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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: The 21st Century Packhorse Librarians to Visit Mountain Gateway Museum

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: The 21st Century Packhorse Librarians to Visit Mountain Gateway Museum

    The 21st Century Packhorse Librarians to Visit Mountain Gateway Museum
    jejohnson6

    The Mountain Gateway Museum will host the 21st Century Packhorse Librarians on March 1 to distribute free books.

    The free, family friendly event will take place at the museum’s new location (78-C Catawba Ave., Old Fort, NC) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Books ranging from children’s board books, to young adult titles, adult fiction, poetry, and more, will be available.

    Inspired by the Packhorse Librarians of the 1930s who brought books to the community, Kirsten Turner launched a modern take on the group following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The 1930s version was part of the Works Progress Administration programs delivering books to the communities of the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky, while employing around 200 women. Often these women rode or walked into town on horses or mules loaded with books. Turner will deliver books from a trailer instead of a horse.

    For more information, please call the museum at 828-785-9528 or visit our website at mgmnc.org. To learn more about the 21st Century Packhorse Librarians, visit them on Facebook at 21st Century Packhorse Librarians.

    About Mountain Gateway Museum
    A regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, the Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center (MGM) is the westernmost facility in the N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ Division of State History Museums.

    Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of historic Mill Creek in downtown Old Fort (McDowell County), the museum uses artifacts, exhibitions, educational programs, living history demonstrations, and special events to teach people about the rich history and cultural heritage of the state’s mountain region, from its original inhabitants through early settlement and into the 20th century.  

    As part of its education outreach mission, MGM also assists non-profit museums and historic sites in 38 western NC counties with exhibit development and fabrication, genealogical research, photography archives, traveling exhibitions, and consultations.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Feb 19, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: #StopRansomware: Ghost (Cring) Ransomware

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Summary

    Note: This joint Cybersecurity Advisory is part of an ongoing #StopRansomware effort to publish advisories for network defenders that detail various ransomware variants and ransomware threat actors. These #StopRansomware advisories include recently and historically observed tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) to help organizations protect against ransomware. Visit stopransomware.gov to see all #StopRansomware advisories and to learn more about other ransomware threats and no-cost resources.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) are releasing this joint advisory to disseminate known Ghost (Cring)—(“Ghost”)—ransomware IOCs and TTPs identified through FBI investigation as recently as January 2025.

    Beginning early 2021, Ghost actors began attacking victims whose internet facing services ran outdated versions of software and firmware. This indiscriminate targeting of networks containing vulnerabilities has led to the compromise of organizations across more than 70 countries, including organizations in China. Ghost actors, located in China, conduct these widespread attacks for financial gain. Affected victims include critical infrastructure, schools and universities, healthcare, government networks, religious institutions, technology and manufacturing companies, and numerous small- and medium-sized businesses.

    Ghost actors rotate their ransomware executable payloads, switch file extensions for encrypted files, modify ransom note text, and use numerous ransom email addresses, which has led to variable attribution of this group over time. Names associated with this group include Ghost, Cring, Crypt3r, Phantom, Strike, Hello, Wickrme, HsHarada, and Rapture. Samples of ransomware files Ghost used during attacks are: Cring.exe, Ghost.exe, ElysiumO.exe, and Locker.exe.

    Ghost actors use publicly available code to exploit Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) and gain access to internet facing servers. Ghost actors exploit well known vulnerabilities and target networks where available patches have not been applied.

    The FBI, CISA, and MS-ISAC encourage organizations to implement the recommendations in the Mitigations section of this advisory to reduce the likelihood and impact of Ghost ransomware incidents.

    Download the PDF version of this report:

    For a downloadable copy of IOCs, see:

    Technical Details

    Note: This advisory uses the MITRE ATT&CK® Matrix for Enterprise framework, version 16.1. See the MITRE ATT&CK Tactics and Techniques section of this advisory for a table of the threat actors’ activity mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques.

    Initial Access

    The FBI has observed Ghost actors obtaining initial access to networks by exploiting public facing applications that are associated with multiple CVEs [T1190]. Their methodology includes leveraging vulnerabilities in Fortinet FortiOS appliances (CVE-2018-13379), servers running Adobe ColdFusion (CVE-2010-2861 and CVE-2009-3960), Microsoft SharePoint (CVE-2019-0604), and Microsoft Exchange (CVE-2021-34473, CVE-2021-34523, and CVE-2021-31207— commonly referred to as the ProxyShell attack chain).

    Execution

    Ghost actors have been observed uploading a web shell [T1505.003] to a compromised server and leveraging Windows Command Prompt [T1059.003] and/or PowerShell [T1059.001] to download and execute Cobalt Strike Beacon malware [T1105] that is then implanted on victim systems. Despite Ghost actors’ malicious implementation, Cobalt Strike is a commercially available adversary simulation tool often used for the purposes of testing an organization’s security controls.

    Persistence

    Persistence is not a major focus for Ghost actors, as they typically only spend a few days on victim networks. In multiple instances, they have been observed proceeding from initial compromise to the deployment of ransomware within the same day. However, Ghost actors sporadically create new local [T1136.001] and domain accounts [T1136.002] and change passwords for existing accounts [T1098]. In 2024, Ghost actors were observed deploying web shells [T1505.003] on victim web servers.

    Privilege Escalation

    Ghost actors often rely on built in Cobalt Strike functions to steal process tokens running under the SYSTEM user context to impersonate the SYSTEM user, often for the purpose of running Beacon a second time with elevated privileges [T1134.001].

    Ghost actors have been observed using multiple open-source tools in an attempt at privilege escalation through exploitation [T1068] such as “SharpZeroLogon,” “SharpGPPPass,” “BadPotato,” and “GodPotato.” These privilege escalation tools would not generally be used by individuals with legitimate access and credentials. 

    See Table 1 for a descriptive listing of tools.

    Credential Access

    Ghost actors use the built in Cobalt Strike function “hashdump” or Mimikatz [T1003] to collect passwords and/or password hashes to aid them with unauthorized logins and privilege escalation or to pivot to other victim devices.

    Defense Evasion

    Ghost actors used their access through Cobalt Strike to display a list of running processes [T1057] to determine which antivirus software [T1518.001] is running so that it can be disabled [T1562.001]. Ghost frequently runs a command to disable Windows Defender on network connected devices. Options used in this command are: Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring 1 -DisableIntrusionPreventionSystem 1 -DisableBehaviorMonitoring 1 -DisableScriptScanning 1 -DisableIOAVProtection 1 -EnableControlledFolderAccess Disabled -MAPSReporting Disabled -SubmitSamplesConsent NeverSend.

    Discovery

    Ghost actors have been observed using other built-in Cobalt Strike commands for domain account discovery [T1087.002], open-source tools such as “SharpShares” for network share discovery [T1135], and “Ladon 911” and “SharpNBTScan” for remote systems discovery [T1018]. Network administrators would be unlikely to use these tools for network share or remote systems discovery.

    Lateral Movement

    Ghost actors used elevated access and Windows Management Instrumentation Command-Line (WMIC) [T1047] to run PowerShell commands on additional systems on the victim network— often for the purpose of initiating additional Cobalt Strike Beacon infections. The associated encoded string is a base 64 PowerShell command that always begins with: powershell -nop -w hidden -encodedcommand JABzAD0ATgBlAHcALQBPAGIAagBlAGMAdAAgAEkATwAuAE0AZQBtAG8AcgB5AFMAdAByAGUAYQBtACgALABbAEMAbwBuAHYAZQByAHQAXQA6ADoARgByAG8AbQBCAGEAcwBlADYANABTAHQAcgBpAG4AZwAoACIA… [T1132.001][T1564.003].

    This string decodes to “$s=New-Object IO.MemoryStream(,[Convert]::FromBase64String(“” and is involved with the execution of Cobalt Strike in memory on the target machine.

    In cases where lateral movement attempts are unsuccessful, Ghost actors have been observed abandoning an attack on a victim.

    Exfiltration

    Ghost ransom notes often claim exfiltrated data will be sold if a ransom is not paid. However, Ghost actors do not frequently exfiltrate a significant amount of information or files, such as intellectual property or personally identifiable information (PII), that would cause significant harm to victims if leaked. The FBI has observed limited downloading of data to Cobalt Strike Team Servers [T1041]. Victims and other trusted third parties have reported limited uses of Mega.nz [T1567.002] and installed web shells for similar limited data exfiltration. Note: The typical data exfiltration is less than hundreds of gigabytes of data.

    Command and Control

    Ghost actors rely heavily on Cobalt Strike Beacon malware and Cobalt Strike Team Servers for command and control (C2) operations, which function using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) [T1071.001]. Ghost rarely registers domains associated with their C2 servers. Instead, connections made to a uniform resource identifier (URI) of a C2 server, for the purpose of downloading and executing Beacon malware, directly reference the C2 server’s IP address. For example, http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:80/Google.com where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx represents the C2 server’s IP address.

    For email communication with victims, Ghost actors use legitimate email services that include traffic encryption features. [T1573] Some examples of emails services that Ghost actors have been observed using are Tutanota, Skiff, ProtonMail, Onionmail, and Mailfence.

    Note: Table 2 contains a list of Ghost ransom email addresses.

    Impact and Encryption

    Ghost actors use Cring.exe, Ghost.exe, ElysiumO.exe, and Locker.exe, which are all ransomware executables that share similar functionality. Ghost variants can be used to encrypt specific directories or the entire system’s storage [T1486]. The nature of executables’ operability is based on command line arguments used when executing the ransomware file. Various file extensions and system folders are excluded during the encryption process to avoid encrypting files that would render targeted devices inoperable.

    These ransomware payloads clear Windows Event Logs [T1070.001], disable the Volume Shadow Copy Service, and delete shadow copies to inhibit system recovery attempts [T1490]. Data encrypted with Ghost ransomware variants cannot be recovered without the decryption key. Ghost actors hold the encrypted data for ransom and typically demand anywhere from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency in exchange for decryption software [T1486].

    The impact of Ghost ransomware activity varies widely on a victim-to-victim basis. Ghost actors tend to move to other targets when confronted with hardened systems, such as those where proper network segmentation prevents lateral moment to other devices.

    Indicators of Compromise (IOC)

    Table 1 lists several tools and applications Ghost actors have used for their operations. The use of these tools and applications on a network should be investigated further.

    Note: Authors of these tools generally state that they should not be used in illegal activity.

    Table 1: Tools Leveraged by Ghost Actors
    Name Description Source
    Cobalt Strike Cobalt Strike is penetration testing software. Ghost actors  use an unauthorized version of Cobalt Strike. N/A
    IOX Open-source proxy, used to establish a reverse proxy to a Ghost C2 server from an internal victim device. github[.]com/EddieIvan01/iox
    SharpShares.exe SharpShares.exe is used to enumerate accessible network shares in a domain. Ghost actors use this primarily for host discovery. github[.]com/mitchmoser/SharpShares
    SharpZeroLogon.exe SharpZeroLogon.exe attempts to exploit CVE-2020-1472 and is run against a target Domain Controller. github[.]com/leitosama/SharpZeroLogon
    SharpGPPPass.exe SharpGPPPass.exe attempts to exploit CVE-2014-1812 and targets XML files created through Group Policy Preferences that may contain passwords. N/A
    SpnDump.exe SpnDump.exe is used to list service principal name identifiers, which Ghost actors use for service and hostname enumeration. N/A
    NBT.exe A compiled version of SharpNBTScan, a NetBIOS scanner. Ghost actors use this tool for hostname and IP address enumeration. github[.]com/BronzeTicket/SharpNBTScan
    BadPotato.exe BadPotato.exe is an exploitation tool used for privilege escalation. github[.]com/BeichenDream/BadPotato
    God.exe God.exe is a compiled version of GodPotato and is used for privilege escalation. github[.]com/BeichenDream/GodPotato
    HFS (HTTP File Server) A portable web server program that Ghost actors use to host files for remote access and exfiltration. rejitto[.]com/hfs
    Ladon 911 A multifunctional scanning and exploitation tool, often used by Ghost actors with the MS17010 option to scan for SMB vulnerabilities associated with CVE-2017-0143 and CVE-2017-0144. github[.]com/k8gege/Ladon
    Web Shell A backdoor installed on a web server that allows for the execution of commands and facilitates persistent access. Slight variation of github[.]com/BeichenDream/Chunk-Proxy/blob/main/proxy.aspx
    Table 2: MD5 File Hashes Associated with Ghost Ransomware Activity
    File name MD5 File Hash
    Cring.exe c5d712f82d5d37bb284acd4468ab3533
    Ghost.exe

    34b3009590ec2d361f07cac320671410

    d9c019182d88290e5489cdf3b607f982
    ElysiumO.exe

    29e44e8994197bdb0c2be6fc5dfc15c2

    c9e35b5c1dc8856da25965b385a26ec4

    d1c5e7b8e937625891707f8b4b594314
    Locker.exe ef6a213f59f3fbee2894bd6734bbaed2
    iex.txt, pro.txt (IOX) ac58a214ce7deb3a578c10b97f93d9c3
    x86.log (IOX)

    c3b8f6d102393b4542e9f951c9435255

    0a5c4ad3ec240fbfd00bdc1d36bd54eb
    sp.txt (IOX) ff52fdf84448277b1bc121f592f753c5
    main.txt (IOX) a2fd181f57548c215ac6891d000ec6b9
    isx.txt (IOX) 625bd7275e1892eac50a22f8b4a6355d
    sock.txt (IOX) db38ef2e3d4d8cb785df48f458b35090

    Ransom Email Addresses

    Table 3 is a subset of ransom email addresses that have been included in Ghost ransom notes.

    Table 3: Ransom Email Addresses
    Email Addresses
    asauribe@tutanota.com ghostbackup@skiff.com rainbowforever@tutanota.com
    cringghost@skiff.com ghosts1337@skiff.com retryit1998@mailfence.com
    crptbackup@skiff.com ghosts1337@tuta.io retryit1998@tutamail.com
    d3crypt@onionmail.org ghostsbackup@skiff.com rsacrpthelp@skiff.com
    d3svc@tuta.io hsharada@skiff.com rsahelp@protonmail.com
    eternalnightmare@tutanota.com just4money@tutanota.com sdghost@onionmail.org
    evilcorp@skiff.com kellyreiff@tutanota.com shadowghost@skiff.com
    fileunlock@onionmail.org kev1npt@tuta.io shadowghosts@tutanota.com
    fortihooks@protonmail.com lockhelp1998@skiff.com summerkiller@mailfence.com
    genesis1337@tutanota.com r.heisler@skiff.com summerkiller@tutanota.com
    ghost1998@tutamail.com rainbowforever@skiff.com webroothooks@tutanota.com

    Ransom Notes

    Starting approximately in August 2024, Ghost actors began using TOX IDs in ransom notes as an alternative method for communicating with victims. For example: EFE31926F41889DBF6588F27A2EC3A2D7DEF7D2E9E0A1DEFD39B976A49C11F0E19E03998DBDA and E83CD54EAAB0F31040D855E1ED993E2AC92652FF8E8742D3901580339D135C6EBCD71002885B.

    MITRE ATT&CK Tactics and Techniques

    See Table 4 to Table 13 for all referenced threat actor tactics and techniques in this advisory. For assistance with mapping malicious cyber activity to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, version 16.1, see CISA and MITRE ATT&CK’s Best Practices for MITRE ATT&CK Mapping and CISA’s Decider Tool.

    Table 4: Initial Access
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Exploit Public-Facing Application T1190 Ghost actors exploit multiple vulnerabilities in public-facing systems to gain initial access to servers.
    Table 5: Execution
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Windows Management Instrumentation T1047 Ghost actors abuse WMI to run PowerShell scripts on other devices, resulting in their infection with Cobalt Strike Beacon malware.
    PowerShell T1059.001 Ghost actors use PowerShell for various functions including to deploy Cobalt Strike.
    Windows Command Shell T1059.003 Ghost actors use the Windows Command Shell to download malicious content on to victim servers.
    Table 6: Persistence
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Account Manipulation T1098 Ghost actors change passwords for already established accounts.
    Local Account T1136.001 Ghost actors create new accounts or makes modifications to local accounts.
    Domain Account T1136.002 Ghost actors create new accounts or makes modifications to domain accounts.
    Web Shell T1505.003 Ghost actors upload web shells to victim servers to gain access and for persistence.
    Table 7: Privilege Escalation
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Exploitation for Privilege Escalation T1068 Ghost actors use a suite of open source tools in an attempt to gain elevated privileges through exploitation of vulnerabilities.
    Token Impersonation/Theft T1134.001 Ghost actors use Cobalt Strike to steal process tokens of processes running at a higher privilege.
    Table 8: Defense Evasion
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols T1071.001 Ghost actors use HTTP and HTTPS protocols while conducting C2 operations. 
    Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools T1562.001 Ghost actors disable antivirus products.
    Hidden Window T1564.003 Ghost actors use PowerShell to conceal malicious content within legitimate appearing command windows.
    Table 9: Credential Access
    Technique Title  ID Use
    OS Credential Dumping T1003 Ghost actors use Mimikatz and the Cobalt Strike “hashdump” command to collect passwords and password hashes.
    Table 10: Discovery
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Remote System Discovery T1018 Ghost actors use tools like Ladon 911 and ShapNBTScan for remote systems discovery.
    Process Discovery T1057 Ghost actors run a ps command to list running processes on an infected device.
    Domain Account Discovery T1087.002 Ghost actors run commands such as net group “Domain Admins” /domain to discover a list of domain administrator accounts.
    Network Share Discovery T1135 Ghost actors use various tools for network share discovery for the purpose of host enumeration.
    Software Discovery T1518 Ghost actors use their access to determine which antivirus software is running.
    Security Software Discovery T1518.001 Ghost actors run Cobalt Strike to enumerate running antivirus software.
    Table 11: Exfiltration
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Exfiltration Over C2 Channel T1041 Ghost actors use both web shells and Cobalt Strike to exfiltrate limited data.
    Exfiltration to Cloud Storage T1567.002 Ghost actors sometimes use legitimate cloud storage providers such as Mega.nz for malicious exfiltration operations.
    Table 12: Command and Control
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Web Protocols T1071.001 Ghost actors use Cobalt Strike Beacon malware and Cobalt Strike Team Servers which communicate over HTTP and HTTPS.
    Ingress Tool Transfer T1105 Ghost actors use Cobalt Strike Beacon malware to deliver ransomware payloads to victim servers.
    Standard Encoding T1132.001 Ghost actors use PowerShell commands to encode network traffic which reduces their likelihood of being detected during lateral movement.
    Encrypted Channel T1573 Ghost actors use encrypted email platforms to facilitate communications. 
    Table 13: Impact
    Technique Title  ID Use
    Data Encrypted for Impact T1486 Ghost actors use ransomware variants Cring.exe, Ghost.exe, ElysiumO.exe, and Locker.exe to encrypt victim files for ransom.
    Inhibit System Recovery T1490 Ghost actors delete volume shadow copies.

    Mitigations

    The FBI, CISA, and MS-ISAC recommend organizations reference their #StopRansomware Guide and implement the mitigations below to improve cybersecurity posture on the basis of the Ghost ransomware activity. These mitigations align with the Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) developed by CISA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The CPGs provide a minimum set of practices and protections that CISA and NIST recommend all organizations implement. CISA and NIST based the CPGs on existing cybersecurity frameworks and guidance to protect against the most common and impactful threats, tactics, techniques, and procedures. Visit CISA’s CPGs webpage for more information on the CPGs, including additional recommended baseline protections.

    • Maintain regular system backups that are known-good and stored offline or are segmented from source systems [CPG 2.R]. Ghost ransomware victims whose backups were unaffected by the ransomware attack were often able to restore operations without needing to contact Ghost actors or pay a ransom.
    • Patch known vulnerabilities by applying timely security updates to operating systems, software, and firmware within a risk-informed timeframe [CPG 1.E].
    • Segment networks to restrict lateral movement from initial infected devices and other devices in the same organization [CPG 2.F].
    • Require Phishing-Resistant MFA for access to all privileged accounts and email services accounts.
    • Train users to recognize phishing attempts.
    • Monitor for unauthorized use of PowerShell. Ghost actors leverage PowerShell for malicious purposes, although it is often a helpful tool that is used by administrators and defenders to manage system resources. For more information, visit NSA and CISA’s joint guidance on PowerShell best practices.
      • Implement the principle of least privilege when granting permissions so that employees who require access to PowerShell are aligned with organizational business requirements.
    • Implement allowlisting for applications, scripts, and network traffic to prevent unauthorized execution and access [CPG 3.A].
    • Identify, alert on, and investigate abnormal network activity. Ransomware activity generates unusual network traffic across all phases of the attack chain. This includes running scans to discover other network connected devices, running commands to list, add, or alter administrator accounts, using PowerShell to download and execute remote programs, and running scripts not usually seen on a network. Organizations that can successfully identify and investigate this activity are better able to interrupt malicious activity before ransomware is executed [CPG 3.A].
      • Ghost actors run a significant number of commands, scripts, and programs that IT administrators would have no legitimate reason for running. Victims who have identified and responded to this unusual behavior have successfully prevented Ghost ransomware attacks.
    • Limit exposure of services by disabling unused ports such as, RDP 3398, FTP 21, and SMB 445, and restricting access to essential services through securely configured VPNs or firewalls.
    • Enhance email security by implementing advanced filtering, blocking malicious attachments, and enabling DMARC, DKIM, and SPF to prevent spoofing [CPG 2.M].

    Validate Security Controls

    In addition to applying mitigations, the FBI, CISA, and MS-ISAC recommend exercising, testing, and validating your organization’s security program against the threat behaviors mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK for Enterprise framework in this advisory.

    To get started:

    1. Select an ATT&CK technique described in this advisory (see Table 3 to Table 13).
    2. Align your security technologies against the technique.
    3. Test your technologies against the technique.
    4. Analyze your detection and prevention technologies’ performance.
    5. Repeat the process for all security technologies to obtain a set of comprehensive performance data.
    6. Tune your security program, including people, processes, and technologies, based on the data generated by this process.

    Reporting

    Your organization has no obligation to respond or provide information back to the FBI in response to this joint advisory. If, after reviewing the information provided, your organization decides to provide information to the FBI, reporting must be consistent with applicable state and federal laws.

    The FBI is interested in any information that can be shared, to include logs showing communication to and from foreign IP addresses, a sample ransom note, communications with threat actors, Bitcoin wallet information, and/or decryptor files.

    Additional details of interest include a targeted company point of contact, status and scope of infection, estimated loss, operational impact, date of infection, date detected, initial attack vector, and host and network-based indicators.

    The FBI, CISA, and MS-ISAC do not encourage paying ransom as payment does not guarantee victim files will be recovered. Furthermore, payment may also embolden adversaries to target additional organizations, encourage other criminal actors to engage in the distribution of ransomware, and/or fund illicit activities. Regardless of whether you or your organization have decided to pay the ransom, the FBI and CISA urge you to promptly report ransomware incidents to FBI’s Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3), a local FBI Field Office, or CISA via the agency’s Incident Reporting System or its 24/7 Operations Center (report@cisa.gov) or by calling 1-844-Say-CISA (1-844-729-2472).

    Disclaimer

    The information in this report is being provided “as is” for informational purposes only. The FBI, CISA, and MS-ISAC do not endorse any commercial entity, product, company, or service, including any entities, products, or services linked within this document. Any reference to specific commercial entities, products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the FBI, CISA, and the MS-ISAC.

    Version History

    February 19, 2025: Initial version.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Buffalo Run Casino & Resort Chooses QCI Chatalytics to Enhance Casino Operations with Integrated AI Solutions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, Feb. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Buffalo Casino & Resort has chosen Quick Custom Intelligence’s (QCI) Chatalytics, an AI-based platform, to transform casino operations and enhance guest satisfaction. The QCI Chatalytics package—encompassing Slot Copilot, Player Copilot, the Dashboard, and the Robot Button—integrates OpenAI technology for real-time insights and efficient decision-making across the gaming floor.

    Designed to boost both player and slot management, QCI Chatalytics delivers an advanced combination of AI-driven features. Slot Copilot empowers operators with live slot machine performance monitoring, predictive analytics, and automatically assigned tasks. Player Copilot focuses on personalized engagement by analyzing guest data to guide service strategies and reward offerings. With the Dashboard, teams benefit from an easy-to-read, real-time overview of key performance metrics, enabling swift, data-informed insights. Additionally, the Robot Button automates routine tasks, freeing up staff to concentrate on more valuable responsibilities and boosting overall productivity.

    Mary Jewett, General Manager of Buffalo Run Casino & Resort, conveyed her enthusiasm: “Bringing QCI Chatalytics on board represents a vital step in leveraging AI to enhance our operations. With cutting-edge tools like the Robot Button, Slot Copilot, and Player Copilot, we can offer more tailored guest experiences while gaining a clearer understanding of our gaming operations.”

    Dr. Ralph Thomas, CEO of QCI, outlined his perspective on the new partnership: “We are thrilled to introduce QCI Chatalytics to Buffalo Casino & Resort. By weaving OpenAI’s capabilities into our solution, we deliver an unprecedented degree of automation and clarity. We believe Chatalytics will be a key factor in refining casino floor management and boosting guest satisfaction through instantaneous, data-driven decision-making.”

    The QCI Chatalytics suite is part of Quick Custom Intelligence’s broader mission to spur innovation in the gaming sector, offering a robust set of tools that streamline operations and enhance the overall player experience.

    ABOUT Buffalo Run Casino & Resort
    Owned and operated by the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, Buffalo Run Casino & Resort is future-focused on a gaming entertainment experience that both excites and exceeds guest expectations. Maintaining its reputation for a clean and friendly environment, it empowers team members and continues to elevate hospitality and guest experiences by investing in team member training and career development programs. Consequently, this strategic reinvestment into team members and property has resulted in earning the vote for one of the Best and Brightest Companies in the Nation to work for in 2022.

    Buffalo Run Casino & Resort has over 70,000 square feet of casino floor and features the area’s widest variety of slots and tables games. The resort also includes a non-smoking Hotel, Truckers Lounge with special amenities and offers, the Peoria Showplace in-door event center, the outdoor amphitheater, complimentary entertainment in the Backwoods Bar, an 18-hole championship golf course, two indoor Top Golf® bays, and a smoke-free high-end Player’s Lounge. Additionally, the Buffalo Run Casino & Resort offers three dining experiences including Coal Creek Restaurant with high-end cuisine, the Bistro with hand-tossed brick oven pizza, and the Backwoods Bar & Grill which claims the title for best in-house smoked barbecue in the area.

    Ongoing advancements to the property include the Peoria Showplace remodel, Hotel updates and restaurant remodel with more to come. New technology has been implemented to streamline offer redemption for guests that include self-serve kiosks for dining and promotions, digital core mail pieces, and a mobile app for monthly promotional information. Updates on the casino floor include in-game bonuses and upgraded slots. Innovation and strategic marketing decisions are powered by data driven technology (QCI), empowering the casino to customize the guest experience and increase loyalty in a highly competitive market.

    ABOUT QCI
    Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the revolutionary QCI Enterprise Platform, an artificial intelligence platform that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful, real-time tools designed specifically for the gaming and hospitality industries. Our advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 250 casino resorts across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, and The Bahamas. The QCI AGI Platform, which manages more than $35 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, stands as a best-in-class solution, whether on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-based, enabling fully coordinated activities across all aspects of gaming or hospitality operations. QCI’s data-driven, AI-powered software propels swift, informed decision-making vital in the ever-changing casino industry, assisting casinos in optimizing resources and profits, crafting effective marketing campaigns, and enhancing customer loyalty. QCI was co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno and is based in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas, and Tulsa. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715. Visit us at www.quickcustomintelligence.com.

    ABOUT Dr. Ralph Thomas
    Dr. Ralph Thomas is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Quick Custom Intelligence. Ralph is a product visionary in applied analytics and the founder of two companies that deliver solutions in casino gaming, education, and adult learning. As a gaming industry veteran, Dr. Thomas has substantial experience implementing analytics into single and multi-property gaming companies to drive tangible and measurable gains to the bottom line and has built business intelligence tools for multibillion-dollar casinos. Dr. Thomas is co-author of seven books and over 80 articles on applied analytics and data science in gaming, an inventor on dozens of patents, and understands gaming from raw data up through casino operations, giving him a unique, 360-degree view of the industry.

    Contact:
    Laurel Kay, Quick Custom Intelligence
    Phone: 858-349-8354

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Colleagues Request Information on Elon Musk’s Access to VA Medical Records

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is teaming up with Senator Jon Ossoff, the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (Milcon-VA) to safeguard veterans’ private information, asking questions about unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s access to veterans’ medical records and Musk’s dysfunctional and ineffective cost-cutting directives that could make it harder for veterans to get the care they deserve. 
    Reed and Ossoff, along with Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and fellow Subcommittee members Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Gary Peters (D-MI) are pressing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information by Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
    The Trump Administration is severely reducing VA staffing levels.  And according to a recent report by Military.com, DOGE employees had accessed VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, DC.
    “We understand that personnel reporting to Mr. Musk have recently visited VA facilities,” the five senators wrote to VA Secretary Collins. “Senators, veterans, and members of the public have serious concerns regarding Mr. Musk’s extraordinary and unprecedented activities and the lack of transparency surrounding them, including his potential access to and handling of sensitive or personal information.”
    “Accordingly, we seek specific information regarding VA’s engagement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”),” they continued.
    The U.S. Senators requested a list of DOGE personnel who have visited VA facilities, the systems they accessed, and whether veteran data — including medical and service records — may have been viewed, run through AI/LLM programs, copied, or transferred. The group also requested that Secretary Collins reveal the nature of the agreement under which DOGE personnel are governed by in their engagement with the VA.
    The VA’s mission is to help veterans successfully transition to civilian life and assists them in their post-service journey by ensuring they have access to the benefits they earned.  The VA offers veterans and their families a wide range of services, including healthcare, housing, education, training, disability compensation and pension assistance, and more.
    Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Anchorage Man Sentenced to Over 11 Years for Attempting to Coerce a Minor

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced today to over 11 years in prison and will serve the rest of his life on supervised release for attempting to coerce and entice a minor in 2023.

    According to court documents, in early July 2023, Benjamin Roundy, aka “Aleks” or “Alekzander Marko,” 43, responded to a public group chat post on an internet-based app by an individual who identified herself as a 13-year-old living in Anchorage. The group chat post was actually made by an undercover agent.

    Court documents explain that Roundy communicated with the undercover agent for nearly a month, first on the app and then via text message, and he initiated sexual conversations. Roundy discussed sexual acts he wanted to perform on the individual, who be believed to be a child, and made repeated requests for explicit photos of her.

    On Aug. 4, 2023, Roundy asked the undercover agent to meet in person at the parking lot of a grocery store in Anchorage. The undercover agent told Roundy she was going to walk home from a friend’s house, and Roundy asked what street the friend lived on. Shortly after learning the fictional address of the friend, the defendant left his home to meet the undercover agent, who he thought was a minor.

    Court documents further explain that Roundy texted the undercover agent instructions on where to meet him. When he received no response to his instructions, Roundy drove to a parking lot where he could see the street of the fictitious friend. Law enforcement arrested Roundy in the parking lot shortly thereafter and discovered a new bottle of personal lubricant and condoms in his vehicle.

    The investigation revealed thousands of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse on Roundy’s electronic devices and data detailing his online presence, which included searches for child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and related terms.

    On April 25, 2024, Roundy pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

    “Mr. Roundy’s conduct was heinous, as he tried to meet with who he believed was an underage girl in Anchorage to engage in sex, sought explicit images of the child, and obtained graphic images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other minors for years,” said First Assistant U.S Attorney Kathryn R. Vogel for the District of Alaska. “Our office’s commitment to safeguarding Alaska’s children from those who seek to exploit their innocence is unwavering. We will relentlessly pursue justice by working with law enforcement to identify, investigate and hold accountable anyone who targets children.”

    “The defendant posed a significant threat to children in Alaska and abroad, as demonstrated by his disturbing pattern of conduct involving child exploitation,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Even in the darkest corners of the Internet, the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will find a way to seek justice for our most vulnerable.”

    The FBI and Anchorage Police Department investigated this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander of the District of Alaska and Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Will Trump’s tariffs boost the US economy? Don’t count on it

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lukasz Rachel, Assistant Professor of Economics, UCL

    It’s hard to keep up with all the tariff announcements coming out of Washington. On February 1, the US president, Donald Trump, announced the introduction of 25% tariffs on most imported goods from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% levy on goods from China. The tariffs against Canada and Mexico were soon postponed by a month following some token gestures.

    A week after that, Trump signed an executive order imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports. These tariffs are set to take effect on March 12, a few days after the broad tariffs against Canada and Mexico supposedly come to pass. Trump has now vowed “reciprocal” duties on countries that target products made in the US.

    This may all sound very familiar. Trump imposed tariffs during his first presidency – for example, on steel and aluminium imports in 2018. Studies of this policy are already available. They show that the tariffs led to rising raw material costs and weakened the competitiveness of US manufacturers.

    It is also true that the subsequent US-China trade war of 2018 and 2019 did not collapse the US or global economy. But the tariffs this time round are more comprehensive and cover a larger number of key products and trading partners. Unlike the previous tariffs on China, which were introduced gradually, the current restrictions are to be introduced in one move.

    Dubious justification

    Trump justified the tariffs on Canada and Mexico as a measure to counter the “serious threat” posed by illegal immigration and the influx of drugs, including fentanyl, across US borders. It is difficult to take such an explanation seriously.

    The fentanyl problem essentially exists at the southern border. In 2024, US Customs seized about 19kg of fentanyl at the border with Canada, compared with nearly 9,600kg at the Mexican border. The same is true for migrants. Imposing tariffs on Canada therefore makes little sense.

    The more likely reason for all of Trump’s tariffs lies in his desire to protect domestic producers from foreign competition. Trump and his strategists often refer to the need to reduce the US trade deficit with the rest of the world.

    The basic problem is that in today’s world of globalised supply chains, many components are imported. Goods often cross borders multiple times before reaching consumers in their final form. A good example is the automotive production complex near Detroit, where semi-assembled cars frequently cross the Canadian-American border.

    It is difficult to predict what effect Trump’s tariffs would have on such organised production. But they would probably amount to a very expensive and inefficient reorganisation of production processes. If the tariffs on Canada go ahead, Canadian and American companies, as well as their employees, would suffer.

    Not all areas of production would be affected so drastically. But for the many components that are imported into America, an increase in their prices would translate into cost pressures. This may lead to financial problems for American companies, layoffs or higher prices for final goods.

    A steel and aluminium door is welded at General Motors’ automobile factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
    John Gress Media Inc / Shutterstock

    Paradoxically, tariffs could also decrease the competitiveness of American production, at least when it comes to sales in third markets. Cost pressures caused by more expensive components will affect US manufacturers, but not rival manufacturers in, say, China or Europe – at least until they have responded with a trade war.

    Another reason why Trump’s logic may not work is the US dollar exchange rate. The dollar has soared in recent months, especially when Trump has spoken about tariffs, rising more than 5% against the euro since the election. These moves weaken the competitiveness of American manufacturers on global markets.

    That said, Trump has often expressed his desire for a weaker dollar and, following the delay in the implementation of the tariffs, it has come down in value.

    But, notwithstanding this, US businesses are by no means delighted. The tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China were condemned by groups such as the American Chamber of Commerce. And the Wall Street Journal described the move as “the stupidest trade war in history”.

    That’s not all. The primary effect of tariffs is an increase in the price of imported goods. If prices go up, consumers will be less than enthusiastic. High price levels were, after all, a key part of why Trump won November’s election.

    The direct inflationary impulse from the announced tariffs is not, so far, catastrophic. While the inflationary effects of tariffs are not a given, many economists fear they will trigger a mechanism of increasing inflation expectations. This may happen, especially given the likelihood of retaliation by affected countries.

    Before Trump had paused the tariffs, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, had announced retaliatory levies of 25% on American goods worth a total of US$107 billion (£84.9 billion). Canada is also considering restrictions on exports of critical minerals crucial to the US tech industry.

    China, on the other hand, announced retaliatory tariffs and measures against US businesses including Google. And the EU has stood firm on its plans to retaliate should Trump implement tariffs against the bloc.

    Should they arise, higher inflation expectations may prompt the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. According to recent research, the increase in the cost of credit is a serious reason for dissatisfaction among American consumers and companies alike.

    Reducing the trade deficit

    If tariffs don’t help consumers and hurt a significant number of domestic producers, perhaps they can at least close the US trade deficit? Unfortunately, they also miss the mark here.

    Economists agree that the deficit is due to macroeconomic conditions – specifically, the balance between national investment and saving. The US has a surplus of investment relative to savings, so borrows money from the rest of the world.

    This is, simply put, because the US economy does not produce as much as the American people consume. When net domestic debt increases, the trade deficit also increases because the borrowed money is spent on foreign goods and services.

    Reducing the trade gap can be done through policies that lower domestic debt. Either households and businesses must save more, or government deficits must shrink. In this sense, tariffs are a poor tool.

    Trump’s tariff strategy will create havoc. This will bring opportunities as well as challenges. Europe and other affected countries should stand united against Trump’s tariff threats, responding firmly while promoting trade liberalisation across the world at the same time.

    Lukasz Rachel 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. Will Trump’s tariffs boost the US economy? Don’t count on it – https://theconversation.com/will-trumps-tariffs-boost-the-us-economy-dont-count-on-it-249621

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Censorship, abortion and the ‘threat within’: what a free speech expert thinks of J.D. Vance’s remarks to Europe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eric Heinze, Professor of Law, Queen Mary University of London

    Donald Trump is famous for his attacks on journalists and the media. He has banned critical reporters from official events, threatened them with lawsuits, and branded mainstream outlets the “enemy of the people”. Since last year, the US has dropped ten notches on the World Press Freedom Index. Now in 55th place, the country trails far behind many European and other democracies.

    It is ironic, then, that vice president J.D. Vance dashed to the Munich Security Conference last week to scold Europeans for their supposed failings on free speech and democracy.

    Speaking to European leaders, Vance fretted: “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor.” Rather, it is “the threat from within”. This rehashing of tropes about “the enemy within” forms part of a Trumpist vocabulary borrowed from the most sinister 20th century autocracies.

    One of Vance’s key claims for the decline of free speech in Europe left many UK observers dumbfounded. He rebuked the Scottish government for sending out letters in October 2024 cautioning citizens that, in his words, “even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law”.

    Vance was referring to Scotland’s Safe Access Zones Act, which prohibits protesters from gathering within 200 metres of clinics that perform abortions. Yet his accusation teaches volumes about Trumpism. To call it distorted would be diplomatic: it is a bold-faced lie. The Scottish government has confirmed that letters sent to residents near safe access zones did not instruct people to stop praying in the privacy of their homes.

    However, the letters did advise against conduct such as displaying anti-abortion posters or banners, or protesting on their property in ways that might be seen or heard within proximity of the clinics, or might encourage such activity in those areas.

    The Scottish law echoes similar laws in other democracies, including several US states. Yes, the right to protest is essential to democratic societies, but these societies have always accepted that protesters must not harass or threaten citizens going about their everyday business, let alone when seeking essential services such as medical appointments.

    Admittedly, “buffer zones” around abortion clinics cannot and need not extend so far as to impede protesters’ freedoms of expression, so a debate about the precise reach of the Scottish law can and should take place. However, as observed in England and Wales, zones have not generally been drawn with excessively broad perimeters.

    Clearly, Vance’s eyes were more fixed on his own future presidential bid, playing more to religious fundamentalists back home than to anyone who might seriously care about free expression. His 18-minute speech invoked God three times, and “prayer” nine times, while saying nothing about the main issue for which delegates had gathered: Russia’s unprovoked onslaught on Ukraine.

    Curiously, Vance whispered not a word of criticism about UK government crackdowns on the kinds of protests that, in the US, Trump most fears, such as protests against specific government policies and practices.

    I should not have to point out that anti-abortionists in Scotland remain entirely free to proclaim their opinions, in public and in print, alongside countless other types of political expression. Such expression has long been recognised as protected under UK law, and enshrined in the Human Rights Act.

    The only impact of Scotland’s new law is to prevent residents living within 200 metres of such clinics from displaying placards or holding events that would target women visiting such facilities. Admittedly, someone “only standing and praying” nearby a clinic may present a borderline case – but well within bounds that can be assessed through our democratic processes, the very processes that Trump loyalists increasingly disdain.

    We can debate the rights and wrongs of the Scottish law, but any suggestion that it seriously abridges free speech – when compared to the kinds of incursions Trump himself wages – would be farcical.

    Admittedly, while Scotland rightly protects its medical facilities, some people will ask whether a law can legitimately reach so far as to regulate the opinions that people wish to display in their windows and gardens. In recent years, many UK homes have flown Ukrainian or Palestinian flags from their homes, which some neighbours may find inappropriate. Yet British law protects their rights to do so.

    Clearly then, we can have meaningful debates about how far free expression in the home extends, but nothing in what Trump officials have said or done on their home turf suggests that this is their real concern.

    Free speech in retreat?

    As it happens, Vance was not totally wrong when he mused: “In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.” For years, Hungarians have faced relentless attacks on free speech under Viktor Orbán – the autocrat whom Trump followers, including Vance himself, have so often praised.

    On several occasions in The Conversation and elsewhere, I have advocated free speech and I have every intention to continue doing so. I am also willing to concede that, despite Trump’s compulsive attacks on free speech, his supporters have raised some valid concerns about the stifling of opinion on the left.

    Abortion exemplifies the type of issue that sparks widespread ethical controversies. Any democracy must ensure that speakers on all sides have safe means of expressing their views in the public arena. Everyone in today’s democracies could use a few lessons in free speech – and the Trump team tops the list.

    Eric Heinze has received past funding from the European Union.

    – ref. Censorship, abortion and the ‘threat within’: what a free speech expert thinks of J.D. Vance’s remarks to Europe – https://theconversation.com/censorship-abortion-and-the-threat-within-what-a-free-speech-expert-thinks-of-j-d-vances-remarks-to-europe-250188

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trust in politics is in long-term decline around the world – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Viktor Valgarðsson, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Southampton

    Pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol building to protest against the result of the 2020 presidential election. 72westy / Shutterstock

    Citizens’ trust in their political institutions has been falling around the world. This may not come as a shock to many.

    British politics has been in chaos since the Brexit referendum in 2016. Rioters stormed the US Capitol in protest against the result of the 2020 presidential election. And the US president, Donald Trump, is continuing to attack the supposed “deep-state” controlling American politics. None of these things scream public trust in government.

    But declining political trust is not self-evident. It’s possible that we may be too focused on a couple of countries that dominate our attention, and a lot has been going on in recent years that could explain the situation that we find ourselves in.

    Many researchers have also pointed out that people have never been particularly fond of politics. They suggest that we’ve simply been seeing “trendless fluctuations” in trust – ebbs and flows where we happen to notice declines more than rises or stability.

    In a recently published study, my co-authors and I took on this debate. We analysed more data on political trust than previous studies, from over 5 million respondents to 3,377 surveys conducted in 143 countries between 1958 and 2019.

    Our models suggest that, at least since 1990, trust in parliament and government has indeed been declining by an average of about 8.4 and 7.3 percentage points respectively in democratic countries across the world.

    The same does not apply to trust in non-representative “implementing institutions”, such as the civil service, justice system or police. In fact, we find that trust in the police has increased by about 12.5 percentage points across democracies on average over the same period.

    Thus, declining trust in government appears to be rooted in how politics is practised, which is seemingly less inspiring to citizens today, rather than in a growing distaste for social institutions in general.

    Global trends in trust in six types of institutions in democratic countries between 1990 and 2019.
    Valgarðsson et al. (2025) / British Journal of Political Science, CC BY-NC-ND

    Of course, this global picture masks a more nuanced story. Political trust has been rising in a few smaller countries: Denmark, Ecuador, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. These nations may chart a path forward for the rest of the democratic world.

    Conversely, trust in the legal system has been declining in many countries in eastern Europe and Latin America. The same appears to be the case more recently in the US, suggesting that implementing institutions are not immune to the political trust crisis.

    Our findings do not answer why citizens of democracies are gradually losing faith in their democratic institutions, or what the consequences could be. They also do not suggest how trust in politics can be rebuilt. But what we do know is concerning.

    For instance, our data tells us that political trust was declining dramatically in Hungary right up until 2010, when Viktor Orbán was re-elected as prime minister (his first term ended in 2002). When in office, Orbán started dismantling the country’s constitutional and liberal democratic order.

    Trust in parliament, the legal system and the police in western Europe and North America.
    Valgarðsson et al. (2025) / British Journal of Political Science, CC BY-NC-ND

    We also know that the US has seen one of the more dramatic declines of political trust in recent times, and that political distrust was a powerful predictor of voting for Trump at least in the 2016 Republican primaries.

    In a survey conducted that year by American National Election Studies, about 24% of Trump’s primary voters said they would “never” trust the federal government to do what is right. This compared with about 9% of voters for rival Republican candidate John Kasich, and 8% and 4% of voters for Democrat candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton respectively.

    We do not yet have data for the 2024 US presidential election. But it does not take a political scientist to know that Trump leaned even more heavily on people’s distrust in government in his campaign. Since becoming president, he has stepped up his efforts to dismantle America’s constitutional and liberal democratic order.

    Declining political trust is not the only cause of these developments. We are also seeing illiberal candidates and parties doing increasingly well in countries where we didn’t see the same trust declines in our data. The rising popularity of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands or the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in Germany are both good examples.

    Some of this may be driven partly by more recent trust declines, like in the Netherlands where trust in parliament has dropped substantially since 2020. Or it could be driven by a polarisation of trust between a more trusting majority and a deeply distrusting minority. But much of it is also probably driven by other factors, such as economic distress, attitudes towards immigration and the “culture wars” of our day.

    It stands to reason that voters who deeply distrust the political establishment would tend to be attracted to populist leaders who rail against that establishment.

    These voters probably still support democracy as an ideal. Support for democratic principles has, in fact, remained high globally – although there are worrying signs among younger generations in US and UK. But these voters appear to be more willing to vote for politicians who will attack the institutions needed to make it work.

    Sceptical mistrust of government

    This brings us to one crucial question: are citizens right to distrust government? After all, political institutions haven’t been working all that well for a large portion of citizens – except maybe in areas like Scandinavia, where we have seen rising trust in recent times.

    A degree of sceptical mistrust of government is certainly vital for a healthy democracy. We are reminded of this by some of the more sobering points in our data.

    China has the highest rates of reported trust in the world, while Hungary and Russia have both seen rising trust levels as their governments have become less democratic and seized control of the media environment. Clearly, trust is not unequivocally good from a democratic perspective.

    Our challenge is to find the right balance: a climate of sceptical trust, where we hold our governments to account and engage critically with our institutions without throwing them away in favour of autocratic populists.

    To save the foundations of liberal democracy, we may need to rediscover its appeal to the ordinary citizen. If it’s something about the way politics is practised that citizens distrust, perhaps those politics need to change.

    Viktor Valgarðsson 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. Trust in politics is in long-term decline around the world – new research – https://theconversation.com/trust-in-politics-is-in-long-term-decline-around-the-world-new-research-250078

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How refugee entrepreneurs are supplying sustainable energy to the camps they live in

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, Research Advisor on Humanitarian Energy, University of Oxford

    Refugees are providing energy within camps home to millions of displaced people around the world, my research has found.

    There are now more than 120 million forcibly displaced people globally. Although United Nations humanitarian agencies provide firewood and small electric lanterns, these are often not enough for most families.

    To make up the shortfall, entrepreneurial refugees in the camps I visited have become energy suppliers by establishing shops, phone charging stations, even cinemas.

    While visiting camps administered by the UN Refugee Agency in Rwanda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and other countries across Africa, I was struck by the hum of electricity and the smell of cooking in the camps’ markets. Energy was everywhere.

    A mobile phone and electronics market shop at the Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya.
    Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, CC BY-NC-ND

    In all the camps I visited, people were selling clothes, cooking bowls and toys, as well as lighting and electrical appliances. These shops all used energy – computers totted up bills and printed receipts, radios played music, and people everywhere were using mobile phones and the internet. Fans and motors were working hard to keep things cool and the power on. Refugees buy these products at local markets – which are often run by refugees themselves.

    After conducting over 170 interviews with refugees and humanitarian practitioners, it became clear refugees buy their own energy to run many of these cafes and shops: buying their own diesel, generators, or electricity technologies including solar panels and batteries.

    Formal refugee energy access provided by humanitarian agencies or national governments is projected to be very low: Chatham House statistics suggest 94% of forcibly displaced people living in camps have no meaningful access to power, and 81% lack anything other than the most basic fuels for cooking.

    Renewable connections

    Local energy businesses operating around the camps in Rwanda and Kenya, such as BBOX or MESH Power, provide solar solutions such as selling solar panels and solar home systems from which refugees can have lighting, charge their phones and plug in electrical appliances. These renewable systems help to lower the costs – but sometimes the companies are not able to expand their businesses within refugee camps due to UN restrictions.

    As one of the refugees I spoke to in Rwanda explained: “You can see two types of solar business really. Those using energy that is easy to get to – off-the-shelf products and services – to keep the lights on in the night, or offer cool drinks or a fan. And those businesses where really energy is the business … where people can use solar home systems or other technologies.”

    Sadly, this picture is not uniform across the world. For example, buying diesel in refugee camps or purchasing kerosene for lanterns can be very expensive. Spending by displaced people on simple cooking fuels and technologies, as well as basic lighting, is estimated to be around US$200 (£160) per year per family, for less than four hours of energy a day.

    Buying from external energy suppliers often comes at great cost to refugee families as energy in refugee camps can be incredibly expensive. Estimates suggest that refugee households in Kenya and Burkina Faso spend between 15% and 30% of their income on energy – a figure that in the UK would mean a household was in a situation of extreme fuel poverty.

    In total, refugee households around the world spend at least US$2.1 billion (£1.68 billion) on energy each year.

    Refugee-led businesses

    In the face of such challenges, refugee energy entrepreneurs are expanding the range of energy services and products available to refugee communities in terms of sustainability: providing new solar solutions and electricity connections from solar-powered energy sources. For members of the refugee community who use this service, this can reduce the cost of energy.

    These refugee-led enterprises often start after refugees have saved or borrowed money from friends and family to start their energy businesses – for example, by buying a solar panel and battery and charging customers to use the electricity it generates. Sometimes referred to as micro-enterprises or energy entrepreneurs, they go beyond being passive users of electricity and become active participants in the energy economies of refugee camps.

    Examples of such businesses include Kakuma Ventures, based in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, which provides wifi and solar energy access to more than 1,500 people in the camps.

    A grid pylon next to refugee homes at Kigeme refugee camp, Rwanda.
    Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, CC BY-NC-ND

    Another example is Patapia, based in camps in Uganda, which helps refugee women launch and grow businesses powered by clean energy. Successful refugee-led energy businesses are highlighted by the work of climate change charity Ashden through its Humanitarian Energy Award, and its support for local businesses leading the way on sustainable energy in humanitarian settings.

    Indeed, many new global initiatives and humanitarian programmes are starting to take seriously the role of refugee-led organisations and businesses. Take the work of Last Mile Climate, which is dedicated to helping grassroots initiatives, refugee-led businesses, charities, humanitarian agencies and government organisations tackle climate-related challenges.

    Refugees are also writing on this issue in the media, highlighting how important the issue of inclusivity is in delivering the sustainable energy transition in humanitarian contexts.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen received funding from the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF)

    – ref. How refugee entrepreneurs are supplying sustainable energy to the camps they live in – https://theconversation.com/how-refugee-entrepreneurs-are-supplying-sustainable-energy-to-the-camps-they-live-in-242862

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Mullin, Cortez Masto Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Make it Easier for Indian Health Services to Recruit and Retain Doctors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    RELEASE: Mullin, Cortez Masto Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Make it Easier for Indian Health Services to Recruit and Retain Doctors

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to make it easier for Indian Health Services (IHS) to recruit and retain medical workers. Specifically, this legislation, the IHS Workforce Parity Act, improves health care in Tribal communities by allowing providers working part-time to access IHS scholarship and loan repayment programs. Last Congress, this bill passed the Senate unanimously but did not receive a vote in the House of Representatives.
    Historically, IHS has a 25% vacancy rate for health care providers, and the IHS Workforce Parity Act would help attract new doctors and nurses to both the agency and Tribal health facilities that serve over 2.5 million American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribal members.
    “I am confident our legislation will help address the current difficulty IHS is facing in recruiting and retaining health care professionals,” said Senator Mullin. “Rural health care providers like IHS have unique staffing needs, and our bill offers a flexible, cost-effective solution to ensure IHS maintains a competitive edge when considering new recruits. In strengthening the workforce, IHS can ensure a proper quality of care to their patients and improve patient outcomes.”
    “The severe shortage of IHS health care providers poses a threat to the quality of care that Nevadans in Tribal communities receive. That is unacceptable,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “It is time for Congress to come together to pass my common sense, bipartisan legislation and provide real solutions for Indian Country.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Influenza, COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments Available to Book; COVID Testing Requirements Change

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Nova Scotians can now book appointments for the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. These safe, effective and free vaccines are recommended for everyone aged six months and older.

    “Getting vaccinated against respiratory illnesses like influenza and COVID-19 can help prevent serious illness and unnecessary hospital visits,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “It is particularly important for people at increased risk of severe disease to get vaccinated, including older adults, young infants and toddlers, and people with chronic health conditions. Anyone who is in regular contact with someone from any of these groups should also get vaccinated.”

    Nova Scotians can get the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines from participating family doctors, nurse practitioners, family practice nurses, pharmacies, public health offices and mobile units. People have several options for booking an appointment:

    This year, family booking is available, which allows someone to book up to six people for a single appointment.

    If people find their preferred time and location are not available, they are encouraged to check back in a few days, as appointments will be added regularly. People using the toll-free number in the next few days should also be aware that there may be a wait because of large call volumes.

    During this respiratory illness season, Nova Scotia has additional focus on older adults. An enhanced influenza vaccine, which is shown to provide better protection for older adults, is available to people aged 65 and older. And in November, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines will be available to Nova Scotians aged 60 and older living in licensed long-term care facilities, as well as hospital inpatients that age who are awaiting placement in long-term care.

    This fall, COVID-19 testing guidance is changing to align with eligibility for COVID-19 medications, which benefit people at higher risk for severe disease or hospitalization. Both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid testing will be focused on those at higher risk, such as people who are 65 years of age and older or immunocompromised.

    People at higher risk can access rapid and PCR tests by booking an appointment online at https://covidbooking.nshealth.ca or by calling 1-833-797-7772. Full details of the testing eligibility criteria and availability can be found at: https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting

    Influenza and COVID-19 symptoms can include a sudden high fever, headache, general aches and pains, fatigue and weakness, a runny, stuffy nose, sneezing and sore throat.

    Quotes:

    “Now that COVID-19 is part of our everyday lives, we need to prioritize testing and treatment for those who need it most, as we do with all infectious diseases. The goal is to reduce the number of vulnerable patients seeking primary care, visiting emergency departments and needing hospitalization. People who need a test will be able to access them, but for most people, having COVID-19 should be treated like any other respiratory virus.”
    — Dr. Shelly McNeil, Medical Director, Emerging and Re-Emerging Infections Network (ERIN), Nova Scotia Health

    Quick Facts:

    • the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are updated annually to protect against the latest strains of influenza and COVID-19
    • children younger than nine years old who have never had an influenza vaccine should receive two doses four weeks apart
    • it is recommended to wait six months after having a COVID-19 infection or vaccine before receiving the updated vaccine, though people may get it after three months if they wish
    • Nova Scotians can access their vaccine records via the YourHealthNS app and online at https://vaxrecordns.nshealth.ca

    Additional Resources:

    More information on vaccines and bookings for both influenza and COVID-19 is available at: https://www.nshealth.ca/seasonal-vaccines

    More information on influenza: https://novascotia.ca/flu

    More information on COVID-19 and testing: https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirusvaccine

    Other than cropping, CNS photos are not to be altered in any way

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. John’s — RCMP NL thanks snow plow operators for successful rescue of stranded motorists on TCH during recent winter storm

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Snow plow operators went above and beyond to rescue two motorists who recently found themselves stuck on the Trans-Canada Highway in severe weather on February 17, 2025.

    On Monday morning, the Wreckhouse area, north of Port aux Basques, experienced extremely poor winter driving conditions with snow and high winds with gusts of up to 150 km/h. During this time, Channel-Port aux Basques RCMP received separate reports of two motorists who were stranded on the highway, due to these adverse weather conditions.

    After becoming stuck, one motorist opened the door of the vehicle which blew off with the wind. The vehicle, with three occupants inside, was at risk of blowing over an embankment. Another motorist founds themselves stuck partially off of the highway in white out conditions.

    With severely poor road conditions, police and other first responders were unable to travel on the TCH. Snow plow operators with the provincial department of Transportation and Infrastructure, based out of Doyles and Port aux Basques, located the stranded motorists and brought them to safety.

    RCMP NL thanks the involved snow plow operators for going above and beyond to potentially save the lives of those stranded.

    Those heading out on the highways at this time of year are encouraged to follow RCMP NL’s social media accounts, including Facebook and X, for updates on road closures or condition. Additionally, prior to travel, motorists are encouraged to familiarize themselves with alerts and forecasts issued by various meteorologists or agencies, including Environment Canada. Motorists who choose to drive during poor road conditions may find themselves stuck for a number of hours, as emergency personnel may be unable to respond.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twenty Years Later, FBI Continues to Pursue Information on the Disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone, Jr.

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

    The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance as we investigate the disappearance of Danielle (Ottobre) Imbo and Richard Petrone, Jr., 20 years ago today.

    Imbo and Petrone were last seen in the late evening hours of Saturday, February 19, 2005, leaving a bar on Philadelphia’s South Street for Petrone’s black 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck with the license plate YFH 2319.

    An extensive investigation to date has generated some promising leads; however, neither they nor the vehicle have ever been located.

    Danielle was last seen wearing a dark colored jacket, cream colored sweater, and blue jeans and carrying a two-handle black purse at the time of her disappearance. She has worked as a loan mortgage processor.

    Richard was last seen wearing a gray Polo brand sweatshirt and blue jeans. He has a tattoo of the word “Angela” on his left arm and a tattoo of clowns on his right arm.

    “Today marks a somber 20 years since this tragic disappearance and their case exemplifies that the passage of time does not diminish our pursuit of justice,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Our office remains unwavering in seeking justice for Danielle and Richard, their loved ones, and our city.”

    The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the disappearance of Richard Petrone and Danielle Imbo.

    If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

    FBI Philadelphia can be reached at (215) 418-4000.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Expanding seaweed farms pose a risk to vital marine life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benjamin L.H. Jones, Chief Conservation Officer, Project Seagrass & Research Affiliate, Swansea University

    Seaweeds are commonly grown from long lines of rope. This string of _Eucheuma_ seaweed in Indonesia is positioned above a seagrass meadow. Benjamin Jones/Project Seagrass, CC BY

    Seaweed farming is a rapidly expanding global industry. As a food resource, it has high nutritional value and doesn’t need fertilisers to grow. Seaweed provides valuable habitats for marine life, takes up carbon and absorbs nutrients, plus it helps protect our coastlines from erosion.

    Usually, seaweeds grow on hard, rocky surfaces. Yet, to farm seaweed, potential areas need to be easily accessible and relatively sheltered. This is where seaweed can grow with limited risk of being dislodged by waves. Seaweed farms in Asia, in countries like China and Indonesia, are responsible for more than 95% of global seaweed production. Seaweed farms, particularly those in Southeast Asia, are commonly in the very same environments where seagrass meadows thrive. Competition for resources ensues.

    Evidence shows that tropical seaweed farms, when placed in or on top of tropical seagrass meadows leads to a decline in the growth and productivity of seagrass. There is also evidence that seaweeds outcompete seagrasses in cooler waters, especially when nutrients in the water are very high.

    Despite negative interactions, such as shading, between seaweed and seagrass, some scientists now advocate for a global expansion of seaweed farming in areas where seagrass grows. This call, comes at a time when seagrass global initiatives are trying to stem seagrass loss.

    Efforts are underway to expand these habitats to their once extensive range to help fight climate change and biodiversity loss. Seagrass meadows are a crucial store of carbon, providing habitats for a wide array of animals.

    Why farm seaweed on top of seagrass?

    The reason that some scientists are advocating for farming seaweed in seagrass is that their research claims that the presence of seagrass reduces disease causing bacterial pathogens by 75%. A major win for a relatively low tech industry where seaweed disease outbreaks hinder production. These scientists are not the only ones advocating for seaweed production at scale.

    Global conservation charities, like World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, as well as the Earthshot prize launched by Prince William all support seaweed cultivation programmes in areas likely to contain abundant seagrass.

    However, together with other scientists, we have argued in an academic response in the journal PNAS that their claim is premature. We are concerned that, without appropriate management, these seaweed programmes threaten marine biodiversity and the benefits that humans get from the ocean.

    Despite historic and globally widespread seaweed cultivation, effects on seagrass have mostly been ignored. Where studies exist, effects have been negative for seagrass, its ability to capture carbon, and the diverse animals that call it home.

    Entanglement of migratory animals, such as turtles and dugong with seaweed also needs wider consideration. This is especially the case given new legal frameworks to protect their habitat, and there is ongoing concern for these species being killed by seaweed farmers. The equity of coastal fishing grounds also comes into question, as communities that use seagrass for fishing are most likely to lose access.

    Conservation charities advocate for tropical seaweed farms for good reason. This is to improve community resilience in the face of degrading coral reefs and overfishing.

    While projects mostly have the best intentions, they often don’t consider cascading unintended consequences, nor the equity of the whole community. In reality, seaweed farm placement is effectively akin to ocean grabbing (the act of dispossession or appropriation of marine resources or spaces) with farmers winning on a “first come, first serve” basis, despite not owning the seabed.

    Sustainable standards

    If seaweed farming is to be expanded, standards for sustainability must be upheld and strengthened. In 2017, a sustainable seaweed standard was launched by the Aquaculture and Marine Stewardship Councils.

    But few tropical seaweed farms meet the criteria outlined in this standard due to known consequences that affect seagrass (rightly defined in the standard as vulnerable marine habitats) and likely negative effects on endangered species, like dugong, that frequent seagrass habitats.

    Seaweed cultivation strategies have mixed evidence for long-term success. In Tanzania, many farmers have abandoned the industry due to low monetary rewards compared to the investments they put in, and some evidence suggests that the activity reduces income and health, particularly for women. Where seaweed cultivation has been implemented to reduce fishing pressure, it has instead increased (and often just displaced) fishing activity.

    Given the rapidly increasing threats faced by tropical marine habitats despite the role they play in climate resilience, understanding trade-offs prior to large scale expansion of seaweed farming is a priority. To reduce further any negative effects, international programmes and research advocating for large-scale seaweed farms need to align more readily with the seaweed standard.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

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

    – ref. Expanding seaweed farms pose a risk to vital marine life – https://theconversation.com/expanding-seaweed-farms-pose-a-risk-to-vital-marine-life-248329

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bolsonaro’s indictment over alleged coup plot signals shift in Brazil’s approach to political accountability

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felipe Tirado, PhD Candidate in Law, King’s College London

    Brazil’s top prosecutor has filed federal charges against Jair Bolsonaro, alleging that the former president attempted a coup in 2023. Focus Pix / Shutterstock

    The Brazilian attorney-general has charged the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, with participating in a plot to cling to power through a coup d’etat in 2022. If Bolsonaro is convicted, he could spend between 38 and 43 years in prison.

    Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022 but lost his attempt at re-election to current president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, is one of 34 people to be formally charged for offences related to the alleged coup. These include high-ranking serving and retired members of the military, as well as former ministers and politicians.

    The charges levelled against them are involvement in an attempted coup d’etat, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, and criminal organisation.

    According to the attorney-general’s 272-page indictment, Bolsonaro became increasingly inclined to pursue anti-democratic measures in the months before the election. He allegedly considered taking steps to retain power even before the first round of voting.

    Then, after his defeat by an extremely narrow margin, the indictment claims that Bolsonaro and his alleged accomplices decided to implement the plan before Lula took office in January 2023.

    An investigation by Brazil’s federal police in November found that the insurrection in the country’s capital Brasília on January 8 2023, where rioters invaded the presidential palace, congress and supreme court, was part of this plan. The same investigation suggested the plan also included a plot to assassinate Lula and his vice-president Geraldo Alckmin, as well as supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes.

    Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing and – at least in public – is bullish about his fate. Speaking to journalists hours before the charges were filed, he said: “I have no concerns about the accusations, zero.”

    The case will now be considered by the Supreme Court, whose judges will decide whether to initiate criminal proceedings against Bolsonaro and the other defendants. This is expected to happen over the coming weeks. If the judges accept the charges and proceedings are established, the defendants will be called to answer them.

    This is the first time in Brazilian history that high-ranking members of the armed forces have been indicted and charged with crimes associated with a coup d’etat. According to the indictment, the intention was for the armed forces to be called upon to act as a “moderating power”, with the aim of overturning the election result.

    Army generals Augusto Heleno, Walter Braga Netto and Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira are among those who have been charged. These men served as ministers in the Bolsonaro government, with Braga Netto also running as the vice-president on Bolsonaro’s ticket in 2022.

    Another high-ranking member of the armed forces charged by the attorney-general is Almir Garnier Santos, the commander of the Brazilian navy. These four men were allegedly part of the inner nuclei that planned and prepared the attempted coup.

    Several other servicemen, including generals, colonels and other officers, were charged with crimes related to the planning and execution of the initial phases of the coup. The sentences for all of these men could amount to up to 30 years in prison.

    Like Bolsonaro, Braga Netto denies any guilt. In a statement released on February 18, his lawyers called the charges a “fantasy”. Lawyers for Garnier Santos and Heleno have chosen not to comment until having fully reviewed the charges.

    Unlike those in the military, some of the political figures charged by the attorney general had criminal antecedents. One of the politicians named in the indictment is Filipe Martins, Bolsonaro’s former international affairs adviser and a “disciple” of the deceased far-right polemicist, Olavo de Carvalho. Martins’ lawyers released a statement on February 18 calling the accusations “unfounded”.

    In December 2024, Martins was convicted of making a gesture alluding to white supremacy during a virtual session of the senate. He initially received a sentence of two years and four months in prison for inciting racial prejudice, which was replaced by 850 hours of community service.

    Far-right commentator Paulo Figueiredo Filho, the grandson of Brazil’s last military dictator, João Figueiredo, was also charged. He appeared on a podcast on February 19 to criticise the charge. Figueiredo lives in the US, where he was arrested in 2019 because of problems with his immigration status.

    Lessons from and to Brazil

    Brazil has already offered some lessons to other countries facing similar authoritarian challenges. Its response to the insurrection in Brasília was swift and robust. Within days, hundreds of rioters had been arrested and the state governor of the federal district was suspended for his sluggish response.

    Then, in 2023, Bolsonaro was banned from running for office for eight years over false claims that the electronic ballots used in the previous year’s election were vulnerable to hacking and fraud. Those involved with the attempted military coup have also been investigated and some subsequently arrested.

    But the coup plot case can also serve as a lesson to the country. Brazil has a history both of successful and unsuccessful military coups. The last successful military coup led to a dictatorship that lasted from 1964 until 1985.

    Brazil also has a history of amnesties, whereby crimes committed during these coups and authoritarian regimes have been pardoned. There have been 48 amnesties in Brazil since 1889, with the most recent one, in 1979, allowing the dictatorship to self-amnesty its crimes.

    For over 45 years, this amnesty hindered criminal accountability for the perpetrators of crimes. This included the murder of politician Rubens Paiva, whose disappearance was the focus of the 2024 Oscar-nominated film, I’m Still Here. The amnesty was declared void by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2011.

    Bolsonaro and other individuals charged, as well as their supporters and aligned politicians, have been demanding a “humanitarian amnesty” for those who allegedly participated in the coup plot.

    Given Bolsonaro’s history, this seems paradoxical. Throughout his decades-long public career, Bolsonaro has consistently celebrated the crimes of the military dictatorship and supported violations of human rights. At the same time, he has also opposed individuals and organisations that advocate for victims of the dictatorship.

    If Bolsonaro and his alleged accomplices are found guilty, it could be an unparalleled lesson for Brazil. Punishing anyone convicted would be an opportunity to step away from the country’s tradition of impunity and move towards addressing systemic injustices.

    Felipe Tirado receives funding from the Centre for Doctoral Studies – King’s College London.

    – ref. Bolsonaro’s indictment over alleged coup plot signals shift in Brazil’s approach to political accountability – https://theconversation.com/bolsonaros-indictment-over-alleged-coup-plot-signals-shift-in-brazils-approach-to-political-accountability-250300

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ne Zha 2: the record-breaking Chinese animated film showcases China’s ambition on the global stage

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ming Gao, Research Scholar of East Asia Studies in History Division, Lund University

    Ne Zha is a legendary child warrior from Chinese mythology, often depicted as a rebellious deity who defies fate to carve out his own destiny. Born as a demon, feared for his supernatural powers and doomed to live only three years, he struggles to overcome his destiny and forge his own path.

    A new Chinese film about the warrior has broken several box office records, including becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time (beating Pixar’s Inside Out 2).

    Ne Zha 2 is a Chinese animated fantasy adventure film. That it is breaking so many records might seem surprising. It’s a sequel to a film that didn’t do as well, it’s not American and it’s not in English. But its record-breaking run seems to show no signs of slowing down. After debuting during the Chinese Lunar New Year, its success has seen it premiere abroad in regions such as wider Asia, North America and Australia.

    For years, Hollywood has dominated China’s box offices, but the release of Ne Zha 2 marks a significant milestone in China’s cinematic and cultural expansion. Its unprecedented box office performance seems to signal a shifting dynamic in the global film industry.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    It showcases China’s ambition and ability to produce world-class content that competes with western animation giants, like Disney and Pixar. It also plays a role in enhancing cultural confidence and soft power projection, which President Xi Jinping has emphasised for years.

    Capturing a feeling

    The story of Ne Zha, and its many adaptations, have long captivated Chinese people of all ages – including me. I fondly recall watching the 1979 version on a black-and-white TV with my family when I was little. The story originates from the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644) novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods) and over the centuries, it has been reinterpreted in various cultural forms of religion and literature.

    The original plotline of Ne Zha revolves around his rebellion against feudal patriarchal authority. This struggle is set against a backdrop of familial conflicts and even attempted patricide. In contrast, today’s reinterpretation recasts this mythological unruly child as a dutiful deity who fights for his clan’s interests by forging alliances, confronting rival factions and challenging the existing order.

    Ne Zha 2 trailer.

    As a commercial film, it has astutely tapped into the emotional needs of contemporary Chinese audiences in a society facing various challenges, such as economic downturn and rising unemployment. Themes of familial love and supportive parenting have struck a deep chord with Chinese audiences, offering both cultural and sentimental reassurance in uncertain times.

    Another clear resonance with domestic audiences lies in the themes of Chinese technological success and cultural excellence. This has cultivated a strong sense of cultural identity and national pride among Chinese people.

    In China, no words currently seem to better capture the feelings after watching the movie than “pride” and a sense of patriotism – both for the film’s visually striking animation techniques and for its depiction of China’s rich cultural traditions. However, the film needs to be understood within the broader contexts of China’s domestic landscape and its evolving position on the global stage.

    ‘Cultural confidence’

    Beyond entertainment, Ne Zha 2’s success fits within President Xi Jinping’s ideas on “cultural confidence,” which can be succinctly defined as a nation’s firm belief in the strength and vitality of its own culture. Since the film’s record-breaking performance, state media and various state-owned outlets have been actively echoing this narrative.

    People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, equates Ne Zha to China’s cultural confidence as a means to expand soft power and navigate uncharted territory. This emphasis on cultural confidence, however, is not merely state-driven.

    Ne Zha.
    Enlight Pictures

    The film’s director, Jiao Zi, has expressed his confidence in China’s traditional culture, stating: “China’s stories don’t need to deliberately cater to the west.” Instead, he believes that traditional Chinese culture is a vast treasure trove of inspiration, which is interesting to all.

    Indeed, Ne Zha is not an isolated success in drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese culture. Last year’s Black Myth: Wukong, a record-breaking gaming blockbuster, gained global attention at the 2024 Game Awards (the Oscars of the video games industry). Like Ne Zha, it’s based on another legendary 16th-century Chinese novel Xiyouji (Journey to the West). China’s official news agency, Xinhua, characterised the enduring popularity of these ancient tales as “part of a broader cultural renaissance”.

    Ne Zha’s success is emerging as a key example of China’s growing cultural identity, aligning with the cultural confidence discourse. A foreign ministry spokesperson has described Ne Zha as “a new bridge for exchanges” and “a fresh window for the world to see China”.

    Whether Ne Zha 2 achieves lasting international success remains to be seen. But one thing is clear – Chinese animation is no longer just for domestic audiences. The film’s popularity reflects China’s broader ambitions to expand its soft power alongside its growing economic and strategic influence.

    Ming Gao receives funding from the Swedish Research Council. This research was produced with support from the Swedish Research Council grant “Moved Apart” (nr. 2022-01864). Ming Gao is a member of Lund University Profile Area: Human Rights.

    – ref. Ne Zha 2: the record-breaking Chinese animated film showcases China’s ambition on the global stage – https://theconversation.com/ne-zha-2-the-record-breaking-chinese-animated-film-showcases-chinas-ambition-on-the-global-stage-249899

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bilingual children with special educational needs may be missing out on support in England

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Johny Daniel, Assistant Professor, School of Education, Durham University

    Rido/Shutterstock

    English isn’t the first language of over 20% of pupils in schools in England, and this proportion is rising. The children in this group who also have special educational needs or disabilities may be falling through the cracks, missing out on support that would help them succeed.

    My recent research analysed data from 2.5 million English primary school pupils. The findings show that bilingual learners with special educational needs especially struggle with reading. They trail behind both their peers without special educational needs, and other children with special educational needs who speak English as their first language.

    When a pupil has a special educational need such as specific learning difficulties or autism, their language hurdles can make it harder to see the real cause of their challenges. Sometimes, a child’s limited English masks a disability. Other times, disabilities may be confused with language problems. This confusion can delay the help they need.

    Reading is particularly a problem because strong vocabulary and language-processing skills are needed, and the extra task of learning English can slow them down in this area. Maths may rely less on advanced English, so the gap is often smaller in that subject.

    Research suggests that if bilingual pupils with special educational needs get strong support in the early years, they can catch up significantly.

    The right support

    One useful method is data-based decision-making. This means teachers and special needs coordinators regularly track progress in reading, writing or maths. For example, teachers might assess oral reading fluency or brief writing samples to measure progress. By spotting which pupils are falling behind, they can provide small-group tutoring, phonics help or targeted vocabulary lessons.

    Pupils also benefit from clear, structured lessons that focus on reading and writing. They may also need extra time to practise and may learn better if the same vocabulary is taught in different ways, such as through games or acting.

    In addition, research shows that when teachers use examples or stories that reflect different languages and cultures, pupils stay more engaged. This “culturally responsive” teaching boosts children’s language skills.

    Relating lessons to a child’s experiences can help keep them engaged.
    Ground Picture/Shutterstock

    For example, a case study on culturally responsive teaching for bilingual learners with disabilities has shown that connecting lessons to students’ own cultural and linguistic backgrounds can boost both their language skills and their reading comprehension.

    The teacher in the study combined explicit instruction – such as teaching vocabulary or grammar – with discussions in small groups that drew on experiences from the students’ own lives. Her pupils saw significant improvements in literacy that underscores how culturally responsive methods can help bilingual children succeed.

    Room for improvement

    Another way to improve the situation for these children would be better assessments of whether they need additional support.

    My research with colleagues has found that most bilingual pupils in England are not assessed for dyslexia in their first language, which can mask their true skills and needs. If schools allow pupils to be tested in their home language, or at least use bilingual materials, they can get a clearer picture of each pupil’s progress.

    Funding for specialised training is also needed. Schools need resources to hire or develop experts who understand both language learning and disabilities. Educational psychologists, for instance, or English-as-a-second-language teachers with expertise in special educational needs, can provide this much needed support.

    Ofsted inspectors should also check how schools use regular progress monitoring data to adjust teaching for bilingual pupils with special educational needs. If data use becomes a core part of good practice, more schools may be inspired to invest in it.

    The evidence shows many bilingual learners with special educational needs can catch up, or even surpass their peers, if they receive the right support early on. Yet too often, these children are seen only as “language learners,” with their disabilities overlooked, or they are treated as having a disability, while their language needs get ignored.

    We already know strategies that work. By using detailed progress tracking, culturally responsive teaching, and targeted language instruction, schools can close the gap and make sure bilingual pupils with special educational needs and disabilities do not fall behind.

    Johny Daniel 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. Bilingual children with special educational needs may be missing out on support in England – https://theconversation.com/bilingual-children-with-special-educational-needs-may-be-missing-out-on-support-in-england-246822

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How satellites revolutionised climate change science

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

    aappp / shutterstock

    Until relatively recently, humans were limited by the horizon. Climate scientists of the early 20th century could gather data from the world around them and perhaps what they were able to see from a hot air balloon or plane. But the really big picture – the global snapshot – remained out of sight.

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

    The first satellite of any kind was the USSR’s Sputnik 1, launched in 1957. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that satellites designed specifically to observe the Earth and its climate made it into orbit and gave us the first overview of weather patterns. By the 1970s Nasa’s Landsat satellites were able to monitor things like tree cover.

    Jonathan Bamber, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol, says this “revolutionised our ability to carry out a comprehensive and timely health check on the planetary systems we rely on for our survival”. Data that once required months or even years of fieldwork was suddenly available in the time it took a satellite to orbit the planet.

    These days, this data can be remarkably precise and detailed. Bamber says: “We can measure changes in sea level down to a single millimetre, changes in how much water is stored in underground rocks, the temperature of the land and ocean and the spread of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases, all from space.”

    Here’s a map of sea level rise, from Bamber’s article highlighting five satellite images that show how fast our planet is changing:

    The sea is rising quickly – but not evenly.
    ESA/CLS/LEGOS, CC BY-SA

    “This image,” writes Bamber, “shows mean sea level trends over 13 years in which the global average rise was about 3.2mm a year. But the rate was three or four times faster in some places, like the south western Pacific to the east of Indonesia and New Zealand, where there are numerous small islands and atolls that are already very vulnerable to sea level rise.”



    Read more:
    Five satellite images that show how fast our planet is changing

    In recent years, scientists have used AI to sift through and analyse satellite data. Bamber’s latest research, published in January this year, illustrates this nicely.

    A team of scientists, lead by Tian Li also of the University of Bristol, gathered millions of satellite images of glaciers in Svalbard, a remote and icy archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. In their write up, they note that human researchers once painstakingly looked through this sort of data.

    “This process”, they write, “is highly labour-intensive, inefficient and particularly unreproducible as different people can spot different things even in the same satellite image. Given the number of satellite images available nowadays, we may not have the human resources to map every region for every year.”

    Their solution was to use AI to “quickly identify glacier patterns across large areas”. The satellite-AI combo meant they could examine Svalbard’s retreating glaciers – surely among the least accessible places on the planet – in “unprecedented scale and scope”.

    They found that 91% of the many glaciers that flow into the sea around the archipelago have been “shrinking significantly”. They note that the same types of glacier can be found across the Arctic, and “what happens to glaciers in Svalbard is likely to be repeated elsewhere”.



    Read more:
    We built an AI model that analysed millions of images of retreating glaciers – what it found is alarming

    Many of those glaciers can be found in Greenland, home of the northern hemisphere’s largest ice sheet. In research published earlier this month, Tom Chudley of Durham University used satellite images to assess crevasses (cracks in the glaciers) in Greenland.

    A large glacier in west Greenland flows into the sea. That iceberg filled fjord is several miles wide.
    Copernicus Sentinel / lavizzara / shutterstock

    Chudley also combined satellite images with computerised analysis. His work made use of “ArcticDEM”, three dimensional maps of the polar regions based on high resolution satellite images.

    “By applying image-processing techniques to over 8,000 maps, we could estimate how much water, snow or air would be needed to “fill” each crevasse across the ice sheet. This enabled us to calculate their depth and volume, and examine how they evolved.“

    His conclusion was very blunt: the Greenland ice sheet is falling apart.



    Read more:
    The Greenland ice sheet is falling apart – new study

    Health watchdogs

    Many of you will be well aware that satellites are being used to monitor the health of the planet. What’s less well known is the role they can play in monitoring human health.

    Dhritiraj Sengupta, a satellite scientist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, says satellites have become Earth’s new health and nature watchdog. His article details how satellites can map mosquito breeding sites to combat malaria, for instance, or can identify air pollution hotspots in cities.

    In his own research, he’s used satellite-derived chlorophyll data to assess the risk of cholera. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants that helps them use sunlight to make their food and grow.

    “Many bacteria like Vibrio cholerae which causes cholera, thrive in stagnant water,” Sengupta writes. “My team worked with the European Space Agency to show that its presence can be modelled using the concentration of chlorophyll found on the surface of bodies of water.”



    Read more:
    How satellites have become Earth’s new health and nature watchdogs

    So far, so good. Satellites have undeniably been useful for climate scientists. But in the longer-term, the satellites themselves may have an unforeseen effect on the climate.

    Last year, SpaceX announced it would “deorbit” 100 of its Starlink satellites to burn up in the atmosphere. Fionagh Thomson is a space expert, also at Durham University. She says that “atmospheric scientists are increasingly concerned that this sort of apparent fly-tipping by the space sector will cause further climate change down on Earth.”

    Particles from the satellites themselves won’t have a huge effect compared to the “440 tonnes of meteoroids that enter the atmosphere daily, along with volcanic ash and human-made pollution from industrial processes on Earth.”

    But one team “recently, and unexpectedly, found potential ozone-depleting metals from spacecraft in the stratosphere, the atmospheric layer where the ozone layer is formed.” The worry is that satellite debris may help form certain types of clouds that lead to ozone loss and may add to the greenhouse effect.

    She notes that this is all uncertain and needs more research. “But,” she writes, “we’ve also learnt that if we wait until indisputable evidence is available, it may be too late, as with the loss of ozone. It’s a constant dilemma.”

    Something for SpaceX scientists to look into, perhaps, once they’ve finished rescuing stranded astronauts from the International Space Station.



    Read more:
    Satellites are burning up in the upper atmosphere – and we still don’t know what impact this will have on the Earth’s climate

    – ref. How satellites revolutionised climate change science – https://theconversation.com/how-satellites-revolutionised-climate-change-science-250312

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union, Labor Coalition Urge Trump Administration to Stand Up to China’s Unfair Shipbuilding Industry

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    Today, IAM Union International President Brian Bryant, along with three other petitioners of a 301 complaint against the Chinese government’s predatory trade practices in the shipbuilding, logistics and maritime industries, sent a letter to President Trump urging his Administration to enforce strong penalties against China and to implement policies that will restore U.S. maritime power and promote national economic and security interests.

    President Trump has often made statements promoting the interests of American workers and the need to stand up to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP). The dire state of our domestic shipbuilding industry, hobbled by Chinese predatory behavior and the harm it has thrust on U.S. shipyard workers, presents a prime opportunity for the President to step up and reinvigorate this strategically important industry.

    “As a shipyard worker myself, out of Bath Iron Works in Maine, I have seen firsthand the crippling impacts of China’s predatory actions on our domestic shipbuilding industry,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “For decades, we’ve seen everything from layoffs to shipyard closures to atrophy of our domestic shipbuilding industrial base. That is why last year we filed a petition for relief under Section 301 of our trade laws to challenge the CCP’s unreasonable and discriminatory policies and actions in the logistics, shipbuilding and maritime sectors.”

    The previous administration released a comprehensive report finding that over the past several decades, the Chinese Communist Party advanced a systematic array of unfair trade practices and economic policies designed to dominate and control the maritime, shipbuilding and logistics sectors. These actions have severely undermined these domestic industries and U.S. economic and national security along with it.

    In its report, the Biden Administration made clear that responsive action is necessary and urgent to right this wrong and rebuild the domestic shipbuilding industry. This responsibility is now in the hands of Trump Administration, and the time to act is now.

    “The IAM urges the administration to act swiftly and decisively, using every tool in the toolbox, implementing policy to jumpstart the domestic shipbuilding industry and create a level playing field on which it can thrive,” said Bryant. “We stand willing to work with the Trump Administration and all parties to rebuild and reinvigorate this vitally important industry on behalf of our members and for our nation’s economic and national security.”

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

    goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fifty-Two-Month Prison Sentence for a D.C. Convicted Felon Who Traveled to the Jersey Shore to Rob an Overnight Pharmacy

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

               WASHINGTON – Ashawntea Henderson, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. to 52 months in federal prison for participating in an early morning robbery of a drug store at the Jersey Shore. During the May 2020 robbery, he and his co-conspirators jumped the counter, overpowered the night pharmacist, stole thousands of prescription narcotics, and then – as they attempted to flee to the District – crashed into a responding police cruiser.

               The sentencing was announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly of the Newark Field Office.

                Henderson pleaded guilty on October 30, 2024, to interference of commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery). In addition to the 52-month prison sentence, Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Henderson to serve three years of supervised release.

    According to court documents, Henderson and his co-conspirators researched potential targets including Walgreens and CVS pharmacies which were open all night. On May 9, 2020, Henderson and others drove more than 200 miles from Washington, D.C. to a Walgreens Pharmacy on State Road 33, in Neptune, New Jersey.

    At 3:09 a.m., Henderson and two others dressed in masks and gloves entered the Walgreens. All three jumped over the pharmacy counter and demanded codeine, Adderall, and Percocet. One of the co-conspirators grabbed the night pharmacist, demanded that he open the locked cabinets containing additional pills, and forced the pharmacist to assist them. After grabbing thousands of prescription medicines – including Oxycodone, morphine, amphetamine, and Nucynta – Henderson and the two co-conspirators fled in a black Nissan Altima operated by a fourth co-conspirator. At one point, the Nissan collided with a responding police officer’s patrol car but continued at high speed back to Washington D.C.

    After returning to the District, as they celebrated at a hotel, one of the co-conspirators received a text from a known drug distributor asking the price for a drug of the same type stolen from Neptune, New Jersey. The co-conspirator and the drug distributor continued to exchange texts about the sale of drugs for the following weeks.

               Henderson is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in Maryland in connection with his 2022 possession of a firearm. 

               The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Neptune Township Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by AUSAs Justin Song, Sarah Martin and Cameron Tepfer.

    23cr190

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: UPDATE: Detectives name man killed in Hackney stabbing

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    The victim of a fatal stabbing in Hackney has been named as 20-year-old Jason Junior Romeo.

    Police were called to reports of an altercation in Bodney Road, E5 at 17:59hrs on Tuesday, 18 February. Officers and the London Ambulance Service worked to treat Jason at the scene but he sadly died as a result of a stab wound.

    Two men in their 20s have been arrested and remain in police custody.

    Detective Superintendent Kelly Allen, leading the investigation in Hackney, said: “Jason had his whole life ahead of him but this senseless attack has taken that from both him and his loved ones. Our continued thoughts go out to his family, who are being supported by specialist officers.

    “If anyone saw this incident, or was nearby, please do share that information with officers. We are especially interested in any footage from the surrounding area.”

    The public can contact the police via 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with any information, reference CAD 5635/18Feb.

    A crime scene will remain in place until the forensic investigation has concluded.

    Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “It is absolutely devastating for Jason’s family and extremely distressing for our communities that another young life has been taken away as a consequence of knife crime. We continue to work closely with our local community partners and Hackney Council to tackle the causes and effects of knife crime.

    “I repeat an appeal I have sadly had to make too frequently. If any young person feels they need to carry a knife please speak to a parent, carer, teacher, youth leader or adult you trust and we can get you the support to step back from that decision safely.

    “I will have additional uniformed and plain clothed officers working in the area as a consequence of this tragic event. While the investigation continues to work to understand the motive for this attack, we will work tirelessly to reduce the risk of any further violence.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Are value-added taxes a barrier to trade?

    Source: International Chamber of Commerce

    Headline: Are value-added taxes a barrier to trade?

    We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We’d also like to set optional cookies to optimize site functionality and to give you the most relevant experience. We won’t set optional cookies unless you enable them. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.

    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.

    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.

    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.

    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Fragile stability’ in Libya increasingly at risk, Security Council hears

    Source: United Nations 2

    Peace and Security

    The dream of a civil, democratic and prosperous Libya remains unfulfilled 14 years after the revolution that led to the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime, the head of UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

    Rosemary DiCarlo said entrenched divisions, economic mismanagement, continued human rights violations, and competing domestic and external interests, continue to erode unity and stability in the country.

    “The fragile stability in Libya is increasingly at risk,” she warned. “The country’s leaders and security actors are failing to put the national interest ahead of their competition for political and personal gain.”

    Support new UN envoy

    She urged Council members to support the newly appointed UN Special Representative for Libya Hanna Tetteh “in her work to help break the political impasse, resolve Libya’s protracted crisis and support the Libyan people towards unifying Libya’s institutions and holding inclusive national elections.”

    The North African country has been split between two rival administrations for over a decade, with the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) based in the northwest while the Government of National Stability (GNS) is in the east.

    Landmark elections scheduled for December 2021 were cancelled, including due to disputes over the eligibility of candidates.

    Advisory Committee established

    Ms. DiCarlo stressed the urgent need for progress in Libya. She said the UN Mission there, UNSMIL, is taking steps to revive a political process anchored in the principles of inclusivity and national ownership.

    UNSMIL recently established an Advisory Committee that will provide recommendations for resolving outstanding contentious issues that have prevented national elections from taking place.

    The Committee is composed of 20 members who include legal and constitutional experts. More than a third are women. She emphasized that it is not a decision-making body, but its proposals will support efforts to remove obstacles to holding national elections.

    “Many Libyan stakeholders, including political parties, social movements, and women and youth groups, have publicly welcomed its establishment as an opportunity to move the political process forward,” she said.

    Supporting inclusive dialogue

    UNSMIL convened the Committee’s inaugural meeting in the capital, Tripoli, last week. Members are meeting again over three days this week to examine the contentious issues in detail and begin considering ways to overcome them.

    “In parallel, UNSMIL is also taking steps to convene a structured dialogue among Libyans on ways to address longstanding drivers of conflict and develop an inclusive, bottom-up vision for their country’s future,” she said.

    The Mission is also facilitating consultations among Libyan economic experts to identify priorities, barriers and solutions to achieve sound economic governance.  

    Divisions and competition

    Ms. DiCarlo said divisions and competition over the control of State institutions continue to dominate the political and economic landscape. No progress has been made on a unified budget or agreed spending framework despite UNSMIL engagement with all relevant stakeholders.

    “It is critical to address the issue to support the efforts of the Central Bank of Libya to stabilize the financial situation of the country and enable transparent and equitable public spending,” she explained.

    A dispute over the position of president of the High Council of State, a top governing body, also remains unresolved even after six months of litigation and contradictory rulings. The Council now stands “deeply divided and unable to fulfil its institutional role.” 

    UNSMIL

    People gather at a market in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. (file)

    National reconciliation at risk

    Politicization and political divisions are also hindering progress on national reconciliation, she added. 

    Last December, UNSMIL facilitated an agreement among three key institutions – the Presidential Council, the House of Representatives, and the High Council of State – on a draft law on the issue. 

    However, subsequent amendments to the draft law by parliamentarians have raised concerns over the independence of a National Reconciliation Commission.

    A charter for reconciliation was agreed earlier this month through a process led by the African Union.  It was adopted on 14 February in the margins of the bloc’s summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    “While some Libyan stakeholders have supported the charter, others did not,” she said, noting that UNSMIL continues to engage with all relevant parties.

    Security threats persist

    Meanwhile, the activities of non-State and quasi-State armed groups continue to pose a threat to Libya’s fragile stability. 

    Ms. DiCarlo called for a full and transparent investigation into an armed attack on a Government of National Unity (GNU) Minister in Tripoli on 12 February.

    She said the Libyan National Army took control of a military base in the south previously held by a GNU-affiliated military officer. Furthermore, the 2020 Ceasefire Agreement has only been partially implemented. 

    “Renewed efforts by Libyan authorities to implement its remaining provisions are crucial to improve the fragile security situation and to create conditions for the reunification and reform of security institutions,” she said. 

    Migrants and mass graves

    Turning to other challenges, she said the continuing trend of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances is deeply concerning and the increasing number of deaths in custody is troubling, with 15 cases recorded since March 2024. 

    Migrants and asylum-seekers, including children, also continue to face serious human rights violations including torture and cruel and inhumane treatment. 

    “The alarming and tragic discovery of mass graves following raids on human trafficking sites highlights the severe danger faced by migrants in Libya,” she said.

    On 7 February a mass grave was discovered on a farm in Jikharra in the northeast; another was found a day later in Al-Kufra in the southeast. To date, 93 bodies have been exhumed.

    “A full and independent investigation is critical to bring the perpetrators to justice. “This is yet another reminder of the urgent need to protect migrants and combat human trafficking,” she said.

    Last December, a joint UNSMIL and UN mission to Al-Kufra engaged with local authorities, partners, refugees and host communities to strengthen humanitarian response for Sudanese refugees, who continue to flee to Libya.

    Ms. DiCarlo said the chapter of the 2025 Sudan Refugee Regional Response Plan relating to Libya targets 446,000 people and requires $106 million – double the support from 2024. 

    She appealed to donors for their continued support to address the growing needs of Sudanese refugees in Libya and across the region. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Halifax Infirmary Expansion Project Update, Video

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson (left) and Dr. Christine Short, Senior Medical Director, QEII Healthcare Redevelopment, Central Zone, Nova Scotia Health, share an update on the Halifax Infirmary expansion project in the media room at One Government Place in Halifax today, February 19. (Province of Nova Scotia)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Presses VA Deputy Secretary Nominee on Mass Firings of VA Researchers, Holding Oracle Accountable to Get EHR Right for Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Senator Murray: Trump Must Reverse Firing of VA Researchers Across the Country, Threatens to Decimate Lifesaving Work on Veterans’ Medical Care, Prosthetics, and More
    ICYMI: Murray, Colleagues Request Information on Elon Musk’s Access to VA Medical Records
    ***VIDEO of Murray’s Q&A at nomination hearing HERE**
    Washington, D.C. – Today at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on Dr. Paul Lawrence’s nomination to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, questioned Dr. Lawrence—who will oversee the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system—on what he will do differently to hold Oracle accountable and get the EHR system right for veterans in Washington state. Murray also pressed him on whether he supports the decision by Trump and Musk last week to fire en masse VA researchers in the middle of research on everything from burn pit exposure to mental health, opioid addiction, and preventing veteran suicide, among much else.
    “EHR started in 2018 under President Trump and in 2020, it deployed to two Washington state VA hospitals. Instead of helping to improve our veterans’ health care, the rollout ending up being a complete disaster, and it endangered veteran patients,” Murray said at today’s hearing. “Unfortunately, the system still is not working the way that the VA doctors and nurses need—and veterans are continuing  to suffer. Last month, the VA announced that it would be moving forward with pre-deployment activities at the next four sites for this Electronic Health Record.”
    “You will oversee the EHR program—so if confirmed, I want to know what you are going to do differently to hold Oracle accountable and to make sure we get this system right for our veterans?”
    Dr. Lawrence replied that he would aim to better understand why VA did not listen to employees earlier when they raised issued with the EHR system, and that he would work with the team Secretary Collins plans to convene with “everybody involved” to figure out the best path going forward for EHR. “If confirmed, I want to work on that and figure out what the plan should be in terms of holding everybody accountable for what’s supposed to take place, right, to get the most benefits as quickly as possible to our veterans within the amount of money we have,” Dr. Lawrence said.
    “Well let me make this very clear: we have heard that answer from every VA person that’s come before this committee for a number of years now,” Murray pushed back. “Everybody’s looked at it, everybody’s considered it, everybody’s talked about it, everybody’s convened panels. It is not working. So, I need your commitment that it’s not just—convene people and take a look at, but that you are going to make changes to it and demand changes, and get those fixed. Because we have spent, literally, millions and millions of dollars—and worse, veterans are still in jeopardy in their care, and doctors and nurses and VA facilities are really frustrated.”
    “I asked you a really important question: what are you going to do differently? The answer you gave me—I understand where you’re coming from—but it is the same one I’ve heard over and over,” Murray said.
    Dr. Lawrence responded that the Secretary conveyed a “strong sense of urgency that it should be done much sooner than later,” and that, in his previous tenure at VA as Under Secretary for Benefits, he dealt with technology problems around the GI Bill, appeals modernization, and other issues, and implemented technology: “I’ve actually done this, and so that’s the difference I will bring to this. And I understand the frustration, and I pledge to work as best, as hard as I can to get this done,” said Dr. Lawrence.
    “Well I don’t want to be sitting here again, two years from now, same conversation, new person,” Murray said.
    Murray continued her questioning by pressing Dr. Lawrence on Trump and Elon Musk’s unprecedented firings of VA researchers—last week the administration abruptly refused to honor researchers’ three-year “Not to Exceed” term limits (NTEs) by rolling them over as is standard. Instead, the Trump administration immediately dismissing researchers, including at VA Puget Sound, who were in the middle of research on topics including mental health, alcohol and opioid withdrawal, cancer treatments, burn pit exposure, prosthetics, diabetic ulcers, and so much else.
    “Last week, my office’s phones were ringing off the hook—as I assume a lot of people’s were—with really panicked calls from researchers at the VA. They had been laid off with ZERO justification, ZERO warning,” Murray said.
    “And in fact, up until then, the VA had assured them that they were protected from Trump and Musk’s mass firings. VA research shouldn’t be political. And firing VA researchers who are in the middle of a process to find life-saving treatment for veterans with conditions like PTSD, or opioid addiction, or cancer from toxic exposure is really cruel and wasteful. Some veterans are literally in the middle of receiving breakthrough treatment through these clinical trials. What will happen to them and their care when their lead researcher was just fired?”
    “Were you aware of the Trump Administration’s decision to fire these VA researchers?,” Murray asked.Dr. Lawrence responded that he was “not engaged” in anything at the Department now.
    “Do you support it?,” Murray pressed.Dr. Lawrence replied: “If confirmed, I will look into this to better understand what took place—I don’t have enough information to comment on that.”
    “So you won’t commit to restoring these VA researchers’ positions so they can continue that research on PTSD, and opioid addiction, and cancer that was caused by their exposure to toxic chemicals?” Murray pressed again.
    “If confirmed, I commit to looking in to understand what happened and why,” said Dr. Lawrence. “Well, I hope that’s not like every other answer we get from people that we are hearing from that they’ll look into it and no action is taken—you’ve just promised to look into it; this is critical,” said Senator Murray.
    “I understand,” said Dr. Lawrence.
    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has fought throughout her career for increased benefits for veterans, housing assistance, better access to veterans’ clinics throughout Washington state, and more accountability from the VA.
    Senator Murray has spoken out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees across the country. Just yesterday, Murray and her colleagues sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins pressing him to protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information by Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). Earlier this month, Senator Murray sounded the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary, making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk. Alongside 25 of her colleagues, Murray sent another letter earlier this month to Secretary Collins, demanding that he deny and sever Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and to delete any veterans’ information in their possession.
    Senator Murray has been conducting oversight on the flawed EHR rollout in Washington state since the Trump Administration first negotiated the contract with Cerner (later acquired by Oracle), and at every point in the process since then. Murray has consistently pushed VA on its failed implementation of EHR—conducting oversight, holding the administration accountable, and calling on VA to halt deployment of EHR until they get it right in Washington state. In March 2023, Murray introduced comprehensive legislation that would require VA to implement a series of EHR reforms to better serve veterans, medical personnel, and taxpayers. In the Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills, Senator Murray negotiated and passed as Chair of the Appropriations Committee stronger language to hold VA and Cerner accountable for the rollout of the EHR system, and in May 2024, she sent a letter urging VA to consider feedback on the system from providers and veterans in Spokane and Walla Walla and reiterating that VA must not move forward on the rollout of EHR until the myriad issues that have plagued the system in the locations where it has been launched are fixed.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/MYANMAR – “I only kneel before God”: the last words of Father Martin Ye Naing Win

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 19 February 2025

    Archdiocese of Mandalay

    by Paolo AffatatoMandalay (Agenzia Fides) – When on the evening of February 14 a commando of ten armed men arrived at the rectory of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in the village of Kangyi Taw (in the Shwe Bo district of the Sagaing region), Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a 44-year-old priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, fearlessly confronted the ten militiamen who threatened him. They had first threatened and silenced two women, teachers and parish workers, who were on the church premises and were helping the priest to organize classes for the children of the parish’s about 40 Catholic families. In the Sagaing region, affected by the clashes between the Burmese army and the resistance forces, the state system has collapsed, there are no public services and education is only guaranteed by spontaneous initiatives such as those of the parishes.It is the two women who were present at the events and are now in a protected place for security reasons who tell the details of the incident. Their testimony, which Fides has received, has already reached the Ministry of Justice of the National Unity Government (NUG) in exile, on which the People’s Defense Force (PDF) depends, which controls the territory in the so-called “liberated areas”, i.e. those taken from the control of the military junta by the opposition forces.The men who attacked Father Donald, the women reported, were in an an evident abnormal mental state, either due to alcohol or drugs. They came from the neighboring village. It is not clear why they attacked the priest with such violence, whom the leader ordered to kneel. Father Donald watched them and replied with the gentleness and inner peace that characterize him as a man and priest with an upright conscience: “I only kneel before God”. And then he continued quietly: “What can I do for you? Is there a matter we can discuss?”.One of the men responded to his words by striking him from behind with a dagger that was still in its sheath. However, with this weapon he accidentally hit the leader of the armed group. The leader, who was already in a state of drunkenness and rage, which was also due to Father Donald’s reaction, pulled out a knife and angrily attacked the priest, repeatedly stabbing him brutally in the body and neck. Father Donald did not utter a word or complain. He endured the senseless violence without reacting, like an innocent man, “like a lamb to the slaughter,” as the witnesses report. The other men stood by and watched the murder being carried out. The repeated blows to the throat almost severed the head from the body, which sank in a lake of blood. After the crime, the group of men left the scene.The women raised the alarm and called the villagers, who, in shock and tears, took the lifeless body with them. The soldiers of the People’s Defence Force were then alerted, who tracked down and arrested the attackers. The two women’s testimonies were recorded and sent to the Government of National Unity, which stressed in a statement that it was “deeply saddened by the murder of Father Donald Martin, a priest from Mandalay” and that it would “commit itself to punishing the alleged murderers according to the law”. “The People’s Defence Forces (PDF) of Shwebo district arrested ten suspects on the same day” and began the relevant investigations, the statement continued. “The accused belong to a local defence group,” the text said. “As it is known that they belong to the armed forces, the Government of National Unity and the Ministry of Defence will take legal action”, applying the law provided for the military. “The National Unity Government,” it concludes, “strongly condemns attacks on civilians, including religious leaders, by any organization.”As the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP) explains, in the areas controlled by the resistance – which constitute a kind of “parallel state” – “there is no definitive legal framework to guide governance, administration and legislation.” In some liberated areas, “there is a judicial system with district judges who establish a procedure and, in some cases, apply their own legal framework.”On the other hand, in the current context, it is difficult to draft and implement completely new laws, so in many liberated areas, national laws are still applied. However, efforts are being made to selectively enforce laws that are “consistent with international human rights standards” enacted and amended by the army for Myanmar in recent years, with a focus on laws enacted by the country’s successive military juntas that “give the authorities excessive power and disproportionate punishments”. The AAPP points to the need for “comprehensive judicial reform” and a “fair and just system” in which no authority (judges, administrative bodies, local police officers and other armed groups), regardless of their status, “is above the law”.It is pointed out that, meanwhile, anyone accused of a crime must have the opportunity to defend themselves. Currently, in the liberated areas, a district judge has the power to impose the death penalty. If the accused is sentenced to death, he has de facto no right of appeal.(Agenzia Fides, 19/2/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Alexander Novak held a meeting of the presidium of the subcommittee on expanding foreign economic cooperation

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Alexander Novak held a meeting of the presidium of the subcommittee on expanding foreign economic cooperation

    February 19, 2025

    Alexander Novak held a meeting of the presidium of the subcommittee on expanding foreign economic cooperation

    February 19, 2025

    Alexander Novak held a meeting of the presidium of the subcommittee on expanding foreign economic cooperation

    February 19, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    Alexander Novak held a meeting of the presidium of the subcommittee on expanding foreign economic cooperation

    Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held a meeting of the presidium of the subcommittee on expanding foreign economic cooperation with promising partners from friendly states of the Government Commission on Economic Development and Integration at the Government Coordination Center. Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, representatives of federal executive bodies, the Bank of Russia, and specialized companies took part in the event.

    Deputy Minister of Economic Development Vladimir Ilyichev reported on the work being carried out with foreign countries in the trade, economic, investment, energy, industrial, technological, educational, cultural, sports and other spheres.

    Alexander Novak instructed federal executive bodies to monitor the implementation of measures to expand integration with partners from friendly countries. The Ministry of Economic Development will coordinate this work.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE removes Salvadoran gang member who illegally entered US 3 times

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with assistance from the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement Task Force, removed William Alexander Diaz Reyes, a 32-year-old foreign fugitive, from the United States Feb. 14. Diaz is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated terrorist organizations for his status as an active member of the 18th Street transnational gang.

    Diaz was flown from Alexandria, Louisiana, on a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit, to the El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez in San Salvador, El Salvador. He was turned over to Salvadoran authorities upon arrival.

    “For far too long, dangerous foreign fugitives, transnational gang members and other violent criminal aliens have illegally entered this country through our southern border with impunity putting the lives of law-abiding residents in jeopardy,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “Those days are over, as the law enforcement community in South Texas is more united than ever in our collective effort to enforce the laws of this nation and protect our communities from harm.”

    Diaz illegally entered the U.S. at least twice in 2021 and was expelled under Title 42 on May 15, 2021, and June 18, 2021. Diaz illegally entered the U.S. for a third time on an unknown date, and at an unknown location. He was apprehended by ICE April 19, 2024, and placed into immigration proceedings. An immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered Diaz removed from the U.S. Sept. 19, 2024. The Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed that decision Jan. 13.

    Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

    For more news and information on how ICE carries out its immigration enforcement mission in Southeast Texas, follow us on X at @EROHouston.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Citizen Airman wins Integrator of the Year for creating a warrior culture  in the Cowboy Guard

    Source: US State of Wyoming

    CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Melissa Mendez has always believed in the power of people. As a first sergeant with the 153rd Security Forces Squadron in the Wyoming Air National Guard, she takes pride in her role as a mentor, coach, and advocate for her Airmen. 

    But Mendez isn’t just a leader in uniform. Off-duty, she serves as a Wyoming National Guard primary prevention specialist, a role focused on addressing issues before they escalate and creating a positive environment for service members across 97,000 square miles.

    “Melissa was one of three IPPW specialists, nationally, to be selected as Integrator of the Year out of hundreds,” she added. “And the only lead. Knowing that Wyoming, as a small state, has the ability to stand out and rise above brings a level of pride to the entire team and motivates all of us to keep doing great things. We will never be the largest state in the room, but we can lead the way.”

    “People are my passion,” Mendez said. “If we can support individuals and help them thrive, we’re not just building stronger teams—we’re creating a better future for everyone.”

    As a Citizen Airman, Mendez balances her dual responsibilities to the military and her community. In her prevention role, she dives deep into data to identify areas where service members may be struggling—whether with financial stress, relationship challenges, or mental health concerns. By analyzing trends and collaborating with legacy programs like suicide prevention and sexual assault prevention and response, she ensures that targeted training and resources reach those who need them most.

    One notable success story highlights her ability to turn data into action. When a unit reported high levels of financial stress in surveys, Mendez coordinated with local financial advisors to provide targeted workshops. The results were transformative, with members expressing relief and gratitude for the support.

    “Melissa continues to grow and excel in her leadership role. She is constantly helping others, guiding conversations and projects, and leading the way,” said Kristin Malone, Cowboy Guard integrated primary prevention manager. “The leadership she demonstrates doesn’t stop with the IPPW, but extends to her role as a 1st Shirt in the WYANG.”

    Mendez’s ability to connect with people and turn data into actionable solutions is unmatched, Malone said. 

    Her leadership has directly contributed to initiatives such as distributing over $61,000 in gun locks and lock boxes, expanding suicide prevention efforts across the state’s 97,000 square miles. She also spearheaded the alignment of the Wyoming Military Department with the Governor’s Challenge initiatives, ensuring strategic coordination to bolster lethal means safety and resilience programs.

    As the first generation of her family born in the United States and the fourth generation to serve in the military, Mendez’s journey is one of resilience and hope. “Hope is what keeps people going,” she said. “Sometimes it’s as simple as reminding someone that they’re not alone. Whether I’m in uniform or in my civilian role, my goal is to help people find that hope and build on it.”

    In her role as a first sergeant, Mendez leans on her background as a mental health technician to support her Airmen. Whether she’s assisting with professional development or helping someone navigate personal challenges, she approaches each situation with empathy and determination.

    “Being a first sergeant is about seeing the person behind the uniform,” she said. “It’s about helping them be the best version of themselves, not just for the mission but for their families and their own well-being.”

    For Mendez, her role as a prevention specialist and first sergeant is not just a job; it’s a calling. Over her career, she has seen firsthand the power of hope and support in transforming lives. One of her most memorable experiences was helping an Airman at rock bottom. The individual was struggling with personal issues, failing fitness tests and facing challenges at work.

    “I asked them, ‘What else is going on? Rank aside, human to human, let’s talk,’” Mendez recalled. “Sometimes people just need someone to listen without judgment.”

    Through consistent mentorship and connecting the Airman to available resources, Mendez saw a remarkable transformation. The individual passed their fitness test with high marks, earned awards and regained confidence. Years later, they reached out to Mendez to express gratitude, saying her support had inspired them to help others.

    Her impact extends beyond individual Airmen. She implemented the first Wyoming IPPW Care Team Meeting, bringing together 15 different stakeholders to improve interagency collaboration. She also developed a helping agency resource matrix to assist approximately 3,000 Guard members in navigating work-life challenges and preventing crises.

    “Wyoming is a large state with a small population,” she said. “That makes it even more important to build strong networks and ensure no one falls through the cracks.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Drug Trafficker Found Guilty Of Distributing Fentanyl That Resulted In The Deaths Of Two Hillsborough County Men

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that a federal jury has found Marquis Lamar McCullough (39, Tampa) guilty of two counts of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. For both counts of distribution of fentanyl, the jury also found that the death of a person resulted from the use of the fentanyl that McCullough had distributed. McCullough, who was previously convicted of trafficking in cocaine, faces mandatory sentences of life imprisonment. 

    According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on April 22, 2021, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to the residence of K.K. to conduct a wellness check. They found K.K. dead when they entered his apartment, standing with his feet on the floor and his head and torso on top of the bathroom counter. Deputies found two baggies with small quantities of a substance, suspected to be heroin or fentanyl, in K.K.’s residence. Detectives reviewed K.K.’s cellphone and found communications with a woman who appeared to help K.K. purchase fentanyl the previous evening. The woman—who was a heroin user and not a dealer—was arrested on an unrelated charge and interviewed by detectives. She told them that K.K. could not get heroin from his usual source, so he asked her to buy heroin for him from her source, and she agreed to do it if she got to keep a bag for herself. The woman arranged a meeting with her supplier, “Slim,” and K.K. took her to meet Slim. With money provided by K.K., the woman bought several bags from Slim, provided most of them to K.K., and kept a couple of bags for herself.

    On April 28, 2021, HCSO detectives conducted a controlled purchase during which detectives observed “Slim” deliver fentanyl and identified him as Marquis Lamar McCullough.

    On May 6, 2021, the son of N.M. found his father dead, lying in his bed, and called 911 to report the death. HCSO deputies and detectives responded to the residence, and inside N.M.’s wallet they found a baggie with a small amount of a substance suspected to be heroin or fentanyl. While reviewing calls and texts on N.M.’s phone, a detective who had participated in the surveillance operation eight days earlier recognized that the last three calls placed by N.M. were to McCullough’s phone number, and the call and text history indicated that McCullough was N.M.’s supplier. Later that day, HCSO detectives planned for another purchase of heroin or fentanyl from McCullough, using N.M.’s cellphone to set up the meeting. When McCullough arrived at the meeting location, he tried to call N.M., but when his calls went unanswered, McCullough fled the area. An arrest team pursued his vehicle and took McCullough into custody.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory determined that the substances found at the residences of K.K. and N.M., and the substances purchased from McCullough on April 28, 2021, all contained fentanyl. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office investigated both deaths and determined that the use of fentanyl caused the deaths of K.K. and N.M. 

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Sinacore and Ross Roberts.

    This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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