NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI: Equasens: Appointment at the head of the Pharmagest Division

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Villers-lès-Nancy (France), July 03, 2025 – 06 :00pm (CET)

    Press Release

    Equasens announces the departure of Damien VALICON, as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division

    He will be replaced by François-Pierre MARQUIER as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    ***

    Equasens Group (Euronext Paris™ – Compartment B – FR 0012882389 –$EQS), announces the departure of Damien VALICON, who held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division for 18 months, and the appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, who is resuming his operational duties as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    The appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, proposed by Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of the Equasens Group, will be effective after a transition period. It was approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on June 25, 2025, chaired by Thierry CHAPUSOT, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

    François-Pierre MARQUIER, who joined Pharmagest in May 2021 as Regional Director for the Ile-de-France region, has headed the Pharmacy France business since January 2023. He will now oversee all the Division’s activities, both in France and the rest of Europe.

    Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of Equasens Group, states: « François-Pierre has a deep understanding of our business sectors, a precise grasp of our challenges and the sectoral expertise we need to accelerate our European development. »

    Biography François-Pierre MARQUIER – LinkedIn – Graduate of IDRAC Business School and Emlyon Business School (DUA), he began his career in 1996 with DHL as Marketing Manager. In 2000, he joined Cegid Group where he evolved for over 20 years, holding management positions in marketing and sales.
    He joined Equasens Group in May 2021 as Regional Director, before being appointed Director of the Pharmacy France business in January 2023.
    He has represented Pharmagest within FEIMA for over 2 years.

    Upcoming financial communications

    • 31 July 2025:                 Q2 2025 revenue – After the close of trading
    • 26 September 2025:         H1 2025 results

    About Equasens Group – Follow us also on LinkedIn

    Founded over 35 years ago, Equasens Group, a leader in digital healthcare solutions, today employs over 1.400 people across Europe.
    Equasens Group’s specialized business applications facilitate the day-to-day work of healthcare professionals and their teams, working in private practice, collaborative medical structures or healthcare establishments. The Group also provides comprehensive support to healthcare professionals in the transformation of their profession by developing electronic equipment, digital solutions and healthcare robotics, as well as data hosting, financing and training adapted to their specific needs.
    And reflecting the spirit of its tagline “Technology for a More Human Experience”, the Group is a leading provider of interoperability solutions that improve coordination between healthcare professionals, their communications and data exchange resulting in better patient care and a more efficient and secure healthcare system.

    Listed on Euronext Paris™, Equasens Group (Compartment B – FR 0012882389 – $EQS) applies a two-pronged development strategy combining organic growth with targeted acquisitions at a European level.

    CONTACTS

    Analyst and Investor Relations:
    Chief Administrative and Financial Officer: Frédérique Schmidt
    Tel: +33 (0)3 83 15 90 67 – frederique.schmidt@equasens.com

    Financial communications agency:
    FIN’EXTENSO – Isabelle Aprile

    Tel.: +33 (0)6 17 38 61 78 – i.aprile@finextenso.fr

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Equasens: Appointment at the head of the Pharmagest Division

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Villers-lès-Nancy (France), July 03, 2025 – 06 :00pm (CET)

    Press Release

    Equasens announces the departure of Damien VALICON, as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division

    He will be replaced by François-Pierre MARQUIER as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    ***

    Equasens Group (Euronext Paris™ – Compartment B – FR 0012882389 –$EQS), announces the departure of Damien VALICON, who held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division for 18 months, and the appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, who is resuming his operational duties as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    The appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, proposed by Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of the Equasens Group, will be effective after a transition period. It was approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on June 25, 2025, chaired by Thierry CHAPUSOT, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

    François-Pierre MARQUIER, who joined Pharmagest in May 2021 as Regional Director for the Ile-de-France region, has headed the Pharmacy France business since January 2023. He will now oversee all the Division’s activities, both in France and the rest of Europe.

    Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of Equasens Group, states: « François-Pierre has a deep understanding of our business sectors, a precise grasp of our challenges and the sectoral expertise we need to accelerate our European development. »

    Biography François-Pierre MARQUIER – LinkedIn – Graduate of IDRAC Business School and Emlyon Business School (DUA), he began his career in 1996 with DHL as Marketing Manager. In 2000, he joined Cegid Group where he evolved for over 20 years, holding management positions in marketing and sales.
    He joined Equasens Group in May 2021 as Regional Director, before being appointed Director of the Pharmacy France business in January 2023.
    He has represented Pharmagest within FEIMA for over 2 years.

    Upcoming financial communications

    • 31 July 2025:                 Q2 2025 revenue – After the close of trading
    • 26 September 2025:         H1 2025 results

    About Equasens Group – Follow us also on LinkedIn

    Founded over 35 years ago, Equasens Group, a leader in digital healthcare solutions, today employs over 1.400 people across Europe.
    Equasens Group’s specialized business applications facilitate the day-to-day work of healthcare professionals and their teams, working in private practice, collaborative medical structures or healthcare establishments. The Group also provides comprehensive support to healthcare professionals in the transformation of their profession by developing electronic equipment, digital solutions and healthcare robotics, as well as data hosting, financing and training adapted to their specific needs.
    And reflecting the spirit of its tagline “Technology for a More Human Experience”, the Group is a leading provider of interoperability solutions that improve coordination between healthcare professionals, their communications and data exchange resulting in better patient care and a more efficient and secure healthcare system.

    Listed on Euronext Paris™, Equasens Group (Compartment B – FR 0012882389 – $EQS) applies a two-pronged development strategy combining organic growth with targeted acquisitions at a European level.

    CONTACTS

    Analyst and Investor Relations:
    Chief Administrative and Financial Officer: Frédérique Schmidt
    Tel: +33 (0)3 83 15 90 67 – frederique.schmidt@equasens.com

    Financial communications agency:
    FIN’EXTENSO – Isabelle Aprile

    Tel.: +33 (0)6 17 38 61 78 – i.aprile@finextenso.fr

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Castro Slams Republicans on House Floor: “This Is a Choice Between Your Career and Saving People’s Lives”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

    July 03, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, ahead of the final vote on Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to stand up for the dignity of the American people and call on House Republicans to vote against the bill.

    Congressman Castro speaks on the House floor.

    Congressman Castro’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

    Three years ago today, I was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. That day, my youngest child, my daughter, turned 2 months old. There’s a drug I have to take every month, every 28 days. The first time I saw the bill for that, the list price on that drug was $24,000 per injection. For people that don’t have insurance or Medicaid or aren’t covered, they’re not getting that shot. They’re not going to survive, some of them.

    This is a choice, for some of you, between your career and saving people’s lives. There are so many folks who have reached out over the last several months panicking about their disabled children, about their senior citizen parents who are in nursing homes, people struggling with cancer or Alzheimer’s, dementia, sickle cell, diabetes, all these illnesses.

    You have the power today to make sure that they can live with dignity and stay alive or you can choose your career. That is your choice. We choose to keep people alive. We choose to have healthcare in this country. We refuse to cut healthcare for 17 million people and 1.6 million people in Texas because it’s wrong and it’s immoral and we can take a different course.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Castro Slams Republicans on House Floor: “This Is a Choice Between Your Career and Saving People’s Lives”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

    July 03, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, ahead of the final vote on Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to stand up for the dignity of the American people and call on House Republicans to vote against the bill.

    Congressman Castro speaks on the House floor.

    Congressman Castro’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

    Three years ago today, I was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. That day, my youngest child, my daughter, turned 2 months old. There’s a drug I have to take every month, every 28 days. The first time I saw the bill for that, the list price on that drug was $24,000 per injection. For people that don’t have insurance or Medicaid or aren’t covered, they’re not getting that shot. They’re not going to survive, some of them.

    This is a choice, for some of you, between your career and saving people’s lives. There are so many folks who have reached out over the last several months panicking about their disabled children, about their senior citizen parents who are in nursing homes, people struggling with cancer or Alzheimer’s, dementia, sickle cell, diabetes, all these illnesses.

    You have the power today to make sure that they can live with dignity and stay alive or you can choose your career. That is your choice. We choose to keep people alive. We choose to have healthcare in this country. We refuse to cut healthcare for 17 million people and 1.6 million people in Texas because it’s wrong and it’s immoral and we can take a different course.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Exploring Critical Minerals and Volcanic Processes in Aleutian Rocks

    Source: US Geological Survey

    The human-occupied vehicle Alvin grabs a piece of altered volcanic rock from a mound on the seafloor in the Aleutian Arc. Courtesy of Amanda Demopoulos, USGS; NOAA Ocean Exploration, ONR, NOPP, BOEM, NOAA IOCM, USGS, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

    One of the motivations of this expedition along the Aleutian Arc is centered on collecting and characterizing submarine volcanic and seafloor rocks to support two complementary objectives: improving assessments of volcanic hazards and identifying environments favorable for critical mineral formation. This region, marked by a tectonic complexity of volcanic arcs offers valuable insight into both eruptive history and the potential of hydrothermal systems. 

    Map of the Aleutian Arc showing active volcanoes along the arc and back arc. The arc and associated islands are prospective for hydrothermal mineral formation. Source: Gartman et al. (2022). 
    USGS Research Geologist Maria Figueroa holds two two splits from a mustone recovered from the seafloor during the Aleutian expedition. Image courtesy of The Aleutian Arc: Integrated Exploration of Biodiversity at Priority Benthic Habitats (USGS/BOEM/NOAA/ONR). Photographer: Art Howard. 

    Some of the recovered samples so far include basalts, altered volcanic rocks, volcaniclastics rocks and mudstones. These volcanic samples are essential for reconstructing eruption histories, evaluating seafloor geohazards, and constraining the timing of volcanic activity in this subduction-dominated arc. Many of the basalts display textures consistent with submarine eruption, including glassy rims and radial jointing. Some exhibit alteration features such as clay replacement and oxidation halos, which may reflect interaction with hydrothermal fluids. However, further analysis is required to confirm the extent and origin of these alterations.

    In parallel, the Global Seabed Mineral Resources team—namely Maria Figueroa and Katlin Adamczyk—from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) is actively surveying for hydrothermal vents. These vents are key targets as they form where metal-rich hydrothermal fluids meet colder seawater, precipitating sulfide-rich minerals as they cool. Hydrothermal vents can be important sources of metals such as zinc, copper, gold, cobalt, and antimony, many of which are identified as critical minerals by the USGS and the U.S. Department of the Interior. 

    By combining geological, geochemical, and geophysical observations, this expedition contributes to the broader USGS, BOEM, and NOAA missions to improve national understanding of domestic critical mineral resources, particularly in underexplored areas of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Ongoing work will further refine the mineralogical and geochemical characterization of recovered samples and guide continued hydrothermal prospecting throughout the cruise.

    Outlined in black is the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States and affiliated islands, which when combined are larger in area than the entire land area.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New project to protect Cambridge’s chalk streams

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    The Granta, a tributary of the river Cam

    A new project dedicated to studying and preserving Cambridge’s chalk streams is being launched at Anglia Ruskin University’s East Road campus on Wednesday, 16 July.

    It is estimated that 85% of the world’s chalk streams are found in the UK, with the majority located in the south of England and East Anglia. These streams, fed by springs in chalk bedrock, provide clean and clear water that supports a huge variety of wildlife.

    However, once pristine, many local chalk streams are being degraded by a range of factors including water extraction, pollution, the erosion of riverbanks, and invasive species.

    The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project is a collaboration between Cambridge City Council and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and is bringing together experts to study the threats faced by local chalk streams, such as Hobson’s Brook and Cherry Hinton Brook in Cambridge, and highlight practical ways to protect them.

    The project kicks off with a free conference at ARU, running from 10am-4pm on 16 July, featuring presentations by leading environmental scientists. Topics will range from groundwater depletion and sediment loading to aquatic biodiversity and emerging contaminants.

    Geologist and ecologist Dr Steve Boreham will focus on the pressure chalk aquifers are facing from water extraction, while Dr Mike Foley of Cam Valley Forum will share insights from his citizen science water quality monitoring work.

    Dr Tory Milner of Keele University will examine the impact of sediment and gravel accumulation on chalk streams, while Professor Angela Gurnell will cover the important role of submerged aquatic plants.

    From ARU, Dr Toby Carter will discuss the connection between brown trout populations and the health of chalk streams, Dr Alvin Helden will demonstrate how monitoring aquatic macroinvertebrates, such as mayflies and caddisflies, can indicate water quality and habitat condition, and Dr Bas Boots will address the risks posed by new pollutants, including PFAS “forever chemicals” and microplastics.

    The conference will also introduce the Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project’s citizen science programme, offering opportunities to participate in water quality testing, photography, sediment trapping and the monitoring of riverbank erosion. Taking place weekly over two years, the citizen science monitoring will be co-ordinated by ARU.

    “Chalk streams are globally rare freshwater habitats and we’re fortunate to have them in and around the city. However, many of these precious ecosystems are now significantly degraded and at risk.

    “The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project will investigate local sites to understand habitat loss, biodiversity reduction, and water quality issues. By bringing everyone together, including involving local community volunteers, we hope to obtain detailed information about each stream to help inform Cambridge City Council’s restoration strategies and safeguard our chalk streams for future generations.”

    Emma Dominic, research assistant at ARU for the Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project

    To register for the free event at ARU’s East Road campus on Wednesday, 16 July, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/greater-cambridge-chalk-stream-project-gccsp-launch-conference-tickets-1407358650609

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thousands of items collected in 24-hour litter pick of Aberdeen

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Hundreds of volunteers collected thousands of items in a 24-hour litter pick across dozens of areas in Aberdeen.

    The annual event – with the aim of making the city more sparklingly clean in the summer months – had 37 separate clean-ups from organisations including primary and secondary schools, community groups, and individuals.

    It involves litter picks starting every hour over 24 hours from midnight to midnight and included Tall Ship volunteers doing a session to ensure the city is ship shape in time for next month’s event.

    Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “It’s good that so many groups came out to help keep our city looking sparkling clean. 

    “Council staff work hard to keep our city clean and tidy. Unfortunately they cannot be everywhere at the same time so the action taken by these communities, groups, workplaces, and individuals makes a big difference.”

    Aberdeen City Council Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee convener Councillor Miranda Radley said: “We’d prefer if people didn’t litter in the first place as it is bad for the environment and makes our city look unattractive. We are all responsible for keeping our city beautiful. This effort can be as simple as picking up litter outside our front gates every day, or a bigger effort such as litter picks carried out by dozens of groups throughout the year.

    “These organised litter-pick events really do make a huge difference to local communities and help foster pride in our beautiful city.”

    The 393 participants in the Aberdeen City Council-organised event managed to fill 197 black bin bags across the 37 clean-ups.

    This year’s event was started by ACC’s library services team at midnight on Wednesday followed by ACC’s environmental services staff, countryside rangers, and tree squads doing the early hours and then by the other groups every hour.

    Areas which benefitted included Morningside, Garthdee, Mastrick, Hazlehead, Summerhill, Tillydrone, Kincorth, Bucksburn, West End, Airyhall, city centre, Heathryfold, Garthdee, Cove, Powis, Torry, Seaton, Rosemount, Stockethill, Donmouth, Northfield, Fittie, and the beachfront.

    Other groups taking part this year included Riverbank School, Kirkhill School, Bucksburn Academy, Bright Horizons, Airyhall School, Phoenix Futures, Hazlehead Primary, Keep Middlefield Clean, Tall Ships volunteers, Charleston School, St Machar Academy, Loirston School, Boat Club, Fresh Community Wellness, Friends of Victoria and Westburn Parks, Ashgrove and Stockethill
    Community Council, ACC Green Champions, Northfield Community Centre, Kincorth and Leggart Community Council, Friends of St Fittick’s Park. Members of the public took part in litter picks at Torry Battery, Fittie, and the beachfront.

    The places the groups picked litter up from included school grounds, pitches, car parks, golf course woods, streets, green spaces, parks, along the River Dee, community centre grounds, and near the Tall Ships site.

    The event is part of the year-round Clean Up Aberdeen campaign which encourages people not to litter in the first place, and also provides equipment for groups wanting to organise a litter pick. For more details, or to get help organising an event, go to Clean Up Aberdeen | Aberdeen City Council.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Portsmouth businesses welcome top Ambassador to Japan

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    The UK’s Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom, visited a selection of Portsmouth  businesses today to boost economic ties as part of a new roadshow launched by the Foreign Secretary David Lammy to drive growth in every part of the UK.

    Ambassador Longbottom met with the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth City Cllr. Gerald Vernon-Jackson and Natalie Brahma-Pearl, Chief Executive of Portsmouth City Council and visited locally based businesses including Griffon Marine, Airbus Portsmouth, BAE Systems and the Mary Rose.

    Portsmouth is a key centre of Japanese trade and investment within the Hampshire region, in part due to the strength of its maritime, defence and advanced manufacturing sectors.

    Ambassador Longbottom said:

    “It’s exciting to be in Portsmouth as part of this first-of-its-kind roadshow – going the extra mile to develop relationships that will help us supercharge growth to every corner of the UK.

    “The UK Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategy are making Britain the best country to do business with – and that is the message I’m giving, loud and clear, to businesses in Japan.

    “Japanese companies are choosing to invest and create jobs in the UK because of our skilled workforce, our world-class innovation, and our deep, trusted partnership with Japan. Portsmouth has all of these, and it’s my job to put Portsmouth on the map in Japan.

    “That’s why I’m in Portsmouth today – exploring new opportunities both for local companies seeking to export to Japan, and to understand how Japanese companies can invest and create more jobs and growth here.

    “I am particularly excited by Portsmouth’s strong defence industrial base, cutting-edge technology, and advanced manufacturing sector. These are all fantastic opportunities for partnership with Japan.

    “I look forward to building on these opportunities further, including when the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales visits Japan later this year as part of her deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Having set sail from Portsmouth in April, this is just another example of the strong links between Portsmouth and Japan.”

    Japan is now the UK’s 15th largest trading partner. Ambassador Longbottom will use today’s roadshow visit to build on figures which show total trade between UK and Japan was £27.1 billion in 2024 – with many companies across Hampshire benefiting.

    Exports from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight region to Japan in 2022 totalled £1billion, while total imports were £206million. Most of the exports from Hampshire & Isle of Wight are in goods – £833 million exported in goods versus £170 million in services, owing to the presence of major goods ports at Southampton and Portsmouth.

    Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council said:

    “We are delighted to welcome Ambassador Longbottom to Portsmouth as part of this important national initiative. Her visit is a valuable opportunity to showcase the world-class innovation and expertise that defines our city’s defence, maritime and advanced manufacturing sectors.

    Working closely with Portsmouth’s global business partners like Griffon Marine, Airbus, BAE and the Mary Rose, we are building a resilient, forward-looking economy that benefits everyone in our city. This visit is a clear signal that Portsmouth is open for business and ready to play a leading role in the UK’s global trade ambitions.”

    Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson added:

    “Portsmouth is proud of its strong international connections, particularly with Japan, and we are committed to strengthening these ties to create new jobs, attract investment, and open up global opportunities for our residents.”

    Mark Downer, CEO of Griffon Marine, said:

    “Ambassador Longbottom’s visit highlights the importance of UK-Japan collaboration in shaping the future of maritime defence. At Griffon Marine, we are proud to lead the Wyvern-J programme, a platform that reflects the best of British innovation, engineering, and global support. Wyvern-J has the power to bring meaningful regeneration to Portchester by creating high-value jobs, apprenticeships, and a skilled workforce rooted in the community.”

    Dominic Jones, CEO of the Mary Rose Trust, said:

     “It was an honour to welcome Ambassador Longbottom to the Mary Rose Museum—home to the world’s largest collection of everyday Tudor artefacts. We were delighted to share the story of the Mary Rose, history’s greatest maritime archaeological salvage project, and its ongoing significance to Portsmouth’s heritage. We hope Her Excellency enjoyed her visit.”

    Main image: L to R: David Ryan (Department of Business & Trade, Mark Downer (Griffon Marine) , Natalie Brahma-Pearl (Portsmouth City Council) Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom, Lord Mayor Portsmouth Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Lady Mayoress Leila Ferguson and Jeremy Greaves (Airbus Portsmouth)

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Senate Passage of Trump’s Disastrous Megabill, Shaheen Holds Roundtable Discussions on Health Care, Energy Impacts on Granite Staters

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    (Peterborough, NH) – Following Senate passage of the Republican-led reconciliation budget bill, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) held roundtables in Keene and Peterborough to highlight the disastrous effects the megabill would have on health care access and energy costs across the Granite State. Photos from both of today’s events can be found here.
    In Keene, Shaheen continued her “Medicaid Impact Tour” with a visit to Monadnock Family Services for a roundtable discussion with local caregivers, patients, advocates and providers about the impact of Republican-backed cuts to Medicaid. Under the Senate-passed version of the budget bill, 17 million Americans would lose health care coverage including more than 46,000 Granite Staters.
    “The Republican-backed bill that passed the Senate is the largest cut to health care in American history. It’s going to take health coverage away from tens of thousands of Granite Staters who rely on Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act and raise health care costs all to give billionaires a few extra bucks every year,” said Senator Shaheen. “I continued my ‘Medicaid Impact Tour’ at Monadnock Family Services in order to keep calling attention to the real consequences this bill will have for older adults, children, veterans, people living with disabilities and working families across the state.”
    The roundtable was the latest stop on Shaheen’s “Medicaid Impact Tour”—a series of discussions across the Granite State to underscore the harm cuts to Medicaid and the ACA in the Republican-led reconciliation budget bill will have on New Hampshire.
    Later, at the Peterborough Town Library, Shaheen led a discussion with town officials, advocates and regional businesses on how the Republican megabill will hurt New Hampshire’s growing clean energy economy.
    “For the many Granite State families who are worried about energy costs, the ‘Big Beautiful Betrayal’ only promises more pain. To give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations, Republicans are cutting highly effective tax credits that help people save money on their utility bills by making home energy efficiency updates,” said Senator Shaheen. “I heard from businesses and town leaders about so many successful energy projects that are already delivering cost savings for taxpayers. Now, future projects are on the chopping block, and good paying jobs will be lost because of this bill.”
    Shaheen leads legislative action in the U.S. Senate to support energy efficiency projects and initiatives. During the Senate “Vote-A-Rama” process, Shaheen forced a vote on her amendment to preserve four longstanding, bipartisan, consumer energy efficiency and clean energy tax credits that lower energy costs for families, make housing more affordable, protect American jobs and help give businesses the certainty they need to thrive. All but two Senate Republicans—Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)—voted to block Shaheen’s amendment.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Take Necessary Precautions Against Ticks and Mosquitoes

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today urged New Yorkers and visitors about the importance of protecting themselves against tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses while enjoying time outdoors to celebrate the holiday weekend. Warmer temperatures and changing climate conditions have contributed to a steady rise in tick populations across New York and an increased risk of tick bites — even in areas and seasons where risk was once considered low. Reported cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have continued to climb in recent years.

    “New York’s parks, mountains, lakes and beaches are the perfect places to spend the holiday weekend, so make the most of your time outdoors by protecting yourself from ticks and mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry,” Governor Hochul said. “Remember to use protective clothing and repellent to help keep you, your family and pets safe and healthy.”

    Tick and mosquito populations can vary with weather conditions, habitat and other environmental factors including elevation. For example, warmer temperatures and rainfall can create more mosquito breeding habitats and faster development time, leading to higher mosquito populations.

    Ticks are active throughout the spring, summer and fall. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the State. Over the last three years, New York State has averaged more than 17,500 new cases of Lyme disease each year, with more than 19,000 cases reported in 2023 alone, the highest in recent history.

    Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by blacklegged (deer) ticks (both nymphs and adults) and is spread when an infected tick bites a person and remains attached for 36 hours or more. Bites from the nymphal life stage of this tick lead to most cases of Lyme disease, because the tick is so small — the size of a poppy seed — and is often not detected within that 36hour window. Nymphal blacklegged ticks are active right now across the State. Lyme disease can affect people of any age. The most common symptom is an expanding rash resembling a bull’s eye or solid patch that appears near the site of a bite. Flu-like symptoms such as fever or chills and muscle aches, headache, or fatigue may also occur within 30 days of infection. If these symptoms develop, it’s important to seek treatment from a health care provider immediately.

    Tick bites can also transmit other diseases. Since 2015, the Department of Health has reported an average of 600 babesiosis infections and an average of 1,300 anaplasmosis infections across New York each year, as well as cases of more rare diseases such as ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Powassan virus disease. All of these diseases can vary in severity, and without treatment, they can cause serious illness and even death. Avoiding tick bites and prompt removal of attached ticks are important, as transmission of these diseases can occur more quickly than Lyme disease. Powassan virus can be transmitted within 15 minutes of a tick bite.

    Mosquito-borne diseases are also a potential threat to New Yorkers. Cases of West Nile virus infection occur each year with an average of 55 cases reported each year from 2020-2023. Last year, two human cases of Eastern equine encephalitis were reported (the first human cases reported in NYS since 2015). Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes can affect people of any age and may not lead to any symptoms but can also result in mild to severe illness and rarely, can result in death.

    New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “When spending time outside, it’s important to take precautions to protect against diseases that can be transmitted by ticks or mosquitoes. New Yorkers should remember that it only takes one bite from a tick or a mosquito to potentially cause illness. Stay healthy and keep pests away this fourth of July weekend by following simple methods to avoid being bitten.”

    New Yorkers and holiday visitors should continue to take measures to protect themselves, their children, and their pets against all tick and mosquito-borne diseases that are present in New York State.

    While hiking, working or spending time outdoors, follow these simple steps to help prevent tick bites:

    • Wear light-colored long pants, long-sleeved shirts and closed-toed shoes.
    • Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.
    • Check for ticks often while outdoors and brush them away before they attach.
    • Perform a full body check multiple times during the day, as well as at the end of the day, to ensure that no ticks are attached.
    • Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors.
    • Shower soon after coming indoors.
    • Remember to check pets thoroughly for ticks after spending time outdoors and talk to your veterinarian about ways to reduce ticks on your pet.
    • Consider using EPA-registered repellents labelled as effective against ticks containing 40 percent DEET, 20 percent picaridin or IR3535, and follow label instructions. If you are using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.
    • Consider wearing clothing treated with permethrin. Permethrin is an insecticide that kills and repels ticks. While it should not be applied directly to skin, permethrin-treated clothing provides protection through multiple washings.

    If you find an attached tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to remove it right away. Avoid risky removal strategies such as detergent or burning, as these could increase your risk of infection. See the Department of Health’s website for a video on proper tick removal technique.

    For mosquitoes:

    • Cover your skin as completely as possible when outside at sunrise, sunset, and early in the evening when mosquitoes are most active.
    • Wear long sleeves, pants and socks.
    • Use EPA-registered insect repellent on exposed skin and follow label instructions. If you are using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.
    • Consider wearing clothing treated with permethrin. Permethrin is an insecticide that kills and repels mosquitoes. While it should not be applied directly to skin, permethrin-treated clothing provides protection through multiple washings.
    • Cover strollers and baby carriers with mosquito netting.

    The Department of Health and its partners routinely collect and analyze tens of thousands of ticks from across New York State each year to better understand the tick population, tick behavior, and regional trends in diseases carried by ticks. Current and retrospective tick collection and testing results are publicly available on the Department’s Health Data NY website. A map showing your risk of encountering an infected blacklegged tick by New York geographic region can be found here.

    For more information about Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme/.

    For information about how to reduce mosquitoes around your property and mosquito-borne diseases, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/mosquitoes/.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Arrested for Assaulting a Federal Officer

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A Dominican national was arrested today on criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a federal officer.

    According to court documents, Bernis Díaz-de la Cruz (Díaz), 20, was arrested and charged under a Federal Criminal Complaint with violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 111(a) – Obstructing and Resisting a Federal Officer – and 111(b) – Assault of a Federal Officer through the use of a dangerous weapon, for events which took place in Puerto Rico on June 25, 2025.

    United States Border Patrol Agents were on duty when they encountered the subject who was engaged in suspected illegal activity inside a vehicle. Upon being confronted by the Border Patrol Agents, and instead of following commands, Díaz rapidly accelerated the vehicle toward one of the Border Patrol Agents who was in his official law enforcement uniform and standing in front of the vehicle. The Border Patrol Agent acted rapidly and moved to avoid being hit by the vehicle driven by Díaz. Díaz’s erratic driving ultimately resulted in a collision with another law enforcement vehicle which was in the vicinity of the incident.

    Díaz is a citizen of the Dominican Republic and does not have legal status authorizing him to be present in the United States.

    “The Department of Justice has zero tolerance for those criminals who assault federal or local law enforcement officers,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will prosecute those who assault the brave women and men who serve and protect our communities to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “Assaulting a federal agent is a grave offense that risks the safety of those who serve and protect our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Devin J. Kowalski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Juan Field Office. “When someone chooses violence instead of compliance, they endanger lives—including their own. These agents exercised extraordinary restraint and professionalism in the face of a dangerous and deliberate threat. But let this serve as a warning: any assault against federal law enforcement will be investigated with every single resource the FBI has it its portfolio and we will not rest until justice is fully served.”

    “Thanks to the vigilance our agents and coordination with our federal partners, the defendant will now face justice under federal law, reinforcing that violations of U.S. sovereignty will not go unchecked,” stated Reggie Johnson, Chief Patrol Agent for Ramey Sector. “Assaults on any federal agent will not be tolerated. Those who choose to commit such acts will be held fully accountable under the law. Violence against law enforcement is an attack on the rule of law and public safety—and it will be met with swift and decisive justice.”

    If convicted, Díaz faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI and the United States Border Patrol Ramey Sector are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney César Rivera-Díaz is prosecuting the case.

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

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three More Sentenced in Wide-Ranging Scheme to Monopolize International Transit Industry

    Source: US FBI

    McALLEN, Texas – Three Texas residents have been sentenced in connection with a long-running and violent conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios border region, located near Harlingen and Brownsville, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    They and others controlled the transmigrate industry through fear, monopolization and extortion of competitors and laundered proceeds from the conspiracies. 

    Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez, 50, McAllen, and Mireya Miranda, 59, San Antonio, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services and conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante market. Hernandez also admitted to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion and received 37 months, while Miranda was ordered to serve 10 months on home detention. Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez, 47, Brownsville, was sentenced to 31 months in prison after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy through which extortion proceeds were laundered.

    Hernandez and Miranda must also pay a $75,000 fine, while Fernandez was ordered to pay $50,000. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

    “Price fixing is an attempt to distort the market in favor of the fixer and to the detriment of basically everyone else. Although such market manipulation is bad enough, it is even worse when brought about through threats and violence,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will work tirelessly to prosecute such criminal syndicates and to ensure markets along the Texas-Mexico border remain free, fair, and open.”

    “The danger and the harm to the American people by the use of violence and extortion to fix prices and monopolize the market for an essential service in the Texas border region cannot be understated,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today’s sentences demonstrate the Antitrust Division’s commitment to pursuing incarceration for both white-collar and violent criminals who seek to exploit America’s free markets.”

    “The FBI remains committed to combatting the use of threats, violence and corrupt business practices such as price-fixing that harm honest business owners and undermine fair competition,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will leverage each other’s expertise and capabilities to dismantle every facet of transnational criminal organizations.”

    “These sentencings reaffirm our unwavering commitment to safeguarding economic integrity at our nation’s borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) San Antonio. “By dismantling an enterprise that thrived on extortion and price fixing, we are ensuring that honest businesses can compete on a level playing field. This case exemplifies how corruption in niche industries can have far-reaching effects, and HSI will continue to pursue those who abuse the system for profit.”

    Transmigrantes transport used vehicles and goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. Only a few U.S. border crossings, including the Los Indios Bridge, allow transmigrantes to enter Mexico.

    Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that help clients complete customs paperwork to export vehicles into Mexico. Co-conspirators fixed prices for forwarding services and created a centralized entity, known as the “pool,” to collect and divide revenue among conspirators. They used the pool to eliminate competition and raise prices.

    Some also conspired to force forwarding agencies to pay money to the pool and to pay other extortion fees including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry as well as a fine for operating in the market outside of rules. The conspirators perpetrated acts of intimidation, coercion and violence in furtherance of the antitrust and extortion conspiracies.

    To date, five others have been convicted, four of whom have already been sentenced in the case, including the leader – Carlos Martinez, 39, McAllen, who received an 11-year prison term.

    Three others – Rigoberto Brown, Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart and Diego Ceballos-Soto were also charged in the superseding indictment and remain fugitives. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.

    The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, ICE-HSI and FBI conducted the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorneys Anne Veldhuis, Brittany E. McClure and Michael G. Lepage and Senior Litigation Counsel John Davis of the Antitrust Division and VCRS Trial Attorney Christina Taylor. 

    Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Oxfam reaction to Brazil, Mexico and Colombia’s launch of a care investment initiative

    Source: Oxfam –

    Oxfam has joined the new care initiative launched today by the governments of Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia and others, at the Fourth Financing for Development Conference in Seville. The coalition will push for increased investment in care, with the goal of reducing inequalities. Oxfam Mexico Executive Director Alexandra Haas said: 

    “This initiative seeks to close the gap that for centuries has been disadvantaging women around the world. Women take on 76% of unpaid care work globally and are the most affected by cuts to public services. This unequal distribution of care is rooted in the gendered division of labor and in the colonial power imbalances between Global North and South, and in an economic structure that puts the interests of the super-rich at the expense of everyone else.  

    “This agenda is not advancing at the speed we’d like, because it requires funding. But if governments don’t invest, care work will fall once more on the shoulders of women, particularly low-income and racialised women. It’s time for states to take on responsibility through the provision of high-quality, sufficient and well-funded public services.  

    “We’re concerned about the role of the private sector in the provision of universal public services. Let’s be cautious. Progress will come from collaboration between governments, institutions and civil society. Services like healthcare are a human right and a public good, not a commodity. We hope the role of the private sector is through their paying their fair share of taxes, that can be used to fund and sustain public services.  

    “Seville is just a starting point, not the destination. This initiative can pave a route for more global coalitions that put care and the fight against inequalities at the center, from the FFD to COP30 and G20.”  

    Oxfam’s media briefing note, “From Private Profit to Public Power: Financing Development, Not Oligarchy” can be downloaded here. 

    The CareSPA initiative is led by UN Women together with Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, with the support of the Global Care Alliance and the backing of Spain, Uruguay, Nepal, Canada, Norway and Germany. Institutional partners include the ILO (International Labour Organization), CAF (Development Bank of Latin America), ECLAC, UNDP, UNFPA and IDRC, together with civil society organisations such as GIESCR, Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo and Equimundo.  

    The Platform will discuss in the coming months the potential implementation of a set of specific actions to drive systemic change. Among them:  

     - Promoting gender-responsive budgeting and strengthening public financing capacity for care systems.  

    – Improving the generation and use of care-related data to inform evidence-based policy-making and investment planning.  

    – Scale up care services and systems through a sustainable and equity-driven approach, promoting shared gender and social responsibility.  

    – Foster international cooperation, capacity development and knowledge sharing to support the transformation of care systems.  

    The statistic on 76% of care work comes from a 2024 WHO report. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Oxfam reaction: Financing for Development Conference in Seville

    Source: Oxfam –

    In response to the conclusion of the Fourth Financing for Development Conference in Seville, Spain, FFD Global Policy Lead Hernan Saenz said: 

    “Seville was a key moment in an ongoing journey to fight inequality, achieve gender justice and reform the international debt architecture under the UN. The conference showed that considerable challenges remain to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. But it also paved the way for governments to build more coalitions to tax the super-rich and finance care, and put equality, democracy and sustainability at the core of their efforts. In a context of geopolitical uncertainty, multilateralism is the way ahead.” 

    “Despite the lacklustre ambition of the Compromiso de Sevilla where rich countries shirked their responsibility to act on the debt crisis and continued to embrace the private finance first approach to development, this conference also showed what international cooperation can achieve when there is political will for it. Our new research found that the new wealth of the top 1% surged by over 33.9$ trillion since 2015. This is enough to end annual poverty 22 times over, yet over three billion people still live in countries that spend more on debt repayments than on education or health. Therefore, we welcome the new alliance to tax the super-rich launched by Spain and Brazil, with the support of South Africa and Chile. 

    “We also welcome the new care financing initiative by Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. These coalitions provide much needed political ambition and have the potential to deliver vital funding towards the Sustainable Development Goals and fight extreme inequality, which disproportionately impacts women and girls.  

    “We are very concerned by the limitations placed on civil society over the course of the conference to do what we came here to do: tell truth to power. Civil society organizations are the backbone of democracy. The UN was built to defend human rights – if it cedes to the global trend of shrinking civic space, it will undermine its legitimacy.”  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Neguse, Raskin Lead 170+ Members of Congress in Amicus Brief, Arguing Trump Cannot Dismantle Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 03, 2025

    The lawmakers argue that only Congress has authority to create, restructure, and abolish federal departments and agencies by constitutional mandate and through a long-established legal precedent. 

    The Department of Education is statutorily mandated and cannot be unilaterally abolished by the President.

    Text of Brief (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), House Assistant Majority Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Representatives Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) and Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.), led 174 of their colleagues in submitting an amicus brief in NAACP v. US, arguing to the United States District Court District of Maryland that President Trump’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) violate separation of powers and lack constitutional authority.

    On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps” to abolish ED. This came after the Trump Administration carried out a series of actions dismantling the Department, including mass firings of ED employees, the termination of contracts for congressionally authorized programs and activities, and the removal of crucial protections for student loan borrowers, while announcing plans to reorganize key ED functions into different departments.

    On March 24, 2025, a coalition of plaintiffs, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Maryland Council 3, and others, filed a lawsuit to halt the Trump Administration’s illegal efforts to dismantle ED. The lawsuit argues that dismantling a Congressionally created federal agency requires Congressional approval. 

    The lawmakers wrote: “Since the Department was created, presidents have taken different views of the Department and the role the federal government should play in education policy, but none has attempted what President Trump is attempting here: to unilaterally shutter the department… In short, the ‘President’s power, if any, to issue an order’ abolishing the Education Department ‘must stem either from an act of Congress or from the Constitution itself.’ Here, President Trump’s effort to unilaterally dismantle the Education Department defies the express will of Congress. Defendants lack the power to do what only Congress can do—restructure the federal government by shuttering a government department.”

    In addition to Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senator Warren, the brief was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The brief was signed by Speaker Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Representatives Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Donald S. Beyer Jr. (D-Va.), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Or.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Salus O. Carbajal (D-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.), Ed Case (D-Haw.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Yvette Clark (D-N.Y.), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.), James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. (D-N.J.), J.Luis Correa (D-Calif.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Madeline Dean (D-Pa.), Diana DeGette, (D-Colo.), Suzan K. DelBene (D-Wash.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Maxine Dexter (D-Or.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), Sarah Elfreth (D-M.d.), Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Tex.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Tex.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Pablo José Hernández (D-Puerto Rico), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Steny H. Hoyer (D-M.d.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Glenn F. Ivey (D-M.d.), Jonathan L.Jackson (D-Ill.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.), Julie Johnson (D-Tex.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif), William Keating (D-Mass.), Robin L. Kelly (D-Ill.), Timothy M. Kennedy (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), John B. Larson (D-Colo.), George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Summer L. Lee (D-Pa.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Teresa Leger Fernández (N.M.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Sam T. Liccardo (D-Calif.), Ted W. Lieu (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), John W. Mannion (D-N.Y.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), April McClain Delaney (D-M.d.), Jennifer L. McClellan (D-Va.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Robert J. Menendez (D-N.J.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Joseph D. Morelle (D-N.Y.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Frank J. Mrvan (D-Ind.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Scott H. Peters (D-Calif.), Brittany Petterson (D-Colo.), Chellie Pingree (D-Me.), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Delia C.Ramirez (D-Ill.), Emily Randall (D-Wash.), Deborah K. Ross (D-N.C.), Andrea Salinas (D-Or.), Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Eric Sorenson (D-Ill.), Melanie A  Stansbury (D-N.M.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Bennie G.Thompson (D-Miss.), Mike Thompson (D-Cal.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Derek T. Tran (D-Calif.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Maxine Walters (D-Calif.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Frederica S.Wilson (D-Fla.).

    Senator Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education:

    • On June 10, 2025, Senator Warren met with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and delivered over 1,000 letters to McMahon that the senator had received from people in all 50 states who were worried about the Secretary’s efforts to dismantle ED.
    • On June 9, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in pushing the Acting Inspector General of ED to open an investigation into new information obtained by her office revealing that DOGE may have gained access to two FSA internal systems, in addition to sensitive borrower data.
    • On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid.
    • On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid.
    • On May 14, 2025, Senator Warren led a Senate forum entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families,” highlighting the consequences of Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education (ED) and President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for working- and middle-class students and borrowers.
    • On May 13, 2025, Senator Warren agreed to meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and promised to bring questions and stories from Americans across the country to highlight how the Trump administration’s attacks on education are hurting American families.
    • On May 6, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the consequences of President Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education for American families in a Senate forum.
    • On April 24, 2025, Senator Warren launched a new investigation into the harms of President Trump’s attacks on the Department of Education, seeking information on the impact of the Trump administration’s actions from the members of twelve leading organizations representing schools, parents, teachers, students, borrowers, and researchers.
    • On April 10, 2025, following a request led by Senator Warren, the Department of Education’s Acting Inspector General agreed to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
    • On April 2, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s proposed plan to replace the Department of Education’s federal student aid call centers with generative artificial intelligence chatbots.
    • On April 2, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in America.
    • On March 27, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General (IG) René Rocque requesting that the IG conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
    • On March 20, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders led a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to slash the capacity of Federal Student Aid to handle student aid complaints.
    • On February 24, 2025, in a response to Senator Warren, Secretary McMahon gave her first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
    • On February 11, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education, a 12-page letter with 65 questions on McMahon’s policy views in advance of her nomination hearing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Frost, Jayapal Introduce Legislation to Decriminalize Homelessness, The Housing Not Handcuffs Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Maxwell Frost Florida (10th District)

    June 26, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) have introduced legislation on the one-year anniversary of the disastrous City of Grants Pass v. Johnson Supreme Court decision, which allows cities to criminalize homelessness. The Housing Not Handcuffs Act aims to prohibit the criminalization of homeless persons on public lands when there is nowhere else to go. 

    “Since the Grants Pass decision, cities across the country have passed over 200 bills to criminalize homelessness, including in my own district. These policies don’t solve homelessness instead they dehumanize our unhoused, saddle them with criminal records, and make it even harder for them to find stable housing. It’s a vicious cycle that the Housing Not Handcuffs Act seeks to end,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost. “At a time when the cost of living is at an all-time high and Trump’s Big Ugly Bill will only help the rich get richer and the working poor get poorer— we’re fighting to make sure everyone has access to safe, decent, and affordable housing, not handcuffs.”

    “Every single person in the richest country in the world should be able to have a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep, it’s that simple,” said Rep. Jayapal. “There is nowhere in this country where you can pay rent on a minimum wage salary. By criminalizing aspects of homelessness, cities and states across this country are only creating greater barriers for people to access housing — something that is already far too scarce. Fining people who already can’t afford to live makes no sense and will only result in longer-term homelessness.”

    In 2024, homelessness increased by 18 percent nationwide, with a record high of 771,480 people experiencing homelessness. At the same time, there is a nationwide shortage of 200,000 shelter beds and a shortage of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes. 

    Since the Grants Pass ruling, over 260 anti-homeless laws have been passed by cities and states. Criminalizing homelessness creates greater barriers to accessing housing. Typically, these punishments come with fines, which create further financial strain on people who can already not afford the basics, and may create a criminal record, making it more difficult to get a job or apply for housing. 

    The Housing Not Handcuffs Act will ensure that people who are homeless cannot be criminally or civilly punished for:

    • Living on federal lands unless safe, decent, accessible shelter is available;

    • Asking for or sharing food, water, money, or other donations in public places;

    • Praying, meditating, or practicing religion in public spaces;

    • Occupying a lawfully parked motor vehicle;

    • Storing their possessions and enjoying privacy in their personal property to the same degree as property in a private dwelling.

    The legislation is sponsored by Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Jr (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).

    It is also endorsed by A Way Home America; American Civil Liberties Union; Catalyst Montana; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); Equal Justice Under Law ; Fines & Fees Justice Center; Fund for Empowerment; Funders Together to End Homelessness; Health Students Taking Action Together (H-STAT); Homeless Action Center; Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky; Homeless Rights Advocacy Project; Hygiene4All; Invisible People; Justice in Aging; Juvenile Law Center; Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice; Law Enforcement Action Partnership; Legal Action Center; Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency; Miriam’s Kitchen; Mountain State Justice, Inc.; National Alliance to End Homelessness; National Coalition for the Homeless; National Harm Reduction Coalition; National Health Care for the Homeless Council; National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition; National Homelessness Law Center, National Housing Law Project; National Low Income Housing Coalition; National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Vehicle Residency Collective ; One Love World ; Open Table Nashville ; People’s Action; Prison Policy Initiative; RESULTS Educational Fund; Sexual Violence Law Center; Southern Poverty Law Center; Street Books; Street Democracy; University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic; VOCAL-TX; Voice of the Experienced; Voters Organized to Educate; Western Regional Advocacy Project.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – The online missiology course in Spanish promoted by the Pontifical Mission Societies begins in October

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Thursday, 3 July 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – In the context of the Jubilee Year and the Jubilee of the Missionary World, scheduled for October 4 and 5, 2025, the Pontifical Missionary Union, in collaboration with the National Directions of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Spain and Costa Rica, is promoting and organizing a 100% online missiological refresher course in Spanish.The course will run from October 2025 to June 2026, with a total of 25 sessions divided into three blocks. Each session will last approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes and will be held on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. in Spain (1:00 p.m. in Costa Rica).The first block, scheduled from October 28 to December 16, 2025, will address the foundations of missiology, as well as the biblical and theological aspects of the Lord’s missionary mandate. The second block, from February 10 to April 14, 2026, will be dedicated to the study of the history of evangelization and current issues related to the Church’s missionary approach. Finally, the third block, which will take place from April 21 to June 30, 2026, will focus on missionary pastoral care and spirituality, structures and tools of an ecclesial nature used in mission territories, and Marian spirituality, with an emphasis on the Virgin Mary as Queen of the Missions.The subjects taught include: fundamental, biblical, historical, and exegetical missiology; mission on the different continents; contemporary missiology; emerging challenges in the field of missiology; missiological and ecumenical pastoral care; Missionary spirituality and contemporary missionary catechesis.At the end of the course, participants will receive a certificate of participation issued by the International Secretariat of the Pontifical Missionary Union.For more information and registration details, please visit the following link: https://omp.es/curso-de-actualizacion-en-misionologia/ (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2025)

    Attachment to the article

    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Company Fined $120,000 for Serious Worker Injury

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on July 3, 2025

    On June 17, 2025, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. pleaded guilty in Saskatoon Provincial Court to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

    The company was charged with contravening section 11-13 (1) of the regulations (being an employer or contractor, where a worker may be endangered by the swinging movement of a load or a part of a unit of powered mobile equipment, did require or permit a worker to remain within range of the swinging load or part, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).

    As a result, the Court imposed a fine of $85,714.29, along with a surcharge of $34,285.71, for a total amount of $120,000.

    The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on December 9, 2022, near Allan, Saskatchewan when a worker was struck by a metal crane rail that was being dragged along the ground by a telehandler. 

    The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety works with employers and workers to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses through education, intervention and enforcement.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Company Fined $120,000 for Serious Worker Injury

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on July 3, 2025

    On June 17, 2025, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. pleaded guilty in Saskatoon Provincial Court to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

    The company was charged with contravening section 11-13 (1) of the regulations (being an employer or contractor, where a worker may be endangered by the swinging movement of a load or a part of a unit of powered mobile equipment, did require or permit a worker to remain within range of the swinging load or part, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).

    As a result, the Court imposed a fine of $85,714.29, along with a surcharge of $34,285.71, for a total amount of $120,000.

    The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on December 9, 2022, near Allan, Saskatchewan when a worker was struck by a metal crane rail that was being dragged along the ground by a telehandler. 

    The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety works with employers and workers to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses through education, intervention and enforcement.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Company Fined $120,000 for Serious Worker Injury

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on July 3, 2025

    On June 17, 2025, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. pleaded guilty in Saskatoon Provincial Court to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

    The company was charged with contravening section 11-13 (1) of the regulations (being an employer or contractor, where a worker may be endangered by the swinging movement of a load or a part of a unit of powered mobile equipment, did require or permit a worker to remain within range of the swinging load or part, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).

    As a result, the Court imposed a fine of $85,714.29, along with a surcharge of $34,285.71, for a total amount of $120,000.

    The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on December 9, 2022, near Allan, Saskatchewan when a worker was struck by a metal crane rail that was being dragged along the ground by a telehandler. 

    The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety works with employers and workers to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses through education, intervention and enforcement.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At 4 AM, Neal Leads Floor Debate with a Reality Check for the GOP

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    (As delivered)

    WATCH HERE

    Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself two minutes. So we might have visited a lot of places, tonight or this morning,  I should say, why don’t we visit reality? 

    Here’s the reality because we’re going to talk about facts for the next 15 minutes on our side. One thing you can understand very clearly the Republicans in the House surrendered to the Republican to the Senate and once again when the going got tough both institutions surrendered to the president. 

    This bill became worse along the way when it was already a pretty bad product. 

    In terms of expertise, Republicans said let’s reject what the Congressional Budget Office says. Let’s reject what the Joint Committee on Taxation might have to say and of course, when the going gets tough, let’s blame the Federal Reserve Board because of interest rates. 

    Under this bill, here’s a fact, Mr. Speaker, if you made a million dollars last year you’re gonna make a plus of $96,000 in the next tax filing season. That’s a fact, but here’s the real fact in the scam that’s being presented to the American people with this legislation. If you made under $50,000 last year, you’re gonna get 68 cents a day in terms of your tax relief. The Senate was too generous. They were at 73 percent. So, the House wanted to go back to on the Republican side, 68 cents. 

    Here’s the real kicker for a party that has preached fiscal rectitude that I’ve listened to it all my years here. All my years here, voting for the balanced budget amendment, taking up all of these pursuits in terms of fiscal rectitude, they’re borrowing $5 trillion additional dollars to pay for a tax cut for the wealthiest amongst us. $5 trillion is being added to the debt. 

    I call attention to that because they’re taking away health insurance from poor people, hospitals are going to suffer, Medicare is going to be cut, the Child Tax Credit will leave out the poorest, and seniors are threatened with much of the necessities of everyday life. SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA are all about to be gutted in the name of a tax cut for the wealthiest amongst us.”

    WATCH HERE

    “I can’t wait with the Republican Party to meet that waitress who’s making $32 ,000 a year and tell her in this tax bill the Republican Party just gave her 68 cents more a day ’cause that’s the reality of what this tax bill is about. 

    But we can also say in the next breath, if you made a million dollars last year, you’re gonna get $96,000. This is a fact -free argument. 

    They’re making this argument out that the person at the bottom is gonna do well in contrast to the person at the top. There’s simply no factual basis to that. 

    And by the way, the party of fiscal rectitude, they’re borrowing $5 trillion to pay for a tax cut for the wealthiest amongst us.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Construction sector expo launched

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The launch ceremony of the Infrastructure x Education Exhibition and the first phase of achievement of the STEAM UP project, jointly organised by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council, was held today.

    This is the first time the construction industry has collaborated with the education sector to organise a large-scale exhibition featuring infrastructure projects in Hong Kong to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education related to the construction industry, helping students apply STEAM knowledge through the examples of infrastructure projects and encouraging the youngsters to join the construction industry.

    Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said at the ceremony that she hopes infrastructure can tell the good stories of Hong Kong and share STEAM knowledge via the exhibition, arousing students’ interest towards the construction industry and the exploration of STEAM knowledge.

    A first three-dimensional Infrastructure Map supporting STEAM education was launched at the event, introducing 32 types of infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and related STEAM knowledge. The map will be exhibited in various districts to let the public understand the city’s infrastructure.

    A set of architecture-themed learning and teaching materials of the STEAM UP project, including teachers’ lesson plans and teaching materials as well as story books, games and e-learning platforms, was also rolled out.

    Another eight sets of learning and teaching materials, covering architecture, surveying, planning, landscape architecture and engineering, will be launched progressively for use in classrooms in primary and secondary schools starting from 2025-26 school year.

    Ten thematic zones are set up in the exhibition. In addition to the aforementioned major projects, it also introduces the work, careers and development prospects of in the construction industry. Interactive games with construction robots are also available.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: National Impact for CT AHEC and its Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars from UConn Health

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    “I was amazed to see just how large of an organization AHEC really is,” said Max Marks, UConn School of Dental Medicine student and Urban Service Track/AHEC (UST/AHEC) scholar alum. Marks was one of four UST/AHEC alumni who attended the recent biennial AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) conference in Lexington, Kentucky. The theme of the conference was Racing Toward Health Workforce Solutions. “I could see that all the people at the conference shared a common goal of improving health in their communities, in addition to training the health care providers of tomorrow.”

    The National AHEC Organization (NAO) represents a network of more than 300 AHEC program offices and centers that serve over 85% of United States counties. Connecticut’s AHEC office is located at UConn Health in Farmington. AHEC’s mission is to enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventive care, by improving the supply and distribution of health care professionals.

    Director of the Connecticut AHEC, Petra Clark-Dufner traveled with the UST/AHEC scholar alums from UConn’s medical and dental school to the national AHEC conference (CT AHEC Photo).

    The two-year Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AHEC) program is one of the key initiatives of the UConn Health-based AHEC program. UST/AHEC scholars include students from UConn Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Dental Medicine, Social Work and Quinnipiac University’s Physician Assistant program.

    UConn medical student and UST/AHEC scholar alum, Julia Levin, also attended the conference and appreciates the opportunities extended to her as part of UST/AHEC.  “UST/AHEC prepares future health care professionals to practice medicine beyond the confines of textbooks and lecture halls—by connecting them with their communities and equipping them with the skills, perspective, and compassion needed to become truly effective, empathetic clinicians,” said Levin.

    The director of the Connecticut AHEC, Petra Clark-Dufner, says that “through the Urban Service Track, AHEC Scholars learn with, from and about each other.  In addition to expanding their clinical/patient care toolkit, Scholars learn and apply leadership and communication skills.”

    Student panel at the national AHEC conference (Photo Credit: Abell Media).

    The two UConn UST/AHEC alum that were on stage at the conference were medical student Renee Taylor and dental medicine student Evan Perlroth. They participated in the conference’s student plenary panel entitled “In full stride: Students leading workforce transformation.” Perlroth said that “attending my first national conference and speaking on a panel during a plenary session was a unique experience. It was empowering to share my perspective as an AHEC scholar in front of leaders and other professionals nationally.”

    Barbara O’Neill, UConn School of Nursing UST/AHEC coordinator, adds that the NAO student panel is just one of many examples of how the UST/AHEC program provides a platform for interprofessional collaborative practice and educates students and professionals nationally. “It is important to be reminded that every member of the health care team is valuable, including the health professions student in training,” says O’Neill.

    Perlroth sums up the benefits of the program well. “UST/AHEC has opened my eyes to a whole different side of health care that I was unaware of previously.  Without it, I would not be the health care student and future clinician I am today.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • PM Modi presents handcrafted Indian artefacts to Ghanaian leaders on historic visit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his two-day visit to Ghana on Thursday by gifting handcrafted artefacts to the country’s top leaders, underlining India’s rich craft traditions and centuries-old artisanal legacy.

    The Prime Minister gifted Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama a pair of Bidriware vases from Bidar, Karnataka. Crafted by skilled artisans using a centuries-old technique, the vases feature a zinc-copper alloy base with a distinctive black finish and fine silver inlay. Engraved with floral motifs, they symbolise beauty, prosperity and harmony.

    To Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, PM Modi presented an elegant silver filigree purse from Cuttack, Odisha. Known for its Tarakasi work, the region’s delicate silver filigree craft has been practised for over five centuries. The handcrafted purse combines intricate floral and vine designs with modern style, blending tradition with contemporary elegance.

    Ghana’s Vice-President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, received a Kashmiri Pashmina shawl — woven from the fine undercoat of the Changthangi goat. Celebrated for its softness and warmth, genuine Pashmina is hand-spun, woven and embroidered by artisans in Kashmir, with each piece taking weeks or months to complete.

    PM Modi also gifted a miniature Ambawari elephant to Ghana’s Speaker, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin. Handcrafted in West Bengal from polished synthetic ivory — an ethical alternative to natural ivory — the piece draws inspiration from royal processions where elephants carried nobility in ornate howdahs.

    (With agency inputs)

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and Peru hold sixth iteration of bilateral Political Consultations Mechanism in London

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    UK and Peru hold sixth iteration of bilateral Political Consultations Mechanism in London

    The Minister for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean and Peruvian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs co-chaired the 6th session of the Peru-UK Political Consultations in London on 3 July.

    The Rt. Hon Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean welcomed Peruvian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Felix Denegri to London on 3 July, where the two Ministers co-chaired the 6th session of the Peru-UK Political Consultations.

    A historic relationship rooted in shared values dating back over 200 years, the UK and Peru reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their modern partnership.

    Successes celebrated since the last meeting include the successful ratification of the UK’s CPTPP accession; the signing of a Double Taxation Agreement; and signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Climate Change. The two countries celebrated the  culmination of the 200-year anniversary of Peru-UK relations in 2023 and numerous high-level visits both ways.

    1. On security and defence, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based international order and willingness to jointly tackle global insecurity. The UK and Peru agreed to drive collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding on Security cooperation, addressing transnational drug trafficking, illicit financial flows, corruption and environmental crime.

    2. On growth, the parties celebrated the strengthening of bilateral trade and investment, supported by a growing framework of trade and government-to-government agreements (G2Gs). Peru acknowledged the UK’s valuable contribution to Peru’s infrastructure on health, education and flood defences. This includes the UK’s position as the largest foreign direct investor in mining in Peru. The UK also presented its recently launched Industrial Strategy and the two sides discussed collaboration on Peru’s clean energy transition, including unlocking green hydrogen potential.

    3. The parties highlighted their joint efforts to address climate change, protect the Amazon Rainforest, promote green investment and tackle environmental crime. They celebrated the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Climate and Biodiversity and discussed Peru’s leadership as a key partner in Latin America ahead of COP30. The UK offered to continue supporting Peru in developing a National Bioeconomy Strategy by 2026.

    4. Lastly, the UK and Peru stressed the value of shared cultural experiences as a foundation to the bilateral relationship. They celebrated the promotion of English Language learning through the British Council and academic excellence through the UK’s Chevening scholarships programme. The parties will soon drive this further through the signing of two Memorandum’s of Understanding to collaborate on quality higher education in Peru delivered by the British Council.

    Speaking after the Consultations, Baroness Chapman said:

    The UK and Peru share a warm and historic friendship – over 200 years strong,  grounded in our values, mutual respect and common ambitions.

    Today we are working closer than ever for shared growth and prosperity. The UK is already Peru’s largest foreign investor and I had a fantastic discussion with Ambassador Denegri today on how we can build on this, from trade, to climate and security.

    Vice minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Félix Denegri said:

    We had very fruitful discussions with Baroness Chapman, in which we ratified our commitment to continuously expand and strengthen our bilateral agenda, based on our shared principles, values and interests.

    I am greatly satisfied with the level of bilateral engagement between Peru and the UK, shown in reciprocal ministerial, vice-ministerial and high authorities visits in the last two years. We both highlighted the continuity of our Political Consultations Mechanism, being this the sixth since its establishment in 2018.

    We look forward to welcome Baroness Chapman for our next round of Consultations, in Peru.

    The UK and Peru will continue to strengthen bilateral ties across security, growth, climate and education, invigorated through their new agreements and MOUs. The parties agreed to reconvene in Peru in 2026.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

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

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Oklahoma Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents Affected by May Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and residents in Oklahoma of the Aug. 5 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding occurring May 19.

    The disaster declaration covers the Oklahoma counties of Atoka, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Latimer, McIntosh, Pittsburg and Pushmataha.

    Small businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

    Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

    Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.

    “One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s physical damage loans.”

    SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

    Interest rates can be as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for PNPs, and 2.81% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return physical damage applications is Aug. 5.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Holiday weekend, Californians see lowest prices at the pump in 3 years

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 3, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Ahead of an expected record-breaking holiday weekend for travel, Californians are seeing the lowest prices at the pump in years. This comes after Governor Gavin Newsom has taken repeated actions to increase transparency on Big Oil’s balance sheets — putting people over record profits — and another that will give the state more tools to require petroleum refiners backfill supplies and plan ahead for maintenance, helping keep supply and demand more stable.

    Additionally, Republicans spent the last 6+ months fearmongering about a supposed “65 cent jump” in price at the pump on July 1, which DID NOT happen. In fact, prices at the pump have gone down leading up to, on, and after July 1, 2025 — the opposite of what Big Oil Republicans claimed would happen.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 2, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – As House Republicans vote on the measure as soon as tonight, President Trump’s “big beautiful” national debt-adding bill is a massive tax break for the wealthiest Americans, at the cost of programs and services used by everyday families. It gives tax…

    Jul 2, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Tamie McGowen, of Folsom, has been appointed Senior Advisor for Strategy and Operations for the California State Transportation Agency. McGowen has been Deputy Secretary of…

    Jul 2, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement regarding the death of California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Cano:“Officer Miguel Cano dedicated his life to serving our communities, and his passing is a heartbreaking loss for the state and…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI-DOD Program Enlists, Equips International Partners to Help Crush Cartel Violence

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI and our interagency partners have been long-committed to using vetted teams to stay ahead of the TOC threat. 

    The Bureau created its first two TOC-West vetted teams in Colombia and the Dominican Republic more than 10 years ago. Our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have their own versions of vetted teams, too.  

    Eric Geressy, a U.S. Army veteran and current senior Defense Department civilian official who has conducted training exercises with vetted teams for years, called TOC-West’s iteration “a finishing force” in the U.S. government’s pursuit of some of the worst offenders. 

    “For DOD, like the FBI and all interagency partners, we see the joint training efforts as critical to everyone’s success and survival—it needs to be hard and realistic, so we’re all ready to go whenever we’re called on,” Geressy said. “Training and working together is how we can best protect the people of the United States and all our partner nations.” 

    The FBI trains its TOC-West vetted teams as much as possible because it is critical to their safety and our shared success.  

    Vetted team training exercises—hosted on the ground in partner countries and conducted in Spanish by bilingual instructors—educate our international law enforcement partners on how the FBI approaches investigations and conducts related activity. Trainings also review critical skillsets that can save their lives when they’re on the job. 

    Medical care under fire is a prominent part of the training. The U.S. Department of Defense developed the training based on lessons learned from combat, Mike explained, and the Bureau and other federal law enforcement have adopted it. This training aims to empower vetted teams to keep injured individuals alive until they can be treated by a doctor or at a hospital. And, Mike recalled from his FBI Academy training, the quicker someone can get an injured person to a trauma center, the more likely they are to survive. 

    For this reason, he added, every vetted team member receives a medical kit—the kind of resource that our international law enforcement partners might not otherwise have access to. “This helps everybody have the best chance possible to go home alive,” he said. 

    The training exercises also cover the basics of firearms safety, marksmanship, and building good instincts to make split-second decisions wisely—such as how to react if someone unexpectedly draws a gun and starts shooting at you. “We make it individualized and vary the training by country and to make sure we’re hitting the right training points” for each team’s needs, Mike said of this portion of the training. 

    Additionally, vetted team members learn basic hand-to-hand combat skills—both to help them defend themselves without the use of a weapon and to empower them to more easily apprehend individuals who might resist arrest—and how to respond to attacks on vehicles they might be riding in.  

    The instruction at these international training exercises is a team effort between Bureau personnel and U.S. Special Operations Command troops from the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group.  

    “We’ve been very appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to work with U.S. Southern Command and the Department of Defense,” Mike said. “They do annual joint training internationally—one training in Central America, one in the Caribbean, and another one in South America. And so, we’ve partnered up with them since 2023 to bring our vetted teams and instructors to their exercises to cross-train our teams with other teams; to work with the 7th Special Forces Group; and to do firearms, tactics, and medical care together.” 

    The Bureau aims to hold two or three of its own international trainings every year, with support from FBI’s International Operations Division and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. These trainings cover the same ground as our bilateral trainings with DOD. 

    And for the past two years, the Bureau has brought TOC-West vetted-team partners to the United States for a collective training opportunity at Quantico, Virginia, known as the Basic Investigator Course. The TOC-West Operations Unit hopes to continue this training annually.  

    “It’s important for interoperability that the training we provide is the same for everybody because we don’t know when we’re all going to be working together,” he said. 

    The need for this kind of interoperability training was underscored by real-life tragedy when a member of the TOC-West vetted team in the Dominican Republic was killed in the line of duty while responding to an attempted robbery alongside FBI agents. He died while working to defend them and other civilians, Mike recalled. More recently, in 2024, two members of the Bureau’s vetted team in Colombia were ambushed, with one officer killed and the other wounded. Last month, representatives of IOD and CID presented the fallen officer’s family with the FBI Medal of Valor. 

    “It’s not just for camaraderie,” he said. “We don’t know when we’re all going to find ourselves in the same fight at the same time.” 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tucson Man Arrested for Selling Devices to Convert Glocks into Automatic Firearms

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    TUCSON, Ariz. – Damien Jax Schaffer, 45, of Tucson, was arrested on June 24, 2025, by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agents, and charged by criminal complaint for Engaging in the Business of Dealing in Firearms without a License and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. Schaffer appeared in court today for his initial appearance.

    According to the complaint, from May 8, 2025, through June 24, 2025, ATF monitored Schaffer and learned that he had manufactured and sold 15 illegal machinegun conversion devices. These devices are used to allow semi-automatic firearms, like Glocks, to expel more than one projectile with a single press of the trigger, effectively converting a semi-automatic firearm into a machinegun.

    Machinegun conversion devices are required to be registered with ATF in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. After learning of Schaffer’s activities, ATF agents queried that record and determined that his devices were not registered to anyone. Agents also learned that Schaffer does not possess a federal license to sell firearms.

    This case was 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).

    A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    ATF is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:          25-MJ-09160
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-109_Schaffer

    # # #

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Montgomery Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a Machinegun

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A Montgomery County man has been sentenced for illegally possessing a Glock switch, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

    Middle District of Alabama U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson sentenced Da’Quarious Lamarion Dudley, 21, of Montgomery, Alabama, to 20 months in prison.  In March, Dudley pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machinegun.

    According to court documents, on February 9, 2024, officers with the Montgomery Police Department were alerted to a sighting of a stolen Mercedes Benz. Officers responded to the area and caught up with Dudley, the driver of the stolen vehicle.  Dudley attempted to make a U-turn.  Another officer blocked Dudley, preventing him from driving further. Dudley got out of the vehicle and fled on foot.  During the chase, he grabbed a firearm in his waistband and threw it. Officers recovered a Glock 17 9mm pistol that had been converted to a machinegun using a machinegun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch.” A search warrant of Dudley’s Facebook page revealed that he was regularly in possession of “switches” and even agreed to procure switches for other individuals in the Montgomery area.

    ATF Nashville Division investigated the case along with the Montgomery Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Keown, Sr. prosecuted the case.  

    MIL Security OSI –