NewzIntel.com

Category: Vehicles

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police target anti-social road users ignoring rules

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Waitematā Police targeted boy racers and illegally modified vehicles during the past two weeks, as part of an operation focusing on disrupting anti-social road user behaviour.

    The operation, which took place on the Fridays and Saturdays between 19 and 28 June, succeeded with a string of results including more than 154 infringement notices issued, 10 vehicles impounded and 13 arrests.

    Waitematā District Road Policing Coordinator, Senior Sergeant Damian Albert, says the focus of the operation was not only on illegal and dangerous driving, but driver compliance around licensing and vehicle safety.

    “Altered seatbelts, suspension, exhausts, airbag modifications, window tints, lighting, tyres, and window stickers were just some of the vehicle faults we detected.”

    As well as targeting safety and compliance, officers carried out hundreds of traffic stops, resulting in arrests for drink driving, possession of drugs, breaching bail conditions and various other offences.

    Summons were also issued for driving while disqualified, sustained loss of traction and the serving of demerit suspension notices.

    A team of officers took part in the operation, sending a clear message to boy racers that anti-social and dangerous behaviour on roads won’t be tolerated.

    Senior Sergeant Albert says during the operation officers stopped a motorcycle seen travelling at speed on Lincoln Road.

    “The rider was signalled to stop, and enquiries revealed the rider owed more than $3000 in unpaid fines.”

    The motorcycle was seized by the Ministry of Justice who partnered with Police, and driving infringement notices were issued. 

    “We have a low level of tolerance towards all anti-social road user activity that causes extreme danger to road users and annoyance for our communities,” Senior Sergeant Albert says.

    “Police will continue the great work done during this operation by enforcing any illegal activities on our roads and ensuring all modified vehicles are compliant with legislation.”

    Preliminary results:

    • 154 infringement notices issued
    • 13 people arrested
    • 10 vehicles impounded
    • 45 green stickers
    • 7 pink stickers
    • 4 blue stickers
    • 299 vehicles stopped 

    Anyone that sees anti-social road user behaviour or suspicious activity around vehicles should call Police on 111 if it’s happening now, or you can file a report online at 105.police.govt.nz, or contact us via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-nz.org

    ENDS.

    Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trauma is carried in your DNA. But science reveals a more complicated story

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tara-Lyn Camilleri, Postdoctoral researcher of transgenerational effects, Monash University

    Radu Bercan/Shutterstock

    As war continues to rage in Gaza and Ukraine, there is concern about how the related trauma might be transmitted to future generations of people in those regions.

    More generally, interest in the idea of transgenerational trauma has recently surged. For example, earlier this year, National Geographic magazine asked whether genes carry past family trauma.

    But while this might be a catchy question, it’s also slightly misleading. Because while trauma can ripple across generations, shaped by how our bodies respond to their environments, its effects aren’t hard-coded in our genes.

    Plastic minds and bodies

    At the heart of this process is what’s known as phenotypic plasticity.

    This is the capacity for organisms to produce different outcomes from the same genes, depending on their environment. These outcomes, called phenotypes, can include stress sensitivity and body shape.

    One way different phenotypes can arise from the same genes is via epigenetics: small chemical changes to the DNA molecule that make particular genes more or less active. Think of these like a director’s notes on a script. These notes guide the cell on which lines to emphasise or soften, without changing the script itself.

    But epigenetics is just one way this plasticity is expressed.

    Understanding how trauma is passed across generations means looking beyond genes and cells to the environments that shape and influence them.

    Human development is sculpted by lived experience, from caregiving and community to stress, safety and belonging.

    These factors interact to produce lasting – but not always fixed – effects. By focusing on how they interact, rather than on single causes, we can better understand why trauma echoes across generations. This also helps us identify how that cycle might be disrupted.

    Widespread in nature

    Phenotypic plasticity is widespread in nature.

    In honeybees, genetically identical larvae become queens or workers depending on what they eat while developing. In three-spined stickleback fish, early exposure to predators reshapes their stress physiology and body shape, making them harder for predators to grasp.

    These aren’t genetic differences – they’re environmental effects on development.

    In humans, early-life conditions similarly shape development. A child raised in an unsafe setting may develop heightened vigilance or stress sensitivity – traits that help in danger but can persist as anxiety or chronic stress in times of safety. This is known as environmental mismatch.

    Across generations, plasticity becomes more complicated. In some of my past research, I studied how diet in one generation of fruit flies shaped health, reproduction and longevity in their offspring and grand offspring.

    The results varied depending on diet, generation and trait. Traits that appeared to be useful in one generation weren’t always so in the next. This highlights how difficult transgenerational effects are to predict – precisely because of this plasticity.

    In three-spined stickleback fish, early exposure to predators reshapes their stress physiology and body shape.
    drakiragavon/iNaturalist, CC BY-ND

    Too narrow an explanation

    Epigenetics often reflect environmental exposures – such as stress, trauma, nutrition or caregiving. But they’re not necessarily permanent “scars”. Many are dynamic and can shift with changing environments – especially early in life.

    Studies show that epigenetic patterns linked to early childhood adversity vary depending on later environments such as family stability and social support. This suggests the biological imprint of early stress is shaped by what happens next.

    It’s tempting to treat epigenetics as the key to explaining inherited trauma – but that’s too narrow. Trauma can influence the next generation through altered hormones, immune function or in utero conditions – all of which shape brain development and stress reactivity.

    Genetic variation also plays a major role. It doesn’t encode trauma itself, but it shapes traits such as sensitivity to threat or emotional regulation. These traits aren’t chosen – they arise from a web of biological and social influences beyond our control.

    But how they unfold, and whether they’re amplified or softened, depends on the systems that surround us.

    Connection to culture

    Connection to culture plays an important role too.

    In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori-led initiatives that centre land, language and whakapapa (ancestral lineage) have shown promise in restoring wellbeing after generations of colonisation-related trauma.

    For Holocaust survivors and descendants, connection to cultural identity through ritual and shared narrative can reduce the psychological burden of transmitted trauma.

    But not all trauma is collective or institutional. Interventions such as trauma-informed parenting and early relational therapies have been shown to improve outcomes in the next generation.

    These psychological supports affect biology. Feeling safe in our relationships, having stable routines and a sense of meaning can reduce stress hormones, modulate immune function, and buffer against long-term disease risk.

    In this way, culture, caregiving and connection are all biological interventions. When they soften the effects of earlier stress, they may help interrupt its transmission.

    Trauma-informed parenting has been shown to improve outcomes in the next generation.
    fizkes/Shutterstock

    Reframing inherited vulnerability

    This matters, because it changes how we understand inherited vulnerability.

    Rather than a permanent wound passed down through DNA, the effects of trauma are better understood as changeable responses shaped by context.

    Thanks to plasticity, our biology is always in conversation with the environment – and when we change the context, we can change the outcome.

    Tara-Lyn Camilleri receives funding from from Australian Graduate Women, a not-for-profit organisation that advocates for education and supports women in postgraduate education with scholarships. Her research has also been supported by Australian Research Council grants and Royal Society funding. She is a volunteer committee member for Graduate Women Victoria.

    – ref. Trauma is carried in your DNA. But science reveals a more complicated story – https://theconversation.com/trauma-is-carried-in-your-dna-but-science-reveals-a-more-complicated-story-259057

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hong Kong boasts largest IPO market worldwide in H1

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

    Photo taken on July 31, 2021 shows the statues on the square of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) in south China’s Hong Kong. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Hong Kong has beaten all the other capital markets in the world to raise over 105 billion Hong Kong dollars (13.38 billion U.S. dollars) through initial public offerings (IPOs) in the first half of 2025, as capital inflows into the city continues amid global market jitters.

    The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) data showed that 42 companies were listed in the first six months, up 40 percent from the same period last year. Total funds raised stood at the highest since 2021, crushing the 87.6 billion Hong Kong dollars annual total in 2024.

    The HKEX claimed top spot worldwide in terms of total IPO proceeds in the first half of this year, well ahead of Nasdaq’s 71.3 billion Hong Kong dollars, a Deloitte report showed.

    Industry insiders say Hong Kong’s securities market became a global investors’ go-to platform to add Chinese assets to their portfolios.

    Capital inflow into Hong Kong has risen from 366 billion U.S. dollars at the beginning of last year to 605 billion dollars in April, the highest since 2000, data from Hang Seng Bank showed.

    Many global investors first look to Hong Kong to diversify risks, and, impressed by the economic vitality of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, chose to increase their holdings, said Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

    Pro-growth policy efforts from the central government and the HKSAR’s measures to streamline listing procedures have worked together to lift Hong Kong’s stock market, said HKEX Chairman Carlson Tong.

    Among this year’s new IPOs, crowd favorites are those of tech firms in artificial intelligence, 5G and smart vehicles, as well as new consumption companies, which cultivate and profit on consumer behaviors with the help of new technologies. Both are signatures of China’s economic upgrades.

    Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) raised over 40 billion Hong Kong dollars in May, drawing investments from Europe, the Middle East and the United States. It is the largest IPO in Hong Kong in recent years and a shoo-in for the largest worldwide this year.

    As flag bearers of new consumption trends, bubble tea makers like Mixue Bingcheng and Auntea Jenny marked memorable H1 IPOs, while Chinese fast food chain Home Original Chicken and snack brand Three Squirrels are waiting in line.

    The avid investor turnout to these new consumption IPOs is a token of faith in the resilience of China’s domestic demand, as these companies have developed tried and tested business models to meet the needs of younger consumers, analysts say.

    Hong Kong’s IPO market is expected to maintain steam in the second half. Edward Au, southern region managing partner of Deloitte China, said there are currently more than 170 applications in progress and estimated that a total of 80 IPOs will raise around 200 billion Hong Kong dollars this year.

    As dependence on U.S. dollar-denominated assets wanes, global investors are increasingly seeking to diversify their portfolios, said Tong, adding that the HKEX is working with counterparts in the Middle East and Southeast Asia to widen access to funding for tech firms worldwide. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Offers Relief to Kansas Small Businesses, Private Nonprofits and Residents Affected by June Storms and Flooding

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to Kansas small businesses, private nonprofits and residents to offset physical and economic losses from severe storms, torrential rain and flooding occurring June 3-7. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Laura Kelly on June 26.

    The declaration covers the Kansas counties of Butler, Chase, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Harvey, Marion, Sedgwick and Sumner.

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

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

    Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.

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

    EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

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

    “When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers play a vital role in helping small businesses and their communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “At these centers, SBA specialists assist business owners and residents with disaster loan applications and provide information on the full range of recovery programs available.”

    Beginning Tuesday, July 1, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the following Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each individual complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.

    The DLOC hours of operation are as follows:

    BUTLER COUNTY
    Disaster Loan Outreach Center
    Butler County Historic Courthouse
    First Floor – former driver’s license room
    205 W. Central Ave.
    El Dorado, KS  67042

    Opens at 12:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 1

    Mondays – Fridays, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

    Closed Friday, July 4 for Independence Day

    Permanently closes at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, July 24

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

    The deadline to return physical damage applications is Aug. 26, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is March 27, 2026.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Funding terror: how west Africa’s deadly jihadists get the money they need to survive

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Egodi Uchendu, Professor (of History and International Studies), University of Nigeria

    The west Africa–Sahel region has seen a proliferation of militant Islamist groups since the 1990s.

    One of the most vicious groups operating in the region is Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Support Group for Islam and Muslims). The militant group emerged in 2017 in Algeria and Mali, and has targeted civilian populations.

    The UN listed the group as an al-Qaeda affiliate in 2018. Al-Qaeda is an Islamist organisation founded by Osama bin Laden in the 1980s.

    The 2024 global terrorism index listed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin as one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organisations. Its influence has expanded in most parts of the Sahel. The group emerged to strengthen the jihadist insurgency under al-Qaeda. It combines violence with diplomacy to expand its influence and challenge state authorities.

    Despite growing pressure from counter militancy campaigns spearheaded by local, regional and international militaries, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin continues to survive and adapt by regrouping and reorganising. This was demonstrated in its latest operation in Burkina Faso in 2024. The group exerted significant control by closing schools, setting up taxation checkpoints and abducting locals.

    Its engagement in illicit economies has been key to the group’s successful expansion. This revenue is used to carry out devastating attacks.

    We research jihadi-based insurgencies, and have found that this is a common tactic among terrorist groups in the west Africa-Sahel axis, including Boko Haram militants.

    From our research, we find that Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin funds its activities by relying on

    • artisanal mining

    • kidnapping

    • livestock theft

    • money laundering.

    Dismantling the group’s illicit economies and blocking its financial flows are key to countering its activities.

    Financial resources

    The group needs money for fighting, and to sustain political and social influence in its areas of operation.

    Artisanal gold mining has proven to be a major factor in its expansion and resilience. In areas where the group exerts influence, illicit gold mining generates over US$30 billion annually. According to a report by Swissaid, a development group based in Switzerland, the main destinations for this gold are the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Switzerland.

    The jihadists gain access to gold by controlling mining sites and transport routes to and from mines. They sometimes allow trusted allies, who include local armed groups, bandits and other criminal networks, to mine in exchange for a payout. The extent of gold mining funds is not exactly known, but the artisanal sites in areas controlled by the group have the capacity to produce 725 kilograms of gold per year, valued at US$34 million.



    Read more:
    West Africa could soon have a jihadist state – here’s why

    Another source of income – and political influence – is kidnapping for ransom. Kidnap victims include cattle owners, businessmen, state officials and foreigners. The group received a ₤30 million ransom in 2020 to release one French and two Italian hostages. Between 2017 and 2023, the group and its affiliated units were responsible for 845 out of approximately 1,100 recorded kidnappings in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Burkina Faso and Mali remain the epicentre of the group’s violent activities. In the first quarter of 2023, over 180 cases of kidnapping were recorded in these countries’ war-torn areas.

    Livestock theft has also been a critical source of funds. The practice of livestock theft as economic warfare and a means to generate funds has led to livestock being forcibly taken from herders who fail to pay zakat (a religious fee among Muslims) or subscribe to the group’s ideology. The stolen livestock are sold in Mali, Mauritania or Senegal. The ability to monetise stolen livestock makes their theft a cornerstone of the Sahelian war economy and a source of cash for weapons and vehicles.

    Money laundering is another illicit economy central to the militant group’s financing. It lends money to merchants, invests with banks and funds small shops with the aim of getting profits. This helps ensure a constant flow of money and provisions to support the group’s terrorist acts. It has attached much importance to this illicit economy, to the extent of assassinating those who interfere with its investments.

    Way out

    To cut down Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin’s financial base – and thereby weaken its capacity for militancy – counterinsurgency efforts need to take the following actions.

    • Government security actors should collaborate with local self-defence militias to regulate artisanal mining and thwart kidnappings.

    • Financial intelligence units need to identify merchants who receive money from the militant group to block the flow of illicit funds.



    Read more:
    Jihadism and coups in West Africa’s Sahel region: a complex relationship

    • Specialised courts that deal with money laundering and terrorism financing cases should be established and made operational in Burkina Faso and Mali, the epicentres of the group’s activities.

    • Burkina Faso and Mali should increase security around civilians to minimise civilian casualties from terror operations.

    Since finance is the basis of the militant group’s strength, regional security co-operation should be strengthened. This would help with systematically tracking illicit flows and stopping them.

    Egodi Uchendu receives funding from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany. She has also received funding from TETFund, Nigeria, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Senegal, The A. G. Leventis Foundation, Greece, and the Fulbright Commission, USA.

    Muhammed Sani Dangusau 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. Funding terror: how west Africa’s deadly jihadists get the money they need to survive – https://theconversation.com/funding-terror-how-west-africas-deadly-jihadists-get-the-money-they-need-to-survive-242306

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: What one university’s 30-year transformation reveals about Afrikaans and language planning in South Africa

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Lloyd Hill, Lecturer, Stellenbosch University

    Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images

    When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, five of the country’s universities used Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. There were also two bilingual universities teaching in Afrikaans and English.

    Stellenbosch University, about 50km from Cape Town, is the oldest historically Afrikaans university. Over the past three decades English has gradually replaced Afrikaans in the core functions of teaching and research.

    The status of Afrikaans at formerly Afrikaans or bilingual universities remains the subject of considerable debate. This has led to litigation and three judgments in South Africa’s apex court, the constitutional court.

    Afrikaans is commonly categorised as an Indo-European language, related to Dutch. It can be more accurately described as a Creole language that developed after the Dutch colonised the Cape in 1652. In 1925, standardised Afrikaans became an official language alongside English. It subsequently became associated with white Afrikaner nationalism and, from 1948, apartheid education policies. In 1976, Black students mobilised against attempts to make Afrikaans a compulsory medium of instruction in schools.

    I’m a sociologist who studies language and communication in science and higher education. In a recent article and presentation I examined the three phases in which the language shift and the decline of Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University has unfolded.

    The first phase (1994-2002) involved an attempt to defend Afrikaans institutional monolingualism. The second (2002-2015) saw a shift to institutional bilingualism. Afrikaans and English were used in undergraduate classes. The final and current phase began with the 2015-16 #FeesMustFall student protests. Pressure for the transformation of a predominantly white campus escalated. This triggered a rapid shift to English.

    In 2024, the university’s language policy is, on paper, a scaled-down version of institutional bilingualism (Afrikaans and English). However, in practice English is the main medium of instruction. Afrikaans is, increasingly, not used across all disciplines. This reflects the trend at other formerly Afrikaans or bilingual public universities.

    There is a case to be made for defending Stellenbosch University’s position as a centre of Afrikaans language and culture. But the centralised language planning apparatus it has developed over the past two decades is simply unsustainable. This case study prompts a broader reflection on languages and language planning within South African higher education.

    First, for reasons related to its global academic status and its national second-language status, English has emerged as the dominant language of teaching and research at South African universities.

    The second issue has to do with the nature of “language” at different levels of the education system. The official languages adopted in 1994 are not uniform “mother tongues” or “vehicles” moving from basic education to PhD.

    Languages are more than individual “competencies”: they are political and economic projects. They are also particularly expensive and difficult to “plan” in university teaching and research.

    First phase (1994-2002)

    In 1994, South Africa’s then-interim constitution recognised 11 official languages. It committed “the state” to “practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages”.

    Afrikaans universities faced a particular dilemma. How could they retain Afrikaans as a medium of instruction and open enrolment to formerly excluded Black students? These are generally second-language English speakers who opt to study in English.

    Other historically Afrikaans institutions adopted parallel medium instruction. Stellenbosch University resisted this trend and asserted its autonomy as a monolingual institution. Postgraduate teaching and research, however, shifted to English. Afrikaans was reframed as an undergraduate teaching issue.

    The university argued that the predominantly Afrikaans-speaking Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces needed an Afrikaans-medium university.

    Two factors undermined this demographic argument. First, the university enjoys national status. This can be traced back to an elite Anglophone college system in the 19th century British Cape Colony. Second, after the 1994 transition, the university focused on internationalisation. It also established itself as a leading research-intensive institution. As a result it has increasingly attracted students and academics with little or no Afrikaans competency.

    Second phase (2002-2015)

    In the early 2000s South Africa’s higher education system was overhauled. This involved institutional mergers, which coincided with the adoption of the 2002 Language Policy for Higher Education. The policy effectively disestablished monolingual Afrikaans universities, stating:

    The notion of Afrikaans universities runs counter to the end goal of a transformed higher education system.

    Stellenbosch University adopted its first language policy and plan in 2002. Afrikaans was reframed as one of four undergraduate language options and described as “the default language of undergraduate learning and instruction”. A heated debate erupted in the Afrikaans media. In this first public – and acrimonious – taaldebat (language debate) many criticised the new “default” status of Afrikaans. That’s because, like a default setting on a computer, this option could be switched.

    Multilingual signage outside a building at Stellenbosch University.
    Lloyd Hill, CC BY

    The new policy introduced formal language planning as an institutional process that would involve periodic policy updates. It also presented three module “options” that represented possible routes away from institutional monolingualism.

    First, dual medium instruction involved using both English and Afrikaans in one lecture. Second, parallel medium instruction involved separate lectures in English and Afrikaans. Third was an English medium option. However, the second and third options were reserved for “exceptional circumstances”.

    Within a few years, most modules shifted to the dual medium option. The university shifted to a dual medium form of institutional bilingualism. But a tacit racial assumption underpinned this model. The language policy ignored the growing enrolment of Black students and the appointment of Black staff members who didn’t have the required bilingual proficiency.

    A new language policy, adopted in December 2014, tried to address the bilingual proficiency problem. It prioritised parallel medium instruction and “educational interpeting”. It never got off the ground.

    Third phase (2015 to date)

    Beginning in March 2015, a series of “Fallist” movements mobilised on South African campuses. A predominantly Black student movement called Open Stellenbosch was established. It aimed “to challenge the hegemony of white Afrikaans culture and the exclusion of Black students and staff”. Language policy was a key point of contention.

    The university responded by redrafting its language policy. In June 2016 it established English as the primary medium of teaching at the undergraduate level.

    This moment also marks the shift to what I term the second taaldebat. Afrikaans language activists now argued that English and Afrikaans ought to enjoy equal status. Institutional bilingualism became the new ideal framework for defending Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University.

    Language activism included litigation, which ended in a constitutional court ruling. The court upheld the 2016 language policy review process. It also noted the “hard racial edge” to the evidence produced by Stellenbosch University. It remarked that:

    Seen as a bloc, the new entrants for whom Afrikaans is an obstruction are not brown or white, but overwhelmingly Black.

    Today, Stellenbosch remains notionally committed to “multilingualism”. In practice, this means a scaled down version of institutional bilingualism. It involves very limited parallel medium instruction and some simultaneous interpreting. English is the compulsory medium in modules where no duplication occurs.

    Lloyd Hill received funding from the South African National Research Foundation (Grant #111845).

    – ref. What one university’s 30-year transformation reveals about Afrikaans and language planning in South Africa – https://theconversation.com/what-one-universitys-30-year-transformation-reveals-about-afrikaans-and-language-planning-in-south-africa-242709

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Fake online shops rely on tech skills: what drives Cameroon’s web developers to assist online fraudsters

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Suleman Lazarus, Visiting Fellow, Mannheim Centre for Criminology, London School of Economics and Political Science

    When people discuss online fraud, the focus is often on those who directly deceive victims. Little attention is given to those who enable these crimes by providing the digital infrastructure necessary for deception.

    This digital infrastructure includes reliable access to electricity and the internet, as well as digital tools such as proxy servers, spoofing software, phishing kits and virtual private networks. Those involved must possess technical competencies in areas like web development, social engineering and systems maintenance, skills that are critical for sustaining fraudulent operations behind the scenes.

    Research on cybercrime is expanding in west Africa, particularly studies of Nigeria and Ghana. But Cameroon is understudied. This gap in research has obscured a pervasive problem in Cameroon: website developers who create digital storefronts for fraudsters.

    Pet scams are a particularly common type of online fraud perpetrated by Cameroonian fraudsters. This is a form of non-delivery fraud in which victims are tricked into paying for animals that do not exist. Typically, these fake pet websites target prospective pet buyers in countries like the US, Canada and Australia by advertising nonexistent pedigree puppies and kittens as well as exotic animals such as parrots, macaws and tortoises.

    Rather than focusing on the fraudsters themselves, our study examined the infrastructure that enables this fraud to happen and the hidden networks of actors who make deception possible. Our research sheds light on a little-known group of enablers: website developers in anglophone Cameroon who knowingly build fake shopping websites.

    Through interviews with 14 website developers engaged in this illicit trade, we explored the socio-economic and political forces that drive their participation.

    Our findings showed that a mix of economic hardship, social norms and cultural beliefs drive fraud enablement in Cameroon. Our study highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of cybercrime. The website developers in Cameroon do not fit the typical profile of a fraudster. They see themselves as skilled workers navigating a complex socio-political landscape where survival often comes before morality, given that Cameroon, under Paul Biya’s presidency of more than 40 years, has experienced widespread poverty, instability and an uncertain succession struggle.

    To address fraud effectively, interventions must go beyond simply punishing offenders. Instead, efforts should focus on dismantling the structures that allow fraud to thrive, starting with those who enable it.

    Why fraudsters choose this activity

    A central theme emerging from our interviews was the impact of the Ambazonian Crisis, an ongoing separatist conflict in Cameroon’s anglophone regions. The crisis began as peaceful demonstrations in 2016 when trade unionists and lawyers protested against the mandatory use of the French language in schools and law courts. By 2017, these protests had turned violent as armed separatist groups emerged within the anglophone regions, engaging in sporadic conflict with government forces. The separatists called for the secession of the two anglophone regions, referring to them as Ambazonia. The conflict has since escalated. Reports estimate that the violence has led to approximately 6,000 civilian deaths, the displacement of 600,000 people within Cameroon, and the forced migration of over 77,000 people into Nigeria as refugees.

    The website developers we interviewed described how daily gunfire, displacement and political instability had made it difficult to secure stable employment and find clients.

    Interviewees cited frequent power outages and internet blackouts as barriers to working with legitimate clients.

    As one developer put it:

    There are times when we go without electricity or network for days. I might have a legitimate client, but if the power goes out, I lose the job. Fraudsters, on the other hand, don’t care about delays. They are always there with another request.

    Ghost-town protests, where separatists enforce economic shutdowns and force people to stay in their homes, further limit opportunities for legitimate business. In this unstable environment, undertaking website development for fraudsters became one of the few steady income streams.

    A second theme was spiritual beliefs. We found that spiritual beliefs had an impact on decision-making. Developers rationalised their work by distinguishing between fraud and fraud enablement. Directly perpetrating fraud against victims, they believed, carried spiritual consequences, while simply building websites for fraudsters did not. Some fraudsters in west Africa visit a so-called “juju priest”, who may demand animal sacrifice and even murder in return for their blessing. The website developers we spoke to did not want to get involved in this.

    One of the developers shared his fears about spiritual repercussions:

    Scammers who do rituals for money, they don’t last. Most of the time, you see them dying at the age of 20 or 30. I don’t want to be involved in that. But making websites? That’s different. I’m not the one taking the money.

    A third theme in our findings was the Big Boy culture, a subculture that glorifies online fraud as a symbol of success. In some west African communities, fraudsters who display their wealth through expensive cars, clothes and lifestyles are seen as role models rather than criminals.

    Vanesa, a developer, explained:

    Everybody wants to chill with the Big Boys. Fraudsters want to be seen as superstars, and that means spending money like celebrities.

    The normalisation of internet fraud in some circles has created a perception that financial success justifies the means by which it is achieved. While some developers disapproved of fraudsters’ extravagant lifestyles, others saw it as a model of economic survival to aspire to.

    Rethinking fraud prevention

    These findings challenge the simplistic notion that the internet inherently enables fraud. Instead, fraud thrives within a complex ecosystem that includes not just the perpetrators but also the enablers who facilitate deception for economic, political, and cultural reasons.

    A more effective fraud prevention strategy should address the enablers of cybercrime, not just the scammers.

    This means:

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

    – ref. Fake online shops rely on tech skills: what drives Cameroon’s web developers to assist online fraudsters – https://theconversation.com/fake-online-shops-rely-on-tech-skills-what-drives-cameroons-web-developers-to-assist-online-fraudsters-252429

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: AI policies in Africa: lessons from Ghana and Rwanda

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Thompson Gyedu Kwarkye, Postdoctoral Researcher, University College Dublin

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing productivity and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. It powers self-driving cars, social media feeds, fraud detection and medical diagnoses. Touted as a game changer, it is projected to add nearly US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by the end of the decade.

    Africa is positioned to use this technology in several sectors. In Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, AI-led digital tools in use include drones for farm management, X-ray screening for tuberculosis diagnosis, and real-time tracking systems for packages and shipments. All these are helping to fill gaps in accessibility, efficiency and decision-making.

    However, it also introduces risks. These include biased algorithms, resource and labour exploitation, and e-waste disposal. The lack of a robust regulatory framework in many parts of the continent increases these challenges, leaving vulnerable populations exposed to exploitation. Limited public awareness and infrastructure further complicate the continent’s ability to harness AI responsibly.

    What are African countries doing about it?
    To answer this, my research mapped out what Ghana and Rwanda had in place as AI policies and investigated how these policies were developed. I looked for shared principles and differences in approach to governance and implementation.

    The research shows that AI policy development is not a neutral or technical process but a profoundly political one. Power dynamics, institutional interests and competing visions of technological futures shape AI regulation.

    I conclude from my findings that AI’s potential to bring great change in Africa is undeniable. But its benefits are not automatic. Rwanda and Ghana show that effective policy-making requires balancing innovation with equity, global standards with local needs, and state oversight with public trust.

    The question is not whether Africa can harness AI, but how and on whose terms.

    How they did it

    Rwanda’s National AI Policy emerged from consultations with local and global actors. These included the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the Rwandan Space Agency, and NGOs like the Future Society, and the GIZ FAIR Forward. The resulting policy framework is in line with Rwanda’s goals for digital transformation, economic diversification and social development. It includes international best practices such as ethical AI, data protection, and inclusive AI adoption.

    Ghana’s Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations conducted multi-stakeholder workshops to develop a national strategy for digital transformation and innovation. Start-ups, academics, telecom companies and public-sector institutions came together and the result is Ghana’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2023–2033.

    Both countries have set up or plan to set up Responsible AI offices. This aligns with global best practices for ethical AI. Rwanda focuses on local capacity building and data sovereignty. This reflects the country’s post-genocide emphasis on national control and social cohesion. Similarly, Ghana’s proposed office focuses on accountability, though its structure is still under legislative review.

    Ghana and Rwanda have adopted globally recognised ethical principles like privacy protection, bias mitigation and human rights safeguards. Rwanda’s policy reflects Unesco’s AI ethics recommendations and Ghana emphasises “trustworthy AI”.

    Both policies frame AI as a way to reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Rwanda’s policy targets applications in healthcare, agriculture, poverty reduction and rural service delivery. Similarly, Ghana’s strategy highlights the potential to advance economic growth, environmental sustainability and inclusive digital transformation.

    Key policy differences

    Rwanda’s policy ties data control to national security. This is rooted in its traumatic history of identity-based violence. Ghana, by contrast, frames AI as a tool for attracting foreign investment rather than a safeguard against state fragility.

    The policies also differ in how they manage foreign influence. Rwanda has a “defensive” stance towards global tech powers; Ghana’s is “accommodative”. Rwanda works with partners that allow it to follow its own policy. Ghana, on the other hand, embraces partnerships, viewing them as the start of innovation.

    While Rwanda’s approach is targeted and problem-solving, Ghana’s strategy is expansive, aiming for large-scale modernisation and private-sector growth. Through state-led efforts, Rwanda focuses on using AI to solve immediate challenges such as rural healthcare access and food security. In contrast, Ghana looks at using AI more widely – in finance, transport, education and governance – to become a regional tech hub.

    Constraints and solutions

    The effectiveness of these AI policies is held back by broader systemic challenges. The US and China dominate in setting global standards, so local priorities get sidelined. For example, while Rwanda and Ghana advocate for ethical AI, it’s hard for them to hold multinational corporations accountable for breaches.

    Energy shortages further complicate large-scale AI adoption. Training models require reliable electricity – a scarce resource in many parts of the continent.

    To address these gaps, I propose the following:

    Investments in digital infrastructure, education and local start-ups to reduce dependency on foreign tech giants.

    African countries must shape international AI governance forums. They must ensure policies reflect continental realities, not just western or Chinese ones. This will include using collective bargaining power through the African Union to bring Africa’s development needs to the fore. It could also help with digital sovereignty issues and equitable access to AI technologies.

    Finally, AI policies must embed African ethical principles. These should include communal rights and post-colonial sensitivities.

    Thompson Gyedu Kwarkye 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. AI policies in Africa: lessons from Ghana and Rwanda – https://theconversation.com/ai-policies-in-africa-lessons-from-ghana-and-rwanda-253642

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, Post-doctoral researcher, African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town

    Urban farms like this one in Nouakchott, Mauritania, have many benefits. John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images)

    Urban agriculture takes many forms, among them community, school or rooftop gardens, commercial urban farms, and hydroponic or aquaponic systems. These activities have been shown to promote sustainable cities in a number of ways. They enhance local food security and foster economic opportunities through small-scale farming initiatives. They also strengthen social cohesion by creating shared spaces for collaboration and learning.

    However, evidence from some African countries (and other parts of the world) shows that very few young people are getting involved in agriculture, whether in urban, peri-urban or rural areas. Studies from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria show that people aged between 15 and 34 have very little interest in agriculture, whether as an educational pathway or career. They perceive farming as physically demanding, low-paying and lacking in prestige. Systemic barriers like limited access to land, capital and skills also hold young people back.

    South Africa has a higher rate of young people engaging in farming (24%) than elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this number could be higher if young people better understood the benefits of a career in farming and if they had more support.

    In a recent study I explored youth-driven urban agriculture in Khayelitsha, a large urban area outside Cape Town whose residents are mostly Black, low-income earners.

    The young urban farmers I interviewed are using community gardens to grow more than vegetables. They’re also nurturing social connections, creating economic and business opportunities, and promoting environmental conservation. My findings highlight the transformative potential of youth-driven urban agriculture and how it can be a multifaceted response to urban challenges. It’s crucial that policy makers recognise the value of youth-led urban agriculture and support those doing the work.

    The research

    Khayelitsha is vibrant and bustling. But its approximately 400,000 residents have limited resources and often struggle to make a living.

    I interviewed members of two youth-led gardens. One has just two members; the other has six. All my interviewees were aged between 22 and 27. The relatively low number of interviewees is typical of qualitative research, where the emphasis is placed on depth rather than breadth. This approach allows researchers to obtain detailed, context-rich data from a small, focused group of participants.

    The first garden was founded in January 2020, just a few months before the pandemic struck. The founders wanted to tackle unemployment and food insecurity in their community. They hoped to create jobs for themselves and others, and to provide nutritional support, particularly for vulnerable groups like children with special needs.

    The second garden was established in 2014 by three childhood friends. They were inspired by one founder’s grandmother, who loved gardening. They also wanted to promote organic farming, teach people healthy eating habits, and create a self-reliant community.

    All of my interviewees were activists for food justice. This refers to efforts aimed at addressing systemic inequities in food production, distribution, and access, particularly for marginalised communities. It advocates for equitable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food.

    One of the gardens, for instance, operates about 30 beds. It cultivates a variety of produce: beetroot, carrots, spinach, pumpkins, potatoes, radishes, peas, lettuce and herbs. 30% of its produce is donated to local community centres each month (they were unable to say how many people benefited from this arrangement). The rest is sold to support the garden financially. Its paying clients include local restaurants and chefs, and members of the community. The garden also partners with schools, hospitals and other organisations to promote healthy eating and sustainable practices.

    The second garden, which is on land belonging to a local early childhood development centre, also focuses on feeding the community, as well as engaging in food justice activism.

    Skills, resilience and connections

    The gardens also help members to develop skills. Members gain practical knowledge about sustainable agriculture, marketing and entrepreneurship, all while managing operations and planning for growth.



    Read more:
    Healthy food is hard to come by in Cape Town’s poorer areas: how community gardens can fix that

    This hands-on experience instils a sense of responsibility and gives participants valuable skills they can apply in future careers or ventures. The founder of the first garden told me his skills empowered him to seek help from his own community rather than waiting for government intervention. He approached the management of an early childhood development centre in the community to request space on their land, and this was granted.

    Social connections have been essential to the gardens’ success. Bonding capital (close ties within their networks) and bridging capital (connections beyond their immediate community) has allowed them to strengthen relationships between themselves and civil society organisations. They’ve also been able to mobilise resources, as in the case of the first garden accessing community land.

    Additionally, the gardens foster community resilience. Members host workshops and events to educate residents about healthy eating, sustainable farming and environmental stewardship.

    By donating produce to local early childhood centres, they provide direct benefits to those most in need. These efforts have transformed the gardens into safe spaces for the community.

    Broader collaboration has also been key to the gardens’ success. For instance, the second garden has worked with global organisations and networks, like the Slow Food Youth Network, to share and gain knowledge about sustainable farming practices.

    Room for growth

    My findings highlight the need for targeted support for youth-driven urban agriculture initiatives. Policy and financial backing can enable these young gardeners to expand their efforts. This in turn will allow them to provide more food to their communities, create additional jobs, and empower more young people.

    At a policy level, the government could prioritise land access for urban agriculture projects, especially in under-served communities. Cities can foster an environment for youth initiatives to thrive by allocating spaces within their planning for urban farming.



    Read more:
    Africa’s megacities threatened by heat, floods and disease – urgent action is needed to start greening and adapt to climate change

    There’s also a need for educational programmes that emphasise the value of sustainable urban agriculture, and workshops and training on entrepreneurship and sustainable farming techniques. Community organising could further empower young farmers. Finally, continued collaboration with national and international food networks would help strengthen such initiatives.

    Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira 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. Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study – https://theconversation.com/urban-food-gardens-produce-more-than-vegetables-they-create-bonds-for-young-capetonians-study-243500

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: ‘Piracy’ to legitimacy: how companies like French ride-hailing platform Heetch can make their mark

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Maxime Massey, Docteur en Sciences de Gestion & Innovation – Chercheur affilié à la Chaire Improbable, ESCP Business School

    The 2024 arrest and subsequent release of activist Paul Watson, the founder of the NGO Sea Shepherd that fights to protect ocean biodiversity, highlighted a division between two opposing camps. There are those who want to stay true to the NGO’s DNA by continuing to practice strong activism against poaching states, and those who believe there is too much at stake in remaining confrontational and advocate instead for more measured actions to institutionalize the NGO. This opposition reflects the dilemma faced by many “pirate organizations,” a concept introduced by scholars Rudolph Durand and Jean-Philippe Vergne.

    What are pirate organizations?

    Pirate organizations are defined by three key characteristics.

    • They develop innovative activities by exploiting legal loopholes;

    • they defend a “public cause” to support neglected communities, who in turn support them;

    • by introducing innovations that address specific social needs, they disrupt monopolies and contribute to transforming economic and social systems.


    A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

    However, to do these things effectively, pirate organizations must become legitimate. An organization is considered legitimate when its various audiences (customers, media, the state, etc.) perceive its actions as desirable according to prevailing values, norms and laws. Legitimacy is built through a process known as legitimation. For pirate organizations, this is particularly challenging, as they are often viewed as both illegal and illegitimate by the state and established industry players. These actors apply pressure to hinder legitimation. So how do pirate organizations build their legitimacy? We examined this question through the emblematic case of Heetch.

    A case study of a pirate organization

    Heetch is a French urban transport start-up launched in 2013 when its founders observed that “young people in Paris and its suburbs struggle to travel at night due to a lack of suitable options.” They decided to create a ride-hailing platform connecting private drivers with passengers.

    This business model, based on the principles of the “sharing economy,” encroached on the monopoly of taxis and the regulated sector of professional chauffeur-driven vehicles (VTCs). Despite challenges, Heetch gradually built its legitimacy through three distinct phases, responding to pressures in different ways.

    Stage 1: ‘clandestine pragmatism’ (2013-2015)

    When Heetch launched in 2013, a conflict was brewing in the urban transport sector. On one side, there were new applications for VTC services (such as Uber) and for private driver platforms (such as UberPop and Heetch); on the other, there were traditional taxis and their booking departments (such as G7). The latter, along with government authorities, began exerting pressure to shut down the apps, with Uber receiving most of the media attention.

    During this phase, Heetch adopted a strategy of “clandestine pragmatism.” The start-up avoided direct confrontations and stayed “under the radar” of the media. This approach is similar to “bootlegging” – concealing an innovative activity during its early stages. Heetch built a pragmatic legitimacy among its immediate audience using informal techniques such as word-of-mouth. However, its legitimacy remained limited, because it operated outside media scrutiny and without state approval.

    Stage 2: ‘subversive activism’ (2015-2017)

    In June 2015, taxi drivers organized massive protests against the “unfair competition” posed by new ride-hailing apps. The Paris police issued a ban on UberPop-like applications, including Heetch’s.

    While Uber shut down UberPop, Heetch exploited a legal loophole – its name was not explicitly mentioned in the ban – and continued operations. In response, the state cracked down on Heetch: around 100 drivers were placed in police custody and the founders were summoned to court, facing charges of “illegal facilitation of contact” with drivers, “complicity in unlawful taxi operations” and “misleading commercial practices.”

    Heetch reacted by engaging in “subversive activism.” The founders spoke out in the media to defend their service, emphasizing its public utility, particularly for young suburban residents needing nighttime mobility. The start-up generated buzz by releasing a satirical video featuring altered images of political figures in their youth. Heetch leveraged its pragmatic legitimacy, already established within its community, to gain media legitimacy among a broader audience of people, including journalists and policymakers. The organization gained public recognition, but also faced increasing legal battles.

    Stage 3: ‘tempered radicalism’ (2017-present)

    In March 2017, a court ruled against Heetch, deeming its operations illegal. Heetch temporarily suspended its service but relaunched two weeks later with a new business model employing professional drivers. Two months later, Heetch attempted to reintroduce private drivers, but, after facing additional legal action, it abandoned this approach after six months to focus exclusively on legal transportation services.

    During this phase, Heetch practised “tempered radicalism.” The company integrated into the system while continuing its “fight” in a more moderate manner, avoiding direct confrontation with the state and industry players. It adopted three key strategies:

    • compliance – respecting the law;

    • compromise – balancing its transportation service with its public mission;

    • manipulation – lobbying to influence regulations.

    Through this approach, Heetch secured regulatory legitimacy while strengthening its existing pragmatic and media legitimacy. The company was recognized by the French government and included in the French Tech 120 and Next 40 programmes for the country’s most promising start-ups. It also became the first ride-hailing platform to attain “mission-driven company” status.

    Is ‘piracy’ a growth accelerator?

    Ultimately, our study highlights the value of piracy as a strategy for kickstarting the growth of an organization that serves a public cause. By embracing this approach, a pirate organization can drive systemic change to address social or environmental challenges.

    That said, piracy carries an inherent risk: at some point, it will likely face a legitimacy crisis triggered by resistance from monopolies or public authorities. The recent struggles of Paul Watson serve as testament. As he aptly puts it: “You can’t change the world without making waves.”

    Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.

    – ref. ‘Piracy’ to legitimacy: how companies like French ride-hailing platform Heetch can make their mark – https://theconversation.com/piracy-to-legitimacy-how-companies-like-french-ride-hailing-platform-heetch-can-make-their-mark-253079

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Will the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel hold? One factor could be crucial to it sticking

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University

    Amir Levy/Getty Images

    After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades.

    Israel and Iran both agreed to adhere to the ceasefire, though they said they would respond with force to any breach.

    If the ceasefire holds – a big if – the key question will be whether this signals the start of lasting peace, or merely a brief pause before renewed conflict.

    As contemporary war studies show, peace tends to endure under one of two conditions: either the total defeat of one side, or the establishment of mutual deterrence. This means both parties refrain from aggression because the expected costs of retaliation far outweigh any potential gains.

    What did each side gain?

    The war has marked a turning point for Israel in its decades-long confrontation with Iran. For the first time, Israel successfully brought a prolonged battle to Iranian soil, shifting the conflict from confrontations with Iranian-backed proxy militant groups to direct strikes on Iran itself.

    This was made possible largely due to Israel’s success over the past two years in weakening Iran’s regional proxy network, particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Syria.

    Over the past two weeks, Israel has inflicted significant damage on Iran’s military and scientific elite, killing several high-ranking commanders and nuclear scientists. The civilian toll was also high.

    Additionally, Israel achieved a major strategic objective by pulling the United States directly into the conflict. In coordination with Israel, the US launched strikes on three of Iran’s primary nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

    Despite these gains, Israel has not accomplished all of its stated goals. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had voiced support for regime change, urging Iranians to rise up against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s government, but the senior leadership in Iran remains intact.

    Additionally, Israel has not fully eliminated Iran’s missile program. (Iran continued striking to the last minute before the ceasefire.) And Tehran did not acquiesce to Trump’s pre-war demand to end uranium enrichment.

    Although Iran was caught off-guard by Israel’s attacks — particularly as it was engaged in nuclear negotiations with the US — it responded by launching hundreds of missiles towards Israel.

    While many were intercepted, a significant number penetrated Israeli air defences, causing widespread destruction in major cities, dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

    Iran has demonstrated its capacity to strike back, though Israel has succeeded in destroying many of its air defence systems, some ballistic missile assets (including missile launchers) and multiple energy facilities.

    Since the beginning of the assault, Iranian officials have repeatedly called for a halt to resume negotiations. Under such intense pressure, Iran has realised it would not benefit from a prolonged war of attrition with Israel — especially as both nations face mounting costs and the risk of depleting their military stockpiles if the war continues.

    As theories of victory suggest, success in war is defined not only by the damage inflicted, but by achieving core strategic goals and weakening the enemy’s will and capacity to resist.

    While Israel claims to have achieved the bulk of its objectives, the extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear program is not fully known, nor is its capacity to continue enriching uranium.

    Both sides could remain locked in a volatile standoff over Iran’s nuclear program, with the conflict potentially reigniting whenever either side perceives a strategic opportunity.

    Sticking point over Iran’s nuclear program

    Iran faces even greater challenges when it emerges from the war. With a heavy toll on its leadership and nuclear infrastructure, Tehran will likely prioritise rebuilding its deterrence capability.

    That includes acquiring new advanced air defence systems — potentially from China — and restoring key components of its missile and nuclear programs. (Some experts say Iran has not used some of its most powerful missiles to maintain this deterrence.)

    Iranian officials have claimed they safeguarded more than 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium before the attacks. This stockpile could theoretically be converted into nine to ten nuclear warheads if further enriched to 90%.

    Trump declared Iran’s nuclear capacity had been “totally obliterated”, whereas Rafael Grossi, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog chief, said damage to Iran’s facilities was “very significant”.

    However, analysts have argued Iran will still have a depth of technical knowledge accumulated over decades. Depending on the extent of the damage to its underground facilities, Iran could be capable of restoring and even accelerating its program in a relatively short time frame.

    And the chances of reviving negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program appear slimmer than ever.

    What might future deterrence look like?

    The war has fundamentally reshaped how both Iran and Israel perceive deterrence — and how they plan to secure it going forward.

    For Iran, the conflict has reinforced the belief that its survival is at stake. With regime change openly discussed during the war, Iran’s leaders appear more convinced than ever that true deterrence requires two key pillars: nuclear weapons capability, and deeper strategic alignment with China and Russia.

    As a result, Iran is expected to move rapidly to restore and advance its nuclear program, potentially moving towards actual weaponisation — a step it had long avoided, officially.

    At the same time, Tehran is likely to accelerate military and economic cooperation with Beijing and Moscow to hedge against isolation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised this close engagement with Russia during a visit to Moscow this week, particularly on nuclear matters.

    Israel, meanwhile, sees deterrence as requiring constant vigilance and a credible threat of overwhelming retaliation. In the absence of diplomatic breakthroughs, Israel may adopt a policy of immediate preemptive strikes on Iranian facilities or leadership figures if it detects any new escalation — particularly related to Iran’s nuclear program.

    In this context, the current ceasefire already appears fragile. Without comprehensive negotiations that address the core issues — namely, Iran’s nuclear capabilities — the pause in hostilities may prove temporary.

    Mutual deterrence may prevent a more protracted war for now, but the balance remains precarious and could collapse with little warning.

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

    – ref. Will the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel hold? One factor could be crucial to it sticking – https://theconversation.com/will-the-fragile-ceasefire-between-iran-and-israel-hold-one-factor-could-be-crucial-to-it-sticking-259669

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: AI applications are producing cleaner cities, smarter homes and more efficient transit

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mohammadamin Ahmadfard, Postdoctoral Fellow, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly transforming how cities generate, store and distribute energy, acting as the invisible conductor that orchestrates cleaner, smarter and more resilient cities.

    By integrating renewables — from solar panels and wind turbines to geothermal grids, hydrogen plants, electric vehicles and batteries — AI can enable cities to manage diverse energy sources as a single, intelligent system.

    One striking example is the Oya Hybrid Power Station in South Africa. Here, AI-driven controls seamlessly co-ordinate solar, wind and battery storage to deliver reliable power to up to 320,000 households. Using AI makes this kind of integration not only possible, but dramatically more efficient.

    Recent research shows AI can also optimize how batteries, solar and the grid interact in buildings. A 2023 study found that deep learning and real-time data helped a boarding school in Turin, Italy increase low-cost energy purchases and cut its electricity bill by more than half.

    Cleaner, smarter energy grids

    AI models are increasingly able to predict weather with greater precision. These predictions allow electric grid operators to plan hours ahead, storing excess energy in batteries or adjusting supply to meet demand before a storm or heatwave hits.

    Using AI to respond strategically to weather is a game-changer. In Cambridge, England, a system called Aardvark uses satellite and sensor data to generate rapid, accurate forecasts of sun and wind patterns.

    Unlike traditional supercomputer-driven weather models, Aardvark’s AI can deliver precise local forecasts in minutes on an ordinary computer. This makes advanced weather prediction more accessible and affordable for cities, utilities and even smaller organizations — potentially transforming how communities everywhere plan for and respond to changing weather.

    AI models are increasingly able to predict weather with greater precision, allowing electric grid operators to plan ahead, storing excess energy in batteries or adjusting supply to meet demand before a storm or heat wave hits.
    (Shutterstock)

    AI for smarter district heating and cooling

    In Munich, Germany, AI is improving geothermal district heating by using underground sensors to monitor temperature and moisture levels in the ground.

    The collected data feeds into a digital simulation model that helps optimize network operations. In more advanced versions, during winter cold snaps, such systems can suggest lowering flow to underused spaces like half-empty offices and boosting heat where demand is higher, such as in crowded apartments.

    This intelligent, self-optimizing approach extends the life of equipment and delivers more warmth with the same energy input.

    This is a breakthrough with enormous potential for cities in cold climates with established geothermal networks, such as Winnipeg in Canada and Iceland’s Reykjavik.

    Although these cities have not yet adopted AI-driven monitoring systems, they could benefit from AI’s real-time improvements in efficiency, comfort and energy savings during harsh winters — a principle that holds true wherever geothermal district heating and cooling exists.

    Inside the home, AI-managed smart climate systems can factor in how many people are in each room, which appliances are in use, how much natural sunlight each space receives.
    (Shutterstock)

    Smart buildings

    Inside the home, AI-managed smart climate systems can factor in how many people are in each room, which appliances are in use, how much natural sunlight each space receives and how much electricity or heat a home’s solar panels generate throughout the day.

    Based on this, AI determines how to heat or cool rooms efficiently, and can transfer energy from one space to another, balancing comfort with minimal energy use.

    Coastal cities and those in wind-heavy regions are using AI in other creative ways. In Orkney, Scotland, excess wind and tidal energy are converted into green hydrogen. Instead of letting that surplus power go to waste, an AI system called HyAI controls when to generate hydrogen based on wind forecasts, electricity prices and how full the hydrogen storage tanks are.

    When winds are strong at night and electricity is cheap, the AI can divert surplus power to produce hydrogen and store it for later use. On calmer days, that stored hydrogen can power fuel cells or buses.

    Energy storage

    AI is transforming energy storage into a smart, revenue-generating force. In Finland, a startup called Capalo AI has developed Zeus VPP, an AI-powered virtual power plant that aggregates distributed batteries from homes, businesses and other sites.

    Zeus VPP uses advanced forecasting and AI algorithms to decide when batteries should charge or discharge, factoring in energy prices, local consumption and weather forecasts. This enables battery owners to earn revenue by participating in electricity markets, while also supporting grid stability and making better use of renewable energy.

    Utility companies are also using AI to monitor everything from high-voltage transmission lines to neighbourhood transformers, dramatically increasing reliability.

    AI-powered dynamic line rating adjusts how much electricity a line can carry in real time, boosting capacity by 15 to 30 per cent when conditions allow. This helps utilities maximize the use of existing infrastructure instead of relying on costly upgrades.

    At the local level, AI analyzes smart metre data to predict which transformers are overheating due to rising EV and heat pump use.

    By forecasting these stress points, utilities can proactively upgrade equipment before failures happen — a shift from reactive to predictive maintenance that makes the grid stronger and cities more resilient.

    AI-powered public transit and mobility

    Transportation innovation is becoming part of the energy solution, with AI at the centre of this transformation. In New York City, energy company Con Edison has installed major battery storage systems to help manage peak electricity demand and reduce reliance on polluting peaker plants, which supply energy only during high-demand periods.

    More broadly, Con Edison is deploying advanced AI-powered analytics software across its electric grid — optimizing voltage, enhancing reliability and enabling predictive maintenance. Together, these efforts show how combining energy storage and AI-driven analytics can make even the world’s busiest cities more resilient and efficient.

    AI is also powering “vehicle-to-grid” innovations in California, where an AI-driven platform manages electric school buses that can supply stored energy back to the grid during periods of high demand.

    By carefully managing when buses charge and discharge, these systems help keep the grid reliable and ensure vehicles are ready for their daily routes. As this technology expands, parked electric vehicles could serve as valuable backup resources for the electricity system.

    Transportation innovation is becoming part of the energy solution.
    (Shutterstock)

    AI for clean energy initiatives

    AI is rapidly transforming cities by revolutionizing how energy is used and managed. Google, for example, has slashed cooling energy at its data centres by up to 40 per cent using AI that fine-tunes fans, pumps and windows more efficiently than any human operator.

    Organizations like the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in collaboration with NVIDIA, Microsoft and others, have launched the Open Power AI Consortium, which is creating open-source AI tools for utilities worldwide.

    These tools will enable even the most resource-constrained cities to deploy advanced AI capabilities, without having to start from scratch, helping to level the playing field and accelerate the global energy transition.

    The result is not just cleaner air and lower energy bills, but a path to fewer blackouts and more resilient homes.

    Mohammadamin Ahmadfard receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Mitacs Inc. for his postdoctoral research at Toronto Metropolitan University.

    – ref. AI applications are producing cleaner cities, smarter homes and more efficient transit – https://theconversation.com/ai-applications-are-producing-cleaner-cities-smarter-homes-and-more-efficient-transit-256291

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Jeffrey Fields, Professor of the Practice of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    The Osirak nuclear power research station in 1981. Jacques Pavlovsky/Sygma via Getty Images

    Israel, with the assistance of U.S. military hardware, bombs an adversary’s nuclear facility to set back the perceived pursuit of the ultimate weapon. We have been here before, about 44 years ago.

    In 1981, Israeli fighter jets supplied by Washington attacked an Iraqi nuclear research reactor being built near Baghdad by the French government.

    The reactor, which the French called Osirak and Iraqis called Tammuz, was destroyed. Much of the international community initially condemned the attack. But Israel claimed the raid set Iraqi nuclear ambitions back at least a decade. In time, many Western observers and government officials, too, chalked up the attack as a win for nonproliferation, hailing the strike as an audacious but necessary step to prevent Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from building a nuclear arsenal.

    But the reality is more complicated. As nuclear proliferation experts assess the extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities following the recent U.S. and Israeli raids, it is worth reassessing the longer-term implications of that earlier Iraqi strike.

    The Osirak reactor

    Iraq joined the landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970, committing the country to refrain from the pursuit of nuclear weapons. But in exchange, signatories are entitled to engage in civilian nuclear activities, including having research or power reactors and access to the enriched uranium that drives them.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency is responsible through safeguards agreements for monitoring countries’ civilian use of nuclear technology, with on-the-ground inspections to ensure that civilian nuclear programs do not divert materials for nuclear weapons.

    But to Israel, the Iraqi reactor was provocative and an escalation in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

    Israel believed that Iraq would use the French reactor – Iraq said it was for research purposes – to generate plutonium for a nuclear weapon. After diplomacy with France and the United States failed to persuade the two countries to halt construction of the reactor, Prime Minister Menachem Begin concluded that attacking the reactor was Israel’s best option. That decision gave birth to the “Begin Doctrine,” which has committing Israel to preventing its regional adversaries from becoming nuclear powers ever since.

    Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin addresses the press after the 1981 attack on the Osarik nuclear reactor.
    Israel Press and Photo Agency/Wikimedia Commons

    In spring 1979, Israel attempted to sabotage the project, bombing the reactor core destined for Iraq while it sat awaiting shipment in the French town of La Seyne-sur-Mer. The mission was only a partial success, damaging but not destroying the reactor.

    France and Iraq persisted with the project, and in July 1980 – with the reactor having been delivered – Iraq received the first shipment of highly enriched uranium fuel at the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center near Baghdad.

    Then in September 1980, during the initial days of the Iran-Iraq war, Iranian jets struck the nuclear research center. The raid also targeted a power station, knocking out electricity in Baghdad for several days. But a Central Intelligence Agency situation report assessed that “only secondary buildings” were hit at the nuclear site itself.

    It was then Israel’s turn. The reactor was still unfinished and not in operation when on June 7, 1981, eight U.S.-supplied F-16s flew over Jordanian and Saudi airspace and bombed the reactor in Iraq. The attack killed 10 Iraqi soldiers and a French civilian.

    Revisiting the ‘success’ of Israeli raid

    Many years later, U.S. President Bill Clinton commented: “Everybody talks about what the Israelis did at Osirak in 1981, which I think, in retrospect, was a really good thing. You know, it kept Saddam from developing nuclear power.”

    But nonproliferation experts have contended for years that while Saddam may have had nuclear weapons ambitions, the French-built research reactor would not have been the route to go. Iraq would either have had to divert the reactor’s highly enriched uranium fuel for a few weapons or shut the reactor down to extract plutonium from the fuel rods – all while hiding these operations from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

    As an additional safeguard, the French government, too, had pledged to shut down the reactor if it detected efforts to use the reactor for weapons purposes.

    In any event, Iraq’s desire for a nuclear weapon was more aspirational than operational. A 2011 article in the journal International Security included interviews with several scientists who worked on Iraq’s nuclear program and characterized the country’s pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability as “both directionless and disorganized” before the attack.

    Iraq’s program begins in earnest

    So what happened after the strike? Many analysts have argued that the Israeli attack, rather than diminish Iraqi desire for a nuclear weapon, actually catalyzed it.

    Nuclear proliferation expert Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, the author of the 2011 study, concluded that the Israeli attack “triggered a nuclear weapons program where one did not previously exist.”

    In the aftermath of the attack, Saddam decided to formally, if secretively, establish a nuclear weapons program, with scientists deciding that a uranium-based weapon was the best route. He tasked his scientists with pursuing multiple methods to enrich uranium to weapons grade to ensure success, much the way the Manhattan Project scientists approached the same problem in the U.S.

    In other words, the Israeli attack, rather than set back an existing nuclear weapons program, turned an incoherent and exploratory nuclear endeavor into a drive to get the bomb personally overseen by Saddam and sparing little expense even as Iraq’s war with Iran substantially taxed Iraqi resources.

    From 1981 to 1987, the nuclear program progressed fitfully, facing both organizational and scientific challenges.

    As those challenges were beginning to be addressed, Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, provoking a military response from the United States. In the aftermath of what would become Operation Desert Storm, U.N. weapons inspectors discovered and dismantled the clandestine Iraqi nuclear weapons program.

    The Tammuz nuclear reactor was hit again during the 1991 Gulf War.
    Ramzi Haidar/AFP via Getty Images

    Had Saddam not invaded Kuwait over a matter not related to security, it is very possible that Baghdad would have had a nuclear weapon capability by the mid-to-late 1990s.

    Similarly to Iraq in 1980, Iran today is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. At the time President Donald Trump withdrew U.S. support in 2018 for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, colloquially known as the Iran nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Tehran was complying with the requirements of the agreement.

    In the case of Iraq, military action on its nascent nuclear program merely pushed it underground – to Saddam, the Israeli strikes made acquiring the ultimate weapon more rather than less attractive as a deterrent. Almost a half-century on, some analysts and observers are warning the same about Iran.

    Jeffrey Fields receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Schmidt Futures.

    – ref. Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes – https://theconversation.com/israel-bombed-an-iraqi-nuclear-reactor-in-1981-it-pushed-program-underground-and-spurred-saddam-husseins-desire-for-nukes-259618

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Japanese prime minister’s abrupt no-show at NATO summit reveals a strained alliance with the US

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Craig Mark, Adjunct Lecturer, Faculty of Economics, Hosei University

    Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a clear signal to the Trump administration: the Japan–US relationship is in a dire state.

    After saying just days ago he would be attending this week’s NATO summit at The Hague, Ishiba abruptly pulled out at the last minute.

    He joins two other leaders from the Indo-Pacific region, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, in skipping the summit.

    The Japanese media reported Ishiba cancelled the trip because a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump was unlikely, as was a meeting of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) NATO partners (Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan).

    Japan will still be represented by Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, showing its desire to strengthen its security relationship with NATO.

    However, Ishiba’s no-show reveals how Japan views its relationship with the Trump administration, following the severe tariffs Washington imposed on Japan and Trump’s mixed messages on the countries’ decades-long military alliance.

    Tariffs and diplomatic disagreements

    Trump’s tariff policy is at the core of the divide between the US and Japan.

    Ishiba attempted to get relations with the Trump administration off to a good start. He was the second world leader to visit Trump at the White House, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    However, Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs imposed a punitive rate of 25% on Japanese cars and 24% on all other Japanese imports. They are already having an adverse impact on Japan’s economy: exports of automobiles to the US dropped in May by 25% compared to a year ago.

    Six rounds of negotiations have made little progress, as Ishiba’s government insists on full tariff exemptions.

    Japan has been under pressure from the Trump administration to increase its defence spending, as well. According to the Financial Times, Tokyo cancelled a summit between US and Japanese defence and foreign ministers over the demand. (A Japanese official denied the report.)

    Japan also did not offer its full support to the US bombings of Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this week. The foreign minister instead said Japan “understands” the US’s determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

    Japan has traditionally had fairly good relations with Iran, often acting as an indirect bridge with the West. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even made a visit there in 2019.

    Japan also remains heavily dependent on oil from the Middle East. It would have been adversely affected if the Strait of Hormuz had been blocked, as Iran was threatening to do.

    Unlike the response from the UK and Australia, which both supported the strikes, the Ishiba government prioritised its commitment to upholding international law and the rules-based global order. In doing so, Japan seeks to deny China, Russia and North Korea any leeway to similarly erode global norms on the use of force and territorial aggression.

    Strategic dilemma of the Japan–US military alliance

    In addition, Japan is facing the same dilemma as other American allies – how to manage relations with the “America first” Trump administration, which has made the US an unreliable ally.

    Earlier this year, Trump criticised the decades-old security alliance between the US and Japan, calling it “one-sided”.

    “If we’re ever attacked, they don’t have to do a thing to protect us,” he said of Japan.

    Lower-level security cooperation is ongoing between the two allies and their regional partners. The US, Japanese and Philippine Coast Guards conducted drills in Japanese waters this week. The US military may also assist with upgrading Japan’s counterstrike missile capabilities.

    But Japan is still likely to continue expanding its security ties with partners beyond the US, such as NATO, the European Union, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and other ASEAN members, while maintaining its fragile rapprochement with South Korea.

    Australia is now arguably Japan’s most reliable security partner. Canberra is considering buying Japan’s Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. And if the AUKUS agreement with the US and UK collapses, Japanese submarines could be a replacement.

    Ishiba under domestic political pressure

    There are also intensifying domestic political pressures on Ishiba to hold firm against Trump, who is deeply unpopular among the Japanese public.

    After replacing former prime minister Fumio Kishida as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last September, the party lost its majority in the lower house of parliament in snap elections. This made it dependent on minor parties for legislative support.

    Ishiba’s minority government has struggled ever since with poor opinion polling. There has been widespread discontent with inflation, the high cost of living and stagnant wages, the legacy of LDP political scandals, and ever-worsening geopolitical uncertainty.

    On Sunday, the party suffered its worst-ever result in elections for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, winning its lowest number of seats.

    The party could face a similar drubbing in the election for half of the upper house of the Diet (Japan’s parliament) on July 20. Ishiba has pledged to maintain the LDP’s majority in the house with its junior coalition partner Komeito. But if the government falls into minority status in both houses, Ishiba will face heavy pressure to step down.

    Craig Mark 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. Japanese prime minister’s abrupt no-show at NATO summit reveals a strained alliance with the US – https://theconversation.com/japanese-prime-ministers-abrupt-no-show-at-nato-summit-reveals-a-strained-alliance-with-the-us-259694

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Groundbreaking technology boosts Met’s fight against violence towards women and girls

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    The Metropolitan Police Service has today unveiled a revolutionary new technology – now being rolled out across London – that makes it easier to photograph and visualise bruising on victims of violence, particularly on darker skins.

    A trial of the first-of-its-kind device, known as Project Archway, allows officers to better assess victims’ injuries – a game-changing development in the ongoing fight against violence towards women and girls (VAWG).

    Previously, officers often faced challenges in capturing visible evidence of bruising – particularly on darker skin tones or during early stages of injury. This could limit evidential strength at the charging stage. Now, with Project Archway, this critical gap is being closed

    The innovative handheld device, developed in-house by the Met, uses a technique called cross-polarisation to dramatically enhance the visibility of injuries, particularly bruises that may not appear clearly to the naked eye.

    Crucially, the technology helps to overcome disparities in how bruising appears on different skin tones, ensuring that victims of all backgrounds receive equal chances of obtaining justice.

    This is not just about visibility – it’s about viability in court. Clearer images help investigators build stronger files, support CPS charging decisions, and give courts the visual evidence needed to hold perpetrators accountable.

    The technology is already improving justice outcomes – of 33 uses during a pilot in south London, 45% have resulted in charges, with several others under investigation.

    With this innovation, the Met becomes the only force in the UK to develop and deploy this kind of frontline equipment to strengthen evidence, support victims from the first police contact, and help bring violent perpetrators to justice.

    These results reflect the device’s power to turn what was once anecdotal or unseen into compelling, admissible evidence. It enables frontline officers to gather forensic-grade material within minutes of first contact.

    This cutting-edge technology is the latest milestone in the Met’s comprehensive plan to rebuild trust and bring more VAWG perpetrators to justice, as it publishes its annual progress report.

    Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:

    “We have made big strides in protecting women and girls from predatory men – and this new device is a bold symbol of that transformation.

    “Compared to three years ago, our charge rate for offences for violence against women and girls offences has tripled, and we’re going after the most dangerous individuals through our V100 programme. Women in London are better protected, and this is reflected in the trust gap between men and women closing.

    “These improvements are a credit to our people – to their empathy, determination, and courage as they take on these heartrending cases day after day.

    “The Met is leading nationally on innovation that puts victims first. We are the only police service to develop this kind of frontline technology, and we’re already seeing how it strengthens evidence, builds trust, and ensures victims feel seen and heard from the moment they report abuse.”

    Cross-polarisation has long been used by forensic imaging specialists – but Project Archway is the first time it has been integrated into a simple, handheld tool for frontline police officers. The technology eliminates glare on the skin and enhances visual contrast, especially important for identifying bruises on different skin tones and early-stage injuries invisible to the naked eye.

    The device has undergone ethical scrutiny and wide consultation, including input from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Black Police Association, and the Met Ethics Board. Officers were specially trained prior to use and can only use the device with full consent from victims, ensuring it’s an investigative aid, and that the victim remains at the heart of every interaction.

    Today’s announcement comes as the Met publishes its three-year progress report on tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, a comprehensive plan of reform, action, and cultural change across the force.

    In 2024 alone, more than 123,000 VAWG-related crimes were reported to the Met. In response:

    • The Met has more than doubled arrests and charges for rape and serious sexual offences, thanks in part to the national Operation Soteria pilot.
    • Charge rates for rape and sexual violence have improved to 9.9%, demonstrating real change in the way cases are investigated and prosecuted.
    • Over 20,000 officers have been trained in trauma-informed response.
    • The launch of My Met Service, a digital platform for victims to track their case and access support, is giving survivors more transparency and control.
    • The V100 programme, a targeted effort to pursue the most dangerous offenders, has already resulted in over 129 convictions and 154 serious charges, including rape and attempted murder. The V100 list of the most harmful offenders is updated each month. The programme has more than doubled the risk of arrest for the most harmful violence against women and girls suspects compared to before the initiative existed. Around three quarters of those on the V100 stack are accused of rape and multiple sexual assaults, as well as murder.

    To date:

    • A total of 154 people have been charged with 802 offences, including rape, grievous bodily harm (GBH), non-fatal strangulation and attempted murder.
    • 177 arrests have been made for a total of 1724 offences.
    • 127 of those relate to VAWG – 50 for rape, 20 for GBH and 17 for non-fatal strangulation.

    Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Ben Russell, the Met’s Director of Intelligence and V100 lead, said:

    “The level of violence directed at women and girls in London is unacceptable. Project Archway shows how we are innovating to respond to this crisis – not just with more officers, but with better tools, better evidence, and better care. Technology like this can change the outcome of a case, and more importantly, the life of a survivor.”

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

    “The forensic technology unveiled today is a game-changer it is the first in the country and is already improving justice outcomes for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. This cutting-edge technology will be rolled out across London and is the latest milestone in the Met’s action – backed by record funding from City Hall – to rebuild trust and bring more perpetrators to justice.

    “From the Met’s V100 action arresting and convicting perpetrators who pose the greatest risk to women and girls, to strengthened teams of specialist officers and staff working to support victims of domestic abuse, rape and sexual violence – it’s clear the Met’s approach to tackling VAWG is improving. But there is more to do, and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that ending violence against women and girls is treated with the utmost urgency both by our police and society as a whole to build a safer London for all.”

    Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said:

    “I welcome police forces using every lever at their disposal to support victims from all backgrounds and ensure perpetrators face justice.

    “It’s essential that these crimes are treated with the utmost seriousness. By doing so, we can build communities where people feel safer and deliver on our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”

    Christabel Yeboah, CEO, HERSANA, said:

    “We welcome innovation like Project Archway and its potential to transform how bruising and injury evidence is documented in cases of violence against women and girls. For the Black survivors we support, whose injuries are too often overlooked or dismissed due to skin tone and systemic bias, this technology presents a critical opportunity to improve both recognition and response.

    “But technology alone cannot fix systems that have long failed survivors. Tools like this must be implemented alongside survivor-led consent protocols, meaningful community consultation, anti-racist practice and robust accountability. Only then can trust begin to be rebuilt and justice truly served.”

    Officers who have used the technology, said:

    “Overall I have found that Archway has proved a fantastic tool that’s convenient, quick and simple to use. Victims themselves have commented about the clarity of injury under archway. I would say it has certainly helped secure more charges.”

    Another officer, added:
    “I think this is a great invention and addition to front line police and would like to see it get to the point where it can either be personal issue or one in every vehicle. The images I was able to capture really highlighted the injuries caused to a young child, the initial pictures of the victim showed reddening and slight bruising but after using the device it showed the true extent of the injuries.”

    The Met will now expand the trial of Project Archway across additional boroughs, custody suites, sexual assault referral centres, and forensic teams. The aim is to determine where the device delivers the greatest value — with the longer-term goal of rolling it out more widely across London.

    The technology is already being explored for post-mortem investigations and other forensic applications, broadening its potential even further.

    As the Met continues to reform its approach to VAWG, Project Archway stands as a clear example of the force’s new direction – one rooted in innovation, equity, and survivor-focused policing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Foundations set for ferry infrastructure

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Ferry Holdings has reached agreement with CentrePort, Port Marlborough and KiwiRail on core infrastructure scope, Rail Minister Winston Peters announced today.
    The agreements set out the scope of physical work and equipment to be delivered by 2029 when two new ferries arrive, with port and KiwiRail agreements to be entered later this year to confirm the investment splits between Ferry Holdings and each other company and other commercial terms.
    “This is not our first regatta, as this no-nonsense infrastructure focus is what was supposed to happen in 2020 until poor management and a lack of oversight allowed iReX to blow out. We will save the taxpayer billions through our disciplined approach.
    “The agreements entered into effectively mean the ports and KiwiRail are in, boots and all, with Cabinet’s preferred low-cost option.
    “The focus of the agreements is primarily about the marine infrastructure. In Picton, new wharves and linkspans will be built while in Wellington we will be maximising the use of the existing Aratere infrastructure by modifying and strengthening the existing wharf to suit new ferries for the next 30 years and building a new linkspan.
    “The ports and KiwiRail have agreed to minimal scope improvements to the yards, avoiding much of the costly scope creep which occurred under iReX which sought to lift the yards by metres and then complete required reconfigurations. Instead, perfectly good yards will continue to serve us as they have for decades.
    “We are pleased to confirm for the locals in Picton that the Dublin Street overbridge will be built – ridding the town of the blocked streets it will experience when freight-laden trains arrive at the port. The road and rail will be grade separated before 2029 as a safety and an efficiency improvement for road and rail.
    “The teams at Ferry Holdings, CentrePort, Port Marlborough and KiwiRail are doing an outstanding job in the service of the taxpayer, and we thank them for it,” Mr Peters says.
    Ferry Holdings have also released their first Statement of Performance Expectations and Statement of Intent in line with Ministers expectations, outlining the jobs ahead to 2029.
     
    Additional information: 
    Major components of the Wellington infrastructure:

    Reuse existing wharf, extending this by the minimal amount necessary to accommodate the new, larger ships.
    Reuse passenger and commercial vehicle facilities, as well as the terminal building.
    Reuse as much of the rail yard as possible.
    Deliver a new linkspan and connecting infrastructure to ensure a safe, resilient connection between the ship and the shore.

    Major components of the Picton infrastructure:

    Reuse passenger and commercial vehicle facilities, as well as the terminal building.
    Reuse as much of the rail yard as possible.
    Relocate the existing passenger walkway and reuse this.
    Deliver a new wharf to support the new, larger ships.
    Deliver a new linkspan and connecting infrastructure to ensure a safe, resilient connection between the ship and the shore.
    A new overbridge at Dublin Street.

    Ferry Holdings – Statement of Intent (SOI) and Statement of Performance Expectations (SPE)

    SOI – 5 March 2025 – 31 December 2029 outlines the four-year plans for the Ferry Holdings programme of work.
    SPE – 5 March 2025 – 30 June 2026 outlines the annual plan for the Ferry Holdings programme of work.
    These documents are available on ferryholdings.co.nz (from the time of the announcement).

    Ship Procurement Process

    Ferry Holdings is managing a closed tender procurement process with six shipyards. There is no update on the process.
    The shipyards are competing on price and quality and Ferry Holdings has reported strong engagement by all six shipyards.
    After full assessment of proposals, Ferry Holdings will narrow the list of shipyards through a final tender stage.
    Ferry Holdings will then make a recommendation to shareholding Ministers before awarding a contract later this year.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Into the Deep: Exploring the Hidden Slopes of Bogoslof Volcano

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Far out in Alaska’s Bering Sea, Bogoslof Volcano rises from the ocean floor—an underwater giant with just a sliver of land showing above the waves. Although it looks small from the surface, the volcano is massive beneath the sea, and it plays an important role in helping scientists understand how underwater volcanoes grow, erupt, and sometimes collapse. We’re currently aboard the research vessel Atlantis, using the deep-sea submersible, the human-occupied vehicle Alvin to explore and collect samples from the seafloor around Bogoslof.

    A group of Tufted Puffins taking flight near Bogoslof Island. Image courtesy of The Aleutian Arc: Integrated Exploration of Biodiversity at Priority Benthic Habitats (USGS/BOEM/NOAA/ONR). Photographer: Art Howard. 

    Bogoslof’s most recent eruption, from December 2016 to August 2017, was one of the most dramatic volcanic events in recent Alaskan history. Over nine months, it produced at least 70 explosions. Many of these happened underwater, where magma and seawater reacted violently. The blasts sent ash clouds as high as 10 kilometers into the sky, disrupted air travel across the North Pacific, and repeatedly reshaped the island’s surfaces.

    Bogoslof Island before the 2016-2017 eruption (left) and on March 11, 2017 (right).

    On this expedition, we have used Alvin to collect rock samples from two different spots on the underwater flanks of the volcano. The first location appears to be part of an old lava flow, based on its shape and the thick layer of marine life growing on it. The second site is more mysterious—it might be a small volcanic cone, a block from an underwater landslide, or something else entirely. We don’t yet know how old these rocks are or exactly how they formed, but they will help us piece together Bogoslof’s long and complex history.

    We also saw that both dive sites were covered in fine sediment, likely made up of volcanic ash and debris from past eruptions. These layers give clues about how material spreads across the seafloor and may also affect the stability of the volcano’s slopes.

    Worldview-2 satellite image of Bogoslof Volcano

    Bogoslof is unusual even among Alaskan volcanoes. It sits north of the main Aleutian volcanic arc and has a different chemical makeup than most of its neighbors. Nearly the entire volcano is underwater, which makes it hard to study and even harder to predict. Before this expedition, very few rock samples had ever been collected from its flanks.

    Our work is helping to change that. By collecting samples directly from the underwater parts of the volcano, we’re learning how Bogoslof formed, how it changes during eruptions, and what kinds of hazards it might pose in the future. Each dive adds new pieces to the puzzle of this fascinating volcano hidden beneath the waves.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Colleagues Demand Explanation from Big Oil Corporations Lobbying for Tax Breaks at the Expense of American Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    June 30, 2025
    Senate Republicans included a $1 trillion loophole for Big Oil in the big, bad reconciliation bill that would allow massive corporations to avoid paying federal taxes
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he is demanding an explanation from Big Oil companies on their efforts to win a $1.1 billion tax loophole in the Republican budget reconciliation bill that would leave middle-class families in Oregon and nationwide with higher energy costs. 
    Senate Republicans are paying for this handout by cutting clean energy tax credits and vital energy programs. The reconciliation bill would add a loophole to the corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) for ConocoPhillips and Ovintiv Inc. (Ovintiv). This provision would reduce or eliminate tax liabilities for oil and gas companies under the corporate alternative minimum tax, allowing some to pay no federal income taxes whatsoever.
    “The rationale for CAMT was simple: for far too long, massive corporations had taken advantage of loopholes in the tax code to avoid paying their fair share, sometimes paying zero federal taxes despite earning billions in profits,” Wyden and three other senators wrote the oil companies. “CAMT imposed a minimum tax on annual income that billionaire companies reported to their shareholders and is expected to raise over $200 billion over ten years from some of the largest and most profitable companies in the world.”
    Experts say the Republican bill would contribute to “higher electricity costs for consumers,” adding to already skyrocketing utility bills. Households are at risk of losing more than $2,200 in savings per year on utility bills.
    “Adding this tax break for Big Oil to the reconciliation package is especially insulting since Senate Republicans are trying to pay for this handout with cuts to other programs that would end up raising energy prices for everyday Americans,” the senators continued. “Congress should not raise energy prices for working families to deliver handouts to Big Oil.”
    In addition to Wyden, the letter is led by Senators Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
    The senators are pushing ConocoPhillips and Ovintiv Inc. for answers to the following questions by July 9, 2025.
    How much has ConocoPhillips spent, and how much does it expect to spend in total on lobbying expenses on Republicans’ tax legislation in 2025?
    In the past 12 months, how much money has ConocoPhillips donated, whether directly or through other vehicles for political donations, to federal elected officials who are advocating for tax cuts for your company?
    How much of a reduction in tax liability would ConocoPhillips receive if Section 70523 of the Senate reconciliation package became law?
    A full text of the letter is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Hassan Speaks on the Senate Floor Against GOP Budget Bill That Raises Costs & Takes Away Health Care From Millions of Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan delivered remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate late last night on the harms of the Republican budget bill, which will take health care away from tens of thousands of Granite Staters, raise costs for families, make massive cuts to health care, and explode the national debt by trillions of dollars in order to pay for tax giveaways for corporate special interests and billionaires.  
    Senator Hassan also took to the airwaves with interviews on WMUR and MSNBC to make sure Granite Staters are hearing about the devastating impacts of the Republican budget bill. 
    Click here to see Senator Hassan’s remarks.
    Full Remarks as Delivered:
    I’m here today because I’m joining the majority of Americans who are deeply alarmed by this plan from the President and his Congressional allies, a plan that will make life less affordable for more Americans.
    When we return home for this Fourth of July, it’d be nice to be able to tell our constituents that we came together and passed bipartisan legislation to help bring down costs for families.
    Instead, my colleagues who vote for this legislation will have to explain why, at a time when families’ pocketbooks are strained, they chose to support a partisan bill to make American life even less affordable.
    What will America look like once this bill takes effect? Millions of people will have lost their health coverage thanks to the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. More people won’t be able to afford preventive care and cancer screenings. And more people will get sick. 
    Health care premiums will surge for everyone because fewer people will have care and the number of uninsured Americans will increase. Rural hospitals will close their doors because they lost Medicaid reimbursements that helped keep them afloat.
    More people, especially in states like mine, will have to make long car rides just to get to a hospital 50 miles away…in those desperate moments when minutes feel like hours, and hours like eternities.
    Seniors will be thrown into grave peril because this bill threatens hundreds of billions in Medicare cuts. And once this plan eviscerates food assistance programs, it will be much harder for families to afford to put food on the table…at a time when groceries are already far too expensive…let there be no mistake, more families and children who today are being fed will go hungry. And all the while, our children will be burdened with trillions more in debt.
    In the name of what cause is all this done? Well, it’s all to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.  
    This bill will also make us an America where our people are less free. In New Hampshire, during my time as Governor we adopted Medicaid Expansion with support from both political parties – and we balanced the budget at the same time.
    We understood that with health comes freedom; the freedom to work and provide for one’s family, the freedom from disease and despair, the freedom that comes from – why do I even have to say this – being alive. Granite Staters also understood that a great country like ours treats its people with great dignity.
    In America, we don’t sacrifice the health of our neighbors…we don’t let families fall sick…and we do not imperil our economy, our debt, and our workforce…just to pay for a tax giveaway for a billionaire.
    So what kind of country will we be with this bill? We will not only be less healthy, but we will be less prosperous and less free…in short, this bill is at odds with what we aspire to be as Americans.
    It’s also worth noting how remarkably out of step this bill is with the American people’s plea to bring down costs. In a democracy like ours, theoretically the people’s representatives pass legislation that reflects the aspirations of the majority. I say theoretically because clearly that is not what is happening today.
    Indeed, according to the data from the Joint Economic Committee – Minority, if one combines this bill with the President’s tariffs – firefighters, truck drivers, and teachers, for instance, will lose $470 or more next year; while the top 0.1%, that’s people who earn about 4 million dollars or more, will be $348,000 richer.
    This bill would take away health care from tens of thousands of Granite Staters and would take a similar toll across the country. Indeed, in both Florida and Texas the number of people who will lose their health insurance is greater than the entire population of New Hampshire…millions of people losing care with a stroke of a pen.
    What have these people done to deserve that? All the American people are asking for is for us to help bring down costs – so the President and the Republicans in Congress take away their health care?  
    Sometimes in Washington we’re faced with bills that fail to fully meet the moment to be sure. But it is rare to find legislation like this – a bill that makes life less affordable during a time when Americans of every political stripe are crying out for lower costs – a bill that seems as if it was drafted just to make a mockery of the wills and wishes of the majority of people in this country.
    Lately, many of my colleagues and some political pundits have been talking about this bill as if it were inevitable; a runaway freight train so vast that it cannot be stopped, and in light of this inevitability, they suggest that some of the bill’s deficiencies can just be overlooked. But, of course, this bill was not inevitable – nor is it now.  
    So let’s be clear – each and every Senator in this body has free will. God given free will. Which means that the measures in this legislation that gut Medicaid weren’t written by mistake or by chance. We didn’t arrive at this day, with a vote on this terrible budget bill, by accident.
    Let’s not delude ourselves…we’re only here because a majority in this body decided to ignore the majority of the country and made a series of decisions;
    The Republican majority decided to gut Medicaid;
    They decided to take away health care from millions;
    They decided to raise insurance premiums for the rest of us;
    They decided that closed hospitals were a risk worth taking;
    They decided that taking food away from hungry kids was acceptable;
    They decided that trillions more in debt was not a problem;
    The Republican majority decided that depriving the American people of all these things and raising their costs were worth it, just as long as they paid for another tax break for billionaires. 
    Because that’s the bargain that this Administration along with my Republican colleagues is forcing the American people to accept. Our people will be less healthy, our kids will have more debt, but the President and billionaires like him will get a tax break.  
    Of course, part of what makes this bill so frustrating is that it includes some individual provisions that I’ve spent years trying to pass into law. This bill includes provisions I support, some even that I authored, like strengthening the R&D tax deduction to support our entrepreneurs and a tax cut for families to make child care more affordable.
    I also support this bill’s provisions which would tackle our housing crisis by expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to bring down the cost of housing, as well as a provision making mortgage insurance tax deductible so that it’s easier to buy a home. And I’d support a bill with real tax cuts for the middle class and small businesses, unlike the token measures included in this bill.
    If my Republican colleagues worked across the aisle to draft a bill that brought this bipartisan approach to other critical areas – like health care and food assistance – I’d vote for it.  
    Instead, my colleagues chose to take these commonsense solutions hostage by linking every good idea to three bad ones – turning this into a purely partisan endeavor.
    So yes, I’m glad that some of these bipartisan provisions will be signed into law, but I regret that they aren’t a part of a truly bipartisan effort because of the politics of division and destruction that President Trump brings to Washington.
    Now I know that there are many areas of common ground with my Republican colleagues in this body, but it has become far too difficult to move forward on finding solutions when at every turn the President seems far more interested in demonizing and dividing rather than bringing people together.
    Turning areas of agreement into weapons to force disagreement…now that’s exactly the kind of cynical politics of division that does lasting damage to our families, our economy, and our democracy.
    Now President Trump likely will get this bill passed – he may get enough of the Republican caucus to stand in line once again to pass it. Even though my Republican colleagues know that budget analysts have added up the financial cost of this bill and have told them that it adds trillions upon trillions to our national debt, burdening our children’s future.
    But you know as important as the debt is, it’s not the only cost of passing this awful bill. There’s another kind of cost, a cost not simply of dollars and cents. I shouldn’t have to remind this Administration and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle about the nature of this cost – they know it.
    But just to be clear, this tax break for corporate special interests and billionaires has a price, a price that can’t be summed up in a budget line or written off during tax season.
    Because when we debate health care in America, some dress up these discussions with words like “reconciliation” and “program” and “discretionary spending” but what they’re talking about is being sick and being healthy, what they’re talking about – whether they want to admit it or not – is living and dying.  
    So how much does this bill cost?
    The cost is millions of Americans losing their health care;
    The cost is countless families feeling the pain of higher insurance premiums;
    The cost is a mother being forced to choose between paying out of pocket for her own care or paying for groceries for her kids.
    It’s a price that’s exacted in cancers that go undetected; it’s exacted in chronic illnesses that go untreated; it’s exacted in the health care challenges in our country that continue to go unaddressed because we spend all our energies simply trying to keep our heads above water in floods of the President’s own making.
    The price tag is more than dollars and cents; it includes the cost of losing more people from our workforce because they’re too ill to work; it includes the gnawing pains of hunger and the slow toll of malnutrition that will come as food assistance programs are robbed; it includes the anguish of young parents no longer knowing how they will make ends meet;
    It includes the lost hopes and deferred dreams of people held back by illness; it includes the cost of having to say more early goodbyes.
    What is the price tag of this bill? The price, in the end, is the health and freedom of millions of Americans; a price that will be paid because somewhere on the road that brought us here…here in President Trump’s Washington…some people decided that the health of some child or her mother may be dear, but it doesn’t carry the same weight as a bigger tax return for a billionaire does.
    Thank you, Madam President, I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. Announces Closing of $2.0 Million Public Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    THORNTON, Colo., June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTI) (“Ascent” or the “Company”), the leading U.S. innovator in the design and manufacture of featherweight, flexible, and durable CIGS thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, today announced the closing of its previously announced public offering of an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) and warrants to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares of common stock (the “Warrants”), at a combined public offering price of $2.00 per share (or per pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) and accompanying Warrant. The Warrants have an exercise price of $2.00 per share, are exercisable immediately upon issuance, and expire on the five-year anniversary of the initial issuance date.

    H.C. Wainwright & Co. acted as the exclusive placement agent for the offering.

    The aggregate gross proceeds to the Company from the offering were $2.0 million before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital, product development activities, general and administrative expenses and other general corporate purposes.

    The securities described above were offered pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-288300), which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 27, 2025. The offering was made only by means of a prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement relating to the offering. Electronic copies of the final prospectus may be obtained on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may also be obtained by contacting H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC at 430 Park Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by phone at (212) 856-5711 or e-mail at placements@hcwco.com.

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

    About Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

    Backed by 40 years of R&D, 15 years of manufacturing experience, numerous awards, and a comprehensive IP and patent portfolio, Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-performance, flexible thin-film solar panels for use in environments where mass, performance, reliability, and resilience matter. Ascent’s photovoltaic (PV) modules have been deployed on space missions, multiple airborne vehicles, agrivoltaic installations, in industrial/commercial construction as well as an extensive range of consumer goods, revolutionizing the use cases and environments for solar power. Ascent Solar’s research and development center and 5-MW nameplate production facility is in Thornton, Colorado. To learn more, visit https://www.ascentsolar.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute “forward-looking statements” including statements about the anticipated use of proceeds from the offering. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the company’s actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including market and other conditions. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current assumptions, expectations, and projections about future events. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as “will,” “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “expect,” “intends,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “plan,” to be uncertain and forward-looking. No information in this press release should be construed as any indication whatsoever of our future revenues, stock price, or results of operations. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

    Media Contact

    Spencer Herrmann

    FischTank PR

    ascent@fischtankpr.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. Announces Closing of $2.0 Million Public Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    THORNTON, Colo., June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTI) (“Ascent” or the “Company”), the leading U.S. innovator in the design and manufacture of featherweight, flexible, and durable CIGS thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, today announced the closing of its previously announced public offering of an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) and warrants to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares of common stock (the “Warrants”), at a combined public offering price of $2.00 per share (or per pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) and accompanying Warrant. The Warrants have an exercise price of $2.00 per share, are exercisable immediately upon issuance, and expire on the five-year anniversary of the initial issuance date.

    H.C. Wainwright & Co. acted as the exclusive placement agent for the offering.

    The aggregate gross proceeds to the Company from the offering were $2.0 million before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital, product development activities, general and administrative expenses and other general corporate purposes.

    The securities described above were offered pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-288300), which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 27, 2025. The offering was made only by means of a prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement relating to the offering. Electronic copies of the final prospectus may be obtained on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may also be obtained by contacting H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC at 430 Park Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by phone at (212) 856-5711 or e-mail at placements@hcwco.com.

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

    About Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

    Backed by 40 years of R&D, 15 years of manufacturing experience, numerous awards, and a comprehensive IP and patent portfolio, Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-performance, flexible thin-film solar panels for use in environments where mass, performance, reliability, and resilience matter. Ascent’s photovoltaic (PV) modules have been deployed on space missions, multiple airborne vehicles, agrivoltaic installations, in industrial/commercial construction as well as an extensive range of consumer goods, revolutionizing the use cases and environments for solar power. Ascent Solar’s research and development center and 5-MW nameplate production facility is in Thornton, Colorado. To learn more, visit https://www.ascentsolar.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute “forward-looking statements” including statements about the anticipated use of proceeds from the offering. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the company’s actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including market and other conditions. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current assumptions, expectations, and projections about future events. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as “will,” “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “expect,” “intends,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “plan,” to be uncertain and forward-looking. No information in this press release should be construed as any indication whatsoever of our future revenues, stock price, or results of operations. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

    Media Contact

    Spencer Herrmann

    FischTank PR

    ascent@fischtankpr.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Members spotlight transparency and development in discussions on standards and regulations

    Source: WTO

    Headline: Members spotlight transparency and development in discussions on standards and regulations

    Daniela García of Ecuador handed over the Committee Chairperson role to Beatriz Stevens of the United Kingdom.
    Transparency and notification practices
    The week opened with a special meeting on transparency, featuring speakers from various regions, complemented by interactive discussions in breakout groups among all members. Representatives from TBT Enquiry Points shared their experiences on domestic institutional arrangements related to transparency, on opportunities to comment on members’ notifications and on ensuring timely preparation and submission of TBT notifications. Speakers emphasized the importance of timely consultation of all stakeholders in the regulatory process to improve the quality of regulations.
    Representatives from the private sector shared how they use the ePing platform to track, in real time, the 4,000+ notifications on product requirements circulated annually. They shared examples of how members viewed technical comments positively in the development of regulations, helping to further align them with international standards and avoid unnecessary trade disruptions.
    Throughout the session, members highlighted the benefits of using ePing to track information and meet transparency obligations. They welcomed the launch of a new feature in ePing where users can quickly receive translations of notified texts from non-WTO official languages into English, French and Spanish.  They also made suggestions to further facilitate stakeholders’ access to ePing and keep track of developments in product regulations.
    Members noted the significant progress made by the TBT Committee in strengthening transparency practices since the last special meeting in 2023. This includes the adoption of updates and improvements to the notification templates and guidelines as well as the finalization of a good practice guide for commenting . These improvements build on the work of the Transparency Working Group, reflecting continued efforts to streamline procedures and enhance access to information.  The recording of the special meeting can be watched here.
    Thematic session: special and differential treatment 
    A dedicated thematic session held on 24 June examined how developing and least-developed country members can better use flexibilities under the TBT Agreement. In particular, the session explored members’ experiences in using special and differential treatment disciplines under the Agreement, members’ engagement in the Committee’s work and the need for targeted capacity-building activities, including for developing quality infrastructure.
    The session drew on the themes of the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference Declaration on Special and Differential Treatment, with the participation of Ambassador Kadra Hassan of Djibouti, Chair of the Committee on Trade and Development in Special Session. The panel discussion featured speakers from Brazil, Cambodia, Ecuador, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Viet Nam and Zambia. The recording of the session can be watched here. 
    Specific trade concerns 
    A total of 78 trade concerns regarding members’ proposed and final TBT regulations were raised at the Committee’s regular meeting. Among these, 20 were raised for the first time. The full list is available here. 
    The new trade concerns addressed a wide variety of regulatory issues related to home appliances, cotton bales, industrial chemicals, energy and warehouse storage systems, electrical equipment safety, biodegradable plastic products, and vehicles, among others. 
    Japan reported that progress was made on the trade concerns it had raised on certain provisions of China’s standard for information security technology for office devices, noting that such provisions have now been deleted, and thanking China for its cooperation.
    Side events and training: practical tools and partnerships
    Two ePing training sessions, led by the WTO Secretariat, were held on 25 and 26 June. 
    In addition, three side events were organized. The United States hosted a workshop on international standards for food and agriculture traceability on 24 June, led by the standards organization ASTM. On 25 June, the International Trade Centre showcased how quality and sustainability standards support development, with a case study from Burundi and a demonstration of the Standards Map tool.  On 26 June, the United Kingdom and the International Chamber of Commerce UK led a session on market access challenges and how tools such as ePing can support private sector engagement in members’ work on TBT and on sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
    What is next?
    The next TBT Committee meetings will be held from 10 to 14 November. Thematic sessions will focus on international standards for critical and emerging technologies, including AI, semiconductors and positioning systems, as well as good regulatory practices and metrology. A cross-cutting discussion on non-tariff measures under the WTO Information Technology Agreement will also be scheduled.

    Share

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: March Storm Survivors Have Two Weeks to Apply for FEMA Assistance

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: March Storm Survivors Have Two Weeks to Apply for FEMA Assistance

    March Storm Survivors Have Two Weeks to Apply for FEMA Assistance

    LITTLE ROCK, Ark

    – Homeowners and renters, including students, who had uninsured damage or losses from the March outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes have until Monday, July 14, to apply for FEMA disaster assistance

    You may apply for assistance if you live in Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp or Stone County and had damage in the March 14-15 storms

    Students do not need to be permanent residents to be eligible for FEMA assistance, but the property damage or loss must have occurred in those counties

    FEMA has many types of assistance available

    FEMA may be able to help with basic home repair costs, personal property loss, and temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home or residence hall

    Repair or replacement assistance may be available for a primary vehicle, a computer damaged in the disaster, or books and other items required for school

    For those self-employed, assistance may also be available for tools and other job-related equipment

    Additional funding may be available to repair or replace privately owned access routes to your home such as driveways, roads or bridges; and for other disaster-caused expenses such as medical and dental needs, childcare, and moving and storage

    FEMA grants are not taxable, do not have to be repaid, and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits

    You are encouraged to apply for assistance before the Monday, July 14, deadline

    Here are the ways to apply:Go to DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362

    Lines are open from 6 a

    m

    to 10 p

    m

    CT seven days a week and specialists speak many languages

    If you use a relay service, captioned telephone or other service, you can give FEMA your number for that service

     To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube

    Survivors can also apply for federal disaster assistance, submit documents and speak to someone about their applications at several sites

     To find updated dates and locations online, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4865, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link under “In-person Survivor Assistance

    ”If you had damage in the April 2-22 storms, tornadoes and flooding, the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is Tuesday, July 22

    Residents ofClark, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Desha, Fulton, Greene, Hot Spring, Jackson, Miller, Ouachita, Pulaski, Randolph, St

    Francis, Saline, Sharp and White counties may apply

    For the latest information about Arkansas’ recovery, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4865

    Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x

    com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook

    com/FEMARegion6/
    toan

    nguyen
    Mon, 06/30/2025 – 14:47

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Secures More Than $13 Million in Sweeping Takedown of Transportation Companies for Defrauding Medicaid

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a major takedown of 25 transportation companies throughout the state for schemes to steal millions of dollars from Medicaid. In January, Attorney General James announced new investigations into transportation companies that are reimbursed by Medicaid for taking patients to and from health care appointments. As a result of these Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigations, 16 transportation companies will pay back more than $13 million. In addition, OAG has filed new lawsuits against seven transportation companies for defrauding Medicaid and secured the convictions of two individuals and their companies for their roles in medical transportation fraud schemes. Today’s statewide takedown includes companies located in New York City, the Capital Region, Western New York, Westchester County, Central New York, and on Long Island.

    “When companies make up fake bills and exploit patients to overcharge Medicaid, they take resources away from a program that allows the most vulnerable New Yorkers to get health care,” said Attorney General James. “My office launched a sweeping investigation of the medical transportation industry to root out fraud, and we are getting results. From Buffalo to the Bronx, we’re holding scammers accountable and returning millions of dollars in stolen funds to Medicaid, a taxpayer funded program. I will continue to go after anyone who tries to profit by undermining our health care system.”

    Medicaid reimburses authorized businesses for transporting Medicaid patients to and from covered medical services. A licensed taxi company enrolls with the state as an eligible provider and is then randomly assigned to provide trips to patients to specific, non-emergency, medical appointments. The companies must use licensed drivers, proper vehicles, and bill only for services actually rendered. They are allowed to bill Medicaid for a base rate for the trip, plus an amount for mileage and any tolls.

    The OAG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) has investigated transportation companies across the state for using fake billing and other fraudulent tactics to steal Medicaid funds. The companies’ schemes often involve billing Medicaid for fake trips, adding fake tolls to inflate costs, fraudulently extending the mileage of trips, and using unlicensed drivers. In some cases, companies exploit vulnerable Medicaid recipients by paying them kickbacks in exchange for requesting transportation services from the company. These kickback schemes can put already vulnerable New Yorkers at even greater risk. MFCU investigators have uncovered cases in which transportation companies exploited Medicaid recipients in need of substance abuse treatment to recruit passengers to use in fake billing schemes.

    Attorney General James today announced that OAG has secured 16 settlements with transportation companies worth a combined $13 million:

    • American Base No. 1, a Bronx-based company, will pay $4,775,869.61 to resolve civil and criminal allegations that the company operated illegally to steal millions of dollars from Medicaid. MFCU’s investigation found, among other things, that the mileage claimed by American Base drivers was grossly inflated, as they billed vastly more paid trip miles than their vehicle odometers read at mandatory NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) inspections. American Base drivers also claimed impossible amounts of daily services, such as one driver who claimed 96 unique trips amounting to 2,158 miles during just one day. Many Medicaid patients whom American Base claimed to bill for had never heard of the company nor actually used Medicaid taxi services, and others admitted to being paid kickbacks by drivers to request rides from American Base.
    • Agape Luxury Corp, a Bronx-based company, paid $2.45 million to resolve allegations that the company falsely increased the mileage of its trips that it submitted for reimbursement to Medicaid. Agape also failed to follow New York City TLC requirements for legal operation and failed to maintain legally required records.
    • NBT Transportation, a Bronx-based company, paid $1,516,617.00 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for fake toll expenses.
    • Angel Medical Transportation, a Schenectady-based company, paid $1.1 million to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for transportation services that did not occur and that were provided by drivers who lacked proper licenses.
    • Lakeview Global, a Clarence-based company, paid $684,308.18 to resolve allegations that the company claimed trips that did not occur or used false addresses that resulted in excess payments.
    • U.S. Trips and Trade, a Westchester-based company, paid $500,000 to resolve allegations that the company submitted inflated and fake tolls for reimbursement from Medicaid.
    • Buzz Transport, a Hudson-based company, paid $363,995 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for fake tolls.
    • JD Express, a Forest Hills-based company, paid $331,000 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for fake toll expenses and transportation services provided by unlicensed, under-licensed or suspended drivers.
    • Vic and Bay Care Service, a Staten Island-based company, paid $250,000 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for transportation services that did not occur.
    • Divine Hearts Transportation, a North Tonawanda-based company, paid $227,010.34 to resolve allegations of overbilling for false addresses and fictitious trips.
    • Equaltrans, a Bronx-based company, paid $224,892.01 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicare for transportation services that did not occur as described on the claim.
    • KFH Medicaid Transportation, an Amherst-based company, paid $143,760.37 to resolve allegations that the company submitted fake rides for reimbursement from Medicaid. The company has since ceased operation.
    • Shamrock Transportation, an Orange County-based company, paid $147,680 to resolve allegations that the company submitted inflated and fake tolls for reimbursement from Medicaid.
    • Interstate Luxury Limousines, a Bronx-based company, paid $142,389.25 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for transportation services that did not occur as described on the claim.
    • Lak Sam, a Glenmont-based company, paid $119,708.88 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for transportation services that did not occur and for fake tolls.
    • A Nice Ride, a Colonie-based company, paid $28,075.43 to resolve allegations that the company submitted claims to Medicaid for transportation services and inflated toll payments.

    In addition, Attorney General James today announced lawsuits against seven transportation companies that were sent cease and desist letters earlier this year but have failed to comply and continued fraudulent practices:

    • Green Cab BNY, a Cheektowaga-based company, was sued for allegedly billing Medicaid for trips with falsely inflated mileage. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $2,385,398.54.
    • Dutchess Black Car Service, a Lagrangeville-based company, was sued for submitting claims for transportation services that did not occur, and for submitting claims for tolls that were not incurred or where the cost of the toll was inflated. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $2,276,850.28, as well as civil penalties. An affiliated company, Westchester County Black Car Service, operating out of the same address, was also sued for submitting claims for transportation services that did not occur, and for tolls that were not incurred or where the cost of the toll was inflated. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $1,157,127.86, as well as civil penalties.
    • Buffalo Taxi Services, an Amherst-based company, was sued for allegedly billing Medicaid for trips that never actually happened. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $1,691,714.04.
    • Seaman Radio Dispatchers, a Manhattan-based company, was sued for submitting claims for the transportation of Medicaid beneficiaries who were deceased, for claiming payment for rides that never took place, and claiming payment while the company’s NYC TLC base license was suspended. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $1,235,514.76.
    • TemboCare Transportation Express, a Saratoga County-based company, was sued for repeatedly submitting claims for payment to Medicaid with falsified pickup or drop off locations to inflate the mileage of the trips for which they billed and for falsely using Ngowi’s driver’s license information for trips claimed when Ngowi was clocked in for duties elsewhere as a New York state employee. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $294,982.18.
    • SMI Transportation, a Buffalo-based company, was sued for allegedly billing Medicaid for trips with falsely inflated mileage and for using a driver to provide transportation services who had been previously excluded from providing Medicaid services due to a prior criminal conviction for Medicaid fraud. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages of at least $96,827.10.

    Attorney General James today also announced that three individuals have been charged or convicted as a result of OAG investigations into medical transportation fraud:

    • David Moore, 56, of Interlaken pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny. As the owner of ASAP 2, a transportation company, Moore submitted claims for payment to Medicaid that were the result of unlawful kickback payments to multiple Medicaid recipients and which were also falsely inflated by substantially increasing the claimed mileage for trips that were taken. Medicaid paid ASAP 2 over $50,000 based on these false and fraudulent claims.
    • James Bessell, 65, of Shirley was charged with Grand Larceny, Health Care Fraud, Offering a False Instrument for Filing, and payment of kickbacks for his role in a Medicaid fraud scheme. Bessell owned Jim Jim Rentals, which billed Medicaid for transportation services that were never actually provided, causing Medicaid to pay Jim Jim Rentals over $1 million. Bessell also operated an illegal kickback scheme, paying Medicaid recipients for their purported use of his transportation services.
    • Jose Ortiz, 63, of the Bronx, the owner of American Base, was charged and pleaded guilty to Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree, a felony, in connection with the unlawful operations of that company.

    These charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

    Attorney General James thanks the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Department of Health, and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General for their cooperation in these investigations.

    These investigations were conducted by Auditor-Investigators and Data Analysts led by MFCU Chief Auditor Dejan Budimir, MFCU Detectives led by Deputy Chief  Ronald Lynch, Acting Commanding Officer, MFCU, and the MFCU Regional Directors, Special Assistant Attorneys General, and legal support analysts from each of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s seven regional offices, coordinated by MFCU Chief of Criminal Investigations Thomas O’Hanlon and MFCU Chief of Civil Enforcement Alee Scott and AAGs Emily Auletta and Nathan Shi. MFCU is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul J. Mahoney. The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado under the oversight of First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

    Reporting Medicaid Provider Fraud: MFCU defends the public by addressing Medicaid provider fraud and protecting nursing home residents from abuse and neglect. If an individual believes they have information about Medicaid provider fraud or about an incident of abuse or neglect of a nursing home resident, they can file a confidential complaint online or call the MFCU hotline at (800) 771-7755. If the situation is an emergency, please call 911.

    New York MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2025 is $70,502,916. Of that total, 75 percent, or $52,877,188, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $17,625,728 for FY 2025, is funded by New York State.

    If you need assistance obtaining Medicaid transportation services, you can contact New York’s Medical Transportation Broker at the following numbers: NYC, Long Island and Westchester: 844-666-6270; Upstate: 866-932-7740 or using the MAS website. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Children experiencing informal homelessness – E-002481/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002481/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Marit Maij (S&D), Andreas Schieder (S&D), Alicia Homs Ginel (S&D), Romana Jerković (S&D), Nora Mebarek (S&D)

    Across the EU, children are living in places that are not meant to be homes, such as cars and garages, which is considered informal homelessness. There are no concrete figures or evidence available, but aid workers in the Netherlands, for example, suspect a direct link to the housing crisis.

    Given this situation:

    • 1.Does the Commission have any figures available regarding homeless children in the EU that it could share?
    • 2.If not, is it willing to research the extent of this problem, which concerns a very vulnerable group of citizens in Europe?
    • 3.In light of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, could it please indicate the actions it has already taken to support these vulnerable children?

    Submitted: 19.6.2025

    Last updated: 30 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Name release – Fatal crash, Manurewa

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Please attribute to Counties Manukau District Commander, Superintendent Shanan Gray:

    Police are formally releasing the name of the man who died in a fatal crash in Manurewa on Friday, 27 June.

    Today, he can be named as Iu Toalua, aged 45, of Auckland.

    Police extend our condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.

    A 56-year-old man has been charged with driving dangerously causing death, dangerous driving causing injury and driving while forbidden has been remanded in custody and will reappear in Manukau District Court on 18 July.

    Police enquiries will continue, and further charges cannot be ruled out as we investigate further.

    While matters are before the Court, we can advise that parties in both vehicles were known to each other.

    Police are continuing to ask any witnesses with information or footage to come forward.

    If you have information, please update Police online now or call 105.

    Please use reference number 250627/8090 or cite ‘Operation Highbury’.

    ENDS

    Holly McKay/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Highlights Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Arrested in Florida Including Murderers, Pedophiles, and Rapists Ahead of Opening of Alligator Alcatraz

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    “Alligator Alcatraz, and other facilities like it, will give us the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered our country under the previous administration.” – Secretary Noem 

    WASHINGTON – Ahead of President Trump and Secretary Noem’s visit to Alligator Alcatraz this week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is highlighting some of the worst of the worst arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida since President Trump and Secretary Noem unleashed ICE. This new detention facility expands facility and bed space by the thousands in just days.

    “Alligator Alcatraz, and other facilities like it, will give us the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered our country under the previous administration,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida. Make America safe again.” 

    Below are some of the dangerous criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE in Florida. These are the types of violent criminal illegal aliens who could end up being detained at Alligator Alcatraz. 

    • On May 20, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Santo Villaba-Reyes, an illegal alien from Venezuela, who was convicted of homicide.
    • On February 6, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Alberto Godinez-Lopez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, who was convicted of homicide.
    • On February 7, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Johnny Dieudonne, an illegal alien from Haiti, who was convicted of kidnapping-false imprisonment.
    • On March 1, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Jan Veslino, an illegal alien from the Philippines, who was convicted of obscene communication-traveling to meet a minor for sex.
    • On April 13, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Mauro Gomes-Barbosa, an illegal alien from Brazil, who was convicted of homicide.
    • On March 17, 2025, ICE Miami Paul Urquiza-Orosco, an illegal alien from Peru, who was convicted of producing and distributing child pornography.
    • On March 27, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Noel Acosta-Moya, an illegal alien from Venezuela, who was convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault of a child under 13.
    • On June 9, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Adolfo Santoscoy-Rodriguez, an illegal alien from Mexico, who was convicted of child abuse and forcible rape.
    • On June 13, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Roberto Mosquera-Del Peral, an illegal alien from Cuba, who was convicted of assault, escape from custody, vehicle theft, aggravated assault of a police officer, and homicide. He is also a member of the Latin Kings gang.
    • On June 22, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Maher Elbrahimizada, an illegal alien fromIran, who was convicted of arson and homicide.
    • On June 24, 2025, ICE Miami arrested Mauricio Lopez-Cardona, an illegal alien from Colombia, who was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine, murder in connection with narcotics trafficking, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and conspiring to support a foreign terrorist organization.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Charged with Murder on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI, along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, are investigating the homicide of an adult male from Vernal, Utah. The incident happened in the Whiterocks community, on the Uinta and Ouray Indian Reservation on June 26, 2025.

    Leroy Casper Poowegup Reed, an enrolled member of the Ute Indian Tribe, was taken into tribal custody. A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Reed, who is charged by criminal complaint with murder in the second-degree while within Indian Country.

    According to the complaint, a deceased individual was found in a running vehicle with an arrow impaled in his neck. Further investigation by the BIA and Uintah County Sheriff’s Office led to Reed, who was arrested at his residence in the Whiterocks community.

    A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: District of Arizona Charges 164 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

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

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from June 21, 2025, through June 27, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 164 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 84 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 71 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed cases against 9 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. Jesus Alfred Salazar-Ruiz: On June 22, 2025, Border Patrol Agents attempted to conduct a stop on Jesus Alfred Salazar-Ruiz while he was driving. Salazar-Ruiz failed to yield and turned on to a dirt road, breaking through a chain gate in barbed wire fencing. Salazar-Ruiz drove at approximately 50 mph on the dirt road for several miles before coming to an abrupt stop. When agents approached the vehicle, it was empty. Agents searched the area and were able to locate Salazar-Ruiz, who still had the vehicle key in his possession. Agents were able to locate and apprehend three passengers from Salazar-Ruiz’s vehicle who were determined to be in the United States illegally. Salazar-Ruiz was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-02859]

    United States v. Miguel Angel Mezo-Antele: On June 24, 2025, Border Patrol Agents stopped a vehicle on Interstate 40 in Yuma, Arizona. Miguel Angel Mezo-Antele, the driver of the vehicle and a citizen of Mexico, was transporting four passengers who were also citizens of Mexico. Mezo-Antele and the four passengers did not possess any documents allowing them to enter, pass through, or remain in the United States legally. Mezo-Antele was transporting the four passengers from New Mexico, through Arizona, to their ultimate destinations in California and Oregon. Mezo-Antele was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. [Case Number: 25‐MJ‐1696]

    United States v. Dalesio Hernandez-Bautista: On June 27, 2025, Dalesio Hernandez-Bautista, was charged by criminal complaint with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Hernandez-Bautista had been previously removed from the United States in 2018 after being convicted of manslaughter, a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Pinal County. Hernandez-Bautista was sentenced to five years in prison for the manslaughter. [Case Number: 25-MJ-53146]

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

    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:    2025-105_June 27 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 Security: Illegal Firearms Possession Lands Lawton Man in Federal Prison for Seven Years Following Domestic Violence Conviction

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

    OKLAHOMA CITY – RAYMOND IVAN MUNOZ, 22, of Lawton, has been sentenced to serve 84 months in federal prison for illegal possession of firearms after conviction of a previous misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On September 4, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a two-count Indictment against Munoz, charging him with being a drug user in possession of a firearm and, on a separate occasion, possession of firearms by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. According to public record, on February 14, 2023, officers with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Police Department encountered Munoz unconscious under the influence of drugs in the front passenger seat of a vehicle with an AK-47 loaded with an extended magazine resting between his legs. Later, on May 10, 2024, Lawton Police Department investigators observed one of Munoz’s social media posts in which he displayed a firearm while driving in a vehicle. Later that evening, officers observed Munoz, whom they knew to have a suspended license and active warrants, driving that vehicle in Lawton. When they attempted a traffic stop, Munoz initiated a pursuit in which his speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour, at times on the wrong side of the road and with his headlights off. He eventually reached his residence where he hid inside for approximately two hours before being arrested. Upon execution of a search warrant at the residence, detectives located two firearms hidden in a bathroom.

    Public record further reflects that Munoz was convicted of domestic assault and battery in Comanche County District Court case number CM-2020-810.

    On February 7, 2025, Munoz pleaded guilty to Count 2 of the Indictment and admitted that he possessed firearms despite having previously been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

    At the sentencing hearing on June 25, 2025, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Munoz to serve 84 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court specifically noted the threat that Munoz poses to society and the necessity of a substantial sentence to protect the public.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Police Department, and the Lawton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle M. Connolly prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. This case is also part of “Operation 922,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN, which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information. 

    MIL Security OSI –