NewzIntel.com

Category: Australia

  • MIL-Evening Report: As Antarctic sea ice shrinks, iconic emperor penguins are in more peril than we thought

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana M Bergstrom, Honorary Senior Fellow in Ecology, University of Wollongong

    When winter comes to Antarctica, seals and Adélie penguins leave the freezing shores and head for the edge of the forming sea ice. But emperor penguins stay put.

    The existence of emperor penguins seems all but impossible. Their lives revolve around seasons, timing and access to “fast ice” – sea ice connected to the Antarctic coast. Here, the sea ice persists long enough into summer for the penguins to rear their chicks successfully.

    But climate change is upending the penguins’ carefully tuned biological cycles. The crucial sea ice they depend on is melting too early, plunging the chicks from some colonies into the sea before they are fully fledged.

    In the latest bad news for these penguins, research by the British Antarctic Survey examined satellite images from 2009 to 2024 to assess fast-ice conditions at 16 emperor penguin colonies south of South America. They noted an average 22% fall in numbers across these colonies. That translates to a decrease of 1.6% every year.

    This rate of loss is staggering. As the paper’s lead author Peter Fretwell told the ABC, the rate is about 50% worse than even the most pessimistic estimates.

    Emperor penguin colonies can number in the tens of thousands. But these numbers obscure an alarming trend.
    Robert Harding Video/Shutterstock

    Breeding while it’s freezing

    Just like polar bears in the Arctic, emperor penguins are the iconic species threatened by climate change in Antarctica.

    Emperor penguins are a highly successful species. They’re the tallest and heaviest penguin alive today. They evolved about one million years ago, and are highly adapted to life in one of Earth’s harshest environments. As of 2009, the emperor penguin population was estimated at just shy of 600,000 birds.

    Unfortunately, they are now in real trouble, because their breeding habitat appears to be reducing.

    At the beginning of every Antarctic winter, the surface of the ocean begins to freeze and sea ice forms. Over March and April, emperor penguins aggregate into raucous breeding colonies along the coast of the ice continent. They need about nine months to care for their chicks, until the young penguins can go to sea and look after themselves.

    The males frequently huddle to keep each other warm and their eggs safe. Meanwhile, the females spend months at sea catching krill, squid and fish, returning in July/August to feed their hungry chicks. When summer finally comes in December, the chicks start to shed their down and grow a dense, waterproof plumage – like a feathery armour against the intensely cold seas off the icy continent.

    Breeding locations are a kind of “Goldilocks” zone. When choosing a home, the penguins have to find a place that is safe but not too far from the fast ice edge where they go to start hunting.

    The greater the distance they have to travel, the longer it takes to return to their offspring, and the chicks may miss out on meals. But if a colony is too close to the edge of the fast ice, the risk increases that the ice breaks up before the chicks are ready to go to sea. Although fast ice can cover vast areas of the ocean surface, its edge is exposed to the swell of the Southern Ocean.

    In recent years, the fast ice in different parts of Antarctica has been breaking up early, before the chicks have moulted into their adult plumage. Without waterproof plumage, chicks perish because the cold water kills quickly. As this happens more often, the size of a colony shrinks.

    How bad is it?

    We don’t yet know if this rate of loss is happening right across Antarctica. The study only covers a the part of the continent that includes the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell Sea.

    What we do know is that Antarctica and its unique biodiversity are not immune to the consequences of still-rising global greenhouse gas emissions.

    In 2021, emperor penguins were listed as endangered by the United States, because the risk of extinction by century’s end had increased. Australia has not yet listed the emperor penguin as a threatened species.

    The new research suggests the future of these iconic birds is not looking good. Until the world gets serious about cutting greenhouse gas emissions, sea ice will retreat – and more chicks will fall into the icy water before they are ready to launch.

    Seabird ecologist Dr Barbara Wienecke contributed to this article.

    Dana M Bergstrom is affiliated with the Pure Antarctic Foundation, a group of scientists and artists interested in communicating science and knowledge to the broader community.

    – ref. As Antarctic sea ice shrinks, iconic emperor penguins are in more peril than we thought – https://theconversation.com/as-antarctic-sea-ice-shrinks-iconic-emperor-penguins-are-in-more-peril-than-we-thought-258807

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: As Antarctic sea ice shrinks, iconic emperor penguins are in more peril than we thought

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Dana M Bergstrom, Honorary Senior Fellow in Ecology, University of Wollongong

    When winter comes to Antarctica, seals and Adélie penguins leave the freezing shores and head for the edge of the forming sea ice. But emperor penguins stay put.

    The existence of emperor penguins seems all but impossible. Their lives revolve around seasons, timing and access to “fast ice” – sea ice connected to the Antarctic coast. Here, the sea ice persists long enough into summer for the penguins to rear their chicks successfully.

    But climate change is upending the penguins’ carefully tuned biological cycles. The crucial sea ice they depend on is melting too early, plunging the chicks from some colonies into the sea before they are fully fledged.

    In the latest bad news for these penguins, research by the British Antarctic Survey examined satellite images from 2009 to 2024 to assess fast-ice conditions at 16 emperor penguin colonies south of South America. They noted an average 22% fall in numbers across these colonies. That translates to a decrease of 1.6% every year.

    This rate of loss is staggering. As the paper’s lead author Peter Fretwell told the ABC, the rate is about 50% worse than even the most pessimistic estimates.

    Emperor penguin colonies can number in the tens of thousands. But these numbers obscure an alarming trend.
    Robert Harding Video/Shutterstock

    Breeding while it’s freezing

    Just like polar bears in the Arctic, emperor penguins are the iconic species threatened by climate change in Antarctica.

    Emperor penguins are a highly successful species. They’re the tallest and heaviest penguin alive today. They evolved about one million years ago, and are highly adapted to life in one of Earth’s harshest environments. As of 2009, the emperor penguin population was estimated at just shy of 600,000 birds.

    Unfortunately, they are now in real trouble, because their breeding habitat appears to be reducing.

    At the beginning of every Antarctic winter, the surface of the ocean begins to freeze and sea ice forms. Over March and April, emperor penguins aggregate into raucous breeding colonies along the coast of the ice continent. They need about nine months to care for their chicks, until the young penguins can go to sea and look after themselves.

    The males frequently huddle to keep each other warm and their eggs safe. Meanwhile, the females spend months at sea catching krill, squid and fish, returning in July/August to feed their hungry chicks. When summer finally comes in December, the chicks start to shed their down and grow a dense, waterproof plumage – like a feathery armour against the intensely cold seas off the icy continent.

    Breeding locations are a kind of “Goldilocks” zone. When choosing a home, the penguins have to find a place that is safe but not too far from the fast ice edge where they go to start hunting.

    The greater the distance they have to travel, the longer it takes to return to their offspring, and the chicks may miss out on meals. But if a colony is too close to the edge of the fast ice, the risk increases that the ice breaks up before the chicks are ready to go to sea. Although fast ice can cover vast areas of the ocean surface, its edge is exposed to the swell of the Southern Ocean.

    In recent years, the fast ice in different parts of Antarctica has been breaking up early, before the chicks have moulted into their adult plumage. Without waterproof plumage, chicks perish because the cold water kills quickly. As this happens more often, the size of a colony shrinks.

    How bad is it?

    We don’t yet know if this rate of loss is happening right across Antarctica. The study only covers a the part of the continent that includes the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell Sea.

    What we do know is that Antarctica and its unique biodiversity are not immune to the consequences of still-rising global greenhouse gas emissions.

    In 2021, emperor penguins were listed as endangered by the United States, because the risk of extinction by century’s end had increased. Australia has not yet listed the emperor penguin as a threatened species.

    The new research suggests the future of these iconic birds is not looking good. Until the world gets serious about cutting greenhouse gas emissions, sea ice will retreat – and more chicks will fall into the icy water before they are ready to launch.

    Seabird ecologist Dr Barbara Wienecke contributed to this article.

    Dana M Bergstrom is affiliated with the Pure Antarctic Foundation, a group of scientists and artists interested in communicating science and knowledge to the broader community.

    – ref. As Antarctic sea ice shrinks, iconic emperor penguins are in more peril than we thought – https://theconversation.com/as-antarctic-sea-ice-shrinks-iconic-emperor-penguins-are-in-more-peril-than-we-thought-258807

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Learner rider detected travelling at 172km/h on icy highway

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Learner rider detected travelling at 172km/h on icy highway

    Friday, 13 June 2025 – 10:26 am.

    A learner rider has had his motorcycle confiscated after he was detected travelling at 172km/h on icy roads yesterday.
    The 18-year-old Newnham rider was detected on the Midland Highway at Perth before being intercepted at Epping Forest by highway patrol officers.
    Senior Constable Rockliff from Northern Road Policing Services said the teenager’s learner licence meant he was subject to a 90km/h speed restriction. 
    “The speed at which this rider was traveling was outright dangerous,” Senior Constable Rockliff said. 
     “It was minus 1 degrees, it was frosty, the roads were busy with commuting motorists, and this learner rider was travelling 82km/h above his 90km/h speed restriction.
    “This could have ended in tragedy for both the rider and other road users.”
    The rider was arrested and charged with a hooning-related offence. 
    His bike has been confiscated for 28 days and he will face court at a later date.
    Anyone with dash cam footage of a blue Kawasaki motorcycle traveling southbound on the Midland Highway from Launceston between 8:45am and 9am Thursday 12 June is asked to provide the footage via the public portal: https://www.police.tas.gov.au/what-we-do/traffic-policing/report/
    Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Police scale back search in Cradle Mountain

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Police scale back search in Cradle Mountain

    Friday, 13 June 2025 – 10:12 am.

    Despite extensive search efforts in the Cradle Mountain area, Victorian man Christopher Inwood has not been located.
    A Tasmania Police helicopter crew worked in the northern section of the Cradle Mountain- Lake St Clair National Park on Thursday, but there was no sign of the 52-year-old.
    Searches on two previous days involved police officers, SES volunteers, police drone operators, a police helicopter crew and Parks and Wildlife Service rangers.
    Today, Tasmania Police made the decision to scale back the active search.
    “Police will continue to follow up any new leads or information that may assist in locating Christopher,” Western District Search and Rescue Inspector Steven Jones said.
    “Our thoughts remain with his family who are affected during this incredibly difficult time.”
    Mr Inwood’s white Toyota HiAce van was found in the car park of a ranger station about 7.30am on Tuesday.
    He had last been seen in Kindred, in the state’s north, about 8.30pm on Monday and police were operating on the belief Mr Inwood drove from Kindred to Cradle Mountain late Monday night.
    “Extensive search efforts have been undertaken in the area where the missing person was last believed to be,” Inspector Jones said.
    “At this stage, that area has been comprehensively searched, and all reasonable search strategies have been completed.”
    Inspector Jones said Mr Inwood’s vehicle was located on the outskirts of the national park, but there was currently no further evidence to confirm his location.
    “Given the length of time Mr Inwood has been missing and the harsh weather conditions in the area, if he has been fully exposed to the elements, sadly, his chances of survival are extremely low,” Inspector Jones said.
    If anyone has information about the location of Mr Inwood, pictured, or his recent movements, call Tasmania Police on 131 444.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Improvements to SuperStream standard and FVS

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Funds, and their service providers, need to review improvements to the SuperStream standard and Fund Validation Services (FVS) technical and business guidance documents.

    Drafts are available on the ATO Software Developers siteExternal Link. Consider changes that impact your software and be ready by 1 July 2026.

    Key changes include:

    • updates to FVS to give greater visibility and traceability on fund mergers, track closed Unique Superannuation Identifiers (USIs), and help employers and funds better resolve errors with SuperStream data and payments
    • improved SuperStream contributions processes to clarify error messages for employers, explaining why a fund rejected a contribution
    • faster payments on the New Payments Platform will no longer require bi-lateral agreement and will become an approved payment method
    • a new SuperStream message for employers to confirm an employee’s super fund will accept contributions.

    Be aware there may be further changes made to the documents, or new documents added, and you should regularly review the website for the most up-to-date version.

    If you have questions after reviewing the documents, please contact us.

    Looking for the latest news for Super funds? – You can stay up to date by visiting our Super funds newsroom and subscribingExternal Link to our monthly Super funds newsletter and CRT alerts.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ATO Vulnerability Framework consultation

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    We’ve developed the ATO Vulnerability Framework so we can better support people experiencing vulnerability when they interact with the tax system.

    Your feedback will help make sure the final ATO Vulnerability Framework is clear, meaningful and relevant to the people it’s designed to support.

    What is the ATO Vulnerability Framework?

    The Framework outlines the ATO’s commitment to supporting people experiencing vulnerability. It establishes 6 guiding principles, 4 core focus areas and a clear approach to how we engage with the community. These elements are designed to help shape the way we develop policies and processes, supporting more inclusive and consistent interactions with the community.

    While it may not change a tax or super obligation under the law, it serves as a guiding approach for how we listen, communicate and connect people with the right support.

    Why your feedback matters

    The Framework is in draft form, and your input will help shape its final version. Public consultation allows us to:

    • Understand different perspectives, including lived experiences
    • Identify gaps or areas that could be clearer
    • Strengthen transparency and accessibility

    We welcome feedback from individuals, advocates, professionals and organisations that support people affected by vulnerability. For more information, see Consultation paper – ATO Vulnerability Framework.

    How to provide feedback

    Submit your feedback by 18 July 2025 to VulnerabilityConsultation@ato.gov.au.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ATO Vulnerability Framework consultation opens

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Supporting people experiencing vulnerability is important us. We’ve developed the ATO Vulnerability Framework to better support taxpayers experiencing vulnerability so they can engage with the tax system more easily and with the help they need. Now, we need your feedback to refine the framework and ensure it reflects the needs of the community.

    What is the ATO Vulnerability Framework?

    The framework sets out the ATO’s commitment to fostering inclusive, consistent, and empathetic interactions with individuals experiencing vulnerability. While it doesn’t change tax or super obligations, it guides how we listen, communicate, and connect people with the right help.

    Why your feedback matters

    The Framework is currently in draft form, and your feedback will help make sure the final version is clear and relevant to the people it’s designed to support. Your feedback will help:

    • provide a deeper understanding of various perspectives identify areas that could be clearer
    • strengthen transparency and accessibility.

    We encourage individuals, advocates, and professionals who support people in experiencing vulnerability to provide feedback.

    How to provide feedback

    You can read the draft Framework at Consultation paper – ATO Vulnerability Framework.

    To provide your feedback, email VulnerabilityConsultation@ato.gov.au by Friday 18 July 2025.

    Your voice can help create a more supportive system – thank you for being part of this important process.

    Keep up to date

    Read more articles in the Not-for-profit newsroom and, if you haven’t already, subscribeExternal Link to our free monthly newsletter Not-for-profit news to be alerted when we publish new articles.

    For updates throughout the month, Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Moltisanti regularly shares blog posts and updates on her LinkedInExternal Link profile. And you can check out our online platform ATO CommunityExternal Link to find answers to your tax and super questions.

    MIL OSI News –

  • 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 –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Search begins for head contractor for Bendigo Art Gallery project

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    The City of Greater Bendigo is seeking a head contractor for its largest-ever construction project, the redevelopment of Bendigo Art Gallery.

    Expressions of interest opened this week for construction companies with the capability to deliver stage one of the project, valued at $45M.

    Stage one will transform the Gallery and deliver a second level blockbuster exhibition space, innovative learning centre, theatrette and Traditional Owner Place of Keeping for Dja Dja Wurrung cultural materials.

    City of Greater Bendigo Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cooney said he expected there would be significant interest from the construction sector to be part of the project.

    “The Gallery redevelopment is a major, city-defining project for Bendigo. It is an investment in arts and culture as well as the economic future of our region, and would be an incredible project for a construction company to have in its portfolio,” Mr Cooney said.

    “An expression of interest process is an opportunity for construction companies to demonstrate their capacity and experience in delivering projects of this scale and complexity. They must also be able to outline how they will utilise the local sub-contractor network and employment of local staff.”

    Gallery Director Jessica Bridgfoot said it would be beneficial for the successful tender to have experience in delivering cultural projects.

    “Our focus is to deliver a world-class gallery experience and contemporary building that cements the Gallery’s reputation as an empowering, inclusive and engaging cultural facility for future generations,” Ms Bridgfoot said.

    “It is a project that incorporates our heritage gallery spaces – Abbott, Drury and Bolton courts – and a key focus of the building’s façade and a critical feature of the redevelopment is honouring the Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owners, so it will be important the head contractor understands the vision we have set out for this next chapter in the Gallery’s history.”

    It is expected construction will commence in early in 2026 and take approximately two years to complete.

    Funding partners for the redevelopment include the Victorian Government, City of Greater Bendigo, Bendigo Art Gallery Board and philanthropic donors, including the Sidney Myer Fund and The Ian Potter Foundation.

    The expression of interest process is open until June 30 and available via Vendor Panel or visiting the City’s website.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Brown joins lawsuit challenging Trump administration attack on California’s Clean Vehicles Program

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE – Attorney General Nick Brown today joined coalition of 11 attorneys general in challenging the federal government’s unprecedented and unlawful use of the Congressional Review Act to disapprove California’s waivers for its various clean vehicle standards, which Washington subsequently adopted.

    Waivers have never been subject to the Congressional Review Act nor have any other agency orders that adjudicate requests for permission —such as oil and gas leases or mining permits. The actions taken here contradict the non-partisan Government Accountability Office and Senate parliamentarian, who both determined that the law’s process to disapprove federal regulations does not apply to these waivers.

    “Transportation is the single greatest contributor to greenhouse gas pollution in Washington, and our residents understand the transition to zero-emission vehicles is critical in the fight against climate change,” Brown said. “This is the Trump administration’s latest unlawful attempt to derail Washington’s and the nation’s transition to a clean future.”

    Motor vehicle emissions contribute to the formation of smog, as well as fine particle pollution and toxic air pollution, all of which are linked to premature death, respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, and cancer, among other serious health impacts. Transportation is also the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, and cars and trucks account for 80% of those transportation emissions.  

    The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set federal emission standards for air pollutants from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines that cause or contribute to air pollution that endangers public health or welfare. The Clean Air Act allows only California to adopt more stringent emission requirements independent from EPA’s regulations, because only California had vehicle emissions standards before the passage of the federal Clean Air Act.  California can enforce these standards with an EPA preemption waiver. The act requires EPA to approve waivers for California’s rules absent certain, limited circumstances not present here.

    Once EPA grants California a waiver, Washington may adopt California’s standards and does not need a waiver of its own. Since 2023, the EPA granted California three waivers, allowing it to enforce the most recent standards for passenger vehicles, Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II), as well as standards for heavier duty vehicles under the Omnibus and Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) standards. Historically, EPA, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has granted California more than seventy-five preemption waivers for updates to the State’s new motor vehicle emissions control program. As Congress intended, these waivers have allowed California, and those states that adopted California’s standards, to improve on their vehicle emissions programs.

    Under ACCII, which Washington adopted in 2022, automakers must continue to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles—as they have been for decades. By model year 2035, 80% of the passenger vehicles sold in Washington must be zero-emission, while the remaining 20% may be plug-in hybrids. The Advanced Clean Truck regulations aim to accelerate the widespread adoption of zero emission vehicles in the medium and heavy-duty truck sector, and are similarly critical for Washington’s efforts to meet air quality standards and protect public health. The Omnibus regulation requires internal combustion heavy-duty trucks sold in Washington to meet strict standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, which are major contributors to smog formation.

    Under the direction of President Trump, the EPA transmitted these California waivers to Congress as “rules” in an attempt to invoke CRA procedures, even though all three waivers state EPA’s consistent and longstanding position, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, that waiver decisions are not “rules.” The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate illegally used the CRA to target California’s Clean Air Act waivers.

    The complaint filed today alleges that the attempt to invalidate California’s waivers violated constitutional principles of federalism and separation of powers, the Take Care Clause, and multiple federal statutes including the Congressional Review Act and Administrative Procedure Act.  The complaint asks the court to declare the resolutions to be unlawful and to require the Administration to implement the Clean Air Act consistent with the granted waivers.

    Attorney General Brown joins California Attorney General Bonta and the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont in filing the lawsuit.

    A copy of the complaint is available here.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.

    Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Wood heater fire scare for Tatura family

    Source:

    A wood heater fire that tore through the home of a Tatura family has Victoria’s fire services calling for vigilance when warming homes this winter.

    With the cooler weather arriving with force in recent weeks, one Tatura household had a lucky escape when bedlinen drying in front of a wood heater quickly became engulfed in flames.

    The fire burned through blankets before hitting the floor and spreading into the living room.

    Thankfully, the family was alerted to a fire in their home thanks to their newly installed smoke alarms.

    Tatura Fire Brigade Captain and Incident Controller Peter Bevan hoped this common incident reminds residents to keep items drying at least one metre away from all heating sources.

    “The family had only headed outside to the back shed for an hour before they heard the smoke alarms going off,” Peter said.

    “They couldn’t see any smoke or flames until it started coming through the air conditioning swamp cooler on the roof, which is initially what they had thought caught fire.

    “Once the clothes horse had fallen on the floor, the flames travelled right across the room into a cupboard where the switchboard was and then made its way up into the ceiling.

    “There is extensive damage to the living area, and the curtains and carpets are all destroyed. The smoke managed to affect 80 per cent of the house.

    “To set the scene more clearly for people, the radiant heat alone was so strong, it blew out a couple of the glass windows in the kitchen.”

    Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and CFA responded to more than 150 heater fires through May 2024 to March 2025, with sleeping and living areas the most common room of fire ignition for incidents that result in serious injuries or death.

    CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said this is just one example of how leaving portable heaters and fireplaces unattended can have distressing impacts in a matter of moments.

    “We are so pleased the family had just installed working smoke alarms to alert them to safety. It is really important all households have them in every bedroom, hallway and living area to ensure you have enough time to safely evacuate,” Jason said.

    “It goes without saying, but please reconsider where you place your washing to dry. It’s a popular set up to place them near our heaters and wood fires, but a mistake that can be easily avoided.”

    FRV Deputy Commissioner, Community Safety, Joshua Fischer said now that we are spending more time indoors, heaters should be turned off before you leave the house.

    “Taking a few moments to check your heaters and fireplace before you head out the door could make all the difference to the safety of your family,” Joshua said.

    “We really encourage residents to have their gas heaters inspected and serviced every two years to make sure they are free of faults before they get a good run over winter.”

    When it comes to home heating, CFA and FRV recommend:

    • Drying clothes and other items that can burn must be kept at least one metre away from all heat sources.
    • Always use a fire screen in front of an open fire.
    • Children must be supervised near all types of heating. Maintain a safe distance between children and heating.
    • Never leave portable heaters and fireplaces unattended; turn off heaters and make sure fireplace embers are extinguished before leaving the room or going to sleep. 
    • Residents should have their gas heaters inspected and serviced every two years to ensure the safety of loved ones from carbon monoxide poisoning or fire. 
    • If you suspect a fault in a heater, have it serviced or replaced immediately. Replace old portable heaters with models that incorporate automatic cut-out, thermostat control and anti-roll features.
    • Ensure home heating, including flues and chimneys, are regularly cleaned and serviced by a certified technician.
    Submitted by CFA media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK voted in favour in line with our unwavering determination to end the suffering in Gaza, bring the hostages home and move towards lasting peace: UK Statement at the UN General Assembly

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    The UK voted in favour in line with our unwavering determination to end the suffering in Gaza, bring the hostages home and move towards lasting peace: UK Statement at the UN General Assembly

    Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, after the adoption of UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/ES-10/27 on the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    The UK voted in favour of this resolution in line with our unwavering determination to end the suffering in Gaza, bring the hostages home and move towards lasting peace in the region.

    Let me start by repeating our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and their despicable actions on and since 7 October. They must be held accountable and can play no role in the future governance of Gaza. The UK’s commitment to Israel’s security is resolute.

    President, the text of the resolution is clear that both Israel and Hamas need to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire; that Hamas must immediately and unconditionally release the hostages; and that Israel, as the occupying power, must end its blocks on aid and ensure unhindered humanitarian access.

    And crucially, there must be an end to any actions that stand in the way of a two-state solution and the best chance for peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people.

    That is why this week, the UK, along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, sanctioned Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. These two men are responsible for inciting settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank with their extremist rhetoric. Attacks by violent settlers have led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities.

    We will not stand by while Israeli actions attempt to entrench a one-state reality.

    The UK is deeply concerned by ongoing Israeli operations in the West Bank, including incidents where children have been killed. This is appalling and unacceptable.

    President, there can be no military solution to this conflict.

    Over 55,000 Palestinians have been killed and the IPC have been clear that half a million people are facing starvation. 

    Israeli Government policies which have completely blocked or severely restricted humanitarian aid are unacceptable. That civilians have been killed whilst desperately trying to feed their families is inhumane. And the UK rejects any attempts at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza strip.

    While the UK voted in favour of this resolution, we wish to clarify that our long-standing position remains that Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions does not impose a legal obligation on states to ensure respect for international law by third parties.

    President, a two-state solution remains the only viable framework for a just and lasting peace. This is the fundamental principle that we must continue to strive for, to end the cycle of violence and give Palestinians and Israelis alike a better future.

    We welcome the leadership of France and Saudi Arabia in convening next week’s Conference in pursuit of this.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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 –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Workers need better tools and tech to boost productivity. Why aren’t companies stepping up to invest?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra

    As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers turn their attention to improving productivity growth across the economy, it will be interesting to see what the business community brings to a planned summit in August.

    Labour productivity (output per hour worked) has barely grown this decade.

    Much of the focus in the current debate has been on the role of workers (labour) and industrial relations. Less discussed has been low business investment (capital).

    Labour will be more productive if each worker can use more capital: machinery, equipment and technology. Over the medium term, providing workers with more capital – “capital deepening”, in the jargon – tends to be the main contributor to labour productivity growth.

    But business investment as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) is currently at its lowest level since the mid-1990s.

    Investment is low in both the mining and non-mining sectors. In the latest national accounts report for the March quarter, business investment in machinery and equipment fell 1.7%.

    The average worker now uses less capital equipment – machines and computers – than a decade ago. Investment just hasn’t kept pace with growth in employment.



    Read more:
    ‘Hard to measure and difficult to shift’: the government’s big productivity challenge

    Why is investment so weak?

    One possible reason was put forward by then Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe in 2023. He suggested that, during the COVID pandemic, firms concentrated on surviving. Seeking out more efficient ways to produce was a lower priority. But post-pandemic, firms seem to have been slow to pivot back to an efficiency focus.

    Another reason may be that, until recently, wage growth has been slower than the growth in prices of goods and services produced. This may have reduced the incentives for firms to invest in the equipment needed to boost labour productivity.

    A key driver of investment is profitability. Firms are more likely to fund investment from retained earnings than by borrowing or raising capital. But the share of corporate profits in the economy has been quite high in recent years. So this does not explain low investment.

    The ‘animal spirits’ are lacking

    Business confidence – what economist John Maynard Keynes famously called “animal spirits” – is another important driver.

    Share prices, both in Australia and the rest of the world, have grown strongly in recent years. The S&P/ASX 200 index of Australian share prices is close to its all-time high. This would suggest financial markets are very optimistic about the prospects of Australian companies.

    Direct surveys of Australian businesses from National Australia Bank suggest conditions (the current situation) and confidence (about the future) are around their long-term average level. So this also does not explain the low investment.

    One contributor to low investment may be that firms are applying inappropriately high “hurdle rates”. These refer to the minimum return firms expect from an investment before they will undertake it.

    Hurdle rates tend to be “sticky” over time, meaning they do not move much. Many companies still apply hurdle rates of over 12%. These were appropriate back when interest rates and inflation were much higher, but seem too high now as borrowing costs have fallen with interest rate cuts.

    The Productivity Commission has suggested one contributor to low investment could be a higher risk premium. Since the global financial crisis in 2007-08, companies and investors may have become more cautious about taking on risk.

    Another factor could be growing market power of Australian companies that dominate a sector, making them complacent rather than striving to improve their performance.

    The high degree of uncertainty

    The Reserve Bank recently compiled two measures of uncertainty. One is derived from stock markets. The other is based on the number of news articles about policy uncertainty.

    Both show the current environment is as uncertain now as it was during the early stages of the global financial crisis in 2007–08 and the COVID pandemic.

    Investment in machineray and equipment went backwards in the March quarter.
    Parilov/Shutterstock

    A common response to uncertainty is to defer decisions on both investment and hiring new workers until the outlook is clearer. A study by the Reserve Bank found that greater uncertainty did indeed reduce investment. But the size of the impact was – you guessed it – uncertain.

    What can be done?

    Business lobbies often attribute low rates of investment (and anything else they think people may not like) to “excessively high” corporate tax rates. But at 30% for large companies and 25% for small, the company tax rate is low by historical standards.

    Some multinational firms may be deterred from entering the Australian market as our company tax rate is above that in some other jurisdictions. It is hard to tell how important this effect is. Company tax is only one of many factors that affect the comparative risk and return of Australia as an investment destination.

    The Productivity Commission is investigating whether the corporate taxation system could be made more efficient rather than just lowering rates.

    In the meantime, however, firms may be encouraged to invest more by a more stable domestic economic outlook. Inflation is back within the central bank’s 2-3% target range. Employment is around an all-time high proportion of the working age population. The election has removed some political uncertainty with a government holding a clear majority.

    Businesses should stop whingeing and start providing workers with the tools they need to become more productive.

    This article is part of The Conversation’s series, The Productivity Puzzle. Read the previous article here.

    John Hawkins was formerly a senior economist in the Reserve Bank and the Australian Treasury.

    – ref. Workers need better tools and tech to boost productivity. Why aren’t companies stepping up to invest? – https://theconversation.com/workers-need-better-tools-and-tech-to-boost-productivity-why-arent-companies-stepping-up-to-invest-257806

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • 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 –

  • MIL-Evening Report: It took more than a century, but women are taking charge of Australia’s economy – here’s why it matters

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Duygu Yengin, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Adelaide

    For the first time in its 124-year history, Treasury will be led by a woman.

    Jenny Wilkinson’s appointment is historic in its own right. Even more remarkable is the fact she joins Michele Bullock at the Reserve Bank and Danielle Wood at the Productivity Commission.

    Australia’s three most powerful economic institutions are now led by women economists. In economics, this is not normal. But it certainly does matter.

    Stubbornly male

    Imagine if only 17% of economics professors were men. It would feel unusual; people would ask why the field was so heavily skewed. But the reality is the opposite: 83% of economics professors in Australia are male.

    And yet, this imbalance is almost invisible. Women make up just about one-third of secondary pupils studying economics and 40% of students enrolled in economics courses at university.

    In the private sector, women economists are roughly one in three.

    So while the appointments of Wilkinson, Bullock and Wood feels groundbreaking, the profession as a whole remains stubbornly male. Still, the leadership story is worth celebrating. When young women see leaders who look like them, they’re more likely to imagine themselves in those roles too.

    As women increasingly take the helm, the old stereotype of a suit-clad man with a briefcase gives way to a broader, more inclusive image of what an economist can be.

    The public service is leading the charge. As of 2023, women held 53% of senior executive service positions in the Australian Public Service, up from 46% in 2019.

    Merit and diversity

    Thankfully, unlike other parts of the world, we live in a country where these appointments haven’t triggered claims of so-called “diversity hires”. To be clear: these female pioneers weren’t appointed because they are women.

    Each has decades of experience, technical firepower, and deep policy credentials. Wilkinson has led the Department of Finance and the Parliamentary Budget Office. Bullock has held almost every senior role at the Reserve Bank. Wood has shaped public debates on intergenerational equity and tax reform with clarity and rigour.

    The idea that diversity is somehow in tension with merit is a false binary. Diverse groups make better decisions and are more creative, especially in high-stakes settings.

    Decades of economics and business research has shown that incorporating diverse perspectives into decision-making only strengthens the outcomes. Decisions made and executed by diverse teams delivered 60% better results than those by non-diverse teams.

    Merit isn’t just what’s on paper, it’s shaped by how we judge it.

    When men and women perform equally well, success is more often credited to skill for men and to luck for women. Swap a male name for a female one on a CV, teaching evaluation or reference letter, and perceptions of competence, leadership and hireability start to shift.

    These unconscious biases don’t just affect who gets ahead; they shape how we define merit in the first place.

    Will it make a difference?

    Economics often prides itself on being objective and neutral. While the economic models may be technically gender-blind, the questions we ask and investigate rarely are.

    This is where gender diversity matters – not just in who holds the top jobs, but in what gets researched and how decisions are made. There’s growing evidence male and female economists don’t just ask different questions, they also approach problems differently.

    One study found female central bankers tend to act with greater independence and deliver lower inflation. A United States study and another in Europe showed striking gender differences in how economists think about a range of areas, including labour markets, taxation, health and the environment, and more broadly on public spending – everything from welfare to the military.

    Having more diverse perspectives doesn’t dilute economics – it deepens it. It makes the discipline more responsive to the diversity of the real-world challenges it’s meant to address.

    Economic policies impact the whole society. So does the composition of economists.

    So, what’s next?

    Of course, three women in top economic roles won’t create miracles overnight – they all operate within existing systems and structures.

    So, what can we expect from Wilkinson’s leadership? Her time at the Department of Finance suggests a steady, pragmatic hand: consultative, strategic and deeply experienced.

    Wilkinson brings bipartisan credibility, a sharp grasp of fiscal discipline, and the capacity to act decisively in a crisis, as we saw during COVID. She won’t remake Treasury overnight, but she’s well placed to lead it with rigour, integrity and a long-term view.

    This moment matters for women in economics. It shows change is possible in the profession, and it could mark the start of economic policy that truly reflects the diversity of the people it serves.

    Duygu Yengin is affiliated with the University of Adelaide, Women in Economics Network, and the Economic Society of Australia.

    – ref. It took more than a century, but women are taking charge of Australia’s economy – here’s why it matters – https://theconversation.com/it-took-more-than-a-century-but-women-are-taking-charge-of-australias-economy-heres-why-it-matters-258680

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Signs Into Law Fischer’s Resolution to Overturn California’s Unrealistic EV Mandate, Protect Truckers and Consumers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Today, President Donald Trump signed into law U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s (R-Neb.) resolution of disapproval to repeal California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT). Fischer’s resolution nullifies California’s unrealistic and stringent emissions requirements for heavy-duty trucks and heavy-duty diesel engines, which would have dictated emission policies for the entire country. 

    “I’ve been clear from the start—one state should not dictate emission policies for the entire country. California’s ACT regulation would have increased costs on American consumers and crippled the truck manufacturing industry nationwide by overloading companies and truckers with expensive, heavy-handed requirements. My commonsense resolution keeps government overreach at bay, protects consumers, and supports America’s free markets. I’m grateful President Trump signed it into law,”     Fischer said.  

    Background:

    Fischer 

    introduced the resolution of disapproval in April, and the U.S. Senate passed the resolution last month. Fischer also spoke on the Senate Floor to highlight the necessity in overturning the waiver and stopping one state from dictating emission policies for the entire country.

    California’s ACT would have required manufacturers of trucks, from class 2b to class 8, to meet zero-emission regulations by 2025. Under the regulation, manufacturers would have to sell an increasingly larger percentage of zero-emission vehicles between 2024 to 2035. Additionally, the ACT would require fleet owners with more than 50 vehicles to submit a one-time report on their existing operations.

    Fischer’s now signed-into law resolution nullifies California’s ACT rule that requires manufacturers to increase the sales of zero-emission trucks. The rule was part of California and the Biden administration’s continued effort to ban gas-powered vehicles and mandate more expensive zero-emission vehicles.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LaMalfa Celebrates Signing of Resolutions to Repeal California’s Extreme Vehicle Mandates Into Law

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Doug LaMalfa 1st District of California

    Washington, D.C.—Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) joined President Trump at the White House for the signing of three Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that block California’s sweeping vehicle emissions mandates from taking effect nationwide. The signing marks the successful conclusion of a major legislative effort backed by LaMalfa in the House.

    “I was honored to be at the White House today as President Trump signed these critical resolutions I helped lead into law,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “California’s extreme vehicle mandates would have made it harder and more expensive for Americans to buy the cars and trucks they need, whether they live in California or not. These rules were designed to go national and force consumers, truckers, and most industries into costly electric vehicles with fewer options. These new laws are a major win for anyone who relies on a vehicle to get to work, run a business, or support their family.  With his signature President Trump permanently stopped some of California’s most ridiculous rules.”

    Congressman LaMalfa co-led the resolutions with Representatives John Joyce (R-PA), John James (R-MI), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA). The Senate passed the resolutions earlier this month, sending them to the president’s desk.

    Background

    Under the Clean Air Act, states are generally prohibited from setting their own tailpipe emission standards for cars and trucks. However, California has a unique exemption, which allows the state to establish its own emissions regulations if it submits a waiver to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and receives approval. Once granted, these California standards can also be adopted by other states. Currently, about a dozen states follow California’s emissions policies, effectively turning the state’s regulations into a nationwide mandate.

    The Biden administration approved several controversial waivers requested by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), allowing the state to impose extreme emissions rules that impact car and truck costs and availability across the country. These include:

    • Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC2) – Approved in December 2024, this regulation mandates that 35% of new car sales be zero-emission by 2026, increasing to 100% by 2035. At least 12 states have already adopted ACC2. Failure to meet this goal means a maximum penalty of up to $25,000 per non-compliant gas-powered vehicle sold to consumers.
    • Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) – Approved in March 2023, this regulation forces truck manufacturers and retailers to meet strict zero-emission quotas by 2035, including 55% of Class 2B-3 truck sales, 75% of Class 4-8 straight truck sales, and 40% of truck tractor sales. At least 11 states have adopted ACT.
    • Omnibus Low-NOx Emissions Rule – Approved in December 2024, this regulation imposes aggressive emissions reductions on medium- and heavy-duty truck and other engines, requiring NOx emissions to be cut by 75% below current standards for Model Year 2024-2026 compared to 2010 levels and particulate matter emissions to be cut by 50%.

    Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Sunday Too Far Away at 50: how a story about Aussie shearers launched a local film industry

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Walsh, Associate Professor, Screen and Media, Flinders University

    Released 50 years ago, Sunday Too Far Away deals episodically with a group of shearers led by Foley (Jack Thompson), and the events leading up to the national shearers’ strike of 1956.

    The shearers are a ragtag group held together by rum, unionism and competitiveness – as Foley must deal with the camp cook from hell, as well as a threat to his “gun” status.

    As we celebrate the anniversary, it is hard to overstate its importance for the Australian film industry and for its producer, the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).

    The beginnings of a funding body

    After the Liberal and Country League had held control over the state government for 32 years under a “Playmander”, named for premier Thomas Playford, the Labor party, lead by Don Dunstan, was elected in 1970 on a progressive platform.

    As part of Dunstan’s project of moving the state’s economy away from its Playford-era reliance on manufacturing to more knowledge-based service industries, the SAFC was founded in 1972.

    Central to Dunstan’s plan was the imperative that the SAFC should produce feature films – despite an initial consultant’s report that advised against this.

    Dunstan’s plan was visionary, making South Australia the first state government to directly produce features. But it was also flawed.

    The Dunstan government authorised the SAFC to borrow A$400,000 (approximately $5 million in 2025 money) for the production of up to five features per year, with the remainder of the budgets coming from Commonwealth funds and private investors.

    Don Dunstan, then premier of South Australia, around 1972 when the South Australian Film Corporation was established.
    State Library of South Australia B 64310/106

    The plan was that the SAFC’s productions would be self-supporting within five years, with the initial pump-priming loans repaid.

    By 1973 a slate of features was in the works, though none would reach production.

    One of these was Gallipoli, to be made in conjunction with Melbourne-based Crawford Productions, with screenwriter John Dingwell attached.

    The film was shelved, but Dingwell maintained his relationship with Matt Carroll, the SAFC’s head of feature production. They developed a script titled Shearers, based on anecdotes from one of Dingwell’s relatives.

    Sunday Too Far Away (as the film was retitled) was budgeted at $231,000, with the Commonwealth Government’s Australian Film Development Corporation, established in 1970 to invest in local films, providing half this figure.

    An ‘emotional experience’

    Gil Brealey, the SAFC’s first CEO, was desperate to get a feature started and was prepared to find the whole of the budget if necessary. (The SAFC would put up an additional $14,000 in budget overruns caused by wet weather in the semi-arid locations around Port Augusta and Quorn.)

    It was a remarkable demonstration of maximum involvement by a government body intent on intervening dramatically to generate a production industry in a state that would otherwise lose out to the larger states on the eastern seaboard.

    At the recent 50th anniversary screening hosted by the SAFC, producer Matt Carroll referred to the film shoot as “an extraordinary emotional experience” for all involved, stressing the strong camaraderie among the actors, which mirrored that of the shearers in the film.

    It is useful to compare Sunday to 1971’s Wake in Fright.

    Both centre on rural male mateship, but while Wake in Fright is revolted by it, Sunday strives for an elegiac celebration that might have drawn from Henry Lawson, of union-based mateship as the only defence again the harshness of life.

    Fraught politics

    Brealey and the SAFC were functioning under enormous political pressure for this film to be not only a critical, but also a popular success.

    From the outset, the SAFC had been identified with Dunstan, and it was under almost daily attack in Parliament, led by Liberal frontbencher Stan Evans.

    Quoted in the Adelaide Advertiser in May 1975, Evans denounced the SAFC “for actively producing and manufacturing films when its role under the Act precluded it from this field”.

    He was joined in these attacks by elements of the local press, as well as a handful of filmmakers who felt slighted by talent imported by Brealey.

    The board was forced to issue a statement, complaining of

    a very small vocal minority who, apparently, find the success of the corporation personally offensive and make every effort to ‘knock’ its work.

    The acceptance of the film into the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, the first Australian film bestowed the honour, was a godsend. It went on to win eight of the 12 awards on offer at the Australian Film Institute Awards.

    Brealey wryly told me that “we had this appalling reputation in Adelaide and everyone else thought we were marvellous”.

    The film renaissance

    In order to shore up its local standing, the SAFC ran a film day at the Adelaide Festival Centre, culminating in a “world premiere” of Sunday attended by Gough Whitlam.

    The next day, the SAFC released the film itself in Adelaide, hiring the Warner cinema where it ran for 26 weeks under an arrangement that gave the producer the entire gross, less the exhibitor’s expenses.

    Brealey was extremely suspicious of Australian distributors. Roadshow distributed the film throughout the rest of Australia. By October, they were reporting box office grosses of over $182,000 – though the SAFC had only received $11,000 in returns.

    The bitter lesson was that SAFC had clearly been founded on overly optimistic expectations of returns to producers. Feature production in Australia would need on-going government support.

    The success of Sunday Too Far Away, followed closely by Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and Storm Boy (1976) succeeded in establishing the SAFC as a prime mover in Australian film.

    Locally, it won bipartisan local support for the SAFC and nationally it established a model for emulation by other states.

    It demonstrated that Australian films could combine local and international appeal, and that government agencies had a vital role at the heart of the film renaissance.

    Michael Walsh is a consultant for the SAFC on its digitisation project. He has previously written a commissioned history for the organisation.

    – ref. Sunday Too Far Away at 50: how a story about Aussie shearers launched a local film industry – https://theconversation.com/sunday-too-far-away-at-50-how-a-story-about-aussie-shearers-launched-a-local-film-industry-258576

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Like an underwater bushfire’: SA’s marine algal bloom is still killing almost everything in its path

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Barrera, PhD Candidate, School of Public Health, University of Adelaide

    Paul Macdonald of Edithburgh Diving

    South Australian beaches have been awash with foamy, discoloured water and dead marine life for months. The problem hasn’t gone away; it has spread.

    Devastating scenes of death and destruction mobilised locals along the Fleurieu Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. The state government has hosted emergency meetings, most recently with marine and environment experts from around Australia, and issued weekly updates.

    Unfortunately, there are few ways to stop the bloom. Scientists had hoped strong westerly winds would break it up and push it out to sea. But so far, the wild weather has just pushed it through the Murray Mouth into the Coorong. And even if the bloom is washed away this winter, it could return in spring.

    This bloom represents a stark warning to coastal communities, as well as tourism, seafood and aquaculture industries. It’s a sign of what’s to come, in Australia and around the world, as the oceans warm.

    South Australia’s marine emblem, the leafy sea dragon, washed up on Stokes Bay in Kangaroo Island during the harmful algal bloom.
    RAD KI

    An unprecedented algal bloom

    The first sign of trouble came in March this year, when dozens of surfers and beachgoers fell ill. Many reported sore eyes, coughing or trouble breathing.

    Water testing soon revealed the cause: a harmful algal bloom of Karenia mikimotoi.

    Most people felt better within hours or days of leaving the beach. But marine life of all kinds was washing up dead or dying.

    Fish habitat charity OzFish set up a new citizen science project to capture the data, using iNaturalist.

    OzFish SA project manager Brad Martin told a public forum the bloom was like an “underwater bushfire”, adding:

    It’s suffocating fish, it’s taking the oxygen out of the water and it’s producing toxins.

    Photos of dead fish, seahorses, octopuses and rays were already circulating on social media. So OzFish encouraged people to start using iNaturalist, to identify the species and capture the data.

    The data shows more than 200 species of marine creatures died, including 100 types of fish and sharks. This includes popular recreational fishing species such as flathead, squid, crabs and rock lobsters.

    Almost half the deaths were ray-finned fish species. A quarter were sharks and ray species. Then came soft-bodied “cephalopods” such as cuttlefish and octopus, and crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters and prawns.

    Most of these species live on or near the sea floor with small home ranges. As in a bushfire, they have little chance of escape. Other fish that live in the open ocean, such as whiting, snapper and tuna, can swim away.

    Ray-finned fish, sharks and rays dominate the death toll from the marine algal bloom, as recorded on iNaturalist.
    Brad Martin, OzFish

    The culprit

    K. mikimotoi is a type of microalgae. It uses sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow and divide, releasing oxygen.

    In calm conditions, with plenty of light and warmth, the algal cells divide rapidly. Ideal conditions for algal growth are becoming more common as the climate changes and seas warm.

    Algal toxins are known to cause illness and sometimes death in humans, pets and livestock.

    K. mikimotoi is lethal to marine life, not humans. But the toxic effects in marine life are complicated and poorly understood.

    The algae irritates fish gills, causing cell death and bleeding. It also causes hypoxia, or lack of oxygen in the blood. And when the algae die off, decomposition consumes huge amounts of oxygen – leaving marine life to suffocate.

    Scientists now suspect other Karenia species may be involved too, due to the detection of brevetoxins in shellfish. This is the first detection of brevetoxins in Australia.

    Grim scenes greeted divers in murky water at Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula. (Paul Macdonald of Edithburgh Diving)

    What can be done?

    A marine heatwave is largely to blame. Sea surface temperatures have been 2.5°C warmer than usual since September. Relatively calm conditions, with little wind and small swells, also enabled the bloom to grow. Now it’s a matter of waiting for strong westerly winds to blow it all away.

    The latest update shows sea surface temperatures have stabilised. But deeper gulf and shelf waters remain 1–2°C above average for this time of the year.

    Climate change is making future blooms more likely. So tackling climate change is one way to help.

    Another is minimising the runoff of nutrients into waterways. Microalgae can be found anywhere with enough water, light and nutrients. So reducing pollution can help reduce the risk of algal blooms.

    This includes better management of fertiliser on farms and in home gardens. Lower levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous will reduce the risk of future blooms in marine and inland waterways.

    When it comes to blue-green algae, flushing with freshwater and stirring it up can disperse the colonies and prevent a bloom.

    Monitoring is also important. OzFish encourages South Australians to continue providing photo reports via iNaturalist. Any new fish kills should also be reported to the state government.

    The harmful algal bloom has transformed the reef at Edithburgh Jetty on the Yorke Peninsula. (Great Southern Reef)

    Microalgae are not all bad

    It’s worth remembering life on Earth wouldn’t exist without microalgae. These tiny organisms produced 60% of the oxygen in the atmosphere today, and play an important role in balanced ecosystems.

    The algae spirulina is a common dietary supplement. Microalgae are also potentially useful for water recycling, as a renewable biofuel and for capturing and storing greenhouse gases.

    Heeding the lessons

    Once a harmful algal bloom begins, it will persist for as long as conditions remain suitable.

    This bloom already has lasted three months, and there’s no guarantee the end is near.

    Recovery will be slow, as shown in the historical record and other parts of the world. And the risk of a repeat event is high.

    Further research is needed to keep these ancient organisms in check.

    With thanks to OzFish SA project manager Brad Martin, who contributed to this article.

    Erin Barrera receives funding from The Hospital Research Foundation, through SA Health.

    – ref. ‘Like an underwater bushfire’: SA’s marine algal bloom is still killing almost everything in its path – https://theconversation.com/like-an-underwater-bushfire-sas-marine-algal-bloom-is-still-killing-almost-everything-in-its-path-257885

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: AI overviews have transformed Google search. Here’s how they work – and how to opt out

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University

    cosma/Shutterstock

    People turn to the internet to run billions of search queries each year. These range from keeping tabs on world events and celebrities to learning new words and getting DIY help.

    One of the most popular questions Australians recently asked was: “How to inspect a used car?”.

    If you asked Google this at the beginning of 2024, you would have been served a list of individual search results and the order would have depended on several factors. If you asked the same question at the end of the year, the experience would be completely different.

    That’s because Google, which controls about 94% of the Australian search engine market, introduced “AI Overviews” to Australia in October 2024. These AI-generated search result summaries have revolutionised how people search for and find information. They also have significant impacts on the quality of the results.

    How do these AI search summaries work, though? Are they reliable? And is there a way to opt out?

    Synthesising the internet

    Legacy search engines work by evaluating dozens of different criteria and trying to show you the results that they think best match your search terms.

    They take into account the content itself, including how unique, current and comprehensive it is, as well as how it’s structured and organised.

    They also consider relationships between the content and other parts of the web. If trusted sources link to content, that can positively affect its placement in search results.

    They try to infer the searcher’s intent – whether they’re trying to buy something, learn something new, or solve a practical problem. They also consider technical aspects such as how fast the content loads and whether the page is secure.

    All of this adds up to an invisible score each webpage gets that affects its visibility in search results. But AI is changing all this.

    Google is the only search engine that prominently displays AI summaries on its main results page. Bing and DuckDuckGo still use traditional search result layouts, offering AI summaries only through companion apps such as Copilot and Duck.ai.

    Instead of directing users to one specific webpage, generative AI-powered search looks across webpages and sources to try to synthesise what they say. It then tries to summarise the results in a short, conversational and easy-to-understand way.

    In theory, this can result in richer, more comprehensive, and potentially more unique answers. But AI doesn’t always get it right.

    Google is the only search engine that prominently displays AI summaries on its main results page.
    DIA TV/Shutterstock

    How reliable are AI searches?

    Early examples of Google’s AI-powered search from 2024 suggested users eat “at least one small rock per day” – and that they could use non-toxic glue to help cheese stick to pizza.

    One issue is that machines are poorly equipped to detect satire or parody and can use these materials to respond in place of fact-based evidence.

    Research suggests the rate of so-called “hallucinations” – instances of machines making up answers – is getting worse even as the models driving them are getting more sophisticated.

    Machines can’t actually determine what’s true and false. They cannot grasp the nuances of idioms and colloquial language and can only make predictions based on fancy maths. But these predictions don’t always end up being correct, which is an issue – especially for sensitive medical or health questions or when seeking financial advice.

    Rather than just present a summary, Google’s more recent AI overviews have also started including links to sources for key aspects of the answer. This can help users gauge the quality of the overall answer and see where AI might be getting its information from. But evidence suggests sometimes AI search engines cite sources that don’t include the information they claim they do.

    What are the other impacts of AI search?

    AI search summaries are transforming the way information is produced and discovered, reshaping the search engine ecosystem we’ve grown accustomed to over two decades.

    They are changing how information-seekers formulate search queries – moving from keywords or phrases to simple questions, such as those we use in everyday conversation.

    For content providers, AI summaries introduce significant shifts – undermining traditional search engine optimisation techniques, reducing direct traffic to websites, and impacting brand visibility.

    Notably, 43% of AI Overviews link back to Google itself. This reinforces Google’s dominance as a search engine and as a website.

    The forthcoming integration of ads into AI summaries raises concerns about the trustworthiness and independence of the information presented.

    Some internet users are switching search engines entirely and turning to providers that don’t provide AI summaries, such as Bing and DuckDuckGo.
    Casimiro PT/Shutterstock

    Where to from here?

    People should always be mindful of the key limitations of AI summaries.

    Asking for simple facts such as, “What is the height of Uluru?” may yield accurate answers.

    But posing more complex or divisive questions, such as, “Will the 2032 Olympics bankrupt Queensland?”, may require users to open links and delve deeper for a more comprehensive understanding.

    Google doesn’t offer a clear option to turn this feature off entirely. Perhaps the simplest way is to click on the “Web” tab under the search bar on the search results, or to add “-ai” to the search query. But this can get repetitive.

    Some more technical solutions are manually creating a site search filter through Chrome settings. But these require an active act by the user.

    As a result, some developers are offering browser extensions that claim to remove this aspect. Other users are switching search engines entirely and turning to providers that don’t provide AI summaries, such as Bing and DuckDuckGo.

    T.J. Thomson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is an affiliate with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making & Society.

    Ashwin Nagappa receives funding fromthe Australian Research Council. He is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the QUT node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making & Society.

    Shir Weinbrand receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a PhD candidate in the QUT node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making & Society.

    – ref. AI overviews have transformed Google search. Here’s how they work – and how to opt out – https://theconversation.com/ai-overviews-have-transformed-google-search-heres-how-they-work-and-how-to-opt-out-258282

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nadler Speech on Situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

    Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), the most senior Jewish Member of the House of Representatives, spoke on the House floor regarding the current situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories:

    Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Israeli security, Palestinian freedom, a just, peaceful, and swift end to the war in Gaza, and an eventual, viable, and negotiated two-state solution.

    The situation in Gaza today is dire. I want to be clear: the war in Gaza began with Hamas’ brutal attack on innocent Israelis on October 7th, the bloodiest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. For many in the Jewish community, in the United States and around the world, time stopped on that day, and has not yet resumed. It will resume when all the hostages are home. It will resume when the war is over, and the reservists can return to their families. It will resume when there is enough food, water, and medicine in Gaza to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe. It will resume when families on both sides of the border can sleep peacefully without the constant fear of rockets and bombs falling from the sky. It will resume when there is a lasting, durable, and negotiated ceasefire.

    And Mr. Speaker, that day need not be far away. Israel achieved its goal of destroying the military capabilities and existential threat of Hamas months ago. Now Prime Minister Netanyahu should be proclaiming victory and indicating his readiness to withdraw from Gaza contingent on the return of all the hostages—both living and dead. He should be signaling his willingness to support an international security force on an interim basis to ensure law and order, and Israel’s support for international investment in the training and equipping of an eventual Palestinian security force. He should be supporting confidence building measures in the West Bank which empower the Palestinian Authority—contingent on the PA embracing and implementing real reforms, he should not be enacting an annexationist vision, while the plague of settler violence runs rampant.

    The alternative, Mr. Speaker, is a stark and disturbing picture. This week, Tom Friedman wrote in the New York times that, if “Israel goes ahead with Netanyahu’s vow to perpetuate this war indefinitely — to try to achieve… the far right’s fantasy of ridding Gaza of Palestinians and resettling it with Israelis — Jews worldwide better prepare themselves, their children and their grandchildren for a reality they’ve never known: to be Jewish in a world where the Jewish state is a pariah state — a source of shame, not of pride.  Because one day, foreign photographers and reporters will be allowed to go into Gaza unescorted by the Israeli Army. And when they do, and the full horror of the destruction there becomes clear to all…”

    Friedman continued, Mr. Speaker, writing, “Israel, instead of being seen by Jews as a safe haven from antisemitism, will be seen as a new engine generating it; sane Israelis will line up to emigrate to Australia and America rather than beckon their fellow Jews to come Israel’s way. That dystopian future is not here yet, but if you don’t see its outlines gathering, you are deluding yourself.”

    Mr. Friedman is not alone in this analysis. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, former Israeli security officials have been speaking out.

    Last week, two former Israeli Air Force pilots, Brigadier General Asaf Agmon and Colonel Uri Arad, published a letter in Hebrew in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. They wrote “as the war in Gaza dragged on, it became clear that it was losing its strategic and security purposes and instead served primarily the political and personal interests of the government. It thus became an unmistakably immoral war, and increasingly appeared to be a war of revenge.”

    I agree with these distinguished former officials. It is clear to me that we long ago reached the point where victory is no longer the goal, and the main obstacle to bringing the hostages home and ending the war is the politics of one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    General Agmon and Colonel Arad are not peace activists, Mr. Speaker. They are former top Israeli air force pilots and high-ranking officers, and we must heed their calls.

    They are not alone, Mr. Speaker. Commanders for Israel’s Security is a movement of over 550 retired senior officials from Israel’s defense, security and diplomatic services. The Commanders, as they are often referred to, recently published a letter urging Jewish diaspora voices to speak out in favor of ending the violence in Gaza. They wrote, “Accused of weakening Israel or betraying their connection to the Jewish state, they are told that those who live abroad or do not serve in the I.D.F. must keep silent. We categorically reject the notion that Jews in the diaspora must remain silent on matters concerning Israel… To those who fear that public criticism undermines Israel, we say that open, honest dialogue only reinforces our democracy and our security.”

    This is true for this body too, Mr. Speaker. We all must speak up. If our voices contribute to preventing one more ounce of bloodshed, or to the return home of a hostage one minute sooner, or gets one more piece of bread into the hands of a starving Gazan, or helps redeem the moral position of the State of Israel, our words are worth it. Jewish tradition teaches in Mishna Sanhedrin that “saving one life is like saving the whole world.” I hope that we can come together to heed the voices that are speaking out at this moment, and that together work to save as many worlds as we can.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: UPDATE – Nika Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to Present at the Life Sciences Virtual Investor Forum June 11th-12th

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HENDERSON, Nev., June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nika Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCQB:NIKA), based in Colorado, focused on cures for life-threatening diseases, today announced that Dimitar Savov, CEO, will present live at the Life Sciences Virtual Investor Frum hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on June 11th, 2025

    DATE: June 11th
    TIME: 1:00 PM ET
    LINK: REGISTER HERE
    Available for 1×1 meetings: June 12th-17th between 09:00am ET and 11:30am ET

    This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

    It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.  

    Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

    Recent Company Highlights

    • On May 19, 2025, NIKA published a market analysis for the countries of Ukraine, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, UAE, where NIKA has exclusive distribution agreements and has estimated a total of around €656 million in potential revenue.
    • NIKA’s partner company, Nika Europe, has made the second $195,554 payment for the vial production line and is currently finalizing the details of the clean rooms design in order to start construction. The production facility is expected to be completed in H2, 2025.
    • On April 11, 2025, Nika Pharmaceuticals, Inc. published a report on the therapeutic effect and potential economic impact of ITV-1, which can be found  here.
    • On July 11, 2024 Nika Pharmaceuticals, Inc. signed an exclusive distribution agreement for the Republic of Nigeria. Under the terms, NIKA will receive €1,980 per each set of ITV-1 with two sets necessary for each treatment, which could result in €7.9 billion revenue.

    About Nika Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

    Nika Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NIKA) is a pharmaceutical company, specializing in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, and all diseases, for which strengthened cell immunity is of vital importance. NIKA’s intellectual property includes six drugs in injection form – two of which have successfully undergone clinical trials with good treatment results – four drugs in tablet form, and eleven dietary supplements. NIKA’s goal is to not only achieve corporate profits, but to provide better and easier access to life-saving medicinal drugs and useful dietary supplements. Find more on www.nikapharmaceuticals.com.

    Forward-looking Statement:

    This press release contains forward-looking statements. Certain statements, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to our business plans, objectives, and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward- looking statements.” These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,”” estimates,” “intends,” “strategy,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Our ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain.

    About Virtual Investor Conferences®
    Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

    Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access.  Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

    CONTACTS:
    Nika Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Name Clifford P. Redekop
    Title Corporate Secretary
    Phone (702) 326-3615        
    Email cliffredekop@gmail.com 

    Virtual Investor Conferences
    John M. Viglotti
    SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
    OTC Markets Group
    (212) 220-2221
    johnv@otcmarkets.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Energy Office Announces Launch of Funding Opportunity to Support Local Policy Adoption to Advance Climate Goals

    Source: US State of Colorado

    Statewide – Thursday, Jun. 12, 2025 – Today, Governor Polis and the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) announced the launch of its Local Implementation, Mitigation, and Policy Action (IMPACT) Accelerator grant program Thursday. This opportunity will provide funding to support local policy adoption that enhances resilience, reduces emissions, and advances other state priorities such as cleaner air, lower energy costs, and more affordable housing. The $50 million available through this program comes from a $129 million federal Climate Pollution Reduction Implementation Grant (CPRG) that Colorado received last summer. 

    “In Colorado we are continuing to invest in bold climate initiatives that boost local communities capacity to implement clean energy policy, like reducing emissions and lowering energy costs to overall save people money, and help Colorado achieve our climate goals,” said Governor Polis. 

    “Local actions will play a major role in helping us achieve net-zero emissions in Colorado by 2050,” said CEO Executive Director Will Toor. “Local and Tribal governments are uniquely situated to implement a number of policies that reduce emissions in key economic sectors, but often lack capacity to do this important work. The Accelerator provides the support these communities need to pursue policies that will have a longstanding IMPACT locally and across the State.” 

    The Accelerator represents a key step in meeting the vision outlined in the state’s second comprehensive Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Pollution Reduction Roadmap (“Roadmap 2.0”), which CEO released in February 2024. The Accelerator fulfills a Near Term Action, which called for the creation of a “local Climate Action Accelerator.” 

    This program is designed to maximize emissions reductions by promoting policies that extend beyond state requirements in four categories: buildings, land use, transportation, and waste. Examples of eligible policies in each sector include: 

    • Buildings: Adopting building energy codes that exceed Colorado’s Model codes, establishing energy performance standards, or creating energy efficiency incentives, which could include projects related to developing geothermal systems;
    • Land use: Adopting policies that promote housing, parking management, EV charging, or clean energy development;
    • Transportation: Adopting policies that encourage multimodal transportation infrastructure, prioritize transit options, or create registration incentives for clean vehicles;
    • Waste: Adopting policies to increase waste diversion, promote reuse, or transition refuse and recycling trucks to zero-emission vehicles. 

    Local governments — including cities, counties, and cohorts led by cities/counties — and Tribal governments are eligible to apply for IMPACT Accelerator funding. Applicants may apply for funding to support policy adoption-only or policy adoption and project implementation. Funding may not cover project implementation alone. 

    CEO expects to award approximately $2 million per award to develop new policies and implement related projects, though award amounts may vary depending on the project. A 5% local match is required; however, to ensure equitable access to this funding, low-income communities and Tribal Governments may qualify for a 0% match. CEO will also prioritize awards for projects that target benefits toward primarily low-income populations. 

    The first round of applications for the Local IMPACT Accelerator grant program will open June 16 and close August 1, 2025. Applicants will first submit a Letter of Intent to CEO and will receive feedback on the proposal as well as an “encouraged” or “discouraged” designation before submitting a full application in the fall. CEO will host an informational webinar about the grant and the application process on June 17 at 11:00 AM MT, followed by a Question & Answer webinar on July 1 at 10:00 AM MT. CEO plans to open a second funding round for this program later this year. More information about the program, including timelines for each funding round and the complete program guidance, is available on the Local IMPACT Accelerator webpage. 

    The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) also received a CPRG implementation grant. Jurisdictions in DRCOG territory may apply for both DRCOG and CEO funding. Details about how to apply to both programs are available in the program guidance on the Accelerator webpage. Learn more about DRCOG funding. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Announces JetZero Selects North Carolina for $4 Billion Airplane Manufacturing Hub, Creating 14,500 Jobs in Guilford County in Largest Job Commitment in State History

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Announces JetZero Selects North Carolina for $4 Billion Airplane Manufacturing Hub, Creating 14,500 Jobs in Guilford County in Largest Job Commitment in State History

    Governor Stein Announces JetZero Selects North Carolina for $4 Billion Airplane Manufacturing Hub, Creating 14,500 Jobs in Guilford County in Largest Job Commitment in State History
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Josh Stein announced JetZero, Inc., a breakthrough aviation company, will invest more than $4.7 billion in Greensboro to build its first commercial airplane manufacturing facility at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. The project will create more than 14,560 jobs for Guilford County by 2063, the largest economic development project in North Carolina history based on job commitment.

     

    “I am thrilled to welcome JetZero and its 14,000 good-paying jobs and unprecedented innovation to Guilford County,” said Governor Josh Stein. “From first in flight to now the future of flight, North Carolina and our skilled workforce is soaring.”

     

    JetZero is a start-up airplane designer and manufacturer of the Z4, a blended-wing body jet, which blends the wings and fuselage, enabling the entire wingspan to produce lift. Founded in 2020, the California-based company has partnerships with NASA, Siemens, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and suppliers including RTX and BAE Systems. JetZero will build an advanced manufacturing facility for a first-of-its-kind commercial all-wing jet, as well as a state-of-the-art research and development center for composite structures. Its unique design uses technological advancements to help lower carbon emissions, burn less fuel, and enhance the experience of its travelers. 

      

    “North Carolina offers the ideal combination of talent, infrastructure, and forward-thinking leadership to support our mission to reshape aviation,” said Tom O’Leary, CEO and co-Founder of JetZero. “This facility is a critical milestone in bringing our all-wing Z4 to market. I applaud the leadership of Governor Josh Stein and his team as well as the leadership of the North Carolina General Assembly, and whole host of local leaders and organizations for working with us to bring JetZero to North Carolina, the birthplace of aviation.”

     

    “With an internationally recognized aerospace cluster of more than 400 companies and major aviation hubs across the state, North Carolina is a top choice for manufacturers and suppliers,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “JetZero will benefit from our Tier 1 research institutions and community colleges, ecosystem of industry partnerships, and strong infrastructure, helping them soar in North Carolina and beyond.”

     

    New jobs for the company include engineers, manufacturing specialists, and technicians. While salaries for the positions will vary, the average annual salary is expected to be $89,340, which exceeds the Guilford County average of $60,195. These new jobs could create a potential annual payroll impact of more than $1.3 billion for the region.

     

    JetZero’s operation in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Transformative-class Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) awarded to JetZero, Inc., which was approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 37-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $259.4 billion. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the 14,564 new jobs and capital investment, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,017,775,800, spread over 37 years. 

     

    Should JetZero create and maintain at least 10,000 jobs, the threshold for the JDIG’s transformative qualities will be reached, which allows for grant payments to be made for up to 29 years as long as performance targets are maintained.

     

    Like all grants from the JDIG program, any state payments only occur following performance verification each year by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets.

     

    The project’s projected return on investment of public dollars is 274 percent, meaning for every dollar of potential cost to the state, the state receives $3.74 in state revenue. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

     

    Because JetZero chose a site in Guilford County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 2, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving as much as $113 million into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account.  The Utility Account helps rural communities anywhere in the state finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business.

     

    The state also anticipates providing additional support of publicly owned infrastructure to the project by means of a state appropriation of as much as $450 million, to cover site preparations; road, water, and wastewater improvements, as well as the construction of the manufacturing and research and development facility. The funding will be administered by the N.C. Department of Commerce and provided to Piedmont Triad International Airport, the N.C. Department of Transportation, and the City of Greensboro.

     

    “JetZero’s decision to come to the Triad solidifies North Carolina’s status as a leader in aerospace innovation,” said Senator Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate. “Our state’s high-tech manufacturing renaissance wouldn’t be possible without the General Assembly’s commitment to creating a business-friendly environment by lowering taxes, cutting red tape, and supporting world-class educational opportunities.”  

     

    “With 14,000 new jobs and nearly $5 billion dollars in investment, this project represents a transformational step forward for Guilford County and North Carolina,” said Senator Sydney Batch, Senate Democratic Leader. “Projects like this create a ripple effect that strengthens our entire state by supporting families, growing local economies, and creating more promising futures for everyone. I’m so grateful for the hard work Governor Stein, Secretary Lilley, and the Commerce Department put in to bring this across the finish line.”

     

    “Today’s announcement is a huge win for Greensboro, Guilford County, and our entire state,” said Speaker of the House Destin Hall. “JetZero’s decision to build its cutting-edge aerospace facility here proves what we’ve long known — North Carolina’s strong business environment makes our state ripe for innovation. This $4.7 billion investment and the creation of over 14,000 high-paying jobs will be a generational boost for our workforce and our future.”  

     

    “I am proud to see JetZero choose the Triad as the site of their new facility,” said Representative Robert Reives, House Democratic Leader. “Our state has some of the brightest talent in the world who are up to this challenge. We will continue to attract these investments and cement our state’s status as the place for aerospace manufacturing in the nation and world.”

     

    “This announcement is a transformative win for Guilford County and the entire state of North Carolina,” said Senator Michael Garrett. “The magnitude of this investment is a vote of confidence in our world-class workforce to fill these great-paying jobs, and proof that our community is an ideal place for new companies and ideas to launch into a bright future.”  

     

    “Today is a celebration of the intentional efforts that we’re making to transition the Triad to an innovation economy,” said Representative John Blust. “This is an historic day for all of us, and we applaud the collaboration of elected officials, economic developers, and workforce professionals throughout the state that helped JetZero make their decision to call Greensboro and PTI home.”

    In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in this project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Community College System, Guilford Tech Community College, Forsyth Tech Community College, the University of North Carolina System, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Golden LEAF Foundation, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, Piedmont Triad Partnership, Guilford County Economic Development Alliance, Guilford County, GuilfordWorks, Forsyth County, the Greensboro Chamber, High Point Economic Development Corporation, Greater Winston-Salem, Inc., City of Greensboro, City of High Point, and City of Winston-Salem.

    When career opportunities at JetZero become available, they will be posted to NCworks.gov, the state’s leader in connecting employers with skilled talent

    Jun 12, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • 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 –

  • MIL-OSI Global: France’s final nuclear tests in the South Pacific, 30 years on

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Roxanne Panchasi, Associate Professor, Department of History, Simon Fraser University

    Former French President Jacques Chirac encounters a protest from members during an official visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in July 1995.
     (European Parliament)

    In recent months, the viability of France’s nuclear arsenal has been making headlines with talk of a French “nuclear umbrella” that might shield its allies on the European continent. In the face of the Russia-Ukraine war, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statements regarding the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in that conflict, the question of how to best defend Europe has taken on an urgency not seen since the height of the Cold War.

    Despite its more robust nuclear weapons capabilities, the United States in the Donald Trump era appears less committed to the defence of its NATO allies. Debates about a French nuclear umbrella aside, these discussions — combined with increased military spending worldwide and resurgent fears of nuclear war — make the history of France’s nuclear readiness and weapons testing feel uneasily current.

    In June 1995, French President Jacques Chirac announced that France would resume testing nuclear weapons in the South Pacific. Just weeks after being elected to office, Chirac ended a three-year moratorium on testing that his predecessor, François Mitterrand, had put into effect in April 1992.

    Chirac insisted this additional series of weapons tests was essential to France’s national security and the continued independence of its nuclear deterrent. The eight planned detonations scheduled to take place over the next several months would, he claimed, provide the data needed to move from real-world detonations to computer simulations in the future. He also said it would enable France to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) banning all nuclear explosions, for military or other purposes, by the fall of 1996.

    France’s history of nuclear tests

    A report on France’s nuclear tests in the South Pacific. (Disclose)

    Chirac’s June 1995 announcement, followed by the first new detonation in September that year, provoked intense opposition from environmental and peace groups, and protests from Paris to Papeete, throughout the Pacific region and across the globe.

    Representatives from the world’s other nuclear-armed states expressed concern that France was choosing to conduct further tests so close to a comprehensive ban. The governments of Australia, New Zealand and Japan also registered their staunch opposition, issuing diplomatic statements, calling for the boycott of French goods and pursuing other measures of rebuke.

    A defensive posture had been a pillar of France’s nuclear weapons policy since the nation first entered the atomic club in 1960 with the detonation of Gerboise Bleue, a 70-kiloton bomb, at Reggane in Algeria. The following three atmospheric and 13 underground Saharan tests resulted in serious long-term health and environmental consequences for the region’s inhabitants.

    In 1966, France’s nuclear testing program relocated to Maō’hui Nui, colonially known as “French Polynesia.”

    The next 26 years saw a further 187 French nuclear and thermonuclear detonations above and beneath the Pacific atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa. They exposed the local population to dangerous levels of radiation, contaminating food and water supplies, and harming corals and other forms of ocean life.

    These experiments — along with the final six underground detonations the French carried out in 1995 and 1996 — left a toxic legacy for generations to come.

    Inadequate compensation for lingering harm

    When Chirac shared his rationale for France’s latest nuclear test series with a room full of journalists gathered at the Elysée Palace in June 1995, he was adamant that these planned tests, and all of France’s nuclear detonations, had absolutely no ecological consequences.

    Today, we know this claim was more than incorrect. It was a falsehood reliant on data and conclusions that grossly underestimated the harmful impact that France’s nuclear testing program had on the health of French soldiers and non-military personnel onsite, inhabitants in the surrounding areas and the environments where these explosions took place.

    Most recently, during the 2024 Paris Olympics, there was an evident deep contradiction between “French Polynesia” as a tourist paradise and idyllic location for the Games’ surf competitions and a space of continuing injustice for test victims that highlights the history of France’s nuclear imperialism in the region.

    In 2010, the French government passed the Morin law ostensibly aimed at addressing the suffering of those significantly harmed by radiation during France’s nuclear weapons detonations from 1960 through 1996.

    The number of people who have been successful in their applications for recognition and compensation remains inadequate, particularly in Algeria. Out of the 2,846 applications submitted by only a fraction of the thousands of estimated victims, just over 400 people in Maō’hui Nui and only one Algerian have received compensation since 2010.

    In 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that France “owes a debt” to the people of Maō’hui Nui. He has since called for the opening up of key archives pertaining to this history, but there is much more work to be done on all fronts.

    The findings of a recent French parliamentary commission on the effects of testing in the Pacific, scheduled to be released soon, may contribute to greater transparency and justice for victims in the future.

    In Maō’hui Nui, demands for acknowledgement and restitution have been intertwined with the independence movement, while confronting the impact and legacies of the nuclear detonations in Algeria has been fraught with tensions between Algeria and France over the colonial past.

    Future of the test ban treaty

    In January 1996, France conducted its last nuclear test by detonating a 120-kiloton bomb underground in the South Pacific. In September, France added its signature to the CTBT, joining the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, China and 66 other states without nuclear weapons in their commitment not to engage in further nuclear explosions in any context.

    Almost 30 years later, the CTBT has still not come into force. While most signatories have ratified the treaty, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the U.S. are among the nine that have not. Meanwhile, Russia withdrew its own ratification in 2023. Key non-signatories include India, North Korea and Pakistan — all nuclear-armed states that have conducted their own tests since 1996.

    Given these crucial exceptions to a test ban, the prospects for something as ambitious as the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which not a single nuclear weapons state has signed to date, remain uncertain, to say the least.

    Roxanne Panchasi has previously received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. France’s final nuclear tests in the South Pacific, 30 years on – https://theconversation.com/frances-final-nuclear-tests-in-the-south-pacific-30-years-on-256439

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California Will Not Waver in Defending Itself from Federal Overreach: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration for Attack on California’s Clean Vehicles Program

    Source: US State of California

    LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and the California Air Resources Board today led a coalition of 10 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the federal government challenging the unprecedented and unlawful use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to upend California’s clean vehicles program, specifically the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII), Omnibus, and Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) standards. Predicated on illegal actions by the Trump Administration, Congress purported to disapprove the Clean Air Act waivers, granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that allow California to enforce these more stringent, state-level emission standards. In the 50 years since the Clean Air Act was enacted, waivers have never been subject to the CRA.  Nor have any other agency orders that adjudicate requests for permission—such as oil and gas leases or mining permits. Congress’s unprecedented action attempting to invalidate California’s waivers contradicts the non-partisan Government Accountability Office and Senate Parliamentarian, both of whom determined that the CRA process to disapprove federal regulations does not apply to waivers.

    If California is prevented from enforcing these vehicle emission standards, it will result in the loss of significant economic and public health benefits, costing California taxpayers an estimated $45 billion in preventable health care costs. Despite decades of progress, tens of millions of Californians still breathe some of the worst air in the nation—these regulations were specifically designed to change that. Losing these standards would also undermine market certainty for vehicle manufacturers, stifling innovation and job creation, including in the electric vehicle sector, which has been a growing source of high-paying green jobs and investment. 

    “The President’s reckless, politically motivated, and illegal attacks on California continue, this time with his attempt to trample on our longstanding authority to maintain more stringent clean vehicle standards,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The President is busy playing partisan games with lives on the line and yanking away good jobs that would bolster the economy – ignoring that these actions have life or death consequences for California communities breathing dirty, toxic air. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: California will not back down. We will continue to fiercely defend ourselves from this lawless federal overreach.”

    “Trump’s all-out assault on California continues – and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters.”

    Motor vehicle emissions contribute to the formation of smog, as well as fine particle pollution and unhealthy levels of air toxics, all of which are linked to premature death, respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, and cancer, among other serious health impacts. Transportation is also the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, and cars and trucks account for more than 80% of those transportation emissions. 

    The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set federal emission standards for air pollutants from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines that cause or contribute to air pollution that endangers public health or welfare. The Clean Air Act allows California to adopt more stringent emission requirements independent from EPA’s regulations, and the Act requires EPA to approve preemption waivers for those requirements absent certain, limited circumstances not present here. Historically, EPA – under both Republican and Democratic administration – has granted California more than 75 preemption waivers for updates to the State’s new motor vehicle emissions control program. As Congress intended, these waivers have allowed California to improve on its vehicle emissions program, which pre-existed the federal government’s efforts to regulate vehicle emissions via the Clean Air Act.

    Consumers are rapidly embracing clean vehicle options. In California alone, over 2 million zero-emission passenger cars have been sold, with clean vehicles now making up 26% of all new car sales. This momentum extends to the medium-and heavy-duty vehicle market as well, where sales have exceeded targets for two consecutive years – well ahead of timelines set by state regulations.

    Since 2023, the EPA granted California three waivers, allowing it to enforce the ACC II, Omnibus and ACT regulations in California. Under ACC II, automakers must continue to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles in California—as they have been for decades. By model year 2035, 80% of the passenger vehicles sold in California must be zero-emission, while the remaining 20% may be plug-in hybrids. Advanced Clean Truck regulations, which aim to accelerate the widespread adoption of zero emission vehicles in the medium and heavy-duty truck sector, are similarly critical for California’s efforts to meet air quality standards and protect public health. By 2040, the Advanced Clean Truck regulations will reduce emissions of NOx by 16.9 tons per day and fine particulate matter emissions by 0.46 tons per day. The Omnibus regulation requires internal combustion heavy-duty trucks sold in California to meet strict standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are major contributors to smog formation.

    Under the direction of President Trump, the EPA transmitted these waivers to Congress as “rules” in an attempt to invoke CRA procedures, even though all three waivers state EPA’s consistent and longstanding position, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, that waiver decisions are not “rules.” Both the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate illegally used the CRA to “disapprove” of California’s Clean Air Act waivers.

    The complaint filed today alleges that the attempt to invalidate California’s waivers violated constitutional principles of federalism and separation of powers, the Take Care Clause, and multiple federal statutes including the Congressional Review Act and Administrative Procedure Act.  The complaint asks the court to declare the resolutions to be unlawful and to require the Administration to implement the Clean Air Act consistent with the granted waivers. 

    Attorney General Bonta led the lawsuit with the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

    A copy of the complaint is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Viet Nam Hosts High-Level Forum to Promote Women’s Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    Ha Noi, Viet Nam – 12 June 2025 – Today, the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam (MPS), in partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), successfully convened an international forum under the theme: “Enhancing the Participation of Female Police Officers in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations –Global perspectives and Viet Nam’s Contribution.”

    The event marks a significant milestone affirming the strong commitment of the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam to promoting gender equality and empowering female police officers to play a more active role in global peacekeeping efforts.

    The Forum brought together more than 100 national and international participants, including high-ranking officials such as Senior Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Public Security of Viet Nam; H.E Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations; Mr. Faisal Shahkar, United Nations Police Adviser and Director of the Police Division at the UN Department of Peace Operations. Representatives from relevant ministries, Vietnamese police peacekeepers, and embassies of Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Australia, Indonesia, the United States, among others, also participated.

    Viet Nam has actively deployed female police officers to United Nations peacekeeping missions, achieving a participation rate of over 30%—significantly surpassing the UN’s minimum target of 20%. This achievement has been recognized and commended by the international community. However, to ensure the sustainability, effectiveness, and long-term impact of such efforts, continued improvement of policy frameworks, expansion of international cooperation, and strengthened awareness across the police force on the role of women in peacekeeping are essential.

    In his opening remarks, Senior Lieutenant General Dr. Le Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Public Security, emphasized: “The Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam has proactively implemented policies and strategies to increase the participation of female police officers in UN peacekeeping operations. This not only reflects Viet Nam’s international commitments but also demonstrates a modern, human-centered, and globally integrated approach to security.”

    United Nations Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, expressed appreciation for Viet Nam’s steadfast support to peacekeeping operations, and for its commitment to achieve the goal of having more women in peacekeeping, particularly more female police officers. “There are several avenues to achieve that goal: first, by providing more training opportunities; second, by Member States nominating more female candidates including

    for leadership positions; and third, by creating work environments which are more welcoming for women. I look forward to continue strengthening the already excellent partnership with Viet Nam in all of these areas”.

    The forum featured in-depth discussions among experts and practitioners on issues including: the current status and challenges faced by female peacekeepers; UN policies and requirements on gender equality in peacekeeping; and experiences from other countries regarding the deployment of female police officers to peace operations. The event also highlighted current policy gaps and put forward concrete recommendations to enhance the role, representation, and quality of participation of female officers—including those from the Viet Nam People’s Public Security Force—in UN peacekeeping operations.

    Speaking at the Forum, Ms. Angela Pratt, Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, stated: “Increasing women’s representation in peacekeeping is not only a matter of gender equality—it also improves the effectiveness of peace operations. Viet Nam is currently exceeding global benchmarks for the deployment of female police officers. We encourage Viet Nam to continue its efforts, particularly in advancing women’s leadership and ensuring their presence in key mission positions.”

    UN Women and the United Nations system in Viet Nam reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Viet Nam in its peacekeeping journey through technical assistance, capacity building, and resource mobilization—including connecting Viet Nam to funding mechanisms such as the Elsie Initiative Fund.

    The Forum also reinforces Viet Nam’s implementation of its first-ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2024–2030), while contributing meaningfully to the global agenda under the United Nations Pact for the Future. The event concluded with a strong call for gender-responsive leadership and coherent policies to advance gender equality in peace and security.

    —

    Media Contacts: Vu Viet Hung Standing Office for UN Peacekeeping Operations, Ministry of Public Security Email: ppko@mps.gov.vn

    Hoang Bich Thao Communications and Advocacy Analyst, UN Women Viet Nam

    Email: hoang.thao@unwomen.org

    Press Release in English and Vietnamese.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Exemption for Polystyrene Foam Food Containers Prepackaged at Wholesale Extended until 2027

    Source: US State of Maine

    June 12, 2025

    CONTACT:

    A new law will go into effect immediately that extends the exemption from the ban on polystyrene foam food containers to allow raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs to be sold in polystyrene foam containers until July 1, 2027. It also extends the exemption to allow retailers to sell food or beverages in or on disposable food service containers composed of polystyrene foam that is prepackaged at wholesale until July 1, 2027.
    This law does not make any change to the ban on polystyrene foam disposable food service containers for take-out foods, bakery products, and leftovers from partially consumed meals that is currently in effect. Disposable food service containers are service ware designed for one-time use, and include bowls, plates, trays, carton, cups, lids sleeves, or other items for containing, transporting, and serving foods. Additional information regarding the polystyrene ban can be found on the Department’s Polystyrene Foam webpage.

    A “frequently asked questions” guidance sheet has been prepared by the Department to provide additional information regarding who and what must comply with the ban can be found on the Departments web page at the link above.

    This change in the law only extends the exemption. After July 1, 2027, all food and beverage products sold in Maine, including food prepackaged out of State by wholesalers for retail sale, cannot be packaged in polystyrene foam.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –