Category: Asia Pacific

MIL-OSI Australia: Casino operators under scrutiny as AUSTRAC orders compliance audits

Source: Australian Department of Communications

AUSTRAC has instructed The Ville Resort-Casino in Townsville and Mindil Beach Casino Resort in Darwin to appoint external auditors to assess their AML/CTF compliance.
The actions were taken after AUSTRAC identified potential gaps and deficiencies in AML/CTF controls, risk and oversight.
AUSTRAC CEO, Brendan Thomas, said the far-north casinos operate gaming machines and table games which come with an elevated risk. Without adequate controls and monitoring, they can be used for money laundering.

MIL OSI News –

May 30, 2025

MIL-OSI Banking: Money Market Operations as on May 29, 2025

Source: Reserve Bank of India


(Amount in ₹ crore, Rate in Per cent)

	Volume (One Leg)	Weighted Average Rate	Range
A. Overnight Segment (I+II+III+IV)	5,77,073.30	5.71	2.00-6.80
I. Call Money	15,981.90	5.78	4.85-5.82
II. Triparty Repo	3,88,926.60	5.72	5.66-5.80
III. Market Repo	1,71,005.60	5.69	2.00-6.80
IV. Repo in Corporate Bond	1,159.20	5.91	5.90-6.00
B. Term Segment
I. Notice Money**	70.00	5.67	5.45-5.85
II. Term Money^@@	405.00	–	6.05-6.15
III. Triparty Repo	4,265.00	5.84	5.80-5.90
IV. Market Repo	0.00	–	–
V. Repo in Corporate Bond	0.00	–	–

	Auction Date	Tenor (Days)	Maturity Date	Amount	Current Rate / Cut off Rate
C. Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) & Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)
I. Today’s Operations
1. Fixed Rate
2. Variable Rate^&
(I) Main Operation
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
(II) Fine Tuning Operations
(a) Repo	Thu, 29/05/2025	1	Fri, 30/05/2025	3,335.00	6.01
(b) Reverse Repo
(III) Long Term Operations^{^}
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
3. MSF^#	Thu, 29/05/2025	1	Fri, 30/05/2025	1,062.00	6.25
4. SDF^Δ#	Thu, 29/05/2025	1	Fri, 30/05/2025	2,18,709.00	5.75
5. Net liquidity injected from today’s operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*				-2,14,312.00
II. Outstanding Operations
1. Fixed Rate
2. Variable Rate^&
(I) Main Operation
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
(II) Fine Tuning Operations
(a) Repo
(b) Reverse Repo
(III) Long Term Operations^{^}
(a) Repo	Thu, 17/04/2025	43	Fri, 30/05/2025	25,731.00	6.01
(b) Reverse Repo
3. MSF^#
4. SDF^Δ#
D. Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) Availed from RBI^$				8,594.62
E. Net liquidity injected from outstanding operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*				34,325.62
F. Net liquidity injected (outstanding including today’s operations) [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*				-1,79,986.38
G. Cash Reserves Position of Scheduled Commercial Banks
(i) Cash balances with RBI as on		May 29, 2025		9,51,404.27
(ii) Average daily cash reserve requirement for the fortnight ending		May 30, 2025		9,48,817.00
H. Government of India Surplus Cash Balance Reckoned for Auction as on^¥		May 29, 2025		3,335.00
I. Net durable liquidity [surplus (+)/deficit (-)] as on		May 02, 2025		2,34,873.00
^@ Based on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) / Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL).
– Not Applicable / No Transaction.
** Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 2 to 14 days tenor.
^@@ Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 15 days to one year tenor.
^$ Includes refinance facilities extended by RBI.
^& As per the Press Release No. 2019-2020/1900 dated February 06, 2020.
^Δ As per the Press Release No. 2022-2023/41 dated April 08, 2022.
* Net liquidity is calculated as Repo+MSF+SLF-Reverse Repo-SDF.
^¥ As per the Press Release No. 2014-2015/1971 dated March 19, 2015.
^# As per the Press Release No. 2023-2024/1548 dated December 27, 2023.
^{^} As per the Press Release No. 2025-2026/91 dated April 11, 2025.
Ajit Prasad Deputy General Manager (Communications)
Press Release: 2025-2026/433

MIL OSI Global Banks –

May 30, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Primary One Central Allocation results to be posted to parents on June 4 and 5

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Primary One Central Allocation results to be posted to parents on June 4 and 5
Release of Central Allocation results
———————————————

“A total of 19 489 children took part in the Primary One Central Allocation 2025. Among them, 15 538 children were allocated to schools of their first three choices,” an EDB spokesman said.

“Taking into account discretionary places and the number of children allocated to schools of their first three choices in the Central Allocation, the overall satisfaction rate is 90.0 per cent.”

The Central Allocation for POA is composed of two parts. Ten per cent of the places for the Central Allocation, which are not restricted by school nets, are under Part A and parents may choose up to three schools in any school net. The remaining 90 per cent of the places for the Central Allocation are under Part B and parents are required to select schools in the school net/Choice of Schools List in respect of the applicant child. Of the places allocated to children in the Central Allocation, 2 191 are under Part A and 17 298 are under Part B.
Registration of pupils
—————————-
The spokesman reminded that parents who cannot register their child with the school on the above dates due to matters of grave importance should notify the person in charge of registration of the school allocated in advance to make alternative arrangements. Otherwise, they would be deemed to have given up the school place allocated.

Arrangements for special circumstances
————————————————-
Any parent who finds it necessary to transfer his/her child to another school after registration is strongly advised to obtain an assurance of acceptance from that school before retrieving the Primary One Registration Form from the original school because retrieval of the registration form means cancellation of the allocated school place.

In case of inclement weather or other special circumstances during the period for the announcement of results or on any day(s) designated for registration, parents should pay attention to announcements on radio and television for special arrangements for the Central Allocation or registration.

Enquiries
————Issued at HKT 11:37

NNNN

CategoriesMIL-OSI

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Keith Rankin Analysis – Who, neither politician nor monarch, executed 100,000 civilians in a single night?
Analysis by Keith Rankin.

Who, neither politician nor monarch, executed 100,000 civilians in a single night?

Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Answer: Curtis LeMay, American Air Force General, in the wee hours of 10 March 1945. While authorised by his immediate superior, this firebombing of Tokyo was a decentralised military operation which received subsequent popular approval. It was called ‘Operation Meetinghouse’. While Japanese civilians were aware that they had become a collateral target to the encroaching American military machine, these victims had no prior idea of the murderous danger they faced that night.

Le May went on to execute at least another 120,000 Japanese civilians in the next five months and five days; from 10 March until 15 August. The method of execution was to burn people alive. LeMay’s inflammatory instrument was napalm. The politicians approved, but did not fully comprehend. They had been softened up by bureaucratic-speak, and they did not see burning people on their TV screens.

(In that August there was an additional couplet of mass executions; nuclear executions. This parallel military operation was not under the command of LeMay, but used the same airfields and the same B29 aircraft type. Contrary to impressions given that the atomic bomb was planned for Germany, pilot Paul Tibbets was chosen in 1944, and was doing test manoeuvres from Cuba at the end of that year. And there were five cities LeMay had been asked not to firebomb, and did not bomb, knowing that these were ‘reserved’ targets. An additional 120,000 people were summarily executed by the untested ‘Little Boy’ [Hiroshima] and the New Mexico tested ‘Fat Man’ [plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki], with thousands more suffering lingering executions. These bombings – rubber-stamped by President Truman – were arranged by technocrats and military bureaucrats. The American authorities were preparing to give a repeat larger dose when more ‘Fat Men’ would become available towards the end of 1945.)

In the middle centuries of the last millennium, one particularly appalling form of execution was to burn ‘heretics’ and ‘witches’ at the stake. These executions peaked in the sixteenth century. The most renowned perpetrator was Bloody Mary, Queen of England during the 1550s. Her tally, those burned while she was queen, was about 500 people. Unlike the citizens of Tokyo, most of Queen Mary’s victims had options, albeit unsatisfactory options, to escape their fates. We think of such executions-by-fire as the epitome of terror. (And we note that some Holocaust victims, in places such as Belarus, were burned in wooden buildings locked by their Nazi executioners.)

It is 200 kilometres from Auckland to Tauranga via SH2. (For an international example, try Dover to Cambridge.) Just imagine 20,000 stakes, faggots at the ready, 10 metres apart, all the way along the highway between those two cities. Now imagine a family being burned at each of those 20,000 stakes. That is, in essence, what General Curtis LeMay achieved in one spring night, in central Tokyo. (And, as we have noted, he was only warming up. His total civilian kill count was ‘limited’ because putative victims, now forewarned, were more able to take measures to save their lives though not their homes. He firebombed literally hundreds of Japanese cities.)

Did we remember this event in March this year, its 80th anniversary? No. This literal holocaust was barely remembered, even in Japan. Indeed, in the 1960s, political leaders in the new Japan presented him in 1964 with a prestigious accolade for his supposed sine qua non role in making the new Japan possible.

1945 was not Lemay’s first participation in megadeath; not his first rodeo. He earned his stripes in the European ‘bombing theatre’ in 1942 and 1943, where he took on board the ‘atrocities may be more effective’ approach of the British RAF. He also operated out of Bengal in 1944, during the Bengal famine which resulted from food being diverted away from millions of Bengali civilians to facilitate war objectives, in an earlier attempt to bomb Japan via India and China. In addition to starving Indians – a somewhat wretched people, in LeMay’s view – the American military was willing to sustain huge American losses, eg flying over the Himalayas, for minimal military success. A mitigating factor for LeMay, then, was that he was implementing other people’s plans. On 10 March 1945, Operation Meetinghouse was his scheme.

Why?

What was the purpose of this mass execution, this collective punishment of civilians who happened to live in a country that was losing a war?

Japanese civilians were neither fascists nor communists nor anti-semites nor anti-hamites nor anyone else ‘deserving’ of immolation. Their government was however guilty of good old-fashioned imperialism, and the usual atrocities that come with conquests of other people’s lands.

There were two officially-stated arguments used to justify these executions. One was that, as civilian victims of such suffering, they, demoralised, might somehow convince their political masters to end the war sooner. The second justification was that the civilian victims were either workers in factories producing military goods, or were involved in ‘cottage industries’ which contributed to the production of military goods; this really amounts to some kind of ‘revenge’ justification masked as ‘normal warfare’. And this second justification is uncannily like the ‘Hamas’ argument used at present by the Israeli government to justify executions of civilians in Gaza.

The American bombing culture in Europe had been more reserved than that of the British. The Americans, including LeMay, witnessed the British firebombing of German cities during 1942 to 1944 – especially in the west of Germany where Nazi support was the least – which had conspicuously failed to create conditions facilitating popular revolution in Germany. Dead people tended to be passive, and survivors tended to channel their despair towards the perpetrators of their anguish. Indeed, among victimised communities, murderous bombing campaigns generally reinforced propaganda perpetuated by the victims’ governments. Further, despite calling their tactic ‘morale bombing’, the British already knew that the morale narrative was false, having been able to closely evaluate the morale effects of comparatively small amounts of German bombing in 1940 upon British civilians.

Overall, it comes across that the main reason for the executions was some kind of ‘impunity’; they did it because they could. The more they failed to bring the war to an end, the more they persevered in doing the executions that hadn’t achieved their stated goals. Just one more city. And then another. And another.

The impunity argument was augmented by the ‘scientific’ rationalisations. Applied scientists developing ever more efficient methods of execution would never be satisfied unless they could see the success of their own apparatus ‘in the field’.

Sky-executions this century: Iraq from 2003, Afghanistan, and Gaza from 2023

In the last decade (or so) of the twentieth century, most people believed that humans – except perhaps a few terrorists (who indeed perpetrated a sky-execution in 2001) – could never repeat such atrocities upon civilians. Then we saw, in 2003, based on false claims about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ held by Saddam Hussein, executions similar to those of WW2 were perpetrated upon the civilians of Iraq. And a huge bunker bomb – the Mother of All Bombs “the most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever used” – was dropped on a village in eastern Afghanistan in 2017. (A comment to this recent Al Jazeera news clip says: “Americans tested their weapons on innocent civilians’ villages”. And see BBC: The Mother of All Bombs: How badly did it hurt IS in Afghanistan? 27 April 2017.)

These executions were seen to be a mix of ‘revenge’ and ‘impunity’, although once again cloaked as being part of a higher purpose; in this case the higher purpose being the export of western-style ‘Democracy’. We saw in Iraq that the main consequence of western sky-executions – the ‘shock and awe’ bombing campaign – was the formation of terror-group ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on for twenty years before the eventual humiliation of the United States in Afghanistan in 2021.

Since 2023 in Gaza we have seen a constant stream of airborne executions of civilians; mostly people who by fate were born into that occupied or encircled ghetto; a piece of real estate, densely populated by the descendants of refugees, coveted by the descendants of comparatively recent European colonisers making bizarre historical claims of entitlement.

The young people of this world were shocked to see that their political leaders were indifferent, and that many were actually prompting these executions; executions by explosion and fire. Admittedly the scale of what is happening in Gaza is much less than the scale of Curtis LeMay’s murderous firebombs. But otherwise it is much the same. Our elders, some of whom protested against the Vietnam War, by and large couldn’t care less.

This indifference is facilitated by the fact that the victims’ fates are simply too graphic to show on television. There is no lack of footage; it’s just too horrible. But now, there is footage that’s less horrible – though still very horrible – of emaciated starving children. I don’t think that those western elites who were indifferent to the live burnings are really any less indifferent to the starvations perpetrated, not by Jews, but by the state of Israel. But the elites are sensitive to the impact of detrimental optics on their ability to garner political support from non-elites.

G-Hats and B-hats

It must be hard for young people to explain why there is so much indifference among their elders, especially their elite elders, towards the sky-executions that appear on daily news feeds (though commonly at about 6:25pm – after two sets of advertisements – on the nightly six o’clock news).

My explanation is this. We put hats (ie labels) on various groups of people. Especially ‘Goody’ and ‘Baddy’ hats. Hats labelled G (for good or for God), and hats labelled B (for bad, or evil). Sometimes there is a D-hat; western liberal ‘Democracy’, the imperialism we most see today.

Following westerners’ contrition for The Holocaust, the first people in line to be awarded G hats were the Jewish citizens of the newly created state of Israel. We gave out many G and B hats to various other people of course. And, of course, just about every identity group issues themselves with G-hats, reserving B-hats for distinct others.

One of the problems with the human brain is that it reacts badly to contradiction. Neural pathways short-circuit when we see people with G-hats doing B (bad) – often very bad – things. Most observers will resolve the contradiction in favour of the hat rather than in favour of the observed action. So, if a G-hatted person or institution sky-executes some people, then we rationalise this dissonance by ignoring the action or by presuming that the victims must have been B (effectively converting a grotesque action into a good action). We expect our societal leaders to rise above these forms of neural conflict.

Through this kind of dissonance, we both excuse the bad actions of the Good, and fail to acknowledge the good actions of the Bad. (An example of the latter is that, in many contexts, colonisers and their descendants are given B-hats by the descendants of the colonised; and any genuine achievements which may have arisen from a colonised setting are devalued, deamplified, or disregarded.)

On the matter of cognitive dissonance, for which my hat explanation is an example, see Social Atrophy on the Rise,France24 26 May 20125, featuring Sarah Stein Lubrano, author of Don’t Talk about Politics (published this month). She says: “When people are given new information or new arguments about something about which they already hold beliefs – especially strong beliefs – they experience cognitive dissonance, they feel discomfort between the contradiction between new ideas and existing ideas and this often causes them to re-entrench, to double-down on their existing ideas.”

Conclusion

Some things are so horrible – including inflammatory executions – we cannot compute them. That’s no excuse to repeat them.

————-

On Curtis LeMay, my three main sources have been:
- Richard Overy (2025), Rain of Ruin
- Malcolm Gladwell (2021), The Bomber Mafia
- James Scott (2022), Black Snow
*******

Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: What is mantle cell lymphoma? Magda Szubanski’s ‘rare and fast-moving’ cancer, explained

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John (Eddie) La Marca, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)

Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

Beloved Australian actor, Magda Szubanski, has revealed she’s been diagnosed with a “very rare, very aggressive, very serious” blood cancer called mantle cell lymphoma.

In a post on social media on Thursday, Szubanski said she would be starting treatment in a few weeks for the stage 4 cancer, which she called “one of the nasty ones, unfortunately”.

So, what is mantle cell lymphoma? And how is it treated?

What is mantle cell lymphoma?

There are more than 100 subtypes of blood cancers, but they are commonly divided into one of two groups. These are based on where they originate: leukaemias develop in the bone marrow, and lymphomas develop in the lymphatic system.

Lymphomas develop from white blood cells (lymphocytes), which circulate in the blood and lymphatic system and help fight infection.

You may not have heard of the lymphatic system, but it plays a key role in your immune response.

The lymphatic circulatory system is responsible for transporting fluids (lymph) around your body. Lymph comes from blood plasma, and helps remove waste from your tissues.

As part of the lymphatic system, tissues like the spleen and thymus help produce many of the immune cells you use to fight infections.

These cells are then housed in specialised organs called lymph nodes – small pea-sized glands located throughout your body.

The lymphatic system plays a key role in your body’s immune response.
Clash_Gene/Shutterstock

Lymph nodes are kind of like the “war room” of your immune system.

Your body contains hundreds of lymph nodes, and each contains millions of lymphocytes. These include the T and B cells – the main fighting cells in adaptive immunity.

If B cells in an area of the lymph node known as the “mantle zone” become cancerous, it is called mantle cell lymphoma.

How rare is it?

In 2020, there were 330 cases of mantle cell lymphoma diagnosed in Australia, accounting for a small fraction (5%) of lymphoma cases.

Overall, lymphomas account for around one in twenty new cancer diagnoses. This makes mantle cell lymphoma quite rare.

Mantle cell lymphoma is about three times more common in men than in women, and mostly affects people over the age of 60.

Is there a cure?

Unfortunately, mantle cell lymphoma is largely considered incurable with the therapies currently available.

Like many cancers, mantle cell lymphoma can vary in how quickly it develops and its severity.

As Szubanski’s cancer has been described as “fast-moving” and is already stage 4, it appears that it is a more serious case.

Stage 4 is the most advanced stage – meaning the cancer has spread (metastasised) to other tissues.

Treatment at this stage can be more complicated than when the cancer is caught earlier. But treatment can still help people go on to live for many years.

What does treatment involve?

In her social media post, Szubanski said she will be receiving “one of the best treatments available (the Nordic protocol)”.

This is one of the most common treatments for an aggressive lymphoma.

The main component is “R-CHOP” – a combination therapy. It involves a mixture of different drugs, including chemotherapy, to attack the cancer from multiple angles at the same time.

Different strengths of the drugs can be used (the maximum strength is sometimes called R-maxi-CHOP).

A stem cell transplantation may also be included in the regimen.

How effective this treatment is will depend on many different factors, including the type and stage of the lymphoma.

The aim is to kill as many cancer cells as possible, and therefore extend a patient’s life for as long as possible.

Therapy also focuses on providing a high quality-of-life for patients.

How is it diagnosed?

Szubanski’s mantle cell lymphoma was detected during a breast cancer screen where, she says, “they found my lymph nodes were up”.

Imaging techniques, such as a mammogram or MRI, may detect tell-tale signs of lymphoma, such as swollen lymph nodes.

However a biopsy – a small sample of tissue from the affected area – would then be required to confirm the presence of cancer cells and identify what type.

Blood cancer symptoms can be vague, but it’s good to know what to look for.

As well as swollen lymph nodes, symptoms of lymphoma include nausea, tiredness, loss of appetite, fevers, gastrointestinal issues, unexplained weight loss, and night sweats.

If you have any concerns, you should consult a doctor.

John (Eddie) La Marca receives funding from Cancer Council Victoria. He is affiliated with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Sarah Diepstraten receives funding from Cure Cancer Australia and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity.

– ref. What is mantle cell lymphoma? Magda Szubanski’s ‘rare and fast-moving’ cancer, explained – https://theconversation.com/what-is-mantle-cell-lymphoma-magda-szubanskis-rare-and-fast-moving-cancer-explained-257821

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Speech: Meg O’Neill Address to the 2025 Australian Energy Producers Conference & Exhibition – Australian Energy Producers

Source: Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association

Headline: Speech: Meg O’Neill Address to the 2025 Australian Energy Producers Conference & Exhibition – Australian Energy Producers

Thank you, Samantha, for that kind introduction.

Welcome everyone to the 2025 Australian Energy Producers Conference!

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Jagera and Turrbal people as the traditional custodians of the land upon which we are meeting today.

Thank you also to Shannon Ruska for that wonderful Welcome to Country.

It was a fantastic way to open our conference and mark the start of National Reconciliation Week.

Looking around at this room, it is great to see such strong support for our industry.

Thank you to each and every one of you for the effort you have made to be here.

It’s really valuable for us to come together and share knowledge and debate ideas, with the aim of constantly improving how we work, and how we can chart a brighter future for our industry and the nation in the years to come.

We’ve already had some thoughtful speeches this morning.

Thank you Sam for your dedication to promoting the great work of our members.

And Minister King, thank you for your reflections and your strong advocacy for our industry.

We look forward to continuing to work with you.

I would also like to acknowledge that Senator Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Resources is here.

Senator Chisolm, thank you for your attendance.

Later this morning we’ll hear from former Australian Treasurer and Ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey and the Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Energy David Janetzki.

I am very much looking forward to hearing their perspectives on the economic and energy challenges facing Australia, and nations around the world.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Albanese Government on its election victory.

Campaigning for office is not for the faint of heart. It takes passion, discipline and a belief in the idea that Australia can be better. I admire the commitment and endurance of those who run in modern-day elections.

One vital pathway to building a brighter future for Australia is to ensure that we and our regional partners have the energy we need to build prosperity and succeed in the energy transition.

So, I would also like to thank the Government for its clear acknowledgement of the critical role that gas plays in the Australian economy and in the nation’s trading relationships.

The vital importance of gas has also been emphasised by the Liberals and Nationals, and we appreciate this bipartisan support.

The Government’s Future Gas Strategy, led by Minister King, makes a powerful and compelling case for the role of gas in supporting the quality of life in Australia, and in providing energy security in our region.

We thank the Minister for her leadership and vision in laying out this roadmap for Australia’s gas endowment.

The opportunity now is to take real actions that deliver the Government’s Future Gas Strategy.

And Minister King, you have our industry’s support in working together with all stakeholders to achieve this for the long-term.

Celebration of the year’s success

One of my favourite things about this conference is the chance to celebrate our industry’s success in helping meet Australia’s energy needs, and in delivering strong economic outcomes at local, state and national levels.

I think it’s fitting we are here in Brisbane, because this year marks 10 years since the Queensland LNG industry began operating.

It’s hard to imagine the Australian industry without our Queensland operators and I think we should celebrate this achievement with a round of applause.

From the vast offshore fields of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Victoria – to the rich onshore basins of Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales – and to the emerging basins such as the Perth Basin and the Beetaloo – Australia’s oil and gas industry stands as a powerhouse of innovation and economic strength.

By exploring, developing and producing these resources, we play a critical role in providing the energy needed in Australia and the Asian region.

But we cannot take this for granted.

Reflection on Australia’s energy edge

For decades, Australia’s vast energy resources have provided a major competitive advantage for the nation’s economy.

In particular, safe, affordable and reliable domestic gas has helped underpin the success of many Australian businesses, especially in mining and manufacturing.

While the LNG industry has made a significant contribution to Australia’s prosperity through taxes and royalties, skilled jobs, community support and economic development.

KPMG analysis commissioned by AEP found the gas industry contributed 105 billion dollars to Australia’s gross domestic product and supported 215,000 ongoing jobs across the economy in 2021-22.

This is in addition to taxes and royalties paid to Australian governments, which in 2023‑24 totalled an estimated 17.1 billion dollars.

But our energy edge is at risk.

This is evidenced by forecasts of looming supply shortfalls on both the east and west coasts and weakened investor confidence in investing in new supply.

AEP has this week released a Wood Mackenzie report that analysed Australia as an investment destination.

The study involved data analysis and a survey of CEOs of AEP member companies.

It makes for sobering reading, confirming what many in this room already know.

Certainty around Australia’s energy and climate policies, environmental regulation and timely approvals is critical to driving investment.

95 per cent of respondents said they have had investments directly impacted by a change in government policy or regulation.

Of these investments, a fifth did not proceed or were relocated outside of Australia, and almost half were significantly delayed.

Learning from experiences in prior years, we have an opportunity now to create the foundations for the next wave of energy investment in Australia.

We must continue to make the most of our natural resources and our ingenuity, so that we keep jobs and revenue in Australia.

Implications

What is also at stake is the nation’s ability to compete on the global stage for the industries of the future.

These include artificial intelligence, data centres, critical minerals manufacturing and no doubt sectors we haven’t even imagined yet. All of which depend on reliable and affordable power.

The recent blackouts in Spain and Portugal are a forceful reminder of the consequences of losing reliable supplies of energy, upon which we rely for our daily lives and jobs.

While the causes of the blackouts are still being investigated, what we can see with certainty is that these events reinforce the need to focus on energy security and energy affordability, as well as – and not instead of – emissions reduction.

All three matter.

When we lose sight of any one of these, all three are at risk.

I am encouraged by evidence – including the Government’s Future Gas Strategy – that policymakers are increasingly willing to recognise and speak up for the critical importance of natural gas, including as the stabilising partner to higher levels of renewables and as a lower emissions source of power than coal.

I welcome more government policy decisions to reflect the strategy in practice.

And I think it is time that the opponents of our industry face up to the fact that they are making the energy transition harder and more risky by slowing down investment and trying to take practical options off the table.

If Australia loses its energy edge, we also lose opportunities to contribute to decarbonisation at home and abroad.

As we know, when used to generate electricity, gas typically produces half the life cycle emissions of coal.

Coal demand in the Asia Pacific continues to grow and drive up global emissions.

This underlines why Australia must maximise opportunities to supply LNG to Asian customers who want to reduce their reliance on coal through a combination of gas and renewables.

Furthermore, the opportunity to service growing demand for natural gas is one that Australia’s competitor nations will seize, if Australia is not able to take the opportunities before it.

For example – we have seen significant pro-energy investment policy changes in the USA with the change in administration, and I am eager to hear Joe Hockey’s take on this.

But no one doubts where the US stands on developing its natural resources – the President has declared an Energy Emergency, and prioritised development of the US’s energy resources – both for domestic use and for customers abroad.

And there is genuine urgency to tackle permitting reform and make energy investment easier.

Our offer and our ask

All of us in this room recognise the enormous opportunity that Australia has to help meet essential energy needs – and the necessity of doing so responsibly.

Australian Energy Producers’ message to policymakers here in Australia, is that we will play our part in supplying affordable, reliable energy to customers, while also tackling climate change.

We are committed to doing this through innovation and collaboration.

We are designing and operating out emissions from our assets, implementing CCS, and diversifying into new lower-carbon commodities and technologies.

As a proof point – Australia now has two of the world’s largest CCS projects, with the Gorgon project having sequestered over 11 million tons of CO2 since it commenced operations, and the Moomba CCS project starting up last year.

Something else we’re committed to is ensuring the public discussion about energy policy includes balance and facts.

Through AEP’s advocacy, we are calling out misinformation and disinformation campaigns that seek to downplay our sector’s significant economic and tax contribution, and the essential role of gas in achieving decarbonisation goals.

We appreciate government efforts to help build community understanding of the role of gas and foster support for what we deliver.

It’s vital that people hear the facts about gas and understand its importance to their lives, the Australian economy and decarbonising Asia.

By equipping people with knowledge about energy production, consumption and role in the energy transition, we make it harder for our opponents to spread misinformation, and easier to have the respectful policy debates that can lead to better industry and environmental outcomes.

With a new federal parliament elected, it is an opportunity to finally cut red and green tape, to simplify and streamline Australia’s approvals system.

Cutting red and green tape will promote innovation, and enable businesses to thrive.

And it will create more jobs for Australians.

Streamlining approvals will also drive the productivity growth Australia needs to remain competitive in an increasingly protectionist world.

And in news hot off the press, it was a huge relief last week to see the Native Title Tribunal clear a path for Santos’s much-needed Narrabri gas development to go ahead.

As an industry, we look forward to working with new Environment Minister Murray Watt as he takes on the critical role of ensuring energy development in Australia is conducted responsibly and sustainably.

We acknowledge that Minister Watt is working through the process to take a decision on the North West Shelf extension and we look forward to an outcome.

We all recognise that energy development must meet rigorous environmental standards and maintain the confidence of the community.

The Government’s Future Gas Strategy is a clear roadmap for policy reform to ensure that these objectives are met as the nation’s resources are responsibly developed.

This includes implementing clear and unambiguous offshore consultation rules.

Regulatory loopholes are in no-one’s interests.

The industry fully supports consulting with impacted traditional owners and other stakeholders – but the rules for consultation must be clear to provide predictable outcomes for all parties.

It is also essential that exploration resume in earnest in Australia.

This starts with regular offshore acreage licensing rounds, and clear regulations around the well-proven and safe technology of seismic surveys.

We must get exploration going now to ensure the energy future of the 2030’s and 2040’s is secure.

Conclusion

In closing, Australia has the key ingredients to sustain its energy edge for decades to come.

We have been gifted natural resource potential like few other nations.

We have the talented, capable and motivated workforce we need to unlock the potential.

We have a long track record of supporting downstream domestic industries and providing feedstock and energy to build Australia’s prosperity.

We also have proximity to the world’s fastest growing energy markets, who are looking for secure, reliable supplies to power their own development.

We have the opportunity now to build on the decades of success – unlocking new resources, powering a bright future, and doing so responsibly.

There will be headwinds, but we have the resilience and the vision as an industry to ensure that Australia’s energy edge delivers for every Australian, for decades to come.

Thank you everyone, I wish you a great conference.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Road closed, Newtons Road, Templeton

Source: New Zealand Police

Newtons Road, Templeton is closed following a serious crash this afternoon.

Emergency services received a report of a three-vehicle crash at around 2.45pm at the intersection of Newtons Road and Dawsons Road.

Initial indications suggest there are serious injuries.

The road is closed while emergency services are in attendance.

Motorists are advised to follow diversions and expect delays.

ENDS

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Let construction commence. Next stage of the State Highway 58 Road of Regional Significance about to get underway
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Work will soon begin on the next stage of the State Highway 58 Safety Improvements Project between Moonshine and Murphys/Flightys Roads.

Next week, NZTA/Waka Kotahi and Downer will start project enabling works – ahead of constructing two roundabouts at Moonshine Road and Murphys/Flightys Roads, widening the road, and installing side barriers and median wire rope barriers.

Other improvements will include construction of shared paths, bus stops and drop off areas at each of the roundabouts, and new culverts to manage water flows across the project.

Current SH58/Moonshine Road intersection.

Flightys/Murphys Road roundabout design.

SH58/Moonshine Road roundabout design.

Jetesh Bhula, Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery says the next stage of the project is crucial as it rounds out important work already completed on this part of the state highway.

“It ensures safety measures are in place along the full route between Pāuatahanui and the Hutt Valley.”

“Safe roads bring huge benefits for the community by reducing crash rates. The costs of deaths and serious injuries bring significant social costs, but also immense pain and anguish for victims, their families, and their friends,” Mr Bhula says.

He says the project’s gains far outweigh its construction pains.

“The upcoming work will ensure this important east-west highway is a much safer, more reliable, and easier-to-use connection for the more than 19,000 motorists who use it every day.”

Previous improvements between State Highway 2 and east of Moonshine Road started in 2019 and were completed in December last year.

Mr Bhula says they have already proved their worth.

“Locals will be aware of the road’s high crash rate – which includes 13 serious crashes on SH58, between Transmission Gully and SH2, from 2015 to 2025.

“Since December, we have had twenty-three barrier strikes recorded on the completed section of road. This goes to show how the improvements have been critical in reducing the severity of crashes.”

Mr Bhula acknowledges the patience of the local community given how long the project has been running.

“It has created travel delays. However, SH58 is a heavily used road that connects to numerous residents and businesses. We have had to balance the need to maintain network access for traffic and residents against completing the works as quickly as we can.”

He says every effort will be made to reduce the impact of the remaining works on the public.

“As much construction work as possible will happen off the current highway alignment, reducing impacts and delays for road users. However, some disruption is unavoidable with other parts of the project – such as when each leg into the roundabout is realigned and connected, and barriers are installed.”

“Work is expected to take around 20 months to complete, finishing in 2027. Please expect traffic management and temporary speed limits to be in place during this time,” Mr Bhula says

Planning for work between Flightys/Murphys Roads and Transmission Gully is underway and specific details for this area will be confirmed at a later date.”

More information:
- State Highway 58 runs between State Highway 2 in the Hutt Valley and the Transmission Gully Interchange in Pāuatahanui.
- This Crown-funded project is a Road of Regional Significance and aims to improve safety and reliability of the route.
- State Highway 58 is a regional route providing critical east-west access from State Highway 2 to State Highway 1 and is key to the region’s state highway network. Over 19,000 vehicles travel this highway daily. It is narrow and windy with many unprotected roadside hazards.
- A safer speed limit of 80 km/h was put in place in 2018 following public consultation, and construction of physical safety improvements has been progressing in stages, from east to west.
- More information about the project can be found on the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website:
View larger construction milestones map [PNG, 267 KB]

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Top tips for safe and stress-free King’s Birthday weekend trips
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
30 May 2025 1:24 pm | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) encourages those heading off for a long weekend break to check the NZTA’s King’s Birthday Weekend 2025 Holiday Journey Planner to plan their trips and avoid the worst congestion spots over the long weekend.

NZTA’s King’s Birthday Weekend 2025 Holiday Journey Planner(external link)

The interactive tool uses data from previous years to provide information on peak travel times to avoid, maps for popular holiday routes across the country, and real-time updates on road conditions, closures, and delays.

It’s a great resource to help you plan your trip and avoid congestion during the long weekend.

NZTA is urging everyone on the roads this weekend to drive safely and follow our top tips for a safe King’s Birthday Weekend:

Take the time to check your vehicle is safe before you leave – check the tyres, indicators, windshield wipers, lights

Be patient and allow plenty of time – rest stops are important for the driver and passengers on long trips

Drive to the road and weather conditions and check our winter driving advice

Slow down and be prepared for unexpected hazards

If you are travelling long distances, share the driving

Wear your seat belt throughout the journey and check your passengers are also buckled up
Tags
MIL OSI New Zealand News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: New Christchurch health accommodation will provide for those in need

Source: New Zealand Government

The Bone Marrow Cancer Trust’s new Rānui Apartments will ensure patients and families travelling to Christchurch for cancer treatment, heart surgeries, and other complex needs will have a home-away-from-home for their recuperation, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“Today I was pleased to join the Prime Minister to officially open the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust’s new Rānui Apartments. These 54 new apartments will accommodate more Kiwis and their families travelling to Christchurch Hospital for life-changing treatments,” Mr Brown says.

The 54 apartments across two buildings will add to the existing 26 apartments available at Rānui House. The new facilities offered include one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as studio rooms, to meet different patients’ and families’ needs.

“Travelling for life-changing treatment and surgery can be daunting. These new facilities will remove that burden by providing free accommodation and wrap-around services for eligible travelling patients and their families, located just 500 metres from the Christchurch Hospital.

“The opening of the Rānui Apartments makes the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust the largest provider of patient accommodation in the South Island. It is the only provider that serves patients and families irrespective of their age or treatment type.

“When a patient undergoes life-changing treatment, there are repercussions for the entire family. These accommodation facilities will make specialist healthcare more accessible for people in the South Island by ensuring patients and their families have support close to Christchurch Hospital.

“I would like to thank the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust for their vision, dedication, and fundraising efforts that have made this project possible,” Mr Brown says.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 30, 2025

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 30, 2025.

French politicians in New Caledonia to stir the political melting pot
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French national politicians have been in New Caledonia as the territory’s future remains undecided. Leaders from both right-wing Les Républicains (LR) and Rassemblement National (RN), — vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy and Marine Le Pen respectively — have been in the French Pacific territory this week. They expressed

Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology What goes up must come down, and earlier this week yet another of SpaceX’s Starships, the biggest and most powerful type of rocket ever built, came back down to Earth in spectacular fashion. In the

Tracking crime from the cradle: why some people keep breaking the law while most of us never do
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ayda Kuluk, PhD Candidate in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University Alena Lom/Shutterstock A major Australian study tracking more than 80,000 Queenslanders from birth to adulthood reveals stark differences between men and women in patterns of criminal behaviour. These patterns offer insights into effective crime prevention strategies.

Most of Australia’s conservation efforts ignore climate risks – here are 3 fixes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Fei Chung, PhD Candidate in Environmental Policy, The University of Queensland Imagine replanting various native species only to have them die because the area is too hot or too dry. Or reconnecting woodland habitat only to lose large tracts to bushfire. Well, our new research suggests

Earth’s seasonal rhythms are changing, putting species and ecosystems at risk
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Hernández Carrasco, PhD Candidate in Ecology, University of Canterbury Shutterstock/Colin Stephenson Seasonality shapes much of life on Earth. Most species, including humans, have synchronised their own rhythms with those of Earth’s seasons. Plant growth cycles, the migration of billions of animals, and even aspects of human

Google is going ‘all in’ on AI. It’s part of a troubling trend in big tech
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University Google recently unveiled the next phase of its artificial intelligence (AI) journey: “AI mode”. This new feature will soon be released as a new option to users of Google’s search engine in the United States, with no

People with disability are dying from cancers we can actually prevent, our study shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Yang, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, Melbourne Disability Institute, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne Chona Kasinger/Disabled and Here, CC BY-SA People with disability are missing out on screening programs that could help detect cancer early, and after diagnosis, are less likely

Researchers created a chatbot to help teach a university law class – but the AI kept messing up
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Armin Alimardani, Senior Lecturer in Law and Emerging Technologies, University of Wollongong Mikhail Nilov/ Pexels , CC BY “AI tutors” have been hyped as a way to revolutionise education. The idea is generative artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) could adapt to any teaching style set by

NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Booth, Associate Professor of Human Geography, University of Tasmania Once again, large parts of New South Wales have been devastated by floods. It’s estimated 10,000 homes and businesses may have been damaged or destroyed and the Insurance Council of Australia reports more than 6,000 insurance claims

Talk to Me was a rollercoaster, but the Philippou brothers’ Bring Her Back will trap you in a house of horrors
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Associate Professor in Media, RMIT University A24 They may have only made two feature films so far, but Danny and Michael Philippou are already being hailed as Australia’s premiere horror auteurs. Their 2023 debut Talk To Me sparked a bidding war between distributors upon its

Grattan on Friday: Trump, tariffs and the Middle East are looming challenges for Albanese
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australia these days receives invitations to big-league international conferences. And so Anthony Albanese will be off soon to the G7 meeting in Alberta, Canada, on June 15-17. For the prime minister, what’s most important about this trip is not so

Radical legal step towards ending impunity for Israel over killing Gaza journalists
Pacific Media Watch Journalists have been targeted, detained and tortured by the Israeli military in Gaza — and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has now taken a new approach towards bringing justice these crimes. The Paris-based global media freedom NGO has submitted multiple formal requests to the International Criminal Court (ICC) asking that Palestinian journalists who

New Australian data shows most of us have PFAS in our blood. How worried should we be?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian A. Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University New Africa/Shutterstock The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has this week released new data which tells us about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Australians’ bodies. The data comes from concentrations measured in

Labor gains Senate seats in Victoria and Queensland, and surges to a national 55.6–44.4 two-party margin
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Buttons have been pressed to electronically distribute preferences for the Senate in Victoria, the ACT, Queensland and Western Australia. Labor gained a seat from the Liberals in

Influencer Andrew Tate is charged with a raft of sex crimes. His followers will see him as the victim
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Roberts, Professor of Education and Social Justice, Monash University British prosecutors have this week charged social media influencer Andrew Tate with a string of serious sexual offences, including rape and human trafficking, alleged to have been committed in the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2015. This

How the North West Shelf expansion risks further damage to Murujuga’s 50,000-year-old rock art
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Smith, Professor of Archaeology (World Rock Art), School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Yesterday, new environment minister Murray Watt approved an extension for the North West Shelf liquefied natural gas project. The gas plant at Karratha, Western Australia, will run until 2070. This

UNESCO expresses ‘utmost concern’ at the state of the Great Barrier Reef
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon C. Day, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has again raised grave fears for the future of the Great Barrier Reef, highlighting the problems of water pollution, climate change and unsustainable fishing. The committee this week

Trump’s global trade plans are in disarray, after a US court ruling on ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Stone, Credit Union SA Chair of Economics, University of South Australia A US court has blocked the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs that US President Donald Trump imposed on imported goods from around 90 nations. This puts implementation of Trump’s current trade policy in disarray. The Court

30 years ago Australia confronted its Stolen Generation past – then the Howard government blew it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Maree Payne, Senior Research Fellow, Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney May 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the national inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Conducted by the Human Rights and

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Final recipient announced as round two of Innovation Fund opens

Source: New Zealand Government

The Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey has announced round two of the Government’s Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund has opened today.

“The bottom line for this Government is to ensure we are delivering timely quality mental health and addiction support to those who are bravely reaching out for help in their greatest time of need,” Mr Doocey says.

“I am excited for community organisations across the country to have another opportunity to access funding. This time, there will be more smaller grassroots organisations that will be eligible to apply for funding due to the recently announced lowered matched funding limit required.

“It’s also my pleasure to announce that Tend Health Ltd is the ninth and final recipient from the fund’s first round to set up a new digital primary mental health and addiction service.

“The new service aims to make it easier for people to get primary mental health support, particularly those who are not enrolled in general practice or have difficulty accessing general practice.

“A multi-disciplinary mental health and addictions team will deliver support virtually and with extended operating hours, giving people more flexible access to help when they need it.

“Once fully operational, Tend’s new service is expected to deliver more than 15,000 sessions to more than 5,000 people, which is another significant step towards the Government’s commitment to strengthen people’s access to mental health and addiction support.

The initiative will receive $1.97 million of funding over two years from the Government which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Tend to total just under $4 million.

“I am also proud that funding from round one has already enabled eight other organisations to start delivering new and expanded initiatives. They include MATES in Construction, the Mental Health Foundation, Youthline, Wellington City Mission, Rotorua Community Youth Centre Trust, the Sir John Kirwan Foundation, Women’s Refuge, and Just a Thought.

“By supporting these initiatives, we’re ensuring that people across New Zealand can access the support they need, while also working towards the Government’s goal of growing the clinical workforce and reducing wait times for mental health and addiction services.

“I encourage all eligible providers to take up the opportunity to apply for funding and scale-up their work to benefit the many people in the communities they serve,” Mr Doocey says.

Note to editors:
• The Request for Proposals for round two of the Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund has been released on the Government Electronic Tenders Site (GETS) here.
• The match funding requirement for round one required $250,000 per application, round two requires $100,000 per application.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: UNESCO intangible cultural heritage: Qiang New Year Festival

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

Editor’s note: The Qiang New Year Festival is a traditional celebration of the Qiang people, one of China’s oldest ethnic groups, often described as a “living fossil” in the evolutionary history of the Chinese nation.

Southwest China’s Sichuan province is home to the country’s only Qiang ethnic enclave, where approximately 300,000 Qiang people primarily reside in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, and Beichuan Qiang autonomous county in Mianyang city.

Every year, on the first day of the 10th lunar month, the Qiang people celebrate their most significant traditional festival — the Qiang New Year. Centered around themes of worshiping heaven and expressing gratitude, they hold ceremonies during the festival to honor the gods, drive away evil, express gratitude for the harvest, and pray for blessings.

The Qiang people are renowned for their talent in singing and dancing, exemplified by the Salang dance, a distinctive circle dance whose name means “sing and dance” in the Qiang language.

In 2009, the Qiang New Year Festival was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. In 2024, UNESCO inscribed the festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recognition highlights the significance of the festival in preserving the cultural traditions, social bonds and spiritual beliefs of the Qiang people.

The Qiang New Year Festival, with a history that stretches back centuries, is deeply rooted in the agricultural and pastoral traditions of the Qiang people. Signaling renewal and hope for the coming year, it is both a cultural and social event, involving elaborate ceremonies that seek to ensure prosperity, health and harmony within the Qiang community.

The festival’s origins are closely tied to the agricultural calendar, particularly the importance of seasonal cycles in the Qiang way of life. Traditionally, the Qiang people practiced farming and animal husbandry in the rugged, high-altitude regions of Sichuan, and their spiritual beliefs were deeply intertwined with nature. Their New Year Festival is a time to honor the spirits of the ancestors, the earth and the natural elements, while also celebrating the community’s resilience and unity.

Participants engage in prayers at the rituals of the Qiang New Year Festival, hoping for bountiful harvests, good fortune and protection of their herds. The festival includes a variety of traditional activities, such as sacrificial rites, communal feasts, and performances of traditional Qiang music and dance, most notably the Qiang dance, which is often accompanied by the unique sound of bamboo instruments.

In addition to these cultural elements, the festival is an important occasion for socializing. It fosters unity within the Qiang community, strengthening family and clan ties, and allows younger generations to learn and participate in the traditions of their elders.

In recent decades, the festival has faced pressures from migration, changing lifestyles and the loss of traditional customs among younger generations. However, concerted efforts by local communities, cultural institutions and government agencies have helped revitalize and protect this important cultural practice.

Local authorities in Sichuan province have actively worked to preserve the festival by promoting it as a cultural tourism event, which has brought attention and resources to the celebration. In addition, the establishment of cultural heritage programs, including the training of cultural bearers and the documentation of traditional practices, has helped ensure the survival of the festival’s rituals.

The festival is increasingly recognized as an important part of China’s diverse cultural heritage, and its significance extends beyond the Qiang people themselves. The Qiang New Year Festival has been showcased in cultural exchange programs, and efforts to engage younger generations in the preservation of traditional practices are ongoing.

UNESCO’s recognition of the Qiang New Year Festival emphasized its role as a vital cultural expression of the Qiang people and its importance in maintaining the community’s traditional values, social cohesion and spiritual beliefs. UNESCO praised the festival for its diversity of rituals, ceremonies and performances, highlighting the way it fosters a deep connection to nature and the ancestors.

The organization also noted the importance of preserving the festival for future generations. UNESCO emphasized the need for education, intergenerational transmission, and community participation to sustain the festival amid modern influences. Furthermore, UNESCO’s designation highlighted the role of the Qiang New Year Festival in promoting intercultural understanding, as it offers a glimpse into the unique cultural traditions of one of China’s many ethnic minority groups.

Discover more treasures from China on UNESCO’s ICH list:

• 2024: Spring Festival

• 2022: Traditional tea processing

• 2020: Wangchuan ceremony, taijiquan

• 2018: Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa

• 2016: Twenty-four solar terms

• 2013: Abacus-based Zhusuan

• 2012: Training plan for Fujian puppetry performers

• 2011: Shadow puppetry, Yimakan storytelling

• 2010: Peking opera, acupuncture and moxibustion, wooden movable-type printing, watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks, Meshrep

• 2009: Yueju opera, Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble, traditional handicrafts of making Xuan paper, traditional firing techniques of Longquan celadon, Tibetan opera, sericulture and silk craftsmanship, Regong arts, Nanyin, Khoomei, Mazu belief and customs, Dragon Boat Festival, Manas, Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade, Xinjiang Uygur Muqam art, Hua’er, China engraved block printing technique, Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures, Chinese paper-cut, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese seal engraving, Grand song of Dong ethnic group, Traditional Li textile techniques, Traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges, Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group, Gesar epic tradition

• 2008: Kunqu opera, Guqin, Urtiin Duu

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia unlock new investment channels at capital markets forum

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

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) and Saudi Tadawul Group jointly hosted the second “Hong Kong-Saudi Capital Markets Forum” in Hong Kong on Thursday, bringing together industry leaders to explore the evolving landscape and opportunities in Asian, Middle Eastern, and global capital markets.

The two-day forum, themed “Powering Connections,” featured in-depth discussions on cross-regional investment prospects, followed by a series of business-matching sessions. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, the event facilitated over 600 scheduled meetings between enterprises and investors from both markets.

Additionally, the “Premia BOCHK Saudi Arabia Government Sukuk ETF” was officially launched during the forum.

Paul Chan, financial secretary of the HKSAR government, said that the Middle East is home to many high-quality enterprises, and the HKSAR will further strengthen ties with the region by sharing Hong Kong’s expertise in connectivity mechanisms with the Chinese mainland.

“Beyond stocks and ETFs, there is vast potential for collaboration in infrastructure and professional services,” he said, adding that the Linked Exchange Rate System remains effective and will not be altered.

Bonnie Chan, chief executive officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, said that the forum underscored the growing synergy, capital flow potential, and mutual investment opportunities between the Middle East, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

“As a ‘super connector,’ HKEX is committed to enhancing financial infrastructure and advancing partnerships to offer Asian investors greater access to Gulf markets and foster two-way capital flows between Asia and the Middle East,” she said.

Representatives from Saudi Arabia said that the Saudi capital market serves as a vital bridge between East and West, renowned for its depth, resilience, and openness to global investors. They reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to market expansion, strengthening international linkages, and driving sustainable development.

The forum attracted over 500 participants, including financial leaders, regulators, investors, and corporate representatives from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and beyond.

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: USINDOPACOM Observes Memorial Day

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

HONOLULU — Leaders of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, observe and honor Memorial Day across Oahu, Hawaii, May 25-26, 2025. Memorial Day is a day of national remembrance for those who died while serving in the U.S. military.

MIL Security OSI –

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: French politicians in New Caledonia to stir the political melting pot

By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk

French national politicians have been in New Caledonia as the territory’s future remains undecided.

Leaders from both right-wing Les Républicains (LR) and Rassemblement National (RN), — vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy and Marine Le Pen respectively — have been in the French Pacific territory this week.

They expressed their views about New Caledonia’s political, economic and social status one year after riots broke out in May 2024.

Since then, latest attempts to hold political talks between all stakeholders and France have been met with fluctuating responses, but the latest round of discussions earlier this month ended in a stalemate.

This was because hardline pro-France parties regarded the project of “sovereignty with France” offered by French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls was not acceptable. They consider that three self-determination referendums held in 2018, 2020 and 2021 rejected independence.

However, the last referendum, in December 2021, was largely boycotted by the pro-independence movement and its followers due to indigenous Kanak cultural concerns around the covid-19 pandemic.

The pro-France camp is accusing Valls of siding with the pro-independence FLNKS bloc and other more moderate parties such as PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and UPM (Union Progressiste en Mélanésie), who want independence from France.

Transferring key powers
Valls is considering transferring key French powers to New Caledonia, introducing a double French/New Caledonian citizenship, and an international standing.

The pro-France camp is adamant that this ignores the three no referendum votes.

Speaking to a crowd of several hundred supporters in Nouméa on Tuesday evening, Bellamy said he now favoured going ahead with modifying conditions of eligibility for voters at local provincial elections.

The same attempts to change the locked local electoral roll — which is restricted to people residing in New Caledonia from before November 1998 — was widely perceived as the main cause for the May 2024 riots, which left 14 dead.

Bellamy said giving in to violence that erupted last year was out of the question because it was “an attempt to topple a democratic process”.

Les Républicains, to which the Rassemblement-LR local party is affiliated, is one of the major parties in the French Parliament.

Its newly-elected president Bruno Retailleau is the Minister for Home Affairs in French President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition government.

Nouméa Accord ‘now over’
Bellamy told a crowd of supporters in Nouméa that in his view the decolonisation process prescribed by the 1998 Nouméa Accord “is now over”.

“New Caledonians have democratically decided, three times, that they belong to France. And this should be respected,” he told a crowd during a political rally.

In Nouméa, Bellamy said if the three referendum results were ignored as part of a future political agreement, then LR could go as far as pulling out of the French government.

Marine Le Pen, this week also expressed her views on New Caledonia’s situation, saying instead of focusing on the territory’s institutional future, the priority should be placed on its economy, which is still reeling from the devastation caused during the 2024 riots.

The efforts included diversifying the economy.

A Paris court convicted Le Pen and two dozen (RN) party members of embezzling European Union funds last month, and imposed a sentence that will prevent her from standing in France’s 2027 presidential election unless she can get the ruling overturned within 18 months.

The high-profile visits to New Caledonia from mainland French leaders come within two years of France’s scheduled presidential elections.

And it looks like New Caledonia could become a significant issue in the pre-poll debates and campaign.

LFI (La France Insoumise), a major party in the French Parliament, and its caucus leader Mathilde Panot also visited New Caledonia from May 9-17, this time mainly focusing on supporting the pro-independence camp’s views.

Macron invites all parties for fresh talks in Paris
On Tuesday, May 27, the French President’s office issued a brief statement indicating that it had decided to convene “all stakeholders” for fresh talks in Paris in mid-June.

The talks would aim at “clarifying” New Caledonia’s economic, political and institutional situation with a view to reaching “a shared agreement”.

Depending on New Caledonia’s often opposing political camps, Macron’s announcement is perceived either as a dismissal of Valls’ approach or a mere continuation of the overseas minister’s efforts, but at a higher level.

New Caledonia’s pro-France parties are adamant that Macron’s proposal is entirely new and that it signifies Valls’ approach has been disavowed at the highest level.

Valls himself wrote to New Caledonia’s political stakeholders last weekend, insisting on the need to pursue talks through a so-called “follow-up committee”.

It is not clear whether the “follow-up committee” format is what Macron has in mind.

But at the weekend, Valls made statements on several French national media outlets, stressing that he was still the one in charge of New Caledonia’s case.

“The one who is taking care of New Caledonia’s case, at the request of French Prime Minister François Bayrou, that’s me and no one else,” Valls told French national news channel LCI on May 25.

“I’m not being disavowed by anyone.”

Local parties still willing to talk
Most parties have since reacted swiftly to Macron’s call, saying they were ready to take part in further discussions.

Rassemblement-LR leader Virginie Ruffenach said this was “necessary to clarify the French state’s position”.

She said the clarification was needed, since Valls, during his last visit, “offered an independence solution that goes way beyond what the pro-independence camp was even asking”.

Local pro-France figure and New Caledonia’s elected MP at the French National Assembly, Nicolas Metzdorf, met Macron in Paris last Friday.

He said at the time that an “initiative” from the French president was to be expected.

Pro-independence bloc FLNKS said Valls’ proposal was now “the foundation stone”.

Spokesman Dominique Fochi said the invitation was scheduled to be discussed at a special FLNKS convention this weekend.

Valls’ ‘independence-association’ solution worries other French territories
Because of the signals it sends, New Caledonia’s proposed political future plans are also causing concern in other French overseas territories, including their elected MPs in Paris.

In the French Senate on Wednesday, French Polynesia’s MP Lana Tetuanui, who is pro-France, asked during question time for French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to explain what France was doing in the Pacific region in the face of growing influence from major powers such as China.

She told the minister she still had doubts, “unless of course France is considering sinking its own aircraft carrier ships named New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna”.

French president Emmanuel Macron has been on a southeast Asian tour this week to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore, where he will be the keynote speaker of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.

He delivers his speech today to mark the opening of the 22nd edition of the Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence summit.

The event brings together defence ministers, military leaders and senior defence officials, as well as business leaders and security experts, from across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and beyond to discuss critical security and geopolitical challenges.

More specifically on the Pacific region, Macron also said one of France’s future challenges included speeding up efforts to “build a new strategy in New Caledonia and French Polynesia”.

As part of Macron’s Indo-Pacific doctrine, developed since 2017, France earlier this year deployed significant forces in the region, including its naval and air strike group and its only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.

The multinational exercise, called Clémenceau 25, involved joint exercises with allied forces from Australia, Japan and the United States.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Tristan Gilbertson reappointed to the Commerce Commission
Source: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE)

Mr Gilbertson has been reappointed for a second 5-year term, starting on 8 June 2025 and ending on 7 June 2030.

Mr Gilbertson is a commercial lawyer with extensive international experience in the telecommunications sector. During his first term as Telecommunications Commissioner, he led work programmes relating to the economic regulation of telecommunications services, the development of retail service quality guidelines, and the monitoring and enforcement of competition in telecommunications markets. He was also involved in the Commission’s wider competition and consumer work – including the recent market study into banking.

Prior to joining the Commission, he held senior executive positions at Vodafone Group Plc, Telecom New Zealand Ltd (now Spark) and Digicel Group Ltd, where he led legal and regulatory teams supporting the development and growth of these businesses.

The Commission comprises 4 to 8 members appointed by the Governor-General. These members include:
- Chair
- Deputy Chair
- Telecommunications Commissioner
- Grocery Commissioner
At least 1 member must be a barrister and solicitor of at least 5 years’ standing.

The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs recommends Commissioners for appointment for their knowledge and experience in the fields of industry, commerce, economics, law, accountancy, public administration or consumer affairs.

The Telecommunications Commissioner is appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister for Media and Communications.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Global economic growth expected to ease

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia

Global economic growth expected to ease

Ebony

Fri, 2025-05-30 10:50

News and updates

May 30, 2025

Jobs and Skills Australia has released the May edition of the International Labour Market Update, offering insights into workforce trends and skills shortages for Australia and selected international economies.

MIL OSI News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Gebrüder Weiss expands into Thailand

Source: Gebrüder Weiss

Logistics company continues to expand its network in South-East Asia / 20-strong team in Bangkok organizes air and sea freight transportation

Bangkok / Lauterach, May 30, 2025. Gebrüder Weiss is set to open a new country organization in Thailand on June 1, 2025. The international transport and logistics company is strengthening its market presence in Southeast Asia and expanding its network in one of the world’s most economically dynamic regions.

“The new country organization allows us to close a strategic gap and create direct connections to central Asia-Pacific markets for our customers,” says Lothar Thoma, Managing Director Air & Sea at Gebrüder Weiss. “Thailand is an important export location with strong trade links to the USA, China, Japan, Australia, and Singapore – markets where we are also represented with locations of our own.”

In 2024, Thailand posted export volumes worth around 300 billion US dollars, up five percent on the previous year. Industrial goods account for the majority of outbound trade (86 percent), with key categories including electronics, vehicles, machinery, and food.

The team of 20 employees in Bangkok provides international air and sea freight transportation, customs handling, and national and cross-border land transport services. “Our employees have many years of experience in international transport management. In the medium term, we are aiming to expand our services in Thailand to include warehouse logistics, with a particular focus on the automotive and high-tech sectors,” says Cristian Predan, Area Manager South-East Asia at Gebrüder Weiss.

With its entry into the Thai market, Gebrüder Weiss now has an active presence in nine countries across the East and South-East Asia region and Oceania. These include Australia, Greater China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. The regional network now spans 35 locations with around 800 employees.

Team Thailand

Port of Laem Chabang

Lothar Thoma

Cristian Predan

GW locations Asia

GW locations Oceania

About Gebrüder Weiss

Gebrüder Weiss Holding AG, based in Lauterach, Austria, is a globally operative full-service logistics provider with about 8,600 employees at 180 company-owned locations. The company generated revenues of 2.71 billion euros in 2024. Its portfolio encompasses transport and logistics solutions, digital services, and supply chain management. The twin strengths of digital and physical competence enable Gebrüder Weiss to respond swiftly and flexibly to customers’ needs. The family-run organization – with a history going back more than half a millennium – has implemented a wide variety of environmental, economic, and social initiatives. Today, it is also considered a pioneer in sustainable business practices. www.gw-world.com

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM meets counterparts from Pacific Island countries

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

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Federated States of Micronesia’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin S. Robert attending the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province, May 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

XIAMEN, May 29 — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday held respective meetings with foreign guests attending the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xiamen, Fujian Province.

When meeting with the Federated States of Micronesia’s (FSM) Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin S. Robert, Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the two heads of state had reached an important consensus on strengthening mutual trust and friendship, and on deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

China appreciates the resolution passed by the Congress of the FSM in support of the one-China principle, and believes that the FSM will continue to support China’s just position on Taiwan-related issues firmly, Wang said.

China is ready to expand cooperation with the FSM in key areas such as infrastructure, climate change response and marine research, and promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he added.

Robert extended his congratulations on the successful conclusion of the foreign ministers’ meeting and affirmed the FSM’s steadfast commitment to the one-China principle. The country is willing to continue developing its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, he added.

When meeting with Vanuatu’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade Marc Ati, Wang said that the China-Vanuatu comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to develop under the guidance of the leaders of the two countries.

Since the new government of Vanuatu took office in February, it has maintained a positive, friendly policy on China, which China appreciates, Wang said. The two countries should seize this opportunity to strengthen exchange at all levels and expand practical cooperation, he noted.

Ati said that China’s support not only helps Vanuatu improve its people’s livelihoods, but also enhances its confidence and resilience in development.

Vanuatu’s government adheres firmly to the one-China principle, and is ready to strengthen the synergy of development strategies with China, accelerate negotiations for bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), promote cooperation in such fields as education, infrastructure, health and law enforcement, and move toward a more prosperous future, Ati said.

When meeting with Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko, Wang said that the two countries should implement the consensus reached between their leaders, open FTA negotiations as soon as possible, and deepen cooperation in various fields.

China values Papua New Guinea’s influence as a major power in the South Pacific, as well as its role as a gateway to Asia, Wang said, adding that China is willing to work with Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island nations to implement the outcomes of the foreign ministers’ meeting, and to make greater contributions to regional peace and development.

Tkatchenko said that Papua New Guinea’s relationship with China is crucial. The government of Papua New Guinea is in firm support of China’s efforts to uphold its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Papua New Guinea is willing to communicate and coordinate closely with China to promote Belt and Road cooperation, and to enhance practical cooperation on agriculture, education, telecommunication, energy and regional development.

Wang also met with Nauru’s former President and current Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Russ Kun, Fiji’s Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua, and the Pacific Islands Forum’s Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Vanuatu’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade Marc Ati attending the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province, May 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko attending the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province, May 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Fiji’s Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua attending the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province, May 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Volcano Watch — Halemaʻumaʻu Eruption Reaches New Heights as HVO Updates Volcano Alert Notifications

Source: US Geological Survey

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.

High lava fountains erupted from the north and south vents during episode 23 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema’uma’u. Fountains reached heights of about 1,150 feet (350 meters) above the vent about an hour after the episode began. These were the highest lava fountains observed so far during the current eruption. The tall narrow finger of lava shown here, as well as the lower fountain to the right, are both sourced from the south vent, while the wider fountain in the foreground originates from the north vent. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will start issuing “Volcano Activity Notice (VAN)” / “Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA)” notifications, with no change in Volcano Alert Level orAviation Color Code, to announce the beginning and end of future sustained fountaining episodes. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Episode 23 lava fountains erupted continuously for six hours and reached heights of about 1,150 feet (350 meters). These were the highest lava fountains observed so far during the current eruption, which began on December 23, 2024. An impressive blanket of tephra—volcanic rock fragments carried into the air—was deposited beneath and downwind of these fountains, primarily in the upper part of Kīlauea’s Southwest Rift Zone in the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

This episode also had the highest gas plume seen thus far in this eruption sequence. The plume reached heights of more than 20,000 feet (6,100 meters)—and likely over 25,000 feet (7,600 meters)—above Kīlauea’s summit, which is at an elevation of about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level. The plume contained high levels of water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).

These record-setting fountain and plume heights were reached quickly, less than one hour after episode 23 started. Following an extended period of gradual inflation and precursory low-level activity, episode 23 began at 4:15 p.m. with thin jets of lava erupting from the north vent. Fountaining became more vigorous around 4:25 and then escalated quickly and dramatically around 4:36 p.m. as tremor intensified and gradual inflation switched to rapid deflation. North vent fountains approached 1,000 feet (300 meters) in height by 5:00 p.m. and peaked just after 5:30 p.m. South vent fountaining began at 5:20 p.m. and reached heights of 600–800 feet (180–250 meters) by 6:30 p.m. that were sustained until the final hour of the episode.

The Kīlauea plume from episode 23 reached heights of more than 20,000 feet (6,100 meters)— likely over 25,000 feet (7,600 meters)—above Kīlauea’s summit, which is at an elevation of about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level. This photo, taken from Mauna Kea and looking south, shows Mauna Loa in the right side of the photo and the Kīlauea plume rising above the clouds in the left side of the photo. The plume contained high levels of water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). USGS webcam photo.

Episode 24 will likely begin within the coming week. Kīlauea’s summit is currently reinflating and magma remains close to the surface within the north and south vent conduits. During a helicopter overflight on May 28, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists could see lava churning away at a depth of a few tens of yards (meters) within the north vent conduit. Strong orange glow from the vents is visible at night on HVO webcams and from public viewing areas in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

As the eruption transitions from episode 23 to 24, HVO is transitioning to a different type of volcano alert notification to announce significant changes in activity such as lava fountaining episodes.

Starting with episode 24, HVO will issue a paired “Volcano Activity Notice (VAN)” and “Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA)” (VAN/VONA) to announce the beginning and end of fountaining episodes. Our use of VAN/VONA will replace the Status Report notifications we have been issuing to announce the beginning and end of eruptive episodes. When possible, VAN/VONA notifications will also be issued to announce the onset of confirmed precursory activity.

HVO is making this transition because of the increased fountain and plume heights during recent episodes and their rapid onset. The goal is to more effectively communicate the presence or anticipated presence of airborne hazards like volcanic gas emissions and tephra that, depending on wind conditions, can impact Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, nearby communities, and the aviation sector.

If you have signed up to receive volcano updates using the USGS Volcano Notification Service (VNS), then the terms VAN and VONA probably look familiar to you. That’s because HVO always issues VAN/VONA notifications when we change Volcano Alert Level and/or Aviation Color Code. For example, HVO issued a VAN/VONA on December 23, 2024, at 2:41 a.m. to announce the start of the current eruption and raised Kilauea’s Volcano Alert Level / Aviation Color Code from ADVISORY/YELLOW to WARNING/RED.

HVO issued another VAN/VONA on December 23, 2024, at 6:43 a.m. to go from WARNING/RED to WATCH/ORANGE. Kīlauea has remained at WATCH/ORANGE since then. If future activity remains similar to the past 23 episodes, there will be no change in Volcano Alert Level or Aviation Color Code at Kīlauea even though new VAN/VONAs are issued.

Visit the Volcano Notification Service website to check your volcano notification subscriptions: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns/.

High lava fountains and eruptive plumes are significant airborne hazards. Recent fountaining episodes in Halemaʻumaʻu escalated quickly and literally reached new heights. VAN/VONA notifications will more clearly inform island residents, visitors, and aviators when these hazards are occurring or expected to occur.

Volcano Activity Updates

Kīlauea has been erupting episodically within the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is WATCH.

Episode 23 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater occurred on May 25, with approximately 6 hours of fountaining from the north and south vents. Lava fountains reached a high record for this eruption—an estimated 350 meters (1150 feet) at around 5:30 p.m. on May 25. Strong glow visible in both the north and south vents and summit region inflation since the end of episode 23 suggests that another episode is possible. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during active eruption episodes. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.9 earthquake 56 km (34 mi) WSW of Captain Cook at 38 km (23 mi) depth on May 26 at 9:36 p.m. HST and a M3.1 earthquake 16 km (9 mi) WSW of Kailua-Kona at 4 km (2 mi) depth on May 25 at 4:19 p.m. HST.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Tracking crime from the cradle: why some people keep breaking the law while most of us never do
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ayda Kuluk, PhD Candidate in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University

Alena Lom/Shutterstock

A major Australian study tracking more than 80,000 Queenslanders from birth to adulthood reveals stark differences between men and women in patterns of criminal behaviour.

These patterns offer insights into effective crime prevention strategies.

Our findings point to a clear takeaway: most people will never seriously come into contact with the criminal justice system. But for the small proportion who do, their paths into crime are shaped early and differently for men and women.

That means crime prevention efforts need to start earlier and be tailored to the experiences of those most at risk.

A rare opportunity

Our research followed more than 83,000 people born in Queensland in 1983 and 1984, and linked their early life records with official police data to understand who offended and how their patterns changed over time.

Few studies worldwide have followed such a large population from childhood through to early adulthood.

This gave us a unique opportunity to examine not just if people committed crime but when, how often and the types and seriousness of their offences.

Most people don’t offend but some do – repeatedly

The clearest finding was also the most reassuring: the vast majority of people never commit serious offences.

That means efforts to prevent crime can be more precisely targeted, ensuring interventions focus on a smaller, high-risk group rather than the general population.

Non-offending was most prevalent, but five distinct offending groups for both men and women were identified.

Among men, these ranged from those who rarely offended to a small group that started early and continued into adulthood, and another that mostly offended during adolescence but later stopped.

In contrast, most women fell into the low or non-offending groups. Only a small proportion followed a pattern of serious or repeat offending.

These trajectories were categorised as follows:

Women:
- non-offending: 79.9%
- adolescent-limited low: 8.5%
- adult-onset low: 8.6%
- early adult-onset escalating: 1.3%
- early onset young adult peak: 1.4%
- chronic early adult peak: 0.4%
Men:
- non-offending: 54.4%
- low: 31.0%
- early adult-onset low: 6.5%
- early onset young adult peak: 4.8%
- chronic adolescent-onset: 2.2%
- chronic early adult peak: 1.1%
Among the women who did offend, there were notable differences compared to men – not just in frequency but in the types of offences, how often they had contact with police and their experience with youth detention.

Patterns differ by sex

For boys and young men, those in the persistent offending group had earlier and more frequent contact with police, were more likely to face serious charges and often experienced youth detention.

For girls and young women, fewer entered the system overall but those with repeat contact showed distinct patterns: their offences tended to differ from those of men, with a greater focus on property-related crimes as well as drug and traffic violations, rather than the more frequent violent crimes seen among young men.

While they were less likely to be detained, their level of system contact was higher than that of most men in the low offending group.

These differences suggest sex shapes not just the likelihood of offending, but the nature of offending and how people interact with the justice system.

One-size-fits-all crime prevention won’t work

Our findings suggest a nuanced approach to crime prevention – one that recognises both the gendered nature of offending and the early life experiences that shape it.

For boys and young men, this could mean early identification of behavioural issues, stronger support in schools and support to create stable, safe home environments.

For girls and young women, more effective interventions might involve trauma-informed care (an approach that acknowledges past trauma and prioritises safety, trust and empowerment), along with tailored mental health support and services focused on recovery.

These gender-sensitive approaches are not just about being fair, they’re about being effective and equitable. When we better understand the roots of offending behaviour, we can design policies that reduce it.

Why early intervention matters

It’s easy to think of crime as something that starts with a police report or a court appearance. But the conditions for offending, or avoiding it, are often set much earlier.

Here are two real-life examples.

What if we saw a child’s aggression at school not as “bad behaviour” but as a red flag for family violence at home? What if a teenage girl’s shoplifting was a symptom of trauma or mental illness?

This research reinforces the value of early, targeted intervention.

That doesn’t just mean more programs, it means smarter programs, ones that focus resources on those most at risk in ways that match their lived experience.

Our study is one of the most comprehensive of its kind in Australia. It confirms that while most people never offend, a small group follow early, distinct pathways into crime.

Recognising these patterns gives us a powerful opportunity: to design earlier and more targeted prevention. That means fewer people in the justice system and healthier, safer communities for everyone.

If we want to stop crime before it starts, we need to start early, and we need to pay attention to the very different paths children may be on.

Ayda Kuluk 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. Tracking crime from the cradle: why some people keep breaking the law while most of us never do – https://theconversation.com/tracking-crime-from-the-cradle-why-some-people-keep-breaking-the-law-while-most-of-us-never-do-257130
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

What goes up must come down, and earlier this week yet another of SpaceX’s Starships, the biggest and most powerful type of rocket ever built, came back down to Earth in spectacular fashion. In the sky above the Indian Ocean, it exploded.

This was the ninth test flight for the rocket, and the third catastrophic failure in a row, just this year.

Is this what we should expect from the very ship some are counting on to take humans further than we’ve ever been in the solar system? Or does this failure point to deeper concerns within the broader program?

A decade of development

The Starship program from Elon Musk’s space technology company, SpaceX, has been in development for more than a decade now and has undergone many iterations in its overall design and goals.

The Starship concept is based upon the SpaceX Raptor engines to be used in a multistage system. In a multistage rocket system, there are often two or three separate blocks with their own engine and fuel reserves. These are particularly important for leaving Earth’s orbit and travelling to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

With Starship, the key factor is the ability to land and reuse vast amounts of the rocket stages again and again. The company’s Falcon 9 vehicles, which used this model, were fantastically successful.

Initial tests of Starship began in 2018 with two low-altitude flights showing early success. Subsequent flights have faced numerous challenges with now four complete failures, two partial failures and three successes overall.

Just two days ago, during the latest failed attempt, I watched alongside over 200 other space industry experts at the Australian Space Summit in Sydney. Broadcast live on a giant screen, the launch generated an excited buzz – which soon turned to reserved murmurs.

Of course, designing and launching rockets is hard, and failures are to be expected. However, a third catastrophic failure within six months demands a pause for reflection.

On this particular test flight, as Starship positioned itself for atmospheric re-entry, one of its 13 engines failed to ignite. Shortly after, a booster appeared to explode, leading to a complete loss of control. The rocket ultimately broke apart over the Indian Ocean, which tonnes of debris will now call home.

Polluting Earth in pursuit of space

We don’t know the exact financial cost of each test flight. But Musk has previously said it is about US$50–100 million.

The exact environmental cost of the Starship program – and its repeated failures – is even harder to quantify.

For example, a failed test flight in 2023 left the town of Port Isabel, Texas, which is located beside the launch site, shaking and covered in a thick cloud of dirt. Debris from the exploded rocket smashed cars. Residents told the New York Times they were terrified. They also had to clean up the mess from the flight.

Then, in September 2024, SpaceX was fined by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for 14 separate incidents since 2022 where the launch facilities discharged polluted water into Texas waterways. Musk denied these claims.

That same month, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a fine of US$633,009 in civil penalties should be issued to SpaceX. This was on the grounds of using an unapproved launch control room and other violations during 2023. Musk denied these claims too and threatened to countersue the FAA for “regulatory overreach”.

It’s unclear if this suit was ever filed.

Two other failed launches in January and March this year also rained rocket debris over the Caribbean, and disrupted hundreds of commercial flights, including 80 which needed to be diverted and more than 400 requiring delayed takeoff to ensure they were entering safe air space.

Success of different space programs

Until last year, the FAA allowed SpaceX to try up to five Starship launches a year. This month, the figure was increased to 25.

A lot can go wrong during a launch of a vehicle to space. And there is a long way to go until we can properly judge whether Starship successfully meets its mission goals.

We can, however, look at past programs to understand typical success rates seen across different rocketry programs.

The Saturn V rocket, the workhorse of the Apollo era, had a total of 13 launches, with only one partial failure. It underwent three full ground tests before flight.

SpaceX’s own Falcon 9 rocket, has had more than 478 successful launches, only two in flight failures, one partial failure and one pre-flight destruction.

The Antares rocket, by Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman) launched a total of 18 times, with one failure.

The Soyuz rocket, originally a Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed in the 1960s, launched a total of 32 times, with two failures.

No sign of caution

Of course, we can’t fairly compare all other rockets with the Starship. Its goals are certainly novel as a reusable heavy-class rocket.

But this latest failure does raise some questions. Will the Starship program ever see success – and if so when? And what are the limits of our tolerance as a society to the pollution of Earth in the pursuit of the goal to space?

For a rocketry program that’s moving so fast, developing novel and complex technology, and experiencing several repeated failures, many people might expect caution from now on. Musk, however, has other plans.

Shortly after the most recent Starship failure, he announced on X (formerly Twitter, that the next test flights would occur at a faster pace: one every three to four weeks.

Sara Webb 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. Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure – https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-promises-more-risky-launches-after-sixth-starship-failure-257726

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: ACC Minister accepts Board Chair’s resignation

Source: New Zealand Government

ACC Minister Scott Simpson has today accepted the resignation of ACC Board Chair Dr Tracey Batten and thanked her for her service.

“I would like to thank Tracey for her leadership of, and contribution to, the board of ACC since her appointment in 2019” says Mr Simpson.

“I acknowledge her decision to step down and thank her for her commitment to supporting better outcomes for New Zealanders. I wish her well for the future.

“ACC as an organisation is currently confronting a number of challenging issues, including significant financial challenges and concerns around the overall performance of the organisation.

“In the coming months I will be making announcements about my turnaround plan for ACC.”

The resignation will be effective from 11 June 2025.

Current Deputy Chair David Hunt will step up to be Interim Chair.

Media contact: Jack Rankin +64 21 849 193

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: NZCTU release detailed Budget 2025 analysis

Source: NZCTU

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today released a report with detailed analysis of Budget 2025. It covers the major decisions made at this Budget, and how they might affect workers.

“This Budget is funded above all by the gutting of the pay equity system, the halving of the government’s contribution to people’s Kiwisaver accounts, and other cuts that will disproportionality impact women, welfare recipients, and working households,” said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.

“None of the choices the government has made were inevitable. The government could have funded its spending initiatives by raising new taxes on the wealthiest New Zealanders. It could have not decided to give billions away to those who already have much, while cutting services for those with real and pressing needs.

“Budget 2025 also leaves New Zealand’s most significant structural challenges unaddressed. There is no meaningful movement on closing the infrastructure deficit; no solution to our health workforce shortage; no willingness to reduce child poverty or to address the housing crisis; and absolutely zero investment made in decarbonisation and climate adaptation.

“The coalition government continues to kick the can down the road on the most pressing challenges we face, all while making life steadily more difficult for New Zealanders who have the least,” said Renney.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Summer EBT for school-aged children returns for second year
Source: US State of Oregon

regon Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) is a food benefits program that helps shrink the hunger gap when children are on summer break and don’t have easy access to healthy meals at school. Summer EBT provides $120 per eligible child to buy food.

This is the second year of Oregon’s Summer EBT program. On May 22, 2025, about 336,000 children got the benefit on an Oregon EBT card. Families should check their EBT card balance at www.ebtedge.com to confirm receipt.

Families who didn’t automatically get Summer EBT on May 22, 2025 should check program requirements before applying. Families can check requirements at sebt.oregon.gov or by contacting the Summer EBT Call Center at 833-673-7328. The Call Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., PDT. Apply online in English and Spanish or with a paper application in multiple languages at sebt.oregon.gov.

“When school doors close for the summer, the need for regular, healthy meals doesn’t disappear. Last year, the summer EBT program bridged a critical gap for thousands of Oregon families, helping to replace those essential 10 meals per child, per week, that they receive when school is in session,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). “We are proud to continue this partnership with ODHS to not only feed children, but to nurture their potential during crucial developmental months. Our continued commitment ensures that summer can be a season of growth and opportunity for all children, regardless of their economic circumstances.”

In 2024, about 362,000 children participated and received $43 million in Summer EBT food benefits their families spent in their local grocery stores, farmers markets, and other places.

“Summer EBT is one more way we can prevent kids from going hungry when school is out. Summer EBT is an evidence-based program proven to reduce child hunger and support healthier diets,” said Fariborz Pakseresht, ODHS Director. “Child hunger can have lasting impacts on health and academic achievement. Getting every eligible child connected to Summer EBT will help Oregon’s children thrive year-round and as they grow up.”

Who is eligible for Summer EBT food benefits?

Families can find details about Summer EBT at sebt.oregon.gov.

Your school-age child may be automatically eligible if:
- Your family received Summer EBT benefits through an approved application in 2024.
- Your family gets SNAP, TANF or Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) and meets income rules.
- Your child gets free or reduced-price school meals and meets income rules.
- Your child is in foster care, in migrant education, in a qualified Head Start, experiencing homelessness, or part of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).
Children who are automatically eligible received Summer EBT on May 22, 2025.

Your school-age child may be eligible by application if:
- Your family meets the federal income requirements for free or reduced-price meals at school, and
- Your child attends a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP).
Families must apply by Sept. 3, 2025.

Receiving Summer EBT does not impact participation in other summer meal programs.

Summer EBT benefits are not considered in a public charge test and are available to children regardless of immigration status.

How will families receive Summer EBT food benefits?

The benefits will be placed on an Oregon EBT card and can be used at most grocery stores, farmers markets, and more.

Families that need a new card should call 855-328-6715, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PDT).

Families that think their children may be eligible and didn’t get benefits on May 22 must apply by September 3. If approved, they will receive an Oregon EBT card by mail.

Stolen Summer EBT benefits can’t be replaced.

You can protect your Oregon EBT card and benefits from electronic theft by following a few simple tips.

Where can families get more information?

To learn more, or to apply, visit sebt.oregon.gov.

Call the Oregon Summer EBT Call Center at 1-833-673-7328 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PDT) on weekdays. All relay calls accepted.

More about Summer EBT

Summer EBT became a permanent program for states and certain Indian Tribal Organizations through the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Most states began providing Summer EBT in June 2024. Oregon’s participation was made possible through an investment from the Oregon State Legislature of $12 million. That investment will draw $83 million in federal funding to Oregon, mostly in the form of food benefits families will spend in their communities.

Additional resources to help meet basic needs

MIL OSI USA News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Most of Australia’s conservation efforts ignore climate risks – here are 3 fixes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Fei Chung, PhD Candidate in Environmental Policy, The University of Queensland

Imagine replanting various native species only to have them die because the area is too hot or too dry. Or reconnecting woodland habitat only to lose large tracts to bushfire.

Well, our new research suggests those scenarios are entirely possible.

We analysed the two most common ways to prevent overall biodiversity loss on private land in Australia. We found these efforts largely ignore climate risks such as fire, heat, drought and floods.

Climate change is already threatening the survival of species. Unless conservation efforts are made more resilient to climate change, Australia’s aim to to reverse biodiversity loss could fail.

What we found

We examined two types of biodiversity measures in Australia. One is “biodiversity offsets”, which aim to compensate for damage caused by development. The other is voluntary conservation programs, including “conservation covenants”.

We analysed 77 policy documents underpinning nine biodiversity offset policies and 11 voluntary conservation programs.

Of the 77 documents, 84% did not consider the impact of climate change. What’s more, only 44% of biodiversity offset policies and 27% of voluntary conservation programs considered climate risk. Even then, they often lacked detail or tools to translate policy into real action on the ground.

The most common climate adaptation strategies were:
- safeguarding climate refuges
- connecting habitat so wildlife can escape extreme heat, fires or droughts
- targeting funding
- avoiding offset sites vulnerable to threats such as sea-level rise.
But most documents lacked details on implementing these strategies.

We suggest three practical steps to ensure conservation efforts deliver lasting results in a changing climate.

Few private land conservation programs or biodiversity offset policies took climate change into account.
Chung, Y. F., et al, (2025) Biological Conservation

1. Identify and protect climate refuges

Climate refuges are areas somewhat shielded from the effects of climate change. Gullies, sheltered slopes and forests with good water supplies can help species survive during heatwaves and droughts.

These places can provide a lifeline for endangered species and prevent local extinctions. Species may shelter in these areas during climate extremes and recolonise well-connected habitats when conditions improve.

Protecting climate refuges by restricting land clearing or other damaging activities is a common climate adaptation strategy. We found it featured in six policy documents supporting voluntary conservation programs and biodiversity offsets across Australia. But few policy documents explain where these places are or how to protect them.

For example, the New South Wales Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy lists climate refuges as high-priority assets under threat. The strategy says future investment should target these areas.

But we found no explanation of how investments would be prioritised, or where to find that information. Without this detail, mentioning climate refuges in policy documents is little more than having good intentions.

To be effective, refuges need to be mapped, prioritised and supported with appropriate protections and incentives. Nature law reform must strengthen protection of climate refuges to prevent further loss.

Conservation programs could also specifically incentivise landholders to protect or restore refuges on their properties.

Here’s how to protect Australia’s native species from climate change (The Climate Council)

2. Promote the actions that build resilience

On the ground, conservation actions must adapt to climate change. That could mean doing things differently. For example, planting species more likely to survive future climates, or connecting habitat so wildlife can move to new areas.

While these strategies are well established, we only found three policy documents that mention them. One is the Heritage Agreement policy in South Australia. This offers guidance and potential funding to help landholders implement these actions.

As Australia’s nature laws are reformed, funding commitments and conservation guidelines need to follow suit.

Financial incentives or technical support could be offered to landholders for activities that build resilience. Biodiversity offset policies could also mandate conservation actions that improve climate resilience at offset sites.

3. Adapting to climate change needs to link policy to on-ground action

Our research found a clear gap between high-level intent and guidelines for on-ground actions. If they don’t line up, then conservation efforts risk falling short. Field programs may lack legal backing, or legislation may not translate into action where it matters most.

Climate change should be considered at all levels of conservation policies – from high-level legislation to guidelines for implementing individual programs.

Policies should include clear and consistent targets informed by climate risk. This should be supported by regulations ensuring compliance and practical guidelines for on-ground action.

Voluntary conservation programs in New South Wales show how it can be done. State biodiversity conservation legislation includes conserving biodiversity under climate change as a key objective. This can then shape real-world programs. For example, the NSW Conservation Management plan echoes this climate commitment. It makes addressing climate change impacts one of the main targets.

A chance to get it right

National nature law reform and state reviews present an opportunity to future-proof Australia’s conservation policies.

These policies must consider the accelerating pace of change and ensure adaptation is embedded through to action. Such actions must be clear, well-resourced, and equipped with practical tools government agencies and landholders can use.

Otherwise, we risk making conservation policies unfit for the future – missing a golden opportunity to safeguard biodiversity.

Read more:
Want genuine progress towards restoring nature? Follow these 4 steps

Yi Fei Chung receives funding from a UQ Research Training Scholarship. He is also involving in an Australian Research Council Linkage Project that receives financial and in-kind support from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, the Biodiversity Conservation Trust, Tweed Shire Council, and the NSW Koala Strategy.

Jonathan Rhodes receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the NSW Government, the Biodiversity Conservation Trust, Tweed Shire Council, the NSW Koala Strategy, and the Queensland Government.

– ref. Most of Australia’s conservation efforts ignore climate risks – here are 3 fixes – https://theconversation.com/most-of-australias-conservation-efforts-ignore-climate-risks-here-are-3-fixes-257131
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM meets with chairman of Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council

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

HONG KONG, May 29 — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met with Surakiart Sathirathai, chairman of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC) and former Thai deputy prime minister who is here to attend the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed).

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China’s initiative to establish the IOMed provides a new option for the international community to resolve disputes and achieve reconciliation on a voluntary basis, adding that it is also a concrete action to uphold multilateralism and fulfill the spirit of the United Nations Charter.

China is willing to work together with Asian countries to effectively utilize regional mechanisms of China-ASEAN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, in order to jointly safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in Asia, he noted.

Surakiart said he is honored to be invited to Hong Kong to witness the birth of the IOMed, noting that under the current international situation, the Chinese initiative is timely.

The APRC looks forward to strengthening collaboration with the Chinese side to make greater contributions to peace and development in Asia, he added.

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Privacy News – May 2025

Source: Privacy Commissioner

Print | Email this page

Office of the Privacy Commissioner | Privacy News – May 2025

30 May 2025, 09:00

Read about our Children’s Privacy Project, two open consultation processes, how we did on Privacy Week, a Compliance Notice for Oranga Tamariki, our latest Privacy Survey and more. Read the May 2025 issue.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: The Bureau of Meteorology issues winter long-range forecast

Source: Australia Safe Travel Advisories

29/05/2025

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued its long-range forecast for winter 2025.

While winter is a time for cooler weather, the winter long-range forecast shows day and night temperatures are likely to be above average across Australia for this time of the year.

Winter rainfall is likely to be above average for interior and central parts of the country. For parts of Australia’s tropical north, the south-east and the south-west, rainfall is expected to be in the typical winter range. Typical rainfall means there’s a roughly equal possibility for these areas to receive above, below or near-average rainfall.

This includes parts of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania that have been affected by prolonged dry conditions as well as parts of New South Wales recently impacted by severe flooding.

This winter forecast follows an autumn which was much wetter than average in the north and east of Australia, and much drier than average in many southern parts.

Australia’s fire agencies advise there is an unseasonal increased risk of fire this winter across parts of South Australia and Victoria.

The Bureau updates the long-range forecast each Thursday and you can search the latest details for your location on the Bureau’s website.

2025 winter long-range forecast (states and territories)

New South Wales and the ACT

Winter rainfall is expected to be above average for much of the state and the ACT.

However, parts of the state’s east are likely to have rainfall in the typical range.

Average winter rainfall in recent decades has been between 100 and 300 mm along most of eastern New South Wales, with higher falls in the alpine regions, while in western and central New South Wales winter averages are between 25 and 100 mm.

Warmer than usual winter maximum temperatures are likely across the state, and warmer than usual winter minimum temperatures are very likely.

Victoria

Rainfall is expected to be within the typical winter range for much of the state.

Average winter rainfall in recent decades ranges between 100 and 300 mm throughout much of the state, while the state’s north-west has 50 to 100 mm and parts of the far south and alpine areas have up to 600 mm on average

Warmer than usual winter maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely across the state.

Queensland

Winter rainfall is expected to be in the typical range for much of the state, with parts of the south and west likely to have above average rainfall.

Warmer than usual winter maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely across the state.

Western Australia

Winter rainfall is expected to be above average for much of the state, except for the south-west where rainfall is likely to be in the typical winter range.

Average winter rainfall in recent decades has been between 100 and 400 mm for most of the South West Land Division with up to 600 mm in the far south-west, 50 to 100 mm in parts of the west, central and south-east, between 25 and 50 mm mid-state, and less than 10 mm in the north.

Warmer than usual maximum and minimum winter temperatures are very likely across the state.

South Australia

Winter rainfall is likely to be above average for much of the state, except for the far south-east where rainfall is expected to be within the typical range for winter.

Average winter rainfall in recent decades has been between 50 and 300 mm across the south with some coastal parts up to 400 mm, and 10 to 50 mm for the central and northern parts.

Warmer than usual winter maximum and minimum temperatures are likely across the state.

Tasmania

Winter rainfall is expected to be in the typical range for much of the state.

Warmer than usual winter maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely across the state.

Northern Territory

Winter rainfall is likely to be above average across the southern two-thirds of the Territory.

Warmer than usual June to August maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely across most of the Territory.

Autumn Preliminary Summary

Autumn has been warmer than usual for most of Australia. Throughout much of the south and west, daytime temperatures were very much above average.

Victoria had its warmest autumn on record, New South Wales had its second warmest, and South Australia and Western Australia had their third warmest autumn on record. Autumn has been drier than average across much of the country’s south and west.

Slow-moving high pressure systems to the south of the continent are contributing to drier conditions in the south. This pattern has also enhanced coastal troughs off New South Wales and southern Queensland, contributing to the recent above average coastal rainfall in these states.

Conditions have been wetter than usual for much of the east and north, with rainfall very much above average in large parts of Queensland.

Tropical activity, including Tropical Cyclone Alfred and a low pressure trough over western Queensland, brought widespread rainfall and flooding during March and April.

Autumn rainfall was very much below average in large parts of the south-east and the west coast. In Tasmania, autumn rainfall was the second lowest on record.

The national summary for autumn and May will be on the Bureau’s website from 2 June. Detailed summaries for autumn and May conditions for each state, territory and capital city will be published on 4 June.

MIL OSI News –

May 30, 2025

Category: Asia Pacific

What is mantle cell lymphoma?

How rare is it?

Is there a cure?

What does treatment involve?

How is it diagnosed?

Tags

A rare opportunity

Most people don’t offend but some do – repeatedly

Patterns differ by sex

One-size-fits-all crime prevention won’t work

Why early intervention matters

A decade of development

Polluting Earth in pursuit of space

Success of different space programs

No sign of caution

Who is eligible for Summer EBT food benefits?

How will families receive Summer EBT food benefits?

Where can families get more information?

More about Summer EBT

Additional resources to help meet basic needs

What we found

1. Identify and protect climate refuges

2. Promote the actions that build resilience

3. Adapting to climate change needs to link policy to on-ground action

A chance to get it right