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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Guilty of Illegally Using Social Security Number to Obtain Louisiana Driver’s License

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ActingUnited States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JOSE GUADALUPE MUNOZ-PEREZ (“MUNOZ”), age 46, a native of Mexico, pleaded guilty on April 29, 2025 to illegally using a social security number to obtain a Louisiana driver’s license, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).

    MUNOZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five (5) years, up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.  United States District Court Judge Wendy B. Vitter set sentencing for June 5, 2025.  

    According to court documents, on July 24, 2020, MUNOZ applied for the renewal of a Louisiana driver’s license using the name of a real person, and that person’s Social Security number at a Public Tag Agency in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.  A Public Tag Agency is an authorized entity that handles various vehicle-related transactions of behalf of the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.

    The Social Security Administration confirmed that Social Security number was legitimately issued to an individual in Puerto Rico.  MUNOZ admitted that by applying for the renewal, he knowingly intended to deceive others, including employers, by falsely representing that the name and Social Security number had been assigned to him by the Commissioner of Social Security. 

    U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

                                              *  *   *

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Presses State Department for Update on Use of Fallon Smart Policy, Urges Trump to Reset U.S.-Saudi Policy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    May 05, 2025
    Senator: “I will not be silent when Saudi Arabia tries to cleanse its blood-stained hands, nor will I cease to hold Saudi officials accountable for the death of Fallon Smart and others like hers.”
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today asked the Trump administration to provide an update on the State Department’s implementation of the Fallon Smart Policy, which requires the department to identify and revoke visas of any foreign official helping foreign criminal suspects evade prosecution by absconding from the United States.
    The State Department policy secured by Wyden two years ago takes its name from a 15-year-old Portland girl struck and killed by a speeding car while riding her bicycle in 2016. The driver accused in her hit-and-run death on Portland’s Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard was a Saudi national who The Oregonian reported fled the country before trial – ultimate resurfacing in Saudi Arabia — with the likely assistance of the Saudi government.
    “The Fallon Smart Policy sends a strong message that there is no place in our country for foreign officials helping criminal suspects evade the law,” Wyden wrote Secretary of State Marco Rubio in today’s letter.  “As I promised the family of Fallon Smart, I will birddog the implementation of this policy and make sure the Fallon Smart Policy is applied whenever there is evidence of foreign officials undermining the American justice system.  I will not be silent when Saudi Arabia tries to cleanse its blood-stained hands, nor will I cease to hold Saudi officials accountable for the death of Fallon Smart and others like hers.  To that end, I ask you to provide me with details about the implementation of the policy.”
    Wyden has long worked since 2018 to expose a pattern of Saudi nationals committing violent crimes in the United States and evading U.S. justice with help from the Saudi government. 
    “In most of these cases, local law enforcement confiscated the passports of the accused criminals and set bail at thresholds the individuals were unlikely to pay themselves,” Wyden wrote, noting passage of his bill in 2019 to declassify an FBI report on Saudi assistance of fugitives that concluded the Saudis wouldn’t stop until the United States addresses Saudi Arabia about its lawlessness. “Yet, many of these individuals somehow made bail and quickly received the resources and travel documents necessary to board a plane and leave our country, only to resurface in Saudi Arabia later.
    Wyden also noted he traveled last month to Saudi Arabia to raise these issues directly with Saudi government officials, and urging those Saudi officials to return to the United States all Saudi nationals accused of crimes so they may stand trial. 
    “I ask that you pursue this issue with the highest levels of leadership within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and formally press for the return of all Saudi nationals who evaded justice,” Wyden wrote. “Finally, I ask that you promptly declassify and make public any information about foreign officials engaging in the practice of helping foreign criminal suspects evade the U.S. justice system.  As the declassification of the 2019 FBI report demonstrated, transparency is necessary if local judicial and law enforcement officials are to be notified of the threat and if the U.S. Government, in coordination with Congress, are to develop and implement policies to protect Americans and the rule of law.
    In a second Wyden letter today, Wyden wrote President Trump to urge a full reset of the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship to protect the American people and safeguard U.S. interests. 
    In that letter, Wyden again cited the Fallon Smart Policy as well as the role of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud and Saudi government officials in the brutal slaying of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi along with the surveillance, detention, torture and killing of dissidents, journalists, women’s rights activists and foreign laborers.
    “I understand that you are planning a visit to Saudi Arabia, and I urge you to seek accountability for Saudi abuses against our country, including its punitive economic actions that have undermined U.S. interests,” Wyden wrote Trump. “You must push for Saudi recognition of these actions.  You must also seek retribution for these actions and refrain from handing out favors to the Saudis until they follow through with meaningful reform.” 
    The entire letter to Trump is here. The entire letter to Rubio is here.
    Related Files

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 05/2/2025 Blackburn Introduces Bills to Combat Juvenile Crime and Crack Down on Carjacking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Advancing Frequent and Tailored Education to Rebuild Safe Communities and Help Orchestrate Opportunities and Learning (AFTER SCHOOL) Act and the Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act to reduce juvenile crime and crack down on carjacking by removing barriers to bringing federal prosecutions:

    “We need to make it easier for law enforcement, local school districts, and federal prosecutors to combat and prevent juvenile crime, violent offenses, and carjackings,” said Senator Blackburn. “My AFTER SCHOOL Act would give localities direct access to the tools they need to keep kids off the streets and on the right path. At the same time, the Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act would fix a broken statute, empowering federal prosecutors to hold offenders accountable and make our streets safer for Tennesseans and all Americans.”

    The AFTER SCHOOL Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).

    AFTER SCHOOL ACT

    • Violent crime among juveniles has been on the rise after decades of decline.
      • Much of the crime committed in Memphis is driven by juvenile offenders, who are committing more and more aggravated assaults, robberies, and carjackings against innocent city residents;
      • In 2023 Shelby County saw a staggering 4,546 juvenile charges, up 37% from 2021;
      • Nashville has experienced a similar rise in juvenile crimes;
      • The number of juveniles arrested in D.C. has gone up each year since 2020, with more than 2,000 arrested in 2023 and 2024.
    • The gap of time after school and before their parents get home is prime time for violent behavior among youth, and the four hours following the end of the school day (around 2:00 to 6:00 PM) is typically the peak of violent crime.
    • The AFTER SCHOOL Act would establish a grant program administered through the U.S. Department of Justice for localities to receive funds to establish, maintain, and strengthen after school programs proven to reduce juvenile crime and recidivism.
    • School districts can apply for grant funds if their county’s juvenile offense rate exceeds 10% of total violent offenses.
    • The Memphis City Council previously passed a resolution in support of the AFTER SCHOOL Act.

    Click here for a list of Tennessee officials and advocates who have previously endorsed the AFTER SCHOOL Act.

    Click here for bill text.

    FEDERAL CARJACKING ENFORCEMENT ACT

    • Last year, Tennessee was ranked among the top ten states for motor vehicle thefts, and Tennessee saw a nearly 200% increase in auto theft crime by juveniles in 2023.
    • The current federal carjacking statute requires prosecutors to prove defendants had an “intent to cause death or bodily harm,” which has made it harder to bring federal carjacking prosecutions and accounts for the decrease in federal carjacking prosecutions in certain parts of the country.
    • The Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act would fix this drafting error by requiring prosecutors only have to prove the knowing taking of a motor vehicle.
    • In cases in which death results following a carjacking, the bill would maintain the higher “intent to cause death or bodily harm” requirement.

    The Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act is endorsed by the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.

    “NDAA is proud to announce its support of the Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act. Carjacking is a violent crime that endangers lives, destabilizes communities, and threatens public safety. This legislation sends a clear message that such acts of violence will not be tolerated, while improving the current legal framework to protect victims and communities,” said Nelson Bunn, Executive Director of National District Attorneys Association.

    “The Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) appreciates Senator Blackburn’s leadership in advancing this important legislation, which will empower law enforcement to more effectively combat carjackings, ensuring offenders are held accountable, and justice is served. We stand ready to support all efforts to move the bill forward,” said Megan Noland, MCSA Executive Director.

    “According to the Council on Criminal Justice, carjacking rates in 10 major U.S. cities increased 93% from 2019 to 2023. This substantial surge in carjackings poses a serious risk to public safety and we must ensure the perpetrators of this violent crime face justice. We stand with Senator Blackburn in support of this important change to the federal carjacking statute and thank her for her dedication to protecting public safety,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations.

    “Tennessee District Attorneys appreciate Senator Blackburn’s commitment to public safety, support for prosecutors and law enforcement, and her meaningful legislative leadership and efforts to reduce violent crime.  We are happy to partner with her to endorse and fully support this legislation that will protect Tennesseans,” said Stephen D. Crump, Executive Director, Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.

    Click here for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dayton Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Analogue Distribution

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

    COVINGTON, Ky. – A Dayton, Ohio, man, Julius Cole, 39, was sentenced on Friday to 132 months in prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for aiding and abetting the intended distribution of 100 grams or more of a mixture containing a fentanyl analogue. 

    According to Cole’s plea agreement, on January 2, 2024, law enforcement used a confidential informant to arrange a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Earnest Bryson, who agreed to sell a kilogram of fentanyl to the informant. On January 3, 2024, Cole, Bryson, and co-defendant Gerald Young traveled from Dayton, Ohio  to Fort Wright, Ky, to deliver the drugs to the informant. Soon after they arrived, law enforcement parked behind their vehicle and forcibly removed them from the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed that an attempt was made to destroy the drugs by mixing them with Coca-Cola. Some of the mixture was tested, however, and found to contain fentanyl as well as fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue.  Further investigation revealed that Germel Hughes, Cole’s second co-defendant, supplied the drugs to Bryson on the condition that Cole travel with Bryson to Kentucky to assist in the drug distribution. Hughes gave instructions to destroy the drugs with soda if they were stopped by law enforcement. Cole admitted that Bryson possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute it and that he assisted Bryson in doing the same

    Young and Hughes have both pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and are scheduled to be sentenced on June 5 and July 16, respectively.

    Under federal law, Cole must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.  

    Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

    The investigation was conducted by ATF and KSP.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Winslow is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

    – END –

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: District of Arizona Charges 287 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct in Arizona this Week

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

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from April 26, 2025, through May 5, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 287 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 107 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 156 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 21 cases against 24 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

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

    Recent matters of interest include:

    United States v. Krystal Lopez: On April 29, 2025, BPAs ran a registration check on a vehicle which showed a positive history of alien smuggling. The vehicle pulled into a gas station. The driver exited the vehicle and entered the store. BPAs approached the vehicle and saw a person hiding in the back seat underneath a blanket. A search of the vehicle revealed two additional people in the trunk. All three people were determined to be citizens of Mexico illegally present in the United States. The driver, Krystal Lopez, had been arrested one month prior for alien smuggling and was released pending trial in that case. She was charged by complaint in this case and ordered detained pending trial.  [Lopez CR-25-02060 and MJ-25-07625]

    United States v. Gloria Lopez Corona: On April 29, 2025, Gloria Lopez Corona crossed into the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry attempting to smuggle a five-year-old child. Corona presented a birth certificate for a two-year-old, which was inconsistent with the child she was presenting for entry. After being referred to secondary, she admitted to smuggling the child. The child had been given melatonin gummies and was sleepy and disoriented. Agents were able to find the child’s mother, Reyna Cecilia Hernandez Reyes, a Mexican citizen. Reyes admitted to giving her child to an unknown female to be smuggled into the United States.  Both women were charged. [Lopez Corona et al 25-01540MJ]

    United States v. Carlos Murillo: On April 30, 2025, Carlos Murillo, a Naturalized United States Citizen, was encountered by Border Patrol after transporting Marcelino Garcia-Alejo, an illegal alien. Murillo had been recruited to smuggle aliens via Facebook. He admitted to previously smuggling aliens, and believed he would be paid $700.00 for smuggling Garcia-Alejo. [Murillo 25-01544MJ]

    Criminal complaints and indictments are simply methods 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.

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

    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-071_May 2 Immigration Enforcement

    # # #

    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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Emergency Preparedness Week Recognized in Saskatchewan; SaskAlert Test Scheduled for May 7

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on May 5, 2025

    The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed May 4-10, 2025, as Emergency Preparedness Week in the province. 

    The theme for 2025 is “Be prepared. Know your risks,” which encourages everyone to understand the risks in their area and to learn what actions to take to protect themselves and their households.

    “Emergency Preparedness Week is the perfect time to create an emergency plan and 72-hour emergency kit for your home and vehicle,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said. “By taking these proactive steps, you will be prepared for any type of emergency and help to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones.”

    The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) reminds residents to be ready for anything. It is important to consider all emergencies and scenarios when preparing for an emergency. Knowing what to do and how to prepare for different situations is a crucial step in being ready to face any emergency.

    During Emergency Preparedness Week, SPSA will post resources and templates on its Facebook account, and additional resources can be found on its website. 

    SaskAlert testing on May 7

    A test of the provincial emergency alert system, SaskAlert, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 1:55 p.m. 

    The test alert will appear on television, radio, compatible wireless devices and through the SaskAlert app. 

    Testing is a standard part of the emergency management process to help ensure that, in times of an emergency or disaster, urgent and public safety warnings can be distributed to the public. 

    Emergency Preparedness week is a national event that traditionally takes place during the first full week of May. To learn more about emergency preparedness at home, visit: https://www.saskpublicsafety.ca/at-home/emergency-preparedness-at-home.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced to 444 Months for Firing on Law Enforcement

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A Forsyth County, North Carolina, man was sentenced yesterday in Greensboro to a total of 37 years in prison after pleading guilty to felon in possession of a firearm, assault on a federal officer by use of a deadly and dangerous weapon, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, announced Acting United States Attorney Randall S. Galyon of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).   

    TYREE RAY LONG, age 28, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment for the felon in possession of a firearm plus 3 years of post-release supervision by the Honorable William L. Osteen, Jr., United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. LONG was sentenced to 204 months to run consecutive to that sentence for the assault on a federal officer plus 3 years of post-release supervision. LONG was also sentenced to 120 months to run consecutive to the other two sentences for discharging a firearm during and in relation to the assault on law enforcement plus 5 years of post-release supervision to run concurrent to the other post-release supervision.

    According to court records, on the evening of April 21, 2022, officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) were called to a domestic disturbance with a report of shots fired. A woman reported that her boyfriend, TYREE RAY LONG, shot at her and her daughter as they tried to drive away from their residence after an argument.  LONG hit the car four times, but no one was injured.

    Officers investigated the shooting and obtained arrest warrants for LONG. On April 26, 2022, members of the US Marshal’s Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force (FTF) received information that LONG was at a hotel on Northpoint Boulevard in Winston-Salem. Members of the USMS FTF and local law enforcement officers from WSPD and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office responded to the parking lot of the hotel. LONG was identified in the driver’s seat of a Ford Fusion which was backed into a parking space. At least seven law enforcement vehicles entered the parking lot and were positioned to block LONG’s exit. Agents and officers then exited their vehicles and began giving commands to LONG to show his hands. Instead, LONG dropped his hands to the gear shifter.

    LONG began to drive forward and wedged the Fusion between two law enforcement vehicles that had been blocking him in. He hit at least two cars, one of which was occupied by a United States Marshal.  LONG then sped out of the parking lot and was pursued by officers. LONG entered University Parkway Southbound and led agents and officers on a three-mile car chase through both business and residential areas, including off-campus student housing for Wake Forest University. At times during the chase, Long was driving in the opposing lane of travel.  A USMS Agent was operating the lead car in pursuit when LONG began shooting at officers out the window of his car while in the 2800 block of University Parkway.  LONG fired at officers approximately ten times.

    Shortly thereafter, LONG crashed his car into a line of traffic waiting at the stoplight at University Parkway and 25th Street, which caused a chain reaction of collisions. LONG abandoned the vehicle and ran on foot toward the CVS at that intersection. When LONG exited his car, an agent observed a handgun in LONG’s hand.

    LONG hopped the fence behind the CVS and then leveled the gun and fired one round at a pursuing WSPD officer before fleeing toward a detached garage behind a house.  He was detained shortly afterwards by pursuing officers.

    LONG pleaded guilty on August 5, 2025, to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2); to one count of Assault on a Federal Officer by Use of a Deadly and Dangerous Weapon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1), 18 U.S.C. § 111(b); and to one count of Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(iii).

    The case was investigated by the Winston-Salem Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the United States Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force, with assistance from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Martin and Assistant United States Attorney Nicole R. DuPré.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

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    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

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    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c286fbd-90dc-486b-8052-bee9fbbd98fb

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Two Residents Killed in Ukrainian Drone Attack on Car in Russia’s Kursk Region – Acting Governor

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Moscow, May 5 (Xinhua) — A Ukrainian FPV drone attacked a car in Russia’s Kursk region, killing two people, acting regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said on his Telegram channel on Monday.

    The attack took place near the village of Shchegolek in the Belovsky district on a car with 5 people in it. Two women were killed. One man and two women were injured.

    In addition, as reported by A. Khinshtein, in the village of Zvannoye, Glushkovsky District, Kursk Region, a driver was killed when an explosive device was dropped on a civilian vehicle. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Heelstone Renewable Energy, a Qualitas Energy company, acquires renewable development portfolio from Valor Infrastructure Partners (“VIP”) and appoints new CEO

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • The transaction includes the acquisition of VIP’s portfolio of greenfield solar and onshore wind projects located in the Southwest and Western regions of the United States
    • Mike Weich, former CEO of VIP, will assume the role of CEO at Heelstone Renewable Energy (“Heelstone”)
    • This acquisition represents another milestone in Heelstone’s strategic expansion into a fully integrated renewable energy independent power producer (IPP)

    DURHAM, N.C., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Heelstone Renewable Energy (“Heelstone”), a premier U.S. utility-scale renewable energy platform, has acquired the wind and solar development assets and the team of Valor Infrastructure Partners (“VIP”), a renewable energy company based in Palm Beach, Florida. This transaction marks Heelstone’s first acquisition since its purchase in May 2024 by Qualitas Energy, a leading global investment and management platform with a dual focus on both funding and developing renewable energy, energy transition, and sustainable infrastructure.

    The acquired portfolio of development-stage projects includes a number of early-stage onshore wind projects in the Western region of the country, as well as an advanced-stage solar PV project in Texas, which has an expected installed capacity of 190 MWp and a targeted commercial operation date (COD) between 2027 and 2028, subject to development progress.

    As part of the transaction, eleven experienced professionals from VIP will join Heelstone’s team, bringing deep expertise across onshore renewables—including solar, wind, and battery storage. Among them are Mike Weich, former CEO of VIP, who will assume the role of CEO at Heelstone, and Daryl Hart, former Chief Development Officer of VIP, who will take on same role at Heelstone.

    Heelstone, headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, now comprises around 60 professionals whose capabilities span the full lifecycle of renewable energy projects. The team brings a robust understanding of the U.S. market landscape, backed by extensive experience in project execution.

    With a portfolio of over 5 GW and a track record that has been built over more than a decade, Heelstone continues to grow as a premier renewable energy development platform. Under the ownership of Qualitas Energy, the company is evolving into a fully integrated IPP and reinforcing its intention to become a market leader in developing, de-risking, and executing renewable energy projects. This acquisition marks a significant step forward in that objective, as it will expand the company’s capabilities, technology focus, and geographic reach.

    Alejandro Ciruelos, Partner and Country Head USA at Qualitas Energy said: “Heelstone’s resilient business model and solid fundamentals provide a strong foundation for long-term growth. The integration of VIP’s team and select assets enhances our platform, combining best-in-class capabilities with a maturing project pipeline. With this strengthened position, Heelstone is ready to capitalise on strategic opportunities—both organically and through acquisitions—at a pivotal moment for the renewable energy industry, where high-quality execution is key to success.”

    Mike Weich, CEO at Heelstone Renewable Energy, added: “I’m honored to lead Heelstone at such an exciting time for the company. With the support of Qualitas Energy and the addition of the VIP team, we’re well-equipped to expand our footprint and accelerate the delivery of high-quality renewable energy projects. Together, we’re building a stronger, more agile platform ready to meet the growing demand for clean energy across the U.S.”

    About Heelstone Renewable Energy
    Heelstone Renewable Energy, LLC (Heelstone) is a leading solar and storage independent power producer with expertise in development, construction, and operation. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Heelstone has extensive knowledge of project finance and a proven track record from over a decade in bringing utility-scale solar projects to fruition. Heelstone continues to add to its development pipeline and operating portfolio as it expands its presence in markets across the United States. For more information, visit www.heelstoneenergy.com.

    About Qualitas Energy
    Qualitas Energy is a leading global investment and management platform with a dual focus on both funding and developing renewable energy, energy transition, and sustainable infrastructure.

    Since 2006, the Qualitas Energy team has managed investments of over €14 billion in renewable energies worldwide. These investments have been deployed through five vehicles: Fotowatio / FRV, Vela Energy, Qualitas Energy III, Qualitas Energy IV, and Qualitas Energy V.

    Qualitas Energy’s existing portfolio currently comprises over 11 GW of operating and development energy assets across Spain, Germany, the UK, Italy, Poland, Chile, and the United States. This includes 7 GWp of solar PV, 4 GW of wind energy, 242 MW of concentrated solar power (CSP), 136 MW of battery storage, 66 MW of hydroelectric power, and 1.9 TWh of biomethane.

    Qualitas Energy has produced enough energy to supply 1.2 million homes and has successfully avoided the emission of 1 million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent since 2022.

    The Qualitas Energy team is composed of more than 540 professionals across fifteen offices in Madrid, Berlin, London, Milan, Hamburg, Wiesbaden, Trier, Cologne, Stuttgart, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Santiago, Durham, Bristol, and Edinburgh.

    Please visit qualitasenergy.com for further information.

    Media contacts
    Henar Hernández
    Global Head of Communications
    henar.hernandez@qenergy.com
    +34 697 11 68 72

    Headland qualitas@headlandconsultancy.com +44 7435 546304 | +44 7311 369929

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b408bdd9-6bd6-41fb-8e09-4615cffe2648

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: City police in South Africa’s capital have a bad image – how to fix it

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Azwihangwisi Judith Mphidi, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Tshwane University of Technology

    Corruption in South Africa’s public institutions has been a pressing issue for the past two decades. From national government offices to local municipalities, stories of officials enriching themselves at the expense of the public have become all too familiar.

    The Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department – responsible for traffic policing, crime prevention, and by-law enforcement in South Africa’s capital city – has not escaped this crisis.

    With over four million residents spread across 6,298 square kilometres, Tshwane plays a vital role in the country’s political and economic landscape. Yet its municipal police department, one of the largest in South Africa, with an average of 4,000 operational staff, is increasingly associated with allegations of bribery, abuse of power and unethical behaviour.

    I am a postdoctoral researcher with a focus on criminal justice, and an active social justice advocate. In a recent research paper, I explored how corruption in the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department is damaging public trust and compromising law enforcement and crime prevention.

    I was able to observe the culture and environment of the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department as a motorist and as an employee under the city’s Community and Social Development Department.

    My research drew on texts and context rather than analysis of numbers, since the study was written after I left the City of Tshwane. I relied on my first hand experience, and already published and documented evidence. I did not need special permissions to do this but cited sources consulted.

    The study found that motorists view the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department as predators rather than protectors. Corruption in the traffic police is more than a betrayal of public trust. When officers take bribes instead of enforcing traffic laws, road safety suffers.

    Inside the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department

    In recent years, the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department has been accused of recruiting members with criminal records and cases of corruption.

    My key findings were about:

    Hiring practices: Individuals with criminal records have been recruited into the department. Vetting is conducted, but the reports come later when they are already employed, then they are expelled.

    Bribery: Motorists frequently report officers soliciting bribes during routine traffic stops or other bribery related incidences. Some of these reports are made to the mayoral committee member for community safety.

    Lack of accountability: Officers implicated in corruption are not always dismissed, or may face minimal consequences.

    Public complaints: Over 200 officers have been under investigation for various misconduct allegations in recent years.

    Political interference and leadership instability

    In the course of the research, I found that another key factor undermining the effectiveness of the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department is political interference in operational matters and leadership appointments as a result of the structure of the municipalities across the country. All mayoral committee executives and council members are politicians.

    Frequent reshuffling of senior leaders based on politics rather than merit weakens strategic direction and fosters corruption. Politically connected individuals often secure positions without proper vetting, either due to delays in completing reports or human resources not waiting for the report before proceeding with appointments.

    The combination of weak vetting processes, inadequate oversight, and political interference has created an environment where corruption is not only possible but, in some cases, normalised.

    Damage to the capital city’s global reputation and tourism

    The corruption within the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department not only affects local residents but also tarnishes Pretoria’s reputation as South Africa’s administrative capital, home to embassies from around the world.

    As the city hosts more than 130 foreign diplomatic missions — the second-largest concentration of embassies in the world after Washington DC — the behaviour of municipal police officers directly influences the capital city’s global image.

    When officers solicit bribes or abuse their power during routine traffic stops, they might not distinguish between local residents, foreign diplomats or tourists. This indiscriminate targeting is likely to create an unsafe environment for international visitors and damage the trust of foreign nations engaging with South Africa.

    What needs to be done

    Addressing corruption in the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department will require urgent reforms. Based on the research, I argue that the following actions are essential:

    Stricter recruitment processes: Background checks should be mandatory for all officers. Individuals found to have criminal records should be disqualified from serving.

    Body cameras and digital monitoring: Equipping officers with body cameras would provide an objective record of interactions with the public.

    Independent oversight: An external body should be established to investigate complaints and ensure accountability. Currently, municipal policing is governed by the South African Police Service Act 68 of 1995, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigates some complaints. But it appears to have limited resources.

    Ethics training: All officers should get regular training to reinforce the importance of integrity and professionalism. They are currently trained at the Police Academy and get support from academic institutions, including the University of Pretoria.

    Community engagement: Building partnerships between the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department and the communities it serves can help restore trust and improve transparency.

    Municipal policing law

    Restoring public confidence requires more than piecemeal reforms — it demands a new legal framework.

    A South African Municipal Policing Act could create a unified standard for municipal policing across the country, addressing many of the root causes of corruption. This legislation could introduce:

    National municipal police officers register: A centralised database that records applications, criminal background checks, disciplinary history, and performance assessments of all municipal officers.

    Uniform ethical standards: Clear ethical guidelines that apply to all municipal police officers, regardless of location.

    Independent oversight: An investigative body focused solely on municipal policing.

    Mandatory pre-vetting process: All applicants would undergo fingerprint-based criminal record checks.

    Cross-municipal blacklisting: Officers dismissed or suspended from one municipality would be automatically barred from working in another.

    Digital recording systems: All municipal police vehicles and personnel would be equipped with body cameras and GPS tracking systems to improve accountability.

    A framework like this would close loopholes that allow corrupt officers to move between municipalities undetected. It would also prevent the recycling of officers with criminal records.

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

    – ref. City police in South Africa’s capital have a bad image – how to fix it – https://theconversation.com/city-police-in-south-africas-capital-have-a-bad-image-how-to-fix-it-251505

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: City police in South Africa’s capital have a bad image – how to fix it

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Azwihangwisi Judith Mphidi, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Tshwane University of Technology

    Corruption in South Africa’s public institutions has been a pressing issue for the past two decades. From national government offices to local municipalities, stories of officials enriching themselves at the expense of the public have become all too familiar.

    The Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department – responsible for traffic policing, crime prevention, and by-law enforcement in South Africa’s capital city – has not escaped this crisis.

    With over four million residents spread across 6,298 square kilometres, Tshwane plays a vital role in the country’s political and economic landscape. Yet its municipal police department, one of the largest in South Africa, with an average of 4,000 operational staff, is increasingly associated with allegations of bribery, abuse of power and unethical behaviour.

    I am a postdoctoral researcher with a focus on criminal justice, and an active social justice advocate. In a recent research paper, I explored how corruption in the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department is damaging public trust and compromising law enforcement and crime prevention.

    I was able to observe the culture and environment of the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department as a motorist and as an employee under the city’s Community and Social Development Department.

    My research drew on texts and context rather than analysis of numbers, since the study was written after I left the City of Tshwane. I relied on my first hand experience, and already published and documented evidence. I did not need special permissions to do this but cited sources consulted.

    The study found that motorists view the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department as predators rather than protectors. Corruption in the traffic police is more than a betrayal of public trust. When officers take bribes instead of enforcing traffic laws, road safety suffers.

    Inside the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department

    In recent years, the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department has been accused of recruiting members with criminal records and cases of corruption.

    My key findings were about:

    Hiring practices: Individuals with criminal records have been recruited into the department. Vetting is conducted, but the reports come later when they are already employed, then they are expelled.

    Bribery: Motorists frequently report officers soliciting bribes during routine traffic stops or other bribery related incidences. Some of these reports are made to the mayoral committee member for community safety.

    Lack of accountability: Officers implicated in corruption are not always dismissed, or may face minimal consequences.

    Public complaints: Over 200 officers have been under investigation for various misconduct allegations in recent years.

    Political interference and leadership instability

    In the course of the research, I found that another key factor undermining the effectiveness of the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department is political interference in operational matters and leadership appointments as a result of the structure of the municipalities across the country. All mayoral committee executives and council members are politicians.

    Frequent reshuffling of senior leaders based on politics rather than merit weakens strategic direction and fosters corruption. Politically connected individuals often secure positions without proper vetting, either due to delays in completing reports or human resources not waiting for the report before proceeding with appointments.

    The combination of weak vetting processes, inadequate oversight, and political interference has created an environment where corruption is not only possible but, in some cases, normalised.

    Damage to the capital city’s global reputation and tourism

    The corruption within the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department not only affects local residents but also tarnishes Pretoria’s reputation as South Africa’s administrative capital, home to embassies from around the world.

    As the city hosts more than 130 foreign diplomatic missions — the second-largest concentration of embassies in the world after Washington DC — the behaviour of municipal police officers directly influences the capital city’s global image.

    When officers solicit bribes or abuse their power during routine traffic stops, they might not distinguish between local residents, foreign diplomats or tourists. This indiscriminate targeting is likely to create an unsafe environment for international visitors and damage the trust of foreign nations engaging with South Africa.

    What needs to be done

    Addressing corruption in the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department will require urgent reforms. Based on the research, I argue that the following actions are essential:

    Stricter recruitment processes: Background checks should be mandatory for all officers. Individuals found to have criminal records should be disqualified from serving.

    Body cameras and digital monitoring: Equipping officers with body cameras would provide an objective record of interactions with the public.

    Independent oversight: An external body should be established to investigate complaints and ensure accountability. Currently, municipal policing is governed by the South African Police Service Act 68 of 1995, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigates some complaints. But it appears to have limited resources.

    Ethics training: All officers should get regular training to reinforce the importance of integrity and professionalism. They are currently trained at the Police Academy and get support from academic institutions, including the University of Pretoria.

    Community engagement: Building partnerships between the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department and the communities it serves can help restore trust and improve transparency.

    Municipal policing law

    Restoring public confidence requires more than piecemeal reforms — it demands a new legal framework.

    A South African Municipal Policing Act could create a unified standard for municipal policing across the country, addressing many of the root causes of corruption. This legislation could introduce:

    National municipal police officers register: A centralised database that records applications, criminal background checks, disciplinary history, and performance assessments of all municipal officers.

    Uniform ethical standards: Clear ethical guidelines that apply to all municipal police officers, regardless of location.

    Independent oversight: An investigative body focused solely on municipal policing.

    Mandatory pre-vetting process: All applicants would undergo fingerprint-based criminal record checks.

    Cross-municipal blacklisting: Officers dismissed or suspended from one municipality would be automatically barred from working in another.

    Digital recording systems: All municipal police vehicles and personnel would be equipped with body cameras and GPS tracking systems to improve accountability.

    A framework like this would close loopholes that allow corrupt officers to move between municipalities undetected. It would also prevent the recycling of officers with criminal records.

    – City police in South Africa’s capital have a bad image – how to fix it
    – https://theconversation.com/city-police-in-south-africas-capital-have-a-bad-image-how-to-fix-it-251505

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: SMX and DZYNE Technologies Partner to Revolutionize Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Operations with SMX Elevate ISR℠

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TAMPA, Fla., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SMX®, a leader in digital innovation and mission solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with DZYNE Technologies to advance the future of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Together, the two organizations are redefining ISR capabilities through the integration of SMX’s Elevate ISR platform and DZYNE’s cutting-edge autonomous systems.

    This collaboration represents a bold leap forward in ISR operations, combining AI-driven analytics, autonomous unmanned platforms, and dynamic data integration to provide persistent, scalable, and adaptive intelligence solutions. The partnership empowers military, homeland security, and humanitarian operations to act decisively in complex and contested environments.

    “By pairing Elevate ISR with DZYNE’s autonomous technologies, we are enhancing the entire intelligence cycle—from tasking to dissemination,” said Dana Dewey, SMX President of Global Defense. “This partnership accelerates decision-makers’ ability to act with unprecedented speed, precision, and foresight.”

    Together, SMX and DZYNE are delivering enhanced situational awareness through the fusion of autonomous sensing and real-time analytics, while enabling ISR systems to dynamically adapt to evolving conditions using commercial and publicly available data. The combined solution is highly scalable, supporting both wide-area surveillance such as border security, and more localized applications like environmental monitoring. The modular, best-of-breed approach future-proofs ISR capabilities, ensuring they remain agile and relevant in the face of rapidly changing mission demands. Moreover, the partnership enables persistent surveillance even in contested, denied, or degraded environments, providing continuous coverage where traditional systems are challenged.

    Matt McCue, CEO of DZYNE, noted “This collaboration enables scalable, adaptive ISR solutions for wide-area surveillance needs across a variety of domains. We are excited to partner with SMX to integrate Elevate ISR across our LEAP and ULTRA autonomous flight vehicles and look forward to delivering unmatched value for our customers.”

    As global challenges outpace traditional ISR capacity, SMX and DZYNE’s combined approach ensures stakeholders are equipped with the intelligence infrastructure needed for today’s missions and to combat tomorrow’s threats. To learn more about Elevate ISR or explore how SMX and DZYNE can support your mission, please visit SMX | SMX Elevate ISR.

    About SMX
    SMX is an industry leader providing digital solutions for mission-oriented clients, operating in close proximity to a vast set of clients across the United States and around the globe. SMX delivers scalable and secure solutions combined with the mission expertise needed to accelerate outcomes for the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, Public Sector, Fortune 1000, and other public and private sector clients. For more information on our solutions, please visit https://www.smxtech.com/. 

    About DZYNE
    DZYNE is a leading technology developer and manufacturer of airborne and ground-based autonomous defense solutions purpose-built to meet modern defense needs around the globe. The company’s solutions encompass the entire autonomous defense lifecycle and include multiple U.S. Government Programs of Record across UAS and C-UAS technologies. DZYNE is proud to support U.S. and allied military and civil defense partners worldwide. For more information, visit www.dzyne.com.

    For inquiries about this press release, please contact us at communications@smxtech.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Justice Bid Secures Strategic Investment From OnDean Forward’s Legal Technology Fund

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    $4 Million Backing Accelerates Justice Bid’s Ability to Fill Market Gap
    For Enterprises – Ensure Transparency And ROI Clarity for Outside Counsel Selection

    CHICAGO, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Justice Bid, the leading solution provider that delivers transparency and ROI in outside counsel selection by automating the RFP process, announced it has secured a strategic investment of $4 million from OnDean Forward, a new legal technology investment vehicle backed by Andrew Sieja and former executives from Relativity.

    Despite being a relatively new company, Justice Bid has dozens of Fortune 1000 legal departments using its product to bring efficiency and transparency to outside counsel selection. Justice Bid streamlines the panel management and RFP process for corporate legal departments, leveraging advanced technology, including AI, to enhance decision making with greater speed, transparency, and insight. Instead of being in the dark on law firms’ proposed strategies, teams, and pricing, customers compare bids and see real-time pricing movement. In-house legal teams can optimize matter outcomes and generate as much as 30 percent cost savings.

    “We shift control to in-house legal teams, enabling them to make smarter, faster, and cost-efficient decisions on law firm selection,” Justice Bid CEO Omar Sweiss said. “Justice Bid resets the standard for fiscally responsible outside counsel selection, making law firms and enterprises accountable to each other for driving legal outcomes that matter materially to a business. We take great pride in how we support our customers. This investment from OnDean Forward represents a great validation of our market opportunity and value to customers.”

    Justice Bid is one of OnDean Forward’s core investments. The company will benefit from go-to-market and technology expertise of OnDean Forward, which includes former Relativity executives Marcin Wojtczak and Nick Robertson who have decades of experience in the legal space.

    “We’ve been selective in what companies we work with,” Sieja said. “It’s pretty simple. We like companies that have great technology and a leadership team that understands what it means to deliver outstanding customer service to the legal market. We were excited about Justice Bid from our first meeting and demo. They are solving a problem that has long frustrated in-house legal teams.”

    Greg Bennett, Director of Global Legal Services, AI and Technology, at Workday, agreed with Sieja’s sentiment about Justice Bid resolving nagging problems for corporate legal departments.

    “At Workday, our legal teams must move with speed, intelligence, and accountability to drive meaningful ROI for the business,” Bennett said. “That starts with full transparency into the value of our outside counsel — from selection through performance. Justice Bid has become a critical partner in that effort. Their platform brings much-needed structure, data, efficiency, and innovation to a process that’s long overdue for transformation. It’s helping set a new industry standard for how law firm relationships are built and managed.”

    This week Justice Bid is exhibiting at the CLOC event in Las Vegas. For more information, stop by Booth 12 or visit www.justicebid.com

    About Justice Bid
    Justice Bid, headquartered in Chicago, is a minority-owned analytics and RFP/e-auction company that increases the transparency, value, and impact of outside counsel selection. Corporate legal departments rely on Justice Bid for all types of outside counsel selection scenarios – panel refreshes, AFAs (e.g., time-based, fixed-fees, etc.), consolidations, rate reviews, matter-level RFPs, etc. Justice Bid’s platform is powered by data-driven insights that bring the selection of outside counsel into the fold of procurement best-practices, thereby ensuring corporate legal departments obtain better matter outcomes, control costs, and simplify processes.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard, federal partners conduct Multi-Agency Strike Force Operation at San Juan port facility

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    05/05/2025 09:00 AM EDT

    U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan and federal partner agencies conducted a Multi-Agency Strike Force Operation (MASFO) at one of the cargo container terminals within the Bay of San Juan, Friday. The effort included the thorough inspection of approximately 105 containers, 40 vehicles and 30 Transportation Worker Identification Credential verifications in the San Juan Port area which yielded negative results for security violations, however, three containers were temporarily detained due to preexisting damage and improper blocking and bracing of the cargo. “This MASFO is part of the Coast Guard’s strategic efforts to ensure the safety and security of containerized cargo shipments within our marine transportation system and is essential to ensure the safe flow of commerce between the continental United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other countries in the Caribbean Sea,” said Lt. Cmdr. Carlos Ortega-Pérez, Coast Guard Sector San Juan waterways management division chief. “Our joint agency operations team checked container contents for any undeclared hazardous goods or anomalies which may pose a risk to personnel, port safety, or the environment.” 

    For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 5.7 magnitude earthquake hits off coast of Taiwan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Xinhua | 05. 05. 2025

    Keywords: Taiwan, earthquake magnitude, coast of Taiwan, occurred, center, degrees north latitude, degrees east longitude, Beijing time, earthquake source, point, reported, networks, Monday, coordinates, kilometers, lay

    BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 jolted offshore Hualien County, Taiwan Island at 18:53 Beijing time on Monday, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said.

    According to CENC, the epicenter of the tremors was located at 23.87 degrees north latitude and 121.94 degrees east longitude. The earthquake’s source was located at a depth of 15 kilometers. -0-

    Source: Xinhua

    A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Taiwan A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Taiwan

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Teacher in New York City Charged with Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

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

    Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) announced today the arrest of SAMUEL GONZALEZ, a former teacher at an acting school in New York City.  GONZALEZ is charged with distributing and possessing child pornography, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.  GONZALEZ will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses.

    U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Samuel Gonzalez distributed a large volume of child pornography, including images of sexual abuse of children as young as a few months old.  The lasting scars from the horrific abuse of children are deeply troubling to all New Yorkers.  Together with our partners, we will relentlessly pursue those who victimize children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Samuel Gonzalez allegedly distributed thousands of pornographic images of infants and minors to an undercover federal agent over a brief period.  Gonzalez’s alleged actions grossly disregarded the victims’ welfare and repeatedly violated their privacy by sharing this twisted material.  The FBI is deeply committed to preventing crimes against children and will continue to apprehend any individual who supplies these explicit images.”   

    According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]

    GONZALEZ is an actor, dancer, theater producer, and former teacher at an acting school in New York City.  In or about January 2023 and April 2023, GONZALEZ used an online messaging application to send links containing over 1,500 files of child pornography to a federal law enforcement agent acting in an undercover capacity.   In addition, in or about June 2023, federal agents executed a judicially-authorized search warrant of GONZALEZ’s apartment.  Pursuant to that warrant, federal agents seized and searched GONZALEZ’s phone and laptop, which were found to contain over 80 unique files of child pornography, including videos and images of infants and prepubescent adolescents who had not attained 12 years of age.

    *                *                *   

    GONZALEZ, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  GONZALEZ is further charged with one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

    The statutory maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

    Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the FBI/New York City Police Department Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

    This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Cheng and Diarra M. Guthrie are in charge of the prosecution.

    The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

    [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christine Cairns Fortuin, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University

    Windy days can mean more pollen and more sneezing. mladenbalinovac/E+ via Getty Images

    Evolution has fostered many reproductive strategies across the spectrum of life. From dandelions to giraffes, nature finds a way.

    One of those ways creates quite a bit of suffering for humans: pollen, the infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.

    In the Southeastern U.S., where I live, you know it’s spring when your car has turned yellow and pollen blankets your patio furniture and anything else left outside. Suddenly there are long lines at every car wash in town.

    On heavy pollen days, cars can end up covered in yellow grains.
    Scott Akerman/Flickr, CC BY

    Even people who aren’t allergic to pollen – clearly an advantage for a pollination ecologist like me – can experience sneezing and watery eyes during the release of tree pollen each spring. Enough particulate matter in the air will irritate just about anyone, even if your immune system does not launch an all-out attack.

    So, why is there so much pollen? And why does it seem to be getting worse?

    2 ways trees spread their pollen

    Trees don’t have an easy time in the reproductive game. As a tree, you have two options to disperse your pollen.

    Option 1: Employ an agent, such as a butterfly or bee, that can carry your pollen to another plant of the same species.

    The downside of this option is that you must invest in a showy flower display and a sweet scent to advertise yourself, and sugary nectar to pay your agent for its services.

    A bee enjoys pollen from a cherry blossom. Pollen is a primary source of protein for bees.
    Ivan Radic/Flickr, CC BY

    Option 2, the budget option, is much less precise: Get a free ride on the wind.

    Wind was the original pollinator, evolving long before animal-mediated pollination. Wind doesn’t require a showy flower nor a nectar reward. What it does require for pollination to succeed is ample amounts of lightweight, small-diameter pollen.

    Why wind-blown pollen makes allergies worse

    Wind is not an efficient pollinator, however. The probability of one pollen grain landing in the right location – the stigma or ovule of another plant of the same species – is infinitesimally small.

    Therefore, wind-pollinated trees must compensate for this inefficiency by producing copious amounts of pollen, and it must be light enough to be carried.

    For allergy sufferers, that can mean air filled with microscopic pollen grains that can get into your eyes, throat and lungs, sneak in through window screens and convince your immune system that you’ve inhaled a dangerous intruder.

    When wind blows the tiny pollen grains of live oaks, allergy sufferers feel it.
    Charles Willgren/Flickr, CC BY

    Plants relying on animal-mediated pollination, by contrast, can produce heavier and stickier pollen to adhere to the body of an insect. So don’t blame the bees for your allergies – it’s really the wind.

    Climate change has a role here, too

    Plants initiate pollen release based on a few factors, including temperature and light cues. Many of our temperate tree species respond to cues that signal the beginning of spring, including warmer temperatures.

    Studies have found that pollen seasons have intensified in the past three decades as the climate has warmed. One study that examined 60 location across North America found pollen seasons expanded by an average of 20 days from 1990 to 2018 and pollen concentrations increased by 21%.

    That’s not all. Increasing carbon dioxide levels may also be driving increases in the quantity of tree pollen produced.

    Why the Southeast gets socked

    What could make this pollen boost even worse?

    For the Southeastern U.S. in particular, strong windstorms are becoming more common and more intense − and not just hurricanes.

    Anyone who has lived in the Southeast for the past couple of decades has likely noticed this. The region has more tornado warnings, more severe thunderstorms, more power outages. This is especially true in the mid-South, from Mississippi to Alabama.

    Severity of wind and storm events mapped from NOAA data, 2012-2019, shows high activity over Mississippi and Alabama. Red areas have the most severe events.
    Christine Cairns Fortuin

    Since wind is the vector of airborne pollen, windier conditions can also make allergies worse. Pollen remains airborne for longer on windy days, and it travels farther.

    To make matters worse, increasing storm activity may be doing more than just transporting pollen. Storms can also break apart pollen grains, creating smaller particles that can penetrate deeper into the lungs.

    Many allergy sufferers may notice worsening allergies during storms.

    The peak of spring wind and storm season tends to correspond to the timing of the release of tree pollen that blankets our world in yellow. The effects of climate change, including longer pollen seasons and more pollen released, and corresponding shifts in windy days and storm severity are helping to create the perfect pollen storm.

    Christine Cairns Fortuin receives funding from U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

    – ref. Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm – https://theconversation.com/worsening-allergies-arent-your-imagination-windy-days-create-the-perfect-pollen-storm-254645

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: KVH Industries to Host First Quarter Conference Call on May 7, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIDDLETOWN, R.I., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KVH Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI), will announce its financial results for the first quarter that ended on March 31, 2025, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. In conjunction with the release, the company will conduct its investor conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET, hosted by Mr. Brent Bruun, CEO, and Mr. Anthony Pike, CFO.

    A live broadcast of the call will be available online at investors.kvh.com. In addition, an audio replay of the conference call will be available on the website for at least two weeks. To listen to the replay, visit investors.kvh.com starting three hours following the conclusion of the call. Investors who wish to submit questions during or following the call may do so to IR@kvh.com.

    About KVH Industries, Inc.

    KVH Industries, Inc. is a global leader in maritime and mobile connectivity delivered via the KVH ONE® network. The company, founded in 1982, is based in Middletown, RI, with research, development, and manufacturing operations in Middletown, RI, and more than a dozen offices around the globe. KVH provides connectivity solutions for commercial maritime, leisure marine, military/government, and land mobile applications on vessels and vehicles, including the TracNet®, TracPhone®, and TracVision® product lines, the KVH ONE OpenNet Program for non-KVH antennas, AgilePlans® Connectivity as a Service (CaaS), and the KVH Link crew wellbeing content service.

    Contact: Chris Watson
      VP, Marketing/Communications
      KVH Industries, Inc.
      401-845-2441
      cwatson@kvh.com 

            
            

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Philly’s forgotten history as a hub of anarchism with a thriving radical Yiddish press

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Geoffrey Baym, Professor of Media Studies and Production, Temple University

    The first edition of Bread and Freedom came out on Nov. 11, 1906. From the collection of the National Library of Israel, courtesy of Broyt un Frayheyt (Bread and Freedom)

    On a late summer day in 1906, a small group of newly arrived Jewish immigrants in Philadelphia took a streetcar across town to Fairmount Park. Several miles from the cramped row houses and oppressive sweatshops of the immigrant quarter of South Philly, the neighborhood now known as Queen Village, they enjoyed a sunny picnic.

    They weren’t there to make small talk, though.

    Instead, they wanted to write “revolutionary articles” that would spark the “struggle against all that degrades and oppresses humanity,” as one of the leaders of the group, Joseph Cohen, later wrote in his 1945 memoir.

    More specifically, the picnicgoers wanted to start a newspaper. It would be titled Broyt un Frayheyt – Yiddish for Bread and Freedom – the anarchist reminder that to live the good life, one needs both.

    I’m a professor of media and politics at Temple University in Philadelphia. For the past year I’ve been tracking the life and times of my great-grandfather Max, a radical Yiddish journalist in the early years of the 20th century.

    To my surprise, I found he had lived here in Philadelphia, and his story is part of a largely forgotten moment in U.S. history: when Philly was an epicenter of the national anarchist movement, heartily supported by the city’s burgeoning Jewish immigrant community.

    Beyond the Russian pale

    By 1906, thousands of people like Max had made their way to Philadelphia from the Russian “pale” – the only part of the Russian Empire where they could legally reside. They fled economic isolation and state-sanctioned persecution in search of a more stable life.

    South Philly was better than where they had come from, but immigrant life then, as now, was by no means easy. They had escaped a legal regime of oppression and the perpetual threat of antisemitic mob violence. But in turn they found a world of dark alleys and dead ends. Their labor was exploited, their living conditions meager.

    For some, the American promise of freedom and prosperity seemed to ring hollow.

    They did, however, find one freedom they had not experienced before. They were able to speak, write and publish their ideas no matter how outlandish or against the grain.

    And they could do so in Yiddish, the vernacular of daily life but a language of exile – one that in the old world had often been outlawed in print.

    The Yiddish press in the United States was experiencing extraordinary growth at the time. In New York, Philadelphia and other cities, newspapers quickly emerged – and often disappeared – month over month.

    Jewish anarchists in America

    Max moved to Philadelphia in 1906 to work with another immigrant named Joseph Cohen. Cohen had arrived in Philadelphia three years earlier. He earned a scant living making cigars, but his real work was advocating anarchism.

    At the dawn of the 20th century, anarchism was not the nihilistic chaos the term may bring to mind today. It was a heartfelt dream of a free and egalitarian society.

    The anarchists believed that man-made hierarchies – political, economic and religious – were illegitimate and limited the full expression of humanity. They rejected the authority of the state. That particularly appealed to many Jewish immigrants, for whom laws in the old country had long served as vehicles of oppression.

    Cohen had studied this philosophy of local autonomy and communal life with the Philadelphia activist Voltairine de Cleyre.

    History may remember Emma Goldman, a Lithuanian-born New Yorker and perhaps the leading voice of American anarchism from that era. But de Cleyre was the heart and soul of Philadelphia’s anarchist scene.

    Goldman once described de Cleyre as a “poet-rebel,” a “liberty-loving artist” and “the greatest woman anarchist of America.”

    Voltairine de Cleyre in Philadelphia circa 1901.
    Wikimedia Commons

    A tireless critic of the inequities of the industrial age, de Cleyre had taught herself Yiddish to better serve as “the apostle of anarchism” in the Jewish ghetto.

    While de Cleyre could often be found speaking in front of city hall, Max, Cohen and their colleagues were more likely to gather at the corner of Fifth and South streets, the hub of Philadelphia’s Yiddish press and its culture of rambunctious street debate.

    By 1906, Cohen had co-founded the anarchist Radical Library in the upstairs rooms at 229 Pine St. This provided the Philadelphia anarchists a meeting space and reading room.

    But “the Jewish newspaper men, the radicals and the tireless talkers,” as the Philadelphia historian Harry Boonin wrote, still congregated in the ramshackle cafes lining the 600 block of South Fifth, where they would argue over anarchism and atheism deep into the night.

    Competition with NYC comrades

    Cohen’s goal was to publish a nationally influential anarchist paper that would give voice to the “comrades from Philadelphia.”

    That meant direct competition with the New York Yiddish press and the influential weekly newspaper Freie Arbeiter Stimme, or The Free Voice of Labor. Edited by Saul Yanovksy on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, FAS was the center of the Jewish anarchist movement and of the Yiddish intelligentsia more broadly.

    “To be able to say ‘I have written for Yanovsky,’” wrote the sociologist Robert Park in 1922, “is a literary passport for a Yiddish writer.”

    Freie Arbeiter Stimme (The Free Voice of Labor) was the intellectual center of the Jewish anarchist movement at the turn of the 20th century.
    From the collection of the National Library of Israel, courtesy of Freie Arbeiter Stimme (The Free Voice of Labor)

    Although the FAS masthead said the paper was located in New York and Philadelphia, Yanovksy controlled the operation from New York, much to Cohen’s dismay.

    The Philadelphia anarchists were also routinely disappointed in Yanovsky’s politics. He was too moderate for their tastes. Yanovsky favored organizing labor and voting in elections, while the Bread and Freedom group, according to Cohen, wanted to cultivate “the militancy and fighting spirit which our young comrades brought with them from cold Russia.” They advocated for more aggressive measures to counter “the submissive indifference of the bourgeoisie and the slavish patience of the workers.”

    Cohen had partnered with Yanovsky earlier in 1906 to publish a daily anarchist newspaper. He maintained a small office in the back of Finkler’s cigar store at Fifth and Bainbridge streets. But the paper was printed in New York and delivered back to Philadelphia each morning by courier train.

    Cohen wrote in his memoir that he suspected Yanovsky intentionally sabotaged the effort by insisting that he personally write the daily editorial, but then turning in his copy too late for the paper to make the train. After two months the partnership, and the paper, fell apart.

    For Cohen, the lesson was that to be the genuine voice of the anarchist movement, he had to print the paper locally in Philadelphia.

    A digest of anarchist argument

    Editions of the Bread and Freedom anarchist weekly list the Radical Library at 229 Pine St. as its headquarters.
    From the collection of the National Library of Israel, courtesy of Bread and Freedom

    Bread and Freedom published its first issue on Nov. 11, 1906. The date was symbolic. It was the anniversary of the execution of the “Chicago martyrs” – the four men wrongly sentenced to death for the 1886 bombing at a labor rally at Chicago’s Haymarket Square. The Haymarket affair galvanized the anarchist movement among immigrants, even as it accelerated the wider fear of foreign-born radicalism.

    Over the next three months, the newspaper offered a weekly digest of anarchist arguments. It translated into Yiddish Voltairine de Cleyre’s critique of capitalism and what she called its “moral bankruptcy” – its hunger for wealth, power and material possessions. It attacked what de Cleyre called the “dominant idea” of the times – “the shameless, merciless” exploitation of the worker, “only to produce heaps and heaps of things – things ugly, things harmful, things useless, and at the best largely unnecessary.”

    In the strongest of terms – “bombastic,” in the words of one local historian – the paper echoed de Cleyre’s call for the “restless, active, rebel souls” of immigrant Philadelphia to rise up to oppose the “great and lamentable error” of industrial capitalism.

    Almost as soon as it began, however, Bread and Freedom ran out of money. Its rhetoric was exciting but ineffective. The paper offered no real solutions beyond an impossible demand to dismantle the capitalist state.

    Although two members of the group were briefly detained by the police in Baltimore for selling a radical newspaper, their fiery propaganda lit no revolutionary spark.

    Instead, it disappeared quietly, folding in January 1907.

    Shifting tactics

    Even then, a different kind of immigrant was arriving in the U.S. from Russia. Their radical politics were coupled with organizational acumen.

    Many of the older anarchists would join forces with these newcomers, and the effort morphed into something more pragmatic. They helped build the foundations of the 20th-century labor movement, which successfully fought for once-radical ideals such as the eight-hour workday and paid sick leave.

    Cohen moved to New York and took over as editor of FAS in 1923. That was a tense period for the Jewish left, following the Russian revolution of 1917 and the Communist rise to power. In response, the U.S. government suppressed domestic radicalism, arresting and at times deporting foreign-born leftists, and anarchism fell out of favor.

    A few years earlier, though, the streets of South Philly had been home to a vibrant space of free speech and boundless political imagination. It would not last long, but it is a moment I believe is worth remembering.

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

    – ref. Philly’s forgotten history as a hub of anarchism with a thriving radical Yiddish press – https://theconversation.com/phillys-forgotten-history-as-a-hub-of-anarchism-with-a-thriving-radical-yiddish-press-252869

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How was the Earth built?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alexander E. Gates, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Rutgers University – Newark

    The Earth formed in a ring of debris around the Sun, like the one around Vega, a bright star, in this artist’s conception. NASA/JPL-Caltech

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    How was the Earth built? – Noah, age 5, Florida

    It isn’t easy to figure out how the Earth was built, because it happened 4½ billion years ago, and no one was there to watch. So scientists have had to look at what the Earth looks like now and at all of the other planets, moons and debris in the solar system.

    They’ve concluded that the Earth was built in the same way that you would build a big snowball to make a snowman. The mass that would become our home rolled through planetary debris – rocks floating in space – for more than 100 million years, adding more and more material, until it grew into a full-size planet.

    How do scientists like me know this is what happened? First, studies of the size, composition and location of asteroids and comets, many of which are as old as the Earth, indicate that 4½ billion years ago the solar system looked the way Saturn looks today, with rings of space rocks orbiting around the Sun. There’s still one such ring around the Sun – it’s called the asteroid belt and lies between Mars and Jupiter, with the Sun’s gravity holding the rocks in orbit.

    The solar system that includes Earth formed from a spinning disk of dust and gases.

    All of the other bodies that we know as planets today began as similar rings of space debris. An eddy, or area of rolling, developed in each of these rings and caused the debris to clump up in a snowball effect. But these pieces of debris were asteroids that smashed violently into the growing planets.

    We can see those impacts on planets and moons whose surfaces haven’t weathered or reformed. If you look at the Moon or the planet Mercury, you can see that they are covered with craters from asteroid impacts.

    When asteroids or comets struck these building planets, they crashed into their surfaces at speeds as high as 40,000 to 50,000 miles per hour (65,000 to 80,000 kilometers per hour). The impacts caused huge explosions that emitted massive amounts of dust and broken or melted rock.

    In fact, scientists believe that the Moon was once part of the Earth, until a large asteroid crashed into the Earth so hard that the Moon broke away and shot into space. There, it began orbiting the Earth as it does now.

    Still under construction

    Most big asteroids and comets collided with the Earth when it was young, about 4½ billion years ago. The number of such collisions has steadily decreased ever since. However, at least 100 tons of dust-size space rock rains down on the Earth every day, increasing the size of our planet bit by bit.

    The Earth also collides with space rocks, called meteors, that show up as shooting stars in the night sky. Some of these meteors come from an impact that struck Mars at some point, breaking away rock from the planet surface and shooting it into outer space. These rocks have been falling to Earth ever since.

    What’s the difference between an asteroid and a comet? Asteroids are large space rocks, while comets are large, dirty ice balls. Meteors are smaller − typically the size of pebbles or even dust.

    About 65 million years ago, a huge asteroid struck the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico. The enormous Chicxulub explosion drove large tsunamis throughout the ocean and raised so much dust into the air that it made the dinosaurs go extinct.

    Another large asteroid impact, about 35 million years ago, made a huge crater in the area that is now the Chesapeake Bay, near Washington, D.C. More recently, in 1908, an asteroid likely exploded over Tunguska, Russia, flattening 830 square miles (2,150 square kilometers) of trees. Fortunately, no one lived in the area, so there were no known casualties.

    Barringer Crater in Arizona was caused by a meteor strike about 50,000 years ago. It measures about 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) across.
    D. Roddy, USGS/Wikipedia

    Once a mass of space debris was assembled into the Earth, many processes continued to shape the planet’s surface. Wind, water, heat and cold cause rocks to weather and break down and soil to erode. Mountains are created as pieces of Earth’s crust collide and crack. Rivers and glaciers wear down the planet’s surface to make it smoother.

    The Earth is a dynamic planet that is constantly being built, and these processes will continue for billions of years into the future.

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

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

    – ref. How was the Earth built? – https://theconversation.com/how-was-the-earth-built-254257

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: China sees surge in return trips on last day of May Day holiday

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

    China sees surge in return trips on last day of May Day holiday

    Updated: May 5, 2025 20:15 Xinhua
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 5, 2025 shows traffic flows on Jiangyin grand bridge on Beijing-Shanghai expressway. On the last day of the May Day holiday, a peak in return trips was observed nationwide. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Passengers wave to their friends and family at Chongqing North Railway Station in Chongqing, southwest China, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Passengers disembark at Yantai Railway Station in Yantai, east China’s Shandong Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Passengers disembark at Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 5, 2025 shows vehicles running on a section of Shanghai-Wuhan expressway in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Passengers wait for ticket checks at Fuyang West Railway Station in Fuyang, east China’s Anhui Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Passengers prepare to get on a train at Qinhuangdao Railway Station in Qinhuangdao, north China’s Hebei Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Passengers disembark at Jinhua Railway Station in Jinhua, east China’s Zhejiang Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo shows traffic flows on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province, May 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Cerence AI and Code Factory Collaborate to Bring Voice-Powered Interaction to Self-Service Kiosks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BURLINGTON, Mass., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) (“Cerence AI”), a global leader pioneering conversational AI-powered user experiences, today announced an expanded collaboration with its long-time partner and distributor, Code Factory, to introduce VoiceTopping, a new solution that will bring conversational AI to self-service kiosks in a variety of industries. The announcement marks an important step as Cerence AI begins its strategic expansion into new markets, bringing the power of voice interaction to user experiences beyond automotive.

    VoiceTopping integrates embedded voice interaction technology into existing self-service kiosks, adding natural, spoken communication that enables users to hear and respond to on-screen information using their voice. Leveraging Cerence conversational AI, including core voice technologies and speech signal enhancement, VoiceTopping will help make engaging with kiosks simpler and more user-friendly, even in noisy environments. The solution will be particularly relevant in restaurant and hospitality, retail and self-checkout, healthcare, transportation, banking, and entertainment settings. With VoiceTopping, a typical user interaction could go as follows:

    • Kiosk: Hi, how can I help you today?
    • User: Could I see the menu, please?
    • Kiosk: Here you go! (Kiosk displays menu on screen.)
    • User: Show me the burger selection.
    • Kiosk showcases all burgers on screen.
    • User: I would like a Pulled Pork Burger – with BBQ sauce and no onions.
    • Kiosk: Here you go! (Kiosk adds burger to cart.) Would you like to add a drink, or anything else?
    • User: Add a Coke Zero, please.
    • Kiosk: Here you go! (Kiosk adds beverage to cart.)
    • User: That’s everything – I’m ready to check out.
    • Kiosk: Which payment method would you like to use?
    • User: Card, please.
    • Kiosk shows order total and tip options. User completes the transaction.
    • Kiosk: You’re all set!

    “With our decades of experience in conversational AI in the car, we are well versed in the power that voice interaction has to transform user experiences across a wide variety of sectors,” said Brian Krzanich, CEO, Cerence AI. “Expanding our long-term partnership with Code Factory to work together to address the self-service kiosk market is a natural evolution of our technology. Our proven solutions are perfectly suited to transform kiosk experiences, making them faster, more intuitive, and more accessible for users across industries.”

    For users, VoiceTopping will deliver an enhanced UX that enables them to quickly communicate with the kiosk via voice. In addition, as a touchless solution, VoiceTopping will enhance accessibility, a critical step as accessibility requirements, including the European Accessibility Act (EAA), are coming into effect worldwide. For kiosk manufacturers, integration and deployment will be simple – VoiceTopping is a plug-and-play solution that seamlessly integrates with the kiosk, enabling added capabilities without the need for extensive hardware modifications. Ongoing development efforts are enhancing the technology behind VoiceTopping, bringing improved experiences to users.

    “Self-service kiosks are evolving to emulate more human-like interactions, closely replicating the experience of speaking with a human attendant,” said Melanie Endres, CEO, Code Factory. “By leveraging industry-leading voice technology from Cerence AI, VoiceTopping is uniquely positioned for this transformation, enhancing users’ interaction experience with kiosks while also improving manufacturers’ accessibility compliance with evolving regulations in different countries.”

    For more information about VoiceTopping, visit www.voicetopping.com/. To learn more about Cerence AI, visit www.cerence.ai, and follow the company on LinkedIn.

    About Cerence Inc.
    Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC) is a global industry leader in creating intuitive, seamless, AI-powered experiences across automotive and transportation. Leveraging decades of innovation and expertise in voice, generative AI, and large language models, Cerence powers integrated experiences that create safer, more connected, and more enjoyable journeys for drivers and passengers alike. With more than 500 million cars shipped with Cerence technology, the company partners with leading automakers, transportation OEMs, and technology companies to advance the next generation of user experiences. Cerence is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with operations globally and a worldwide team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI innovation. For more information, visit www.cerence.ai.

    Contact Information

    Kate Hickman | Tel: 339-215-4583 | Email: kate.hickman@cerence.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: GraniteShares ETFs Announces Change to the Investment Objective on one of its Inverse Leveraged ETFs

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As announced on March 05, 2025 the investment strategy for the GraniteShares 1x Short COIN Daily ETF (ticker: CONI) will be amended and result in a new fund name and a new leverage factor.

    Effective May 05, 2025, CONI will aim to replicate -2 times the daily variations of Coinbase Global, Inc. The fund will be renamed the GraniteShares 2x Short COIN Daily ETF

    CONI’s CUSIP, ticker and listing venue are not impacted.

    TICKER SYMBOL CURRENT FUND NAME CURRENT LEVERAGE FACTOR NEW FUND NAME NEW LEVERAGE FACTOR
    CONI GraniteShares 1x Short COIN Daily ETF -100 % GraniteShares 2x Short COIN Daily ETF -200 %

    Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN) is a financial technology company that provides end-to-end financial infrastructure and technology for the crypto economy.

    COIN offers retail users the primary financial account for the crypto economy, institutions a marketplace with a liquidity for transacting in crypto assets, and ecosystem partners technology and services that enable them to build crypto-based applications and accept crypto assets as payment.

    ABOUT GRANITESHARES

    GraniteShares is an entrepreneurial ETF provider focused on providing innovative, cutting-edge alternative investment solutions. It was founded in 2016 by William “Will” Rhind, a well-known figure in the ETF industry, with backing from Bain Capital Ventures and other leading ETF investors. GraniteShares listed its first ETF in the United States in 2017 and its U.S. ETF offerings include a broad-based commodity index fund, physically backed gold and platinum funds and a high-income pass-through securities index fund.

    RISK FACTORS AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION

    Link to Prospectus: https://graniteshares.com/media/qhccrfmc/grsh-coni-prospectus-summary.pdf

    This material must be preceded or accompanied by a Prospectus. Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. Please read the prospectus before investing.

    The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by most ETFs and mutual funds. Investments in the ETFs are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.

    The Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results and is intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. This Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the respective long leveraged multiple of the performance of its underlying stock (a Leverage Long Fund).

    Investors should note that such Leverage Long Fund pursues daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund magnifies the performance of its underlying stock. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Funds’ return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.

    Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.

    Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the ETF. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions and frequent trading may incur brokerage costs that detract significantly from investment returns.

    An investment in the Fund involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Fund is non-diversified and includes risks associated with the Fund concentrating its investments in a particular industry, sector, or geographic region which can result in increased volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. Risks of the Fund include Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk, Leverage Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk, Rebalancing Risk, Intra-Day Investment Risk, Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk, and risks specific to the securities of the Underlying Stock and the sector in which it operates. These and other risks can be found in the prospectus.

    This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. You could lose money by investing in the ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds will be achieved. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.

    Media Contact:
    GraniteShares Inc.
    Attn: Media Relations
    222 Broadway, 21st Floor
    New York, NY 10038
    844-476-8747
    info@graniteshares.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Stay Air Aware: Maine DEP Observes Air Quality Awareness Week

    Source: US State of Maine

    May 3, 2025

    CONTACT:

    While Maine has some of the best air quality in the nation, there are still pollutants like ground-level ozone and small particles that can harm the heart and lungs. This is especially important to remember during National Air Quality Awareness Week, occurring from May 5 to May 9, 2025. Ozone is produced when sunlight and warmer temperatures create chemical reactions with pollutants emitted by various sources. Particle Pollution is produced from both natural and man-made processes and include things such as dust, soil, soot, smoke and sea salt. Maine’s peak ozone levels occur during the warmer summer months, while particle pollution levels are higher mostly during the summer and winter months. Additionally, May 6 marks World Asthma Day, a reminder of the ongoing battle that many face against respiratory conditions.

    In recent years, Maine has seen an increase in smoke from wildfires in the western United States and Canada. When wildfires create smoky conditions, there are things you can do, indoors and out, to reduce your exposure to smoke. Reducing exposure is important for everyone’s health – especially children, older adults, and people with heart or lung disease.

    • Have enough medication and food (enough for more than 5 days) on hand.

    • Follow your health care providers advice about what to do if you have heart or lung disease.

    • If you have asthma, follow your asthma management plan.

    • If you feel sick, reduce your exposure to smoke and contact your health care provider.

    • Pay attention to public service announcements, health advisories, and air quality advisories.

    Maine DEP forecasts Ozone and Particle Pollution year-round which is available on DEP’s website, via toll free hotline, EnviroFlash emails and text messages. Forecasts are issued using a color-based Air Quality Index created by EPA. Green – good; Yellow – moderate; Orange – unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people and Red – unhealthy pollution levels for all.

    While sensitive people may feel the impacts sooner or at lower levels when the air is in the unhealthy for sensitive groups (USG) or higher category, everyone should think about ways to reduce their exposure. Please take some time to think about how you contribute to air pollution and what you can do to make a positive difference. Here are a few ways to help reduce air pollution in your community especially, on days when the air quality is expected to be unhealthy:

    • Conserve electricity

    • Choose a cleaner commute by carpooling or using public transportation where available

    • Combine errands, reduce trips

    • Defer the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment until early evening hours

    • Limit idling

    • Refuel vehicles after dusk

    • Use environmentally friendly paints and cleaning products

    For more information about Air Quality visit Maine DEP’s website.

    For additional information, contact: David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner david.madore@maine.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Best No Credit Check Loans Guaranteed Approvals Direct Lenders | Best Payday Loans for Bad Credit – IOnline Payday Loans

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHERIDAN, Wyo., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — No credit check loans provide consumers with quick financial assistance when they need cash without collateral, even if they have a poor credit score. This article covers everything you need to know about no credit check loans, including how they work, the benefits of these loans, and why Online Payday Loans is the best source for them. Additionally, it outlines the application steps and repayment options available.

    >> Click Here to Apply for No Credit Check Loans >>

    ✅Key Takeaways:

    • No credit check loans are a type of loan that does not require a credit check before approval.
    • IOnline Payday Loans is a reputable brand that offers guaranteed approval for no credit check loans.
    • Applying for a 1 hour payday loans for bad credit at IOnline Payday Loans is simple and straightforward, with no strict requirements or credit score needed.

    >> Click Here to Apply for No Credit Check Loans >>

    What are No Credit Check Payday Loans?

    No credit check payday loans are a type of financing specifically designed for individuals who may struggle to obtain financial assistance, particularly those with bad credit. These $255 payday loans online same day provide cash to borrowers without requiring collateral and eliminate the lengthy application process typically associated with personal loans.

    Instead of relying solely on credit scores, no credit check loans guaranteed approval take into account alternative factors, making them an attractive option for many people in need of emergency funds. In today’s economy, Best installment loans for bad credit have become increasingly popular as they enable borrowers to access larger loan amounts with predictable payments, allowing them to budget more effectively. Reputable lenders offer best installment loans for bad credit that contribute to credit improvement.

    >> Click Here to Apply for No Credit Check Loans >>

    How Do No Credit Check Loans Work with Direct Lenders?

    No credit check loans guaranteed approval direct lenders typically feature a straightforward application process that provides quick approvals, guaranteed approval, and guaranteed acceptance for eligible borrowers. Direct lenders assess eligibility based on income verification and overall financial health rather than solely focusing on credit history.

    This approach allows individuals instant loans with bad credit to access funds. The streamlined process benefits borrowers by reducing the time it takes to receive money during emergencies. By bypassing traditional credit checks, bad credit loans offer a simpler way for those in need of immediate funds to obtain them quickly.

    The application process usually involves a few easy steps:

    • The borrower fills out an online form that includes personal information, income details, employment history, and other relevant information. Proof of income and valid identification are essential.
    • The simplified application requires minimal paperwork, expediting the approval timeline.
    • Once the application is submitted, a direct lender reviews it, assessing eligibility based on factors such as income stability and repayment ability.

    Interest rates are often determined based on the borrower’s financial profile, ensuring that even individuals with bad credit receive a fair evaluation. Fast funding through direct deposit is available.

    Factors considered in the approval process for a best no credit check personal loans include income levels, employment status, and existing debt. Quick funding is often available after approval, making this option ideal for those in need of immediate financial assistance.

    What Are the Benefits of No Credit Check Loans Guaranteed Approval Direct Lenders?

    No credit check loans guaranteed approval direct lenders can be beneficial as they provide financial assistance during urgent situations, allowing individuals to access cash without the need for collateral or lengthy approval processes. These consumer loans offer easy repayment options and loan terms that facilitate personal financing.

    These loans often come with flexible repayment options and can aid some borrowers in rebuilding their credit over time, although they typically carry higher interest rates.

    Why Choose IOnline Payday Loans for No Credit Check Loans?

    IOnline Payday Loans is an excellent choice for no credit check loans guaranteed approval direct lender, as it significantly enhances your chances of securing a loan when you need it most. This is especially true for those seeking short-term loans with higher interest rates.

    This reputable platform enables borrowers to easily and swiftly access online loans from multiple lenders, providing the necessary funds without the challenges typically associated with traditional banks.

    IOnline Payday Loans prioritizes customer satisfaction, ensuring that the entire process—from application to funding—is straightforward and hassle-free. This approach allows individuals with poor credit to obtain the financial assistance they require.

    Additionally, the platform emphasizes openness and transparency, guaranteeing that there are no hidden fees or cumbersome paperwork.

    What Sets IOnline Payday Loans Apart from Other Lenders?

    IOnline Payday Loans offers innovative financial solutions and a unique approach to individuals seeking best payday loans for bad credit. As one of the lenders in this space, IOnline often provides an application process that requires minimal paperwork, facilitating fast approvals and quick access to funds. This is particularly important for those who need emergency funding rapidly. Clients can conveniently apply for loans through IOnline’s website or mobile application, making it easier to obtain funds in a timely manner.

    IOnline leverages the latest technology to enhance wait times, utilizing algorithms that enable faster assessment of applications, which means borrowers experience shorter waiting periods for responses. Additionally, IOnline’s customer service representatives are knowledgeable and easily accessible, helping clients better understand their options.

    Some of the features that distinguish IOnline as a unique lender include:

    • Competitive interest rates clearly communicated upfront
    • Flexible repayment options tailored to individual financial situations, allowing borrowers to repay in installments
    • Accessibility through mobile platforms for on-the-go applications, ensuring same-day funding

    What Are the Terms and Conditions for No Credit Check Loans at IOnline Payday Loans?

    The terms and conditions for no credit check personal loans guaranteed approval at IOnline Payday Loans are designed to provide flexibility and transparency for borrowers. These loans feature clear terms that outline repayment schedules, interest rates, and any applicable fees, ensuring that borrowers fully understand their obligations from the beginning. IOnline Payday Loans is dedicated to offering straightforward information about the borrowing process, enabling individuals to make informed decisions regarding their financial needs.

    When considering financial assistance through consumer loans, borrowers can expect a variety of terms tailored to different financial situations. Loan networks facilitate applications and help avoid hidden fees.

    For example, interest rates may vary based on the total amount borrowed, typically ranging from 5% to 35%, depending on market conditions and the borrower’s credit profile.

    Repayment schedules are structured to be manageable, often allowing for monthly payments over a specified term that usually spans from three to 24 months. A notable feature of these loans is the guaranteed approval, making them accessible to individuals with less-than-perfect credit.

    Borrowers are encouraged to maintain open communication with lenders to clarify any questions regarding their specific repayment conditions. Las Vegas lenders are among those offering transparent loan terms.

    Additional requirements may include proof of income or residency, which ensures that borrowers demonstrate their ability to repay the loan. This approach fosters accountability and instills greater confidence in individuals seeking loans to meet their immediate financial needs.

    What Are the Requirements for No Credit Check Loans at IOnline Payday Loans?

    The requirements for no credit check loans at IOnline Payday Loans align with the company’s other loan offerings and are designed to encourage responsible lending practices. Loan applications require income verification and evaluation of credit profiles.

    Generally, borrowers must be at least 18 years old and provide valid identification along with proof of income to demonstrate their ability to repay the loan. These criteria are established to create eligibility requirements for loans while still enabling individuals with varying credit backgrounds to access the funds they may need.

    Do I Need a Good Credit Score to Get a Loan from IOnline Payday Loans?

    One of the primary benefits of obtaining a loan through IOnline Payday Loans is that a good credit score is not a requirement for qualification. Since credit scores are not the main consideration, IOnline Payday Loans provide individuals with poor credit a better opportunity to secure a loan when they need it most.

    Consequently, more borrowers can access the emergency funds they require without undergoing rigorous credit checks. The flexibility of IOnline Payday Loans is particularly valuable in times of financial emergencies, as the repercussions of not having cash can be severe for those with poor credit, exacerbating their existing financial difficulties.

    IOnline Payday Loans offers a solution that allows borrowers to have a more sustainable lending experience by considering their overall circumstances. This means that even individuals in dire financial situations can find a loan solution that addresses their needs, enabling them to begin the process of recovery.

    How to Apply for a No Credit Check Loan at IOnline Payday Loans? Understanding the Qualifications

    Applying for a no credit check loan at IOnline Payday Loans is a straightforward and expedited process, as the company is committed to providing borrowers with quick funding when needed.

    The entire application process is conducted online, allowing applicants to complete the necessary forms from the comfort of their own homes without any paperwork. This user-friendly approach to online loans, enables borrowers to easily navigate the process and receive an instant decision regarding their installment bad credit loans eligibility.

    Step 1: Fill Out an Online Application

    The first step in obtaining a no credit check loan from IOnline Payday Loans is to complete an online application form with accurate and complete information. Providing accurate details is crucial, as it gives the lender essential insights into the borrower’s financial position, enabling them to assess eligibility for funding without reviewing high interest rates credit histories. Therefore, applicants must ensure that they submit correct information regarding their income, employment status, and identification details. Any inaccuracies can lead to delays or even disqualification from the process, particularly if the financial information is misleading.

    Here are some important considerations for the application:

    • Income Verification: You will need to confirm your earnings, which may include submitting pay stubs or bank statements.
    • Employment Status: Providing current employment details will strengthen your application.
    • Bad Credit Considerations: It is essential to be transparent about any previous financial difficulties.

    Honesty regarding financial information is one of the most important aspects of the application process. Misrepresentations can jeopardize loan opportunities and damage the trust between the borrower and the lender. Therefore, borrowers are encouraged to double-check the information they provide before submitting the application. By doing so, they can help ensure that the lending process is as smooth and efficient as possible, allowing them to obtain the financial assistance they need without the complications of traditional credit checks.

    Step 2: Receive an Instant Decision

    After applying for a no credit check loan online, without no paperwork, applicants receive an immediate decision regarding their loan approval. This instant decision feature is a significant advantage of no credit check loans, as it allows borrowers to quickly determine their eligibility for the funds they need.

    The ability to obtain a fast loan decision helps individuals plan accordingly and address urgent financial situations without unnecessary delays. The instant decision process relies on evaluating specific criteria in the borrower’s application, including income stability, length of employment, and current debt levels.

    Furthermore, automated systems expedite these evaluations, enabling applicants to receive results in just a few minutes. This quick response allows those in need of cash to access their funds promptly. Understanding how this lending process works can help applicants prepare their documentation effectively and enhance their chances of receiving guaranteed approval, ensuring timely assistance during emergencies.

    Step 3: Review and Sign the Loan Agreement

    Once you receive approval for a no credit check loan, the next step is to review and sign the loan agreement, which outlines crucial information regarding repayment terms and conditions. The significance of the loan agreement cannot be overstated, as it ensures that borrowers fully understand their obligations, including interest rates and payment schedules, before receiving the funds. iOnline Payday Loans is a direct lender that prioritizes transparency and clarity, ensuring there are no hidden fees or unexpected charges, which promotes a sustainable borrowing experience, ensuring budget effectively.

    The following key elements of a loan agreement can significantly impact your financial well-being:

    • Interest Rates: Make sure you understand how much you will owe over time to ensure it fits within your budget.
    • Fees: Be aware of any origination fees or penalties for early repayment.
    • Payment Schedule: Knowing when payments are due can help you avoid late fees and potential default.

    Being informed about these terms give the power tos borrowers and encourages sound budgeting and responsible financial planning. Understanding the details of your loan agreement can help you navigate your financial solutions without the stress of unexpected obstacles.

    Step 4: Receive Funds in Your Bank Account

    Borrowers can expect their funds to be deposited directly into their bank accounts immediately after signing the loan agreement. This allows for quick access to cash through direct deposit without the need for collateral, which is especially beneficial for those facing unexpected expenses.

    Generally, borrowers can anticipate the funds to be transferred within 1 to 2 business days, depending on the lender and the institution’s processing times, making it a reliable source of emergency funding when needed.

    The convenience is further enhanced for users of Online Payday Loans online platform, as they can apply for funds from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, borrowers can often secure financing without extensive paperwork or complicated credit checks.

    This streamlined process enables almost instant access to consumer loans in Las Vegas, making it an ideal solution for individuals experiencing financial difficulties.

    What Are the Repayment Options for No Credit Check Loans at IOnline Payday Loans?

    IOnline Payday Loans offers a variety of repayment options for no credit check loans, enabling borrowers to select the terms that best fit their financial circumstances. The flexibility in repayment terms options allows individuals to manage their debts in a way that is comfortable for them, with predictable payments that aid in budgeting.

    IOnline also provides clear guidelines regarding repayment to promote responsible borrowing and ensure that customers can maintain their financial health.

    Are There Any Alternatives to No Credit Check Loans at IOnline Payday Loans?

    For individuals seeking alternatives to no credit check loans, IOnline Payday Loans offers the following options

    • Online Payday Loans: A secured loan requires collateral, such as a car or a home. Because this reduces the lender’s risk, secured loans often come with more favorable terms and lower interest rates.
    • Installment Loans: A co-signed loan enables the loan applicant to have a trusted individual, known as the co-signer, apply for the loan on their behalf. The co-signer’s creditworthiness is taken into account alongside the borrower’s when determining eligibility and loan terms.
    • Online Personal Loans: A credit builder loan allows the borrower to access the funds they need while simultaneously providing an opportunity to improve their credit profile.

    Online Payday Loans

    Online Payday Loans are a form of financing in which the borrower provides collateral, significantly reducing the risk for lenders and resulting in lower interest rates compared to unsecured loans. This type of financial product can be tailored to meet various needs and may be particularly suitable for those who have had difficulty obtaining credit in the past.

    Individuals typically pledge assets such as their home, motor vehicle, or savings accounts as collateral for secured loans. Common types of acceptable collateral include real estate properties, automobiles, and bank fixed deposits.

    The advantages of secured loans over unsecured loans are numerous. Firstly, secured loans usually come with lower interest rates because the presence of collateral offers a safety net for lenders. This can help borrowers manage their finances and payments more easily.

    Additionally, individuals with poor credit histories may find better acceptance through direct lenders, who can offer more favorable terms based on the collateral provided.

    Installment Loans

    Installment Loans involve a secondary borrower who agrees to take responsibility for the debt if the primary borrower defaults. This arrangement often provides individuals with bad credit a pathway to secure loans under better terms. By including a co-signer with strong creditworthiness, applicants can enhance their chances of approval and potentially receive lower interest rates, making this a viable option for those struggling to obtain financing independently.

    Essentially, co-signed loans act as a bridge for many seeking financial assistance during emergencies or looking to make significant purchases. The co-signer, typically a family member or friend, plays a crucial role not only by signing the loan documentation but also by establishing credibility for the borrower.

    This arrangement can be particularly beneficial for individuals with limited credit history or poor credit ratings, as it can open doors to consumer loans that might otherwise remain inaccessible. However, potential risks accompany this borrowing method, including strain on personal relationships and the financial liability that the co-signer assumes.

    Advantages:

    • Increased chance of loan approval.
    • Lower interest rates due to the co-signer’s stronger credit profile.
    • Opportunity for the primary borrower to build credit.

    Disadvantages:

    • Risk of damaging relationships if payments are missed.
    • Financial responsibility for the co-signer if the primary borrower defaults.
    • Potential negative impact on the co-signer’s credit score.

    Online Personal Loans

    Online Personal loans are specifically designed to help individuals enhance their credit profiles while accessing funds, making them an excellent alternative for those seeking to improve their credit history and loan eligibility. These loans typically involve small amounts, which are held in a savings account until the borrower has made all necessary payments. This arrangement allows borrowers to build a positive credit history through regular repayment.

    Understanding how these loans operate can significantly influence one’s financial future and loan decisions. When a borrower applies for a credit builder loan, the lender places the borrowed amount in a secured account that the borrower cannot access until the loan is fully repaid. This structure not only ensures the safety of the funds but also fosters a sense of financial discipline.

    Regular payments are reported to credit bureaus, which can positively influence the credit score over time. This option is particularly advantageous for individuals with poor credit or those just beginning their credit journey, as it can help them qualify for better financial products in the future.

    Therefore, credit builder loans offer a valuable pathway for financial give the power toment, transforming past credit challenges into sustainable borrowing experiences and future opportunities.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are the best no credit check loans guaranteed approvals direct lenders offered by IOnline Payday Loans in Las Vegas?

    IOnline Payday Loans offers a variety of loans with guaranteed approvals from direct lenders, including personal loans, payday loans, and installment loans.

    Can I get a no credit check loan from a direct lender through IOnline Payday Loans?

    Yes, IOnline Payday Loans works with a network of trusted direct lenders who offer no credit check loans to individuals with varying credit scores.

    What are the advantages of choosing a direct lender for my no credit check loan?

    Choosing a direct lender for your no credit check loan can often result in faster approvals, more personalized loan terms, and potentially lower interest rates.

    Do I need a good credit score to qualify for a no credit check loan from a direct lender through IOnline Payday Loans?

    No, IOnline Payday Loans works with direct lenders who specialize in providing loans to individuals with less-than-perfect credit, so your credit score may not be a determining factor in your loan approval.

    What is the application process like for a no credit check loan from a direct lender through IOnline Payday Loans?

    The application process for a no credit check loan through IOnline Payday Loans is simple and can be completed entirely online. You will need to provide basic personal and financial information, and may also be required to submit proof of income for direct deposit.

    How quickly can I receive the funds from my no credit check loan with a direct lender through IOnline Payday Loans,

    Depending on the lender and your bank’s processing times, you may be able to receive the funds from your no credit check loan as soon as the next business day after approval.

    Media Contact:
    Company Name: IOnline Payday Loans
    Registered Office Address: 1095 Sugar View Dr Ste 500 Sheridan, WY 82801
    Company Website: https://ionlinepaydayloans.com/
    Email: mria@ionlinepaydayloans.com
    Phone: 307-777-7311
    Contact person name: Mria

    Disclaimer: This announcement contains general information about Ionline payday loan services and should not be considered financial advice. Ionline Payday Loans does not guarantee loan approval, and loan terms may vary by applicant and lender requirements. Loans are available to U.S. residents only.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0b02e2d3-6f2d-4234-98fe-1f7d694aa226

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Seven High-Impact Projects (e-Nodes) Selected for Support under MAHA-EV Mission

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 05 MAY 2025 12:16PM by PIB Delhi

    The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) announced the selection of seven e-Nodes for support under its “Mission for Advancement of High-impact Areas on Electric Vehicles” (MAHA-EV). The current program launched under the umbrella of ANRF’s national mission, aims to address the critical challenges and drive innovation in India’s electric vehicle ecosystem.

    ANRF MAHA-EV call for proposal focussed on three strategically defined Technological Verticals (TV) are Tropical EV Battery and Battery Cells (TV-I), Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD)- (TV-II) and EV Charging Infrastructure (TV-III).

    The each selected electric mobility nodes (e-nodes) will execute the project in consortia mode involving academic institutions/R&D laboratories with the mandatory industry participation, in order to contribute to and establish the R&D in the EV sector of the country.

    The seven e-Nodes are selected under the ANRF’s MAHA-EV mission are:  Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials Hyderabad, National Institute of Technology Surathkal, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Indian Institute of Technology-BHU, CSIR- Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, respectively.

    The call noticed wide enthusiasm among all stakeholders and 227 proposals were received in consortia mode from academic institutions, R&D laboratories and the industrial section.

    The selectedseven e-Nodes, twoof whichwill focus on Tropical EV batteries and Cell technologies (TV-I) three of which will work on Power electronics machines and drives (TV-II) and the remainingtwo  e-Nodes will focus on Charging Infrastructure under TV-III.

    The MAHA-EV Mission leads to catalyze India’s leadership in next-generation electric mobility solutions, aligned with the goals of sustainability, innovation, and self-reliance.

    Click here to see the list of institutions as given in Annexure-I (Attached):-

    ***

    NKR/PSM

    (Release ID: 2126962) Visitor Counter : 48

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Free bike security marking for everyone in Portsmouth

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    Portsmouth City Council is working with Hampshire Constabulary to help residents protect their bicycles from theft by registering them with Bike Register, making it easier for the police to recover stolen bikes.

    Registering a bike with Bike Register is quick and simple to do and increases the chances of owners being reunited with their bike in the event of it being stolen. A unique reference number is created to go alongside the cycle’s frame number, then applied to the bike frame, and details are held on a secure online database which all UK police forces have access to.

    Residents can attend free drop-in events throughout the year to get their bikes marked. There is no need to pre-book, and security marking is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Following feedback from previous rounds, the council are offering events at weekends and in evenings at various locations:

    • Saturday 31 May, 11am – 1pm, Arundel Street, City Centre
    • Saturday 28 June, 11am – 1pm, Gunwharf Quays (outside Tesco Express)
    • Thursday 10 July, 5pm – 7.00pm, Paulsgrove, Allaway Avenue (Outside Rowlands Pharmacy)
    • Thursday 24 July, 5pm – 7.00pm, Cosham High Street

    In a further effort to enhance bike security, the council is providing bike marking kits to six independent businesses: Portsmouth Cycle Exchange, GC Bikes, CycleWorld, Pompey Cycle Hub, Cycle Trace and Cycles@Milton. If people purchase a new or used bike from any of these businesses, or take their cycle in for a service, these businesses will offer security marking for free. The frame number and stickers will be registered, providing an added layer of security for bike owners.

    In 2022 and 2023, over 500 bikes were marked in Portsmouth, resulting in the recovery and return of several bicycles to their rightful owners. This initiative has proven to be an effective measure in combating bike theft in the city and aims to encourage more people to feel safe and secure in choosing to travel by bike instead of private vehicles.

    Cllr Peter Candlish, Cabinet Member for Transport at Portsmouth City Council, said:

    “Getting people to have their bike registered and marked for free really works. It gives cyclists peace of mind and helps the police tackle the problem of bike theft, creating a better, safer cycling environment for everyone.”

    More information about cycle security in Portsmouth can be found at https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/services/parking-roads-and-travel/travel/cycling-around-portsmouth/cycle-security/

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ambitious Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy approved by Councillors

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    The Climate Change and Sustainability Committee considered the local authority’s Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy.

    The Council has already slashed carbon emissions by switching 18 of its refuse vehicles to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil rather than diesel – delivering an estimated annual reduction in CO2 emissions of 500 tonnes.

    Now the Council is looking to build on this success by using new technologies to further reduce the emissions from its vehicles.

    The Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy states a mixed model of decarbonisation will be required, with HVO and diesel used until advances in technology increase the range of electric vehicles,or enable hydrogen to be used as a viable and affordable fuel source.

    Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCVs) based at outlying depots in Blairgowrie, Crieff, Kinross, and Pitlochry will transition to using HVO fuel by June 2025, potentially saving 725 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

    The report also sets out the need to invest in additional charging points to support the transformation of the council’s fleet of small vehicles – cars and vans under 3.5 tonnes – to electric vehicles.

    Councillor Richard Watters, convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Climate Change and Sustainability Committee, said: “The Scottish Government has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the next five years and reaching net zero by 2045.

    “Cars, vans and lorries all produce greenhouse gases, so it is vital we take steps to reduce these emissions.

    “There is already fantastic work underway in Perth and Kinross with many of our bin lorries now running on HVO instead of diesel. Although this is a more expensive fuel, it is already significant reducing our CO2 emissions.

    “Expanding this scheme, and remaining alert to other new technologies will help us meet our net zero targets and reduce pollution in Perth and Kinross. This is not something that will happen overnight, but it is crucial we set out a roadmap on how we reach that destination.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: At least 20 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza – Civil Defense

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    GAZA, May 5 (Xinhua) — Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 20 Palestinians, including women and children, on Sunday, local authorities said, amid intensified ground and air operations, continued shelling and drone attacks on residential areas.

    At least 11 people, including seven women and three children, were killed in an airstrike on a tent housing displaced families in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Yunis, Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua. Four more people from the same family were killed earlier in the day in the same area.

    In another area of Khan Yunis, a woman was killed and others were wounded as a result of shelling of a residential building in the Al-Amal area. Another strike on a tent near Abasan al-Kabira killed a young man and wounded several others, Basal said.

    In central Gaza, one woman was killed and several people were wounded when a drone struck the home of the Abu Huwaishel family in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Northern Gaza was also hit, with one man killed, his wife and others wounded in a drone strike on Al-Nakheel Street in the At-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City.

    According to M. Basal, rescuers have recovered the body of another victim of the attack on the school in Beit Hanoun.

    Eyewitnesses reported continued Israeli bombing and helicopter gunship attacks on residential buildings in both the northern and southern parts of the enclave. Artillery and air strikes also hit homes in the Shujaiya and At-Tuffah neighborhoods. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –