NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Candidates interested in applying for five civil service posts reminded to take part in Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law and National Security Law Test

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Government announced today (July 18) that the next round of recruitment exercises for the posts of Administrative Officer (AO), Executive Officer II (EOII), Assistant Labour Officer II (ALOII), Assistant Trade Officer II (ATOII) and Management Services Officer II (MSOII) will begin in September 2025.

         As part of the entry requirements, applicants for these posts will need to attain: 

    (a) Level 2 in the two language papers (Use of Chinese and Use of English) in the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) or other results which are accepted as equivalent;
    (b) a pass result in the Aptitude Test paper in the CRE; and
    (c) a pass result in the Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) (Degree/Professional Grades).

    Candidates who wish to apply for the posts mentioned above but have not attained the requisite results in CRE should apply through an online application system on the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) website from tomorrow (July 19) to August 1 to take the relevant paper(s) in the CRE tentatively scheduled to be held on September 27 in Hong Kong in order to be considered for appointment. Details and the online application system will be made available on the CSB website at www.csb.gov.hk/eng/cre.html during the application period.

    With the launch of Digitalised BLNST (Degree/Professional Grades) this year, which accepts applications year-round, candidates who are interested in applying for the above vacancies but have not attained a pass result in the BLNST must separately apply for Digitalised BLNST (application details are available at www.csb.gov.hk/eng/dblnst.html) and obtain a pass result before the specified date (i.e. November 29) in order to be considered for appointment.  

    Candidates located outside Hong Kong can still apply for the CRE and the BLNST (Degree/Professional Grades) tentatively scheduled to be held in Beijing, Shanghai, London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney on November 29. Application details will be announced in September.

    Students who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, and graduating in the years of 2025-26 or 2026-27 academic years are also eligible to apply for the posts and/or apply to take the CRE and the BLNST.

    Details of the 2025-26 AO, EOII, ALOII, ATOII and MSOII recruitment exercises will also be announced in September.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • PM Modi to visit Bihar, West Bengal today, unveil development projects worth over Rs 12,000 crore

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Bihar and West Bengal today (Friday), where he will launch a range of developmental projects worth over Rs 12,000 crore. After giving a major thrust to infrastructure development in both states, PM Modi will also address public gatherings in Motihari in Bihar and Durgapur in West Bengal.

    The projects, amounting to over Rs 7,200 crore for Bihar and over Rs 5,000 crore for Bengal, aim to elevate the region’s connectivity and overall infrastructural growth, while boosting employment, rural livelihoods and digital innovation.

    In Motihari, PM Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects across rail, road, IT, fisheries and rural development sectors. He will flag off four Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting Patna, Motihari, Darbhanga and Malda Town to major northern cities including Delhi and Lucknow.

    Key railway projects in Bihar include the inauguration of automatic signalling on the Samastipur-Bachhwara line and the doubling of Darbhanga-Thalwara and Samastipur-Rambhadrapur sections worth Rs 580 crore.

    The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for rail infrastructure projects including a Vande Bharat maintenance facility at Patliputra and doubling of the Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj line, amounting to Rs 4,080 crore.

    In road infrastructure, PM Modi will launch the four-laning of the Ara bypass and Parariya-Mohania section of NH-319 with a combined investment of Rs 820 crore, improving access to the Delhi-Kolkata Golden Quadrilateral.

    To foster Bihar’s digital economy, the Prime Minister will inaugurate a Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) facility in Darbhanga and an incubation centre in Patna, boosting start-ups and IT/ITES exports.

    Under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, he will launch new fisheries infrastructure including hatcheries, aquaculture units and fish feed mills.

    PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) City Gas Distribution (CGD) project in Bankura and Purulia districts of West Bengal, worth around Rs 1,950 crore to give a boost to Oil and Gas infrastructure in the region. It will provide PNG connections to households, commercial establishments and industrial customers and provide CNG at the retail outlets.

    PM Modi will also dedicate to the nation the Durgapur to Kolkata section (132 Km) of Durgapur-Haldia Natural Gas Pipeline and Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline, also known as Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (PMUG) Project. (IANS)

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Bonnets, speech bubbles and ‘cheeky easter eggs’: a graphic biography of Jane Austen is subtly sophisticated

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kerrie Davies, Senior Lecturer, School of the Arts & Media, UNSW Sydney

    Isabel Greenberg, Hachette

    This year is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and she hasn’t aged a bit as the cultural touchstone of classy romance. Her Pride and Prejudice anti-hero, Mr Darcy, perennially pops up in his breeches in Instagram memes, while Regency feminist, Elizabeth Bennet has been brought to life by a host of contemporary actors.

    Along with new screen versions of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (starring Daisy Edgar-Jones) and a Netflix version of P & P, there have been adaptations of her classics Persuasion, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park. And, there are numerous biographies and biopics including a TV drama about Jane’s sister, Cassandra, who burnt most of Jane’s letters.

    Review: The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography –
    Janine Barchas, Isabel Greenberg (Hachette)

    Now, there is also a graphic biography: The Novel Life of Jane Austen, written by Janine Barchas and illustrated by Isabel Greenberg.

    Together, they have co-created a storyboard for the domestic life that framed Austen’s writing, encompassing her closeness to both Cassandra and her brother Frank, who joined the navy and liked to sew.

    Unlike a “cradle to grave” biography, Barchas begins with a teenage Jane in London with Frank touring an exhibition about Shakespeare and his work. We then follow her, in illustrative comic boxes and speech bubbles, through her publishing rejections, her breakthrough debut Sense and Sensibility, and her rise to become one of most beloved writers in the canon of English literature.

    The book ends beyond the grave, flashing forward to the present, in a scene where contemporary fans – Janeites – visit Jane Austen’s House, the cottage in Hampshire where Austen lived when she revised and published her six novels.

    It’s also a sign of subtle structural polish. Now Jane Austen is as deserving of her own gallery as Shakespeare was when we first met Jane as a young, unpublished author.

    Thinking in pink

    Barchas – an “Austenite”, as Austen scholars are called – is the author of The Lost Books of Jane Austen, a study of the mass market editions of Austen’s work. (The Novel Life touches on Austen’s posthumous appeal with a scene where readers buy Austen books for one shilling at a railway station after her death, aged 41.)

    Barchas also wrote Matters of Fact in Jane Austen: History, Location and Celebrity, which links Austen’s characters to well known locations and figures in her era.


    Isabel Greenberg

    Barchas is the co-creator of the interactive digital exhibition, What Jane Saw, which invites us to visit two art exhibitions witnessed by Jane Austen: the Sir Joshua Reynolds retrospective in 1813 or the Shakespeare Gallery as it looked in 1796. The Novel Life, however, is a more definitive life story. It’s also best read in print (although it is available as an e-book) to appreciate Greenberg’s illustrations and graphic format.

    The Novel Life is a gentler, less dramatic style than traditional comics with six-pack superheroes or Japanese manga, similar to Greenberg’s previous literary graphic biography foray, Glass Town, about the Bronte sisters.

    For the Novel Life, Greenberg has drawn a world in which Austen is whimsical, with expressive eyes looming under her signature bangs. She and her sister Cassandra appear in bright yellow or blue empire line dresses.

    Most scenes are illustrated in a muted palette of yellow, blue and grey. This palette, Barchas reflects in the preface, represents “the relative quiet of her (Austen’s) life”.

    When Jane is thinking or writing however, the pages transform into vivid shades of pink to symbolise her imagination and inspiration. In these pages, The Novel Life is at its best, showing graphic biography can be both captivating and deceptively sophisticated.

    Archival nods

    Is a graphic biography really a biography in the conventional understanding of the genre? It can upset the perceived rules. Anticipating this, in the preface, Barchas reminds us:

    Any biography of Austen, and there are many, exists at the intersection of speculation and research.

    This book is at this intersection. While the dialogue is largely invented, it is grounded in Barchas’ expertise and there is a glossary of sources at the end.

    Throughout, there are also nods to the archive. Barchas begins with a scene of Jane in 1796 writing a letter to Cassandra at a desk while staying in London – one of the few not burnt.

    A speech bubble quotes an extract from it:

    Here I am once more in this scene of dissipation and vice, and I begin already to find my morals corrupted.

    There are also Post-it style notes, separate to the bubbles, offering extra biographical context for readers less familiar with the intricacies of Austen’s story. A key scene happens when Jane, 22, receives her first rejection by a publisher for her manuscript “First Impressions” and is comforted by the loyal Cassandra. The note reads:

    Jane would carry out more than a decade and a half of revisions before she dared to offer the manuscript to another publisher, who released it in 1813 as Pride and Prejudice.

    Because of their visual casualness, importantly the notes don’t interfere with the intimate, engaging tone of the story.

    ‘Easter eggs’

    For Austen’s committed “Janeite” fan base, Barchas promises “cheeky easter eggs” in the preface. Janeites can delight in well-quoted lines from the novels that appear as dialogue or a character’s thoughts.

    Look, for instance, for Jane reading at a dinner party from P & P: “It’s a truth universally acknowledged […]” and “she is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me […]”.

    It’s a truth universally acknowledged too that graphic biography can be confused with the graphic novel, now the third most popular literary genre in sales after general fiction and romance.

    But, dear reader, there’s a tradition of life writing in the medium. The Pulitzer Prize winning graphic biography/memoir, The Complete Maus, told Art Spiegelman’s father’s story of the Holocaust to his son, (Art) who struggled to understand his father. Maus portrayed Jewish people anthropomorphically as mice and Nazis as cats. It was described by The New Yorker “as the first masterpiece of comic book history”.

    Other high points in graphic biography include Peter Bagge’s Woman Rebel, the story of birth control campaigner Margaret Sanger, published in 2013.

    Not everyone will appreciate a work diverging so dramatically from the expectations of a traditional biography. And those who will most appreciate or scrutinise The Novel Life are yes, the Janeites and Austenites.

    Regardless, Austen comes to graphic life in the mind and hands of Barchas and Greenberg. More generally, for those of us who like our biographies in vivid colour – literally – and enjoy experiments in nonfiction storytelling, it’s a delightful reading experience, just like Jane Austen.

    Kerrie Davies 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. Bonnets, speech bubbles and ‘cheeky easter eggs’: a graphic biography of Jane Austen is subtly sophisticated – https://theconversation.com/bonnets-speech-bubbles-and-cheeky-easter-eggs-a-graphic-biography-of-jane-austen-is-subtly-sophisticated-257558

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Defence News – HMNZS Canterbury delivers leading-edge technology to support regional security tasks in Fiji

    Source: New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF)

    The Royal New Zealand Navy’s (RNZN) multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury has sailed into Suva for annual Operation Calypso, this time with a technologically advanced capability aboard.

    Op Calypso focuses on supporting Pacific partners through a range of joint maritime security activities and HMNZS Canterbury carried into the Fijian port advanced capability in the form of Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV) – the Bluebottles Tahi and Rua.

    The autonomous vessels can conduct long-endurance operations without requiring refuelling or crew. Propelled and powered by sun, wind and wave action, the Bluebottles are ideal platforms for fishery protection, border patrols, surveillance, and the collection of oceanic and meteorological data.

    The RNZN will work with Republic of Fiji Navy personnel deploying and monitoring the Bluebottles to help identify and track vessels operating suspiciously in Fiji’s exclusive economic zone – including those potentially involved in narcotics trafficking.

    A Royal New Zealand Air Force No. 42 Squadron King Air aircraft will provide identification and surveillance oversight while a Fijian Navy vessel will be available to carry out boarding and seizure tasks.

    Commodore Shane Arndell, the New Zealand Defence Force’s Maritime Component Commander, says the joint effort reflects the deep commitment shared by both nations to tackle common security and economic challenges.

    “For many years, at the request of the Fijian government, we have conducted joint fishery patrols to ensure Fiji’s natural resources and vital revenue streams aren’t being exploited through illegal fishing by other countries.

    “Now we are confronting a criminal issue just as important but with deadly consequences,” Commodore Arndell said.

    “The movement of drugs from South America through the Pacific is a very real concern and has a significant and long-lasting impact on the lives of Fijians, their families and the wider Pasifika community.

    “All too often we see the harm these narcotics bring, so the opportunity to work with our fri

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 18, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 18, 2025.

    WA had the highest rates of Indigenous child removal in the country. At last, the state is finally facing up to it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenna Woods, Dean, School of Indigenous Knowledges, Murdoch University Matt Jelonek/Getty Images First Nations people please be advised this article speaks of racially discriminating moments in history, including the distress and death of First Nations people. In 1997, Australia was confronted with the landmark Bringing Them Home

    Separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Wilson, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate in Men’s Mental Health, The University of Melbourne Breakups hurt. Emotional and psychological distress are common when intimate relationships break down. For some people, this distress can be so overwhelming that it leads to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. This problem

    Thinking of trekking to Everest Base Camp? Don’t leave home without this expert advice
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heike Schanzel, Professor of Social Sustainability in Tourism, Auckland University of Technology Purnima Shrestha /AFP via Getty Images Tourists in Kathmandu are tempted everywhere by advertisements for trekking expeditions to Everest Base Camp. If you didn’t know better, you might think it’s just a nice hike in

    Pragmatic engagement – what Albanese’s visit reveals about China relations in a turbulent world
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Sing Yue Chan, Postdoctoral Fellow in China Studies, Australian National University The Albanese government has faced an increasingly uncertain world since its re-election in May. US President Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the Australia–US alliance, raising fresh questions about Canberra’s long-term regional strategy.

    ‘Don’t tell me!’ Why some people love spoilers – and others will run a mile
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anjum Naweed, Professor of Human Factors, CQUniversity Australia DreamBig/Shutterstock, The Conversation This article contains spoilers! I once leapt out of a train carriage because two strangers were loudly discussing the ending of the last Harry Potter book. Okay – I didn’t leap, but I did plug my

    Keith Rankin Analysis – Letter from Westphalia, Germany; 6 June 1933
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. On Saturday I came into possession of this letter, transcript below. I will note that the recipient of the letter is someone I know a bit about; I would like to know more about his time in London, circa 1930-1932. I understand that he attended the London School of Economics. I

    Australian law is clear: criticism of Israel does not breach the Racial Discrimination Act
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Swannie, Senior Lecturer, Thomas More Law School, Australian Catholic University Earlier this month, the Federal Court found controversial Muslim cleric Wissam Haddad breached the Racial Discrimination Act. Justice Angus Stewart ruled a series of speeches Haddad posted online were “fundamentally racist and antisemitic [and] profoundly offensive”

    New Barbie with type 1 diabetes could help kids with the condition feel seen – and help others learn
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynne Chepulis, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, University of Waikato Mattel Inc/AP, The Conversation, CC BY Barbie has done many things since she first appeared in 1959. She’s been an astronaut, a doctor, a president and even a palaeontologist. Now, in 2025, Barbie is something else: a woman

    Rising seas threaten to swallow one of NZ’s oldest settlement sites – new research
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter N. Meihana, Senior Lecturer in History, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Veronika Meduna, CC BY-SA One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest settlement sites is at risk of being washed away by rising seas, according to new research. Te Pokohiwi o Kupe (Wairau Bar) near

    AI is now part of our world. Uni graduates should know how to use it responsibly
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Fitzgerald, Associate Professor and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, The University of Queensland MTStock Studio/ Getty Images Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an everyday part of lives. Many of us use it without even realising, whether it be writing emails, finding

    Susi Newborn among activists featured in Pacific ‘nuclear free heroes’ video
    Pacific Media Watch Greenpeace pioneer and activist Susi Newborn is among the “nuclear free heroes” featured in a video tribute premiered this week in an exhibition dedicated to a nuclear-free Pacific. The week-long exhibition at Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Ellen Melville Centre, titled “Legends of the Pacific: Stories of a Nuclear-Free Moana 1975-1995,” closes tomorrow afternoon.

    Grattan on Friday: New parliament presents traps for Albanese and Ley
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese hasn’t been in any rush to convene the new parliament, which Governor-General Sam Mostyn will open on Tuesday. It’s only mildly cynical to observe that governments of both persuasions often seem to regard having pesky members and senators

    Police protection for New Caledonian politicians following death threats
    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk New Caledonian politicians who inked their commitment to a deal with France last weekend will be offered special police protection following threats, especially made on social media networks. The group includes almost 20 members of New Caledonia’s parties — both pro-France and pro-independence — who took

    12 countries agree to confront Israel collectively over Gaza after Bogotá summit
    ANALYSIS: By Mick Hall Collective measures to confront Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people have been agreed by 12 nations after an emergency summit of the Hague Group in Bogotá, Colombia. A joint statement today announced the six measures, which it said were geared to holding Israel to account for its crimes in Palestine and

    Rainbow Warrior bombing by French secret agents remembered 40 years on
    SPECIAL REPORT: By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News Forty years ago today, French secret agents bombed the Greenpeace campaign flagship  Rainbow Warrior in an attempt to stop the environmental organisation’s protest against nuclear testing at Moruroa Atoll in Mā’ohi Nui. People gathered on board Rainbow Warrior III to remember photographer Fernando Pereira,

    Why a surprise jump in unemployment isn’t as bad as it sounds
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeff Borland, Professor of Economics, The University of Melbourne New figures show Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 4.3% – its highest level since late 2021 – in June this year, up from 4.1% in May. While this is bad news, it’s not as bad

    Australia got off on a technicality for its climate inaction. But there are plenty more judgement days to come
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney This week, the Federal Court found the Australian government has no legal duty to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. The ruling was disappointing, but it’s not the end of the matter. The plaintiffs,

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government supports Anti-Corruption pilot

    Source: New Zealand Government

    A cross-agency Anti-Corruption Taskforce pilot highlights the Government’s commitment to protecting public funds and upholding integrity across the state sector, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Public Service Minister Judith Collins say.

    The taskforce is led by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), supported by NZ Police and the Public Service Commission, and brings together counter fraud and enforcement expertise to identify and combat corruption and fraud risks faced by the public sector. 

    “The taskforce’s work will build a clearer intelligence picture of the threats that face our public sector. This is about taking proactive action to ensure our prevention and response system remains resilient and fit for purpose,” Mr Mitchell says.  

    “The public sector accounts for a third of the economy and the pilot is a critical step in protecting and enhancing New Zealand’s reputation as an attractive place to invest.

    “Every dollar of public funding counts, and preventing the unlawful taking of taxpayer money is something we take very seriously.”

    Ms Collins says the taskforce supports the Government’s broader public integrity agenda.

    “New Zealand is widely respected as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, and we intend to keep it that way,” Ms Collins says.

    “By increasing transparency, identifying risks and encouraging ethical conduct across the public sector, this taskforce will help maintain trust in our institutions.

    “Fighting corruption is not just about prosecution, it’s about leadership, accountability and promoting a culture of integrity.”

    The taskforce will begin with a pilot project requiring a group of public sector agencies to assess their fraud and corruption prevention and detection systems. This will include reporting on offending detected and prevented, and the controls agencies have in place to protect public funds.

    Participating agencies are the Department of Corrections, Land Information New Zealand, Inland Revenue, ACC, Ministry of Social Development and Sport New Zealand.

    The pilot will inform the Government’s future approach to counter-fraud and corruption capability across the state sector, with a public report to be released following its completion.

    The Anti-Corruption Taskforce follows the SFO’s launch of a national campaign to tackle Foreign Bribery and new online reporting platform for whistleblowers earlier this year, further strengthening New Zealand’s anti-corruption response.

    More information about the Taskforce is available on the SFO’s website: https://www.sfo.govt.nz/fraud-and-corruption/what-we-do/anti-corruption-taskforce-pilot 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Tourism – Queenstown’s triple swing action getting closer to reality

    Source: AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand (AJHBNZ)

    Queenstown’s newest adventure tourism attraction at the global home of bungy is getting closer to opening, with construction of the hotly anticipated three-person swing well underway.

    The Kawarau Swing is the latest innovation created by tourism pioneers AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand (AJHBNZ). Located at the historic Kawarau Bridge, it will be the first three-person adventure swing in the South Island and is on track open in September.
     
    The Kawarau Swing will be accessed off the same viewing deck that receives about 400,000 visitors and spectators a year. Drilling is complete under the viewing deck and this week the steel structure that the swing platform will sit on was lifted into place.
     
    Mechanical components and steel structures are being fabricated off-site and, once the foundation work is complete, things are expected to come together quickly, AJHBNZ CEO David Mitchell says.
     
    When it opens, the Kawarau Swing will be adapted for single, tandem, or three-person rides, swinging guests up to 43 metres high across the Kawarau River before winching them back to the platform on the southern bank of the Kawarau Gorge.

    Ideal for families and people seeking a different experience at the world’s first commercial bungy location, the swing will complement AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand’s existing bungy and zipride experiences at the historic Kawarau Bungy Bridge site.

    “Not everyone who visits the Kawarau Bridge chooses to do a bungy jump,” Mitchell explains. “That’s why we’ve designed the Kawarau Swing to appeal to people who are seeking a different experience, which hits that sweet spot between the full-on adrenaline rush of a bungy and the pure joy of a zipride.
     
    “As the swing comes to life, all stages of development will incorporate AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand’s proven safety systems, built on more than 30 years of experience in delivering thrilling yet safe adventures,” Mitchell adds.
     
    About AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand

    Ever since it was launched with a buzz by AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch back in 1988, AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand has been in the business of fuelling people with courage and adrenaline. The world’s first commercial bungy operation opened at the Kawarau Bridge in November 1988 and AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand has remained committed to levelling up the exhilaration across Aotearoa, with bungy, zipride, swing, catapult, skywalk, skyjump and bridge climb across Queenstown, Taupō and Auckland.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Consulting on sustainable investment labels

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    Today the Albanese Labor Government is starting consultation on sustainable investment product labelling, to give investors more confidence to put more capital to work in sustainable products.

    The release of this paper is a key step in implementing the Government’s Sustainable Finance Roadmap.

    The Roadmap is all about helping to mobilise the capital required for Australia to become a renewable energy superpower, modernising our financial markets and maximising the economic opportunities from net zero.

    This consultation paper seeks views from investors, companies and the broader community on a framework for sustainable investment product labels.

    These labels will help investors and consumers identify, compare, and make informed decisions about sustainable investment products to understand what ‘sustainable’, ‘green’ or similar words mean when they’re applied to financial products.

    A more robust and clear product labelling framework will help investors and consumers invest in sustainable products with confidence and help tackle greenwashing.

    This is another practical step in the Roadmap to improve how we measure progress, manage risk, demonstrate results and mobilise the investment we need to reach net zero and other sustainability goals.

    This phase of consultation will run from 18 July to 29 August and help the Government refine its design principles for the framework.

    The consultation paper is available on the Treasury consultation hub.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Media Release – Euthanasia numbers soar despite tiny workforce

    Source: Family First

    MEDIA RELEASE – 18 July 2025

    The latest review of euthanasia has just been released by the Ministry of Health – and despite a tiny workforce, there has been a continued growth in the number of those receiving assisted suicide.

    Family First has analysed the Registrar (assisted dying) Annual Report – June 2025

    Key findings include:

    • 472 people had assisted suicide – up from 344 in the previous 12 months – a 37% increase in assisted deaths in the last 12 months, and a 57% increase since the first full year of operation (2022).
    • 20% increase in applications
    • 80% NZ European/Pākehā. Virtually no Pasifika (<0.5%) and disproportionately few Māori (5%)
    • 12% of applicants had a disability
    • 242 applicants died before ‘needing’ euthanasia
    • the application process continues to shorten, now averaging only 14 days – down from 16 days in the previous report
    • less than 10% of applicants are for neurological conditions (the conditions frequently touted by proponents as the reason for needing euthanasia)
    • 85% of applicants are deemed eligible by the attending medical practitioner
    • 95% of second assessments (of those 85%) by an independent medical practitioner are deemed eligible

    On the positive side, the report says:

    “There have been occasions on which a person’s request for assisted dying has led to them exploring alternative care or services, such as optimising palliative care or additional social or wrap-around supports. In some cases, this resulted in the person rescinding (withdrawing) their application for assisted dying.”

    The report says that 33 people subsequently decided to withdraw their application.

    The report also highlights the very low number of medical professionals willing to be involved in euthanasia / assisted suicide – approximately 126 – despite attempts by the SCENZ to bolster the workforce. This is not surprising given the Hippocratic Oath / Declaration of Geneva made by medical professionals. Assisting suicide clashes with this ethical base.

    What is most disturbing is that more than one in five applicants (21%) weren’t receiving palliative care. The End of Life Choice Act only provides a ‘right’ to one choice – premature death. There is no corresponding right to palliative care. Good palliative care and hospice services are resource intensive; euthanasia would be cheaper. There is a new element of ‘financial calculation’ into decisions about end-of-life care. This is harsh reality. At an individual level, the economically disadvantaged who don’t have access to better healthcare could feel pressured to end their lives because of the cost factor or because other better choices are not available to them. Some hospitals have no specialist palliative care services at all.

    Of those deemed ineligible for euthanasia, 85% was because they didn’t meet the 6-month criteria, and approximately 40% also didn’t meet either the ‘unbearable suffering’ or the ‘irreversible physical decline’ requirement.

    The other significant red flag in the report is that just 10 applicants had a psychiatric assessment to check for both competence to make the decision, and for any presence of coercion.

    This latest data simply confirms that nothing in the law guarantees the protection required for vulnerable people facing their death, including the disabled, elderly, depressed or anxious, and those who feel themselves to be a burden or who are under financial pressure.

    The NZ Herald recently reported: “A specialist paediatric palliative care (PPC) doctor says New Zealand is falling behind other nations in its care of terminally ill children and the Government must step up to help.” And the demand for this specialist medical care will only increase significantly in the near future. Our population is ageing, and therefore the number of people requiring palliative care is forecast to increase by approximately 25% over the next 15 years and will be more than double that by 2061.

    Previous Governments have made little effort to address this growing problem and to increase funding for this essential service. Euthanasia is instead given priority and full Government funding.

    It’s time we focused on and fully funded world-class palliative care – and not a lethal injection.

    We can live without euthanasia.

    DOWNLOAD OUR FACT SHEET ON THE LAW https://familyfirst.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Euthanasia-Fact-Sheet.pdf

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government Cuts – Talented scientists already lost thanks to Government: New PRO will struggle – PSA

    Source: PSA

    The PSA is criticising the Government’s announcement today on the establishment of the fourth Public Research Organisation, the New Zealand Institute of Advanced Technology (NZIAT), saying that they could struggle to deliver the science and research needed without the necessary talent and funding.
    “Our biggest concern here is that all the talented people who undertook groundbreaking research at Callaghan Innovation have likely already taken up jobs – many of them overseas,” Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons says.
    The PSA is New Zealand’s largest union and represents scientists, laboratory and support staff from the former Crown Research Institutes and in the newly formed Public Research Organisations.
    As of June, dozens of public researchers from Callaghan Innovation were made redundant. Many of the team were experts in subjects like artificial intelligence, which are at the centre of the NZIAT.
    While some areas of Callaghan Innovation were expected to transfer across to NZIAT (namely the Health Tech Activator and Product Accelerator), the number of staff in these areas is very small.
    “We said earlier this year that without a plan to transition large numbers of scientists, the Government is wasting the expertise that has been built up here.
    “How can you go for growth in the economy when the people who create all this value have already boarded a flight to Australia?
    “How can the Government, so hell-bent on saving costs, justify paying out redundancy payments to people whose skills they ultimately concede they need only a month after the redundancies have taken effect?”
    The PSA also says that there’s a question mark over how much science and research will be delivered by the NZIAT.
    “The funding – $231M over four years – sounds pretty good, but for this kind of science is actually low.
    “Plus Minister Reti’s announcement says the institute will invest in science and technology, not produce any new research. So about $60M per year in investment is a tiny platform.
    “The Government has essentially sucked up all the funding from Callaghan Innovation – which received about $85M a year – and redeployed less of it here.
    “We’re not fooled. There’s less money than ever going into public science, to the detriment of not only the New Zealand science community but everyone in Aotearoa.”
    The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Why do some autistic people walk differently?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Nicole Rinehart, Nicole Rinehart, Professor, Clinical Psychology, Director of the Neurodevelopment Program, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University

    Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people’s brains develop and function, impacting behaviour, communication and socialising. It can also involve differences in the way you move and walk – known as your “gait”.

    Having an “odd gait” is now listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a supporting diagnostic feature of autism.

    What does this look like?

    The most noticeable gait differences among autistic people are:

    • toe-walking, walking on the balls of the feet
    • in-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned inwards
    • out-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned out.

    Research has also identified more subtle differences. A study summarising 30 years of research among autistic people reports that gait is characterised by:

    • walking more slowly
    • taking wider steps
    • spending longer in the “stance” phase, when the foot leaves the ground
    • taking more time to complete each step.

    Autistic people show much more personal variability in the length and speed of their strides, as well as their walking speed.

    Gait differences also tend to occur alongside other motor differences, such as issues with balance, coordination, postural stability and handwriting. Autistic people may need support for these other motor skills.

    What causes gait differences?

    These are largely due to differences in brain development, specifically in areas known as the basal ganglia and cerebellum.

    The basal ganglia are broadly responsible for sequencing movement including through shifting posture. It ensures your gait appears effortless, smooth and automatic.

    The cerebellum then uses visual and proprioceptive information (to sense the body’s position and movement) to adjust and time movements to maintain postural stability. It ensures movement is controlled and coordinated.

    Differences occur in the cerebellum and basal ganglia.
    grayjay/Shutterstock

    Developmental differences in these brain regions relate to the way the areas look (their structure), how they work (their function and activation) and how they “speak” to other areas of the brain (their connections).

    While some researchers have suggested that autistic gait occurs due to delayed development, we now know gait differences persist across the lifespan. Some differences actually become clearer with age.

    In addition to brain-based differences, the autistic gait is also associated with factors such as the person’s broader motor, language and cognitive capabilities.

    People with more complex support needs might have more pronounced gait or motor differences, together with language and cognitive difficulties.

    Motor dysregulation might indicate sensory or cognitive overload and be a useful marker that the person might benefit from extra support or a break.

    How is it managed?

    Not all differences need to be treated. Instead, clinicians take an individualised and goals-based approach.

    Some autistic people might have subtle gait differences that are observable during testing. But if these differences don’t impact a person’s ability to participate in everyday life, they don’t require support.

    An autistic person is likely to benefit from support for gait differences if they have a functional impact on their daily life. This might include:

    • increased risk of, or frequent, falls
    • difficulty participating in the physical activities they enjoy
    • physical consequences such as tightness of the Achilles and calf muscles, or associated pain in other areas, such as the feet or back.

    Some children may also benefit from support for motor skill development. However this doesn’t have to occur in a clinic.

    Given children spend a large portion of their time at school, programs that integrate opportunities for movement throughout the school day allow autistic children to develop motor skills outside of the clinic and alongside peers. We developed the Joy of Moving Program in Australia, for example, which gets students moving in the classroom.

    Our community-based intervention studies show autistic children’s movement abilities can improve after engaging in community-based interventions, such as sports or dance.

    Community-based support models empower autistic children to have agency in how they move, rather than seeing different ways of moving as a problem to be fixed.

    Where to from here?

    While we have learnt a lot about autistic gait at a broad level, researchers and clinicians are still seeking a better understanding of why and when individual variability occurs.

    We’re also still determining how to best support individual movement styles, including among children as they develop.

    However there is growing evidence that physical activity enhances social skills and behavioural regulation in preschool children with autism.

    So it’s encouraging that states and territories are moving towards more community-based foundational supports for autistic children and their peers, as governments develop supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

    The authors thank the late Emeritus Professor John Bradshaw for his early input into this piece.

    Nicole Rinehart receives funding from: Moose Happy Kids Foundation, MECCA M-Power, the Grace & Emilio Foundation, Ferrero Australia, as part of the global Kinder Joy of moving program, Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd, Jonathan and Simone Wenig, Adam Krongold, the Grosman Family Foundation, the Shoreline Foundation, the Victorian Department of Education, the NSW Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services – Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program, and has worked in partnership with the Australian Football League.

    Chloe Emonson works on projects that receive funding from: Moose Happy Kids Foundation, MECCA M-Power, the Grace & Emilio Foundation, Ferrero Australia, as part of the global Kinder Joy of moving program, Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd, Jonathan and Simone Wenig, Adam Krongold, the Grosman Family Foundation, the Shoreline Foundation, the Victorian Department of Education, the NSW Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services – Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program, and has worked in partnership with the Australian Football League.

    Ebony Lindor works on projects that receive funding from: Moose Happy Kids Foundation, MECCA M-Power, the Grace & Emilio Foundation, Ferrero Australia, as part of the global Kinder Joy of moving program, Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd, Jonathan and Simone Wenig, Adam Krongold, the Grosman Family Foundation, the Shoreline Foundation, the Victorian Department of Education, the NSW Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services – Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program, and has worked in partnership with the Australian Football League.

    – ref. Why do some autistic people walk differently? – https://theconversation.com/why-do-some-autistic-people-walk-differently-231685

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Michael Wilson, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate in Men’s Mental Health, The University of Melbourne

    Breakups hurt. Emotional and psychological distress are common when intimate relationships break down. For some people, this distress can be so overwhelming that it leads to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

    This problem seems especially the case for men. Intimate partner problems including breakups, separation and divorce feature in the paths to suicide among one in three Australian men aged 25 to 44 who end their lives.

    Men account for three in every four suicides in many nations worldwide, including Australia. So improving our understanding of links between relationship breakdown and men’s suicide risk has life-saving potential.

    Our research, published today, is the first large-scale review of the evidence to focus on understanding men’s risk of suicide after a breakup. We found separated men were nearly five times more likely to die by suicide compared to married men.

    What did we find?

    We brought together findings from 75 studies across 30 countries worldwide, involving more than 106 million men.

    We focused on understanding why relationship breakdown can lead to suicide in men, and which men are most at risk. We might not be able to prevent breakups from happening, but we can promote healthy adjustment to the stress of relationship breakdown to try and prevent suicide.

    Overall, we found divorced men were 2.8 times more likely to take their lives than married men.

    For separated men, the risk was much higher. We found that separated men were 4.8 times more likely to die by suicide than married men.

    Most strikingly, we found separated men under 35 years of age had nearly nine times greater odds of suicide than married men of the same age.

    The short-term period after relationship breakdown therefore appears particularly risky for men’s mental health.

    What are these men feeling?

    Some men’s difficulties regulating the intense emotional stress of relationship breakdown can play a role in their suicide risk. For some men, the emotional pain tied to separation – deep sadness, shame, guilt, anxiety and loss – can be so intense it feels never-ending.

    Many men are raised in a culture of masculinity that often encourages them to suppress or withdraw from their emotions in times of intense stress.

    Some men also experience difficulties understanding or interpreting their emotions, which can create challenges in knowing how to respond to them.

    Overall, our research found relationship breakdown may lead to suicide for some men because of the complex interaction between the individual (emotional distress) and interpersonal (changes in their social network and availability of support) impacts of a breakup.

    Many of these impacts don’t seem to feature in the paths to suicide after a breakup for women in the same way.

    Breakups also impact social networks

    As intimate relationships become more serious, we tend to spend less time investing in our friendships, especially if juggling the demands of a career and family.

    Many men, especially in heterosexual relationships, rely on their intimate partner as a primary source of social and emotional support – often at the expense of connections outside their relationship.

    This can create a risky situation if relationships break down, as it seems many men are left with little support to turn to. This rang true in our research, as men’s social disconnection and loneliness seemed to increase their suicide risk following relationship breakdown.

    We also know people can struggle to know how to support men after a breakup. Research has found some men who ask for support are told to just “get back on the horse”. Such a response invalidates men’s pain and reinforces masculine stereotypes that relationship breakdown doesn’t affect them.

    So, what can we do?

    There is no simple answer to preventing suicide following relationship breakdown, but a range of opportunities exist.

    We can intervene early, by educating young people with the skills to end relationships healthily, handle rejection and regulate the difficult emotions of a breakup.

    We can embed support groups and other opportunities for connection and peer support in relationship services that are regularly in contact with those navigating separation, to help combat loneliness.

    We can ensure mental health practitioners are equipped with the skills necessary to engage and respond effectively to men who seek help following a breakup, to help keep them safe until they can get back on their feet.

    Most importantly, if men come to any of us seeking support after a breakup, we can remember that time is often a great healer. The best we can do is sit with men in their pain, rather than try and get them to stop feeling it. This connection could be life-saving.

    Support and information is available at Relationships Australia and MensLine Australia. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Michael Wilson works for The University of Melbourne and consults to Movember. He receives funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship, provided by the Australian Commonwealth Government and the University of Melbourne.

    Jacqui Macdonald receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Medical Research Future Fund and the Australian Research Council. She convenes the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium and she is on the Movember Global Men’s Health Advisory Committee.

    Zac Seidler has been awarded an NHMRC Investigator Grant. He is also the Global Director of Research with the Movember Institute of Men’s Health. He advises government on men’s suicide, masculinities, violence prevention and social media policy.

    – ref. Separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men – https://theconversation.com/separated-men-are-nearly-5-times-more-likely-to-take-their-lives-than-married-men-258196

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: ‘Don’t tell me!’ Why some people love spoilers – and others will run a mile

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Anjum Naweed, Professor of Human Factors, CQUniversity Australia

    DreamBig/Shutterstock, The Conversation

    This article contains spoilers!

    I once leapt out of a train carriage because two strangers were loudly discussing the ending of the last Harry Potter book. Okay – I didn’t leap, but I did plug my ears and flee to another carriage.

    Recently, I found myself in a similar predicament, trapped on a bus, entirely at the mercy of two passengers dissecting the Severance season two finale.

    But not everyone shares my spoiler anxiety. I have friends who flip to the last page of a book before they’ve read the first one, or who look up the ending before hitting play. According to them, they simply need to know.

    So why do some of us crave surprise and suspense, while others find comfort in instant resolution?

    What’s in a spoiler?

    Spoilers have become a cultural flashpoint in the age of streaming, social media and shared fandoms.

    Researchers define “spoiler” as undesired information about how a narrative’s arc will conclude. I often hear “spoilers!” interjected mid-sentence, a desperate protest to protect narrative ignorance.

    Hitchcock’s twist-heavy Psycho elevated spoiler sensitivity. Its release came with an anti-spoilers policy including strict viewing times, lobby warnings recorded by the auteur himself, and even real policemen urging “total enjoyment”. A bold ad campaign implored audiences against “cheating yourselves”.

    The twists were fiercely protected.

    Even the Star Wars cast didn’t know Darth Vader’s paternity twist until premiere night. Avenger’s Endgame filmed multiple endings and used fake scripting to mislead its stars. And Andrew Garfield flat-out lied about his return to Spider-Man: No Way Home – a performance worthy of an Oscar – all for the sake of fan surprise and enjoyment.

    But do spoilers actually ruin the fun, or just shift how we experience it?

    The satisfaction of a good ending

    In 2014, a Dutch study found that viewers of unspoiled stories experienced greater emotional arousal and enjoyment. Spoilers may complete our “mental models” of the plot, making us less driven to engage, process events, or savour the unfolding story.

    But we are also likely to overestimate the negative effect of a spoiler on our enjoyment. In 2016, a series of studies involving short stories, mystery fiction and films found that spoiled participants still reported high levels of enjoyment – because once we’re immersed, emotional connection tends to eclipse what we already know.

    But suspense and enjoyment are complex bedfellows.

    American media psychology trailblazer Dolf Zillmann said that suspense builds tension and excitement, but we only enjoy that tension once the ending lands well.

    The thrill isn’t fun while we’re hanging in uncertainty – it’s the satisfying resolution that retroactively makes it feel good.

    That could be why we scramble for an “ending explained” when a film or show drops the ball on closure. We’re trying to resolve uncertainty and settle our emotions.

    Spoilers can also take the pressure off. A 2009 study of Lost fans found those who looked up how an episode would end actually enjoyed it more. The researchers found it reduced cognitive pressure, and gave them more room to reflect and soak in the story.

    Spoilers put the audience back in the driver’s seat – even if filmmakers would rather keep hold of the wheel. People may seek spoilers out of curiosity or impatience, but sometimes it’s a quiet rebellion: a way to push back against the control creators hold over when and how things unfold.

    That’s why spoilers are fertile ground for power dynamics. Ethicists even liken being spoiled to kind of moral trespass: how dare someone else make that decision for me?!

    But whether you avoid spoilers or seek them out, the motive is often the same: a need to feel in control.

    Shaping your emotions

    Spoiler avoiders crave affect: they want emotional transportation.

    When suspense is part of the pleasure, control means choosing when and how that knowledge lands. There’s a mental challenge to be had in riding the story as it unfolds, and a joy in seeing it click into place.

    That’s why people get protective, and even chatter about long-aired shows can spark outrage. It’s an attempt to police the commentary and preserve the experience for those still waiting to be transported.

    Spoiler seekers want control too, just a different kind. They’re not avoiding emotion, they’re just managing it. A spoiler affords control over our negative emotions, but also softens the blow, and inoculates us against anxiety.

    Psychologists dub this a “non-cognitive desensitisation strategy” to manage surprise, a kind of “emotional spoiler shield” to protect our attachments to shows and characters, and remind us that TV, film and book narratives are not real when storylines hit close to home.

    Knowing what happens turns into a subtle form of self-regulation.

    So, what did I do when Severance spoilers floated by? Did I get off the bus? Nope, I stayed put and faced the beast. As I tried to make sense of the unfamiliar plot points (The macrodata means what? Mark stays where?), I found the unexpected chance to dive deeper.

    Maybe surprise is not the sum of what makes something entertaining and worth engaging with. Spoiler alert! It’s good to have an end to journey towards, but it’s the journey that matters, in the end.

    Anjum Naweed 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. ‘Don’t tell me!’ Why some people love spoilers – and others will run a mile – https://theconversation.com/dont-tell-me-why-some-people-love-spoilers-and-others-will-run-a-mile-256803

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: AI is now part of our world. Uni graduates should know how to use it responsibly

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Rachel Fitzgerald, Associate Professor and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, The University of Queensland

    MTStock Studio/ Getty Images

    Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an everyday part of lives. Many of us use it without even realising, whether it be writing emails, finding a new TV show or managing smart devices in our homes.

    It is also increasingly used in many professional contexts – from helping with recruitment to supporting health diagnoses and monitoring students’ progress in school.

    But apart from a handful of computing-focused and other STEM programs, most Australian university students do not receive formal tuition in how to use AI critically, ethically or responsibly.

    Here’s why this is a problem and what we can do instead.

    AI use in unis so far

    A growing number of Australian universities now allow students to use AI in certain assessments, provided the use is appropriately acknowledged.

    But this does not teach students how these tools work or what responsible use involves.

    Using AI is not as simple as typing questions into a chat function. There are widely recognised ethical issues around its use including bias and misinformation. Understanding these is essential for students to use AI responsibly in their working lives.

    So all students should graduate with a basic understanding of AI, its limitations, the role of human judgement and what responsible use looks like in their particular field.

    We need students to be aware of bias in AI systems. This includes how their own biases could shape how they use the AI (the questions they ask and how they interpret its output), alongside an understanding of the broader ethical implications of AI use.

    For example, does the data and the AI tool protect people’s privacy? Has the AI made a mistake? And if so, whose responsibility is that?

    What about AI ethics?

    The technical side of AI is covered in many STEM degrees. These degrees, along with philosophy and psychology disciplines, may also examine ethical questions around AI. But these issues are not a part of mainstream university education.

    This is a concern. When future lawyers use predictive AI to draft contracts, or business graduates use AI for hiring or marketing, they will need skills in ethical reasoning.

    Ethical issues in these scenarios could include unfair bias, like AI recommending candidates based on gender or race. It could include issues relating to a lack of transparency, such as not knowing how an AI system made a legal decision. Students need to be able to spot and question these risks before they cause harm.

    In healthcare, AI tools are already supporting diagnosis, patient triage and treatment decisions.

    As AI becomes increasingly embedded in professional life, the cost of uncritical use also scales up, from biased outcomes to real-world harm.

    For example, if a teacher relies on AI carelessly to draft a lesson plan, students might learn a version of history that is biased or just plain wrong. A lawyer who over-relies on AI could submit a flawed court document, putting their client’s case at risk.

    How can we do this?

    There are international examples we can follow. The University of Texas at Austin and University of Edinburgh both offer programs in ethics and AI. However, both of these are currently targeted at graduate students. The University of Texas program is focused on teaching STEM students about AI ethics, whereas the University of Edinburgh’s program has a broader, interdiscplinary focus.

    Implementing AI ethics in Australian universities will require thoughtful curriculum reform. That means building interdisciplinary teaching teams that combine expertise from technology, law, ethics and the social sciences. It also means thinking seriously about how we engage students with this content through core modules, graduate capabilities or even mandatory training.

    It will also require investment in academic staff development and new teaching resources that make these concepts accessible and relevant to different disciplines.

    Government support is essential. Targeted grants, clear national policy direction, and nationally shared teaching resources could accelerate the shift. Policymakers could consider positioning universities as “ethical AI hubs”. This aligns with the government-commissioned 2024 Australian University Accord report, which called for building capacity to meet the demands of the digital era.

    Today’s students are tomorrow’s decision-makers. If they don’t understand the risks of AI and its potential for error, bias or threats to privacy, we will all bear the consequences. Universities have a public responsibility to ensure graduates know how to use AI responsibly and understand why their choices matter.

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

    – ref. AI is now part of our world. Uni graduates should know how to use it responsibly – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-now-part-of-our-world-uni-graduates-should-know-how-to-use-it-responsibly-261273

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Is it okay to boil water more than once, or should you empty the kettle every time?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Faisal Hai, Professor and Head of School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Wollongong

    Avocado_studio/Shutterstock

    The kettle is a household staple practically everywhere – how else would we make our hot drinks?

    But is it okay to re-boil water that’s already in the kettle from last time? While bringing water to a boil disinfects it, you may have heard that boiling water more than once will somehow make the water harmful and therefore you should empty the kettle each time.

    Such claims are often accompanied by the argument that re-boiled water leads to the accumulation of allegedly hazardous substances including metals such as arsenic, or salts such as nitrates and fluoride.

    This isn’t true. To understand why, let’s look at what is in our tap water and what really happens when we boil it.

    What’s in our tap water?

    Let’s take the example of tap water supplied by Sydney Water, Australia’s largest water utility which supplies water to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra region.

    From the publicly available data for the January to March 2025 quarter for the Illawarra region, these were the average water quality results:

    • pH was slightly alkaline
    • total dissolved solids were low enough to avoid causing scaling in pipes or appliances
    • fluoride content was appropriate to improve dental health, and
    • it was “soft” water with a total hardness value below 40mg of calcium carbonate per litre.

    The water contained trace amounts of metals such as iron and lead, low enough magnesium levels that it can’t be tasted, and sodium levels substantially lower than those in popular soft drinks.

    These and all other monitored quality parameters were well within the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines during that period. If you were to make tea with this water, re-boiling would not cause a health problem. Here’s why.

    It’s difficult to concentrate such low levels of chemicals

    To concentrate substances in the water, you’d need to evaporate some of the liquid while the chemicals stay behind. Water evaporates at any temperature, but the vast majority of evaporation happens at the boiling point – when water turns into steam.

    During boiling, some volatile organic compounds might escape into the air, but the amount of the inorganic compounds (such as metals and salts) remains unchanged.

    While the concentration of inorganic compounds might increase as drinking water evaporates when boiled, evidence shows it doesn’t happen to such an extent that it would be hazardous.

    Let’s say you boil one litre of tap water in a kettle in the morning, and your tap water has a fluoride content of 1mg per litre, which is within the limits of Australian guidelines.

    You make a cup of tea taking 200ml of the boiled water. You then make another cup of tea in the afternoon by re-boiling the remaining water.

    On both occasions, if heating was stopped soon after boiling started, the loss of water by evaporation would be small, and the fluoride content in each cup of tea would be similar.

    But let’s assume that when making the second cup, you let the water keep boiling until 100ml of what’s in the kettle evaporates. Even then, the amount of fluoride you would consume with the second cup (0.23mg) would not be significantly higher than the fluoride you consumed with the first cup of tea (0.20mg).

    The same applies to any other minerals or organics the supplied water may have contained. Let’s take lead: the water supplied in the Illawarra region as mentioned above, had a lead concentration of less than 0.0001mg per litre. To reach an unsafe lead concentration (0.01mg per litre, according to Australian guidelines) in a cup of water, you’d need to boil down roughly 20 litres of tap water to just that cup of 200ml.

    Practically that is unlikely to happen – most electric kettles are designed to boil briefly before automatically shutting off. As long as the water you’re using is within the guidelines for drinking water, you can’t really concentrate it to harmful levels within your kettle.

    But what about taste?

    Whether re-boiled water actually affects the taste of your drinks will depend entirely on the specifics of your local water supply and your personal preferences.

    The slight change in mineral concentration, or the loss of dissolved oxygen from water during boiling may affect the taste for some people – although there are a lot of other factors that contribute to the taste of your tap water.

    The bottom line is that as long as the water in your kettle was originally compliant with guidelines for safe drinking water, it will remain safe and potable even after repeated boiling.

    Faisal Hai 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. Is it okay to boil water more than once, or should you empty the kettle every time? – https://theconversation.com/is-it-okay-to-boil-water-more-than-once-or-should-you-empty-the-kettle-every-time-260293

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  • MIL-OSI USA: July 17th, 2025 Heinrich Leads Legislation to Protect Dreamers’ Data, Prevent DHS from Referring Dreamers to ICE & CBP

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led the introduction of the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act, legislation to provide a statutory guarantee to current and prospective Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program applicants, also known as Dreamers, that the private information they provide in their applications will not be weaponized against them as the Trump Administration increases information sharing to advance their draconian mass deportation agenda.

    Last month, the Trump Administration gave Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personal data, including immigration status, on millions of Medicaid enrollees and announced it would require some undocumented immigrants to register with DHS. The Administration also finalized an agreement giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to taxpayer data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, the Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recently gained access to key immigration databases, including the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) Courts and Appeals System (ECAS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Data Business Intelligence Services, which contains information on noncitizens who have applied for DACA, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Unaccompanied Alien Children portal.

    The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act will prohibit the DHS Secretary from disclosing information included in an individual’s application for the DACA program to law enforcement agencies, including ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), for any purpose other than the implementation of the DACA program, with limited exceptions.

    “Dreamers in New Mexico and across the country are frontline health care workers, teachers, firefighters, police officers, and scientists. These inspiring young people are Americans in every sense of the word except on paper, and they want nothing more than to be productive members of their communities. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration doesn’t care about any of that and is indiscriminately sharing the private information of Dreamers. We need to ensure that Dreamers’ private information is not weaponized against them and is protected — full stop,” said Heinrich. “That’s why, for years, I’ve championed the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act to safeguard Dreamers’ DACA application information and provide DACA applicants with a sense of security as they continue on their paths to citizenship. I call on Congress to quickly take up and pass my legislation to make sure Dreamers are able to stay in school, keep working and contribute to our economy, and remain in their homes and neighborhoods.”

    Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA, contributing an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and paying $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    In 2021, a federal district court judge paused the DACA program and prevented USCIS from approving any new DACA applications. Since then, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications and more than 100,000 initial DACA applications are currently pending. Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision limiting that 2021 injunction to just Texas, allowing USCIS to begin processing those pending applications from the other 49 states. However, USCIS has not done so, nor have they provided the public with a timeline for when those applications will begin to be processed. And many individuals who could be eligible for DACA fear that applying for the protections afforded by DACA will allow the Trump Administration to weaponize the information they provide against them or their family members.

    The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act sends a clear message of support to the hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients and prospective applicants. Increased protections for their personal information are essential to make sure that they are not unfairly targeted for immigration enforcement and ensure that they can utilize the DACA program and continue to contribute to our communities in New Mexico and across the country without the fear of retribution.

    Specifically, the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act will:

    • Direct the DHS Secretary to protect the information included in an individual’s application to the DACA program from disclosure to ICE, CBP, and any other law enforcement agency for any purpose other than the implementation of the DACA program;
    • Prohibit the DHS Secretary from referring anyone with deferred enforcement protections pursuant to the DACA program to ICE, CBP, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and any other law enforcement agency; and
    • Provide limited exceptions for when an individual’s application information may be shared with national security and law enforcement agencies, namely:
      • To identify or prevent fraudulent claims;
      • For particularized national security concerns; and
      • For the investigation or prosecution of a felony, provided that the felony in question is not related to the applicant’s immigration status.

    The legislation is led by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D- Hawaii), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

    A one-page summary of the bill is here.

    The text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Jackson Wang on ‘MagicMan 2’: A decade of stardom, a journey to self

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

    .

    Chinese superstar Jackson Wang is offering fans an unprecedented look into his personal journey with his newest album, “MagicMan 2,” which features raw and unfiltered reflections on his life, revealing a deeply human side of the artist.

    Jackson Wang and a China.org.cn reporter sit down for an interview in Shanghai, June 28, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    In an exclusive interview with China.org.cn, Wang peeled back the layers of his meticulously crafted persona, explaining how the album — a follow-up to his first physical solo release “MagicMan” (2022) — was born from a year of introspection, diary entries and hard-won self-acceptance.

    “For 10 years, just being on the road always with back-to-back schedules, I felt like I didn’t even have time to really think,” said Wang, who debuted at age 19 as a member of K-pop boy band GOT7. “I missed out a lot in my 20s.”

    Wang said he realized he needed to slow down and understand his life’s purpose. He described questioning whether he was living authentically or simply conforming to public expectations — a crisis that drove his latest artistic work.

    The 11-track album, due for release on July 18, is divided into four sections: “Manic Highs,” “Losing Control,” “Realizations” and “Acceptance.” The songs chronicle Wang’s experience with fame’s highs and lows, using lyrics taken from personal journals he kept during a year-long break.

    A promotional image shows Jackson Wang and his fictional MagicMan alter ego. The image serves as the single cover art for Wang’s “Hate to Love.” [Photo courtesy of Team Wang Records]

    Four singles have been released already ahead of the album’s full debut. The lead single “High Alone” hit No. 1 on Apple Music in 22 countries and regions. Follow-up track “GBAD” has over 32.5 million YouTube views, while “Buck,” featuring Indian actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, has attracted more than 8.7 million views. The fourth single, “Hate to Love,” reached No. 34 on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart and has over 16.3 million YouTube views.

    Despite their commercial success, the tracks explore darker themes including fame’s pressures, betrayal and personal struggles. “High Alone” deals with betrayal and emotional exhaustion, with its music video showing Wang’s alter ego, MagicMan, trapped in a water tank, watched by callous onlookers. In “Hate to Love,” Wang sings: “Wish I could still trust you, trust you. It’s funny how people can be selfish. I give it all, give it all, give it all. But you still want more.”

    Yet “MagicMan 2” isn’t just about pain — it’s about perspective. At 31, Wang reflects on life’s complexities with hard-earned wisdom. “The main point of this album is talking about what’s good without the bad, and what’s bad without the good, right?” Wang said. “You need to feel what’s bad to know that something is actually good.”

    The vinyl version of “MagicMan 2” is set for release on July 18, 2025. [Image courtesy of Team Wang Records]

    Speaking to a China.org.cn reporter before attending the BazaarGala red carpet in Shanghai, a self-assured and energized Wang said the album documents past struggles rather than current ones. He described music as healing him from severe depression. “Whatever I wrote about, that’s in the past. I’ve recovered. I moved on with it. But my album is about capturing all those highlights of what happened — the journey of dealing with emotions in life.”

    Among the album’s most personal moments is a song titled “Sophie Ricky,” which addresses Wang’s family. During his period of reflection, Wang said he gained clarity about his parents’ sacrifices. “We’re born into this world thinking that our parents will figure everything out,” he said. “It took time for us as we mature to realize, our parents were just like us.”

    He described parenthood as a universal cycle: “It feels like, to me, we’re on the same street, but they’re just further ahead. Eventually, in the future, it’s the same thing that might happen — my kids are gonna tell me too.”

    The album reveals a more vulnerable side of the global star, moving away from the polished image that has defined his career.

    Though Wang performed to enthusiastic crowds at the Head in the Clouds Festival 2025 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in early June, he expressed uncertainty about upcoming concerts. “I would do a concert, but we’ll see. If the album’s doing good, then obviously I’ll have a concert. But people need to come and watch, right? If there’s no one coming to watch, then I can just perform at home.”

    Jackson Wang greets China.org.cn audiences during an interview in Shanghai, June 28, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    Wang said “MagicMan 2” represents more than just an album. “A lot of stuff, no matter if it’s good or bad, that happened to a person, it made who you are today,” he said. “Everyone needs to go through their version of MagicMan to get through life. That is what I want to tell my audience. That’s it.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Antitrust lawyer: China provides positive factors for global supply chains

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

    Renowned antitrust lawyer Bai Yong said Wednesday at the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing that China has strengthened global supply chains amid rising worldwide protectionism, serving as an outstanding model to the world’s economies.

    Renowned antitrust lawyer Bai Yong speaks at an event during the 3rd CISCE in Beijing on July 16, 2025. [Photo courtesy of CISCE]

    “I believe the Chinese government has delivered exceptional performance in recent years, providing positive contributions to global supply chain stability and security,” said Bai, a partner at international law firm Clifford Chance and head of antitrust for Greater China. “Personally, I find it remarkable that while China was relatively closed 40 years ago when the world was more open. Through decades of development, China has become increasingly open. Meanwhile, we observe many countries outside China, including those in Europe and America, becoming more closed with rising protectionism.”

    Bai said that years ago, the Chinese government co-launched international initiatives on industrial and supply chain resilience with Indonesia and other nations, while actively advancing these agendas across BRICS, G20, and other platforms. The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) has facilitated over 2,200 business delegations in their visits to more than 100 countries in 2024, aiming to improve international cooperation. CCPIT is also continuing to host the CISCE in its third year, and the platform is demonstrating a growing influence.

    “China’s approach both encourages domestic enterprises’ global expansion and welcomes foreign investment, establishing an exemplary model for international economic cooperation,” he said.

    Bai said the fundamental purpose of antitrust law is to protect competition. “Competition drives enterprises to improve quality, reduce prices, foster innovation and enhance product diversity, ultimately expanding consumer choice,” he said. “This process strengthens supply chain diversity, stability and resilience. Fair competition constitutes the essential foundation for supply chain stability.”

    But the antitrust expert has observed that overseas, particularly as Chinese companies expand globally, many European and American governments have incorporated geopolitical and protectionist considerations into their antitrust enforcement.

    “For example, they dismiss Chinese companies’ efficiency and innovation, attributing their competitive advantage solely to subsidies,” Bai said. “In reality, all governments provide subsidies, and all companies receive them – so why should Chinese companies face particularly harsh, unfair, and discriminatory treatment? This reflects the inequitable approach to Chinese firms in foreign antitrust enforcement. Such practices dampen investment confidence by creating uncertainty, ultimately undermining supply chain stability and security.”

    He continued, “Many governments in the world should reflect on this issue. When a government abandons fair market principles for protectionist enforcement, it directly jeopardizes global supply chain stability and security.”

    Bai suggested that the essence of today’s globalization lies in restructuring global supply chains. He expressed hope that the Chinese government and businesses would continue to play, and expand, their pivotal role as stabilizing forces in maintaining globalization and ensuring the security and stability of global industrial chains.

    “From a corporate perspective, businesses worldwide – especially Chinese companies – should proactively engage in developing and restructuring global supply chains to strengthen international competitiveness,” he said. “We encourage Chinese enterprises with overseas operations to communicate China’s story effectively to foreign regulators, helping dispel misunderstandings. Chinese companies must also maintain strategic vigilance by expanding their global industrial chain role and competitiveness, ensuring sustained advantages through international cooperation and broader global operations.”

    The third CISCE, hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, opened Wednesday in Beijing and runs through Sunday. As the world’s first national-level expo focused on supply chains, it has become a key platform for international business cooperation and shared development.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – Experts urge fix as Government expands failing lunch scheme to primary schools

    Source: Health Coalition Aotearoa

    Underprivileged primary school children are about to suffer the same poor service as their intermediate and secondary school peers, with the Government’s announcement today that primary schools are transitioning to the cut price, revised Ka Ora Ka Ako – Healthy School Lunches programme.
    The revised version of the school lunch programme, rolled out to secondary and full primary schools in January 2025, saw the Government partner with national consortium the School Lunch Collective to achieve drastic reductions in the programme cost. The new version of the programme is being plagued by a multitude of problems, including delivery of unsafe and unpalatable food, massive wastage of uneaten meals and packaging, and the nutritional quality of the lunches plummeting.
    Nutrition experts found the government-funded school lunches are failing nutrition standards. The new lunches now provide only about half the energy recommended for a school lunch. Despite all providers being contractually obliged to meet the Ministry of Education’s Nutrition Standards, none of the 13 meals provided by School Lunch Collective that were examined by nutrition experts met them. This means the lunches are no longer healthy – despite the programme being named the Healthy School Lunches programme.
    This is hardly surprising, given the School Lunch Collective members, Libelle and Compass, were failing to consistently deliver good quality lunches under the previous funding model, when they were receiving nearly three times the funding per lunch.
    “It’s not a cost saving if it’s not delivering the nutrition our most disadvantaged children need to succeed at school. Under the previous model, schools could choose how they provided lunches to their tamariki, with many walking away from Compass and Libelle to either do it themselves or work with local community businesses. Tamariki got better food for less cost. Our growing teenagers are now getting less to eat and being told to be grateful for it”, says Professor Lisa Te Morenga, Health Coalition co-chair and Massey University researcher.
    “This Government has prioritised productivity, but hungry, undernourished children cannot learn effectively nor be productive. More than a quarter of children in Aotearoa face poverty and food insecurity – this programme is designed to help those kids. These children are our future workforce; we need to invest in them”, says Professor Te Morenga.
    “I’m extremely angry and disappointed this government continues to ignore our voices and our evidence of the success of locally provided lunches. Instead, they want to remove what’s working to save a few dollars – at the expense of our tamariki. We need to be investing in our tamariki and their future, says Seletute Mila, Tumuaki/Principal of Arakura School.
    “The changes to Ka Ora, Ka Ako have set back the progress schools were making in helping New Zealand’s disadvantaged children. The programme must be fixed now- by being appropriately valued for the potential it has to lift our most disadvantaged children out of poverty and to lead healthy, productive lives. This benefits us all. We are calling for this current mean and draconian model to be abandoned. Raise the funding and give communities the flexibility to provide the best nutritious food they can for their tamariki,” says Professor Te Morenga.
    More information
    Reports from schools across Aotearoa reveal serious failures in the revised programme, including:
    • Waste and inefficiency: Unappealing meals are going uneaten, and previous systems to redistribute food to students or charities are no longer happening.
    • Excess rubbish: The new system generates more landfill waste than before.
    • Poor nutrition: The lack of fruit likely means lower fibre intake.
    • Lack of transparency: Schools and families don’t know the actual nutritional value of meals.
    • Halal concerns: No clear process ensures meals meet halal dietary needs.
    • Late or missing deliveries: Many schools report meals not arriving on time.
    • Repetitive and insufficient portions: Meals lack variety and are often too small.
    • No direct communication: Schools can no longer work directly with suppliers.
    • No student feedback: Tamariki have no way to voice concerns about their meals. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Granting of Overseas Clearing and Settlement Facility Licence to Clearstream Banking S.A.

    Source: Airservices Australia

    Granting of Overseas Clearing and Settlement Facility Licence to Clearstream Banking S.A.

    The RBA welcomes ASIC’s decision to grant Clearstream Banking S.A. (Clearstream) a clearing and settlement facility licence.

    Clearstream plays an important part in the Australian debt securities market. It is important the RBA and ASIC, as co-regulators of clearing and settlement facilities operating in Australia, are able to have sufficient oversight of such facilities. The licence granted by ASIC will support this oversight.

    The RBA has completed an initial licensing assessment of Clearstream against the relevant obligations under Part 7.3 of the Corporations Act 2001. The RBA and ASIC have also entered into a memorandum of understanding with Clearstream’s home regulators, Banque centrale du Luxembourg and the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. The RBA will rely on the supervision of Clearstream’s home regulators, where appropriate, consistent with the Reserve Bank’s Approach to Supervising and Assessing Clearing and Settlement Facility Licensees.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Photo & Video Chronology — July 17, 2025 — UAS mission at Kīlauea summit

    Source: US Geological Survey

    This near-vertical view into the north vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater was captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) flight on July 17, 2025. The aircraft was about 150 m (500 ft) above the vent, with north oriented to the upper left in this view. No incandescence or lava was visible within the vent. These UAS flights were conducted with the permission of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, owing to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s mission to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, assess their hazards, issue warnings, and advance scientific understanding to reduce the impacts of eruptions. Unauthorized launching, landing, or operating of a UAS from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service is prohibited under 36 CFR Closures & Public Use. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

    Crater Rim Drive within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park was damaged during the earthquakes and collapse events in 2018. Tephra has been deposited parts of the damaged road during recent lava fountaining episodes in Halemaʻumaʻu, underscoring the hazardous nature of this area that has remained closed to the public since 2008. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Durbin, Welch, Colleagues Condemn DOJ’s Baseless Voter Fraud Investigations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Durbin, Welch, Colleagues Condemn DOJ’s Baseless Voter Fraud Investigations

    On John Lewis National Day of Action, Senators request access to Civil Rights Division Memo that changes mission statement to investigating voter fraud

    Senators: “Taken together, the Department is clearly pursuing an anti-voter, partisan agenda aligned with 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, on John Lewis National Day of Action, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led 13 Senators in raising the alarm on the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division’s policy shift to focus on unsubstantiated voter fraud investigations. The Senators pushed Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to share the recent staff memorandum reportedly changing the mission statement of the Civil Rights Division Voting Section away from defending voting rights. The Department of Justice has repeatedly refused Ranking Member Padilla’s oversight requests to access this memo.

    The letter comes as the DOJ’s Voting Section made a sweeping request asking Colorado to provide all 2024 federal election records and maintain any remaining 2020 election records, in addition to seeking voter rolls from at least nine other states. The Voting Section is also pursuing cases in Arizona, Wisconsin, and North Carolina based on baseless claims of election irregularities or fraud. They also criticized the Voting Section for abandoning efforts to protect voting rights, including dropping its lawsuit challenging Georgia’s Senate Bill 202, withdrawing its claims in redistricting cases in Texas, and revoking its requests to orally argue before the Supreme Court for Louisiana redistricting cases.

    “We write out of grave concern for the reported changes to the mission and work of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, which appear to redirect the Section’s focus towards the extremely rare instances of voter fraud and noncitizen voting. Since its creation by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Division has been charged with enforcing the civil and criminal provisions of federal laws that protect the civil rights of Americans, including the right to vote,” wrote the Senators.

    “Taken together, the Department is clearly pursuing an anti-voter, partisan agenda aligned with 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists. We urge you to change course and take a nonpartisan approach to protecting voters’ rights that is grounded in facts and the law, not unfounded speculation and conspiracy theories,” continued the Senators.

    The Senators also expressed concern about the reduction of lawyers in the Voting Section as well as the appointment of Acting Chief Maureen Riordan, a former line attorney in the Section, who has been associated with election skeptics and worked for the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a leading anti-voting legal group. Riordan has appeared on “Stop the Steal” architect Cleta Mitchell’s podcast and made accusations of political bias in the Voting Section, while voicing her disagreement with the Section’s pursuit of cases aimed at protecting voting rights and access to the ballot box for racial minorities.

    Additionally, they highlighted the DOJ’s attacks against election officials, wasting limited resources to examine how existing laws could be used to criminally charge state and local election officials.

    “This clear attempt to intimidate these hardworking individuals, whose work holds up our democracy will not go unchallenged,” added the Senators. “The Department must abandon this effort and instead focus on working on actual problems facing election officials, which includes protecting these officials from the ongoing threats and harassment.”

    In addition to Senators Padilla, Durbin, and Welch, the letter was also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Earlier this year, Padilla and his Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee colleagues demanded answers from the DOJ concerning the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Senators separately called for Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, to immediately hold an oversight hearing with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco-based lawyer leading the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, on its politicization. During her Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing in February, Senator Padilla criticized Dhillon for her alarming track record of restricting the right to vote, spreading disinformation about the 2020 election, and perpetuating discriminatory laws.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Assistant Attorney General Dhillon:

    We write out of grave concern for the reported changes to the mission and work of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, which appear to redirect the Section’s focus towards the extremely rare instances of voter fraud and noncitizen voting. Since its creation by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Division has been charged with enforcing the civil and criminal provisions of federal laws that protect the civil rights of Americans, including the right to vote.

    To start, we are unable to fully understand the Section’s work as the Department has repeatedly refused requests for the memorandum you sent to employees of the Civil Rights Division—which was reported by the Associated Press in May 2025—highlighting the new mission statement for the Voting Section. This refusal to cooperate with such a simple and specific congressional information request is alarming, and we once again renew our request for basic transparency to review this document and confirm these reports are accurate.

    We are particularly concerned about the Voting Section’s unprecedented and intrusive request for significant amounts of election data from the state of Colorado. This overly broad and burdensome request appears to have limited justification and raises alarming questions regarding what the Department intends to do with this information, and which states are next to be targeted. This initial request demands a full, public explanation and exacerbates ongoing concerns about the sharing and misuse of voter data by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.

    Public reporting and court filings also indicate that the Voting Section is down to a small number of attorneys and that Maureen Riordan—who previously worked for an anti-voting rights group and has associated with individuals who perpetuated falsehoods around the 2020 election, has been appointed as Acting Chief. This raises questions about whether the Section has abandoned its longstanding mission to conduct meaningful voter protection work and will instead act to perpetuate the myth of widespread voter fraud.

    Ms. Riordan’s documented disregard for established legal precedent in the voting rights context is troubling and should disqualify her from leading the Section. For instance, Ms. Riordan recently appeared on election-denier Cleta Mitchell’s podcast and expressed disapproval of the Department’s previous challenges to racial discrimination in the electoral process. Ms. Riordan also joined Ms. Mitchell in spreading false claims of widespread voting by noncitizens and criticizing as negligent states’ voter roll maintenance, among other inflammatory comments. 

    With the significant changes occurring at the Department, we are paying close attention to the Division’s work and are alarmed at how the Section is now using its limited resources. In addition to the recent action in Colorado, the Voting Section is pursuing alleged infractions about proper semantics of “and/or” language on Arizona’s voter registration form, and the Section is requesting that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission withhold any future election security funding for the Wisconsin Elections Commission based on alleged violations of federal elections laws. The Voting Section is also attempting to pursue a partisan agenda by suing the North Carolina State Board of Elections over the same baseless voter registration claim that was at issue in the Republican challenger’s failed attempt to nullify election results to regain a seat on North Carolina’s Supreme Court.

    Recent reporting also indicates the Department is using its limited resources to determine how existing laws could be used against state and local election officials to charge them criminally as they administer elections. This clear attempt to intimidate these hardworking individuals, whose work holds up our democracy will not go unchallenged. The Department must abandon this effort and instead focus on working on actual problems facing election officials, which includes protecting these officials from the ongoing threats and harassment.

    As its priorities shift, the Department is also withdrawing from cases that it has been engaged in for years that are meant to protect the right to vote, including dropping its lawsuit challenging Georgia’s Senate Bill 202, dropping all its claims in several consolidated cases in Texas around redistricting, and withdrawing its requests to participate in oral arguments before the Supreme Court for consolidated cases involving redistricting in Louisiana. Through these actions, it is clear that the Department has abandoned any work protecting the voting rights of communities of color, despite its core mission to enforce the protections of the Voting Rights Act.

    Taken together, the Department is clearly pursuing an anti-voter, partisan agenda aligned with 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists. We urge you to change course and take a nonpartisan approach to protecting voters’ rights that is grounded in facts and the law, not unfounded speculation and conspiracy theories.

    We respectfully request specific responses to these concerns and your prompt response in sharing the new mission statement for the Voting Section with Congress without further delay.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: BNZ Growth Academy to help Manawatū-Whanganui businesses drive greater growth

    Source: BNZ Statements

    Nine local businesses from the Manawatū-Whanganui region are set to benefit from an expanded nationwide programme designed to help them grow faster and compete more effectively.

    BNZ is scaling up its BNZ Growth Academy programme to help businesses across Aotearoa kickstart growth as the country emerges from its deepest per-capita recession since the Global Financial Crisis.

    Delivered in partnership with growth navigation software company, D/srupt, the businesses will take part in hands-on workshops and use sophisticated AI tools to refine their strategy, enhance performance, and create new pathways for growth.

    Brian Gardner, BNZ Head of Commercial, Agri, & Business for Wellington and Top of the South, says it’s a solution to the challenge many owners face – moving from working ‘in’ their business to working ‘on’ their business.

    “As New Zealand’s largest business bank, we’ve seen time and again how successful businesses thrive when owners can step back from daily firefighting to focus on strategy,” Gardner says.

    Applicable no matter where you are in you journey

    BNZ’s local Growth Academy workshop will run on July 22. Some of the Manawatū-Whanganui businesses taking part include:

    • Air Dynamics
    • Central Environmental Limited
    • Freedom Plus Limited
    • Jones Brothers Limited
    • Law Corner
    • Roadrunner Manufacturing

    The Growth Academy has already delivered valuable learnings for Feilding based business, Advanced Accounting.

    Director Aaran McLeod attended a pilot workshop in Wellington last year and says the biggest learning he took away was the importance of ensuring your business is always sale ready – structuring things so it’s efficient, attractive and resilient, regardless of whether a sale is imminent.

    “We’re always about constant improvement, and this was another layer of refinement – further improving how we operate and make decisions.

    “The Impact Return Model stood out as a powerful framework to evaluate where to focus our efforts for the greatest return and impact. It’s something we’ve already started applying internally.”

    Asked whether he would recommend the programme to other local businesses, Aaran says, “definitely.”

    “It’s a great chance to work on the business rather than just in it. The content is applicable no matter where you are in your journey.”

    Leveraging AI

    D/srupt uses AI to make strategic planning faster and more accessible for small to medium businesses.

    “Our platform cuts through the complexity that often makes strategic planning feel overwhelming,” says D/srupt founder Debbie Humphrey.

    “We combine practical guidance with technology to help turn big picture thinking into concrete action plans you can actually implement, and what might have taken a full day can now be done in minutes. For time-poor business owners constantly juggling priorities, this means strategic planning actually happens instead of being perpetually pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.”

    The programme launched on 31 March with workshops in 16 locations from Whangārei to Invercargill, plus online options ensuring accessibility for businesses throughout New Zealand. It runs for 12 months and includes workshops reaching 1,400 businesses nationwide, access to D/srupt’s platform, funding guidance, and direct connection to BNZ’s banking expertise.

    Supporting the regions

    Gardner says the workshops are just one example of how BNZ is investing in its communities and being there for customers.

    “We recognise that regional businesses are the lifeblood of our local economies, so we have dialled up our specialist support with our small business partners and agribusiness teams available to meet customers in branch.

    “Since April this year, all our branches have been open at least five days a week, as we heard from our customers that they wanted more opportunities to talk to us face-to-face.

    “We’re also investing in branches as part of our nation-wide upgrade project to improve the branch experience for our customers. Our refurbished branch at The Plaza Palmerston North reopened at the end of May, with our Fielding branch refurbishment kicking off this week (25 July), using New Zealand suppliers and materials to support local economies.”

    The post BNZ Growth Academy to help Manawatū-Whanganui businesses drive greater growth appeared first on BNZ Debrief.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: More invitations issued to the Economic Reform Roundtable

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    Today we have issued another round of invitations to the government’s Economic Reform Roundtable.

    The Roundtable is all about building consensus on long term economic reform, with a focus on resilience, productivity and budget sustainability.

    The latest round of invitees includes expert voices on economic policy, leaders with broad industry and policy experience, and important perspectives from regulators, the public sector and the states.

    It’s an outstanding group of people who we believe will make a big contribution to the future direction of economic reform.

    They are thought leaders who have been chosen for their ability to make meaningful contributions across a broad range of areas and across each of the three days.

    More invitations will be issued for participants to attend specific sessions, as the agenda takes shape.

    While we can’t invite representatives from every industry or organisation, everyone has the chance to have their say in this process with online submissions still open.

    Roundtable invitations issued today include:

    Sue Lloyd‑Hurwitz AM, Chair, National Housing Supply and Affordability Council

    Kerry Schott, Chair, Competition Review Expert Advisory Panel

    Matt Comyn, Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Bank of Australia

    Scott Farquhar, Chair, Tech Council of Australia

    Cath Bowtell, Chair, IFM Investors

    Ben Wyatt, Board Member, Woodside, and former Treasurer of Western Australia

    Ken Henry AC, Chair, Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation

    Andrew Fraser, Chair, Australian Retirement Trust, Chancellor, Griffith University and former Treasurer of Queensland

    Allegra Spender MP, Federal Independent Member for Wentworth

    Daniel Mookhey MLC, Chair, Board of Treasurers and NSW Treasurer

    Gina Cass‑Gottlieb, Chair, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

    Steven Kennedy PSM, Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

    Jenny Wilkinson PSM, Secretary, Department of the Treasury

    Invitations issued last month:

    Danielle Wood, Chair, Productivity Commission

    Sally McManus, Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions

    Michele O’Neil, President, Australian Council of Trade Unions

    Liam O’Brien*, Assistant Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions

    Joseph Mitchell*, Assistant Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions

    Bran Black, Chief Executive Officer, Business Council of Australia

    Andrew McKellar, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

    Innes Willox, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Industry Group

    Matthew Addison, Chair, Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia

    Cassandra Goldie, Australian Council of Social Service

    Ted O’Brien, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Treasurer

    *These participants will attend as alternates for the Secretary and President of the ACTU.

    Biographies

    Sue Lloyd‑Hurwitz AM

    Sue is the Chair of National Housing Supply and Affordability Council; a non‑executive director of Rio Tinto, Macquarie Group and INSEAD; and a Fellow of the University of Sydney Senate. Previously, Sue was CEO and Managing Director of Mirvac and President of Chief Executive Women.

    Dr Kerry Schott AO

    Kerry is a Director of AGL, Chair of the Carbon Market Institute and Chair of the Competition Review Expert Advisory Panel. Recently, she was Chair of the New South Wales Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board, Chair of the Advisory Board to EnergyCo NSW, and an Adviser to Aware Super. Kerry brings extensive experience in transport, infrastructure and energy, across both business and government sectors.

    Matt Comyn

    Matt is the CEO and Managing Director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Matt has over 25 years of experience in the banking sector, including as Managing Director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s biggest digital business, CommSec, and brings extensive experience in digital adoption.

    Scott Farquhar

    Scott is the Co‑Founder of Atlassian, one of the world’s leading software collaboration companies and Australia’s first tech unicorn. Scott is a Founding Member and Chair of the Tech Council of Australia and is also the Co‑Founder of Skip Capital, a private fund investing in exceptional tech and infrastructure entrepreneurs.

    Cath Bowtell

    Cath is the Chair of IFM Investors, Industry Super Holdings and is a Director of Industry Fund Services. Cath has worked for many years in senior roles in both the superannuation industry and union movement. Cath is also currently the Chair of the Jobs and Skills Australia Ministerial Advisory Board.

    The Hon Ben Wyatt

    Ben is a former Treasurer of Western Australia and holds a number of current board positions, including for Woodside. Ben held a number of ministerial positions in WA and became the first Indigenous treasurer of an Australian parliament. Ben brings extensive knowledge of public policy, finance, international trade and Indigenous affairs.

    Dr Ken Henry AC

    Ken is an Australian economist and former public servant, including as Secretary of the Department of the Treasury from 2001 to 2011. Ken has held numerous positions in both government and the private sector, and is currently Chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, the Nature Finance Council, and Wildlife Recovery Australia.

    The Hon Andrew Fraser

    Andrew is the Chair of the Australian Retirement Trust, Chancellor of Griffith University and a Director of the Bank of Queensland. He also works in the charity sector, where he serves as the Chair of Orange Sky Australia. Andrew is a former Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland, and brings broad experience across the private and public sectors, and the charitable and education sectors.

    Allegra Spender MP

    Allegra is the Federal Independent Member for Wentworth. Prior to entering Parliament, Allegra worked as a business analyst at McKinsey, a policy analyst with UK Treasury and was later the Managing Director at Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd. Allegra was also previously the Chair of the Sydney Renewable Power Company, and CEO of the Australian Business and Community Network.

    The Hon Daniel Moohkey MLC

    Daniel is NSW Treasurer and the current Chair of the Board of Treasurers. Daniel has been a member of the NSW Legislative Council for over ten years and has delivered three Budgets in his over two years as the Treasurer of NSW.

    Gina Cass‑Gottlieb

    Gina is Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Gina has over 30 years’ experience advising on merger, competition and regulatory matters in Australia and New Zealand. Gina brings broad and deep experience on consumer and competition issues across the economy.

    Dr Steven Kennedy PSM

    Steven is Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and was previously Secretary to the Treasury. Prior to this, Steven was Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development between September 2017 and August 2019. In a public service career spanning more than 30 years, Steven has held a series of other senior positions.

    Jenny Wilkinson PSM

    Jenny Wilkinson commenced as Secretary to the Australian Treasury in June 2025, becoming the first woman to hold this position in its 124‑year history. Jenny was previously Secretary of the Department of Finance. During her career, Jenny has held other senior positions in Commonwealth Treasury, the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Department of Industry, the Department of Climate Change, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S., the Philippines Conduct Maritime Cooperative Activity

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SOUTH CHINA SEA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the U.S. Navy, conducted a bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, demonstrating a collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, July 16.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: As Republicans Gut Medicaid Funding for Planned Parenthood, Sen. Markey, Rep. Fletcher Host Spotlight Hearing on Republican Attacks on Birth Control Access

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Watch: Senator Markey hosts spotlight hearing on birth control access in the Post-Roe Era

    Washington (July 17, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Primary Health & Retirement Security, and Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) held a hearing yesterday titled “A Right at Risk: Protecting the Right to Contraception and Reproductive Freedom in the Post-Roe Era” to spotlight how Republican attacks on birth control access threaten reproductive freedom nationwide. Earlier this month, Republicans cut millions in Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in their so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Trump signed into law.

    “As Republicans pursue their agenda of unprecedented cuts to our health programs, banning funding for Planned Parenthood and ripping health care away from millions of Americans, the threat to the right to contraception is no longer hypothetical—it is real, and it is here,” said Senator Markey. “We must meet this moment with the urgency it deserves. We must pass the Right to Contraception Act and guarantee that reproductive freedom does not depend on where you live or who is in power in your statehouse. We cannot allow MAGA extremists to roll back decades of progress. And we will not stop until the right to contraception and reproductive freedom is protected—for everyone, everywhere.”

    “As Republicans wage unprecedented and unconstitutional attacks on Americans’ health care, it is important for us to hear from those on the frontlines of the fight for reproductive freedom,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “Millions of Americans rely on contraception of all kinds to plan their families and their lives, and ninety percent of Americans support access to all forms of birth control. I am grateful to Senator Markey for joining me in hosting today’s hearing to bring this important issue to light. As a representative from a state intent on taking away our right and our access to quality, affordable reproductive health care, I will continue to do everything I can to protect the health, privacy, dignity, and autonomy of women and families across our country.”

    Senator Markey and Representative Fletcher were joined by several reproductive rights experts and advocates who delivered testimony on how Republican attacks on birth control access harm communities across the country.

    “Across the country—and in my home state of Indiana—birth control is being targeted through misinformation and ideology that are completely disconnected from science and clinical reality. These attacks are not about patient safety or public health. They are about control and because of the broad popularity of contraception, they are designed to be less noticeable,” said Dr. Tracey Wilkinson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine. Read Dr. Tracey Wilkinson’s testimony here.

    “Access to contraception is essential to sexual and reproductive healthcare and gender equity. Contraception is not merely a matter of personal choice; it is healthcare, and access to this healthcare has a large and positive impact on maternal and infant health outcomes, economic stability, and prosperous, safe communities. Nonetheless, the advances we have made in a ‘purple’ state like Virginia are clearly precarious,” said Tarina Keene, executive director of REPRO Rising Virginia. “And—if a state like Virginia can’t rely on its own government to protect and advance its right to contraception, then surely other state governments, ones that are more openly attacking reproductive rights, cannot be expected to do the same.” Read Tarina Keene’s testimony here.

    “Jane’s Due Process has helped young Texans access reproductive healthcare for almost 25 years. Texas has required parental involvement for access to prescriptive birth control for young people under 18 since 1998, and in 2022, a federal judge determined that Title X federal family planning providers could no longer provide prescriptive birth control to Texas teens without parental consent despite decades of protected federal provision. We hear every day from young people negatively impacted by these barriers. We believe that everyone, including young people, deserve the right to self-determination, and full access to the complete spectrum of family planning options, including birth control, is a big part of ensuring that right. We need to protect and expand young people’s access to contraception so that they can make the decisions for their own futures that are right for them,” said Lucie Arvallo, Executive Director, Jane’s Due Process. Read Lucie Arvallo’s testimony here.

    “Contraception is a key component of reproductive health care. The decision about whether, when, or how to become a parent is one of the most important life decisions we make. For the past sixty years, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England has touched the lives of more than a million people in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, including for birth control services. We are an integral part of the health care system and proudly provide the highest quality, nonjudgmental care to all who walk through our doors. Patients count on us. The reality is that in rural states like ours, you’d be hard pressed to find someone whose life hasn’t been touched by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England,” said Nicole Clegg, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. “That’s why the attacks targeting Planned Parenthood are so dangerous. The harm caused when we are forced to leave a community is well documented. People’s health is jeopardized. They go without care. Cancers are left undetected. Unintended pregnancy rates rise, and pregnancy outcomes worsen. Birth control is essential health care. No one wants politicians and judges involved in their medical decisions. People want to be able to see their trusted provider, get medically accurate information, and have peace of mind. Thank you to our champions in Congress for shining a light on the devastating outcomes of the attacks on birth control and the providers who make access possible.” Read Nicole Clegg’s testimony here.

    “Contraception is essential health care — and a vital tool that allows people to decide if, when, and how to grow their families,” said Taylor St. Germain, Deputy Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “When it came to Roe, we waited too long to act, and that delay cost us dearly. We can’t make that same mistake again. I’m grateful to Senator Markey and Representative Fletcher for bringing us together for this critical, timely hearing to protect our care and defend our right to contraception at the federal level before it’s too late.” Read Taylor St. Germain’s testimony here.

    In February 2025, Senator Markey reintroduced the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would create a statutory right to obtain and use contraceptives and ensure health care providers have a right to provide contraceptives, contraception, and share information about this essential care.

    In September 2024, Senator Markey joined Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in support of the Right to IVF Act, legislation that would establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology, as well as lower the costs of IVF treatment for the millions of families who need it to have their children. In October 2023, Senator Markey, alongside with other Democratic Senators urged the Biden administration to require insurers to fully cover over-the-counter birth control, with no out-of-pocket costs or prescription barrier.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Granting of Overseas Clearing and Settlement Facility Licence to Clearstream Banking S.A.

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    Granting of Overseas Clearing and Settlement Facility Licence to Clearstream Banking S.A.

    The RBA welcomes ASIC’s decision to grant Clearstream Banking S.A. (Clearstream) a clearing and settlement facility licence.

    Clearstream plays an important part in the Australian debt securities market. It is important the RBA and ASIC, as co-regulators of clearing and settlement facilities operating in Australia, are able to have sufficient oversight of such facilities. The licence granted by ASIC will support this oversight.

    The RBA has completed an initial licensing assessment of Clearstream against the relevant obligations under Part 7.3 of the Corporations Act 2001. The RBA and ASIC have also entered into a memorandum of understanding with Clearstream’s home regulators, Banque centrale du Luxembourg and the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. The RBA will rely on the supervision of Clearstream’s home regulators, where appropriate, consistent with the Reserve Bank’s Approach to Supervising and Assessing Clearing and Settlement Facility Licensees.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Underslip closes one lane in Waimana Gorge

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    Following wet weather earlier this month, an underslip has deteriorated on State Highway 2 (SH2)  through the Waimana Gorge, approximately 4.3km southeast of Tāneatua, reducing the road to one lane.

    NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) appreciates this is a key freight route between Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki and is working on a solution as quicky as possible.

    “The lane closure is required due to pavement cracking, which is extending around 200mm from the edge line currently, but likely to worsen when there’s more wet weather,” says NZTA’s System Manager for the Bay of Plenty, Sandra King.

    “High levels through the Tauranga River following heavy rainfall has caused the underslip.  A geotech team is investigating further and their findings will inform our remediation plan.

    “The road is currently under 24 hour traffic management, but traffic lights will be installed soon,” Ms King says.

    It is possible that the road will need to be fully closed at times to complete repairs. NZTA will keep the public informed as more is known.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: High-seas rescue results in three people being safely plucked from a life raft after abandoning their vessel hundreds of nautical miles north of New Zealand

    Source: Maritime New Zealand

    Three people are now safely on-board a merchant ship, after the launch they were in suffered mechanical issues and had to be abandoned.

    At about 2.30 PM, 17 July Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre was notified that the launch had encountered trouble south of the Kermadec Islands, it was enroute to Tonga from New Zealand.

    The incident occurred about 350 nautical miles north-east of New Zealand.

    Shortly after a MAYDAY was declared and the crew made the decision to get into a life raft, abandoning their vessel.

    Search and Rescue Officer at RCCNZ Taylor Monaghan, says this was a high stakes search and rescue operation.

    “After getting their emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) coordinates following its activation, it was clear they were a long way from help.

    “A MAYDAY call was then broadcast by the Maritime Operations Centre to vessels within a 200NM area,” Taylor Monaghan says.

    It was picked up by a merchant oil tanker, the only vessel in the area, which accepted the request to help and re-routed to the location of the distress signal. While RCCNZ got in touch with the New Zealand Defence Force to request air assistance.

    “The NZDF P8 played a critical role in this rescue.

    “It was able to get quickly to the life raft and assist with giving directions and support to the master of the merchant vessel.

    “This was done at night, in trying conditions as well,” Taylor Monaghan says.

     When abandoning their launch for the life raft, the crew ensured they took the necessary survival equipment.

    “They took life jackets, a grab bag and other essential supplies. They gave themselves the best chance of survival, Taylor Monaghan says.

    Six hours after the initial request for assistance, the NZDF P8 arrived on scene, its crew monitored the life raft and coordinated with the merchant oil tanker that was steaming to render assistance.

    “In the meantime, the crew of the merchant vessel developed a rescue plan.

    “Getting on-board a large vessel on the open ocean from a life raft is not an easy task.

    “The tanker needed to use multiple ladders to have enough length to reach the life raft, as well carefully manoeuvring alongside the much smaller life raft” Taylor Monaghan says.

    At about 11 PM New Zealand time, RCCNZ was notified the crew had successfully been picked up by the merchant ship.

    RCCNZ General Manager, Justin Allan was monitored the progress of the search, and says it was a big relief when the rescue was confirmed.

    “I am immensely proud of the work of the search and rescue officers involved, as well as the crews of the NZDF P8 and the merchant oil tanker. This was a complex rescue, and very good result to get the three safely off the life raft and onto the merchant vessel,” he says.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Tech – Robotic AI Skin Announced as Finalist in Australia’s First Robotics Sprint

    Source: Robotic AI Skin

    SYDNEY, NSW – Robotic AI Skin has been selected as one of six finalists in the inaugural Propel-AIR program, Australia’s first dedicated AI and Robotics Sprint.

    Inneurva, the Sydney medtech and robotics startup behind the innovation, will now compete for the opportunity to travel to Boston and work alongside MassRobotics.

    Teaching Machines to Feel

    Inneurva is developing flexible, intelligent artificial skin that brings a sense of touch to robots through soft, sensor-rich patches that can be attached to robotic grippers, humanoid robots, or even clothing.

    “We want to give AI the intelligence of touch. With Robotic AI Skin, robots can feel what they touch and respond accordingly, whether it’s identifying a person, checking body temperature, or assessing the ripeness of fruit,” said founder Tass Paritt.

    Inneurva Founder Tass Parritt

    “The CEO of NVIDIA  Jensen Huang recently spoke about the arrival of physical AI, a new generation of artificial intelligence that doesn’t just see or hear, but actually feels the world around it. Our project is part of that movement. We are not just teaching machines to think, we’re teaching them to feel.”

    The technology captures complex tactile information including pressure, temperature, and gesture recognition, using embedded AI to interpret and respond in real time. This enables safer, more intuitive interactions between humans and machines.

    Modular Technology with Wide Applications

    The sensor patch can be applied to robotic grippers, humanoid limbs, or worn as smart fabric. It allows machines to recognise who is touching them, detect how something is touched, and learn and adapt to the meaning of those interactions.

    Applications range from healthcare robots and eldercare assistants to industrial automation and agriculture. Robots equipped with Robotic AI Skin could detect the ripeness of fruit during picking or monitor human health indicators during physical interaction.

    Strong Research Foundation 

    Robotic AI Skin is backed by foundational IP and supported through collaborations with CSIRO, University of Technology Sydney, and a UK-based university research partner. The team has received early-stage funding and support from Microsoft’s Startup Hub.

    With backing from Microsoft’s Startup Hub, the team is exploring the creation of a “tactile language model” using synthetic data, an emerging field that parallels large language models but for physical sensation.

    Commercial Pathways

    The company aims to explore multiple pathways to commercialisation including OEM partnerships with robotics manufacturers, licensing of core tactile sensing IP and AI models, and custom development for medtech and assistive robotics.

    “Touch is the missing piece in robotics. We want to make it easy to embed tactile intelligence into any device so robots can understand us better and act more safely,” Paritt said.

    The team is currently building an MVP with plans to deliver a functional prototype within six months. Through Propel-AIR, Inneurva will focus on simulation testing and refining product-market fit.

    The winner will travel to MassRobotics in Boston for a one-month residency, with access to leading robotics companies and world-class institutions like MIT and Harvard.

    About Robotic AI Skin

    Robotic AI Skin is a pioneering project from Australian medtech and robotics startup Inneurva, founded by Tass Paritt. Inneurva is developing flexible, intelligent artificial skin that brings a sense of touch to robots for safer, more intuitive human-machine interactions.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –