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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amalendu Misra, Professor of International Politics, Lancaster University

    The Brics group of nations has just concluded its 17th annual summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. But, despite member states adopting a long list of commitments covering global governance, finance, health, AI and climate change, the summit was a lacklustre affair.

    The two most prominent leaders from the group’s founding members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – were conspicuously absent. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, only attended virtually due to an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over his role in the war in Ukraine.

    China’s Xi Jinping avoided the summit altogether for unknown reasons, sending his prime minister, Li Qiang, instead. This was Xi’s first no-show at a Brics summit, with the snub prompting suggestions that Beijing’s enthusiasm for the group as part of an emerging new world order is in decline.

    Perhaps the most notable takeaway from the summit was a statement that came not from the Brics nations but the US. As Brics leaders gathered in Rio, the US president, Donald Trump, warned on social media: “Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy.”

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

    Trump has long been critical of Brics. This is largely because the group has consistently floated the idea of adopting a common currency to challenge the dominance of the US dollar in international trade.

    Such a move makes sense if we focus on trade figures. In 2024, the value of trade among the Brics nations was around US$5 trillion, accounting for approximately 22% of global exports. Member nations have always felt their economic potential could be fully realised if they were not reliant upon the US dollar as their common currency of trade.

    During their 2024 summit, which was held in the Russian city of Kazan, the Brics nations entered into serious discussions around creating a gold-backed currency. At a time when the Trump administration is waging a global trade war, the emergence of an alternative to the US dollar would be a very serious pushback against US economic hegemony.



    Read more:
    Why Donald Trump’s election could hasten the end of US dollar dominance

    But the freshly concluded Brics summit did not present any concrete move towards achieving that objective. In fact, the 31-page Rio de Janeiro joint declaration even contained some reassurances about the global importance of the US dollar.

    There are two key obstacles hindering Brics from translating its vision of a common currency into reality. First is that some founding member nations are uncomfortable with adopting such an economic model, in large part due to internal rivalries within Brics itself.

    India, currently the fourth-largest economy in the world, has a history of periodic confrontation and strategic competition with China. It is reticent about adopting an alternative to the US dollar, concerned that this could make China more powerful and undercut India’s long-term interests.

    Second is that the Brics member nations are dependent on their bilateral trade with the US. Simply put, embracing an alternative currency is counterproductive when it comes to the current economic interests of individual countries. Brazil, China and India, for example, all export more to the US than they import from it.

    In December 2024, following his election as US president, Trump said: “We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new Brics currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or they will face 100% tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy”. This blunt message all but killed any enthusiasm that was there for this grand economic model.

    Caught in contradiction

    The Brics group is a behemoth. Its full 11 members account for 40% of the world’s population and economy. But the bloc is desperately short of providing any cohesive alternative global leadership.

    While Brazil used its position as host to highlight Brics as a truly multilateral forum capable of providing leadership in a new world order, such ambitions are thwarted by the many contradictions plaguing this bloc.

    Among these are tensions between founding members China and India, which have been running high for decades.

    There are other contradictions, too. In their joint Rio declaration, the group’s members decried the recent Israeli and US attacks on Iran. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, also used his position as summit host to criticise the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

    But this moral high ground appears hollow when you consider that the Russian Federation, a key member of Brics, is on a mission to destroy Ukraine. And rather than condemning Russia, Brics leaders used the Rio summit to criticise recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s railway infrastructure.

    Brics declared intention to address the issue of climate change is also problematic. The Rio declaration conveyed the group’s support for multilateralism and unity to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement. But, despite China making significant advances in its green energy sector, Brics contains some of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases as well as several of the largest oil and gas producers.

    Brics can only stay relevant and provide credible leadership in a fast-changing international order when it addresses its many inner contradictions.

    Amalendu Misra is a recipient of British Academy and Nuffield Foundation Fellowships.

    – ref. Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear – https://theconversation.com/brics-is-sliding-towards-irrelevance-the-rio-summit-made-that-clear-260653

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Why many kidney patients are still choosing hospital dialysis – and how the NHS can help more people access care at home

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Leah McLaughlin, Research Fellow in Health Services, Bangor University

    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    Every week, thousands of people with kidney disease in the UK spend long hours in hospital receiving life-saving dialysis. For many, this means travelling to a kidney unit three times a week and sitting through sessions that last four hours or more. It’s a huge commitment that affects people’s ability to work, travel and maintain a normal social life.

    But for many with kidney failure, there’s another option: dialysis at home. It’s more flexible, often less disruptive and, in the long run, more cost-effective for the NHS. So why do most people still choose hospital dialysis?

    A parliamentary summit in May reflected on how to make dialysis more accessible to patients at home. My colleagues and I published research on this topic in 2019. Working in partnership with people who have kidney disease, their families, NHS staff, dialysis providers and kidney charities, we explored the barriers to home dialysis, and how to overcome them.

    People with kidney failure need either a transplant or regular dialysis to filter waste from their blood. Despite NHS guidance that at least 20% of people on dialysis should be supported to have this treatment at home, this target isn’t being met in many parts of the UK.

    A kidney dialysis machine.
    ali.can0707/Shutterstock

    Our research team, which included people who had experienced dialysis, held discussions with 50 people from across Wales. Many told us that hospital dialysis was presented by healthcare staff as the default option. For those who had not yet come to terms with needing dialysis, or who had delayed planning due to the unpredictable nature of kidney disease, hospital treatment felt like the path of least resistance.

    Some were concerned about the disruption home dialysis might bring. This included changes to their living space or worries that partners or family members might become their carers. Others valued the routine and regular social contact of hospital dialysis.

    Healthcare professionals may unintentionally reinforce this choice. Some feel more comfortable monitoring patients in clinical settings or are unsure about how to support home dialysis effectively. In some cases, home dialysis isn’t an option because local services don’t have the infrastructure to support it.

    Rather than simply identifying problems, we worked together to develop practical solutions. In 2021, working with patients, healthcare professionals, charities, commissioners and industry, we devised a new service plan that outlines how kidney services could be redesigned to support more people to choose home dialysis.

    One important finding was the power of talking to others already doing it. It’s not just about practical advice, but reassurance that it can work.

    We also identified the need for better training for both professionals and patients. People told us they wanted to understand their options earlier, ideally a year before dialysis starts. That means tackling difficult topics, such as advance care planning, sooner and with the right support.

    Social care also has an important role to play. People with complex needs – like living alone, having mobility challenges, or experiencing financial hardship – may need home support, welfare advice or help navigating the system.

    The cost of choice

    In a linked study, published in 2022, we analysed the costs of different dialysis options. Home dialysis was found to cost between £16,000 and £23,000 per person per year.

    Hospital dialysis costs more, between £20,000 and £24,000, rising to over £30,000 when ambulance transport is needed. This suggests that encouraging more people to have dialysis at home could deliver savings for the NHS.

    In Wales, where all kidney services are coordinated through a single clinical network, home dialysis is more widely available. But in England, services are more fragmented, so access can depend on where you live.

    Even if these changes were implemented, fundamental issues may still prevent progress. Beneath the surface of patient satisfaction lies a deeper problem – the NHS dialysis service is no longer working as intended.

    Transport is one of the most frequently cited concerns among people receiving hospital dialysis, and no one seems satisfied with current arrangements. But satisfaction surveys fail to capture the complexity of the situation.

    People often begin dialysis in a unit that isn’t closest to home due to availability. Later, when given the option to move closer or switch to home dialysis, they may decline. These dialysis units begin to function as surrogate families, offering comfort, routine and social interaction, especially for people who live alone or are isolated.

    This emotional connection can obscure the bigger picture. Patients may focus on transport as the issue, rather than recognising that their own decisions – shaped by understandable human needs and system design – are part of the wider challenge.

    shutterstock.
    ali.can0707/Shutterstock

    Staff are caught in the same dynamic. They worry about losing patients they’ve built relationships with or fear someone may not cope alone. But as a result, the service ends up operating not to help people live well for longer but to preserve a sense of satisfaction with a suboptimal status quo.

    By focusing too heavily on keeping people content with the status quo, we risk obscuring what’s truly working, or not. Worse, we may end up wasting already limited resources trying to fix problems that are byproducts of a system shaped more by sentiment than strategy.

    Meanwhile, staff are caught in the middle, trying to deliver care under mounting pressure, with increasingly blurred expectations.

    What needs to change

    To break out of this cycle, different questions should be asked, and not just whether people are satisfied, but whether they are living well, maintaining independence and receiving care that truly reflects their needs and values.

    Our research shows that people already on home dialysis are a valuable and underused resource. They can offer support and insight to others who are starting their treatment.

    The collaborative approach we used could be a model for other parts of the NHS. By designing services with people, not just for them, we can move closer to a future where more people live comfortably with kidney disease, and care that truly fits around their lives and not the other way round.

    Leah McLaughlin receives funding from Health and Care Research Wales. She is affiliated with the Wales Kidney Research Unit.

    We would like to acknowledge Dr Gareth Roberts Chief Investigator of the Dialysis Options and Choices study. Dr Gareth Roberts is a Consultant Nephrologist and Associate Medical Director at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and is clinical lead of the Welsh Renal Clinical Network.

    – ref. Why many kidney patients are still choosing hospital dialysis – and how the NHS can help more people access care at home – https://theconversation.com/why-many-kidney-patients-are-still-choosing-hospital-dialysis-and-how-the-nhs-can-help-more-people-access-care-at-home-254747

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Four reasons why many of us feel the global economy is not on our side

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cahal Moran, Visiting Fellow in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics and Political Science

    During my adult life, I have never experienced what it’s like to live in a “good” economy. Starting with the global financial crash in 2008, which hit just as I began studying economics, the world seems to have lurched from crisis to crisis and the UK economy even more so.

    Some of those crises, like the crash and COVID, are sudden shocks. Others have been more gradual, such as increasingly unaffordable housing or the rising dominance of the world’s ultra rich.

    As I explore in my new book, Why We’re Getting Poorer, the result of these crises is an economic system which works for some much more than it does for others. Here are four reasons why you may be feeling let down.

    1. Grasping for growth

    Like many of his fellow leaders across the world, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, is aiming to make economic growth the primary mission of his government. And understandably so.

    A growing economy puts more money in people’s pockets and brings other benefits such as low unemployment. But economic growth is not easy (in the UK it has been poor for a long time).

    That’s because there’s no GDP dial that a prime minister or president can simply turn up. Research shows that economic growth is an amorphous and difficult goal which depends on many factors – geopolitical, demographic, technological – outside any single country’s control.

    One option is to focus on achievable goals around investment, like the public investments of £113 billion on homes, transport and energy planned in the UK. But big projects can take a long time to build and develop, so even if they do boost growth, it can take a while for households to feel the benefits.

    2. Inherent inequality

    Against the backdrop of low growth in the UK has been high inequality, under Conservative and Labour governments. And again, inequality is an international issue.

    The wealth of the richest people in the world skyrocketed over COVID, buoyed in many cases by the increased importance of the tech sector during lockdowns. Even before the pandemic, wealth inequality was a problem across the globe.

    This imbalance has given the very richest opportunities to buy up commercial competitors, indulge in space travel and control large parts of the media, exerting extreme economic, social and political power. Needless to say, their economic priorities are not the same as everyone else’s.

    Meanwhile, communities and regions may be left behind, with declining physical and social infrastructure. People living in hollowed out areas where incomes and opportunities are limited are unlikely to feel that the economic system is working for them.

    3. Globalisation

    Globalisation has made a lot of people – in places like China, India and Brazil – better off. But it is not a system which ensures economic benefits for everyone.

    With global competition, big businesses are often under pressure to reduce costs. Free trade deals have often failed to enforce labour standards or redistribute gains to poorly paid workers, and in many cases simply made the rich richer.

    Such a distorted form of economic governance, where large sections of society end up feeling left behind was bound to provoke a response. Some would link it to recent political events like Brexit and the presidencies of Donald Trump, whose international tariffs are a clear attempt to reverse the rise of globalisation.

    Sporadic supply chains.
    Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock

    Since the pandemic, more fault-lines have been exposed. The global economy has become too dependent on certain regions, epitomised by Taiwanese dominance in the manufacturing of semiconductors, or European reliance on Russia for gas and oil.

    Recent years have also seen supply chain bottlenecks, leading to shortages of goods including cars, phones and even salad ingredients. Inflexible global systems have been ineffective, and internationally agreed fixes are hard to achieve.

    4. Climate change

    World news at the start of 2020 was dominated by the massive wildfires raging across Australia. At the start of 2025, Los Angeles burned.

    As the global climate shifts and lurches, extreme weather events are becoming more common. Floods, hurricanes and extreme temperatures look to be the likely outcome.

    When sea levels rise, countless coastal cities will experience flooding, and many Pacific islands may disappear altogether. The UN’s climate science advisory group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that humanity will struggle with food production, disease and massive migration.

    This will all result in huge economic costs, impeding growth and disrupting livelihoods across the world. According to the IPCC, the impacts could range from extreme weather events disrupting infrastructure to changing weather reducing yields in agriculture, forestry and fishing.

    Yet many countries appear to be backtracking on their commitment to reducing emissions. It seems they would prefer to deal with the fallout of climate change rather than invest in potential solutions like carbon taxes, walkable cities or alternative fuels. But such acts of self-harm are not a sound basis for a prosperous economy, society or planet.

    Cahal Moran 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. Four reasons why many of us feel the global economy is not on our side – https://theconversation.com/four-reasons-why-many-of-us-feel-the-global-economy-is-not-on-our-side-252220

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How to support someone who is grieving: five research-backed strategies

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lucy Poxon, Senior Lecturer in Counselling Psychology, Department of Social Work Counselling & Social Care , School of Childhood and Social Care, University of East London

    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    When someone we care about is grieving the loss of a loved one, our natural instinct is to ease their pain. But when words feel clumsy and gestures fall short, it can be hard to know how to help.

    Drawing on both my research as a counselling psychologist and 18 years of supporting bereaved clients in therapy, I’ve identified five compassionate, research-backed ways to walk alongside someone who is mourning.

    Whether you’re a close friend, family member, or caring colleague, these approaches will help you offer support in meaningful and authentic ways.

    1. Grief wears many disguises

    Our expectations of how grief should look are often shaped by culture, the media or personal experience, and they may bear little resemblance to how grief is actually lived.

    Grief can appear as physical symptoms like exhaustion, loss of appetite, or insomnia; as behaviour like withdrawing from others or drinking more; and as thoughts or emotions ranging from apathy and numbness to anger or intense sadness.

    It can be loud and overwhelming or quiet and barely perceptible. Some people feel deep sorrow immediately; others feel nothing for weeks or even months. A lack of overt sadness isn’t necessarily cause for concern; it may reflect relief that a loved one is no longer suffering, or be a sign of early adjustment.



    Read more:
    Not all mourning happens after bereavement – for some, grief can start years before the death of a loved one

    One of the most compassionate things you can do is validate whatever shape grief takes. Reassure the person that there’s no “right” way to grieve and support them in tuning into what their body and emotions need.

    2. Acknowledge the death and don’t rush the tears

    Nearly every grieving client I’ve worked with has described someone, often a friend, colleague, or even family member, who avoided or ignored them after the loss. It’s one of the most painful experiences for someone already feeling vulnerable.

    Often, the avoidance isn’t malicious. It’s driven by fear of saying the wrong thing or not knowing how to help. But by avoiding the subject, we send an unintended message: your grief is too much.

    Acknowledging the death, even simply by saying “I’m so sorry to hear about your loss”, is not a reminder of their pain, it’s a sign that you see it and honour it. Inviting someone out, even if they decline, communicates that they still belong and are welcome.

    If someone begins to cry, it’s natural to want to fix things, to offer comfort, or even to pass a tissue. But giving a tissue too soon can inadvertently signal that they should stop crying. Sometimes the most supportive thing you can do is to sit with your own discomfort, and simply be present. That silent witness can help a grieving person feel less alone.

    3. Let go of the “stages of grief” myth

    Many people are still taught to expect a tidy progression of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, popularised by Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in the 1960s. While these emotions are real and common, research shows that most people don’t experience them in a neat order, or even experience all five at all.

    Despite being widely critiqued, stage-based models are still found in healthcare training manuals and TV scripts, and they can leave people feeling like they’re grieving “wrong”.

    If your loved one is worried they should feel more sadness, or wonders why they haven’t yet felt angry, remind them: grief is personal and unpredictable. There’s no timeline, no script and no shame in not following one.

    Helping someone let go of these expectations may ease guilt, reduce internal pressure and encourage gentler self-care.

    4. Encourage communication – with the living and the lost

    Grief often comes with emotional loneliness, a deep sense of aloneness that persists even in the presence of others. It’s different from social isolation; it’s the ache of missing someone irreplaceable.



    Read more:
    What we can learn from death rites of the past will help us treat the dead and grieving better today

    While you can’t fix that loneliness, you can help the bereaved maintain a continuing bond with their loved one. This might include writing letters to the person who has died, speaking to them at a graveside or special place, saying prayers or engaging in meditation or creating memory boxes or rituals.

    These forms of connection can help integrate the loss into a new reality. You might offer to visit a meaningful place together, or support them in planning a small memorial gesture.

    5. Make specific, practical offers

    It’s common to say “Let me know if you need anything”, but for someone in deep grief, reaching out can feel impossible. Emotional overwhelm, fatigue and even shame can prevent them from asking for help, even when they desperately need it.

    Instead, make intentional, concrete offers that remove decision-making and emotional labour. These might include:

    • delivering a home-cooked meal once a week

    • taking care of pets or houseplants

    • helping with funeral admin or paperwork

    • offering regular lifts to appointments

    • updating others on their behalf

    • messaging with a clear “no need to reply” reassurance

    If you live far away, sending a card, text, or voice note can still be powerful; just be mindful that they may receive many, and feel pressure to respond. A line like, “No need to write back, just wanted you to know I’m thinking of you” can go a long way.

    Grief is not a puzzle to solve or a wound to fix. It’s a human response to love and loss – and it’s different for everyone.

    The most powerful thing you can do? Be there. Stay present. Listen without judgement. And remember that it’s okay not to have the perfect words. Showing up with authenticity, patience and compassion is what matters most.

    Lucy Poxon 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. How to support someone who is grieving: five research-backed strategies – https://theconversation.com/how-to-support-someone-who-is-grieving-five-research-backed-strategies-260265

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amalendu Misra, Professor of International Politics, Lancaster University

    The Brics group of nations has just concluded its 17th annual summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. But, despite member states adopting a long list of commitments covering global governance, finance, health, AI and climate change, the summit was a lacklustre affair.

    The two most prominent leaders from the group’s founding members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – were conspicuously absent. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, only attended virtually due to an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over his role in the war in Ukraine.

    China’s Xi Jinping avoided the summit altogether for unknown reasons, sending his prime minister, Li Qiang, instead. This was Xi’s first no-show at a Brics summit, with the snub prompting suggestions that Beijing’s enthusiasm for the group as part of an emerging new world order is in decline.

    Perhaps the most notable takeaway from the summit was a statement that came not from the Brics nations but the US. As Brics leaders gathered in Rio, the US president, Donald Trump, warned on social media: “Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy.”

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

    Trump has long been critical of Brics. This is largely because the group has consistently floated the idea of adopting a common currency to challenge the dominance of the US dollar in international trade.

    Such a move makes sense if we focus on trade figures. In 2024, the value of trade among the Brics nations was around US$5 trillion, accounting for approximately 22% of global exports. Member nations have always felt their economic potential could be fully realised if they were not reliant upon the US dollar as their common currency of trade.

    During their 2024 summit, which was held in the Russian city of Kazan, the Brics nations entered into serious discussions around creating a gold-backed currency. At a time when the Trump administration is waging a global trade war, the emergence of an alternative to the US dollar would be a very serious pushback against US economic hegemony.



    Read more:
    Why Donald Trump’s election could hasten the end of US dollar dominance

    But the freshly concluded Brics summit did not present any concrete move towards achieving that objective. In fact, the 31-page Rio de Janeiro joint declaration even contained some reassurances about the global importance of the US dollar.

    There are two key obstacles hindering Brics from translating its vision of a common currency into reality. First is that some founding member nations are uncomfortable with adopting such an economic model, in large part due to internal rivalries within Brics itself.

    India, currently the fourth-largest economy in the world, has a history of periodic confrontation and strategic competition with China. It is reticent about adopting an alternative to the US dollar, concerned that this could make China more powerful and undercut India’s long-term interests.

    Second is that the Brics member nations are dependent on their bilateral trade with the US. Simply put, embracing an alternative currency is counterproductive when it comes to the current economic interests of individual countries. Brazil, China and India, for example, all export more to the US than they import from it.

    In December 2024, following his election as US president, Trump said: “We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new Brics currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or they will face 100% tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy”. This blunt message all but killed any enthusiasm that was there for this grand economic model.

    Caught in contradiction

    The Brics group is a behemoth. Its full 11 members account for 40% of the world’s population and economy. But the bloc is desperately short of providing any cohesive alternative global leadership.

    While Brazil used its position as host to highlight Brics as a truly multilateral forum capable of providing leadership in a new world order, such ambitions are thwarted by the many contradictions plaguing this bloc.

    Among these are tensions between founding members China and India, which have been running high for decades.

    There are other contradictions, too. In their joint Rio declaration, the group’s members decried the recent Israeli and US attacks on Iran. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, also used his position as summit host to criticise the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

    But this moral high ground appears hollow when you consider that the Russian Federation, a key member of Brics, is on a mission to destroy Ukraine. And rather than condemning Russia, Brics leaders used the Rio summit to criticise recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s railway infrastructure.

    Brics declared intention to address the issue of climate change is also problematic. The Rio declaration conveyed the group’s support for multilateralism and unity to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement. But, despite China making significant advances in its green energy sector, Brics contains some of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases as well as several of the largest oil and gas producers.

    Brics can only stay relevant and provide credible leadership in a fast-changing international order when it addresses its many inner contradictions.

    Amalendu Misra is a recipient of British Academy and Nuffield Foundation Fellowships.

    – ref. Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear – https://theconversation.com/brics-is-sliding-towards-irrelevance-the-rio-summit-made-that-clear-260653

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: In the first half of 2025, sales of electric vehicles in Ukraine increased by 30 percent.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Kyiv, July 8 /Xinhua/ — In the first half of this year, 31.75 thousand electric cars were sold in Ukraine, which is 30 percent more than in the same period last year. Such data was published on Tuesday in Telegram by the Ukrainian Association of Automobile Manufacturers UkrAvtoProm.

    UkrAvtoProm specified that the sales volume of passenger electric vehicles increased by 28 percent to 30.76 thousand units, commercial electric vehicles by 112 percent to 987 units, and electric buses by 200 percent to 3 units.

    The association also noted that in January-June of this year, the share of new equipment in the total volume of electric car sales was 18 percent, while in the first half of last year this figure reached 20 percent.

    The top three most popular new models were BYD Song Plus, Volkswagen ID.Unyx and Honda e:NS1.

    According to the results of 2024, the volume of sales of electric vehicles in Ukraine increased by 38 percent and amounted to 51.7 thousand units. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lame Deer Woman Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    BILLINGS – A Lame Deer woman accused of sex trafficking a minor admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    The defendant, Veronica Clarice Baker, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Baker faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. U.S. District Court Judge Susan P. Watters will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at a later time. Baker was detained pending further proceedings.

    The government alleged in court documents that sometime prior to April 9, 2023, Baker met Dr. Usman Khan on a social media website for people interested in a commercial sex relationship.  Then, on or about April 9, 2023, Baker and Khan communicated for the purpose of arranging a commercial sex date between Khan and Jane Doe 1. Baker had known Jane Doe 1 for some time and Doe had, on occasion, watched Baker’s children. Baker knew Jane Doe 1, who was under the age of 18 at the time, was a minor.

    On April 9, 2023, while Baker and Khan were texting about Baker providing Jane Doe 1 for the purpose of a commercial sex date, Baker and Doe were in a hotel room in Billings. Baker sent Khan pictures of her and of Jane Doe 1 and she and Khan discussed rates. Ultimately, Baker agreed to transport Jane Doe 1 to Khan’s residence for the purpose of a commercial sex date. Baker left Jane Doe 1 at Khan’s residence and Jane Doe 1 and Khan engaged in sexual activity. Khan paid Jane Doe 1 for the encounter, and Doe provided some of the money to Baker.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

    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 Justice.gov/PSC.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Citizen Sentenced to Prison for Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck

    Source: US FBI

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, 33, an undocumented Mexican citizen, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and threatening the U.S. Postal Service employee.

    In addition to his term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow sentenced Hernandez to 36 months’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,828.89 in restitution for damage to the postal vehicle and missing postal equipment.

    According to court documents and statements made at Hernandez’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on February 5, 2024, Hernandez stole a U.S. Postal Service vehicle in Salt Lake City. He admitted to checking the door handle of the postal truck and entering the vehicle. When he was told to get out of the vehicle by the postal employee, he pointed a knife at him and fled from the area. Hernandez was tracked using GPS technology and stopped by law enforcement before he was subsequently taken into custody. See prior release here: Salt Lake City Man Accused of Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and Causing Multiple Car Accidents is Arrested and Charged.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department investigated the case.

    Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Citizen Sentenced to Prison for Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck

    Source: US FBI

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, 33, an undocumented Mexican citizen, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and threatening the U.S. Postal Service employee.

    In addition to his term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow sentenced Hernandez to 36 months’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,828.89 in restitution for damage to the postal vehicle and missing postal equipment.

    According to court documents and statements made at Hernandez’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on February 5, 2024, Hernandez stole a U.S. Postal Service vehicle in Salt Lake City. He admitted to checking the door handle of the postal truck and entering the vehicle. When he was told to get out of the vehicle by the postal employee, he pointed a knife at him and fled from the area. Hernandez was tracked using GPS technology and stopped by law enforcement before he was subsequently taken into custody. See prior release here: Salt Lake City Man Accused of Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and Causing Multiple Car Accidents is Arrested and Charged.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department investigated the case.

    Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Durum Variety Creates Exciting Opportunities for U.S. Farmers and Baking Enthusiasts

    Source: US Agriculture Research Service

    New Durum Variety Creates Exciting Opportunities for U.S. Farmers and Baking Enthusiasts

    By: Maribel Alonso
    Email: arspress@usda.gov

    The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) released a new variety of durum wheat with a novel commercial appeal that opens new markets for U.S. farmers while still providing a healthy and high-quality baked product for consumers.

    Durum wheat, also known as pasta wheat, is often cultivated in the U.S. Northern Plains because it grows well in challenging terrain with little rainfall. This crop provides a high source of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. However, its use in the U.S. food industry is somewhat limited because its kernel texture limits commercial end-uses, which is why durum wheat is most commonly associated with just pasta and noodles.

    A new USDA-ARS Soft Spring Durum wheat, being released as USDA ‘Morris’ in honor of the late ARS Scientist Dr. Craig Morris, who spearheaded soft durum research, represents a new variety of soft spring durum that not only grows well in harsh environments typical of durum wheat, but also features novel end-use traits that allow it to be milled conventionally, producing flour instead of the more coarse semolina.

    USDA Morris

    USDA Morris features novel baking quality genes that will allow baking enthusiasts to use Morris’ yellowish flour to bake it all—bread, cookies, and pasta—while still benefiting from the same health traits associated with traditional durum, such as high protein and carotenoids. The yellow pigmentation (due to its carotenoid content) of the soft spring durum bread makes it novel, intriguing, and appealing to bakers, consumers, and culinary enthusiasts.

    “The unique quality genes found in USDA Morris were purposely introduced to enhance both milling and baking,” said Jeffrey Boehm Jr., a research geneticist with the Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research Unit in Lincoln, Neb. “Morris’ grain can be milled conventionally like hard red spring or soft white winter wheat to produce flour while retaining its pasta-making ability. Soft durum presents a new wheat market class option for U.S. farmers, who may recognize its potential demand for new culinary uses, commercial applications, and even international markets.”
    USDA Morris

    Boehm is currently working on developing new soft winter durum lines, so this new variety can be cultivated in both spring and winter wheat cropping systems.

    Expanding the end-use market for durum wheat can bring efficiency and agricultural prosperity to U.S. farmers.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO and Ukraine share lessons on food security and resilient agriculture

    Source: NATO

    The Ukrainian food system has demonstrated a remarkable resilience, despite the impact that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to have on its personnel, infrastructure and transport capabilities.

    On 2-3 July 2025 in Warsaw, Poland, over 30 expert participants from eight NATO Allies and Ukraine joined a workshop to exchange experiences and views, and to develop recommendations.  The recommendations address food and water contingency planning, infrastructure protection, public-private cooperation and enhancing overall food- and water-related societal resilience. In particular, Ukrainian demining experts shared their insights on how to plan for demining operations to restore the affected agricultural areas.

    The workshop aimed to inform future planning for NATO and Ukraine by identifying new strategies, approaches and possible impact mitigation measures. NATO will continue to support Ukraine and incorporate the lessons learned into its thinking. NATO and its Allies work daily to ensure the resilience of food systems across the Alliance, future-proofing them against disruption and shocks, and to safeguard their essential functions for our societies.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga Votes to Cut Taxes for Michiganders, Strengthen Michigan’s Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The One Big Beautiful Bill will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

    “Today, Congress delivered on the promises President Trump and House Republicans made to the American people to stop the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will help Americans across all walks of life by making tax cuts permanent and increasing take home pay as much as $7,500 through provisions such as no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.

    “Additionally, by increasing tax breaks for seniors, strengthening the child tax credit for families, making made-in-America car loan interest tax deductible, and addressing inflation with the largest mandatory spending reduction ever, the Big Beautiful Bill will make everyday life more affordable.

    “Importantly, this bill makes significant progress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from both SNAP and Medicaid by implementing work requirements for able-bodied individuals without dependents. These commonsense reforms will preserve these important safety net programs for those who need it most — namely, low-income mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled Americans.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge Michigan’s economy by boosting manufacturing, helping farmers, modernizing our military, and unleashing American energy.

    “Lastly, the One Big Beautiful Bill provides critical resources to ensure our border remains secure by finishing the wall and ensuring we have the law enforcement manpower we need to keep our nation safe.

    “I look forward to President Trump signing this legislation, delivering a massive win for hardworking Americans, and putting America back on track for an age of prosperity!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga Votes to Cut Taxes for Michiganders, Strengthen Michigan’s Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The One Big Beautiful Bill will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

    “Today, Congress delivered on the promises President Trump and House Republicans made to the American people to stop the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will help Americans across all walks of life by making tax cuts permanent and increasing take home pay as much as $7,500 through provisions such as no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.

    “Additionally, by increasing tax breaks for seniors, strengthening the child tax credit for families, making made-in-America car loan interest tax deductible, and addressing inflation with the largest mandatory spending reduction ever, the Big Beautiful Bill will make everyday life more affordable.

    “Importantly, this bill makes significant progress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from both SNAP and Medicaid by implementing work requirements for able-bodied individuals without dependents. These commonsense reforms will preserve these important safety net programs for those who need it most — namely, low-income mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled Americans.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge Michigan’s economy by boosting manufacturing, helping farmers, modernizing our military, and unleashing American energy.

    “Lastly, the One Big Beautiful Bill provides critical resources to ensure our border remains secure by finishing the wall and ensuring we have the law enforcement manpower we need to keep our nation safe.

    “I look forward to President Trump signing this legislation, delivering a massive win for hardworking Americans, and putting America back on track for an age of prosperity!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga Votes to Cut Taxes for Michiganders, Strengthen Michigan’s Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The One Big Beautiful Bill will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

    “Today, Congress delivered on the promises President Trump and House Republicans made to the American people to stop the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will help Americans across all walks of life by making tax cuts permanent and increasing take home pay as much as $7,500 through provisions such as no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.

    “Additionally, by increasing tax breaks for seniors, strengthening the child tax credit for families, making made-in-America car loan interest tax deductible, and addressing inflation with the largest mandatory spending reduction ever, the Big Beautiful Bill will make everyday life more affordable.

    “Importantly, this bill makes significant progress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from both SNAP and Medicaid by implementing work requirements for able-bodied individuals without dependents. These commonsense reforms will preserve these important safety net programs for those who need it most — namely, low-income mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled Americans.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge Michigan’s economy by boosting manufacturing, helping farmers, modernizing our military, and unleashing American energy.

    “Lastly, the One Big Beautiful Bill provides critical resources to ensure our border remains secure by finishing the wall and ensuring we have the law enforcement manpower we need to keep our nation safe.

    “I look forward to President Trump signing this legislation, delivering a massive win for hardworking Americans, and putting America back on track for an age of prosperity!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: How ASHABot empowers rural India’s frontline health workers

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: How ASHABot empowers rural India’s frontline health workers

    When Mani Devi, an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) in rural Rajasthan, saw the underweight infant, she knew something was wrong—but not how serious it might be, or what advice to give. 

    So she reached for her phone and opened WhatsApp: In Hindi, she typed a question to a new tool called ASHABot: What’s the ideal weight for a baby this age? 

    The chatbot—trained in Hindi, English, and a hybrid known as Hinglish—responded within seconds: a baby that age should weigh around 4 to 5 kilograms. This one weighed less.

    The bot’s answer was clear and specific. It encouraged feeding the baby eight to 10 times a day, and it explained how to counsel the mother without causing alarm. 

    That, she said, was one of the many encounters with ASHABot that changed the way she does her job. 

    The tool is part of a quiet but significant shift in public health, one that blends cutting-edge artificial intelligence with on-the-ground realities in some of India’s most underserved communities.

    ASHABot, launched in early 2024, is what happens when a generative AI model akin to OpenAI’s ChatGPT or GPT-4 is not only trained on the broader internet, but is connected to a knowledge base containing India’s public health manuals, immunization guidelines, and family planning protocols. It takes voice notes when prompted and provides answers that help the ASHAs serve patients.

    Built by the nonprofit Khushi Baby (opens in new tab) using technology developed and open sourced by Microsoft Research, the bot has been transforming how some of the country’s ASHA workers do their jobs. These women are the glue between India’s rural households and the health system, responsible for everything from vaccination records to childbirth counseling. But they receive just 23 days of basic training and often work in settings where doctors are distant, supervisors are overburdened, and even mobile signal is unreliable. 

    “ASHAs have always been on the front lines,” said Ruchit Nagar, co-founder and CEO of Khushi Baby and a Harvard-trained physician. “But they haven’t always had the tools.”

    Nagar’s relationship with ASHAs goes back nearly a decade. In 2015, he launched Khushi Baby with the goal of digitizing health data in underserved communities, often designing tech systems that were locally grounded. The idea of ASHABot emerged in late 2023, during a summit with stakeholders in Rajasthan. 

    At the time, Khushi Baby was working with Microsoft Research on a separate AI project—one that used eye images to detect anemia. But the buzz around large language models, especially ChatGPT, was rising fast. Nagar and his collaborators began to ask whether this technology could help ASHAs, who often lacked real-time access to quality, understandable, medically sound guidance.

    “ASHAs were already using WhatsApp and YouTube. We saw an inflection point, new digital users ready for something more,” said Nagar, now a resident at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

    So they began building. 

    Microsoft researcher Pragnya Ramjee joined the project around that time, leaving a design job at a hedge fund to focus on technology with social impact. With a background in human-centered design, she helped lead the qualitative research, interviewing ASHAs in Rajasthan alongside a trained translator.  

    “It made a huge difference that the translator and I were women,” she said. “The ASHAs felt more comfortable being open with us, especially about sensitive issues like contraception or gender-based violence.” 

    An ASHA worker encourages children to attend the Anganwadi center, helping them stay healthy through essential care and support.

    Ramjee and the team helped fine-tune the system in collaboration with doctors and public health experts. The model, based on GPT-4, was trained to be highly accurate. When it receives a question, it consults a carefully curated database—around 40 documents from the Indian government, UNICEF, and other health bodies. If the bot doesn’t find a clear answer, it doesn’t guess. Instead, it forwards the question to a small group of nurses, whose responses are then synthesized by the model and returned to the ASHA within hours.

    The goal, Ramjee said, is to ensure the bot always stays grounded in reality and in the real training ASHAs receive.

    So far, more than 24,000 messages have been sent through the system and 869 ASHAs have been onboarded. Some workers have used it only once or twice. Others send up to 20 messages in a single day. Topics range from the expected—childhood immunization schedules, breastfeeding best practices—to the unexpected.  

    “They’re asking about contraception, about child marriage, about what to do if there’s a fight in the family,” Ramjee said. “These aren’t just medical questions. They’re social questions.” 

    An ASHA worker educates community members on how to protect themselves against seasonal illnesses.

    One woman came to Mani Devi saying she’d missed her period for two months but wasn’t pregnant. The bot provided Devi with information that gave her the confidence to assure the patient she had nothing to worry about. 

    The responses come in both text and voice note, the latter often played aloud by ASHAs for the patient to hear. In some cases, voice responses about long-acting contraception help persuade hesitant women to begin treatment. 

    There is no question the technology works. But the team is quick to emphasize that it doesn’t replace human knowledge. Instead, it amplifies it. ASHABot illustrates how LLM-powered chatbots can help bridge the information gap for people, particularly those with limited access to formal training and technology, said Mohit Jain, principal researcher at Microsoft Research India. 

    “There is a lot of debate about whether LLMs are a boon or a bane,” Jain said. “I believe it’s up to us to design and deploy them responsibly, in ways that unlock their potential for real societal benefit. ASHABot is one example of how that’s possible.” 

    – Mohit Jain, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research India

    During a door-to-door visit, an ASHA worker uses ASHABot to guide a pregnant woman through essential information on material health and nutrition.

    Of course, the chatbot isn’t perfect. Some users still prefer to call people they know, and the big question of scaling remains. The team is exploring personalization options, multimodal support like image inputs, and parallel LLM agents to ensure quality assurance at scale. 

    Still, the vision is expansive. As of now, ASHABot is only used in Udaipur, one of the 50 districts in Rajasthan. The long-term goal is to bring ASHABot to all one million ASHAs across the country, who take care of about 800 to 900 million people in rural India. The potential ripple effect across maternal health, vaccination, and disease surveillance is immense. 

    Nagar, who has traveled to India twice yearly for the last 10 years to research the needs of ASHAs, said there are still “many things yet to explore, and many big questions to answer.” 

    For ASHAs like Mani Devi, the shift is already real. She says she feels more informed, more confident. She can talk about previously taboo subjects, because the bot helps her break the silence. 

    “Overall, I can give better information to people who need help,” she said. “I can ask it anything.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tonawanda Doctor Pleads Guilty for His Role in Prescription Scam

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that William Stephan, 65, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of misprision of felony, was sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours community service by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that Stephan is a medical doctor with a family practice located in Tonawanda, NY. In April 2015, Stephan was asked by Erik Berg to sign prescriptions for compounded medications. Over a several-month period, he signed compounded prescriptions for 19 patients. When Berg presented these prescriptions to Stephan, they had already been filled out, as well as the number of refills. Stephan then typically signed these prescriptions based on Berg’s representation that the patient had a medical need for the prescription(s). When signing the prescriptions, Stephan did not take note of any refills he was authorizing. Prescriptions signed by Stephan for these patients were refilled more than 500 times. None of the 19 patients were Stephan’s patients.

    The compounded medications prescribed by Stephan carried substantial reimbursement rates, which averaged more than $16,000 per prescription. Health care benefit programs paid $8,750,315 in reimbursement for the prescriptions, including refills. Pharmacy benefit managers providing the prescriptions signed by Stephan, would not have approved the prescriptions for reimbursement if they had known that Berg had presented the prescriptions to Stephan already filled out, the compound formula did not address the particular medical needs of a particular patient, but rather to obtain the highest reimbursement from the insurance companies, and that Berg knew that Stephan did not have a doctor-patient relationship with the individual for whom the prescription was written.

    In addition, Stephan signed compounded prescriptions for other individuals, including Scott Trapp and Michael Luehrsen.

    In June 2016, Express Scripts, Inc. performed an audit of certain prescriptions written by Stephan. During the audit, he and Berg completed audit forms on which Stephan stated that he had written and signed certain prescriptions for compounded medications, concealing the fact that he had not, in fact, written out the prescriptions, and that he did not have a doctor-patient relationship with the patients.

    Berg and Luehrsen were previously convicted and awaiting sentencing. Trapp was previously convicted and sentenced.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to 68 Years in Prison for Eight Murders, Multiple Attempted Murders, Arson, Narcotics Trafficking, and Firearms Offenses

    Source: US FBI

    Alexi Saenz Led a Brutal Crime Wave that Terrorized the Communities of Brentwood and Central Islip in 2016 and 2017

    Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Alexi Saenz, also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky,” the leader of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 68 years’ imprisonment.  On July 10, 2024, Saenz pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with his participation in eight murders, namely, the January 28, 2016 murder of Michael Johnson; the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta; the September 5, 2016 murder of Marcus Bohannon; the September 13, 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens; the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo; the October 13, 2016 murder of Dewann Stacks; and the January 30, 2017 murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla, in addition to his participation in three attempted murders, and arson, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses.   

    Joseph Nocella, Jr, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI New York); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence.

    “Alexi Saenz led an unspeakable reign of terror, killing, and crime that damaged his community and cost several people their lives,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to hold the MS-13 and its members accountable for their horrific acts, including the pain they’ve caused victims and their loved ones.  This sentencing is one of many in our relentless pursuit to dismantle the MS-13 and other violent criminal organizations.” 

    “For years, Alexi Saenz wielded his role as a local MS-13 leader to facilitate and participate in eight brutal murders of perceived rivals. Saenz terrorized Long Island as he indiscriminately targeted and hunted a wide range of victims, with careless regard to innocent bystanders harmed by his actions. May today’s sentencing emphasize the FBI’s relentless determination to crush all gang violence plaguing our communities,” stated FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge Raia.

    “Alexi Saenz is a violent career criminal whose path of destruction ripped apart families and terrorized Suffolk County with his MS-13 cohorts,” stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina.  “I commend the efforts of the SCPD officers and our law enforcement partners who are dedicated to bringing violent gang criminals to justice and offering closure to the victims’ families.”

    As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum, prior court filings, and statements during the sentencing, Alexi Saenz was the local leader of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 – one of the more powerful, violent, and well-established cliques on the East Coast of the United States.  He committed the following crimes in order to maintain and increase his membership and status within the gang and to further the mission of the MS-13:

    January 28, 2016 Murder of Michael Johnson

    On January 28, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other MS-13 members and associates were at the Jocorena Deli in Brentwood, where they saw 29-year-old Michael Johnson, and claimed to recognize him as a member of the rival Bloods street gang.  At that point, Johnson was marked as their “food” – a reference to their intention to kill him. 

    After receiving the requisite approval from the New York leader of the Sailors clique to commit this murder, Alexi Saenz contacted several other MS-13 members, informed them of the plan to kill Johnson, and instructed them to bring weapons, including a machete and a baseball bat, to a wooded area in Brentwood.  Alexi Saenz then lured Johnson to that secluded meeting location under the guise of smoking marijuana.  The MS-13 members and associates ambushed Johnson from behind – striking Johnson with the baseball bat, stabbing him with a knife, and taking turns hacking him with the machete.  They fled after hearing police sirens in the area.   

    Johnson was reported missing by family members. Less than one week after his murder, on February 2, 2016, members of the SCPD responded to a 911 call about a body found in the woods by a passerby, and recovered Johnson’s body.  An autopsy determined Johnson’s cause of death to be sharp and blunt force injuries.   

    April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar Acosta

    In early 2016, Alexi Saenz and his fellow Sailors clique members decided to “green light,” or approve, the murder of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta because they suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13. The New York Sailors clique leader assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder. 

    On April 29, 2016, MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana.  They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise, and summoned other MS-13 members, including Alexi Saenz.  The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of Alexi Saenz’s car, and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.  At the direction of Alexi Saenz, the MS-13 members removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the trunk and carried him deeper into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete.  The murder was supervised by Alexi Saenz, as his role as the local clique leader.  The MS-13 members then buried Acosta’s body in a shallow grave.   

    Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim.  His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

    July 18, 2016 Attempted Murders of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2

    On July 18, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at Alexi Saenz’s house in Central Islip, the defendant instructed the group to hunt for rival gang members who had been disrespectful to the MS-13, in order to attack and kill them.

    Later that evening, other members of the MS-13, who were driving around Brentwood armed with firearms and a machete, spotted a group of men on Apple Street. Believing these men to be members of a rival gang, three MS-13 members got out of the car and attacked the group, firing rounds from two different guns, and then using a machete to hack at one of the men who had fallen to the ground.  After the attack, the group drove back to Alexi Saenz’s house, where they hid the weapons.

    Two individuals were injured as a result of this attack.  John Doe #1 was struck with a bullet, but survived.  John Doe #2 was attacked with a machete, and was permanently disfigured.

    August 10, 2016 Attempted Murders of Suspected Rival Gang Members

    In 2016, members of the MS-13 were engaged in a series of disputes with members of the Goon Squad, a rival gang in Brentwood. 

    On August 10, 2016, Alexi Saenz and another MS-13 member drove through the neighborhood around Lukens Avenue in Brentwood, and spotted several men who they believed were members of the Goon Squad. They then rallied other members of the Sailors clique to come kill the rivals. 

    The MS-13 members divided into two vehicles, and drove towards the house where the suspected Goon Squad members had been spotted. Alexi Saenz’s car kept watch for the police, while two other MS-13 members, each bearing a gun, approached the group of suspected rivals and fired numerous shots in their direction.  No one was hit, although a stray bullet entered a neighbor’s house and struck the headboard of a bed in which the neighbor was sleeping.

    September 5, 2016 Murder of Marcus Bohannon

    On September 4, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at Alexi Saenz’s house in Central Islip, the defendant and other MS-13 members went out hunting for rival gang members to kill.

    The MS-13 members separated into several cars and drove around Central Islip and Brentwood, until Alexi Saenz’s group spotted 27-year old Marcus Bohannon walking along Lowell Avenue in Central Islip in the early morning hours of September 5.  Suspecting that Bohannon was a member of the rival Bloods gang, two MS-13 members, carrying firearms, got out of the vehicle, approached him, and started shooting.  Alexi Saenz then drove them away.  Bohannon was struck nine times, including in his head, neck, and chest, and died from his wounds.

    September 12, 2016 Arson

    During the summer of 2016, Sailors clique members of the MS-13 engaged in regular altercations with local gang members based in a neighborhood on Freeman Avenue in Brentwood.

    On September 12, 2016, MS-13 members retaliated by setting fire to a car parked in the driveway of one of the houses in that rival gang neighborhood.  Alexi Saenz directed other gang members to purchase gasoline and carry out the arson, while he drove around watching for police presence.  The other MS-13 gang members drove to that house, where they poured gasoline on a car parked in the driveway, and set it on fire.  The car exploded, and set another parked car on fire.   

    September 13, 2016 Murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens

    On September 13, 2016, Sailors clique members brutally murdered 15-year-old Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, both students at Brentwood High School.

    In the months leading up to the murders, Cuevas was involved in a series of disputes with members and associates of the MS-13.  Approximately one week before the murders, these disputes escalated when Cuevas and several friends were involved in an altercation with MS-13 members at Brentwood High School.  After that incident, the MS-13 members vowed to seek revenge against Cuevas.

    On the evening of September 13, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 were driving in separate cars around Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.  One group of MS-13 members spotted Cuevas and Mickens walking down residential Stahley Street.  Recognizing Cuevas, they called Alexi Saenz and were granted permission to kill the girls. Several MS-13 members then chased down and attacked both Cuevas and Mickens, wielding baseball bats and a machete, striking each of the girls numerous times in their heads and bodies, while Alexi Saenz’s car drove around watching for police.  After the murders, the group retreated to Alexi Saenz’s home in Central Islip, where they changed clothes and hid the weapons.   

    Mickens, whose body was discovered later that evening on Stahley Street, not far from Cuevas’s home, sustained significant sharp force trauma to her face and blunt force trauma to her head.  Cuevas, whose body was discovered the following day behind a house adjacent to where Mickens’s body was found, sustained significant blunt force trauma to her head and body and multiple lacerations.

    October 10, 2016 Murder of Javier Castillo

    In October 2016, the MS-13 targeted 15-year-old Javier Castillo because he was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13’s principal rivals. 

    On October 10, 2016, several members of the Sailors clique convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to drive with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Once there, they met Alexi Saenz and other Sailors clique members.  The group then lured Castillo to an isolated marsh area in Cow Meadow Park, where they attacked him, taking turns hacking him to death with a machete. 

    Afterwards, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in late October 2017.  Castillo was determined to have suffered multiple sharp force injuries to his head, neck, torso, and extremities.

    October 13, 2016 Murder of Dewann Stacks

    On the evening of October 13, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 were driving around Central Islip and Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.

    That night, they spotted 34-year-old Dewann Stacks and, believing him to be a rival gang member, Alexi Saenz authorized his murder.  While Alexi Saenz drove around watching for police presence, another group of MS-13 members, armed with two machetes and a baseball bat, drove over to attack Stacks.  Three armed MS-13 members got out of the car, and beat and hacked Stacks to death on American Boulevard, a residential street in Brentwood.  Stacks sustained severe sharp and blunt force trauma to his face and head, leaving his body nearly unrecognizable.

    January 30, 2017 Murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla

    On the morning of January 30, 2017, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 spotted 29-year-old Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla inside El Campesino Deli in Central Islip.  Since Alvarado-Bonilla was wearing a football jersey bearing the number “18,” the MS-13 concluded that he was a member of a rival gang and plotted to kill him.

    Several other MS-13 members obtained a mask and another vehicle that would be used to commit the murder.  Alexi Saenz provided the clique’s 9-millimeter handgun for use in the murder.

    At approximately 10:30 a.m., a masked MS-13 member entered the deli, approached Alvarado-Bonilla from behind, and shot him multiple times, killing him.  One of the bullets pierced through Alvarado-Bonilla’s head and struck the chest of a female employee of the deli, who was standing directly in front of him.  The deli employee survived the gunshot wound.   

    Narcotics Trafficking Conspiracy

    For a year and a half, from approximately April 2016 through March 2017, in order to finance the illegal operations of the Sailors clique, Alexi Saenz obtained wholesale quantities of cocaine and marijuana, which he distributed to other Sailors clique members and associates for street-level sales in Brentwood and its surrounding areas.  After the sales, the profits were turned over to Alexi Saenz, for use in, among other things, purchasing firearms for use by clique members, wiring money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador, and buying additional narcotics for further distribution.     

                                       *          *          *          *

    Today’s sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

    The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.

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

    The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci, and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerryanne Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

    The Defendant:

    ALEXI SAENZ (also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky”)
    Age: 30
    El Divisadero, Morazán, El Salvador; and Central Islip, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-8) (GRB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Sentenced to Half a Century in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Christopher M. Callaway, 41, of West Farmington, Ohio, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan, after he pleaded guilty in March to six counts of sexually exploiting children, receipt and distribution of minors engaged in sexually explicit content, and possession of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  He was also ordered pay $40,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Judge Gaughan imposed the sentence July 1.

    According to court documents, Callaway groomed victims from 2015 to 2022 and targeted vulnerable girls who ranged in age from 10 to 17 years old. He targeted his victims on social media and initiated contact with them through messaging apps such as KIK, Snapchat, or Facebook. Specifically, he sought out so called “daddy-daughter” online groups where older men communicated with underage girls.

    Callaway groomed his victims by telling them that he loved them and by sending them food, clothing, money, and gift cards. Once victims trusted him, he manipulated them into sending nude images or videos of themselves performing sexual acts. Callaway also sent victims sex toys, lingerie, and other items which he directed them to use so he could produce pornography to distribute online. Additionally, the defendant sent his victims sexually explicit photos and videos of himself.

    In total, federal investigators found that Callaway produced CSAM of more than 40 minors with 21 identified in the case. Most of the victims were from outside the state of Ohio and one from New Zealand. Callaway traveled to Virginia and Florida to rape victims and record the crimes as he committed them. He also traveled to the minors and brought a few to live with him in Ohio.

    During a search warrant execution of Callaway’s residence, federal agents seized electronic devices containing more than 20,000 images and videos of CSAM.

    The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District of Ohio.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and 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, visit justice.gov/PSC.

    To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan National Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Faces Federal Charges for Traveling to Washington to Sexually Abuse a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    EUGENE, Ore.—A suspected child abuser is facing federal charges today for enticing and sexually abusing a minor in Oregon and Washington.

    Leonias Juber Ramos-Garcia, 25, a Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Culver, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

    According to court documents, in 2024, Ramos-Garcia met the minor at a business in Jefferson County, Oregon. In February 2025, undeterred by the minor’s age, Ramos-Garcia gave the minor a note which contained cash and professed his affection for the minor.

    In March 2025, Ramos-Garcia is alleged to have engaged in sexually explicit communication with the minor and, despite the victim’s reluctance, Ramos-Garcia persuaded the minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct at a hotel in Central Oregon. In April 2025, Ramos-Garcia traveled from Oregon to Washington and took the victim to a second hotel where he again sexually abused the minor.

    Ramos-Garcia was arrested Tuesday in Culver, Oregon, and made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

    The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Madras Police Department. It is being prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

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

    Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.

    Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants Charged with Various Offenses Including Arson, Assaulting a Federal Officer, and Depredation of Federal Property During Protests Near Local ICE Office

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—Four defendants made their first appearances in federal court Monday after committing various offenses—including arson and willful depredation of government property—during ongoing protest gatherings near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.

    Nadya Malinowska, 33, of Portland, has been charged by information with the misdemeanor offense of failing to obey a lawful order.

    David Pearl, 35, also of Portland, has been charged by information with the misdemeanor offenses of failing to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance.

    August Dean Gordon, 31, of Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with the misdemeanor offenses of willful depredation of government property and assaulting a federal officer.

    Trenten Edward Barker, 34, of Portland, has been charged by criminal complaint with the felony offenses of arson of federal property and depredation against federal property.

    According to court documents and information shared in court, on June 29, 2025, several individuals gathered near an ICE office in South Portland where, for weeks, individuals have repeatedly targeted the building and federal law enforcement officers.

    At approximately 3:14am, federal officers observed an individual, later identified as Gordon, pulling a proximity card reader from a stanchion located on the ICE facility’s driveway. During his arrest, Gordon kicked and grabbed the officers, injuring five officers as they placed him into custody.

    Later that evening, after federal officers directed the crowd to disperse, Malinowska refused to leave the premises. Malinowska was also charged with failing to comply with an officer’s orders to leave the premises on June 17, 2025, and on June 21, 2025.

    The same evening, while officers were arresting an individual, Pearl attempted to interfere with the officers as they placed the individual into custody.

    On June 11, 2025, during related gatherings at the ICE office, federal officers observed a group of individuals attempting to construct a barricade against the vehicle gate of the ICE building using a range of materials. At approximately 9:51pm, federal officers observed an individual, later identified as Barker, retrieve a flare from his backpack which he lit and tossed onto the pile of materials stacked against the vehicle gate, igniting the materials. Officers observed other individuals adding items to the pile of materials as the flames grew. The officers fully extinguished the fire within minutes. Barker was arrested on June 27, 2025.

    All four defendants made their first appearances in federal court Monday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. They were released on conditions pending future court proceedings.

    Felony arson of federal property is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. Misdemeanor assault of a federal officer and misdemeanor willful depredation of government property are punishable by up to one year in federal prison. Failure to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance are Class C misdemeanors and carry a maximum penalty of 30 days in prison.

    These cases were investigated by the FBI, Federal Protective Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Versailles Felon Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Firearm

    Source: US FBI

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of North Versailles, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 121 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Keion Washington, 25.

    According to information presented to the Court, on February 7, 2024, Washington was driving a vehicle associated with an incident that occurred a few days prior. When law enforcement officers tried to stop the car, Washington initially drove off, then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Law enforcement officers found a stolen rifle in the car, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.

    Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Wiegand stated that the sentence took into account the nature of the offense and Washington’s criminal history, including the fact that Washington had been convicted of two prior controlled substances felony offenses.

    Assistant United States Attorneys DeMarr W. Moulton and Jacqueline C. Brown prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Washington.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illinois Man Pleads Guilty and Pennsylvania Man is Sentenced in Separate Schemes to Transport Contraband into FCI McDowell with Drones

    Source: US FBI

    BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Today, Francisco Alejandro Gonzalez, 24, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison and Gamalier Rivera, 33, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to three years of federal probation, including two months on home detention, for aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison. Gonzalez and Rivera each admitted to their roles in separate schemes to deliver contraband into Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell using drones.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 1, 2024, Gonzalez traveled on foot with co-defendant Miguel Angel Aleman-Piceno to the fence surrounding FCI McDowell. Gonzalez and Aleman-Piceno possessed a backpack and a duffle bag containing a drone and two camouflaged packages containing four cell phones, chargers, phone cards, marijuana, and tobacco. As part of his guilty plea, Gonzalez admitted that they intended to fly the packages onto the grounds of FCI McDowell using the drone, and were stopped by law enforcement as they prepared to launch the drone.

    Gonzalez further admitted to traveling to McDowell County, West Virginia, from Chicago with Aleman-Piceno and co-defendant Arturo Joel Gallegos. Gonzalez also admitted that he and his two co-defendants stayed an area motel where law enforcement seized marijuana, tobacco and materials used to make the camouflaged packages.

    Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    Aleman-Piceno, 22, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2025. The indictment against Gallegos, 26, of Chicago, remains pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    On February 9, 2024, correctional officers at FCI McDowell detected a drone flying over the prison facility. The flight path of the drone took it from the fence securing the prison facility to a cell in one of the housing units. Officers searched the cell and found a broken exterior window, numerous cell phones, tobacco, and marijuana within the cell.

    Officers traced the flight path back to the drone’s launch site, where they found and apprehended Rivera and co-defendants Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles. Officer seized the drone, the drone’s remote controller, and contraband consistent with what was found in the cell.

    As part of his guilty plea, Rivera admitted that he, DeJesus, and Aviles participated in the introduction of the contraband into FCI McDowell by using the drone to transport marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison facility. Rivera further admitted that he expected to be paid for his participation in the contraband introduction.

    DeJesus, 32, of Sanford, North Carolina, and Aviles, 37, of Poinciana, Florida, each pleaded guilty on April 29, 2025, to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison and are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

    Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the cases.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-126 (Gonzalez) and 1:24-cr-127 (Rivera).

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking South Carolina Federal Agent and Family

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Scott Robert Tardy, 31, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, providing false statements to the FBI, and obstruction of justice in a scheme that targeted a South Carolina federal law enforcement agent and his family.

    According to evidence presented in court, in February, Tardy operated an account with the username “connecticut12345” on the Kik social media platform in which he joined an anti-law enforcement chatgroup. In that group, Tardy posted numerous messages discussing and soliciting violence against a specific agent and the agent’s spouse. 

    In those messages, Tardy repeatedly identified the victims’ employment affiliation as a reason to target them. He also shared photographs of the agent’s spouse and the city and state in which they live. Tardy discussed violence against the agent and the agent’s family, including throwing a Molotov cocktail in their bedroom while they were sleeping. He asked for the conversation to be moved to the Telegram platform, where he operated the username “slimybanana,” because he believed it was more secure. 

    On the second platform, Tardy discussed what a cartel would do to the victims, he discussed having one of the victims “ruined,” “destroyed,” and “tortured for days.”  He said burning the house was “good enough” if the victim was inside. Tardy then shared the location of the victims’ home by sharing a map with a pin drop on the victims’ street, and asked another user how long it would take them to get there.

    When the FBI executed a federal search warrant at Tardy’s apartment on Feb. 16, he falsely denied ever using Kik or Telegram and he denied responsibility for the solicitations and messages. He gave further false statements in an interview with investigators, and he caused the phone he used to be reset, clearing its content, and exchanged with Apple for a new phone. 

    Despite that, investigators recovered the map of the victims’ home with the pin drop on it from an account associated with Tardy. Data related to the Kik and Telegram accounts showed that Tardy controlled the accounts. During the scheme, Tardy worked as a corrections officer at a detention facility in Connecticut.

    Tardy faces a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and five years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Office to follow a term of imprisonment.

    United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. accepted Tardy’s guilty plea and will sentence the defendant after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. 

    The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office with critical assistance from FBI Boston field office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Elle E. Klein are prosecuting the case. 

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi stresses transforming resource-based economy, advancing Chinese modernization during Shanxi inspection tour 2025-07-08 21:12:32 President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    TAIYUAN, July 8 (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour in Shanxi from Monday to Tuesday.

    On Monday afternoon, Xi visited a monument square in Yangquan City and paid tribute to heroes of the Eighth Route Army who died in the Hundred-Regiment Campaign. The campaign took place in northern China between August 1940 and January 1941 during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

    Xi described the campaign as a powerful testament to the CPC’s role as the pillar of the nation’s resistance war against Japanese aggression. He called for passing on the great spirit of resisting aggression from one generation to the next.

    Speaking to young students visiting an exhibition on the campaign, Xi called on the younger generation to carry forward the revolutionary legacy and rise to the task of national rejuvenation.

    When inspecting the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd., Xi was briefed on the province’s progress in industrial transformation and upgrade in recent years. He also learned about the production and sales of some valve products at the company’s workshop.

    He emphasized that traditional manufacturing is an important part of the real economy, and called for efforts to respond to market demand and enhance sci-tech innovation to breathe new life into traditional industries.

    Noting that China’s industrial development today relies on advanced technologies and equipment for improvement, Xi encouraged the company’s staff members to contribute more to the country’s growing manufacturing strength.

    On Tuesday morning, after listening to a work report from the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government, Xi made requirements for the province’s future work.

    Xi noted that building a national pilot area of comprehensive reform for the transformation of resource-based economy is a strategic task entrusted to Shanxi by the CPC Central Committee.

    While ensuring the coal supply for the country’s power generation, efforts should be made to promote the low-end to high-end transformation of the coal industry and the upgrading of coal products from primary fuels to high-value products, Xi said.

    He also required efforts to push forward the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and develop emerging and future industries in light of local conditions to foster new quality productive forces.

    It is imperative to make good use of various development conditions, optimize the business environment and stimulate the vitality of business entities, he said.

    Xi also highlighted the bottom line of security and stability in this process, urging efforts to ensure people’s livelihoods, maintain social stability, safeguard ecological security and boost workplace safety.

    Persistent work should be done to enforce the Party’s full and rigorous self-governance, Xi added, calling for cultivating a clean political environment and improving the long-term, regular mechanisms for Party conduct.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the production workshop and products display at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is pictured with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Edd the Florist

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Edd the Florist of Wapello County.  Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Since the Wiltz family purchased it in 1956, Edd the Florist has blossomed into a scent-sational institution in Ottumwa,” said Chair Ernst. “Hans Wilz has stayed rooted to his parents’ dreams, while expanding to provide gifts and gourmet foods for the community. Serving the community for nearly 70 years, this small business is blooming with success.”
    As the second-generation owner of Edd the Florist, Hans Wilz remains committed to providing Ottumwa and beyond with quality products curated with care. Family and entrepreneurial values are front and center as the business approaches its 70th anniversary. After emigrating from Germany, Margaret and Karl Wilz purchased the shop to pursue the American Dream, and Hans carries their legacy on today.
    Stay tuned as Chair Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi stresses transforming resource-based economy, advancing Chinese modernization during Shanxi inspection tour 2025-07-08 21:12:32 President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    TAIYUAN, July 8 (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour in Shanxi from Monday to Tuesday.

    On Monday afternoon, Xi visited a monument square in Yangquan City and paid tribute to heroes of the Eighth Route Army who died in the Hundred-Regiment Campaign. The campaign took place in northern China between August 1940 and January 1941 during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

    Xi described the campaign as a powerful testament to the CPC’s role as the pillar of the nation’s resistance war against Japanese aggression. He called for passing on the great spirit of resisting aggression from one generation to the next.

    Speaking to young students visiting an exhibition on the campaign, Xi called on the younger generation to carry forward the revolutionary legacy and rise to the task of national rejuvenation.

    When inspecting the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd., Xi was briefed on the province’s progress in industrial transformation and upgrade in recent years. He also learned about the production and sales of some valve products at the company’s workshop.

    He emphasized that traditional manufacturing is an important part of the real economy, and called for efforts to respond to market demand and enhance sci-tech innovation to breathe new life into traditional industries.

    Noting that China’s industrial development today relies on advanced technologies and equipment for improvement, Xi encouraged the company’s staff members to contribute more to the country’s growing manufacturing strength.

    On Tuesday morning, after listening to a work report from the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government, Xi made requirements for the province’s future work.

    Xi noted that building a national pilot area of comprehensive reform for the transformation of resource-based economy is a strategic task entrusted to Shanxi by the CPC Central Committee.

    While ensuring the coal supply for the country’s power generation, efforts should be made to promote the low-end to high-end transformation of the coal industry and the upgrading of coal products from primary fuels to high-value products, Xi said.

    He also required efforts to push forward the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and develop emerging and future industries in light of local conditions to foster new quality productive forces.

    It is imperative to make good use of various development conditions, optimize the business environment and stimulate the vitality of business entities, he said.

    Xi also highlighted the bottom line of security and stability in this process, urging efforts to ensure people’s livelihoods, maintain social stability, safeguard ecological security and boost workplace safety.

    Persistent work should be done to enforce the Party’s full and rigorous self-governance, Xi added, calling for cultivating a clean political environment and improving the long-term, regular mechanisms for Party conduct.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the production workshop and products display at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is pictured with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Recognized for Support of Medical Education and Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) was recognized with the 2025 Champion of Academic Medicine Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for demonstrating extraordinary leadership advancing priorities that benefit patients, medical educators, academic institutions and the broader health care system. 

    “I’m proud to champion the vital work of our nation’s academic medical centers, medical schools and the future physicians they train. Strengthening our health care workforce, especially in rural and underserved communities, is critical to improve access to care and support the next generation of providers in Arkansas and across the country for years to come. I look forward to further advocating key policies that protect and enhance medical education,” Boozman said.

    AAMC President and CEO Dr. David Skorton, along with Founding Dean and CEO of Alice L. Walton Medical School Dr. Sharmila Makhija and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences outgoing Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson, presented Boozman with the award in his Washington office.

    “We applaud Sen. Boozman for his tireless efforts to highlight and support the critical work of the nation’s academic health systems and teaching hospitals in driving innovation and improving patient care,” Skorton said. “His strong support and steadfast leadership has paved the way for lawmakers to better understand what’s at stake –– a growing nationwide physician shortage, a dire need for the United States to remain competitive in health care innovation and economic growth, and an urgent need to invest in the advancements that save patient lives.” 

    In March, Boozman introduced the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act and the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act to increase available medical residency spots, prioritize placement in rural and underserved areas and ease financial burdens on medical professionals completing their medical training. 

    Boozman has also been at the forefront of a bipartisan push to lift the 25-year freeze on Medicare-supported graduate medical education positions, including helping to secure more than 1,000 new residency slots.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Games preparation in full swing

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    A press conference was held in Guangzhou today to introduce the details of preparation progress for the 15th National Games (NG), the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG).
     
    It also outlined the upcoming operational work plan among Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macau, which are co-hosting the games.
     
    The press conference was hosted by the Guangdong Provincial Executive Committees for the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG; the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) (NGCO) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government; and the Preparatory Office for the 15th NG, 12th NGD and 9th NSOG in Macau (Preparatory Office in Macau).
     
    Addressing the press conference, NGCO Head Yeung Tak-keung said that Hong Kong firmly adheres to the principles of “green, inclusive, open and clean” while implementing the requirement of organising a “simple, safe and wonderful” event.
     
    “We maintain strict budget control, optimise resource allocation, and prudently scale events to ensure practical preparations.”
     
    He highlighted that the cross-boundary athletics marathon and road cycling events, which will be co-organised by Hong Kong, are signature events of the 15th NG, requiring meticulous tripartite planning and co-ordination in route design and expedited clearance for athletes, spectators and vehicles.
     
    This cross-boundary collaboration enhances the Greater Bay Area’s overall competitiveness and fosters people-to-people exchanges in the bay area, Mr Yeung added.
     
    Also speaking at the press conference, Hong Kong cyclist Wong Kam-po said that with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge as the race course, the cross-boundary road cycling race is an iconic event with beautiful scenery and a challenging course as well.
     
    Director of the Office of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG, 12th NGD & 9th NSOG and Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province Huang Mingzhong also spoke at the press conference.
     
    Mr Huang emphasised that the co-hosting of the 15th NG by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, under the steer of the central ministries including the General Administration of Sport of China, and the Hong Kong & Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, has built an innovative co-ordination mechanism.
     
    Through close liaison and co-ordination, alignment has been reached in six key areas, namely cross-boundary events, port clearance, manpower and vehicle accreditation, food safety, green initiatives, and competition schedule.
     
    The three places have pioneered a “three-place three-integration” co-hosting approach – integrated communication, direction, and operation, Mr Huang indicated.
     
    Head of the Preparatory Office in Macau Pun Weng-kun told those gathered at the press conference that preparations for the 15th NG have entered the countdown phase. They will collaborate with different sectors of society to strengthen the organisational work for the events, enhancing the atmosphere of community-wide participation in the 15th NG.
     
    This includes ongoing visits to communities and schools, connecting with promotional activities for culture, tourism, and sports, and launching franchised products in Macau, Mr Pun added.
     
    Various franchised products were also showcased at the press conference, with designers explaining their creative concepts.
     
    Hong Kong will soon set up sales points in various districts to sell a variety of franchised products related to the games, including products with unique Hong Kong features.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: In Just Four Days, the Southern District of Texas Charges Nearly 100 Individuals in Border Security and Transnational Gang-Related Matters

    Source: US FBI

    HOUSTON – A total of 95 cases have been filed from June 27-July 2 on immigration matters and related efforts to secure the southern border in support of Operation Take Back America, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    A total of 62 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 26 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to human smuggling and other immigration crimes, drug trafficking and firearms.

    Among the notable cases are charges against 16 foreign nationals illegally residing in Houston for drug trafficking and weapons allegations following an operation targeting Venezuelan nationals linked to the Anti-Tren criminal organization. Similar to the criminal activities members of Tren de Aragua have committed, Anti-Tren affiliates allegedly engaged in attempted murder, other acts of violence and threats of such. Some members have been charged with conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and various weapons crimes, with one allegedly being an alien in possession of ammunition.  

    “The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both,” said Ganjei. “Operation Take Back America means going on the offensive against transnational criminal organizations to ensure that they cannot take root in our community and endanger public safety. SDTX is going to be unapologetic in carrying out that mission.”

    New criminal complaints filed this week include the illegal reentry of several Mexican nationals after recent removals, including Cesar Alejandro Tovar-Guillen, a convicted felon for cocaine distribution. He had just been removed in March, but authorities discovered him unlawfully in the United States near Alton, according to the allegations. Charges allege Osvaldo Aguilar-Aguilar and Jose Alejandro Dominguez-Guzman had last been removed in October and November 2024, respectively. They both have previous convictions of illegal reentry and had served time in federal prison, according to their criminal complaints. While Juan Esquivel-Garcia allegedly has a previous conviction for trafficking methamphetamine and was previously sentenced to 75 months before his removal. They all face up to 20 years in federal prison, upon conviction.  

    In McAllen, Margarito Llanes was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison for alien smuggling. He led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit ending when Llanes crashed into a tree seriously injuring all eight passengers. The pursuit lasted 1.5 miles with speeds reaching up to 70 mph. At the hearing, the court heard about his violent criminal conduct, which includes indecency with a child, robbery and alien smuggling.

    Two Mexican nationals received multi-year sentences for illegally reentering the United States. Luis Ernesto Hernandez-Doria was ordered to serve 51 months, while Jose Angel Lopez-Herrera received a 46-month-term of imprisonment. At the Lopez-Herrera hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding his criminal history, which included not only having reentered the country in 2022 but a human smuggling case in which one had drowned. In handing down Hernandez-Doria’s sentence, the court noted he needed a substantial sentence to deter him from illegally reentering again. He had three prior felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as a felony conviction for taking a weapon from an officer. His most recent removal was in July 2024. 

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.  

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

    An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Western District of Texas U.S Attorney’s Office Adds 208 Immigration Cases in Six Days Going Into July

    Source: US FBI

    SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 208 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 27 through July 2.

    Among the new cases, Mexican national Erik Garcia-Rodriguez aka Eduardo Soto-Garcia aka Gerardo Reyes, was encountered by Texas Department of Public Safety in San Antonio on June 26. According to a criminal complaint, TX DPS requested immigration determination assistance from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officer, who determined Garcia-Rodriguez to be an alien illegally present within the United States who had previously been removed from the United States, and who was residing at an address in San Antonio. On May 26, 2011, Garcia-Rodriguez was convicted for trafficking cocaine and heroin in Dallas County. He was removed from the U.S. on Dec. 7, 2011.

    Mexican national Ismael Nieto Balverde was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin in Austin. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation led to two controlled purchases of heroin from Balverde, totaling approximately 2,034 grams of the narcotic.

    In Ector County, Roberto Adan Gandara-Ramirez, a Mexican national, was arrested on a warrant for alleged sexual assault of a child, according to a criminal complaint, and was released to ICE/ERO custody by Ector County Sherriff’s Department deputies. Gandara-Ramirez was previously removed from the U.S. through Del Rio in 2015.

    Daniel Hernandez, of Asherton, was arrested near Carrizo Springs on June 29 for conspiring to transport an illegal alien further into the United States. Hernandez was stopped by the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office, who requested U.S. Border Patrol assistance. USBP agents conducted an immigration inspection and allegedly discovered that the vehicle contained two U.S. citizens and one Mexican national without proper documentation to enter or remain in the U.S. Hernandez allegedly stated that he was in contact with a facilitator who had instructed him to pick up the illegal alien and take the alien to Asherton. In 2014, Hernandez was convicted for bringing in and harboring aliens in Del Rio, for which he was sentenced to 27 months confinement.

    A convicted felon on U.S. probation was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry after he was found approximately a mile east of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Mexican national Eduardo Lopez-Castillo has been removed from the U.S. to Mexico three times, the last one being May 28, 2024. In April 2024, he was convicted of illegal re-entry and in 2021, Lopez-Castillo was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

    Alfonso Lopez-Castro, a Mexican national, attempted to gain entry into the U.S. at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry by presenting a New Mexico driver’s license that allegedly contained the name, date of birth, and photograph of another individual. Lopez-Castro allegedly told the Customs and Border Protection officer that he was a U.S. citizen and that he was going home to New Mexico. He allegedly admitted later that the driver’s license was not his and was given to him by a coworker. Lopez-Castro has been previously removed from the U.S. six times, five of which were between August and November 2014. He is charged with one count of knowingly personating another and attempting to evade immigration laws by appearing under an assumed or fictitious name when applying for admission to the United States.

    An alleged foot guide was arrested in El Paso and charged with bringing illegal aliens into the United States. Mexican national Isaac Nolasco-Ramirez allegedly crossed into the U.S. and attempted to conceal himself with three other illegal aliens inside a canal and under some brush approximately six miles east of the Tornillo Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges that Nolasco-Ramirez stated his friend used a rope ladder to get the group over the fence and that he was told to take the aliens to be picked up along the railroad tracks.

    Two U.S. citizens were also arrested for bringing in illegal aliens after two aliens were observed scaling over the International Border Fence. The aliens were apprehended north of the Rio Grande River and consented that U.S. Border Patrol agents could view and search the contents of their phone. An agent, posing as one of the aliens, allegedly replied to a WhatsApp message with his location and was advised that two Jeeps would soon arrive to pick him up. When the Jeeps arrived, one driver, identified as Diego Mota, was arrested. The other vehicle departed at a high rate of speed before the driver stopped and led an Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Tribal Police Officer on a foot chase. That driver, Isaac Steven Hernandez, was soon apprehended and allegedly admitted that he had been involved in alien smuggling schemes approximately eight times.

    A Salvadoran national, Hector Antonio Ostorga Hernandez, was arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Ostorga Hernandez has been previously deported twice, the last time being to El Salvador on Dec. 20, 2024, through Alexandria, Louisiana. That removal occurred two months after he was convicted in Houston for assault causing bodily harm injuring a family member and was sentenced to 179 days confinement.

    Jose Ignacio Lopez-Ortiz, a Mexican national, was also arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Lopez-Ortiz was last removed to Mexico in January 2013 through Laredo and has since been twice-convicted for driving while intoxicated in April 2023 and April 2025.

    Mexican national Juan Enrique Landeros-Gonzalez was arrested in Del Rio on June 30 for being illegally present in the U.S. after being removed for the sixth time on June 13. Landeros-Gonzalez is a felon with multiple convictions including criminal mischief and probation revocation, illegal re-entry, and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

    U.S. Border Patrol in Eagle Pass also arrested Mexican national Joel Escobar-Chavez, who has six prior removals, the last being on March 7, and Donaldo Robles-Zarate, who also has been removed six times, the last one being July 12, 2019. Guatemalan national Byron Antonio Almazan has been removed from the U.S. five times, the last being on Jan. 27 through Alexandria, Louisiana. He was convicted for an illegal re-entry felony in December 2024 and sentenced to 189 days confinement. 

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

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

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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    MIL Security OSI –