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Category: Asia

  • MIL-OSI China: UK sends investigation team to India after deadly plane crash: PM

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

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that an investigation team has been dispatched to India following the deadly crash of Air India flight AI171.

    In a video posted on social media platform X, Starmer said Foreign Secretary David Lammy is leading Britain’s response and that the government is working with Indian authorities to establish the facts.

    Describing the reports and images from the crash as “absolutely devastating,” Starmer assured that updates would be provided as soon as possible.

    Local media reported that Starmer is expected to chair a Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR) meeting Thursday evening to address the tragedy, a step typically taken during major national or international emergencies.

    Air India has confirmed that flight AI171, which crashed after departing from Ahmedabad Airport, was carrying 242 people. Among the passengers were 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. One British national has been confirmed as a survivor. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: US cardiovascular device market under threat from tariffs, says GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    US cardiovascular device market under threat from tariffs, says GlobalData

    Posted in Medical Devices

    US medical device companies continue to face uncertainty and instability as President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to disrupt the market. Major manufacturers are currently most concerned with supply chain interruptions and cost increases, leading to constant adjustments of company forecasts. Cardiovascular devices are especially vulnerable to the impacts of tariffs, as many of these devices are reliant upon parts from multiple countries. This could cause delays in the manufacturing and distribution of life-saving cardiovascular devices, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    Cardiovascular devices include equipment for structural heart conditions, cardiac rhythm management, and both arterial and peripheral vascular interventions. The largest markets within the cardiovascular space include devices such as pacemakers, transcatheter heart valves, electrophysiology catheters, and stents. The largest companies operating within the space include medical device giants such as Medtronic, Abbott, and Boston Scientific, and specialized manufacturers including Edwards Lifesciences and W. L. Gore.

    David Beauchamp, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Many cardiovascular device companies rely on manufacturing outside the US to address demand, especially from the US. Tariffs are likely to cause increases in material cost and disrupt long-standing supply chains. Currently, the US does not have the manufacturing capacity to adjust to possible losses that could result from the impacts of tariffs.”

    GlobalData estimates the US cardiovascular device market to be worth approximately $34.5 billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% from 2024 to 2034. Due to the impact of tariffs on cardiovascular device companies, sales and growth in the US could decrease as companies focus on other countrys’ markets or are forced to absorb the impact of tariffs on their revenue.

    Beauchamp concludes: “US tariffs on other countries, especially on major manufacturing centers in Asia, could cause cardiovascular device manufacturers to see decreased revenues and growth within the US. It remains unlikely that the US can become completely self-sufficient in producing all the components required for advanced cardiovascular medical devices. Without a more concrete and stable policy on these tariffs from the current American administration, it is likely that most manufacturers will be forced to continuously change their internal forecasts and production plans.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Philippines’ annual renewable power generation to reach 69.4TWh in 2035, forecasts GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Philippines’ annual renewable power generation to reach 69.4TWh in 2035, forecasts GlobalData

    Posted in Power

    The Department of Energy in the Philippines has established an ambitious objective of attaining 35% renewable energy generation by 2030. Furthermore, the country is on a path to install 15GW of clean energy by the same year. It has also set a target of achieving 50% renewable energy generation by 2040. Against this backdrop, annual electricity generation from renewables in the country is forecast to reach 69.4TWh in 2035, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.1% during 2024-35, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    GlobalData’s latest report, “Philippines Power Market Outlook to 2035, Update 2025 – Market Trends, Regulations, and Competitive Landscape,” reveals that in 2024, thermal power dominated the generation mix with 78%, followed by renewable power accounting for 15.6%. Large hydro and pumped storage accounted for the remaining 6.4% share. In 2035, thermal power is expected to continue to account for a 62.7% share followed by renewables and large hydro and pumped storage accounting for 33% and 4.3%, respectively.

    To realize its renewable capacities goals, the Philippines is focusing on a 75% increase in geothermal capacity, a 160% rise in hydropower capacity, an expansion of wind power to 2.3GW, and an increment of biomass power by 0.3GW, all by 2040, using 2020 as the baseline year.

    Attaurrahman Ojindaram Saibasan, Senior Power Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The Philippine government’s dedication to renewable energy is underscored by its strategic policies and collaborations designed to augment the proportion of renewables within the nation’s energy portfolio. In line with its renewable energy objectives, there have been several noteworthy developments. For example, a $15 billion agreement with UAE-based Masdar is concentrating on the advancement of solar and wind projects, as well as battery storage initiatives, with the aim of achieving 1GW of clean energy by 2030.”

    Between 2025 and 2030, a total of $26.2 billion is expected to be invested in the country’s power sector, of which solar PV is expected to account for a share of 38.8%, followed by onshore wind accounting for 19.4% share. Offshore wind power is expected to account for 17% share.

    Saibasan concludes: “The Philippines is witnessing a consistent rise in electricity demand, attributable to economic expansion, urban development, industrial growth, and the broadening of digital infrastructure. In response to this escalating need, the nation is executing a range of strategies, which include the development of infrastructure, diversification of energy sources, and the enactment of policy reforms.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lee’s visit to Canada for G7 Summit

    Source: Government of the Republic of Korea

    Foreign Affairs

    President Lee’s visit to Canada for G7 Summit

    President Lee Jae-myung will attend the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Alberta, Canada.
    Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung on June 7 told a news briefing, “President Lee has accepted his invitation to attend the G7 Summit from June 15-17 in Alberta, Canada.”

    The meeting will mark President Lee’s debut in summit diplomacy since he took office, with U.S. President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru and the leaders of the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Canada to attend.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The Foreign Secretary’s Mansion House Speech 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    The Foreign Secretary’s Mansion House Speech 2025

    The Foreign Secretary delivers his 2025 Mansion House Speech.

    My Lord Mayor, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen…

    thank you for hosting me.

    My thoughts are with all those affected by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad this morning.

    I have been in touch with Minister Jaishankar to offer my condolences…

    and the Foreign Office has stood up a crisis team to support British nationals and their families.

    Tonight, I want to speak about power.

    This is an audience which will understand that…

    because the City’s financial power scales up every innovation…

    and powers up the world economy.

    Thank you for what you do.

    I became MP for Tottenham 25 years ago.

    I’ll be honest with you…

    I didn’t feel that powerful for many of those years.

    It was a long wait to become Foreign Secretary…

    though not nearly as long as the wait for Tottenham to win a European trophy.

    Politics and supporting Spurs…

    if you stick at them…

    pay off in the end.

    I also want to thank the tens of thousands of diplomats, intelligence officers and development specialists…

    that stand up for Britain in the world.

    Together…

    we’ve tackled wars, evacuations, hurricanes, …

    and thanks to your work…

    much of it classified…

    we are all safer…

    even if your Foreign Secretary is now a little greyer…

    a little thinner…

    and, I hope, a little wiser.

    We do our work in the shadow of history.

    Coming here tonight, I think of Anthony Eden, one of the first Foreign Secretaries to speak in this tradition.

    But I do not think this is the new 1930s.

    The more compelling reference point is 1925.

    A century ago, our world was experiencing what the great historian Adam Tooze called a deluge of modernity.

    New technologies…

    new industries…

    …shifted the balance of power. 

    There is a cheap reading of the 1920s… 

    that a Second World War was inevitable.

    However, I’m not sure it was. 

    With the Locarno Treaties in 1925…

    we almost got there.

    Ultimately though, democracy failed to keep the peace.

    I look back at 1925 today…

    because 2025 is also a molten moment…

    when the earth moves.

    What we are living through is in fact a Great Remaking…

    as modernity leaps forward and reshapes geopolitics.

    In 2025, technology is power.

    Nowhere do we see this more clearly than with China…

    a great civilisation with a long history…

    but today defined as much by their technological cutting edge as anything else.

    Take DeepSeek…

    revealing Chinese AI power.

    BYD’s export boom…

    revealing Chinese battery power.

    And the Chang’e-6 moon landing…

    revealing Chinese space power.

    We cannot ignore how the West and Russia are no longer alone on the technological frontier.

    Nor can we ignore the fact that China has installed more renewables capacity than the US, EU and India combined.

    Britain will be dealing with the threats and opportunities Chinese technology poses for generations to come.

    But it is the United States…

    Britain’s closest ally….

    that is the world’s leading technological power…

    number one when it comes to biotech, AI and quantum.

    But facing such a vast challenge, it is natural the Americans will focus more on the Indo-Pacific.

    And they’ve repeatedly told us, facing Russia, we in Europe need to rely more on ourselves.

    But to quote my friend Vice-President Vance:

    “It’s completely ridiculous to think you’re ever going to be able to drive a wedge between the US and Europe.”

    I agree with J.D. Vance…

    though maybe not when it comes to his love for Diet Mountain Dew…

    I prefer a full fat Coke.

    The United States and China are doing remarkable things with new technology.

    But this is the truth about power today…

    technology is making it more diffuse.

    Power is not just in the hands of the superstates…

    nor the super-spoiler, Putin’s Russia. 

    Many powers are shaping this multipolar age.

    Since 2000, Britain has more Nobel laureates for science than China, India and Russia combined.

    South Korea makes more advanced semiconductors than China.

    The UAE has reached Mars…

    whilst Russia hasn’t been since the collapse of the USSR.

    In 1997, when my party last came to power…

    the US held the majority of the world’s top supercomputers.

    Today, barely a third.

    The cast-list of players is growing.

    When the US talks to Russia, they both head to Riyadh…

    when they talk to China, they both come to London.

    This large group of states, together, are the new great powers.

    This is also our age.

    Your Excellencies, that’s why I want to work even more closely with even more of you…

    some as allies, some as partners…

    some of you on everything, some of you on single issues.

    We are not all the same.

    We do not agree on everything.

    But together, we can build new constellations and coalitions which give us all a seat at the table.

    This is at the heart of our offer to the Global South and our new Approach to the continent Africa.

    It is the core of what I mean by progressive realism.

    Cooperation, not condescension.

    Listening, not lectures.

    A realpolitik of progress.

    For Britain, progressive realism means listening…

    deepening…

    and toughening up.

    For years…

    friends from Africa to Eastern Europe have been saying Britain needs to do more to tackle dirty money.

    Kleptocrats and money launderers rob all our citizens of wealth and security.

    We don’t need to wait for superpowers…

    we can clamp down on blatant theft ourselves.

    And so I can announce today that London will host a Countering Illicit Finance Summit…

    …bringing together a broad coalition for action.

    I will never allow London mansions to be the bitcoin of kleptocrats.

    We will expose them.

    We will punish them.

    And drive them out of our city.

    In the Middle East, I personally find the horrific suffering of civilians in Gaza intolerable.

    We all want to see an immediate ceasefire…

    the release of all the hostages…

    the end of Hamas’ reign of terror.

    That’s why Britain is leading efforts to break the deadlock through new coalitions.

    I can hear others’ desire for peace.

    With France and Canada…

    we sent a clear warning in May that Israel must stop its assault on Gaza.

    With Australia, Canada, Norway and New Zealand…

    we’ve sanctioned those inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank…

    the territory that must form the heart of a future Palestinian state.

    We support the Gulf’s indispensable work on mediation and a plan for the day after.

    Because the two-state solution is the only path to a lasting peace.

    But progressive realism is not only about this…

    but deepening Britain’s alliances and partnerships.

    We actually delivered three deals in two weeks with three of the world’s greatest economies.

    And that’s not all we’ve achieved – we are injecting real momentum into so many of Britain’s partnerships.

    We’re delivering deals for climate…

    launching the Global Clean Power Alliance in Brazil…

    partnering with my friend Mia Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative…

    securing a climate tech partnership with Qatar.

    Jobs in Cambridge, jobs in Southampton.

    We’re delivering deals for defence…

    the ITAR breakthrough with our AUKUS partners…

    progress in our new fighter jet programme with Italy and Japan.

    Jobs in Glasgow, jobs in Reading.

    We’re delivering deals for growth…

    massive investments from America’s Universal…

    Japan’s car giants…

    German manufacturers…

    and Saudi investors.

    Jobs in Bedford, jobs in north Wales, jobs in Northern Ireland.

    Crucially, we’re also delivering deals on irregular migration.

    Better cooperation with the Balkans…

    new returns agreements with Iraq and Moldova…

    the world’s first sanctions regime targeting smuggling gangs and their enablers.

    This is now a priority for the Foreign Office in a way it never was before.

    This is us playing our bit ensuring those with no right to be here piling pressure on our public services.

    When partners step up on irregular migration…

    this is transforming our wider relationship.

    But if they are unwilling to do so…

    then that has to have consequences for what we can offer them in return.

    And finally, progressive realism is about toughening up.

    I came into politics inspired by the generation who were tested by war in Bosnia and Kosovo.

    My generation here in Europe is the Kyiv generation…

    one that has toughened up.

    The view from that night train to visit President Zelenskyy is not simply out into darkness…

    …but into history in the making.

    You feel what a journey Europe has been on since 2022.

    Britain has toughened up.

    As Secretary of State for GCHQ and SIS…

    I am proud that we are investing £600 million in the UK intelligence community…

    so our spies can defend our way of life.

    As a result, I can confirm today that Britain will spend two point six per cent of GDP on defence from 2027.

    This is a generational uplift…

    keeping working people safe.

    Our soldiers and our intelligence staff are ready to compete with our adversaries.

    And with the new counter-hybrid taskforce I am announcing today…

    our diplomats too will be ready for this murky new age of sabotage and subterfuge…

    where technology is power.

    And I know…

    Europe has toughened up too…

    switching to Putin-free energy…

    as the EU goes further than ever before with common borrowing for military spending.

    Putin believes that we, as Europeans, are unable to stick it out for years to come.

    But just as Ukraine’s heroes have surprised the Kremlin with their endurance…

    so too has Europe been astounding the Kremlin with our dogged persistence in standing with Zelenskyy.

    Today, we had confirmation that Russian casualties in this senseless war have reached one million.

    Every one a reminder that this war is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people…

    but a waste of young Russian lives…

    yet more blood on the Kremlin’s hands.

    With grit, we will prove Putin wrong.

    Europe is not afraid to stand up and fight.

    Our Plan for Change…

    our international strategy…

    is delivering for working people.

    I can see Britain in the years to come…

    safer…

    greener…

    richer…

    happier…

    if we stick to the Plan.

    For me, patriotism has always been about realism…

    And, of course, football!

    Taking the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.

    Taking ourselves as we are, and being proud of it.

    Taking actions that are both astute and bold.

    This is our realpolitik.

    A realpolitik of progress.

    A realpolitik for Britain.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Govt cuts will undermine access to New Zealand’s history – PSA

    Source: PSA

    The ability of New Zealanders to access and better understand New Zealand’s history will be undermined by proposed cuts to the workforce at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
    The agency is proposing a net loss of 24 roles or 16% of the workforce. This follows Budget cuts which slashed funding by $8 million over the next four years. The proposed job losses follow last year’s cuts which saw the workforce fall from 182 to 155.
    The cuts, if carried out, will decimate the agency’s workforce of historians, with six of the ten historians proposed to be shown the door.
    “How can the Ministry continue to do its important work of preserving our history and ensuring New Zealanders can continue to access to it? said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
    “This is yet another decision that exposes the short-sighted thinking behind the Government’s funding cuts.
    “The proposal to cut historians threatens the existence of Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, which is a vital online resource for New Zealanders and a window to the rest of the world to learn about our rich history.
    “For 20 years Te Ara has been the first port of call for information about New Zealand history. Millions of people visit Te Ara every year, including teachers, students, researchers, and New Zealanders with an interest in our history.”
    Manatū Taonga is also proposing disestablishing the team that supports the website.
    Other casualties include those responsible for the education programme that supports Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, a resource schools depend on. A project to enhance understanding of the dawn raids following the official apology is also at risk.
    Manatū Taonga is proposing to disestablish the roles that enabled it to produce websites honouring the 28th Māori Battalion and recording the history of New Zealand’s participation in the Vietnam war.
    “All these projects are vital for people to share their own experiences and for all of us to remember and understand our past and how it shapes us today.
    “The Ministry’s purpose is to do work that ‘enriches the lives of New Zealanders’ – but the Government is clearly ignorant about how history and heritage contributes to that – it’s appalling.”
    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 –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Beijing International Book Fair to showcase 220,000 books

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

    BEIJING, June 12 — The upcoming 31st Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) will gather over 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions to display approximately 220,000 Chinese and international books, the fair’s organizers said at a press conference on Thursday.

    The book fair will open on June 18 and run through June 22, with Malaysia as this year’s guest country of honor.

    It will have an exhibition space of 60,000 square meters. Nine countries are participating for the first time, including Chile, Cyprus and Belarus, and they will join leading publishers such as Elsevier, Penguin Random House and Springer Nature.

    The event will introduce specialized sections such as world cultural heritage and books marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

    It will also include activities such as an awards ceremony, forums on international publishing and children’s books, and a copyright trade fair.

    First held in 1986, the BIBF has evolved into a premier global platform for book exhibition and copyright trade.

    MIL OSI China News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stronger forestry ties with India driving export growth

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Forestry, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay, today announced at the Fieldays Forestry Hub, both inbound and outbound forestry trade missions with India this year, aimed at strengthening trade links, deepening industry ties, and unlocking greater value for both countries’ forestry and wood processing sectors.

    “India is one of the fastest-growing markets for our forestry exports – and we’re focused on turning that growth into long-term opportunity for New Zealand exporters,” Mr McClay says.

    New Zealand’s wood exports to India have surged from $9.5 million in 2023 to an estimated $76.5 million this year. Pulp exports have more than doubled, from $20 million to $45.6 million.

    “Increased engagement with India is already delivering results. We’re now building on that momentum with a targeted sector focus — including hosting an Indian delegation in New Zealand and planning a Minister-led mission to India later this year.”

    The inbound visit, supported by industry partners, will showcase New Zealand’s world-class forestry systems and sustainable management practices. While the outbound mission will continue to open doors for deeper commercial and government partnerships.

    “Our relationship with India is a priority, and forestry is a key part of that. The goal is clear: to grow the market, remove barriers, and drive better returns back to New Zealand’s foresters and processors.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Two-state solution in the Middle East has been a core US policy for 25 years – is the Trump administration eyeing a change?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Dan Arbell, Scholar-in-residence at the Center for Israeli Studies, American University

    Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, holds a note given to him from President Donald Trump to be placed in the cracks of the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem on April 18, 2025. Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images

    For a generation, the promotion of a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a core pillar of U.S. policy in the Middle East.

    But ahead of a major United Nations conference on how to advance that solution, some are asking if Washington is eyeing a change.

    On June 10, 2025, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, stated in an interview to Bloomberg that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state at this time, noting that “unless there are some significant things that happen that change the [Palestinian] culture, there is no room for it.” He added that those changes “are not likely to occur in our lifetime.”

    Asked if the establishment of a Palestinian state is still the goal of U.S. policy, Huckabee replied, “I don’t think so.” He went on to mull the carving out of land from a Muslim-majority country for Palestinians, rather than a future homeland for them coming from the area currently controlled by Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

    The comments by Huckabee, a Donald Trump political appointee and ardent pro-Israel Evangelical Christian, have been interpreted as a signal that the Trump administration is potentially breaking away from long-standing U.S. policy. Adding credence to that view has been the administration’s antipathy toward the U.N. conference on the two-state solution, due to convene in New York from June 17-20.

    As a 25-year veteran of the Israeli Foreign Service who served in the embassy in Washington twice, I know that such a turn in U.S. policy is possible. But it is not without difficulties, as the Trump administration will need to present an alternative plan for resolving the conflict.

    President Trump has recently shown he is prepared to break with long-standing U.S policies, as was the case in his decision to lift sanctions on Syria and meet with the country’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa – to the great surprise of many. But calling it quits on the two-state solution is different – it could lead to the further destabilization of an already unstable region.

    What is the two-state solution?

    For the past quarter-century, U.S. policy – endorsed by Republican and Democratic administrations alike – has advocated for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the advancement of a two-state solution. In practical terms, this means the establishment of a Palestinian state encompassing the Palestinian people currently living in the occupied West Bank and possibly the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, alongside the state of Israel.

    The idea that these two coexisting states could provide a permanent end to the conflict formally came to prominence in June 2002 as part of the Road Map to Peace for the Middle East Conflict announced by U.S. President George W. Bush and adopted by the International Quartet on the Middle East, comprising the U.S., Russia, European Union and the U.N.

    U.S. President George W. Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Aqaba, Jordan, in June 2003.
    Hussein Malla/AFP via Getty Images

    U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama took active steps to advance the two-state solution, including direct involvement in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

    And in his first term, Trump presented his own plan, which he called the “Deal of the Century.” With the subheading “a realistic two-state solution,” it laid out a path to Palestinian statehood if the Palestinians’ political leadership met a set of benchmarks.

    President Joe Biden continuously raised the two-state solution as the most viable way to resolve the conflict – even after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and the war subsequently launched by Israel in Gaza.

    But for years, international observers have worried about the viability of the two-state solution in the face of opposition from right-wing Israeli governments, continued Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, and weak and divided Palestinian leadership and polity. Yet the alternatives – including continued Israeli occupation, a one-state solution or a confederation with Jordan – are viewed as less viable options.

    Galvanizing support behind statehood

    For these reasons, the two-state solution remains the most acceptable formula to much of the international community.

    Member states of the European Union, Arab countries, as well as most countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, have been advocating for decades for the implementation of the two-state solution and have incorporated it into their foreign policies.

    The upcoming U.N. conference in New York, to be chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, intends to underscore the importance of getting to a two-state outcome.

    While there is no real expectation the conference will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state anytime soon, it aims to galvanize international support for the concept of Palestinian statehood.

    Huckabee’s comments were made in the context of the U.N. conference. And they are of no real surprise: Huckabee’s personal views on the subject are very well known.

    But the former Arkansas governor is now the United States’ representative in Israel, and that gives his words weight.

    Warning or notice of intent?

    While there was wide speculation that the comments reflect a change in U.S. policy, the Trump administration did not rush to endorse them – but nor did it distance itself from Huckabee’s words.

    As the war in Gaza continues, there is a growing realization among leading Republicans as well as mainstream Democrats in the U.S. that talk of advancing the two-state solution is premature if not unrealistic at present, especially taking into account the stern opposition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious government.

    But that does not suggest the Trump administration has necessarily steered away from this option for the future.

    Rather, it could be that the U.S. administration has calculated that as it devotes efforts to ending the war in Gaza, at least temporarily, and securing the release of the remaining Israeli hostages being held, talk of a two-state solution now is counterproductive to its efforts.

    And Huckabee’s comments may be aimed more at those delegates shortly arriving in New York for the U.N. summit, serving as a warning rather than a notice of intent.

    In a cable sent from the State Department to U.S. embassies around the world, American diplomats were reportedly asked to discourage countries from participating in the conference – not because the U.S. is “disowning” the two-state solution, but rather because the administration believes the conference may undermine its current efforts.

    The cable stated that the U.S. opposes any steps that unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, which it feels “adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict.”

    The wording was not coincidental. U.S. policy has been consistent over the years in stating that any resolution of the conflict should be reached through negotiations between the main parties – the Israeli government and Palestinian representatives – which need to refrain from taking any unilateral steps.

    A man walks in front of a sign with portraits of U.S. President Donald Trump and Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in central Jerusalem on May 7, 2025.
    Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

    Getting ahead of policy

    Notwithstanding all this, Huckabee’s comments were not made in a vacuum.

    While the U.S. administration has not formally moved away from the two-state formula, there is a growing number of conservatives in Congress, as well as in the Washington think-tank community, that see an opportunity to bring a change in U.S. policy in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks.

    In his first term, Trump was relatively tepid in his approach. So far in his second term, he has given little sign of where he stands on the issue. Huckabee’s comments, in this regard, may have been a subtle nudge – with the ambassador getting ahead of where he hopes policy is heading.

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

    – ref. Two-state solution in the Middle East has been a core US policy for 25 years – is the Trump administration eyeing a change? – https://theconversation.com/two-state-solution-in-the-middle-east-has-been-a-core-us-policy-for-25-years-is-the-trump-administration-eyeing-a-change-258753

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kelly votes to codify $9.4 billion in cuts, reduce federal spending

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) voted in favor of a recissions package to codify $9.4 billion in wasteful spending identified by President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency.

    This includes a rescission of $8.3 billion in wasteful foreign aid spending and a $1.1 billion recission of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

    “House Republicans are committed to right-sizing government, and it starts with commonsense reforms like these,” said Rep. Kelly. “The American people have made it clear: they want Congress to get federal spending back on track. This just the first step toward getting Washington’s fiscal house in order.”

    Examples of waste, fraud, and abuse that will be cut through this recissions package:

    Corporation for Public Broadcasting

    • NPR’s CEO, Katherine Maher, called President Trump a “fascist” and “deranged racist”
    • PBS programming includes “Real Boy,” a program about a trans teen, and “Our League” about a trans woman returning to her hometown
    • NPR requested and received a $1.9 million grant commitment from CPB to hire more “moderate” editors and journalists, as they recognized their complete leftist bias

    Woke & Weaponized Foreign Aid

    • $167,000 for free education and healthcare to Ecuadorian and Venezuelan migrants
    • $889,000 for electoral reforms and voter education in Kenya
    • $1 million for voter ID in Haiti
    • $33,000 for “Being LGBTI in the Caribbean”
    • $643,000 for LGBTQI+ programs in the Western Balkans
    • $567,000 for LBGTQI+ programs in Uganda
    • $8,000 for promoting vegan food in Zambia
    • $500,000 for electric busses in Rwanda
    • $4 million for legume systems research
    • $67,000 for feeding insect powder to children in Madagascar
    • $6 million for “Net Zero Cities” in Mexico
    • $3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street
    • $4 million for “sedentary migrants” in Colombia
    • $1 million for programs to strengthen the resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer global movements
    • $6 million for supporting media organizations and civic life of Palestinians
    • $2.5 million for teaching young children how to make environmentally friendly “reproductive health” decisions
    • $3 million for sexual reproductive health in Venezuela
    • $2.1 million for climate resilience in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Africa
    • Programs that prop up woke climate change programs for U.S. universities
    • $614,700 for climate adaptation, including to grow coral reefs in the Caribbean
    • $135 million in contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO)
    • $8 million for the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
    • $158 million from the Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission (UNIFIL), which has been fraught with waste and abuse, as evidenced by its abject failure to contain Hezbollah
    • $142 million from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
    • $83 million from the UN Development Program (UNDP)
    • $33 million from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
    • $130 million from other IOP programs, which includes programs like UN Women, UN Panel on Climate Change, Int’l Conservation Programs, etc.

    PEPFAR Recissions:
     

    • $3 million for circumcision, vasectomies, and condoms in Zambia
    • $5.1 million to strengthen the “resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer global movements”
    • $833,000 for services for “transgender people, sex workers and their clients and sexual networks” in Nepal

    The United States Institute of Peace

    • The President’s Executive Order (14217) eliminated the USIP.
    • $1.2 million for the “Afrobarometer public opinion survey.”
    • $100,000 for Harvard to conduct research models for peace
    • $77,000 for University of Denver for “Escaping the Ethnic Trap in Deeply Divided Societies.”

    United States African Development Foundation

    • The President’s Executive Order (14217) eliminated the USADF
    • Programs such as graphic design training in Nigeria
    • “African Hive Camping and Tours” to create adventure trips for backpackers

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Backs Federal Response to the Violence in California

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Backs Federal Response to the Violence in California

    BOISE — Attorney General Raúl Labrador and 24 other Republican Attorneys General issued a joint statement supporting President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in response to violent rioting in California.
    “We will always defend the right to peacefully protest, but there’s nothing peaceful about arson, assault, and anarchy. If you set police cars on fire, throw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, and loo businesses, you must be held accountable.
    “In California, we’re seeing the results of leadership that excuses lawlessness and undermines law enforcement. When local and state officials won’t act, the federal government must.
    “We stand with law enforcement, we support President Trump’s action, and we will not let chaos take hold in our states.”
    Republican Attorneys General across the country stand united in condemning:

    Violent attacks on law enforcement
    The normalization of mob violence as ‘activism’
    Any attempt to delegitimize efforts to restore order
    Leaders who put politics above public safety

    Attorney General Labrador joined the coalition which includes the Attorneys General of Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
    Read the letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Prime Minister to visit China and Europe

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to China and Europe next week. He will be joined in Shanghai and Beijing with a delegation of senior New Zealand business leaders.

    “China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner and a vital part of our economic story,” Mr Luxon says.

    The visit will focus on growing trade, which was worth over $38 billion last year, as well as also look to strengthen education and tourism links and to maximise opportunities for New Zealand businesses.

    “New Zealand is a trusted supplier of safe, high-quality food and beverage products to Chinese consumers. It is an important market, and I look forward to doing what I can to support Kiwi businesses to thrive,” Mr Luxon says.

    China is New Zealand’s largest source of international students and is our third-largest tourism market. 

    “This visit is about backing the recovery of international education and tourism and putting New Zealand front and centre as a world-class destination for travel, study, and long-term connection,” Mr Luxon says.

    The Prime Minister will meet China’s top leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, to discuss the comprehensive bilateral relationship and key regional and global issues.

    “The challenging global outlook makes it vital that we are sharing perspectives and engaging China on issues that matter to New Zealand.”

    The Prime Minister will be accompanied by the 2025 Te Matatini champions, Te Kapa Haka o Ngatī Whakaue.

    The Prime Minister and his delegation will be in China from 17 to 20 June.

    Europe

    Mr Luxon will then travel on to Europe to undertake bilateral visits in Brussels and the Hague. He will meet with leaders, including from the European Union, to discuss trade, security, and the shifting geopolitical landscape.  

    “We have a high-quality trade relationship with the European Union, and the Netherlands and Belgium are gateways for New Zealand’s growing exports to Europe,” Mr Luxon says. 

    “Since the early entry into force of the New Zealand-European Union Free Trade Agreement, Kiwi goods exports have grown by over 25 per cent, which is a more than NZ$1 billion increase.” 

    In the Netherlands, the Prime Minister will participate in the NATO Summit and hold one-on-one talks with a number of NATO leaders. 

    “Prosperity is only possible with security, and our discussions will focus on connections between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security environments,” Mr Luxon says. 

    New Zealand has been invited to the NATO Summit alongside other members of the Indo-Pacific Four – Australia, Japan and Korea. 

    “I look forward to building our positive relationship with our European friends, and to forging stronger links with businesses and investors as part of our wider plan to rebuild New Zealand’s economy.” 

    The Prime Minister is in Europe from 21 to 25 June

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Huizenga Delivers Opening Statement at Hearing on the Bureau of Industry and Security FY26 Budget

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled, “Bureau of Industry and Security FY26 Budget: Export Controls and the AI Arms Race.”

    Watch Here
    -Remarks-

    Today’s hearing will examine the fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Bureau of Industry and Security, an agency whose mission is critical to ensuring America wins the AI arms race against the Communist Party of China.

    We are at a historic inflection point. Technologies that will define the 21st century, such as AI, biotechnology, and quantum computing are achieving breakthroughs that increasingly sound more like science fiction, than the reality that we’re used to. These technologies have a potential to unlock tremendous economic prosperity, medical innovations, and human flourishing.

    However, they are not just drivers of economic growth. They are instruments of military power and security as well. Advanced AI models could coordinate fleets of self-driving cars in Michigan. They could also direct autonomous drone swarms over the Taiwan Strait. The nation that leads in developing and deploying these technologies has an opportunity to gain geopolitical advantages for decades to come.

    The CCP understands this. That’s why it’s trying to dominate these critical technologies by any means necessary through state subsidies, forced tech transfers, economic espionage, chip smuggling, and exploiting access to the West’s most innovative AI labs and universities.

    AI dominance is central to the CCP’s goals. Its military modernization efforts, surveillance state, and human rights abuses are amplified by AI. Export controls play a crucial role in ensuring that US and allied technologies are not used to fuel the CCP’s pursuit of global dominance. Amongst its many important roles, BIS serves as a guardian of one of the world’s most valuable and powerful supply chains. The ecosystem of advanced chips, tools, components, and design software that underpins the development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

    China’s leading AI companies have made it clear just how dependent their future is on US technology. In response to a question on what their biggest obstacle to AI development is Deepeek’s CEO put it bluntly, “bans on shipments of advanced chips are the problem.”

    The CCP understands the importance of these AI choke points. That’s why it’s working around the clock to steal chips and exploit export control loopholes to internalize its production. That’s why this hearing today is so important.

    BIS’ fiscal 26 budget request includes a 133% increase in enforcement funding. A bold and necessary step. As the deep CEO made evident, it’s not a lack of talent holding back China’s AI development. It’s the lack of access to US technology. That’s what this budget supports. It allows BIS to better disrupt covert efforts to funnel US innovation to the CCP’s military and surveillance state.

    So, let’s be very clear, enforcement is not about punishing innovation. It’s about protecting it. It’s about making sure that the technologies that define the future are not weaponized against our values, our alliances or our own people.

    We also recognize that BIS operates in a dynamic and challenging environment. The technologies we’re discussing are evolving rapid rapidly. BIS must become faster, more adaptive and uh and more technologically capable than ever before.

    This subcommittee is committed to giving the bureau the tools and resources it needs to meet that challenge head on. The geopolitical struggle between America and China defines the technologies of our time. Global AI development shaped by democratic values or authoritarian control will depend on the decisions we make right now about licensing, enforcement, and strategic technology protection.

    I’m pleased that we are joined by Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler, who leads BIS during this decisive period in history. Mr. Kessler, thank you for your service and your appearance here at the subcommittee. The window for preserving America’s technology edge is narrow, but it does remain open. BIS with the support of Congress, must ensure America wins the AI arms race.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: With Trump undoing years of progress, can the US salvage its Pacific Islands strategy?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Tidwell, Director, Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies, Georgetown University

    Donald Trump signs a proclamation expanding fishing rights in the Pacific Islands, April 17. Getty Images

    Since 2018, the United States has worked, albeit often haltingly, to regain its footing with Pacific Island countries. It’s done this largely by reflecting a sentiment familiar in Pacific capitals: the region is not a geopolitical backwater, but a crucial strategic zone in the 21st century.

    Spurred by China’s strategic expansion – security deals, port access, political influence – the first Trump presidency and then the Biden administration renewed the US focus on the Pacific.

    Washington was also prodded by regional allies, including New Zealand. In 2018, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said: “We unashamedly ask for the United States to engage more and we think it is in your vital interests to do so. And time is of the essence.”

    Building on the tentative steps of its predecessor, the Biden administration acted. It opened new embassies, invited Pacific leaders to the White House, unveiled a dedicated strategy for the Pacific Islands, and committed to recognising the Cook Islands and Niue.

    It also negotiated more funding for the Compacts of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Palau. Along with the 2022 Pacific Islands Summit, it all signalled Washington’s desire to be a better partner.

    Crucially, the Biden administration recognised climate change and the economy, not great-power rivalry, as the region’s defining security concerns. Now, much of that progress is being eroded.

    The second Trump administration has gutted key international development agencies, with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation shuttered.

    More than mere symbols, these agencies were tools of statecraft, facilitating Washington’s capacity to compete with China’s “no questions asked” development model. Their removal leaves a vacuum, which Beijing will happily fill.

    China pressing the advantage

    Other signs of retreat are equally troubling. Congressional funding for the South Pacific Tuna Treaty – which pays for access for US fishing fleets and is the primary multiparty agreement the US has with the Pacific Islands – was tripled by Biden, but remains incomplete.

    Trump recently signed an executive order opening the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, a 1,282,534 square kilometre protected marine zone, to commercial fishing. This might be welcomed by the US tuna fleet, but it raises questions about Washington’s commitment to the tuna treaty.

    Hoped-for expansion of US consular access, especially vital for Pacific Islanders who must travel long distances for basic services such as visa applications, is in limbo. The US embassy in Vanuatu, damaged by the earthquake in 2024, remains closed, leaving diplomats to work out of their hotel rooms.

    China, by contrast, has not slowed down. Its security pact with Solomon Islands, its police training efforts in Samoa and Kiribati, and its growing intelligence presence across the region show a clear pattern of assertiveness.

    Beijing has proven adept at offering timely, visible assistance. Its diplomats show up. Its companies build. Its promises, however opaque, are matched with resources.

    The result has not necessarily meant Pacific nations have “chosen” China. Rather, most revert to the longstanding posture of “friend to all, enemy to none”.

    In a region where non-alignment is both a survival strategy and a principle of sovereignty, the perception of US unreliability makes China’s attentions all the more welcome, or at least tolerable.

    Not a binary contest

    The US now appears to be abandoning efforts to break this cycle, and the Trump administration risks a genuine strategic error rather than a mere diplomatic misstep.

    More than distant dots on a map, the Pacific Islands control vast stretches of ocean, including key shipping lanes and undersea cables. Their diplomatic weight matters in the United Nations.

    And the region matters to Taiwan, which is recognised by 12 countries globally, three of which are in the Pacific.

    Some argue the US should press Pacific nations to “choose” between Washington and Beijing. But that approach is shortsighted and counterproductive.

    Most have no interest in being drawn into a binary contest. They seek concrete benefits – resilience funding, fair trade, visa access – not ideological alignment. Framing relationships as zero-sum contests misunderstands the region’s diplomatic logic.

    Listening to Pacific leaders

    To revive the relationship, the US will need to show up, follow through and demonstrate its partnership offers more than rhetoric.

    This would involve restoring some elements of foreign assistance, fully funding the South Pacific Tuna Treaty obligations, opening and staffing embassies, and supporting Pacific regional organisations such as the Pacific Islands Forum with meaningful recognition and resources.

    But the US review of Pacific foreign assistance (a small portion of US development aid formerly administered by USAID) has been delayed once again, and likely won’t emerge until mid-July.

    More importantly, the US will have to listen to Pacific leaders, who have articulated their priorities clearly. They do not want to be sites of contest; they want to be agents of their own futures.

    In short, the US will have to treat the Pacific Islands as sovereign equals.
    When Trump returned to the White House, he found a workable policy architecture for the Pacific. Its core elements could still be rescued.

    But continued neglect, mixed signals and cost-cutting risk hastening the outcome China seeks – a region that finds Washington unreliable. Winston Peters, now foreign minister in a new government, might want to update his 2018 call for US engagement in the Pacific – with the emphasis on reliability.

    Alan Tidwell 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. With Trump undoing years of progress, can the US salvage its Pacific Islands strategy? – https://theconversation.com/with-trump-undoing-years-of-progress-can-the-us-salvage-its-pacific-islands-strategy-258679

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada expands and diversifies its creative industries market reach in East Asia

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    GATINEAU, June 12, 2025

    The Indo-Pacific region is home to some of our most important creative export markets and represents great growth potential for Canada. We are seizing opportunities to thrive in these booming markets.

    Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, celebrates a successful Canadian creative industry trade mission to East Asia. From June 1 to June 12, the Government of Canada led a multi-sector delegation of more than 40 Canadian companies and organizations with high export potential to South Korea and Japan to expand their networks and develop new creative partnerships in these markets.

    As Canada works to build a stronger, more resilient economy, the Government of Canada and its partners supported a selected group of Canadian experts and creative industry leaders from the audiovisual, book publishing, interactive and digital media, music, and performing arts sectors in building valuable connections and securing business deals with key industry players from Japan and South Korea.

    The program also included strategic site visits and expert market information sessions, and showcased Canada’s creative business potential at Expo 2025 Osaka. The Year of Cultural Exchanges between Canada and the Republic of Korea also provided a unique springboard for creative industries in both countries to deepen their cultural ties and increase trade, with the concert by Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in Seoul on May 31 being a signature event to mark the closing of this special year.

    Canada is committed to further deepening its ties and fostering global collaboration and innovation in the creative sector. The Government will continue to work closely with Canada’s creative industry professionals to drive the expansion of their presence in international markets, strengthen their global competitiveness and showcase Canada as a partner of choice.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley-Wyden Report Exposes How Organ Procurement Organizations Game the System, Fail to Adequately Address Conflicts of Interest

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), current Ranking Member, released the results of their bipartisan investigation into nonprofit Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO), which are responsible for obtaining donated organs for transplant and research in the United States. 
    The senators’ staff report reveals additional transparency is needed to strengthen the integrity of the organ procurement network and ensure the health and safety of organ donors and recipients. The investigation confirms the senators’ long-standing concerns, outlining examples of abuse to boost performance ratings and inadequate efforts by OPOs to identify and resolve conflicts of interest.  
    Building on their nearly two decades of work to bring accountability to the organ donation system, Grassley and Wyden launched their investigation in the 118th Congress. As of 2024, 170 million Americans are registered organ donors. Since 1988, nearly 1.1 million life-saving transplants in the U.S. have been made possible from more than a half-million organ donors.  
    “As millions of American families know first-hand, the organ donation system is a matter of life and death. It’s critical to restore integrity to this system and to strengthen the public’s trust in it. Our investigation uncovered clear examples of OPOs exploiting a loophole in direct opposition to congressional intent. We also uncovered OPOs’ failure to clearly and effectively address conflicts of interest. Together, we are working to ensure the stewardship of precious organs is transparent, accountable and effective in order to save lives,” Grassley said. 
    “Americans expect the national organ transplant system to be fair and efficient so as many patients as possible receive the life-saving donation they need,” Wyden said. “Organ procurement organizations are a key link in this chain, and this investigation demonstrates there’s still more work to be done to improve the system. I look forward to building on our work to make the organ procurement network accountable and successful on behalf of American families who are counting on a transplant.” 
    Full text of the investigative report and records can be found HERE.   
    In the course of its investigation, staff reviewed internal research protocols and conflicts of interest documents produced by seventeen OPOs, including One Legacy, Donor Alliance, LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, Indiana Donor Network, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, Mid-America Transplant, New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network, LifeBanc, Lifeline of Ohio, Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, Midwest Transplant Network, Versiti Wisconsin, LifeShare Network, Gift of Life Donor Program, Tennessee Donor Services and New Mexico Donor Services. 
    Pancreata Loophole:
    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can re-certify OPOs if they meet certain standards. However, CMS has never decertified an OPO, allowing organizations to face little-to-no consequences for underperformance. To enhance accountability, CMS released a final rule in 2020 to update OPOs’ performance metrics. 
    The rule created a loophole allowing pancreata recovered for research to be counted toward recertification, without clear verification the organs were actually used to advance research. Since the CMS rule was finalized five years ago, pancreata recovered for research by OPOs has increased more than four-fold, without a matching increase in researchers’ demand. 
    Grassley and Wyden have sounded the alarm on the pancreata loophole for over three years, beginning with an April 2022 letter to then-Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra and CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure. 
    The investigation also found serious concerns regarding OPOs’ relationships with third-party research clearinghouses and biobanks. After handing over procured pancreata to third party research arrangements, OPOs had little-to-no ability to verify the organs were utilized for research or that the research conducted was appropriate. OPOs surveyed by the senators reported an 850% increase in pancreata recovered for research without reporting a clear and corresponding research benefit. 
    This undermines HHS oversight and allows underperforming OPOs to inflate their performance at the cost of critically ill patients. The loophole directly violates congressional intent, including the Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004.  
    Conflicts of Interest:
    Grassley and Wyden asked eight OPOs to disclose their conflicts of interest policies. Their investigation found CMS does not require uniform conflict of interest policies and procedures, which caused key differences between conflict of interest definitions, as well as who is covered under conflict of interest policies. 
    Despite overwhelming evidence OPOs should address allegations of conflicting business and financial relationships, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is not required to collect details on financial relationships, board member compensation or affiliated businesses. The investigation also found that OPTN and its former sole contractor, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), failed to act following formal complaints about financial conflicts of interest. 
    Recommendations:
    CMS should clarify the requirements and expectations of OPOs reporting pancreata to be counted toward certification or recertification, to ensure OPOs are following the law and congressional intent.
    CMS should further clarify OPO conflict of interest policies to make clear that OPO governing boards and medical advisory boards, as well as CMS surveyors, monitor actual and potential conflicts.
    OPOs should clearly define policy coverage, scope of conflicts and disclosure procedures.
    OPOs should ensure board involvement, oversight and recording.  
    Background: 
    Grassley and Wyden have long sounded the alarm regarding conflicts of interest within the transplant system. In 2020, they wrote to HHS saying, “OPOs have greater financial incentives to focus more on tissue recovery compared to their incentives to recover lifesaving organs.”   
    A 2022 Senate Finance Committee hearing and staff report highlighted a 2012 case involving the Alabama Organ Center (AOC) and its Executive Director who, according to a whistleblower complaint, participated in a “money laundering” scheme and violated AOC’s own “Standard Operating Procedure.” Following multiple apparent financial conflicts between OPOs and outside entities, Grassley and Wyden sent a letter in 2023 requesting answers on certain OPOs’ financial interests and business relationships.   
    Grassley and Wyden are also the authors of bipartisan Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act, which marked the first reforms to the U.S. organ donation system in nearly 40 years. 
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Leads International Education Discussion in Vancouver

    Source: US State of Colorado

    Vancouver – National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis convened international education leaders in Canada for the latest in a series of bipartisan events in support of the NGA Chair’s Initiative, Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success. 

    The Vancouver event featured discussions with education leaders from Canada, Singapore and the United States to explore international perspectives on education solutions to address achievement gaps and prepare students for career success in the global economy. 

    “Governors are working together to update our education systems to make sure every student is ready for the careers of today and tomorrow,” said Governor Polis. “Small adjustments on the margins aren’t enough to keep pace with the technological changes upending the job market. To give our kids the best chance to succeed, we need to think beyond the status quo to transform schools. Through the Let’s Get Ready initiative, governors are working with parents and educators not just to find new answers but to ask new questions. Collaborating with international counterparts in Canada and Singapore this week is a valuable opportunity to get a fresh perspective and learn how other nations are finding success in tackling the same challenges.” 

    Participants included: 

    • Wendi Campbell, CEO, Junior Achievement British Columbia
    • Zoe Weintraub Barrett, Vice President of Workforce and Strategic Partnerships, Guild
    • Dr. Brad Baker, Superintendent of Indigenous Education, Ministry of Education and Child Care, British Columbia
    • Sxwíxwtn Wilson Williams, General Councillor and Spokesperson for Squamish Nation Richard Reeves, President, American Institute for Boys and Men Professor
    • Tan Oon Seng, Dean of Special Projects and Centre Director, Singapore Centre for Character and Citizenship Education at the National Institute
    • Dr. Vicki Phillips, CEO, National Center on Education and the Economy
    • Dr. Timothy Knowles, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Launched in July, 

    Let’s Get Ready is a yearlong initiative designed to support the nation’s governors in driving innovative education policies that better evaluate outcomes for state investments in education and improve outcomes for learners at all stages of their education journey while also preparing students to meet the future needs of the workforce. 

    Previous convenings were held in Salt Lake City, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City and Washington, D.C. Governor Polis will release a roadmap of initiative findings this summer, during NGA’s Summer Meeting in Colorado Springs, July 24-25. Learn more about the Let’s Get Ready initiative on NGA’s website. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 31st Beijing International Book Fair to Display 220,000 Books

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) — The upcoming 31st Beijing International Book Fair will feature more than 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions, displaying about 220,000 titles of books in Chinese and foreign languages, organizers of the event said at a press conference on Thursday.

    This year, Malaysia will be the guest of honor at the fair, which will be held from June 18 to 22.

    The exhibition area will be 60 thousand square meters. Nine countries, including Chile, Cyprus and Belarus, will take part in the event for the first time. The fair will also feature such renowned international publishers as Elsevier, Penguin Random House and Springer Nature.

    The event will feature two new thematic sections: “Books in Honor of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World War II” and “Books on World Cultural Heritage”.

    The Beijing International Book Fair will also host the Special Contribution to Chinese Literature Award Ceremony, the 2025 Beijing International Publishing Forum, the World Children’s Literature Forum, and copyright negotiations between Chinese and overseas representatives.

    First held in 1986, the Beijing International Book Fair has become one of the world’s premier platforms for book exhibitions and copyright trade. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Boeing says it is in contact with Air India regarding the Boeing 787 crash in India

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    SAN FRANCISCO, June 12 (Xinhua) — Boeing on Thursday said it is in contact with Air India over the crash of Flight 171 in India.

    “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, rescuers and all those affected,” the company said in a statement.

    According to the Aviation Safety Network, the crash was the first involving a Boeing 787.

    An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 crew, crashed shortly after takeoff from an airport in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Thursday.

    According to Air India, the aircraft took off from Ahmedabad at 13:38 local time /07:38 GMT/. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mescalero Man Receives 27-Month Prison Sentence for Violent Domestic Assault

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for assaulting his girlfriend in a violent domestic incident.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on October 9, 2023, Frank Shorty Trujillo, 20, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, assaulted the victim, Jane Doe, at a residence on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The incident occurred in the presence of her one-year-old child. During the assault, Trujillo repeatedly punched Jane Doe and bit her on the left leg above the knee. Jane Doe reported fearing for her life during the attack.

    Upon his release from prison, Trujillo will be subject to two years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today.

    The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman is prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Varney & Co. on Fox Business to Discuss Illegal Immigration, Sanctuary City Legislation, CCP Influence

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, joined Varney & Co. on Fox Business to discuss Democrats supporting illegal immigration for political power, his legislation to withhold funding from sanctuary cities, and the Chinese Communist Party’s malign influence on the United States.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*

    Partial Transcript

    Hagerty on Democrats supporting illegal immigration: “What they’re not saying is what’s so obvious to all of us. They’re creating these sanctuaries as magnets. They want these magnets to attract illegal aliens. They want these illegal aliens, because why? They want to increase the count for the census. So, they can get more congressional districts and more electoral votes in their states. That’s precisely what’s happening. That’s why we should outlaw this. We should not allow the counting of illegal aliens in the census for allocating congressional seats and electoral votes. They know that. But that’s exactly why they’re using this as a magnet, and they’re not cooperating with federal law. You’ve seen the chaos in the streets. You’ve got illegal aliens running around with flags of other countries and burning the American flag. These are criminals that are disrespecting the United States of America. And I think we need to make it clear the United States is not a sanctuary nation, nor are any of these cities allowed to be sanctuary cities.”

    Hagerty on his legislation to withhold funding from sanctuary cities: “Well, here’s what you can do, and I’m doing it today: I’m bringing out legislation that will stop the flow of community development block grants to these sanctuary cities. If you’re a sanctuary city, we’re going to withhold the funding for community development block grants. They’ll start to see it when on the Appropriations Committee and the Banking Committee, we’re able to put pressure on the funding of these cities that seem to rely so much on the federal [dollar]. Yet, they want to act as if they’re independent at the same time.”

    Hagerty on the CCP’s malign influence within the U.S.: “It is strong, but what’s happening to us is very strong, and we need to wake up to it. The most recent case of agroterrorism, very deeply concerning, bringing in bio-terrorism material here that could destroy crops in America. You think about a spy balloon that was floated over our country. I think the worst defense of all is the fact that China continues to send fentanyl and fentanyl precursors into the United States through Mexico, through their partners there. And they launder the money from these Mexican partners, or these other cartels from Venezuela, you name it. The crime that’s being fueled here in America has fingerprints of the CCP all over it. And if you think about what’s happening on our campuses, Confucius institutes, the attempts, basically, to indoctrinate young people. You think about the content on TikTok here in America versus what kids see in China. They see educational programming in China. On TikTok here, something very, very different. So, it’s deeply concerning and something that we ought to acknowledge as a nation and address.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Issues Statement Following Air India Plane Crash

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), issued the following statement after the Air India plane crash that occurred in Ahmedabad, India:

    “I want to extend my prayers and condolences to the families of the many victims who perished in the Air India plane crash that occurred last night. I hope that Nebraskans will join me in prayer for those who lost their lives and their loved ones. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I also stand ready to support efforts to assist our Indian partners in responding to this tragedy and to ensure the safety of international air travel.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mrvan Announces Winner of 2025 Congressional Art Competition

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank J. Mrvan (IN)

    Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Frank J. Mrvan announced that Adam Tenbarge II of Chesterton High School is the winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition.  Adam used paint and colored pencils to create his winning artwork, “Journey Through Indiana,” which captures the varied landscapes of Northwest Indiana. 

    Congressman Mrvan stated, “Thank you to all of the creative students across Indiana’s First Congressional District who participated in the Congressional Art Competition and showcased their artistic ability.  Congratulations to Adam from Chesterton High School on creating such a moving piece of artwork representing our region.” 

    Adam Tenbarge II stated, “I wanted viewers of this piece to get a feel for Northwest Indiana. I hope people are inspired to visit our region after seeing my artwork.”

    Colin May, Art Department Chair at Chesterton High School, stated, “Adam’s powerful creativity is on full display in this piece!  Adam is known for his outstanding technical skill and I had absolute confidence he could pull off such an ambitious piece.  It has stunning color, strong composition and a knowing homage to our beloved northwestern region.  He captured the beauty, serenity and charm of our great state.  I’m so proud of the perseverance he showed to make this happen.  Well done, Adam!”

    Brent Martinson, Principal of Chesterton High School, stated, “We are incredibly proud of Adam Tenbarge II for being named the winner of the Congressional Art Competition.  His talent and dedication to his craft are inspiring, and it’s an honor to see his work recognized at the national level.”

    Dr. Chip Pettit, Superintendent of Duneland School Corporation, stated, “Adam Tenbarge II’s recognition as the winner of the Congressional Art Competition is a tremendous honor for him, his family, and the entire Duneland community.  His artistic talent reflects the excellence we strive for in our schools, and we’re thrilled to see his work showcased in our nation’s capital.”

    Janet Bloch, Executive Director of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts and Judge of the Congressional Art Competition, stated, “It was a privilege to jury the competition this year. The dunes, Lake Michigan and the steel mills define our surroundings.  This landscape impacts the way people in our region think, what we value, what we do recreationally, and how we define beauty.  The winning submission depicts these various settings under one unified sky.” 

    To learn more about the Congressional Art Competition, click here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • ‘National Tragedy’: Amit Shah meets Air India flight crash sole survivor, reviews emergency response

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday described the crash of Air India Flight AI171 as a “national tragedy that has plunged the entire country into mourning” and expressing grief over the immense loss of life, assured families of the victims that the government will provide unwavering support during this time of sorrow.

    Amit Shah visited the Civil Hospital in Asarwa, Ahmedabad, to meet the sole survivor, other victims’ families, and assess the medical response. He also chaired a high-level review meeting with officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Gujarat government to oversee rescue operations and coordinate investigations.

    “This heartbreaking incident has shaken us all,” he said at a press briefing. “The Hon’ble Prime Minister reached out immediately, and all relevant departments of the Government of India, along with the Gujarat Government, are working together on relief and rescue operations.”

    Providing an update on the casualties, he noted: “The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers, including both Indian nationals and foreign citizens, as well as 12 crew members. Amidst this tragedy, I have received some hopeful news -one passenger has survived. I have personally met him.”

    In a post on social media platform X earlier, Amit Shah expressed his anguish: “Pained beyond words by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. Disaster response forces were swiftly mobilised. I have spoken with Gujarat CM Shri Bhupendra Patel, State Home Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi, and the Police Commissioner to take full stock of the situation.”

    Shah emphasised the scale and severity of the disaster, revealing that DNA identification is currently underway to formally confirm the identities of the deceased.

    “Only after the DNA process is completed will we be able to release the names,” he said.

    The minister also highlighted the catastrophic nature of the incident, noting that the blaze erupted with such intensity after the plane went down that “there was no opportunity to save anything.”

    The wreckage was quickly engulfed, making immediate rescue efforts extremely difficult.

    The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, crashed minutes after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, striking a doctors’ hostel near a medical college.

    The impact triggered a devastating explosion, resulting in the deaths of over 200 individuals, including passengers, crew, and people on the ground. Authorities are continuing recovery and identification operations.

    (IANS)

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Conversation scoops two awards in one night, including Podcast Publisher of the Year

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma Ware, Head of Audio, The Conversation UK

    The Conversation UK’s Head of Audio, Gemma Ware, at the Publisher Podcast Awards on June 11.

    The Conversation’s audio team is celebrating a very successful night at the Publisher Podcast awards where The Conversation won Podcast Publisher of the Year.

    The judges said: “This particular publisher has been entering these awards since the start and it’s been a real honour to watch their work grow in quality and depth each year, to the point they were placed in the top 3 of every single category they entered this year.”

    We were also thrilled that our recent series Scam Factories won the Best Investigative Podcast category in a very strong field. The series exposed the brutal workings of scam centres in south east Asia where thousands of people, many tricked into being there, are forced to work scamming others around the world. We worked with three researchers on a multimedia project and three part podcast series that involved producers and translators in Cambodia, China and Uganda.

    We’re a small team working across multiple time zones to bring academic expertise and research to new audiences in audio and I’m thrilled that our type of journalism has been recognised in this way.

    You can listen to all episodes of Scam Factories, now available on The Conversation Documentaries feed and explore the accompanying multimedia series.

    Visit our podcast page to explore our other podcasts including The Conversation Weekly, Know Your Place: what happened to class in British politics and The Conversation’s Curious Kids.

    – ref. The Conversation scoops two awards in one night, including Podcast Publisher of the Year – https://theconversation.com/the-conversation-scoops-two-awards-in-one-night-including-podcast-publisher-of-the-year-258879

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: One Survivor Found After Indian Plane Crash – Media

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    NEW DELHI, June 12 (Xinhua) — One passenger from a plane that crashed in western India has been found alive hours after the tragedy, the Ahmedabad police chief confirmed on Thursday.

    However, the identity of the survivor has not yet been established.

    “Police have found one survivor sitting in seat 11A. He is currently undergoing medical treatment. I cannot say anything about the number of casualties yet. The death toll may increase as the plane crashed in a residential area,” Ahmedabad Police Chief G S Malik was quoted as saying.

    The Air India flight had 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian on board. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat state.

    There were also 12 crew members on board. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Washington man sentenced to 14 years in prison for possessing meth, fentanyl and heroin

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Tacoma, Washington man who possessed and distributed drugs that impacted Butte and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 14 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Scott Trent Miller, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on September 11, 2024, law enforcement in Butte was informed by a source that Miller was routinely traveling from Washington to Montana to sell drugs. Law enforcement surveilled Miller at a hotel in Butte. They saw him leave and get into a car with another person. A traffic stop was conducted, and Miller denied a request to search the vehicle. During a pat search of Miller, officers found a marijuana pipe and $1,583 in cash. Drug paraphernalia was also found on the other person in the car.

    An officer with a K9 dog was called to the scene and the K9 alerted to the scent of illegal drugs. A search warrant was issued, and officers seized a trash bag containing a large amount of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, 100 fentanyl pills, and heroin.

    Law enforcement reviewed Facebook records for Miller’s account, which showed him messaging individuals for the purpose of distributing drugs.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the DEA, State of Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, and Blackfeet Tribes Department of Law and Justice.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Air India crash: what do we know about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner involved? Expert Q&A

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ali Elham, Professor of Design Optimisation, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Southampton

    Motive56 / Shutterstock

    An Air India plane bound for London Gatwick airport crashed shortly after take-off on 12 January in Ahmedabad, western India. Flight AI171 was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.

    Here, Professor Ali Elham, from the University of Southampton’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, speaks to The Conversation’s Paul Rincon about the plane involved in the crash, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

    How does Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner differ from other passenger planes?

    The Dreamliner was a huge breakthrough in aircraft design. For example, it was the first Boeing aircraft with more than 50% composite material in its structure. In this case, composite material refers mainly to carbon fibre. This carbon fibre was replacing parts of the structure that would have been made from aluminium in previous types of aircraft. This contributed to a huge reduction in aircraft weight.

    There were many innovations in the 787, making it very different from previous iterations of Boeing aircraft, such as the 747 and 767.

    The combination of new engines, improved aerodynamics, and significant weight reduction – largely due to the use of composite materials – resulted in notable reductions in both fuel consumption and carbon emissions compared to previous-generation aircraft. Another feature was the greatly increased electrification of the plane, with more use of batteries for onboard power systems.

    What is the Dreamliner’s safety record like?

    The Dreamliner has a very good safety record and has been flying for many years without significant problems. But when the plane was new, in 2013 or so, there were a few incidents in which the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries overheated, in some cases resulting in smoke or even catching fire, both on the ground and during flight. There were no casualties and the aircraft were all able to land safely. But Boeing grounded all Dreamliners for a few months.

    Boeing intensively investigated the problem. They redesigned the batteries, they redesigned the battery containers and then they ran tests and an extensive certification process that allowed them to return the Dreamliners to flight. Since then, there have been no incidents with batteries as far as I am aware.

    Batteries were used instead of getting power from the gas turbines in the engines. The power is used for instruments, for electronics and many other aircraft systems. Increased electrification – getting more of the aircraft’s power from batteries – contributes to reducing carbon emissions, because the gas turbines run on kerosene.

    Do any details currently known about the crash narrow down the search for the cause?

    It’s too early to say anything about the cause of the crash, and as far as I’m aware no official details have been released about the cause.

    Generally speaking, however, when you investigate air crashes, they often involve a chain of problems. One thing happens, then a number of events follow from that. So it might not be one cause here.

    This crash occurred shortly after takeoff. While flying is statistically the safest form of transport, the takeoff and landing phases are generally considered the most critical. This is because aircraft operate closer to the ground, with less time and altitude to respond to technical issues or sudden changes. Although not inherently dangerous, these phases carry a higher risk of incidents compared to cruising at altitude.

    What will the crash investigation focus on?

    They will investigate everything. They will search for the data recorders (black boxes), which are designed to survive a crash. If these are recovered, investigators will be able to view all the flight data, hear all the cockpit conversations. They will take all the information from the control tower. Sometimes clues can be found from all this data. They will also examine the wreckage of the aircraft in detail.

    It’s a different situation from the Boeing 737 Max groundings, which followed two crashes linked to a specific and repeatable software flaw. Similarly, when the Dreamliner first entered service, a series of battery overheating incidents revealed a systemic issue that led regulators to temporarily ground the fleet.

    In the current case, unless investigators identify a recurring technical problem that poses an immediate risk to other 787s, a fleet-wide grounding would be unlikely. Safety is always the top priority, but regulatory responses typically depend on whether an issue appears to be isolated or part of a broader pattern.

    It must be said that the 787 Dreamliner has a very good safety record. It had a very long certification period with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US.

    Ali Elham 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. Air India crash: what do we know about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner involved? Expert Q&A – https://theconversation.com/air-india-crash-what-do-we-know-about-the-boeing-787-dreamliner-involved-expert-qanda-258853

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tornado is a Scottish samurai-western film – genres with a long-shared history

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Wroot, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Greenwich

    Tornado fuses aspects of the western and samurai-style action in atmospheric 18th-century Scotland. Critics have praised the performances of Tim Roth, Jack Lowden and newcomer Kôki who plays the titular Tornado.

    Director John Maclean’s appreciation of both westerns and samurai films is undeniable in Tornado, a stylistic tale of revenge, violence and stolen gold. Any filmmaker’s visual flair and storytelling choices stand out against these conventions. This was also the case with Maclean’s excellent revisionist take on the western genre, Slow West, which was released in 2015.

    The western and the samurai film are not as popular as they once were, especially in the 1960s and 70s. But their characteristics are still hugely influential, as Tornado demonstrates. The film highlights specific parallels between the two genres. In particular, tales of lone warriors, gangs of greedy bandits, violent revenge and stolen treasure, are recurring motifs in both cinematic traditions.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    In most Hollywood films, any character who wields a samurai sword is referred to as a samurai. However, a samurai sword might be wielded by a soldier, a yakuza or a ronin (a wandering lone swordsman).

    The real samurai were salaried warriors, who swore loyalty to a local lord in Japan’s medieval era, in return for money, food and shelter. They typically use a long sword (katana) and two shorter swords, known as the wakizashi and the tanto.

    But as Japanese swords are most often associated with samurai in western culture, the name has stuck. In Japan, such films are more likely to be called chanbara (sword-action) films. This includes Tornado, which will most likely be marketed as a chanbara title if it is released in Japan.

    In Japan, Fujin (Takehiro Hira) and his daughter Tornado will be seen as closer to wandering swordsman characters from long-running series, like the Zatoichi franchise, than samurai.

    The trailer for Tornado.

    Western-samurai influences

    One of the most influential Japanese films to have samurai in the title is clearly a touchstone for Tornado. Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) has produced many remakes, including two film versions of The Magnificent Seven (released in 1960 and 2016), and intergalactic adaptations such as Battle Beyond The Stars (1980).

    The antagonists in Seven Samurai were bandits, which is also the case in Tornado. The unlikely gang is made up of characters with various deadly skills, as were the heroes in the 1954 epic.

    Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950) and Yojimbo (1961) were also remade as westerns. The Outrage and A Fistful of Dollars were released in 1964. Some of the most famous and popular samurai films involve stories of swordsmen banding together, or taking on villains alone – plots which can be easily adapted to the wild west setting.

    Still, influence works both ways. Akira Kurosawa was an admirer of John Ford’s western films before his own work was remade in Hollywood. Various other Japanese pictures, from The Rambling Guitarist (1959) to Sukiyaki Western Django (2007), have paid homage to westerns over the years. And in 2013, Japanese actor Ken Watanabe starred in a Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood’s award-winning film Unforgiven (originally released in 1992).

    Nine films that were inspired by Seven Samurai.

    Similarly to Japanese period films, westerns continue to be made, though far fewer. With lower budgets often comes revisionist takes on their historical setting, alongside the reduced chances of actually making a western in the US. Slow West (2015) and The Power of the Dog (2021) were predominantly filmed in New Zealand.

    In Australia there is also a long history of the outback western, often set in the 19th century. The Proposition (2005) is a celebrated 21st century example.

    So Tornado is in good company. And Maclean has made a sound decision to take samurai and western cinematic influences to Scotland. At the time of writing, no historical evidence confirms the possibility of wandering Japanese swordsmen in this part of the world in the 18th century. But in film history, samurai and gunslingers have travelled around the world many times.

    Jonathan Wroot 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. Tornado is a Scottish samurai-western film – genres with a long-shared history – https://theconversation.com/tornado-is-a-scottish-samurai-western-film-genres-with-a-long-shared-history-258251

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why can’t we stop feeding monkeys? Experts explain the reasons behind a dangerous habit

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sian Waters, Research fellow at the Department of Anthropology, Durham University

    A monkey waits for food from tourists in Thailand.
     Miroslaw Gierczyk/Shutterstock

    We’ve seen it happen. For example, a visit to the Ouzoud waterfalls in Morocco’s High Atlas led to an encounter with a group of nearby tourists feeding chips – supplied by the tour guide – to some waiting Barbary macaques. Pointing to a nearby sign that read “do not feed the monkeys” was met with complaints about spoiling their fun.

    Scenes like this play out across the globe. Feeding wild primates is common in many countries. Scientists have spent years studying its effects on primate behaviour. But much less attention has been paid to the other side of the interaction – the people doing the feeding.

    Our recent research explores not just the effects on animals, but why people feed monkeys in the first place. Understanding that is essential if we want to change behaviour and keep both humans and primates safe.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    As tourism expands and infrastructure develops, humans and primates are living in closer quarters than ever before. Some species like macaques and baboons readily adapt to living in developed areas by foraging in rubbish bins and dumps.

    Habitat loss also plays a major role. The wide scale destruction of primate habitat means they come to rely on human food waste or people feeding them.

    In some tourism hot spots, feeding the primates, known as “provisioning”, is deliberate but regulated, ensuring tourists see the monkeys but cannot feed them. In others, tourists feed even endangered species freely, with little oversight. That’s when problems arise.

    Thieving monkeys steal from tourists and barter for treats on BBC’s Planet Earth.

    Uncontrolled feeding brings animals and humans into unusually close contact, and not always in welcome ways. Primates can become aggressive, resulting in bites, scratches and potential disease transmission. They may enter homes and shops, damage property, or intimidate people. Some primates even learn to beg or to steal valuables, returning them only when a food bribe is offered in exchange.

    When food sources suddenly disappear, this type of behaviour can escalate. For example, during the pandemic, some macaque populations in Thailand made headlines as “gangs” that caused chaos when tourists stopped visiting. When animals are seen as a public nuisance, calls for culling or relocation often follow.



    Read more:
    Why monkeys attack people – a primate expert explains

    Nutrition is another issue. The types of foods given to primates are usually calorie-rich and highly processed. Excess consumption of these foods can make primates obese or lead to chronic disease like diabetes. The extra calories allow some species to reproduce every year, leading to larger group sizes and compounding human-wildlife conflict.

    Feeding of packaged foods also results in large amounts of plastic and other litter left behind by people. New roads contribute to this problem by offering opportunities to vendors to sell food to road users. The resulting food waste can attract monkeys to the roadside where passing motorists throw them more food. This puts both people and primates at risk of road accidents.

    Some societies have fed monkeys for centuries and these interactions can be neutral or positive. However, many instances of people feeding primates causes negative interactions, so understanding why people feed monkeys is vital.

    Feeding wildlife often results in plastic waste.
    maxontravel/Shutterstock

    Why people do it

    As primate experts, we deal with the negative effects of uncontrolled monkey feeding all the time and know the complexities of this common human behaviour. Our recent review of the relevant research coupled with our own field experiences found a surprising range of motivations for why people feed primates.

    We found that feeding primates could be a religious obligation, a way to perform a good deed or obtain good fortune. It may be helpful in managing a person’s mental health. Many people feed primates for emotional reasons like pity, or to feel a connection to the animals.

    At some sites, residents have a vested interest in the continued practice of monkey feeding as it provides them with an income. Tour guides often receive higher tips when they can provide close animal encounters. Bus and taxi drivers can benefit from taking tourists to sites where they can observe and feed wild primates.



    Read more:
    Three surprising reasons human actions threaten endangered primates

    Attempting to stop people from feeding primates is difficult as most perceive it as an enjoyable and carefree activity. Campaigns must be carefully designed and relevant to the local context. This includes understanding why people are feeding primates in the first place.

    As scientists we need to better communicate the negative effects of feeding primates to a wider audience. We also need to prevent it from becoming an accepted activity, particularly in areas that could prove dangerous to both people and primates, such as roadsides.

    Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. But talking to people who feed primates to understand why they do it is fundamental for designing effective management strategies in future.

    Sian Waters is affiliated with the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group’s Section for Human-Primate Interactions (SHPI) and receives funding from

    Artis Zoo, Amsterdam, NL
    Ouwehand Zoo Foundation NL
    Re:Wild

    Tracie McKinney is affiliated with the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group’s Section for Human-Primate Interactions (SHPI).

    – ref. Why can’t we stop feeding monkeys? Experts explain the reasons behind a dangerous habit – https://theconversation.com/why-cant-we-stop-feeding-monkeys-experts-explain-the-reasons-behind-a-dangerous-habit-257485

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 13, 2025
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