that he resided in Lahaina, Hawaii during the Lahaina fires federal disaster in August and September 2023, and that he lost housing and income, suffered medical bills, and lost property when, in fact, did not suffer such losses. Johnson assisted the fraudulent claim by posing as Harris’s Maui landlord. The indictment also alleges that in January 2025, Johnson falsely claimed to live in Pacific Palisades, California during the California fires federal disaster and claimed lost housing and other expenses. The indictment alleges that, together, Harris and Johnson received over $60,000 in disaster relief from FEMA.

    If convicted of the charged offenses, the defendants face up to thirty years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each count.

    The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

    This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security – Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rhode Island Man Admits ATM Theft

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – David Degrasse, age 59, of West Warwick, Rhode Island, pled guilty on Tuesday to interstate transportation of stolen property. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

    Degrasse admitted that in the early morning of April 27, 2023, he sawed into an ATM in a restaurant in Catskill, New York; removed approximately $9,300; and transported that money out of New York.  He also acknowledged that he cut the alarm wires of a convenience store in Hillsdale, New York, and entered the store before abandoning that effort to go to the Catskill restaurant.  Degrasse further admitted he sawed into and stole cash from ATMs in Walden, New York; Pine Plains, New York; Lenox, New York; Concord, Massachusetts; and Bagdad, Kentucky.  Degrasse admitted to stealing a total of more than $55,000 from the ATMs.  As part of his plea, Degrasse has agreed to forfeit the $9,300 from the Catskill theft and pay restitution. 

    Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “David Degrasse’s multi-state crime spree is over. His arrest and prosecution should put an end to his despicable targeting and burglarizing of small businesses.”

    FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Mr. Degrasse’s arrest should send a clear message that the FBI will work diligently with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable any criminal who decides to target our small businesses for their own personal gain.”

    NYSP Superintendent Steven G. James stated: “This case demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement to hold individuals accountable who prey on small businesses and violate the safety of our communities. I commend the work of our Troopers and Investigators, along with our federal partners at the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, for their efforts in bringing this case to a successful resolution.”

    At sentencing, Degrasse, who is in custody, faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

    The FBI and NYSP investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to More than 55 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FAYETTEVILLE – The final member of a Northwest Arkansas drug trafficking organization was sentenced to federal prison for crimes related to the distribution of fentanyl. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

    According to court documents, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initiated an investigation into a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing fentanyl pills in Fayetteville and Fort Smith from January to September of 2024. Investigators identified Salvador Caracena-Zarates as a distributer of methamphetamine and the leader and source of supply for fentanyl being distributed by Rafael Norwood, Christopher Howes, and Alonzo Releford. The pills distributed by this group contained fentanyl made or pressed to look like M-30 Oxycontin prescription pills.

    Those members of the drug trafficking organization indicted federally have been sentenced as follows:

    Salvador Fautino Caracena-Zarates, Jr. a/k/a “Doe”: age 42, Fort Smith, Arkansas – Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine– 300 months imprisonment and 4-year term of supervised release.

    Rafael Deaundra Norwood, Sr.: age 40, Fayetteville, Arkansas – Aiding and abetting in the distribution of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl– 168 months imprisonment and 3-year term of supervised release.

    Christopher Ray Howes: age 43, Fayetteville, Arkansas – Aiding and abetting in the distribution of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl– 100 months imprisonment and 3-year term of supervised release.

    Alonzo Lee Releford, III: age 23, Fayetteville, Arkansas – Distribution of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl – 100 months imprisonment and 3-year term of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case with assistance by the following agencies:  Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force, Fort Smith Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Benton County Drug Unit, Bentonville Police Department, Fayetteville Police Department, and Arkansas State Police.   

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler Stanley prosecuted the case for the United States.

    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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FEDERAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST PENSACOLA MAN FOR ATTEMPTING TO KILL ESCAMBIA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Darrion K. Finley, 21, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on charges related to a shooting incident in late-2024 during an attempted traffic stop of a reported stolen vehicle. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.

    Finley is scheduled for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida, on July 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.

    The Indictment charges Finley with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Attempting to Kill an Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy to Prevent Certain Communications, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

    If convicted, Finley faces up to life imprisonment.  

    The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton.

    An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kilo Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl throughout Eastern North Carolina. Joshua Vines, 40, admitted to conspiring to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and pleaded guilty earlier this year.

    According to court records and evidence presented at sentencing, on October 25, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents were conducting surveillance on a vehicle registered to co-defendant Nigel Gray. They observed the car parked outside a Dollar General in Elizabeth City, where a passenger and co-defendant, Omar Cardenas, exited and got into another vehicle. Both cars then left the area.

    Law enforcement later stopped the vehicle, driven by Vines, in Nashville, NC. During the stop, Vines contacted Gray by phone to ask for the car’s registration information. A trained K-9 alerted to the vehicle, prompting a search. Inside, officers found approximately 30,000 pills containing fentanyl or para-fluorofentanyl, with a combined weight of 1.5 kilograms, along with an additional kilogram of fentanyl powder. Vines had texted Gray that they were being detained and requested consent to search the vehicle. The group had planned to distribute the drugs in the Raleigh area.

    Gray and Cardenas have already been sentenced in federal court for their roles in the conspiracy.

    Vines has prior felony convictions for discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle, trafficking heroin, and trafficking cocaine by transportation.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. HSI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, the Raleigh Police Department, the Nashville Police Department, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Severo and Katherine Englander prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-00076.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Law Enforcement Recovers Over $6 Million in Forfeited Assets From Miami Couple Sentenced to Nine- and Three-Year Prison Terms for Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracies

    Source: US FBI

    MIAMI – On July 10, 2025, Magaly Travieso, 54, of Miami, Fla., was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and Yudorki Ramirez, 53, of Miami, Fla., was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    Travieso was an advanced practitioner registered nurse and the owner of ProMed Healthcare, L.L.C., a medical clinic that purportedly provided back and shoulder braces, physical therapy, psychosocial rehabilitation, and other mental health therapy services to beneficiaries with commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage Plans, and to Medicaid recipients. From approximately March 2019 through at least January 2023, Travieso conspired with others to submit over $20 million in fraudulent claims for reimbursement, of which ProMed received over $10 million.

    Specifically, Travieso and her co-conspirators paid patients illegal kickbacks and fabricated medical records to substantiate thousands of insurance claims for medically unnecessary goods and services—and services that ProMed never even provided. For example, Travieso and other ProMed mental health counselors completed progress notes for “psychosocial rehabilitation” (“PSR”) with fabricated stock quotes of PSR patients that they copied throughout records of dozens of different elderly patients. ProMed’s medical records even copied the typos in those fabricated quotes. Travieso and others’ PSR progress notes not only copied participant responses, the notes also fabricated observations, results, and other medical notations.

    Once ProMed’s health care fraud proceeds were deposited into ProMed’s bank accounts, Travieso and her former spouse, Ramirez, used the fraud proceeds for their personal use and benefit.  For example, Travieso spent approximately $75,000 in proceeds on the purchase of a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover in the name of ProMed and approximately $750,000 in proceeds on the purchase of her residence in Miami, Florida.  Similarly, Ramirez spent approximately $141,923.02 of proceeds on the purchase of his residence in Miami.  Ramirez also laundered approximately $2,068,904.55 of health care fraud proceeds into his investment accounts.  In June 2024, pursuant to seizure warrants, law enforcement seized Travieso’s Range Rover and over $4 million in health care fraud proceeds from bank accounts belonging to Travieso and Ramirez. Since then, law enforcement has recovered over $2 million in additional forfeited assets, and the Court ordered Travieso and Ramirez to pay millions more to the Government and the victims.

    Hayden P. O’Byrne, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Miami Field Office, Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Lynch of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for the Florida Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Florida Office of the Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Egozi prosecuted the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster handled asset forfeiture.

    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 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 25-CR-20074-KMM.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Solodev Achieves Latest AWS Government Competency, Powering Citizen Experiences with AI and Cloud Innovation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Solodev, the AI Content Management Platform for AWS, announced today that it has achieved the latest Amazon Web Services (AWS) Government Competency, with validated specializations in Citizen Services and Public Safety. The announcement follows the recent launch of Solodev Public Sector, a cloud-first platform built for government agencies and community infrastructure that serves citizens with AI and cloud technologies to help ensure mission-critical uptime and compliance.

    Solodev was recognized at the AWS Public Sector Summit in Washington, DC, in June, alongside a select group of partners—including Accenture, Datadog, Okta, and other leading technology vendors—for delivering secure, scalable, and innovative solutions to government agencies.

    The achievement of this latest AWS Government Competency marks a significant milestone for Solodev. The recognition validates continued leadership and expertise in supporting AI and cloud solutions across the public sector, helping agencies modernize infrastructure, shift from capital expenditure (CapEx) to operational expenditure (OpEx), and deliver next-generation citizen experiences.

    The timing is critical. According to industry research, by 2030, a significant portion of government operations is expected to be cloud-based, with the global cloud computing market projected to reach $1.614 trillion. Agencies are migrating legacy workloads and designing new, cloud-native applications to meet public demand. As such, governments require the best products and services to make their AI and cloud journey successful.

    With its cloud-native platform and API-first content management capabilities, Solodev enables governments to evolve beyond static websites into fully composable digital experiences. Through integrations with AI-powered tools, Solodev empowers agencies to automate service delivery, support citizens through intelligent AI assistants, and deliver dynamic content across channels and devices. These capabilities are essential as digital services become the front line of citizen engagement.

    Solodev’s specializations within the AWS Government Competency include:

    • Citizen Services: Supporting cities, counties, and transportation agencies with secure, scalable solutions for online services, licensing, permitting, and community engagement. Solodev helps organizations reduce infrastructure complexity and rapidly deploy cloud-first experiences that meet the needs of today’s digital citizens – including AI-powered search and chat that makes it easier to seek accurate answers via a secure, scalable, fully-automated UX.
    • Public Safety: Delivering resilient, mission-critical websites and communication tools for sheriff’s offices, emergency management agencies, and first responders. With disaster-ready infrastructure built on AWS, Solodev ensures the public has uninterrupted access to vital information during hurricanes, wildfires, and other emergencies.

    “This recognition is more than a milestone—it’s a mandate,” said Shawn Moore, CTO of Solodev. “Government agencies are under increasing pressure to innovate and respond faster, especially in areas like public safety and citizen engagement. With AWS, we’re helping our customers build that future with cutting-edge technologies like AI—securely, reliably, and at scale. Above all, it’s about trust. Citizens expect it, and we’re proud to help government deliver on it.”

    Solodev supports public sector organizations with a marketplace of apps and services, helping government agencies tap the power of AI, cloud, blockchain, and more. With a majority of organizations adding AI to their stacks, Solodev is currently deploying easy-to-use apps and AI agents powered by AWS and Amazon Bedrock, including:

    • AI Site Search
    • AI Enterprise Chat
    • AI App Copilot with HTML Vision™

    For public sector CIOs, CTOs, and digital leaders interested in testing these AI services on their websites, Solodev offers a three-month AI pilot project for government agencies. To get started, click here.

    For more information about Solodev’s public sector solutions, visit www.solodev.com/public-sector.

    About Solodev

    Solodev helps developers and organizations around the globe build amazing customer experiences, from code to cloud. The Solodev Platform provides the most complete ecosystem for developing apps and launching brands powered by cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies, reinforced by world-class consulting, training, managed services, and 24/7 human support. An Amazon Web Services Advanced Technology Partner, Solodev has achieved AWS competencies in Government, Education, and Advertising & Marketing Technology. Solodev products and services can be purchased at www.solodev.com or in the AWS Marketplace.

    For media inquiries:
    Matt Garrepy
    press@solodev.com

    For sales inquiries:
    Jonathan Morgan
    sales@solodev.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Merck Foundation CEO, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, emphasizes the transformative power of creativity in driving social change on the occasion of World Art Day 2025

    Source: APO

    Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks ‘World Art Day 2025’ through their Pan African ‘Art and Fashion with Purpose’ Community, established by Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation. Through this dynamic community, Dr. Kelej continues to raise awareness on critical health and social issues while empowering artists across Africa and beyond to use their creativity as a powerful tool for advocacy, education, and fostering a cultural shift within their communities.

    Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and One of 100 Most Influential Africans 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 emphasized, “I am delighted to mark ‘World Art Day 2025’ as I strongly believe that art, fashion, and media hold immense power in raising awareness and addressing critical social and health issues—ultimately creating a culture shift in the communities. Art and fashion, to me, go far beyond aesthetics or entertainment, they serve as meaningful tools for education and advocacy. With this vision, we have launched many initiatives including our first-ever pan-African TV program, Our Africa by Merck Foundation, which uniquely highlights pressing issues across the continent through the voices of our ‘Fashion and Art with Purpose’ community. Through this one-of-a-kind show and our other unique initiatives, we continue to raise awareness about critical social issues such as Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation, Stopping Gender-Based Violence, Women’s Empowerment, and also about health issues like diabetes, hypertension, and much more.”

    ‘Our Africa by Merck Foundation’ is a pan African TV program that is conceptualized, produced, directed, and co-hosted by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation to feature African Fashion Designers, Singers, and prominent experts from various domains with the aim to raise awareness and create a culture shift across Africa. The program has captured the attention and hearts of millions of viewers across Africa.

    The TV program has been broadcasted on prime TV stations of many countries like KTN HOME (Kenya), GH One & TV3 (Ghana), NTV (Uganda), BTV (Botswana) Mashariki TV (Burundi), QTV (The Gambia), KTN (Kenya), LNTV (Liberia), Mibawa TV (Malawi), Deffi Media (Mauritius), AYV (Sierra Leone), NTV (Uganda), ZNBC (Zambia), ZTN (Zimbabwe), NTV (Namibia) and more.

    “Our Africa” TV Program is currently on social media handles of Social Media handles of Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/46RQTdN), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4lTPOXP), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/4kMZJNc) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/44STkKp)] and Merck Foundation [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/3GvgIG0), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/46Az9nl), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/4eTMSYd) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4o1OJ1A)].

    Watch the Promo of the Program here: https://apo-opa.co/4nXnAMX

    Beyond Our Africa TV Program, Merck Foundation in partnership with The First Ladies of Africa announces annually 8 important Awards, under two themes, for Media, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers and Musicians/ Singers, and potential young African talents in these fields. The themes of the two categories of awards are: 1) Breaking Infertility Stigma, Support Girls’ Education, End Child Marriage, End FGM, Stopping GBV and/ or Women Empowerment at all levels and 2) promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension. The 2025 editions were announced during the 11th edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary held in Tanzania in October 2024.

    Dr. Kelej emphasized, “It is very well known that Africa’s creativity reflects its rich heritage, expressed in the form of art, fabrics, music, and storytelling and is carried forward through generations. Hence, we launch these awards annually, with my dear sisters, the African First Ladies who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”. Through our Awards, we aim to inspire the continent’s youth to use their innate talents to address our important and critical social and health issues, by raising awareness through their creative work at all levels.”

    Entries for the Awards can be sent to: submit@merck-foundation.com

    Also, as a part of the Community Awareness Programs, Merck Foundation has created over 30 songs with many African Artists, in English, French, Portuguese and also local African languages to address critical issues like breaking infertility stigma, empowering women, supporting girl education, ending child marriage, diabetes awareness, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and more.

    Merck Foundation in partnership with The First Ladies of Africa has also launched 8 Children’s Storybooks in three languages: English, French and Portuguese. Additionally, Merck Foundation has adapted these storybooks to create interesting animation films with the purpose of reaching out to the communities to raise awareness on the important issues with an aim of instilling change at grassroot levels.

    To listen to the Merck Foundation songs, read Merck Foundation storybooks and watch Merck Foundation animation films, click on the below links:  

    https://apo-opa.co/44Q8BvC

    https://apo-opa.co/46iSl90 

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.

    Contact:
    Mehak Handa
    Community Awareness Program Manager 
    Phone: +91 9310087613/ +91 9319606669
    Email: mehak.handa@external.merckgroup.com

    Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard!
    Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/3GvgIG0
    X: https://apo-opa.co/4eTMSYd
    YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/4o1OJ1A
    Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/46Az9nl
    Threads: https://apo-opa.co/44Dc6H2
    Flickr: https://apo-opa.co/44USpcs
    Website: www.Merck-Foundation.com
    Download Merck Foundation App: https://apo-opa.co/3GwUMKD

    About Merck Foundation:
    The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare & scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website.  Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/3GvgIG0), X (https://apo-opa.co/4eTMSYd), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/46Az9nl), YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4o1OJ1A), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/44Dc6H2) and Flickr (https://apo-opa.co/44USpcs).

    The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support any political activities, elections, or regimes, focusing solely on its mission to elevate humanity and enhance well-being while maintaining a strict non-political stance in all of its endeavors.

    Media files

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    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS observed by NSF-funded Gemini North telescope

    Source: US Government research organizations

    Astronomers capture imagery of this interstellar object — the third such object ever discovered — as it zooms through the solar system

    Using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have captured an image of comet 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object that was first detected on July 1, 2025, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) for which the comet was named. The letter “I” means “interstellar,” and “3” indicates it is only the third object from another star system ever observed. The observations will help scientists study the characteristics of this rare object’s origin, orbit and composition.

    Gemini North is in Hawaii and is one half of the International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The imagery reveals the comet’s compact coma — a cloud of gas and dust surrounding its icy nucleus.

    “The sensitivity and scheduling agility of the International Gemini Observatory has provided critical early characterization of this interstellar wanderer,” says Martin Still, NSF program director for the International Gemini Observatory. “We look forward to a bounty of new data and insights as this object warms itself on sunlight before continuing its cold, dark journey between the stars.”

    Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech (IfA/U. Hawaii)/Image Processing: Jen Miller & Mahdi Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

    Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is captured in this image by the NSF-funded Gemini North telescope. The image shows the comet’s compact coma — a cloud of gas and dust surrounding its icy nucleus.

    Ranging from tens of meters to a few kilometers in size, interstellar objects are pieces of cosmic debris left over from the formation of their host star’s planetary systems. As these remnants orbit their star, the gravity of nearby larger planets and passing nearby stars can launch them out of their home systems and into interstellar space, where they can cross paths with other solar systems, including ours.

    These visitors from faraway regions of the cosmos are valuable objects to study since they offer a tangible connection to other star systems. They carry information about the chemical elements that were present when and where they formed, which gives scientists insight into how planetary systems form at distant stars throughout our galaxy’s history, including stars that have since died out.

    Although 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object ever discovered, the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by NSF and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, is expected to capture millions of objects moving throughout our solar system when it begins operations later this year. By repeatedly scanning the entire southern hemisphere sky every few nights, NSF–DOE Rubin will capture an unpredictable number of never-before-seen interstellar objects.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NSF releases USAP SAHCS findings report

    Source: US Government research organizations

    The U.S. National Science Foundation released the first Sexual Assault and Harassment Climate Survey (SAHCS) findings report for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP).

    Results from the survey help expand agency understanding of sexual assault and harassment, bystander experience, as well as workplace satisfaction and cultural norms within the USAP community, and will inform NSF decisions and policies.

    “NSF is committed to fostering and maintaining a culture free from sexual violence and harassment throughout the United States Antarctic Program,” said Special Assistant to the Director for SAHPR Renée Ferranti. “I’m grateful to those who participated in the survey, giving NSF a stronger understanding of how to build an environment where every member of the Antarctic community feels safe and supported.”

    NSF will use the survey data as a baseline program metric and intends to provide SAHCS to USAP community members periodically. The results of the USAP SAHCS will help NSF to understand the incidence and prevalence of sexual misconduct in the USAP and to gather baseline data on sexual assault and sexual harassment and bystander experience, as well as workplace satisfaction and cultural norms data within the community so NSF can continue to improve ongoing prevention and response efforts.

    In addition to the SAHCS, NSF implemented several new actions and policies following the release of a 2022 NSF-commissioned report focused on the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in Antarctica. Some of those changes include the implementation of a helpline, new policies and programs addressing sexual assault and harassment, enhanced security measures on the station, additional presence of the NSF Office of Inspector General personnel on the station, as well as additional communication, resources and training.

    The survey is managed by the NSF Sexual Assault and Harassment Prevention and Response (NSF SAHPR) program office in coordination with the NSF Office of Polar Programs. NSF SAHPR coordinates prevention efforts and supports individuals who have experienced sexual violence and ensures the sensitive and comprehensive care of survivors.

    Additional information regarding the USAP SAHCS is available at USAP Sexual Assault and Harassment Climate Survey.

    Information regarding sexual assault and harassment prevention and response in the U.S. Antarctic Program is available at Sexual Assault and Harassment Prevention and Response Program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Britain’s ban on lead ammunition could save tens of thousands of birds from poisoning

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Deborah Pain, Visiting Academic, University of Cambridge; Honorary Professor, University of East Anglia, University of Cambridge

    CHUYKO SERGEY/Shutterstock

    The UK’s environment minister Emma Hardy has announced a ban on toxic lead ammunition to protect Britain’s countryside. This ban includes the sale and use for hunting of both lead shotgun ammunition (each cartridge of which contains hundreds of small lead pellets called “shot”), used mainly for hunting small game animals like gamebirds, and large calibre lead bullets, used for hunting large game animals like deer.

    This is great news for Britain’s birds because the ban will eventually prevent the deaths and suffering of the vast numbers affected by lead poisoning each year after ingesting lead from ammunition.

    Most shot fired do not hit their targets and thousands of tonnes of lead shot are scattered in the environment every year.

    Waterbirds and land-based gamebirds mistakenly eat these because they look like food or the grit they ingest to help grind up their food. Shot are retained in their gizzards (a muscular part of the stomach), ground up, and the lead dissolved and absorbed into the bloodstream.

    Lead poisoning kills an estimated 50,000-100,000 waterbirds annually in the UK. These birds suffer considerably before they die. Many more birds are poisoned, but not killed.

    While this additional “sublethal” poisoning does not kill birds directly, they may be more likely to die of other causes. This is because lead poisoning affects the immune system and behaviour.

    Gamebirds will no longer be able to be killed using lead shot under a new ban in Britain.
    AdamEdwards/Shutterstock

    The use of lead shot for hunting waterfowl and over certain wetlands is already banned in England and Wales. It is also banned for shooting over all wetlands in Scotland.

    However, compliance with the regulations in England is only about 30%, and is also low in Scotland, although has not been measured in Wales. This new comprehensive ban should dramatically improve the situation across all habitats throughout Britain.

    Birds of prey, including eagles, common buzzards and red kites ingest lead fragments when they scavenge flesh from animals killed by lead ammunition, or prey on animals wounded by lead ammunition. The acidic conditions in their stomachs help dissolve the lead.

    Our research shows that while fewer birds of prey than waterbirds are estimated to die of lead poisoning, it can have a far greater effect on their populations, especially for species that first breed at a later age, produce fewer young, and would otherwise have higher annual adult survival rates.

    The lead ban will benefit birds that live in Britain permanently or for just part of the year. But it will not entirely solve the problem for migratory species. If lead shot continues to be used elsewhere, these species may still ingest it on migration or on their breeding or wintering grounds.

    Beyond borders

    To protect all species, lead ammunition needs to be replaced by non-lead alternatives everywhere. The use of lead shot is already banned in many wetlands globally. Across the EU, a ban on the use of lead shot in or close to wetlands came into force in February 2023.

    Denmark was the first country to ban lead ammunition across all habitats. In 1996, it banned the use of lead shot and in April 2024, it banned lead bullets. Our research shows that the lead shot ban in Denmark has been very effective, with good levels of compliance.

    Now, Britain is set to become the second country to ban most uses of lead ammunition. This has been made possible by the increasing availability of safe, efficient and affordable non-lead ammunition alternatives, primarily steel shot and copper bullets.

    In February 2025, the European Commission published a draft regulation banning most uses of lead ammunition and fishing weights. This awaits approval under EU processes – if successful, it will represent a major step forward.

    Beyond birds

    Birds are particularly susceptible to the effects of ingested lead from ammunition due to their muscular gizzards and stomach acidity. But it also puts the health of many other animals at risk, including pets and people.

    In the UK, we found average lead concentrations in raw pheasant dog food from three suppliers to be tens of times the legal maximum residue limit for lead in animal feed.

    The UK government based its decision to ban lead ammunition on a report by the Health and Safety Executive which highlighted risks to the health of young children and women of pregnancy age if they frequently eat meat from game hunted with lead ammunition. Children’s developing nervous systems are particularly sensitive to the effects of lead.

    We recently urged the EU’s committee of member states for Reach (the chemicals regulation), the European parliament and council to fully support the European Commission’s proposal to restrict lead ammunition.

    We also encouraged the European Food Safety Authority to recommend that the European Commission set a legal maximum level for lead in game meat marketed for human consumption. This maximum level should be similar to the one already set for meat from most farmed animals.

    Until this happens, and more countries follow suit by banning all use of lead ammunition for hunting, the health of wildlife, domestic animals and vulnerable groups of people will continue to be threatened by the toxic effects of lead from ammunition.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Deborah Pain is an Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia (Biological Sciences) and a Visiting Academic in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. She has been an independent scientist since April 2018. She has received no remuneration for research on lead poisoning since that time, but, along with colleagues, has received funding for the costs of research and chemical analysis from a number of sources, as acknowledged in published papers. She was a member of the UK REACH Independent Scientific Expert Pool (RISEP) and within this the Challenge Panel on Lead in Ammunition and received payment for that work. However, her published research on lead poisoning was independent of that process.

    Rhys Green has received funding for research from several organisations including the RSPB, where he was principal conservation scientist until 2017. He is now retired. He is an unpaid volunteer research scientist at RSPB and Emeritus Honorary Professor of Conservation Science in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. He is a member of the UK REACH Independent Scientific Expert Pool (RISEP), which is an expert group set up by a UK government agency, the Health & Safety Executive. He receives occasional payments for work done on behalf of RISEP. He is on the Board of Trustees of Chester Zoo.

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

    – ref. Britain’s ban on lead ammunition could save tens of thousands of birds from poisoning – https://theconversation.com/britains-ban-on-lead-ammunition-could-save-tens-of-thousands-of-birds-from-poisoning-260958

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Going on holiday? What you need to know about taking your meds with you

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

    YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock

    As summer holidays begin, many travellers are packing more than just swimsuits and sunscreen – for millions, medicines are essential. But taking them abroad isn’t always simple. From legal pitfalls to temperature-sensitive drugs, here’s how to travel safely and legally with your medication.

    Know the law

    Medicines that are legal in the UK can be restricted or even banned in other countries. Having a valid prescription doesn’t guarantee you can take a medicine into another country.

    For example, Nurofen Plus, which contains codeine (an opioid painkiller), is prohibited in countries like Egypt, Indonesia and the UAE.

    Even common cold remedies containing decongestants like pseudoephedrine can land you in trouble in places like Japan and South Korea. This is because pseudoephedrine can be used to make methamphetamine (“speed”). Likewise, many stimulant ADHD drugs are also banned from these countries.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Some countries have restrictions on the amount of medication that you are allowed to bring into the country – usually a maximum of three months supply.

    Travellers often overlook how strict customs regulations can be regarding medications. Even if prescribed for a valid medical reason, carrying a prohibited drug can lead to confiscation (leaving you without essential treatment), fines (especially in countries with tough drug laws) and detention or arrest in rare but serious cases.

    If you’re travelling with certain controlled drugs – such as opioids, stimulants or psychotropic substances – you may need to apply for an export licence from the UK Home Office. This is typically required when carrying a supply of three months or more. Examples of controlled drugs include diazepam (for anxiety and muscle spasms), codeine and morphine (for pain), amphetamines (for ADHD) and temazepam (for insomnia).

    Before you travel, check whether your medicine is affected by any of these restrictions. Use the country’s embassy website or the UK government’s travel advice to check the rules of your destination country.

    This should provide guidance on whether you simply need a copy of your prescription, a doctor’s letter or a special import certificate (some countries require official documentation even for personal use).

    The UK government advises carrying controlled drugs or any drugs that might be restricted in your hand luggage. You should take along a prescription or a signed letter from your doctor detailing your medication, dosage and travel dates.

    Ensure you take sufficient supplies for the duration of your trip and include extras for unexpected delays, damage or loss.

    Even some over-the-counter medicines can fall foul of the law.
    olesea vetrila/Shutterstock.com

    Store your medication properly

    It might be tempting to save space by transferring pills or liquids into smaller containers or pill organisers. While this can be convenient, it’s not always advisable. Customs officials may not recognise unlabelled containers, increasing the chance of delays or confiscation.

    Some medications are sensitive to light, air or temperature, and must remain in their original packaging to stay effective. For example, HRT (hormone replacement therapy) sprays like Lenzetto must not be decanted.

    These products rely on precise metered dosing and specialised packaging to deliver the correct amount of hormone. Transferring them to another container could result in incorrect dosing or loss of potency.

    Similarly, GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) tablets, used to treat angina, should always be stored in their original glass bottle. The active ingredient can evaporate if exposed to air, reducing the tablets’ effectiveness.

    You might be worried about the 100ml liquid in hand luggage restriction – with a doctor’s letter certifying the need for this medicine, you should be able to take larger amounts of liquid medicine through security.

    Medicines should always be kept in their original packaging with labels intact. When in doubt, ask your pharmacist whether your medication can be safely repackaged for travel.

    It’s also important to split your supply of medicines between bags (if more than one is used) in case one is lost. Tablets and capsules can sometimes be placed in a pill organiser for daily use, but always carry the original box or prescription label as backup.

    Some medicines require refrigeration – like Wegovy and Ozempic (semaglutide) injections for weight loss or insulin.

    Usually, unopened Wegovy pens and insulin preparations should be stored between 2°C and 8°C in a fridge. Once out of the fridge, they can be kept at room temperature (up to 25°C) for up to 28 days, but must be protected from heat and sunlight. High temperatures, such as in direct sunlight or a hot car, can damage insulin.

    When travelling, use an insulated travel case or cool pack, but avoid placing pens or other medicines directly next to ice packs to prevent freezing.

    Airlines generally do not provide refrigeration or freezer storage for passenger items, including medicines, due to space and liability concerns, but it’s worth contacting them to see if they can help with arrangements for storage. Inspect insulin for crystals after flying – if any are present, it should be discarded.

    You can bring needles and injectable medicines like EpiPens (for allergies), insulin or Wegovy in your hand luggage. But it’s important to carry a doctor’s note stating your medical condition and the necessity of the medication, and a copy of your prescription.

    You should also declare them at airport security. Security officers may inspect these items separately, so allow for extra time going through security.

    Contact your airline for any specific rules on needles and injectable medicines. Always carry such medicines and medical devices in your hand luggage – checked bags can be lost or exposed to extreme temperatures.

    Don’t skip doses

    Tempting as it may be to leave your medication behind for a short trip, doing so can be risky. Stopping treatment – even temporarily – can lead to relapse or worsening of symptoms (especially for chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension or depression).

    For medicines like antidepressants or opioids, people may start feeling withdrawal effects. You’re also at risk of reduced effectiveness if you miss doses of medicines that require consistent levels in your bloodstream.

    If you’re considering a break from your medication, consult your doctor first. They can advise whether a short pause is safe or help you plan a travel-friendly regimen.

    Take the right documents

    While showing your NHS app to border officials may help demonstrate that a medicine is prescribed to you, it’s not always sufficient – especially when travelling with restricted or controlled drugs and injectable medicines.

    Most countries require a copy of your prescription, and a doctor’s letter confirming the medication is for personal use. Your doctor is not legally obliged to issue this letter, but most will do so upon request.

    It’s best to ask at least one to two weeks in advance, as some practices may charge a fee or require time to prepare the documentation.

    Travelling with medication doesn’t have to be stressful, but it does require planning. With the right preparation, you can enjoy your holiday without compromising your health or running afoul of foreign laws.

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

    – ref. Going on holiday? What you need to know about taking your meds with you – https://theconversation.com/going-on-holiday-what-you-need-to-know-about-taking-your-meds-with-you-261018

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Going on holiday? Here’s how to make sure your trip is sustainable

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sayed Elhoushy, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Queen Mary University of London

    Anna Om/Shutterstock

    With the rise of sustainable tourism (travelling in a way that minimises harm to the environment, and benefits local communities), words such as “sustainable”, “”eco” and “green” appear on countless holiday brochures. From five-star hotels promoting “eco luxury” to airlines pledging to reduce carbon emissions and destinations making various green claims, sustainability is increasingly being used as a marketing tool.

    But with so many green claims floating around, it’s hard to know who is really providing sustainable travel and who is just greenwashing. A recent report shows that 53% of green claims are vague, misleading, or unfounded – and half of all green labels offer weak or non-existent verification.

    So, how can travellers distinguish genuine sustainability from greenwash that exaggerates environmental claims to attract eco-conscious travellers?

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Sustainability certification is a voluntary, third-party assessment that verifies a product, service, or organisation meets certain environmental, social, or ethical standards. These certifications provide a structure to manage, improve and communicate sustainability performance.

    More than 100 sustainable certifications promise that they have vetted tourism businesses so you can have a satisfying and guilt-free holiday.

    Yet, not all certifications are made equal, as our recent research shows. Most certification schemes audit actions taken, rather than assessing how effective these are.

    They assure you that the hotel you are staying in has an environmental policy or that it is progressively reducing some of its negative effects on the environment, but not that their energy or water consumption is well below that of its competitors, for example.

    Choosing a sustainable holiday involves more than just travel to your destination.
    PhotoSunnyDays/Shutterstock

    One major challenge is that consumers are not using these labels to inform their buying decisions. Next time you travel, select businesses certified by an organisation with a proven track record of verification and transparency. There are several things a strong certification should do:

    First, it should be third-party verified. This ensures that the green claims are independently checked.

    Second, it needs specific and clear criteria. Beware of vague sustainability claims, such as “eco-friendly”. Look for certifications that require transparent reporting on performance for specific environmental actions, such as waste management, or responsible sourcing.

    Third, it should go beyond eco-savings. Reducing energy and water consumption saves the hotel money. They should not get a prize for that. Seek evidence of the certification promoting best practice in complex issues like biodiversity conservation and dignity in the workplace.

    Examples of sustainable tourism certifications to keep an eye on include Green Key (the largest label in Europe); B Corp (which measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact); The Long Run (a promoter of nature conservation); and Fair Trade Tourism (a promoter of fair working conditions). These certifications require businesses to undergo regular audits to maintain them.

    In case you are thinking it’s not your responsibility to find out who is any good – you are right. The EU Green Claims Directive (due to be implemented by 2026) is a new legislation that requires companies to prove their environmental claims and labels, and ensure they are credible and trustworthy. This directive recognises the greenwash problem and will require certification to be based on assessment of actual performance – in tourism, and every other sector of the economy. The directive applies to any business anywhere in the world that sells to consumers from the EU. Expect fewer, but more respected and recognisable labels, that reduce consumer confusion.

    Buying locally produced souvenirs supports artisans.
    studiolaska / Shutterstock.com

    Beyond eco-labels

    Certification is only part of the picture. Your next holiday can make a greater contribution to local communities while minimising its harm to the environment. Take the time to consider how your trip can be part of a larger, positive contribution. Here are more ways to ensure that your holiday supports local communities and the environment:

    Make sure you travel shorter and stay longer. Research shows that transport is a major part of the carbon footprint of your trip. Fly less (if at all). Choose flights with lower carbon footprints – various booking sites now tell customers the carbon footprint for each flight at the time of purchase. And stay longer so you spend more locally, for that same flight.



    Read more:
    Five ways to make aviation more sustainable right now

    Choose tour operators that prioritise locally owned and small suppliers. Buy souvenirs that are made locally, and you can only find in that country. Travel slow – soak in where you are. Hike, cycle, use local transport. You will see more of the real place you are in.

    Choose buses and trains over private cars. Rent electric vehicles and select accommodation that provides charging facilities. And enjoy local and seasonal rather than imported food. Eat everything in your plate, rather than create food waste.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

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

    – ref. Going on holiday? Here’s how to make sure your trip is sustainable – https://theconversation.com/going-on-holiday-heres-how-to-make-sure-your-trip-is-sustainable-255037

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Bluetongue outbreak endangers UK livestock – what you need to know about the virus

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cate Williams, Knowledge Exchange Fellow at Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University

    Bluetongue causes illness and death in cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants. Juice Flair/Shutterstock

    A tiny midge, no bigger than a pinhead, is bringing UK farming to its knees. The culprit? A strain of the bluetongue virus that’s never been seen before.

    As of July 1, the whole of England has been classed as an “infected area” due to bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3).

    There are movement restrictions and testing in place in Scotland, Wales and the island of Ireland. No animals from England – or that have passed through England – are allowed to attend this year’s Royal Welsh Show on July 21-24, for example.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The virus, which causes illness and death in sheep, cattle, goats and other ruminants, is spread by biting midges. Although it poses no risk to humans and can’t be transmitted from one animal to another, the latest outbreak is more severe than previous ones. And it could cause lasting damage to UK farming.

    Bluetongue isn’t new to the UK, however. A different strain, BTV-8 was detected in 2007 and contained. But BTV-3 is a different story. First detected in the Netherlands in late 2023, it was quickly spotted in the UK, where an early containment effort initially appeared successful.

    But the virus made a comeback in autumn 2024 – and this time it spread. On its second attempt, the virus was able to circulate and caused an outbreak. With little existing immunity, BTV-3 has now established itself, prompting concerns about animal welfare, food production and farming livelihoods.

    What does the disease do?

    Sheep tend to be the most severely affected, though all ruminants are at risk. Clinical signs are species-specific but can include swelling of the face, congestion, nasal discharge, ulcers in the mouth and nose, difficulty breathing and abortion or birth deformities.

    Bluetongue can cause the animal’s tongue to swell. It can also turn blue from lack of blood flow – although this is somewhat rare.

    Bluetongue disease causes suffering in animals, and while there is a vaccine, there is no treatment for the disease once it’s contracted.

    BTV-3 appears to be more lethal than earlier strains. In the Netherlands, vets report that BTV-3 is causing more severe symptoms than BTV-8 did.

    Vets in England reported that in some herds 25-40% of cows failed to get pregnant, and there was a high rate of birth defects and stillborn calves. One farm in Suffolk started the calving season with 25% of their cows not pregnant and ended with just 48 calves from 97 cows.

    Belgium has seen a fall in calf births, reduced milk deliveries and higher mortality in small ruminants compared to the previous three years.

    How is it spread?

    Bluetongue virus is transmitted by midges from the Culicoides genus. These are tiny, biting insects that thrive in mild, wet conditions.

    Multiple midges can bite the same animal, and it only takes one of them to carry BTV before that animal becomes a host for further transmission. When animals are transported long distances, infected individuals can be bitten again and introduce the virus to previously uninfected midge populations.

    Climate change is making outbreaks like this more likely. Milder winters and cooler, wetter summers are ideal for midges, increasing both their numbers and their biting activity.

    While there’s no danger to human health, the consequences of BTV-3 are far-reaching. Limitations on movement, exports and imports are being imposed to help prevent the spread of the disease, but this could also hamper farming practices and trade.

    The disease and its associated restrictions pose another source of stress for farmers, 95% of whom have ranked mental health as the biggest hidden problem in farming.

    Genetic pick and mix

    One of the reasons bluetongue is so tricky to manage is its ability to evolve. It has a segmented genome, meaning its genetic material, in this case RNA, is split into ten segments. This characteristic is exclusive to “reassortment viruses” and means that they can easily exchange segments of RNA. It’s like a genetic pick and mix with ten different types of sweets that come in an unlimited number of flavours.

    This allows BTV to create new, genetically distinct “serotypes”, which may have a selective advantage or a disadvantage. Those with an advantage will emerge and spread successfully, while those with a disadvantage will not emerge at all. This process, known as “reassortment”, is partly responsible for the numerous influenza pandemics throughout history and has even allowed diseases to jump the species barrier.

    Although bluetongue doesn’t affect humans directly, its spread poses a growing threat to the UK’s livestock sector and food supply. It’s important to learn from other countries that are further along in the BTV-3 outbreak so that the likely effects can be anticipated in the UK.

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

    – ref. Bluetongue outbreak endangers UK livestock – what you need to know about the virus – https://theconversation.com/bluetongue-outbreak-endangers-uk-livestock-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-virus-260229

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Councils join forces to share fostering success in regional podcast special

    Source: City of Derby

    The South West Fostering Podcast has joined forces with Katie Jones, Team Manager at Foster for East Midlands Councils, for a special Regional Fostering Crossover episode, shining a light on how councils can learn from each other to better support foster carers and children.

    In this lively and inspiring conversation, Katie is joined by Carrie, Team Manager for Fostering South West, alongside the South West Assistant Team Manager (ATM) and Communications Lead. Together, they reflect on shared challenges, creative recruitment strategies, and how fostering varies but also unites across regions.

    The episode explores key questions, such as:

    • What’s similar about fostering in different areas?
    • What creative tactics are attracting new foster carers?
    • Why does involving your whole household matter so much?
    • How can we all learn from each other’s successes?

    Katie Jones said:

    Collaborating with the South West team was a fantastic opportunity to share what works well in the East Midlands and to take away fresh ideas from another region. Together, we can make fostering even stronger for children and carers.

    The episode highlights how sharing best practices helps councils improve recruitment strategies, reach more potential carers, and build stronger support networks for foster families.

    Listen to the podcast episode on the Fostering South West YouTube channel or watch below.

    Thinking about fostering?

    The need for foster carers remains high across all regions of the UK. If you’re interested in making a difference in a child’s life and want to foster with your local council, the Foster for East Midlands team is here to guide you.

    Foster for East Midlands Councils is a partnership between Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, and Nottinghamshire County Council, working together to recruit, train, and support foster carers across the region. By fostering with your council, you are fostering for your community — helping children stay close to their schools, friends, and extended families whenever possible.

    If you live in the East Midlands and would like to know more, please get in touch, you can apply online: https://fosterforeastmidlands.org.uk/become-foster-carer/apply-now/, email: info@fosterforeastmidlands.org.uk or call us on 03033 132 950

    Watch below the podcast with South West Council and Foster for East Midlands Councils 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –