NewzIntel.com

    • Checkout Page
    • Contact Us
    • Default Redirect Page
    • Frontpage
    • Home-2
    • Home-3
    • Lost Password
    • Member Login
    • Member LogOut
    • Member TOS Page
    • My Account
    • NewzIntel Alert Control-Panel
    • NewzIntel Latest Reports
    • Post Views Counter
    • Privacy Policy
    • Public Individual Page
    • Register
    • Subscription Plan
    • Thank You Page

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHOTOS: Senator Reverend Warnock Speaks to NPR in Warm Springs on the Legacy of FDR and Our Nation’s Unfinished Work

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    PHOTOS: Senator Reverend Warnock Speaks to NPR in Warm Springs on the Legacy of FDR and Our Nation’s Unfinished Work

    Senator Reverend Warnock was recently in Warm Springs, Georgia to commemorate the 80th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) passing at the “Little White House”
    FDR suffered a stroke while posing for a portrait that remains unfinished to this day and is on display on the Little White House grounds 
    Senator Reverend Warnock gave a keynote speech framed around the unfinished portrait and how it reflects FDR’s unfinished legacy and the unfinished work of our nation 
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “FDR collapsed from a stroke, never got up, and the portrait was never finished. In a real sense, that’s how we live our lives, even at our best, it is an unfinished project, an unfinished portrait. What remained was a loose watercolor sketch of his head and shoulders. It was an unfinished portrait, an unfinished presidential term, an unfinished legacy, and in many ways, the America he fought for remains unfinished. That brush may have stopped mid stroke, but what Roosevelt painted into the fabric of this nation still colors our lives today”
    ICYMI from National Public Radio: 80 years after President Franklin Roosevelt’s death, Trump cuts threaten his legacy
    ICYMI from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia gathers at Little White House on 80th anniversary of FDR’s death
    Above: Like FDR, Senator Reverend Warnock finds himself in good spirits under the Georgia sun in Warm Springs
    Warm Springs, GA – On Saturday, April 12, on the 80th anniversary of the passing of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) journeyed to the late president’s Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia to deliver a keynote address honoring the unfinished legacy of FDR and the unfinished work of creating opportunities for all Americans to thrive regardless of their race, age, creed, or station in life. Ahead of his remarks, Senator Warnock saw FDR’s infamous “unfinished portrait”, a watercolor painting the 32nd president was posing for when he suffered a stroke, which he eventually succumbed to on April 12, 1945. In his remarks, Senator Warnock evoked the unfinished portrait and how it resembles the unfinished legacy and mission of FDR in creating economic, social, and political opportunity for all Americans.
    “FDR collapsed from a stroke, never got up, and the portrait was never finished. In a real sense, that’s how we live our lives, even at our best, it is an unfinished project, an unfinished portrait. What remained was a loose watercolor sketch of his head and shoulders. It was an unfinished portrait, an unfinished presidential term, an unfinished legacy, and in many ways, the America he fought for remains unfinished. That brush may have stopped mid stroke, but what Roosevelt painted into the fabric of this nation still colors our lives today,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.  

    Above: Senator Reverend Warnock with FDR’s infamous unfinished portrait in Warm Springs
    “What [FDR] accomplished was extraordinary, and much of it was inspired by the spirit of Georgia, warmed up by these Warm Springs in which he drew inspiration and motivation that he needed to rebuild an anguished nation. Over the years, after making his first journey here in 1924, President Roosevelt saw the South’s struggling economy, he saw the many challenges of our state. He saw the lack of educational opportunities. He saw the lack of electricity and family farms being foreclosed. He saw poverty and disease, both in a literal sense and in a spiritual sense. And he saw the impact of that in Georgia and on our nation. He saw a lack of good paying jobs, creating a crisis for the economy and, more importantly, a crisis in the human soul. So, as FDR came down to Warm Springs for his own healing. He saw the healing that needed to be done. You can’t lead the people unless you love the people. And in order to love the people, you got to walk with the people,” said Senator Reverend Warnock in his keynote speech.

    Above: Senator Reverend Warnock signs the VIP guest book at the Little White House
    “So the mission continues, the work still lies ahead. We must not give in to those who are trying to weaponize fear. FDR said, ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Now, like all of you, I grew up hearing that, and I must admit that since I’ve been hearing it all my life, it was just, you know, something people say. ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ It’s one of those things that’s so deep in the culture you hear it without really hearing. I’m not so sure I knew what Roosevelt meant until late, because in this moment in our lives, there are those in high office who are trying to weaponize fear. There are those in high office who want us to be afraid of one another. Want white people to be afraid of Black people, and Black people to be afraid of brown people, want the young to resent the old and the old to forget about the young. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Translation, if there’s anybody to be afraid of, we ought to be afraid of the politicians who want us to be afraid of one another. We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” Senator Reverend Warnock continued.
    Following his remarks, Senator Warnock toured the Little White House where FDR was posing for the unfinished portrait. The senator surveyed the bedroom where the late president eventually succumbed to his stroke, leaving behind a nation in recovery from the Great Depression and on a path to victory in World War II. Senator Warnock also viewed the nearby pools where FDR found some relief in his battle with polio. 
    A transcript of Senator Warnock’s speech can be found below (lightly edited for clarity):
    I want to recognize all the elected officials in the house, those who serve, those who have served, and those who seek to serve, stand up, all of you.
    Thank you so very much, it’s wonderful to be here. I also want to recognize the Friends of the Little White House, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for organizing this great event. My church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, has also supported our historic sanctuary through the work of the fine men and women of the park service and those who support that work, so I understand a little bit about what it takes to maintain a facility like this. Thank you for your service in preserving the beauty, history, and the culture of our great state. Give them a great big round of applause.
    80 years ago today, April 12, 1945, was described as a sunny spring day here in Warm Springs. A president weary from war was now in good spirits under the Georgia sun. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was no doubt looking ahead to the world that would rise from the ashes and a country still climbing towards its highest ideals. Back in his little white pine cottage that afternoon, the president was posing for a portrait as an artist was attempting to capture a giant. Some have said a picture is worth a thousand words. But as fate would have it, the man who had helped save democracy at home and around the world collapsed from a stroke. 
    He succumbed to what William Cullen Bryant called that mysterious realm where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death. Martin Luther King Jr., who reminded us that death is not an aristocracy for some, but a democracy for all. Each of us comes to that moment, the rich and the poor, those who sit high, those who sit low. Death, as Doctor King said, is life’s common denominator. We might want to think about what we want to make of our lives. 
    FDR collapsed from a stroke, never got up, and the portrait was never finished. In a real sense, that’s how we live our lives, even at our best, it is an unfinished project, an unfinished portrait. What remained was a loose watercolor sketch of his head and shoulders. It was an unfinished portrait, an unfinished presidential term, an unfinished legacy, and in many ways, the America he fought for remains unfinished. That brush may have stopped mid stroke, but what Roosevelt painted into the fabric of this nation still colors our lives today. An unfinished legacy, unfinished presidential term, unfinished portrait; so much wisdom and poetry, even in how he left us. 
    I submit that your life’s project ought to be longer than your lifespan. If you can finish your life’s project in your lifespan, then your imagination is too small, and your vision of what we can become and who we are together has yet to mature. FDR understood that. He poured himself out, a term as a pastor we use especially this time of the year, during the season of Lent, during the season of Passover, that the one in whose name you and I preach on Sunday morning submitted to what theologians called kenosis. He literally poured himself out. That’s what servant leadership looks like. Pouring yourself out for others, and in so doing, what he was able to accomplish was extraordinary, because FDR, for all his pain, he was never focused on himself. The way to find yourself is to give yourself over to something bigger than yourself, and then you might find yourself.
    What he accomplished was extraordinary, and much of it was inspired by the spirit of Georgia, warmed up by these Warm Springs in which he drew inspiration and motivation that he needed to rebuild an anguished nation. Over the years, after making his first journey here in 1924, President Roosevelt saw the South’s struggling economy, he saw the many challenges of our state. He saw the lack of educational opportunities. He saw the lack of electricity and family farms being foreclosed. He saw poverty and disease, both in a literal sense and in a spiritual sense. And he saw the impact of that in Georgia and on our nation. He saw a lack of good paying jobs, creating a crisis for the economy and, more importantly, a crisis in the human soul. So, as FDR came down to Warm Springs for his own healing. He saw the healing that needed to be done. You can’t lead the people unless you love the people. And in order to love the people, you got to walk with the people. 
    People called to serve must be willing to walk with you, even as we work for you. So he drew inspiration and insight from being in these spaces and in these places. Struggling with polio, so much to learn about his life. I’m inspired and amazed, quite honestly, so many layers, struggling with polio. Polio, by the way, a disease that we’ve pushed back through the insights of doctors and others. Now, because of the success of those vaccines, we have an anti-vaccine movement. Privilege as a way of blinding. The reason we can have an anti-vaccine movement is because the vaccines work. Almost nobody remembers what polio looked like. So, all of a sudden, we become really profound indeed. I digress. Thank God for science; my faith has no quarrel with science. 
    He came here for his own healing. Somehow, being here, he was able to transform his pain into power, suffering in the sacrifice, sacrifice into salvation for others who suffer. We now live in his legacy–all of us. Social Security. Prior to FDR, for most people, when you got old, it was a sentence into poverty. Sometimes it’s easy to attack things because you don’t remember what it was like before we had it. Social Security was important then, it’s important now, and I’m going to stand up and defend it. Pathways to homeownership, minimum wage jobs, unemployment insurance, all of that, FDR. Rural electrification, job programs that build bridges and roads and restored dignity to families who had lost everything. He did more in a wheelchair than most presidents ever imagined doing sitting in an Oval Office. These weren’t just policies. These were promises aimed at restoring the dignity of work, being able to provide for your family. They represented the belief that the public servants working towards a common cause could be a force for good in people’s lives.
    Between 1933 and 1940, the New Deal brought $250 million to Georgia and established agencies that offered a broad range of public works programs, including the construction of libraries, roads, schools, parks, hospitals, airports, and housing, because he understood that infrastructure is the common space that we share with one another. It is the covenant that we have with one another. Broken roads and broken bridges are indicative of a broken people. In the wealthiest nation on the planet, a broken commitment to the house that we live in together.
    Perhaps no issue greater reflects Warm Springs’ impact on FDR’s policies than rural electricity. Georgia farmers and Georgia families were hit especially hard by the Great Depression. Their recovery was slowed by the high cost of electricity, which was only used in 10% of rural homes in 1935. Electric companies were simply not willing to string miles of wire to rural communities, so those people had to go without. Too often rural communities are invisible to people in power. FDR saw rural communities. One of the great characteristics of leadership is just the ability to see you.
    And it is here that he was motivated to start the Rural Electrification Administration, an effort designed to bring electric power to rural areas at reasonable rates. Roosevelt cemented the connection by signing the electrification bill into law right here at the Little White House, where his first electric bill in this little house was four times greater than that of his home in New York. Somebody needed to fix that. He got busy doing it. This improved the quality of life and productivity for small farms. And Roosevelt did not stop there. He implemented policies to improve soil health and prevent erosion, provide farmers with loans to move to improved farms, and helped raise long depressed cotton prices. He understood that when you center the people rather than the politics, you have a shot at getting the policy right.
    For many of these rural Georgians the federal government felt like some distant entity, long distance from where they actually live. Like so many people today, they looked at what was going on in Washington, they asked themselves, what in the heck does that have to do with me? The New Deal answered that question; the New Deal provided federal investments that they could see directly benefiting their local communities. The policy showed up where they actually live, and it offered people the hope they needed for a resilient nation to believe that their best days were ahead of them and not behind them.
    He believed in the future, and not in some imaginary vision of who we used to be. He sought simply to make America great–period. Make it great not by moving backwards, but by moving forward. I stand in awe of this man. Where did he get such imagination, such grit, such determination, such love of the people–all the people. Moral courage. It makes you stand up, no matter what it looks like at the moment. Perhaps, here is the answer. He said, while suffering from polio, “When you have spent two years in bed trying to wiggle your big toe, everything else seems easy.” 
    He transformed his pain into power, suffering into sacrifice, and sacrifice into salvation for those who suffer. Now, it’s important to note, if we would be honest, that while the New Deal transformed America, there was still a whole lot more work to be done. This was still 1940s America. There were those who still suffer in our nation’s complicated story and still ran up against the reality of deep-seated discrimination. My own father, born in 1917, I had an older father, served for about a year, one year in the Army during World War II, all stateside. One day, he was headed home on a bus in the soldier’s uniform, and my father had to give up his bus seat because the bus driver saw a young, white teenager, and the man with a family and a soldier’s uniform had to give up his seat to a teenager. My dad had to give up his bus seat, but his son now sits in a Senate seat.
    I thank God for Roosevelt’s New Deal, but my people still had a raw deal. My dad never became bitter. He believed in the future. Dr King, and those who marched alongside him, stood up and pushed the country closer to its ideals. An unfinished portrait–that’s what America is, and we have to keep painting. We have to keep adding colors and hues and nuances in order to understand what this country is all about. He was informed. He was inspired by Warm Springs. But we dare not leave this place today without mentioning somebody else. Her name was Eleanor. By every great man is a smarter woman. Brilliant and courageous in her own right.
    Today in the United States Senate, I see my work as a continuation of that great patriot and so many others who tried to make America great. That is why, since entering the Senate in 2021, I have fought to expand access to affordable health care, because health care is a human right, and it is certainly something that the wealthiest nation on the planet can provide for all of its citizens, and oh, by the way, Georgia needs to expand Medicaid. I have fought to strengthen our democracy, to widen the pathways to quality education and good paying jobs. It’s good public policy, but it’s also the right thing to do. That’s right. A budget is not just a fiscal document, it’s a moral document. Show me your budget, and I’ll show you who you think matters. As I look at this budget, some of my colleagues are trying to push through the Congress right now, it passed the Senate, has now passed the House, a budget that will cut perhaps as much as $800 billion for Medicaid that would leave Social Security struggling. Forget the fact that 71% of the people on Medicaid in Georgia are children. I look at that kind of budget, I have to say that if that budget were an EKG, it would suggest that some of my colleagues have a heart problem, and they are in need of moral surgery.
    So let’s make sure everybody has access to health care. That’s why I was pleased to be able to write a law to cap the cost of insulin for seniors to no more than $35 out of pocket per month. We ought to expand the Child Tax Credit. When we did it in 2021, we cut child poverty by more than 40%. Listen to me. Poverty is violence. It is violence against the human spirit and child poverty is trauma, and what’s extraordinary is that poor children do as well as they do. You can literally see in the brain the impact that poverty has on the brain of a young child. So as I stand here, I can’t forget about the fact that long before I was a United States Senator, I was a kid in Head Start. Grew up in public housing. Head Start, a good public policy, exposed me to literacy and reading and gave me a love of learning. Then I went to high school, and someone put me in an Upward Bound program and put me on a college campus so I can imagine that I could be in college and at a university, that I could study and grow. And with grit and determination, I went to Morehouse College. I didn’t have enough money to go. I often say I went to college on a full faith scholarship. I did not have enough money for my first semester. 
    But through hard work, some of my friends and classmates are here, through hard work, hope, and grit and determination, I was able to graduate from Morehouse College. Yes, I believe in personal initiative. Yes, I believe in personal responsibility. Yes, I believe you have to stay up late and burn the midnight oil. You got to do the work. But guess what? I did the work, but somebody still gave me a Pell Grant and some low interest student loans. You can pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, but you still need a path to get to where you’re trying to go, and that’s what good public policy can do. It gives ordinary people a chance to make the best out of their life. So we have to stand up for ordinary people. We have to stand up for farmers in this moment. Farmers are an answer to a prayer. They are literally an answer to a prayer that all of us pray. Many of us every night, give us this day, our daily bread. 
    So the mission continues, the work still lies ahead. We must not give in to those who are trying to weaponize fear. FDR said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Now, like all of you, I grew up hearing that, and I must admit, Brother Luke, that since I’ve been hearing it all my life, it was just, you know, something people say. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. It’s one of those things that’s so deep in the culture you hear it without really hearing. I’m not so sure I knew what Roosevelt meant until late, because in this moment in our lives, there are those in high office who are trying to weaponize fear. There are those in high office who want us to be afraid of one another. Want white people to be afraid of Black people, and Black people to be afraid of brown people, want the young to resent the old and the old to forget about the young. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Translation, if there’s anybody to be afraid of, we ought to be afraid of the politicians who want us to be afraid of one another. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. The Bible tells us that perfect love [inaudible]. It takes courage to love, and justice is what love looks like in public. 
    So we remember 80 years ago today, his life was poetry, and so was his death. It must have been heartbreaking in that moment, something elegant about the way he left us. We find ourselves when we give ourselves over to something bigger than ourselves. There he was struggling with polio, trying to stand again, struggling against paralysis. Today, America is struggling to stand. We’re paralyzed today, not by polio, but by polarization. FDR never found the strength after he failed that day to stand up. He always found strength when he tried to stand up for somebody else. Perhaps that’s the lesson in this moment, these dark and difficult days, and these days of fear and polarization, and these days of tariffs–and we don’t know what the economy is going to bring tomorrow. Perhaps the lesson is that we learn to stand. When we stand up to somebody else. So stand up for children, stand up for our young people, stand up for women, stand up for the poor and the marginalized. Stand up for all of us. Stand up for
    what America can be. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Expand Childcare Relief 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senator Reverend Warnock, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Expand Childcare Relief 

    The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act permanently expands childcare tax credits to alleviate childcare costs for working families
    Senator Reverend Warnock has long been a champion for providing tax cuts to working families
    Last week, Senator Reverend Warnock introduced the American Family Act, which would nearly double the Child Tax Credit (CTC) 
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act will help parents and caregivers afford caretaking costs in a time when margins are tight for many families across the country. Tax cuts should go to hardworking Americans, not the wealthiest people in the nation”
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced legislation to help more working families cover the rising cost of childcare by increasing the childcare tax credit.
    The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would permanently expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). This bill would help ease the burden of high childcare costs on working families by increasing the maximum tax credit to $4,000 per child, allowing families to receive up to $8,000 in tax credits to offset up to $16,000 in expenses. It would also make the credit refundable to ensure low-income working families can benefit. The credit would also be indexed to inflation to retain its value over time.
    The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would:
    Increase the maximum credit amount to $4,000 per child, allowing families to receive up to $8,000 in tax credits to offset up to $16,000 in expenses;
    Automatically adjust it to keep pace with inflation;
    Save money by phasing out the credit for families making more than $400,000; and
    Ensure low-income families can benefit from the tax credit by making it refundable.
    “American families have to deal with hefty expenses when raising a child or caring for a loved one. That’s why the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act is so crucial, especially right now,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “It will help parents and caregivers afford caretaking costs in a time when margins are tight for many families across the country. Tax cuts should go to hardworking Americans, not the wealthiest people in the nation.”
    “I constantly hear from families in Minnesota who are struggling with the high cost of childcare. For some, it rivals mortgages and is even higher than tuition at the University of Minnesota. Families need real relief and this bill will lower costs and put more money back into the pockets of parents,”said Senator Smith. “When childcare works, everything else does, too—families thrive, the economy grows, and our communities get stronger. That’s why I’m committed to fighting to lower costs and improve access to childcare.”
    “No matter where I go in New Hampshire, families tell me about how much they struggle to access affordable child care,” said Senator Shaheen. “The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit is a proven and effective tool for bringing quality, affordable child care within reach for more families. Expanding this credit to keep up with the rising cost of child care is the right thing to do for workers, families and our nation’s economy.”
    “Instead of addressing the growing child care crisis, Trump is indiscriminately firing the very workers who help child care and Head Start centers keep their doors open—making child care more expensive and harder to get for working parents,” said Senator Murray. “While Trump raises families costs by nearly $4000 a year and pushes child care even farther out of reach, my Democratic colleagues and I are continuing to fight to lower families’ costs in every possible way, and I am proud to reintroduce the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act as one additional way to help get families some additional relief to afford the child care they need.”
    “The cost of raising a family in this country is already way too high, and it’s getting even more expensive as Trump’s global tariffs jack up the cost of food, cars and products families use every day,” said Senator Wyden. “This proposal is a commonsense, pro-family policy aimed at helping parents and people caring for loved ones, and it’s striking that this kind of bill is nowhere to be found in the Republican tax agenda that costs a staggering $7 trillion. Trump and Republicans are locked in on giving trillions in new handouts to corporations and the wealthy and sticking everybody else with the bill, but pro-family proposals like this one prove that there’s a better way forward.”
    As a Head Start alum, Senator Warnock has long supported child care and early education programs. In September of 2023, Senator Warnock introduced his bipartisan HEADWAY Act (Head Start Education and Development Workforce Advancement and Yield Act). The legislation would address early child care workforce shortages by allowing Early Head Start classroom teachers to teach and earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential simultaneously. Additionally, last week Senator Warnock introduced the American Family Act legislation to provide the most generous expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to date. Senator Warnock successfully pushed to include an expansion of the CTC in the American Rescue Plan, which helped cut child poverty across the country in half until Congress let the tax cut expire. In 2022, Senator Warnock called on Congress to extend the tax cuts for working families and urged the Biden Administration to secure an extension of the expanded CTC as a centerpiece of any subsequent negotiations on economic legislative priorities. 
    In addition to Senators Warnock, Smith, Shaheen, Murray, and Wyden, the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act is cosponsored by Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Angus King (I-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
    The bill is also endorsed by the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Child Care Aware of America, Save the Children, First Focus Campaign for Children, First Five Years Fund, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Moms Rising, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Zero to Three, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC).
    One pager of the bill is availableHERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: CalPrivate Bank Announces Expansion Into Santa Barbara County, Ca.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LA JOLLA, Calif., April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Private Bancorp of America, Inc. (OTCQX:PBAM) (“Company”) and CalPrivate Bank (“Bank”) announced today the addition of a Montecito Office led by veteran banker, George Leis who will serve as Executive Vice President & Market President.

    George Leis has been a long-standing admired member of the Santa Barbara community. George’s banking career spans more than 20 years in Santa Barbara County, including as President and CEO of both Santa Barbara Bank and Trust and Montecito Bank and Trust.

    The extensive, trusting client relationships George has built over his career speak volumes to his dedication to provide extraordinary service and solutions to his clients, while his commitment to the local community is evident in his serving on numerous non-profit boards, including Channel Islands YMCA, California State University, Northridge, National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, Santa Barbara Historic Museum, Santa Barbara Humane Society, and as Chair of the National Board of the YMCA of the USA.

    Joining Mr. Leis in the new Upper Village Montecito office is a team of highly experienced, dynamic local private bankers. Dan Glaeser and Sarah McLelland will lead the Relationship Management team, while Emily Strawn will oversee operations for the new office.

    Rick Sowers, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Bank stated, “We are thrilled to have such seasoned and respected individuals join the CalPrivate Team. Having known George for years and having served alongside him on the Board of Directors for the California Bankers Association, I know George to be a person of great character, with strong leadership qualities and an unwavering commitment to the greater Santa Barbara community. His approach to relationship banking is exactly what we provide at Cal Private Bank, and we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with him and this great group of bankers.”

    “I am honored to be joining the CalPrivate Team, who bring creative, high touch, timely, customized solutions to their clients,” said Mr. Leis. “The core values of Relationships, Solutions and Trust align directly with the needs of our Santa Barbara Community and I’m eager to bring these unique services to our Clients to meet their personal needs and help them grow their organizations.”

    Paul Azzi, Chief Banking Officer of CalPrivate Bank added, “The passion George and his team have for building strong, long-standing Client relationships and supporting their community is a perfect match for our Client-centric, Solution-driven approach. Together, we’re ecstatic to make a real difference and deliver exceptional client results in the greater Santa Barbara community.”

    About Private Bancorp of America, Inc.
    Private Bancorp of America, Inc. (OTCQX: PBAM) PBAM is the holding company for CalPrivate Bank, which operates offices in Coronado, San Diego, La Jolla, Newport Beach, El Segundo, Beverly Hills, and soon Montecito, as well as through efficient digital banking services. CalPrivate Bank is driven by its core values of building client Relationships based on superior client Solutions, unparalleled Service, and mutual Trust. The Bank caters to high-net-worth individuals, professionals, closely held businesses, and real estate entrepreneurs, delivering a Distinctly Different™ personalized banking experience while leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance our clients’ evolving needs. CalPrivate Bank is in the top tier of customer service survey ratings in the nation, scoring almost three times higher than the median domestic bank. The Bank offers comprehensive deposit and treasury services, rapid and creative loan options including various portfolio and government-guaranteed lending programs, cross border banking, and innovative, unique technologies that drive enhanced client performance. CalPrivate Bank has been recognized by Bank Director’s RankingBanking® as the 10th best bank in the country and the #1 bank in its asset class for both return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). CalPrivate Bank was also ranked in the top 5% of banks in the U.S. with assets between $2B and $10B by American Banker. Additionally, CalPrivate Bank is a Bauer Financial 5-star rated bank, an SBA Preferred Lender, and has been honored as Community Bank SBA 504 Lender of the Year by the NADCO Community Impact Awards, exemplifying excellence in the banking industry. These prestigious rankings highlight the Bank’s commitment to delivering exceptional banking services and setting new industry standards.

    Learn more at www.calprivate.bank.

    Investor Relations Contact
    Rick Sowers
    President and CEO
    Private Bancorp of America, Inc.
    (424) 303-4894

    Safe Harbor Paragraph
    This press release contains expressions of expectations, both implied and explicit, that are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of such term in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, especially given the current turmoil in the banking and financial markets. These factors include the effects of depositors withdrawing funds unexpectedly, counterparties being unable to provide liquidity sources that we believe should be available, loan losses, economic conditions and competition in the geographic and business areas in which Private Bancorp of America, Inc. operates, including competition in lending and deposit acquisition, the unpredictability of fee income from participation in SBA loan programs, the effects of bank failures, liquidations and mergers in our markets and nationally, our ability to successfully integrate and develop business through the addition of new personnel, whether our efforts to expand loan, product and service offerings will prove profitable, system failures and data security, whether we can effectively secure and implement new technology solutions, inflation, fluctuations in interest rates, legislation and governmental regulation. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and we undertake no obligation to update those statements whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise. These factors could cause actual results to differ materially from what we anticipate or project. You should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statement, which speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Although we, in good faith, believe the assumptions and bases supporting our forward-looking statements to be reasonable there can be no assurance that those assumptions and bases will prove accurate.

    The MIL Network –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Gate.io’s 12-Year Milestone: Ecosystem Reconstruction and Future Blueprint Behind GT’s Value Surge

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PANAMA CITY, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the fast-evolving world of digital assets, 12 years marks a period of deep engagement that spans nearly the entire lifecycle of the industry. From early exploration to becoming a witness to the industry’s development, every step Gate.io has taken has been closely tied to market cycles, technological evolution, and shifting user demands. This has not been a linear journey but a long-term game of trust, technology, and forward-looking judgment.

    Looking back, Gate.io has evolved from a product-oriented platform focused solely on cryptocurrency trading into a global ecosystem covering asset trading, asset management, public chains, industry research, and Web3 infrastructure. This transformation represents not a mere quantitative accumulation but a qualitative leap. Every product upgrade and strategic pivot has been a deep reflection and practical exploration of ecosystem efficiency and user core value.

    Now, in its 12th year, Gate.io has chosen GT as the key anchor connecting the past and the future. GT is not just the value carrier of the ecosystem’s operations but also shoulders multiple missions including brand revitalization, mechanism restructuring, and community engagement. At this pivotal point, GT is taking on a central role in reshaping ecosystem value with clearer positioning and more open architecture, activating the next phase of growth.

    Anniversary Celebration and Brand Evolution: Crossing from Trading to Ecosystem

    Gate.io’s 12th anniversary celebration is not only a tribute to its past achievements but also a key milestone for its brand strategy upgrade. From a cryptocurrency trading platform to a global ecosystem giant, Gate.io‘s transformation is reflected in every detail. The upgrade of the brand name and the revamp of the visual identity signify not just superficial changes but a redefinition of the brand’s core. The new brand image conveys a message of greater professionalism and credibility, aligning with the global and futuristic positioning of Web3 and providing strong trust support for GT’s value.

    GT, as the core token of the Gate.io ecosystem, has long surpassed the role of a mere trading medium. It runs through the entire ecosystem, connecting user rights, ecosystem applications, and market growth, becoming a true super token. On the occasion of the 12th anniversary, GT’s value logic is undergoing profound changes. The platform’s sustained growth, the breakthrough in user numbers, and continuous ecosystem expansion have all laid a solid foundation for GT’s value appreciation. And this is just the beginning.

    Platform Growth and Resonating Demand for GT

    In the first quarter of 2025, Gate.io’s user base surpassed 22 million. This surge in users not only signifies increased platform activity but also drives growth in both spot and derivatives trading volumes. These increases, through the buyback and burn mechanism, further feed back into GT’s value.

    The deflationary model is a crucial pillar supporting GT’s value growth. To date, over 170 million GT have been cumulatively burned, with a destruction value of approximately $408 million. The continuous reduction in circulating supply is enhancing GT’s scarcity. This scarcity, combined with the ongoing growth in user numbers and trading volume, provides a solid foundation for further value appreciation. GT’s value is reflected not only in trading but also in its unique properties as an ecosystem token. As the platform continues to expand, the demand for GT will only keep increasing.

    GT Holder Rights Upgrade and Value Closed-Loop

    GT’s holding mechanism is continuously being optimized, progressively building a “holding equals earning” closed-loop system of value. Based on holding GT, users can enjoy multiple benefits, including trading fee discounts, Launchpool participation rights, and HODLer rewards. Paired with the VIP tier system, GT holders can unlock more personalized services and higher-tier earning structures.

    CMC data shows that the number of GT holders has continued to rise since the beginning of the first quarter, and GT’s market cap ranking has climbed to 40th globally. These trends indicate that user trust in GT is strengthening, and holding behavior is shifting from short-term speculation to long-term allocation. Changes in the holding structure help stabilize the price and lay a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the platform’s ecosystem.

    The enhancement of the rights mechanism is not just about incentivizing active users; it also showcases GT’s capability to unlock ecosystem value. By deeply binding token holding with ecosystem revenue, Gate.io is gradually releasing GT’s intrinsic value potential, promoting its application and recognition across wider scenarios.

    Breaking Out of the Ecosystem: Global Resource Integration Empowering GT

    Gate.io’s brand evolution is not merely a visual refresh but marks strategic repositioning. Through the unified presentation of the new name and visual system, the platform conveys a stronger sense of professionalism and trust, aligning with Web3’s globalized, technological, and future-forward aesthetic standards. This change not only enhances brand recognition but also injects a stable cognitive foundation into GT’s market value.

    Focusing on “ecosystem expansion” as the core direction, Gate.io is actively expanding partnerships with world-class IPs. Deep collaborations with FC Internazionale Milano and Oracle Red Bull Racing in F1 not only increase brand visibility in the international market but also introduce GT into broader consumer scenarios. Through such cross-sector partnerships, the platform successfully bridges the crypto world with mainstream sports culture, establishing a connection between token value and user emotions.

    At the same time, the application boundaries of GT are being redefined. It is evolving from a trading medium into a cross-scenario connector, sparking new possibilities across industries like sports, entertainment, and consumer goods. This cross-industry integration allows GT to move beyond internal digital asset circulation and gradually assume the critical role of linking the real world with the Web3 ecosystem. In the future, with continued global resource integration, GT’s ecosystem value is poised to leap to a higher level.

    GT’s Growth Potential: Core Logic and Market Expectations

    Historical data shows that GT often outperforms BTC during bull markets, demonstrating strong resilience and valuation recovery capabilities. As a platform token, its price fluctuations are highly correlated with industry cycles, giving it significant room for revaluation when the market recovers. The overall industry rebound provides external momentum, while Gate.io’s ongoing ecosystem expansion builds internal support, creating a dual foundation for GT’s growth.

    Currently, Gate.io’s ecosystem is forming a positive feedback loop. Growth in user numbers helps drive platform revenue, increased revenue enhances GT’s buyback and burn efforts, deflationary effects further boost market prices, and rising prices, in turn, attract new users. This “flywheel effect” strengthens the value closed-loop between the platform and the token, creating a long-term upward drive system for GT.

    The token burn mechanism is a core element of GT’s deflationary model. As scarcity gradually accumulates, GT’s pricing power in the market is steadily enhanced. The expansion of Gate.io’s ecosystem not only brings more application scenarios but also provides stronger intrinsic value support for GT. From supply-demand dynamics to deflationary logic and evolving user behavior, multiple factors are now shaping the core growth logic behind GT’s potential.

    12th Anniversary: A Short-Term Catalyst for GT Value Release

    To celebrate its 12th anniversary, Gate.io has launched multiple user incentive programs, including airdrops, the WCTC S7 trading competition, and high-yield staking opportunities, aimed at boosting GT’s market activity in the short term. These initiatives are expected to drive greater user participation, increase GT’s usage frequency, and enhance its market visibility. Furthermore, through these activities, new users may gradually be converted into long-term holders, further strengthening the ecosystem’s stickiness.

    The anniversary incentives are designed to work synergistically. Airdrops increase GT’s market exposure and attract new users to the platform. Trading competitions, through ranking and rewards, drive higher trading activity. Staking incentives encourage users to hold GT longer, extending the participation cycle. These measures not only unlock short-term value but also lay a solid foundation for long-term ecological growth.

    Importantly, the focus of this anniversary celebration is not merely short-term market stimulation. Instead, it aims to drive full-cycle user conversion from awareness to engagement, through a key milestone event. As users become more integrated into the ecosystem through participation, GT’s value support base will be further solidified. Compared to short-lived price fluctuations, long-term value accumulation carries greater strategic significance, and this anniversary serves as a critical trigger point for that transformation.

    GT: A Value Carrier in the Web3 Era

    After 12 years of development, Gate.io has expanded its ecosystem and integrated global resources, pushing the boundaries of its platform token. GT has evolved beyond a simple trading tool, emerging as a “passport of rights” within the Web3 ecosystem. This transformation is not a mere extension of its functionality but a deep evolution driven by strategic upgrades, compliance initiatives, and technological innovation. GT is now entering a new phase of value revaluation.

    GT’s core value is no longer limited to scarcity or platform-driven price support. As an ecological token, GT plays a pivotal role in resource allocation, rights distribution, and user engagement. Gate.io’s continuous efforts in product diversification, cross-industry collaboration, and global expansion are steadily broadening GT’s practical applications and strengthening its intrinsic value.

    The 12th anniversary marks the completion of one development cycle and the starting point for the next growth phase. GT’s future extends beyond the platform itself; it is being embedded into the broader trajectory of the Web3 era. Against the backdrop of accelerating ecosystem integration, GT is poised to become a critical hub connecting on-chain and off-chain applications, establishing itself as a core asset in the emerging digital economy.

    Media Contact:
    Elaine Wang at elaine.w@gate.io

    Disclaimer
    The content herein does not constitute any offer, solicitation, or recommendation. You should always seek independent professional advice before making any investment decisions. Please be noted that Gate.io may restrict or prohibit the use of all or a portion of the Services from Restricted Locations. For more information, please read the User Agreement via https://www.gate.io/user-agreement.

    Disclaimer: This press release is provided by Gate.io. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbb5396c-2597-4484-9ba6-f60bf8496c21

    The MIL Network –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nursing and Engineering Innovation Forum Highlights Interdisciplinary Work

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    When Harthik Parankusham ’28 (CLAS) visited his grandfather recently, the signs of cognitive decline were obvious – the family patriarch forgot his own grandson’s name.

    Worldwide, 55 million people have undiagnosed mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, with 7.4 million in the United States alone, Parankusham says, noting that the current means of diagnosing something like Alzheimer’s disease – that is, MRIs, PET scans, and bloodwork – can be expensive and often come too late.

    That got the physiology and neurobiology major thinking and deep in research. Could there be a means of early detection?

    Leila Daneshmandi, left, and Tiffany Kelley, co-directors of the Nursing & Engineering Innovation Center, speak during Wednesday’s event (Sarah Redmond / UConn Photo).

    Parankusham’s Raayu Institute, comprising a national team of researchers, created a simple test for the linguistic biomarkers that show up years before other symptoms. It’s a test that asks patients to simply write a story while a computer analyzes their grammar, word choice, and cadence for anomalies.

    “Let’s make Alzheimer’s and undiagnosed MCI a thing of the past,” he told a panel of judges on Wednesday, April 16 during the InnovateHealth PitchFest at UConn’s Innovation Partnership Building.

    His pitch earned him first place in the Innovation Idea category.

    “Every single pitch we saw today – whether it affected millions and millions of lives or just one life – it made the world a better place,” Michael McGuire, Beekley Medical director of strategic growth and innovations and one of the PitchFest judges, said. “An event like this today lets us know health care is in really good hands.”

    From a portable test for tuberculosis from the team Clara Health to insoles with air chambers that adapt to an individual’s foot from the team SoleShift, which respectively won second and third place in Innovation, the late afternoon event gave each team five minutes to sell their idea.

    But before attendees and a panel of judges settled in to hear from the students, they spent the day embracing possibility during the first part of the inaugural Nursing and Engineering Innovation Forum, a product of UConn’s Nursing & Engineering Innovation Center.

    The center opened in 2023 and since then, has focused on research education, community engagement, and technology transfer, Tiffany Kelley, co-director and School of Nursing associate professor-in-residence, said. Its goal is to address health care challenges through new technology.

    “Just one conversation can open the door,” she said of the event that drew about 100 registrants from a mix of industry, corporate partnerships, and UConn alums.

    Those attending the event had opportunities to speak with students, faculty, and industry experts. (Coral Aponte / UConn Photo)

    With Beekley Medical and VentureWell as sponsors, along with UConn’s College of Engineering, School of Nursing, Provost’s Office, Office of the Vice President for Research, and Innovation Partnership Building, the forum spotlighted researchers whose work has benefitted from Faculty Innovation Seed Grants and Faculty Senior Design Awards.

    Presenters talked about using artificial intelligence to assess patients’ trust in their nurses and how AI can be used to fight pain and opioid dependence. They also detailed their work on humans’ sucking reflex and the use of pulse oximetry.

    “Nurses have always been innovators. We can trace it back in our history,” School of Nursing Dean Victoria Vaughan Dickson said, adding that, nonetheless, “we often don’t see ourselves as innovators. We know the problems, we can think of some of the solutions … and by partnering with others who have other areas of expertise we can take those solutions into testing and into solving our problems.”

    That spirit of teamwork was most evident during PitchFest, the Center’s second time hosting the event. Students came not just from majors like biomedical engineering and nursing, but also from elsewhere on campus, including places like digital media and design in the School of Fine Arts.

    “People are talking, people are networking, it’s hard to get them back in their seats,” Leila Daneshmandi, Center co-director and assistant professor-in-residence in the College of Engineering’s biomedical engineering department, said during a break in the presentations.

    When the time came, though, the audience hushed as the final five PitchFest teams, competing in the Prototype in Development category, took center stage.

    The team Zemi already has raised $65,000 for their line of smart clothing – tight-fitting shirts and leggings outfitted with sensors to track an individual’s cardiac, skin, and muscular activity.

    Zemi’s lab in Farmington, though, needs additional specialized equipment, especially since their clothing will be part of a National Institutes of Health research project through UConn.

    John Toribio ’25 Ph.D. told the judges his project – conceived with Kyle Mahoney ’20 (CAHNR), ’22 MS, ’25 Ph.D. – is better than common wearable trackers that rely on estimated metrics and don’t detect medical events until well after the fact.

    The PitchFest winners impressed judges with their creativity and determination to solve real-world problems. (Coral Aponte / UConn Photo)

    More electrodes, more data, he said.

    With applications in health care, competitive athletics, and in exercise science institutes, Zemi can make clothing for just about any application from sleeping hospital patients to high-performance athletes.

    Toribio’s pitch earned the team first place in the Prototype category. The team ChromaShield, with its early warning patch for radiation dermatitis, took second place, and the team Dentopa and its solution for tooth sensitivity took third.

    “An event like PitchFest is so important because this really helps outline the future of health care,” McGuire said. “At Beekley, one of our core values is that in everything we do we want to make the world a better place. … As innovators in the health care space that’s ultimately our job and everyone in this room did it very well.”

    “Nurses work on teams and this just really solidifies it,” Dickson added. “All of these groups were teams, whether there was one person presenting or two … that’s the core of nursing, being part of a team. And nurses lead teams, you saw here that nurses lead innovative teams.”

    Daneshmandi noted that “engineers bring a unique lens of problem-solving and system design that when paired with the clinical insight of nurses unlocks entirely new solutions to longstanding health challenges. This kind of interdisciplinary collaboration is what drives transformative innovation in health care, and we’re working to foster this at the Center across students and faculty.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Biotech IPOs surge 68.4% YoY to $8.52 billion in 2024 amid public market recovery, reveals GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Biotech IPOs surge 68.4% YoY to $8.52 billion in 2024 amid public market recovery, reveals GlobalData

    Posted in Business Fundamentals

    Biopharmaceutical initial public offerings (IPOs) saw an upturn in 2024, with 50 completed IPOs raising $8.52 billion, a 68.4% increase from the $5.06 billion raised in 2023 and marking the highest total IPO value raised since 2021. This rebound, driven by US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, marks the highest total since 2021. While cautious, investors are showing increased interest in companies with strong clinical data, signaling a recovery in the public markets and a shift toward more advanced-stage biopharmaceuticals, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    According to GlobalData’s Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center Deals Database, completed IPOs that raised more than $100 million almost doubled, from $4.39 billion across 15 IPOs in 2023 to $7.88 billion across 24 IPOs in 2024.

    Alison Labya, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The increase in the number of high-value IPOs in 2024 suggests that while public investors remain selective, increased capital availability due to interest rate cuts has facilitated investments in biopharmaceutical companies with a strong value proposition.”

    The largest biopharmaceutical IPO completed in 2024 was Switzerland-based dermatology company Galderma, which raised $2.48 billion. Galderma’s IPO followed a planned IPO in February 2022 that did not close, as well as Galderma postponing its IPO in March 2023 amid market volatility.

    Labya adds: “Despite the overall increase in IPO value raised, discovery and preclinical-stage companies saw a four-fold drop in total IPO value from $490.6 million in 2023 to $112.5 million in 2024, indicating a shift in public investor preference towards more advanced stage companies.”

    However, IPO activity could be dampened by an anticipated increase in private biopharmaceutical M&A in 2025 as companies seek to refill their pipelines ahead of upcoming patent expirations.

    Labya concludes: “The US President Donald Trump’s administration has introduced uncertainty to the biopharmaceutical industry across healthcare policies, drug pricing reforms, and regulatory frameworks, all of which could impact investor confidence. Additionally, Trump’s recent tariff announcement on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China has led to increased market volatility, potentially delaying IPOs as investors await the countries’ responses to the tariffs.”

    Note: Includes all completed IPO deals for companies headquartered globally from 2020–2025 YTD. Includes deals where deal values are disclosed in the public domain.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Price discrimination is getting smarter — and low-income consumers are paying the price

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Raymond A. Patterson, Professor, Area Chair, Business Technology Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary

    For customers who don’t have the freedom to choose where they shop, technological advancements — particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and intrusive personal data collection — are making price discrimination, inflation and lower-quality goods increasingly likely. Vulnerable consumers are most at risk.

    Flexibility-based price discrimination allows companies to charge different people different prices for the same produce or service, based on how easily they can walk away.

    When consumers can easily find better deals elsewhere, they hold the power. However, AI tools are allowing sellers to become increasingly adept at uncovering how much flexiblity their consumers have. This practice raises serious ethical concerns.

    Dynamic pricing allows companies to take advantage of customers who can’t easily go elsewhere.

    Dollar stores, for example, often serve low-income communities in smaller markets. When these retailers realize their customers have limited alternatives, they are less inclined to keep prices low. Product quality can decline as well.

    Economic impacts of price discrimination

    In our recent study, we examined how flexibility-based price discrimination affects a seller’s profitability in a competitive market, and demonstrated how consumer welfare is affected. Using economic modelling, we studied how price discrimination can impact consumers from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

    We found that companies don’t just raise prices when customers aren’t able to easily switch to a competitor — for low-income consumers they also reduce product quality as well. This double blow hits low-income consumers hard. As technology improves, the gap between high- and low-income consumers grows wider.

    Our findings show that companies that take advantage of consumer inflexibility are likely to prosper, often at the expense of those with the least power to choose.

    The same thing happens with provincial trade barriers and tariffs. Product quality, price and income are known to be intertwined, with higher income countries receiving higher quality goods. When consumers’ ability to find the best possible deal is limited, companies will exploit that lack of choice, as is implied by our study.

    When retailers realize their customers have limited alternatives, they are less inclined to keep prices low.
    (Shutterstock)

    Inflexible consumers with lower incomes suffer more from price discrimination than high-income consumers in the same situation. Any barriers that reduces consumer flexibility disproportionately harms low-income consumers, who are more likely to face lower-quality products as a result.

    In markets where these consumers are targeted, low-quality products are often the norm. As an example, tests revealed the presence of lead, phthalates, toxic flame-retardant chemicals and polyvinyl chloride components in colourfully labelled children’s products at American and Canadian dollar stores.

    In contrast, high-income consumers may see their product quality improve. This is because high-income consumers are willing and able to pay for the improved quality and technology-enabled price discrimination can enable the seller to satisfy their needs better.

    Technology and consumer resilience

    Our study provides valuable insights for both lawmakers and policymakers. It demonstrates that new policies are necessary to protect vulnerable consumers with limited flexibility from price discrimination.

    But this is only part of the story. When these same techniques are used to target wealthier consumers, it can result in positive social outcomes for them. The differing outcomes for high versus low income inflexible consumers will exacerbate wealth inequity.

    For firms investing in new technologies like AI, flexibility-based price discrimination can inadvertently benefit competitors by partitioning the market — even if the competitor doesn’t use the technology.

    For companies, many things can cause or reveal consumer inflexibility, technology being a primary example. Technology advances rapidly. Catering to either high- or low-income customers causes businesses to make different strategic choices depending on how flexible their customer base is when it comes to new technological developments.

    For customers, maintaining flexibility is critical. Flexibility can take many forms: having access to transportation to access a wider range of stores, avoiding consumer debt or having enough savings. It can also mean having a smartphone with unlimited data to make online price comparisons.

    However, not all consumers can maintain this kind of flexibility. Working parents, for example, might not have the time or financial bandwidth to comparison shop for groceries across multiple stores. It can increase their vulnerability to higher prices and lower-quality goods.

    Policy implications and the path forward

    Whether flexibility-based price discrimination should be supported or restricted depends on who it targets. Flexibility-based price discrimination may require regulatory intervention or price subsidies to ensure ethical implementation. While ensuring the quality of low-end products is increasingly important, addressing the limitations on consumer flexibility caused by socioeconomic status is key.

    The U.S. has recently removed internet subsidies for rural customers, and its impacts have been dire. Without internet access, consumers lose digital flexibility.

    In Canada, Indigenous and rural communities similarly lack access to high-speed broadband and also must travel long distances to reach major shopping centres. Our results show that, as flexibility declines, so does consumer welfare for rural low-income populations.

    If there is a positive side to all of this, it’s that companies can adapt quickly to these shifts. Businesses like dollar stores are likely to benefit in the short term, although product quality will likely decline for people who can least afford it. This isn’t just an ethical choice made by these companies, but an economic inevitability in a system where people have unequal access to rapidly evolving technology.

    As trade tensions grow, mitigating consumer inflexibility should be a key policy focus for Canada. Support should start with low-income households by increasing their ability to choose how and where they shop.

    In the long term, price discrimination will continue to prey on the socioeconomic, geographic and literacy-based barriers that underlie the digital divide. The goal should be policy reform to empower flexibility for those most affected.

    Raymond A. Patterson currently receives funding from the Haskayne School of Business and the National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC). Previous funding has been obtained from a variety of private and public sources.

    Emily Laidlaw receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the National Cybersecurity Consortium.

    Jian Zhang receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Price discrimination is getting smarter — and low-income consumers are paying the price – https://theconversation.com/price-discrimination-is-getting-smarter-and-low-income-consumers-are-paying-the-price-252723

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Why Kinshasa keeps flooding – and why it’s not just about the rain

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gode Bola, Lecturer in Hydrology, University of Kinshasa

    The April 2025 flooding disaster in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, wasn’t just about intense rainfall. It was a symptom of recent land use change which has occurred rapidly in the city, turning it into a sprawling urban settlement without the necessary drainage infrastructure.

    Local rains combined with runoff from torrential rains coming from neighbouring Congo Central Province quickly overwhelmed the city’s small urban tributaries. The Ndjili River and its tributary (Lukaya), which run through the city, overflowed and flooded homes on either side.

    This led to the deaths of at least 70 people, 150 injured and the temporary displacement of more than 21,000 people. Floods affected the running of 73 healthcare facilities. Access to water and transport services were disrupted in large parts of the city. People could only move around by dugout canoe or by swimming in flooded avenues.

    Floods have become recurrent in the DRC. The last quarter of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 saw the most devastating floods there and in neighbouring countries since the 1960s.

    According to UN World Urbanisation Prospects (2025), the reason the floods have become this devastating is the growth of Kinshasa. The city is the most densely populated city in the DRC, the most populous city and third-largest metropolitan area in Africa.

    Kinshasa’s 2025 population is estimated at 17,778,500. Back in 1950, it was 201,905. In the past year alone, the city’s population has grown by 746,200, a 4.38% annual change. At least 2% of the population live in areas prone to flooding. Urban infrastructure, especially flood-related, is non-existent or inadequate. Where it exists, drainage systems are blocked by solid waste, itself another sign of the city whose public services such as waste collection have become dysfunctional.

    We have been studying the characteristics of flooding and the prediction of risk linked to it in the Congo Basin for five years as part of our work at the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center in Kinshasa. We study the movement of water in natural and modified environments and its interactions with infrastructure over a range of geographical scales. We argue in this article that understanding why Kinshasa floods means recognising two very different water systems at play – and how urban growth has made the city more vulnerable to both.

    Kinshasa faces two distinct flood hazards: first, flooding from the Congo River, which typically peaks around December and January; and, second, urban flood events driven by local rainfall and runoff from the hills south of the city around April and December.

    Most of Kinshasa’s flood disasters have come from the second type. And as Kinshasa has urbanised, expanding into the floodplains, but without the necessary urban infrastructure, the impact of urban flood events has become worse.

    With more sealed surfaces – because of more urban settlements – and less natural water absorption, more rainwater runs off, and faster. This overwhelms the city’s small urban tributaries and the Ndjili river.

    Growth of Kinshasa and flood

    As the city has expanded, so has its flood exposure. The city’s tributaries drain steep, densely populated urban slopes and are highly responsive to rainfall.

    Of Kinshasa’s two flood risks, the impact of Congo River flooding can be observed in large cities located along major rivers, and typically peaks around January. These are seasonal floods driven by rainfall across the whole Congo Basin.

    Research at Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center shows that while Congo River high water levels can cause “backwater effects” – the upstream rise in water level caused by reduced flow downstream – most damaging floods result from intense local rainfall overwhelming the city’s small river catchments. The flood risk analysis indicates that 38 territories are the hotspot of flooding in the Congo basin. Kinshasa is a hotspot due to its double risk sources and extensive urbanisation.

    Read more: Kenya’s devastating floods expose decades of poor urban planning and bad land management

    The urban flood events are more challenging. They can happen with less rainfall and cause major destruction. They are driven by local rainfall and rapid growth of informal settlements.

    Other cities face similar risks. In 2024, Nairobi suffered deadly floods after prolonged rain overwhelmed informal neighbourhoods and infrastructure.

    Across Africa, cities are growing faster than their infrastructure can keep up with. Kinshasa has unique exposure, but also strong local research capacity.

    A flooded street (left) and submerged homes in Kinshasa’s April 2025 floods/Photos by Gode Bola.

    The Congo River’s seasonal peaks are relatively well understood and monitored. But urban tributaries are harder to predict.

    DRC’s meteorological agency Mettelsat and its partners are building capacity for real-time monitoring. But the April 2025 floods showed that community-level warning systems did not work.

    Climate change is expected to intensify extreme rainfall in central Africa. While annual totals may not increase, short, intense storms could become more frequent.

    This increases pressure on cities already struggling with today’s rains. In Kinshasa, the case for climate-resilient planning and infrastructure is urgent.

    Read more: Local knowledge adds value to mapping flood risk in South Africa’s informal settlements

    What needs to change?

    Forecasting rainfall is not enough. Government agencies in collaboration with universities must also forecast flood impact – and ensure people can act on the warnings. There is a need to put in place systems to achieve this under a catchment integrated flood management plan.

    The main elements of such a plan include:

    • Improved early warning systems: Use advanced technologies (such as satellites) to gather real-time data on environmental conditions.

    • Upgraded drainage infrastructure: Identify weaknesses and areas prone to flooding, to manage storm water better.

    • Enforcement of land use planning: Establish clear regulations that define flood-prone areas; outline permissible land uses.

    • Define safety perimeters around areas at risk of flooding: Use historical data, flood maps, and hydrological studies to pinpoint areas that are at risk. Regulate development and activities there.

    • Local engagement in flood preparedness: Educate residents about flood risks, preparedness measures, and emergency response.

    Read more: Nigeria and Ghana are prone to devastating floods – they could achieve a lot by working together

    Institutions such as the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center play a critical role, not just in research but in turning knowledge into action. Rainfall may trigger the flood, but urban systems decide whether it becomes a disaster. And those systems can change.

    – Why Kinshasa keeps flooding – and why it’s not just about the rain
    – https://theconversation.com/why-kinshasa-keeps-flooding-and-why-its-not-just-about-the-rain-254411

    MIL OSI Africa –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Bean Introduces Bill Removing Barriers to Alternative Marine Fuel Usage

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Aaron Bean Florida (4th District)

    WASHINGTON—Today, Ways and Means Committee member U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) along with Congressman John Rutherford (FL-05), Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08), and Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced the Maritime Fuel Tax Parity Act (MFTPA), to correct an outdated tax code provision by exempting alternative fuels, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), for marine vessels from paying Federal Highway Trust Fund excise taxes. 

    Upon introduction, Congressman Bean said: “Expanding the use of alternative fuels like LNG will strengthen Jacksonville’s maritime industry and allow maritime vessels to use LNG as a fuel source without being penalized by an onerous tax and compliance burden. I thank Congressman Rutherford for his leadership on this bill, which will modernize our tax code and bring marine fuels into the 21stcentury.” 

    “We should be encouraging, not penalizing, our maritime industry as they find alternative and innovative ways to power American vessels,” said Congressman Rutherford. “Jacksonville’s maritime industry leaders made Northeast Florida home to the world’s very first liquified natural gas-powered containership. As the Trump Administration unleashes American energy and innovation, I am proud to join a bipartisan coalition to introduce this bill that would afford the U.S. maritime industry the freedom and parity to explore new energy opportunities to fuel American shipping and trade.”

    “Florida’s ports play a vital role in fueling our economy, supporting tens of thousands of good-paying jobs and helping move goods across the globe. I’m proud to support this bill to protect our maritime and aviation industries from unnecessary tax burdens and strengthen trade between U.S. ports. With SeaPort Manatee in my district generating billions in annual economic impact for our region, this commonsense measure will keep Florida’s Gulf Coast competitive,” said Congressman Buchanan. 

    BACKGROUND 

    LNG is the cleanest, most readily available fuel for shipping today. Unfortunately, a discrepancy in the tax code unintentionally disincentivizes our domestic maritime carriers from utilizing LNG and other alternatives as a maritime fuel. 

    The current tax code treats diesel more favorably than alternative fuels, which are disadvantaged by being subjected to excise taxes. Diesel fuel used in maritime vessels is exempt from this excise tax today, but alternative fuels, like LNG, are not. 

    According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) January 2025 Quarterly Gas Report, based on the current order book for vessels, the number of LNG-fueled ships is expected to almost double and reach over 1,200 vessels by 2028.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Valuit: Revolutionizing Access to Private Markets in the Digital Economy

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Private investments have long been dominated by institutional players and high-net-worth individuals, leaving everyday investors sidelined. With blockchain technology opening new avenues for financial inclusion, Valuit is emerging as a pioneering force in on-chain investment banking, breaking down barriers and making private market opportunities more accessible than ever before.

    Transforming Traditional Finance with Blockchain Innovation

    Valuit was conceived out of a real-world challenge—how to invest in private assets like litigation financing and private credit despite capital constraints. The company’s founding team, with expertise spanning cryptocurrency trading, traditional finance, banking infrastructure, and debt markets, recognized the inefficiencies in legacy systems. Their solution? A blockchain-powered financial ecosystem that democratizes access to investment opportunities.

    “Valuit is not just about tokenizing assets; it’s about creating an inclusive investment infrastructure where liquidity, compliance, and security come together seamlessly,” said Kevin Cafeo, Co-Founder & CEO of Valuit.

    Meet the Visionary Founders

    • Kevin Cafeo – Co-Founder & CEO

      Kevin founded Valuit in 2022 with the mission to make private market investments more inclusive. Prior to Valuit, he played a pivotal role in scaling Zeebu, a blockchain-powered payment network that processed billions in on-chain telecom settlements, where he led growth and market expansion strategies.

    • Aren Bagci – Co-Founder & CIO

      A seasoned leader in global market expansion and institutional finance, Aren has a proven track record of driving corporate growth by entering new markets and forging high-impact strategic partnerships. During his tenure at TigerEdge, he led growth-focused investment initiatives across domestic energy markets, including capital deployments into onshore oil and gas projects involving major operators such as Exxon, Pioneer, and Devon.

    • Raj Brahmbhatt – Co-Founder & Chairman

      A trailblazer in blockchain and fintech, Raj is the co-founder and CEO of Zeebu, where he has overseen over $7 billion in on-chain transactions. His expertise in scaling blockchain-powered payment solutions and building products that truly bridge Tradfi to Defi, highlight his deep understanding of financial technology innovation.

    The Rising Market Opportunity

    The tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) is redefining financial markets. According to a report by Boston Consulting Group, the RWA tokenization market is projected to exceed $16 trillion by 2030, encompassing diverse asset classes such as real estate, private equity, and commodities.

    With institutional adoption gaining traction and regulatory frameworks evolving, the market is poised for exponential growth. However, despite this momentum, accessibility and compliance challenges persist—gaps that Valuit is actively addressing through its comprehensive ecosystem.

    Beyond Tokenization: A Full-Scale Investment Ecosystem

    Unlike platforms that merely tokenize assets, Valuit is building a holistic financial infrastructure, integrating:

    • Compliance & Regulation: Ensuring global regulatory adherence to make tokenized assets legally sound and institutionally viable.
    • Capital Markets Integration: Bridging traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) for efficient capital deployment and secondary market liquidity.
    • Blockchain-Powered Automation: Utilizing smart contracts to streamline transactions, reduce costs, and enhance transparency.

    Valuit’s product suite is designed to cater to a broad range of stakeholders:

    • Tokenization Platform: A comprehensive solution for issuing, managing, and trading tokenized assets.
    • DeFi Tools: Advanced decentralized financial instruments that enhance liquidity, enable market-making, and optimize capital efficiency.
    • AI-Driven Compliance: Leveraging AI-powered automation for regulatory oversight, risk management, and investment decision-making.

    Who Stands to Benefit?

    Valuit serves as a gateway to new financial opportunities for diverse stakeholders:

    • Asset Owners: Unlock liquidity through seamless tokenization, ensuring transparency of investment products and leveraging innovative capital structures.
    • Institutional Investors: Gain exposure to new asset classes with reduced friction. Reduce bottom-line expenditure by up to 60%, enable cross-border distribution channels to onboard new liquidity providers, and create innovative investment vehicles to automate administrative functions while optimizing portfolios for existing investors.
    • Retail Investors: Access investment opportunities that were previously out of reach, with enhanced options for cross-border diversification and addressing capital constraints.

    With an intuitive and compliant platform, Valuit eliminates the technical complexities often associated with blockchain investments, ensuring a seamless experience for all investors.

    A Vision for the Future

    Valuit is on a mission to reshape the financial landscape, making alternative investments as straightforward as trading public stocks. With a firm foundation in compliance, capital markets, and blockchain innovation, the company is positioned to redefine asset issuance, management, and trading in real-time.

    “As finance moves toward decentralization, Valuit is ensuring this shift is not just a wrapper of traditional products, but a shift from legacy capital markets infrastructure to a transparent, automated, and efficient process that benefits all stakeholders.” added Kevin Cafeo.

    Stay Updated with Valuit

    For more information and the latest updates, follow Valuit on:

    Media Contact:

    Pranav Goyal

    marketing@valuit.com

    Valuit LLC

    https://valuit.com/

    Disclaimer

    Valuit is a technology platform enabling the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) and bridging traditional and decentralized finance. While it offers tools for asset tokenization, liquidity, compliance, and smart contracts, Valuit does not provide financial advice, manage investments, or act as a broker.

    All investment activities involve risk, and blockchain-related offerings are subject to evolving regulations. Users should conduct independent research and seek professional advice before investing. Valuit makes no guarantees on financial outcomes and is not liable for losses resulting from reliance on this information.

    Disclaimer: This press release is provided by the Valuit LLC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/62accd69-a45f-424c-b4df-1970b841db8e

    The MIL Network –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Kinshasa keeps flooding – and why it’s not just about the rain

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gode Bola, Lecturer in Hydrology, University of Kinshasa

    The April 2025 flooding disaster in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, wasn’t just about intense rainfall. It was a symptom of recent land use change which has occurred rapidly in the city, turning it into a sprawling urban settlement without the necessary drainage infrastructure.

    Local rains combined with runoff from torrential rains coming from neighbouring Congo Central Province quickly overwhelmed the city’s small urban tributaries. The Ndjili River and its tributary (Lukaya), which run through the city, overflowed and flooded homes on either side.

    This led to the deaths of at least 70 people, 150 injured and the temporary displacement of more than 21,000 people. Floods affected the running of 73 healthcare facilities. Access to water and transport services were disrupted in large parts of the city. People could only move around by dugout canoe or by swimming in flooded avenues.

    Floods have become recurrent in the DRC. The last quarter of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 saw the most devastating floods there and in neighbouring countries since the 1960s.

    According to UN World Urbanisation Prospects (2025), the reason the floods have become this devastating is the growth of Kinshasa. The city is the most densely populated city in the DRC, the most populous city and third-largest metropolitan area in Africa.

    Kinshasa’s 2025 population is estimated at 17,778,500. Back in 1950, it was 201,905. In the past year alone, the city’s population has grown by 746,200, a 4.38% annual change. At least 2% of the population live in areas prone to flooding. Urban infrastructure, especially flood-related, is non-existent or inadequate. Where it exists, drainage systems are blocked by solid waste, itself another sign of the city whose public services such as waste collection have become dysfunctional.

    We have been studying the characteristics of flooding and the prediction of risk linked to it in the Congo Basin for five years as part of our work at the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center in Kinshasa. We study the movement of water in natural and modified environments and its interactions with infrastructure over a range of geographical scales. We argue in this article that understanding why Kinshasa floods means recognising two very different water systems at play – and how urban growth has made the city more vulnerable to both.

    Kinshasa faces two distinct flood hazards: first, flooding from the Congo River, which typically peaks around December and January; and, second, urban flood events driven by local rainfall and runoff from the hills south of the city around April and December.

    Most of Kinshasa’s flood disasters have come from the second type. And as Kinshasa has urbanised, expanding into the floodplains, but without the necessary urban infrastructure, the impact of urban flood events has become worse.

    With more sealed surfaces – because of more urban settlements – and less natural water absorption, more rainwater runs off, and faster. This overwhelms the city’s small urban tributaries and the Ndjili river.

    Growth of Kinshasa and flood

    As the city has expanded, so has its flood exposure. The city’s tributaries drain steep, densely populated urban slopes and are highly responsive to rainfall.

    Of Kinshasa’s two flood risks, the impact of Congo River flooding can be observed in large cities located along major rivers, and typically peaks around January. These are seasonal floods driven by rainfall across the whole Congo Basin.

    Research at Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center shows that while Congo River high water levels can cause “backwater effects” – the upstream rise in water level caused by reduced flow downstream – most damaging floods result from intense local rainfall overwhelming the city’s small river catchments. The flood risk analysis indicates that 38 territories are the hotspot of flooding in the Congo basin. Kinshasa is a hotspot due to its double risk sources and extensive urbanisation.



    Read more:
    Kenya’s devastating floods expose decades of poor urban planning and bad land management

    The urban flood events are more challenging. They can happen with less rainfall and cause major destruction. They are driven by local rainfall and rapid growth of informal settlements.

    Other cities face similar risks. In 2024, Nairobi suffered deadly floods after prolonged rain overwhelmed informal neighbourhoods and infrastructure.

    Across Africa, cities are growing faster than their infrastructure can keep up with. Kinshasa has unique exposure, but also strong local research capacity.

    The Congo River’s seasonal peaks are relatively well understood and monitored. But urban tributaries are harder to predict.

    DRC’s meteorological agency Mettelsat and its partners are building capacity for real-time monitoring. But the April 2025 floods showed that community-level warning systems did not work.

    Climate change is expected to intensify extreme rainfall in central Africa. While annual totals may not increase, short, intense storms could become more frequent.

    This increases pressure on cities already struggling with today’s rains. In Kinshasa, the case for climate-resilient planning and infrastructure is urgent.



    Read more:
    Local knowledge adds value to mapping flood risk in South Africa’s informal settlements

    What needs to change?

    Forecasting rainfall is not enough. Government agencies in collaboration with universities must also forecast flood impact – and ensure people can act on the warnings. There is a need to put in place systems to achieve this under a catchment integrated flood management plan.

    The main elements of such a plan include:

    • Improved early warning systems: Use advanced technologies (such as satellites) to gather real-time data on environmental conditions.

    • Upgraded drainage infrastructure: Identify weaknesses and areas prone to flooding, to manage storm water better.

    • Enforcement of land use planning: Establish clear regulations that define flood-prone areas; outline permissible land uses.

    • Define safety perimeters around areas at risk of flooding: Use historical data, flood maps, and hydrological studies to pinpoint areas that are at risk. Regulate development and activities there.

    • Local engagement in flood preparedness: Educate residents about flood risks, preparedness measures, and emergency response.



    Read more:
    Nigeria and Ghana are prone to devastating floods – they could achieve a lot by working together

    Institutions such as the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center play a critical role, not just in research but in turning knowledge into action. Rainfall may trigger the flood, but urban systems decide whether it becomes a disaster. And those systems can change.

    Gode Bola receives funding support from the Congo River User Hydraulics and Morphology (CRuHM) project (2016-2021), which was entirely funded by The Royal Society-DFID Africa Capacity Building (RS-DFID) under grant number “AQ150005.” He is affiliated with the Regional School of Water (ERE) and the Congo Basin Water Research Center (CRREBaC) of the University of Kinshasa, as well as the Regional Center for Nuclear Studies of Kinshasa.

    Mark Trigg received funding support from the Congo River user Hydraulics and Morphology (CRuHM) project (2016-2021), which was wholly funded by The Royal Society-DFID Africa Capacity Building (RS-DFID) under the grant number “AQ150005”. Mark Trigg is affiliated with water@leeds at the University of Leeds and the Global Flood Partnership.

    Raphaël Tshimanga receives funding from he Congo River user Hydraulics and Morphology (CRuHM) project (2016-2021), which was wholly funded by The Royal Society-DFID Africa Capacity Building (RS-DFID) under the grant number “AQ150005”. He is affiliated with the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center and the Regional School of Water of the University of Kinshasa.

    – ref. Why Kinshasa keeps flooding – and why it’s not just about the rain – https://theconversation.com/why-kinshasa-keeps-flooding-and-why-its-not-just-about-the-rain-254411

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Senior Traffic Commissioner launches consultation to review approach in determining a driver’s suitability

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Senior Traffic Commissioner launches consultation to review approach in determining a driver’s suitability

    Industry regulator seeks views on revised Statutory Guidance and Statutory Directions.

    The Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain has today (17 April 2025) called on professional drivers, commercial vehicle operators, legal representatives and road safety stakeholders to take part in a review of guidance on the conduct of professional drivers.

    The purpose of the driver conduct process is to ensure lorry, bus and coach drivers are fit to drive large commercial vehicles. The Statutory Document, which guides the approach traffic commissioners take to regulating drivers, has remained largely unchanged for years.

    Previous reviews in 2015 and 2019 led to significant improvements and the traffic commissioners committed as part of their Strategic Objectives to consider whether this approach remains fit for purpose in the current century.

    The 6 week consultation seeks feedback on proposed revisions and invites views on how the profile of traffic commissioners can be raised amongst the drivers they regulate.

    Richard Turfitt, the Senior Traffic Commissioner, stated, “Our mission is to ensure road safety and maintain public confidence in the commercial driving sector. This consultation is a vital step in ensuring we are regulating vocational drivers in a way which is effective and proportionate to the risk they pose to other road users. We need your input to make sure our guidelines are fair, consistent, and transparent.”

    The consultation runs until 29 May 2025.

    Share this page

    The following links open in a new tab

    • Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
    • Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks at the Opening of the 4th Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) Summit [as delivered]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Your Excellency To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam,
    Your Excellency Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam,
    Your Excellency Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,
    Your Excellency Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia,
    Excellencies,
    Distinguished guests,

    On behalf of the Secretary-General, António Guterres, I thank the Government of Viet Nam and the co-chairs H.E. Mr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and the Prime Minister of Denmark for organizing this year’s P4G Summit.

    This year marks a crucial inflection point: the tenth anniversary of both the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

    A decade has passed, and much progress has been made.

    But let’s state what we all know to be true: we are nowhere near where we need to be.

    As I speak, there are 750 million people who do not have access to electricity.

    2 billion people have no clean cooking solutions to cook their dinner tonight.

    Children across the world are breathing air increasingly filled with fossil fuel emissions affecting their health.

    Not only are we not where we need to be, but  intensifying climate shocks and geopolitical turmoil threaten to push back some of the progress and development wins of the past decade.

    These statistics, and the picture I have painted is enough to make some give up. But as the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, ‘Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness’.

    Excellencies, three things give me hope today.

    First, what I see in this room today – leaders, representatives of governments, businesses, investors, and civil society from around the world. By showing up, you are showing your commitment to building societies that are more sustainable, more resilient, more inclusive, and more prosperous. You are not giving up.

    Second, the relentless human endeavor for genuine collaboration gives me hope. The Just Energy Transition Partnerships and the P4G’s public-private partnership are just two examples.  By working together for a common purpose, we can help emerging and developing economies transform their energy, water, and food systems to become zero-carbon and more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable.

    Third, the economic imperatives of taking climate action have never been stronger and more urgent.

    Last year, climate disasters caused 320 billion dollars worth of damage worldwide.

    The climate crisis is draining our pockets of resources that we desperately need for development.

    Yet experts estimate that every dollar invested in climate adaptation generates a return of up to 10 times.

    Meanwhile, the costs of wind, solar, and battery storage have plummeted so much that they have become the cheapest source of new electricity across most markets.

     Last year, renewables accounted for 92.5% of all new power capacity added globally, and clean power surpassed 40% of global electricity generation for the first time.

    This is not just an opportunity for tomorrow – the clean energy sector is already driving development and boosting jobs, accelerating digitalization and granting energy access to a wider range of people .

    1.5 million jobs and 10 per cent of GDP growth globally were added in 2023 across the sector.

    And crucially, most economies are now breaking the link between GDP growth and rising emissions.

    Viet Nam is setting the pace on clean energy. Its bold shift from coal isn’t just fighting climate change, it’s fuelling a fairer, more equal future for all.

    Excellencies,

    We have a rare opportunity in our hands.
     
    A new economic era is about to begin — and we’re right at the cusp of setting a concrete pathway to green growth.

    One that can ensure energy access, affordability, and security, and one that can create zero-carbon, disaster-resilient, and sustainable societies while protecting people and planet. At the UN, we have translated that vision and what it means for the multilateral system, under the Pact for the Future.

    Yet time is a luxury we do not have.

    The climate crisis is setting the pace and scale. It’s our responsibility to keep up.

    Investment is critical.

    To keep 1.5 degrees in reach and deliver on the SDGs, experts estimate that 2.4 trillion dollars per year will need to flow to emerging and developing economies outside China by 2030.

    That means around 1.6 trillion dollars of that going to the clean energy transition.

    And it means around 250 billion dollars to strengthen adaptation and resilience.

    And so, I urge every government leader here today to use the tools at your disposal.

    Accelerate the readily available, cost-effective solutions.

    And drive change with smart policies and reforms at every level – locally, nationally, and globally.

    The next round of national climate plans — or Nationally Determined Contributions — due well before COP 30 present a unique opportunity in this mission. As does meeting the Baku Road Map to deliver 1.3 trillion in Belém.

    They are the key to syncing energy and development plans, building energy efficient infrastructure that aligns with a country’s climate goals, developing industries of the future in green energy, as Vietnam has demonstrated, and creating clear, consistent policies that draw big investments.

    This means aligning national energy and development strategies, including regulatory framework to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with sustainable agricultural systems, digitalization, job creation, and clean energy access – fostering policy coherence and predictability to attract investments at scale.

    Viet Nam is demonstrating that attracting investments, even in challenging times, is not only possible but achievable. With FDI reaching impressive new levels of $2-3 billion every month, Vietnam stands as a powerful example for others to follow. 

    To the corporate, financial, and civil society leaders in the room, I urge you to keep up the pressure. Keep innovating and collaborating and shifting obstacles into business opportunities.

    And keep creating new models and partnerships that can mobilize finance at scale to drive commitments on climate and sustainable development into real investments in peoples’ lives.

    Finally, let us commit to deliver on the promise of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement to our people today and for future generations.

    Thank you.                                                    
    ***
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Allen Announces May Community Office Hours

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Allen (R-GA-12)

    Today, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) announced members of his staff will host Community Office Hours across Georgia’s 12th District during the month of May.

    During these events, members of Congressman Allen’s staff will be available to assist constituents with a variety of federal issues, including help navigating various federal agencies such as FEMA, Social Security, Veterans Affairs, Medicare, and others. Congressman Allen himself will not be in attendance.

    After the announcement, Congressman Allen issued the following statement:

    “I invite anyone seeking help with a federal issue to take advantage of the one-on-one services my office provides. If you need assistance dealing with a federal agency, our dedicated caseworkers stand ready to help you. Please visit my team during Community Office Hours in May or contact one of our district offices for more information.”

    See below for a list of Community Office Hours dates, times, and locations by county (excluding counties in which Congressman Allen has a permanent office):

    Burke County

    WHEN: Tuesday, May 20th from 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM

    WHERE: County Commission Boardroom, Burke County Courthouse

    111 E. 6th Street

    Waynesboro, GA 30830

    Candler County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 14th from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

    WHERE: Metter City Hall

    49 S. Rountree Street

    Metter, GA 30439

    Columbia County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 7th from 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

    WHERE: Grovetown City Hall

    103 Old Wrightsboro Road

    Grovetown, GA 30813

    Effingham County

    WHEN: Monday, May 5th from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    WHERE: Effingham County Board of Commissioners

    804 S. Laurel Street

    Springfield, GA 31329

    Emanuel County

    WHEN: Thursday, May 8th from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    WHERE: Swainsboro-Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce

    102 S. Main Street

    Swainsboro, GA 30401

    Evans County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 14th from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

    WHERE: Claxton City Hall

    206 W. Railroad Street

    Claxton, Georgia 30417

    Glascock County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 14th from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    WHERE: Family Connections & Communities in School

    370 W. Main Street

    Gibson, GA 30810

    Jefferson County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 14th from 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM

    WHERE: Community Club House

    101 McNair Street

    Wrens, GA 30833

    Jenkins County

    WHEN: Thursday, May 8th from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

    WHERE: Jenkins County Chamber of Commerce

    548 Cotton Avenue

    Millen, GA 30442

    Johnson County

    WHEN: Monday, May 19th from 9:15 AM – 10:30 AM

    WHERE: Wrightsville City Hall

    8647 S. Marcus Street

    Wrightsville, GA 31096

    Lincoln County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 7th from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

    WHERE: Lincoln County Courthouse

    210 Humphrey Street

    Lincolnton, GA 30817

    McDuffie County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 7th from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

    WHERE: Thomson-McDuffie Administrative Building

    210 Railroad Street

    Thomson, GA 30824

    Montgomery County

    WHEN: Monday, May 5th from 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM

    WHERE: Montgomery County Courthouse

    400 S. Railroad Avenue

    Mount Vernon, GA 30445

    Screven County

    WHEN: Thursday, May 8th from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

    WHERE: Screven County Courthouse, Commission Boardroom

    216 Mims Road

    Sylvania, GA 30467

    Tattnall County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 14th from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

    WHERE: Glennville Welcome Center/Chamber of Commerce

    136 S. Veterans Boulevard

    Glennville, GA 30427

    Treutlen County

    WHEN: Monday, May 5th from 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM

    WHERE: Treutlen County Commissioners’ Office

    1830 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

    Soperton, GA 30457

    Warren County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 7th from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    WHERE: Warren County Chamber of Commerce

    46 Norwood Street

    Warrenton, GA 30828

    Washington County

    WHEN: Tuesday, May 20th from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

    WHERE: Sandersville City Hall

    141 W. Haynes Street

    Sandersville, GA 31082

    Wheeler County

    WHEN: Monday, May 5th from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

    WHERE: Alamo City Hall

    7 W. Main Street

    Alamo, GA 30411

    Wilkes County

    WHEN: Wednesday, May 28th from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

    WHERE: Washington Wilkes Chamber of Commerce

    26 West Square

    Washington, GA 30673

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Urgent appeal to locate absconder who poses risk to the public

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Officers are urgently appealing for the public’s help to locate a man who has absconded from a mental health facility and is believed to pose a risk to the public.

    Vasile Coceban, who is 36, was reported missing by staff at the Park Royal Centre for Mental Health in Acton Lane, Brent at 10:32hrs on Wednesday.

    He is described as white, 5 ft 4 inches tall, of average build with brown hair.

    Officers have released still images showing Vasile on the morning he went missing. He can be seen wearing a purple camouflage hooded top, grey tracksuit bottoms and light-coloured trainers.

    Enquiries suggest that he has since bought a large black rucksack and new clothing.

    Later on Wednesday, at around 16:20hrs, he was seen on CCTV in a shop in Kilburn High Road wearing a grey tracksuit top and a red t-shirt, carrying the black rucksack he had bought earlier.

    While officers believe it is likely he is still in north west London, in particular Brent, enquiries suggest that since he went missing he has travelled to Hyde Park in Westminster and back again, likely using the train network.

    Detective Superintendent Andrew Brien, from the North West Command Unit, said: “A high risk missing person investigation was quickly launched when we learned of the risk posed by Vasile. It is important we return him to the facility where he is being treated.

    “Extensive patrols have been conducted in the area where he is believed to be, but we are now appealing for the public’s help.

    “It is possible that Vasile is sleeping rough or camping in the Kilburn area or nearby. Please check any sheds or gardens and keep your eyes peeled if walking in parks and open spaces.

    “Your information could be key to helping us find Vasile and keeping the public safe.”

    Anyone who sees Vasile is urged not to approach him but to call 999 instead, providing the reference 01/7385436/25.

    Anyone with other information should call the police non-emergency number on 101.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants Charged in Federal Court for Trafficking Fentanyl and Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Four defendants have been indicted on multiple drug trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, New Orleans Division Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer, and United States Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Shameka Jackson.

    A six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Justin Jamal Fletcher, 37, of Sheffield, Alabama, Larikus Martez Armstead, 37, of Sheffield, Alabama, Terance Antonio Williams, 41, of Florence, Alabama, and Angelita Guadalupe Garcia-Ruiz, 47, of Nogales, Arizona, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.  Armstead and Williams were also charged with distribution of a controlled substance, and Fletcher was charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  Garcia-Ruiz was also charged with unlawful use of a communication facility.

    According to the indictment, on two separate occasions Fletcher received a package delivered via U.S. Mail containing fentanyl pills. On July 17, 2024, Fletcher received 10,000 pills from an individual and on August 28, 2024, he received over 29,000 fentanyl pills from Garcia-Ruiz. The indictment also alleges that Fletcher used a source of supply located in Mexico to obtain fentanyl pills and methamphetamine.

    These cases are 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).

    DEA and USPIS investigated the case along with assistance from the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force and Colbert County Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys John M. Hundscheid and Sara M. Judah are prosecuting the case.

    An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Camden County Felon Admits to Illegally Possessing a Stolen Gun and Conspiring to Commit Bank Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County man admitted to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon and to conspiring with others to negotiate checks that had been stolen from the mail, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Donovan Bunch, 23, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel to a two-count information charging him with one count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    Donovan Bunch, Tracy Felder-Carter, Dante Ford, and Quamell Keyes-Griffin conspired to commit bank fraud by first obtaining checks that had been stolen from the U.S. mail. Bunch and other members of the conspiracy then would create counterfeit checks or alter the stolen checks by increasing the value of the check and changing the name of the payee to either a member of the conspiracy or somebody else recruited by the conspiracy. Bunch admitted that he and others would negotiate each counterfeit or altered check and then attempt to the withdraw the funds before the bank learned that the checks were illegitimate. The conspiracy involved the negotiation of checks at banks across southern New Jersey and elsewhere, with each check written for amounts upwards of several thousand dollars.

    As part of the investigation, in July 2023, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Bunch’s residence and in his car.  Officers recovered from Bunch’s car a stolen Glock pistol with a 31-round magazine that was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.  At the time he possessed the stolen firearm and ammunition found in his car, Bunch was on probation as a result of a prior New Jersey felony conviction.

    The count of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.  The count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.  Sentencing is scheduled for August 18, 2025.

    Felder-Carter, Ford, and Keyes-Griffin each previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the same bank fraud conspiracy to which Bunch pleaded guilty. Their sentencings are upcoming before Judge Kiel.   

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, with the investigation leading to this plea.  She also thanked the Pennsylvania State Police – Media Station, Pennsauken Police Department, and the Springfield Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

                                                               ###

    Defense counsel:

    Bunch: Martin Isenberg, Esq. (Gibbsboro, New Jersey)

    Felder-Carter: Michael Kahn, Esq. (Haddonfield, New Jersey)

    Ford: Margaret M. Grasso, Esq. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

    Keyes-Griffin: John B. Brennan, Esq. (Marlton, New Jersey)

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dominican Republic National Charged With Illegal Reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HARRISBURG-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Porfirio Peralta-Nunez, age 46, of York, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on the charge of illegally reentering the United States after having previously been removed.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Peralta-Nunez was previously removed from the United States on August 20, 2019, through Alexandria, Louisiana, and it is alleged that he was subsequently found in the United States without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the country.  The indictment also alleges that on October 24, 2023, Peralta-Nunez was encountered in York County, Pennsylvania, after being removed pursuant to a court order following his conviction for drug trafficking in New Jersey. 

    The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

    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 maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Essex County Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Sex Trafficking Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TRENTON, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 210 months in prison on charges of sex trafficking and prostitution-related offenses, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Amin Sharif, 50, of Newark, was convicted by a jury in July 2024 of one count of attempted transportation of a victim with intent to engage in prostitution, one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of use of an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity, one count of transporting a victim with intent to engage in prostitution, and one count of persuading a victim to travel to engage in prostitution, following an eight-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court.

    According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:

    In January 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating Sharif for sex trafficking offenses. Sharif recruited four females, including one minor victim, from states across the country—New York, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Utah.  Sharif used multiple social media accounts and assumed aliases and false identities to recruit and entice victims.  He made promises of housing stability, payment of bills and living expenses, and promises that the victims could make up to thousands of dollars per day by working for him.  Sharif advertised the minor victim online, offering her for 32 sexual services.

    Sharif was previously convicted of transporting a minor to engage in prostitution in federal court and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Sharif to 20 years of supervised release.

    “Amin Sharif is a dangerous sex offender who has repeatedly preyed on vulnerable young women and minors in our society.  The Court’s sentence will prevent Sharif from harming additional victims and will send a strong signal to would-be traffickers that sex trafficking will not be tolerated in the District of New Jersey and will result in serious sentences.”

    –U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

    “Disguised with multiple names and social media profiles, and promising help financially, Sharif instead sexually exploited his victims for his own monetary gain. Sharif ignored the physical and psychological trauma he was causing these vulnerable women and minors.  FBI Newark Special Agents, Analysts, and Task Force Officers will stop at nothing to get heinous criminals off the streets, phones, and computers from where they lurk and put them behind bars where they belong,” stated FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly. 

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI Newark Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to this sentencing.  She also thanked the FBI’s Rochester, New York Office and the Dansville Police Department for their assistance.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Farhana C. Melo and Chelsea D. Coleman of the Criminal Division in Newark.

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel: Laurie M. Fierro Esq., Kinnelon, New Jersey; Mary F. Khellah, North Bergen, New Jersey

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: H Block Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution and Firearm Offense

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug distribution and firearms charges.

    Jerry Gray, 28 of Roxbury, pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for July 31, 2025.

    Gray was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation of H-Block beginning in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.

    In February 2024, Gray, a long-time H Block gang member, sold crack cocaine to a cooperating witness, and then subsequently stole “buy” money from the cooperating witness during an additional controlled purchase in March of 2024. During Gray’s arrest in August of 2024, a Glock pistol, along with numerous rounds of various calibers of ammunition, were located in his residence. At the time of the charged offenses Gray was on probation in Suffolk Superior Court for two separate firearm-related convictions.

    According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.

    The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    Gray is the fifth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
        
    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Murphy of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office; James Crowley, Acting  Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Depart of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fact Sheet: How DHS is Combating Child Exploitation and Abuse

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Every day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leads the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). As part of the Department’s critical mission to combat crimes of exploitation and protect victims, we investigate these abhorrent crimes, spread awareness, collaborate with interagency and international partners, and expand our reach to ensure children are safe and protected.

    “At the Department of Homeland Security, our mission is to protect the American people, and that includes protecting our children. The internet has completely changed how we connect, but it has also opened new doors for predators who want to harm our kids,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “It’s a topic that should unite all of us, and I appreciate the opportunity to highlight the work of Homeland Security Investigations and all that they do to combat online child exploitation.”

    DHS battles online CSEA using all available tools and resources department-wide, emphasizing its commitment to the Department’s homeland security mission to “Combat Crimes of Exploitation and Protect Victims.” In recognition of President Trump’s proclamation designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, DHS is committed to raising awareness of these heinous crimes, preventing child exploitation and abuse, and bringing perpetrators to justice.

    As part of the Department’s ongoing work in this area, today DHS is celebrating the one-year anniversary of Know2Protect, the U.S. government’s first prevention and awareness campaign to combat online CSEA. 

    Between April 2024 and February 2025:

    • DHS launched Know2Protect®, a first of its kind national public awareness campaign to combat online CSEA. The campaign enhances the Department’s capabilities to combat online CSEA by partnering with the private sector to deliver its awareness messaging and coordinating federal efforts to confront and prevent this growing epidemic. The Department has successfully entered into over 20 Know2Protect® Memoranda of Understanding with leading technology companies, national and international sports leagues, youth-serving organizations and nonprofits, and other private sector partners to raise awareness of this crime and help children stay safer online.
    • DHS increased the footprint of law enforcement partners at the DHS Cyber Crimes Center (C3) to enhance coordination across all DHS agencies and offices to combat cyber-related crimes and further the Department’s mission to combat online CSEA. Several partners are collocated and work together every day at the DHS C3, including the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the United States Marshals Service (USMS),      U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS).  
    • The Blue Campaign, part of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, hosted 170 national trainings on the indicators of forced labor and sex trafficking and how to report these crimes with more than 24,000 participants from the federal government, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement, and other external stakeholders.
    • DHS identified and rescued 1,567 child victims of online CSEA through the work of HSI and made 4,460 arrests for crimes involving online CSEA. Learn more in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report
    • HSI and ERO have instituted a collaborative operational initiative to locate unaccompanied alien children (UAC) released from the care and custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS-ORR). The UAC initiative   identifies and locates UACs to ensure immigration obligations are met, and investigate any potential indicators of forced labor, sex trafficking, or other exploitation.

    To accomplish this work, DHS coordinates with law enforcement at home and abroad to enforce and uphold our laws, protects victims with a victim-centered approach that prioritizes dignity and respect, and works to stop this heinous crime through public education and outreach.

    Enforcing Our Laws

    DHS works with domestic and international partners to enforce and uphold the laws that protect children from abuse. The Department works collaboratively with  Department of Justice prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S Marshals, INTERPOL, Europol, and other international law enforcement partners to arrest and prosecute perpetrators.

    • DHS increased U.S. government and law enforcement efforts to combat financial sextortion, a crime targeting children and teens by coercing them into sending explicit images online and extorting them for money. From FY22 to FY24, HSI received more than 4,900 CyberTipline reports related to sextortion predators from Côte dʼIvoire. From these reports, 652 children have been identified and supported by HSI. In an effort to combat this crime, HSI sent special agents to Côte d’Ivoire to provide online CSEA training to local law enforcement and supported local law enforcement efforts in locating and apprehending offenders residing there.
    • The CCHT works alongside the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to identify and pursue the recovery of underage victims of sex trafficking. The CCHT emphasizes victim identification operations which allows HSI field offices to rescue these children while implementing a victim centered approach. The CCHT supports HSI field operations throughout the investigation and prosecution of these traffickers and their networks.
    • DHS partnered with 61 regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces to investigate people involved in the online victimization of children, including those who produce, receive, distribute and/or possess child sexual abuse material, or who engage in online sexual enticement of children.
    • DHS researched and developed modern tools and technologies that equip domestic and international law enforcement partners with advanced forensic capabilities to accomplish their mission to identify victims and apprehend child sexual abusers.
      • The Science and Technology Directorate developed StreamView, a digital forensics and data analytics tool designed to assist law enforcement in effectively addressing child exploitation cases. By aggregating, organizing, and analyzing investigative leads, StreamView enables investigators to determine crime locations, identify victims, and bring perpetrators to justice more efficiently. Since May 2023, StreamView has identified and rescued over 133 child and adult victims, dismantled more than 29 criminal networks, generated over 600 leads and referrals, and arrested of over 120 criminal actors. The platform has also contributed to 10 convictions and 8 life sentences, significantly improving Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) investigations.
    • The U.S. Secret Service provides forensic, technical, and investigative assistance to NCMEC and state/local/tribal law enforcement in cases involving missing and exploited children. Support includes polygraph examinations, age progression/regression, composite sketches, audio/image/video enhancement, speaker identification/recognition, questioned document analysis, fingerprint development and examination, geospatial information mapping system, digital forensics.
    • U.S. Customs and Border Protection screens all undocumented unaccompanied children and other arriving minors for indicators of abuse or exploitation, human trafficking, extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children, sexual predators involved in crimes of exploitation, and all suspected criminal cases are referred to HSI.
    • Transportation Security Administration (INV) Special Agent Polygraph Examiners provide their expertise to advance investigative and prosecutorial efforts in support of child sexual exploitation investigations. INV developed evidence of child sexual exploitation and/or abuse in 15 criminal specific and pre-employment examinations. INV Special Agent Polygraph Examiners, assigned to its Special Operations Division, conduct examinations on behalf of INV, HSI, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, federal and local law enforcement agencies. In a case involving a child victim, an INV Special Agent Polygraph Examiner administered a specific issue polygraph examination, which resulted in the arrest of an individual attempting to solicit a child and identified six other victims ranging in age from 5-16 years of age.

    Protecting and Supporting Victims

    • The Angel Watch Center (AWC) within DHS C3 proactively identifies U.S. persons traveling abroad who have been convicted of sexual crimes against children. By using travel related information and publicly available state sex offender registries, the AWC notifies destination countries of these individuals’ pending arrivals to help prevent potential child sex tourism and other forms of exploitation. The HSI AWC sent over 4,800 travel notifications to foreign governments on convicted, registered U.S. child sex offenders, leading to over 900 denials of entry. These efforts build international cooperation to ensure all countries are safe from sexual predators.
    • In July 2023, HSI launched the first U.S.-based international victim identification surge, “Operation Renewed Hope (ORH).” To date, there have been three yearly operations: ORHI, ORHII, and ORHIII, to identify and rescue child victims of online exploitation. In these operations, HSI and its domestic and international partners work on child sexual abuse material contained in HSI holdings, teams expertly comb through and analyze unidentified series of child sexual abuse material to identify children and offenders and create lead packages for appropriate investigative partners in furtherance of associated law enforcement actions.
      • In the Spring of 2025, HSI conducted ORHIII, which resulted in 386 probable identifications and 56 victims who have been identified and rescued. Once victims of child exploitation are identified and/or rescued, the HSI Victim Assistance Program (VAP) supports them and their non-offending caretaker(s) by using highly trained forensic interview specialists to conduct victim-centered and trauma-informed forensic interviews. In addition, VAP’s victim assistance specialists provide resources to victims such as crisis intervention, referrals for short and long term medical and/or mental health care and contact information for local social service programs and agencies to assist in the healing process.
    • HSI provides short-term immigration protections to human trafficking victims, including victims of child sex trafficking. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) grants immigration benefits to eligible child victims of human trafficking, abuse, and other crimes, including T nonimmigrant status, U nonimmigrant status, and immigrant classification under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

    Educating and Increasing Public Awareness

    • The Know2Protect® campaign has garnered over 518 million impressions across various media platforms, in large part due to donated advertising from signed partners and other partner activations. The top visited pages on Know2Protect.gov are Take Action, How2Report, and Know the Threats.
    • Project iGuardian is the official in-person educational program of the Know2Protect campaign. Led by HSI, Project iGuardian offers in-person presentations designed to inform children, teens, parents, and trusted adults on the threat of online CSEA, how to implement preventive strategies, and report suspected abuse to law enforcement.
      • Since the start of FY24, more than 400 special agents have been trained to give Project iGuardian presentations.
      • In FY24, HSI gave more than 1,100 presentations to more than 122,000 children, teens, parents, and teachers domestically and internationally. These presentations yielded more than 75 victim disclosures and 77 investigative leads for online CSEA.
      • So far in FY 25, HSI has given more than 760 iGuardian presentations to over 69,000 children and adults, which have yielded more than 41 victim disclosures and 13 investigative leads.
    • In April 2024, the Blue Campaign announced a partnership with rideshare company Lyft to train their drivers, who interact with millions of riders per year, on how to recognize indicators of human trafficking among their passengers, and how to report it.  From July to September 2024, Blue Campaign collaborated with NCMEC to promote human trafficking awareness across various social media platforms, targeting both minors and those who work with minors. The campaign garnered more than 2 million impressions on Twitch, 14 million on Facebook, 3million on Snapchat, and 4 million through display ads.
    • The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) covers child sexual exploitation and abuse awareness in its Human Trafficking lesson plan. In FY2024, FLETC trained nearly 4,400 individuals in human trafficking awareness.
    • USSS Childhood Smart Program Ambassadors educated more than 112,000 children, parents, and teachers across 31 states and the District of Columbia about how to prevent online child sexual exploitation and child abduction. The Childhood Smart Program provides age-appropriate presentations to children as young as five as well as to adults. Presentations focus on internet and personal safety as well as other topics such as social media etiquette and cyber bullying.
    • The HSI Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center trained more than 800 individuals across the interagency on female genital mutilation or cutting, a severe form of child abuse and a crime under federal law when done to individuals under the age of 18.
    • The Blue Campaign Blue Lightning Initiative, part of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, trained more than 260,000 aviation personnel to identify potential traffickers and victims of forced labor and sex trafficking, to include child sex trafficking, and report their suspicions to law enforcement in FY 2023. The Initiative added 31 new partners this past year, raising its total partners to 136 aviation industry organizations, including its first two official international partners.
    • The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency administers SchoolSafety.gov, an interagency website that includes information, guidance and resources on a range of school safety topics. SchoolSafety.gov includes a child exploitation section that houses more than 60 resources to help school communities identify, prevent and respond to child exploitation. Since its launch in January 2023, child exploitation section has been viewed more than 35,600 times.

    What You Can Do and Resources Available

    • Visit  www.Know2Protect.gov to access free resources to understand the threats of online CSEA and learn preventative strategies to stop future victimization.
    • Request an educational presentation tailored for school children and trusted adults:
    • Visit SchoolSafety.gov for resources to help educators, school leaders, parents, and school personnel identify, prevent, and respond to child exploitation.
    • Learn more from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.Visit https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign for resources about how to prevent, identify and report human trafficking.  
    • How to report suspected online child sexual exploitation and abuse in the United States:
    • Contact your local, state, campus, or tribal law enforcement officials directly. Call 911 in an emergency.
    • If you suspect a child has been abducted or faces imminent danger, contact your local police and the NCMEC tip line at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
    • If you suspect a child might be a victim of online child sexual exploitation, call the HSI Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423 and report it to NCMEC’s CyberTipline.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison After Intercepting and Selling 1.8 Kilograms of Meth from Mexican Supplier

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    INDIANAPOLIS— Belarmino Sierra-Mata, 47, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute 500 grams of more of methamphetamine and reentry of a removed alien. 

    According to the indictment, on March 18, 2024, after receiving a text message from his girlfriend alerting him to a package’s arrival at her Indianapolis home, Sierra-Mata drove there to retrieve it. The package was shipped from California and contained approximately 1.8 kilograms of pure methamphetamine. After picking it up, Sierra-Mata sold the entire package to another individual in exchange for $300.

    During an interview with law enforcement agents following his arrest, Sierra-Mata stated that his source of supply was an individual in Mexico and that this was his second time accepting a package containing controlled substances for payment.

    Additionally, further investigation determined that Sierra-Mata is an illegal alien unlawfully present in the United States. Specifically, Sierra-Mata was formally removed from the United States on January 11, 2019, and knowingly reentered the country without obtaining proper documentation.

    Homeland Security Investigations and Indiana State Police investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker.

    “Criminal aliens that habitually cross into our country illegally and endanger our communities must face consequences,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure these drugs never make it to the streets and these criminals are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Caraballo-Colon and former AUSA Jordan Oliver, who prosecuted this case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why a psychopath wouldn’t hesitate to cause another global financial crisis – if there was something in it for them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Clive Roland Boddy, Deputy Head, School of Management, Anglia Ruskin University

    Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

    Would you want a psychopath looking after your pension? Or what about your shares? In a recent talk at the Cambridge Festival of Science, I spoke about the latest research relating to a psychopath’s love of money, greed for power, and willingness to harm other people financially for personal gain.

    Since I began researching corporate psychopaths and the global financial crisis, the idea of the financial psychopath, an employee in the financial sector acting ruthlessly, recklessly, greedily and selfishly with other people’s money, has gained traction.

    The theory won support because psychopaths are more commonly found in financial services than in other sectors. It has even been argued that up to 10% of employees in financial services could be psychopathic. That is to say they have no empathy, care for other people, conscience or regrets for any damage they do.

    These traits make them ruthless in pursuit of their own agendas and entirely focused on self-promotion and self-advancement.

    But my ongoing research goes even further. It has found that psychopaths are willing to knowingly cause financial harm to the entire global community, in order to receive a financial bonus for themselves. Personal greed outweighs the immense social and community costs of implementing that greed.

    This aligns with earlier perceptions of some captains of finance or leading politicians as psychopaths. Previous research found they are freed by their selfish philosophy of life and their trivialising of other people from the restraints of being evenhanded, truthful or generous.

    This new research also shows that a majority of psychopaths would even be willing to cause a global financial crisis – if they personally would profit from, for example, falling stock prices. This willingness holds true even when they could be personally identified as being the source of the crisis. Only a tiny minority of non-psychopaths would be willing to do this.

    Race to the top

    Financial insiders appear to agree with the assumption that psychopaths have always been prevalent in the sector. Many psychologists and other management commentators have come to the same conclusion.

    Researchers have also found that interpersonal-affective psychopathic traits – such as deceitfulness, superficial charm and a lack of remorse – were associated with success in the finance sector.

    Employees at financial institutions in New York scored significantly higher on these traits than people in the wider community. They also had significantly lower levels of emotional intelligence (as would be expected of psychopaths).

    Employees at financial institutions in New York were found to score higher for psychopathic traits than the general population.
    IM_photo/Shutterstock

    What’s more, having psychopathic traits has also been linked to higher annual incomes – as well as a higher rank within the corporation.

    In other words, it looks like the more psychopathic an employee is, the further up the corporate finance ladder they will go. This corresponds with findings that show there are more psychopaths at the top of organisations than at the bottom.

    Creating destruction

    This is not to say that personal success in climbing the corporate ladder equates to professional success when someone reaches the top job. Quite the opposite. In fact, my research has shown that psychopathic leadership is associated with organisational destruction.

    This includes a greater propensity to take risks with other people’s money, a greater willingness to gamble with someone else’s money and lower returns for shareholders.

    In one study over a ten-year period, psychopathic fund managers were found to generate annual returns that were 30% lower than their less psychopathic peers.

    The research team concluded that among elite financial investors, psychopathy and its appearance of personal dominance and competence, may enable people to rise to the top of their profession. But this does not translate into improved financial performance at the organisational level, where the presence of the psychopathic is actually counterproductive.

    Fraud has always been associated with the psychopathic – so much so that in one study 69% of auditors believed they had encountered corporate psychopaths in relation to their investigations.

    Years ago, one bank reportedly used a psychopathy measure to recruit staff. But I would advise against hiring people who score very highly, because they are totally concerned with personal success. They are not bothered about long-term organisational growth or sustainability. As such, decisions will be made to suit the psychopathic worker, and not the organisation.

    For example, new hires would be likely to be people who can help the psychopath achieve their personal aims and objectives rather than aid the company. Anyone astute enough to potentially be a challenge to the psychopathic employee would not be hired by them in the first place.

    Without exception, psychopathic people love money and they are more motivated by it than other people are.

    Unlike the rest of the population, psychopaths are uninterested in higher values such as close emotional connections with family and friends, and much more focused on money and materialism. Seen through this lens, the appeal of the corporate banking sector – and the salaries and bonuses it offers – to people with these traits soon becomes clear.

    Clive Roland Boddy has received funding from the University of Tasmania and Nottingham Business School. Clive has also secured funding for the British Chamber of Commerce in South Korea and the Australian British Chamber of Commerce in Western Australia. .

    – ref. Why a psychopath wouldn’t hesitate to cause another global financial crisis – if there was something in it for them – https://theconversation.com/why-a-psychopath-wouldnt-hesitate-to-cause-another-global-financial-crisis-if-there-was-something-in-it-for-them-252788

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s tactics for creating disruption are testing the limits of presidential power – a legal expert explains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephen Clear, Lecturer in Constitutional and Administrative Law, and Public Procurement, Bangor University

    In less than 100 days, Donald Trump’s second term has proved the most disruptive and transformative start to a US presidency ever. Using executive orders and mass firings, he has moved quickly on his far-reaching agenda to consolidate his power.

    Trump has actually signed fewer bills into law at this point than any new president for seven decades. But he has signed 124 executive orders (which don’t need congressional approval). Joe Biden signed 162 of these over his whole term.

    Executive orders are a way of pushing through a presidential directive, usually based on existing statutory powers, without it going to a vote. So far, these have covered issues from energy policy to TikTok’s ownership.

    Using this tactic, Trump has stretched his authority far more in just a few months than any recent president.

    While the president may issue executive orders, he cannot create laws without the support of Congress. This has led, in part, to the launch of lawsuits regarding the statutory basis of some of these orders. Some are now going through the federal courts on constitutional and lawfulness grounds.

    But the Supreme Court can also review and overturn executive orders that lack legal authority. These orders cannot contradict or supersede existing laws passed by Congress, or violate the US constitution.

    A system of checks and balances that prevents US presidents from becoming too powerful is facilitated by the “separation of powers”, which is written into the US Constitution. The legislative (members of Congress), executive (president) and judiciary (the courts) are all separate bodies – in part to prevent an over-concentration of power in any one body or person.

    Bills passed by presidents in first 85 days

    The US Congress has a key supervisory role through its two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, which work together to pass laws. But there are many reasons why this president may not be that concerned by these constitutional safeguards.

    The Democratic opposition is in an exceptionally weak position to take on Trump. It is in the minority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, and is routinely outvoted by the Republicans.

    And Trump is often dismissive of congressional oversight. House committees have previously launched multiple investigations into his conduct, business dealings, and whether he has financially benefited while serving as president. Congress also issued subpoenas for documents and testimonies in 2022, but Trump often resisted or delayed them.

    Congress controls federal spending and can, in theory, deny funds for presidential initiatives. But it is currently full of Republicans who, so far, have not been willing to challenge the president.



    Read more:
    Nayib Bukele: El Salvador’s strongman leader doing Donald Trump’s legwork abroad

    Testing the legal limits

    Trump’s approach seems to be one of testing the limits of the law. This was seen with the travel ban imposed on mostly Muslim countries in his first term, which the Supreme Court initially struck down as unconstitutional. The court later upheld a significantly revised version.

    In terms of impeachment, Trump has already been there on two occasions. He was first impeached in 2019 after he allegedly pressured Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate Joe Biden in the run-up to the 2020 election.

    This claim of illegality on the part of Trump stemmed from it being illegal to ask foreign entities for help in winning a US election. The House of Representatives impeached him for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but the Senate ultimately acquitted him.

    Trump was impeached again in 2021, after he was accused of inciting the January 6 Capitol riots. For the first time in US history, a president was impeached after leaving office – but he was again acquitted by the Senate.

    Trump has suggested these impeachment attempts are evidence of him being persecuted for his efforts to “drain the swamp” (how he describes Washington’s political establishment). Overall, the president seems to favour testing the limits of executive policy-making, then making changes later if challenged.

    Judges also have an important role to play in checking the work of the president. They can declare presidential actions unconstitutional. For example, in US v Nixon (1974), the Supreme Court ruled the president does not have executive-privilege immunity from court actions.

    Some may think that as the president appoints top judges, this undermines their independence. However, once judges are appointed, they are bound to execute their duties fairly while upholding the rule of law. Importantly, they do not answer to the president for their decisions.

    The US constitution also puts some limits on the office of the president. As part of their oath of office, presidents vow to uphold and defend the constitution and faithfully execute their responsibilities. In that sense, a US president must execute diligence in ensuring the law is faithfully followed. They cannot simply ignore laws they do not like.

    Donald Trump’s Oath of Office.

    And despite claims that Trump is prepared to seek a third term, the 22nd Amendment limits an individual to a maximum of two – although Trump has hinted at a plan to find a way around this.

    As was seen with his previous administration, the voters can turn against sitting presidents and vote them out of power. Businesses and market pressures can also play a significant role, as was seen in the recent pauses in the president’s international tariff decision-making.

    What needs to change?

    A significant amount of change has been achieved via Trump’s executive orders in just 85 days. Meanwhile, judicial oversight and checks will take time to filter through the courts and, if necessary, be tested in the Supreme Court.



    Read more:
    Federal judge finds ‘probable cause’ to hold Trump administration in contempt – a legal scholar explains what this means

    Nonetheless, the judiciary is starting to flex its muscles more. For example, a federal judge has said he would find administration officials in contempt unless they engaged with a legal process to secure the return of Maryland resident Kilmar Ábrego García, after he was illegally sent to an El Salvador prison. This is already being hailed as a test case for the rule of law.

    It’s also noteworthy that recent polls of US citizens indicate 82% want the president to obey federal court orders.

    One area where more explicit clarity in US law might be needed is over the scope of executive orders – to curtail some of the testing of their limits we are currently seeing. While Congress already has the power to legislate to reverse and override an executive order, as well as to refuse to provide the funding necessary to carry out policy measures contained within an order, it (so far) seems unprepared to execute this power.

    In the next few months, the US public and politicians will be able to see the impact of these executive orders – and there will be a wealth of judicial rulings to add to the debate. Whether that will change how Trump operates is as yet unclear.

    Stephen Clear 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. Trump’s tactics for creating disruption are testing the limits of presidential power – a legal expert explains – https://theconversation.com/trumps-tactics-for-creating-disruption-are-testing-the-limits-of-presidential-power-a-legal-expert-explains-254120

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: Vuk Talks Season 2 Episode 36 with Mr Junior Lechaba, Gibela Rail.

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    Vuk Talks Season 2 Episode 36 with Mr Junior Lechaba, Gibela Rail.

    X:
    @RailGibela

    Facebook:
    @Gibela

    Instagram:
    @Gibelrail

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQXyOK5KSlo

    MIL OSI Video –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trahan, Garcia Mark 50 Years Since the Cambodian Genocide, Reintroduce Remembrance Day Legislation

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

    LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), Chair of the Congressional Cambodia Caucus, and Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) reintroduced legislation to designate April 17th as Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day to recognize the anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge, which went on to murder nearly 2 million Cambodians. Today marks 50 years since the start of the Cambodian Genocide.
    “Today, we commemorate the painful anniversary of the Cambodian genocide, when over a four year period the Khmer Rouge regime murdered nearly two million innocent people. Families were separated, culture and identity were nearly erased, and the pain of that loss continues to echo through generations,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “By dedicating April 17th as Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day, we commit to preserving the memory of those we lost, to educating future generations about the atrocities that occurred, and to standing firm against the rising tide of genocide, authoritarianism, and erosion of human rights.”
    “Today marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cambodian genocide, where more than two million lives were lost by violence and tyranny, and countless families were forever impacted,” said Congressman Garcia. “Cambodian Americans across the country still carry the weight of this history with strength and resilience. This anniversary is a time to recognize that this history will never be forgotten, and a reminder that we will always stand with the Cambodian community.”
    From 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge and its leader Pol Pot engaged in a brutal, systematic genocide of innocent Cambodian citizens. By the time the Khmer Rouge was toppled, nearly 2 million Cambodians were killed, totaling almost 25 percent of the nation’s population. Thousands fled the killing fields for refugee camps in Thailand before being admitted to several nations, including the United States. Today, multiple cities and towns are home to strong, vibrant Cambodian-American communities, including Lowell, Massachusetts and Long Beach, California.
    In 2019, Lowell, Long Beach, and Los Angeles passed resolutions proclaiming April 17th as Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day. In 2023, the Massachusetts legislature passed legislation authored by State Representative Vanna Howard, the first Cambodian American woman elected to a state legislature in the nation, to do the same.
    “Today, April 17th marks the 50th anniversary of the Cambodian genocide, when the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia and murdered close to 2 million Cambodians over the next four years, including many of my most precious family members,” said State Representative Vanna Howard. “The remembrance is certainly an important acknowledgement of all the survivors in our community. While we recommit ourselves to never forget the lives lost, we must also remain dedicated to ensuring that such an event never happens again, and that Cambodia will return to a free and fair democratic society, sooner than later. As a genocide survivor, I’m very proud the Massachusetts Legislature, for the first time in the history of Massachusetts, passed a House Resolution proclaiming April 17th as Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day.”
    “The Cambodian Genocide is a part of our history that we must never forget. The work to uphold democracy in Cambodia is far from over—we must continue striving to keep our people safe and free from fear. On this day of remembrance, we honor the past and commit to moving forward, so we never return to such darkness,” said State Representative Tara Hong.
    In 2023, Trahan and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) reintroduced the Cambodia Democracy and Human Rights Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation to hold the Cambodian government accountable for abuses and corruption that undermine democracy and human rights.
    Lowell is home to the second largest Cambodian community and the largest Cambodian population per capita of any city or town in the nation. The strong Cambodian-American community in the region has strengthened the local economy and contributed mightily to Lowell’s cultural resurgence. It has also been essential in the election of the first Cambodian American mayor, Sokhary Chau, and Cambodian American members of the City Council, Vesna Nuon and Paul Ratha Yem.
    “Congresswoman Lori Trahan has proven to be a true ally and advocate for the Cambodian community. She understands the struggles of immigrants and takes meaningful action to stand with us,” said Councilor Chau. “Like many Cambodian families, mine survived the unimaginable horrors of the Khmer Rouge — the starvation, the forced labor, the fear, and the loss. As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Cambodian Genocide, this is more than a moment of remembrance. It’s a call to honor our resilience, preserve our history, and empower future generations to carry our legacy forward with pride and strength.”
    “As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Cambodian genocide, it is important that those of us who survived and found safety and opportunity in the United States never forget the inhumanity of that era. And it is important that we, Cambodians and Cambodian-Americans alike, tell our stories and continue to call for an end to one-party rule and for free and just elections in Cambodia.” said Councilor Nuon.
    “Fifty years ago, Cambodia fell into darkness, and over two million lives were lost to the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime. Today, we remember the victims, honor the survivors, and reaffirm our commitment to justice, truth, and the enduring strength of the Cambodian people. May their memory guide us toward peace, resilience, and a future where such horrors never happen again,” said Councilor Yem.
    A copy of the legislation introduced today can be accessed HERE.
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Solar Project Planned For North Albany Landfill

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the City of Albany will co-develop a new 1.5-megawatt solar energy project at the capped North Albany/Shaker Park landfill. The ground-mounted solar farm is estimated to come online in 2027 and will power the equivalent of more than 200 homes. This is also NYPA’s first renewable energy project in the newly established Renewable Energy Access and Community Help (REACH) program, which will lower energy costs for low- or moderate-income Albany area residents and eligible New Yorkers in the surrounding area. At the landfill solar project kickoff event today, the City of Albany also was recognized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for achieving silver status, the highest level of certification as a Climate Smart Community.

    “Transforming the North Albany landfill into a source of clean energy is evidence of our steadfast commitment to create a more affordable and reliable electric system for all New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “Through this collaboration and project, NYPA is advancing its efforts to develop new renewables while simultaneously benefiting low- and moderate-income area residents with bill credits through its new REACH program. This project also reflects our focus on repurposing underutilized sites to meet our ambitious climate goals in smart, sustainable ways.”

    New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “The Power Authority’s second clean energy project as part of its Renewables Strategic Plan is in partnership with the City of Albany and will transform a capped landfill into a 1.5 MW solar facility that will power the equivalent of over 200 homes by 2027. The project is also the first to be part of NYPA’s new REACH program, which was designed to support energy affordability for low- and moderate-income residents, furthering our commitment to a cleaner, more equitable energy future for all New Yorkers.”

    Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, “The North Albany landfill solar project is the next step towards bringing more clean energy benefits to City of Albany residents and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Albany is committed to becoming a city with net zero emissions by 2050 and innovative projects like this are exactly how we are going to meet that goal. We cannot thank Governor Hochul and President Driscoll enough for the commitment and investment in clean energy.”

    The North Albany/Shaker Road project is one of the first to be developed under NYPA’s Renewables Strategic Plan. The plan is a roadmap for NYPA’s renewable energy development under its expanded authority to build additional renewable energy resources to help advance New York State’s climate goals. The project will be built adjacent to the city’s Department of General Services headquarters and further enshrines Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s commitment to the environment and the city’s sustainability goals. The North Albany landfill site was chosen after an extensive evaluation of multiple sites by Albany’s Office of Sustainability in cooperation with NYPA. In addition to their signed contract, the City of Albany and Power Authority have completed pre-feasibility studies for the site and will now move forward to the next phases of development, including preparing and submitting an interconnection application to the local utility.

    The project is the first to be developed through NYPA’s new REACH program, which will provide bill credits for eligible low- or moderate-income households after the project comes online in 2027. Those who enroll in the state’s Energy Affordability Program (EAP) and the Statewide Solar for All program may be eligible for automatic monthly bill credits through the REACH program once the project is completed, online and generating revenue, with a target of 2027.

    NYPA recently announced Somers Solar, a 20 MW solar energy generation project in the town of Fort Edward in Washington County, will be its first renewables project under the expanded authority.

    NYPA’s Expanded Authority to Develop Renewable Energy

    The 2023-24 Enacted State Budget authorized NYPA to advance renewable energy and support state priorities, building on NYPA’s existing efforts to provide clean, affordable power and expand New York’s transmission system. Specifically, this expanded authority called for NYPA to accelerate renewable energy development, support workforce training, establish the REACH program, support decarbonization efforts across the state, and deactivate its small natural gas power plants in New York City and on Long Island.

    Since Governor Kathy Hochul signed the 2023-2024 Enacted State Budget into law, NYPA has made significant progress, including establishing business structures, filling key roles, and advancing initial projects. NYPA has also created a subsidiary to facilitate external capital and protect against project risks.

    The Power Authority, through its wholly owned subsidiary the New York Renewable Energy Development Holdings Corporation (NYRED), will construct the 1.5 MW solar generation project.

    In January 2025, the Power Authority published its inaugural Renewables Strategic Plan for developing new renewable energy generation projects to supply New Yorkers with affordable, reliable, and emissions-free electricity. The plan outlines 37 projects across New York State, representing a potential of more than 3 GW of renewable energy. The plan also reflects feedback from thousands of stakeholders statewide, sets priorities for projects to be advanced over the next two years and includes the pursuit of additional projects in future updates to the plan.

    State Senator Kevin Parker said, “This project is a powerful example of how bold leadership and innovative partnerships can transform underutilized spaces into sources of clean, renewable energy. By prioritizing equity through the REACH program, we are not only advancing sustainability but also delivering tangible benefits to the families who need it most. Albany is setting a standard for what climate-smart progress looks like in New York State.”

    State Senator Pat Fahy said, “New Yorkers are struggling every month with the rising cost of energy and utility bills. That’s why we’re investing in cheaper, cleaner energy sources like solar that will help us lower the demand for increasingly expensive natural gas and new infrastructure. Co-locating a solar farm with an existing landfill is a good example of how the state can responsibly site solar, creatively meet our ambitious climate goals, and ultimately lower the utility burden weighing on so many families here in the 46th District and Capital Region.”

    Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, “This new solar project on Albany’s capped landfill, the first under NYPA’s expanded authority, is just the kind of siting that we should be prioritizing in New York State. When stakeholders work together, we can identify sites for energy projects that utilize the many brownfields across the State, instead of siting them on prime farmland.”

    Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero said, “This project will be a huge milestone for the REACH program and for renewable energy efforts in New York State. Lowering energy costs for Albany residents and advancing our climate goals is a win for everyone. I applaud NYPA and Mayor Sheehan for their continued commitment to sustainability and affordable, renewable energy.”

    Assemblymember John T. McDonald III, RPh said, “This project is a win-win for Albany and New York State. By transforming this capped landfill into a source of renewable energy, we’re not only advancing our climate goals, we’re also delivering direct benefits to the families who need them most. The REACH program exemplifies how public investment can lower energy costs for working households while building a more sustainable future. I commend NYPA and Mayor Sheehan for their leadership and collaboration on this transformative project.”

    Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said, “I applaud the New York Power Authority and City of Albany for this plan to transform an underutilized landfill into a powerful source of clean, renewable energy. When completed, this project will generate enough electricity to power hundreds of homes each year, significantly reducing the city’s carbon footprint and saving taxpayers money over the long term. I’ve been proud to prioritize renewable energy during my time as County Executive, and this project will complement the solar array we opened last year along Watervliet Shaker Road in the Town of Colonie. Together, we are proving that sustainability and smart governance go hand in hand. This is just the beginning of what we can accomplish together when we prioritize smart infrastructure and environmental responsibility.”

    Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “This new solar energy project at the capped North Albany/Shaker Park landfill is an excellent example of how municipalities are utilizing solar to reduce emissions and lower energy costs for residents. With support from NYPA’s Renewable Energy Access and Community Help (REACH) program, Albany is safely and successfully leveraging underutilized land to help harness renewable energy. DEC also congratulates the City of Albany for reaching silver certification through the Climate Smart Communities program, the highest designation available and illustrative of the locally driven climate action to decrease pollution and enhance resilience in Capital Region communities and across the state.”

    Albany Commissioner of Administrative Services Ann Marie Salmon said, “Participating in this project is a win for the environment and a win for residents who live in or near Albany who will benefit from lower electricity bills.”

    Albany Director of Sustainability Jason West said, “Over the life of this project, more than 2,268 MWh/year of clean energy will be added to the grid, preventing an estimated 21,995 tons of greenhouse gasses from being emitted. That’s equivalent to the emissions absorbed by 329,928 trees being planted and grown for ten years.”

    New York State’s Commitment to Land Use and Renewable Energy

    This project complements New York State’s efforts to encourage consideration of closed landfills, cleaned-up brownfields, and other underutilized sites for renewable energy. The State Department of Environmental Conservation issued guidance for photovoltaic solar projects at closed landfills to help municipalities address the site-specific characteristics of a project and ensure protections remain in place during solar installation. Solarization and re-development of old or unused landfills are prime examples of state and local partnerships at their best, especially during this critical time when policies and programs are being rolled back on the federal level.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barr, Deepfakes and the AI Arms Race in Bank Cybersecurity

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today about artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity.1 In the past, a skilled forger could pass a bad check by replicating a person’s signature. Now, advances in AI can do much more damage by replicating a person’s entire identity. This technology—known as deepfakes—has the potential to supercharge identity fraud. I’ve recently spoken about the importance of recognizing both the benefits and the risks of generative AI (Gen AI).2 Today, I’d like to focus more on the darker side of the technology—specifically how Gen AI has the potential to enable deepfake technology, and what we should be doing now to defend against this risk in finance.
    Escalating Threat of Gen-AI Facilitated CybercrimeCybercrime is on the rise, and cybercriminals are increasingly turning to Gen AI to facilitate their crimes. Criminal tactics are becoming more sophisticated and available to a broader range of criminals. Estimates of direct and indirect costs of cyber incidents range from 1 to 10 percent of global GDP.3 Deepfake attacks have seen a twentyfold increase over the last three years.4
    Cybercrime with deepfakes involves the same cat and mouse game common to sophisticated criminal activity. Both cybercriminals and financial institutions are constantly trying to outdo each other. Criminals develop new attack methods, and companies respond with better defenses. Here, the same technological innovations that enable the bad actors can also help those fighting cybercrime. However, there is an asymmetry—the fraudsters can cast a wide net of approaches and target a wide number of victims, and they only need a small number to be successful. Their marginal cost is generally low, and individual failures matter little. Conversely, companies must undergo a rigorous review and testing process to mount effective cyber defenses and will thus be slower in developing their defenses. A single failure is very costly. As we consider this issue from a policy perspective, we need to take steps to make attacks less likely by raising the cost of the attack to the cybercriminals and lowering the costs of defense to financial institutions and law enforcement.
    Anatomy of a DeepfakeDeepfake attacks are those in which an attacker uses Gen AI to create a doppelganger with a person’s voice or image and uses this doppelganger to interact with individuals or institutions to commit fraud. Deepfake technology is a particularly pernicious vehicle for cybercrime.5 The process begins with voice synthesis, where Gen AI models can synthesize the speech of their victim not only in words, but also in phrase patterns, tone, and inflection. With just a short sample audio, for example, criminals assisted by Gen AI can impersonate a close relative in a crisis situation or a high-value bank client, seeking to complete a transaction at their bank.6
    Criminals can also use Gen AI-generated videos to create believable depictions of individuals. For videos, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are the core technology behind most deepfake systems.7 GANs consist of two competing models, the generator and the discriminator, which compete with and improve each other. This competition results in increasingly realistic, indistinguishable fake images and videos.8
    Deepfake technology can also be augmented by other AI tools; for instance, criminals can use AI to extract and organize extensive multimodal personal data to facilitate identity verification. Attackers can also turn to “dark web” tools, such as jailbroken versions of popular large language models, where the guardrails have been removed, to learn the deepfake trade and improve their attacks.9
    Deepfakes in ActionI expect that many of you can recall examples of how deepfakes of politicians and prominent business executives have fooled the public and spread disinformation. Deepfakes are also being used to commit payment fraud. In one case in 2024, a sophisticated deepfake of the chief financial officer for British engineering and architectural firm Arup was reportedly deployed in a video meeting and convinced an Arup financial employee to transfer $25 million to thieves.10
    In another case, an attacker attempted to undertake a highly convincing audio deepfake of the chief executive of Ferrari, down to mimicking his southern Italian accent.11 The recipient of the attack—another Ferrari executive—tested the caller with a personal question only the chief executive would know, which thankfully exposed the fraud.
    And these institutions and individuals are not alone—a 2024 survey finds that over 10 percent of companies reported experiencing deepfake fraud attempts, and few steps have been taken to mitigate the risks.12
    Particularly since COVID, we conduct much of our professional and personal lives over video. When we see realistic and interactive video images of a loved one in trouble, we are disposed to trust them and do what we can to help. Identity verification standards at banks often use voice detection, which may become vulnerable to Gen AI tools. If this technology becomes cheaper and more broadly available to criminals—and fraud detection technology does not keep pace—we are all vulnerable to a deepfake attack. These attacks can have significant financial costs to the victims of the crime and can also pose costs to society, eroding trust in communications and in institutions.
    Defending Against DeepfakesSo what should we do? As I mentioned above, we should take steps to lessen the impact of attacks by making successful breaches less likely, while making each attack more resource-intensive for the attacker.
    Let me start with ways to make successful breaches less likely. A key step is to recognize the importance of strong, resilient financial institutions in preventing attacks. Banks are frontline defenders against deepfake-enabled fraud due to their direct involvement with financial transactions and customer data. To verify payors, banks maintain identity verification processes, including multi-factor authentication and account monitoring practices. To the extent deepfakes increase, bank identity verification processes should evolve in kind to include AI-powered advances such as facial recognition, voice analysis, and behavioral biometrics to detect potential deepfakes. Other techniques focus on assessing the probability that AI has been used in audio or video based on underlying metadata and then flagging the identity or transaction for further review using other verification. These technical solutions can detect subtle inconsistencies in video and audio that human observers may miss.
    Banks have two points of control over the transaction—confirming not only the sender’s identity, but also the legitimacy of the recipient address. They can scrutinize the recipients of large or unusual transactions, employing advanced analytics to flag suspicious patterns that could indicate fraudulent activities, and perform additional reviews before authorizing a payment to a recipient that raises flags. Banks also invest in their human controls by maintaining up-to-date training for staff on the emerging risks and incorporating the necessary security measures to mitigate the damages from breaches when they occur. And they are engaging with other financial institutions to help define the threat and identify appropriate controls and mitigants.13
    Customers should do their part, enabling multi-factor authentication on their accounts and verifying unusual requests through a separate channel, even if the person making the request seems genuine. They should seek out education for themselves and their loved ones to help them detect and prevent fraud before it occurs.14 And customers should value strong security practices at their financial institutions, including those which may add some friction to the user experience. The customers that may be the highest-value targets for criminals are often those with the largest digital presence, and thus most susceptible to deepfakes. They are also the customers who may prefer the most frictionless user experience, making detecting deepfakes more difficult. When it comes to protecting our money, we ought to expect and appreciate a little friction.
    Regulators can help to reinforce the importance of cyber defenses in safe and sound banking through appropriate updates to guidance and regulation. As with all rules, we should be mindful of the impacts on smaller institutions and help ensure that rules are right-sized for the risk. In addition, we can work with core providers to understand the extent to which they are incorporating AI advancements in their products and services to help smaller banks defend against deepfakes and other emerging risks from the technology. Last, we can also highlight research and development for cybersecurity startups and research into tools to combat deepfakes and Gen AI-based fraud.
    Regulators should consider how we could leverage AI technologies ourselves, including to enhance our ability to monitor and detect patterns of fraudulent activity at regulated institutions in real time. This could help provide early warnings to affected institutions and broader industry participants, as well as to protect our own systems.
    In addition to preventing attacks, we should also explore ways of making attacks more costly. These may include coordination with domestic and global law enforcement, internationally consistent laws against cybercrime, and continued improvement on sharing threat intelligence and insights in real-time. The official sector and banks should continue efforts to improve fraud data sharing within the financial sector and help institutions respond more quickly to emerging Gen AI-driven threats. This will make it far harder for fraudsters to operate undetected, increasing the complexity and cost of their activities. But the sharing is only as good as the data, and banks must do their part. We should help ensure that banks and other regulated institutions meet their duties to report cyber incidents in a timely way, and regulators should too.15
    Another way to disrupt the economics of cybercrime is by increasing penalties for attempting to use Gen AI to commit fraud and increasing investment in cybercrime enforcement. This includes targeting the upstream organizations that benefit from illegal action and strengthening anti-money-laundering laws to disrupt illicit fund flows and freeze assets related to cybercrime. The fear of severe legal consequences could help to deter bad actors from pursuing AI-driven fraud schemes in the first place.
    ConclusionDeepfakes are only one of many new techniques to facilitate cyberattacks, but they feel particularly salient because they are so personal. And they are on the rise.
    We will need financial institutions to adapt, collaborate, and innovate in the face of these emerging threats.
    Thank you.

    1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text
    2. Michael S. Barr, “Artificial Intelligence: Hypothetical Scenarios for the Future” (speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY, February 18, 2025); Michael S. Barr, “AI, Fintechs, and Banks” (speech at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, April 4, 2025). Return to text
    3. International Monetary Fund, Global Financial Stability Report, chapter 3 (October 2024), See also, World Economic Forum, Why We Need Global Rules to Crack Down on Cybercrime (January 2023). Return to text
    4. “Fraud attempts with deepfakes have increased by 2137% over the last three years,” Signicat, February 20, 2025, https://www.signicat.com/press-releases/fraud-attempts-with-deepfakes-have-increased-by-2137-over-the-last-three-year#:~:text=Evolving20AI2Dbased20techniques20pose,AI2DDriven20Identity20Fraud20report. Return to text
    5. Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud,” public service announcement, December 3, 2024. Return to text
    6. See note 5. Return to text
    7. Tianxiang Shen, Ruixian Liu, Ju Bai, and Zheng Li, “Deep Fakes” Using Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) (PDF). McAfee, Beware the Artificial Impostor (May 2023), https://www.mcafee.com/content/dam/consumer/en-us/resources/cybersecurity/artificial-intelligence/rp-beware-the-artificial-impostor-report.pdf. Return to text
    8. “What is a GAN?” AWS, https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/gan/#:~:text=A20generative20adversarial20network20(GAN,from20a20database20of20songs. Return to text
    9. KELA, The State of Cybercrime 2025 Report (February 2025), https://www.kelacyber.com/resources/research/state-of-cybercrime-2025/. Return to text
    10. Kathleen Magramo, “British Engineering Giant Arup Revealed as $25 Million Deepfake Scam Victim,” CNN Business, May 17, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/16/tech/arup-deepfake-scam-loss-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html. Return to text
    11. Sandra Galletti and Massimo Pani, “How Ferrari Hit the Brakes on a Deepfake CEO,” MIT Sloan Management Review, January 27, 2025. Return to text
    12. Chad Brooks, “1 in 10 Executives Say Their Companies Have Already Faced Deepfake Threats,” business.com, June 28, 2024, https://www.business.com/articles/deepfake-threats-study/. Return to text
    13. See, for instance, FS-ISAC’s report on deepfake threats and risk management at https://www.fsisac.com/hubfs/Knowledge/AI/DeepfakesInTheFinancialSector-UnderstandingTheThreatsManagingTheRisks.pdf. Return to text
    14. There are a variety of public and private resources that can help. See, for example, the National Security Agency/Central Security Service at https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-Release-View/Article/3523329/nsa-us-federal-agencies-advise-on-deepfake-threats/; and the National Cybersecurity Alliance at https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/why-your-family-and-coworkers-need-a-safe-word-in-the-age-of-ai. Return to text
    15. “Computer-Security Incident Notification Requirements for Banking Organizations and Their Bank Service Providers,” 86 Fed. Reg. 66,424 (November 23, 2021). Return to text

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Ridgeville Doctor Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    Scheme billed Medicare more than $14M for unnecessary medical equipment and lab tests

    CLEVELAND – An Ohio doctor has pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy that prescribed medical equipment and lab tests for patients who did not need them and then submitted claims to Medicare to receive payment. Medicare is a federal health benefit program administered under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and most notably covers beneficiaries aged 65 and older.

    According to court documents, Timothy Sutton, 43, of North Ridgeville, Ohio, admitted that he and other co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to fraudulently bill more than $14.5 million in payments from Medicare. Sutton was employed by two telemedicine companies; Real Time Physicians, LLC, based in Nevada, and 24 Hour Virtual MD, LLC, based in Florida. The companies provided Sutton with pre-completed orders for durable medical equipment (DME), such as braces, and/or cancer genetic testing (CGX) for him to approve and digitally sign. In doing so, he affirmed that he had examined patients using a telemedicine platform and determined that they needed DME or that CGX testing was necessary. In truth, he never examined any of the patients who resided throughout Ohio and Florida.

    Once Sutton prescribed the equipment or ordered testing, Real Time Physicians and 24 Hour Virtual MD furthered the conspiracy by forwarding the orders to companies under their control or sold the orders to other medical entities to provide DME or conduct the lab testing. Sutton defrauded Medicare by submitting claims that were not reasonable and necessary for medical treatment and did not comply with Medicare rules and regulations or applicable federal laws.

    On April 4, 2025, Sutton pleaded guilty to attempt and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, false statements related to health care matters, and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 27 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 26, 2025.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI Cleveland Division. In the Northern District of Ohio, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Om Kakani and Rebecca Lutzko are prosecuting the case.

    About the Northern District of Ohio

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio covers the 40 northern-most counties in the state of Ohio, which is home to nearly six million people. The office operates from its main headquarters in Cleveland, with additional branches in Akron, Toledo, and Youngstown. The U.S. Attorney serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the District and oversees the prosecution of federal crimes and protect victims’ rights. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Sky Quarry to Host Investor Webinar on Waste-to-Energy Strategy and National Expansion – April 24th at 2:00 PM EDT

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WOODS CROSS, Utah, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sky Quarry Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYQ) (“Sky Quarry” or “the Company”), an integrated energy solutions company committed to revolutionizing the waste asphalt shingle recycling industry, today announced it will host a live investor webinar on Thursday, April 24th at 11:00 a.m. PDT / 2:00 p.m. EDT.

    Attendees will gain insights on:

    • The scale and urgency of the asphalt shingle waste problem and why it matters
    • Sky Quarry’s solution through its proprietary technology and revenue model
    • How California’s tightening fuel supply is driving demand for regional refining solutions
    • Regulatory tailwinds and the national blueprint for growth through modular waste-to-energy units

    The event will feature Sky Quarry founders David Sealock, Chairman & CEO, and Marcus Laun, EVP and Director, and will be moderated by Lloyd MacNeil, a partner at Troutman Pepper and a project finance attorney specializing in energy infrastructure development.

    The presentation will be followed by a live Q&A. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing ir@skyquarry.com

    Registration is open to all investors, industry partners, and media.

    To register for the webinar, please click here.

    About Sky Quarry Inc.

    Sky Quarry Inc. (NASDAQ:SKYQ) and its subsidiaries are, collectively, an oil production, refining, and a development-stage environmental remediation company formed to deploy technologies to facilitate the recycling of waste asphalt shingles and remediation of oil-saturated sands and soils. Our waste-to-energy mission is to repurpose and upcycle millions of tons of asphalt shingle waste, diverting them from landfills. By doing so, we can contribute to improved waste management, promote resource efficiency, conserve natural resources, and reduce environmental impact. For more information, please visit skyquarry.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may include ”forward-looking statements.” All statements pertaining to our future financial and/or operating results, future events, or future developments may constitute forward-looking statements. The statements may be identified by words such as “expect,” “look forward to,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “will,” “project,” or words of similar meaning. Such statements are based on the current expectations and certain assumptions of our management, of which many are beyond our control. These are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and factors, including but not limited to those described in our disclosures. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should underlying expectations not occur or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance, or our achievements may (negatively or positively) vary materially from those described explicitly or implicitly in the relevant forward-looking statement. We neither intend, nor assume any obligation, to update or revise these forward-looking statements in light of developments which differ from those anticipated. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and the Company’s other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2025. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are contained.

    Investor Relations
    Jennifer Standley
    Director of Investor Relations
    Ir@skyquarry.com

    Company Website
    www.skyquarry.com

    The MIL Network –

    April 18, 2025
←Previous Page
1 … 1,292 1,293 1,294 1,295 1,296 … 2,663
Next Page→
NewzIntel.com

NewzIntel.com

MIL Open Source Intelligence

  • Blog
  • About
  • FAQs
  • Authors
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Patterns
  • Themes

Twenty Twenty-Five

Designed with WordPress