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Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Global: Global outrage over Gaza has reinforced a ‘siege mentality’ in Israel – what are the implications for peace?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney

    After more than 20 months of devastating violence in Gaza, the right-wing Israeli government’s pursuit of two irreconcilable objectives — “destroying” Hamas and releasing Israeli hostages — has left the coastal strip in ruins.

    At least 54,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, close to two million have been forcibly displaced, and many are starving. These atrocities have provoked intense moral outrage around the world and turned Israel into a pariah state.

    Meanwhile, Hamas is resolved to retain control over Gaza, even at the cost of sacrificing numerous innocent Palestinian lives for its own survival.

    Both sides have been widely accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and mainly in Israel’s case, genocide.

    While the obstacles to ending the fighting remain stubbornly difficult to overcome, a troubling pattern has become increasingly apparent.

    The very outrage that succeeded in mobilising, sustaining and swelling international opinion against Israel’s actions — a natural psychological response to systematic injustice — has also reinforced a “siege mentality” already present among many in its Jewish population.

    This siege mentality may have undermined more proactive Israeli Jewish public support for a ceasefire and “day-after” concessions.

    A toxic cocktail of emotions

    Several dominant groups have shaped the conflict’s dynamics, each driven by a distinct set of emotional responses.

    For many Israeli Jews, the massacres of October 7 have aggravated longstanding feelings of victimhood and mistrust, fears of terrorist attacks, perceptions of existential threats, intergenerational traumas stemming from the Holocaust, and importantly, the strong sense of siege mentality.

    Together, these emotions have produced a toxic blend of anger, hatred and intense desire for revenge.

    For the Palestinians, Israel’s devastation of Gaza has followed decades of oppressive occupation, endless rights violations, humiliation and dispossession. This has exacerbated feelings of hopelessness, fear and abandonment by the world.

    The wider, global pro-Palestinian camp has been driven by moral outrage over the atrocities being committed in Gaza, alongside empathy for the victims and a sense of guilt over Western governments’ complicity in the killings through the provision of arms to Israel.

    Similarly, for Israel’s supporters around the world, anger and resentment have led to feelings of persecution, and in turn, victimisation and a sense of siege.

    Many on both sides have become prisoners of this moral outrage. And this has suppressed compassion for the suffering of the “other” — those we perceive as perpetrators of injustice against the side we support.

    Complaints of bias and content omissions

    Choosing sides in a conflict translates almost inevitably into biases in how we select, process and assess new information.

    We search for content that confirms what we already believe. And we discount information that would go against our pre-existing perceptions.

    This tendency also increases our sensitivity to omissions of facts we deem important for our cause.

    Since early in the crisis, voices in the two camps have accused the mainstream media in the West of biased coverage in favour of the “other”. These feelings have added fuel to the moral outrage and sense of injustice among both sides.

    Outrage in the pro-Israel camp has focused mainly on a perceived global conspiracy to absolve Hamas of any responsibility.

    In that view, Israel has been singled out as the only culpable party for the killings in Gaza. This is despite the fact Hamas unleashed the violence on October 7, used the Gazan population as human shields while hiding in tunnels, and refused to release all the Israeli hostages to end the fighting.

    On the other side, pro-Palestinian outrage has focused on “blatant” omissions by the media and Western governments of important historical facts that could provide context for the October 7 attacks.

    These included:

    • the 1948 Nakba

    • Israel’s decades-long occupation of the West Bank and Gaza (turning the strip into an “open-air prison”), and

    • the silence of much of the world in the face of Israel’s endless violations of international laws and human rights treaties.

    On both sides, then, significant focus has been placed on omissions of facts that could support one’s own narrative or cause.

    A siege mentality in Israel

    Many Israelis continue to relive October 7 while remaining decidedly blind to the daily horrors their military inflicts on Gaza in their name. For them, the global outrage has reinforced a long-existing and potent siege mentality.

    This mindset has been fed by a reluctance to directly challenge Israeli soldiers risking their lives and other rally-around-the-flag effects. It’s also been bolstered by the desire for revenge and an intense campaign of dehumanising all Palestinians — Hamas or not.

    The so-called “ring of fire” created around Israel by Iran and its proxies —Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Houthis — has further amplified this siege mentality. Their stated objective is the destruction of Israel.

    I’ve conducted an exploratory study of Israeli media, government statements and English Jewish diaspora publications from October 2023 to May 2025, reviewing some 5,000 articles and video clips.

    In this research, I’ve identified strong, consistent uses of siege mentality language, phrases such as:

    • “never again is now”
    • “forced to stand alone”
    • “surrounded by enemies”
    • “existential threat”
    • “we will forever live by the sword”, and
    • “no choice but to fight”.

    In a detailed analysis of 65 English articles from major Israeli outlets, such as The Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel, and Jewish publications in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, I found siege mentality language in nearly nine out of ten searches.

    Importantly, nearly half of these occurrences were in response to pro-Palestinian rhetoric or advocacy: campus protests and actions targeting Israelis or Jews, university groups refusing to condemn October 7, or foreign governments’ recognition of Palestinian statehood.

    The sharp increase in attacks on Jews and Jewish installations since October 7 has also sparked global debates over rising antisemitism. Distinguishing honest critiques of Israel’s actions in Gaza from antisemitic rhetoric has become contentious, as has the use of antisemitism claims by Israeli leaders to dismiss much of this criticism.

    Moving forward

    When viewed through the prism of injustice, the strong asymmetry between Israeli and Palestinian suffering has long been apparent. But it’s grown even wider following Israel’s brutal responses to October 7.

    The culpability of Israel’s government and Hamas for the atrocities in Gaza is incontestable. However, many in the Israeli-Jewish public must also share some of the blame for refusing to stand up to – or by actively supporting – their extremist government’s policies.

    The pro-Palestine movement’s justice-driven campaigns have done much to combat international bystanding and motivate governments to act. At the same time, the unwillingness to unite behind a clearer unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ massacres may have been a strategic mistake.

    By ignoring or minimising the targeting of civilians, the hostage-taking and the reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas, a vocal minority of advocates has weakened the movement’s otherwise strong moral authority with some of the audiences it needed to influence most. First and foremost, this is people in Israel itself.

    My research suggests that while injustice-based outrage can be effective at generating attention and engagement, it can also produce negative side effects. One adverse impact has been the polarisation of the public debate over Gaza, which, in turn, has contributed to the intensification of Israelis’ siege mentality.

    Noam Chomsky, a well-known Jewish academic and fierce critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, once noted in relation to Palestinian advocacy:

    You have to ask yourself, when you conduct some tactic, what the effect is going to be on the victims. You don’t pursue a tactic because it makes you feel good.

    The question, then, is how to harness the strong mobilising power of moral outrage for positive ends – preventing bystander apathy to atrocities – without the potential negative consequences. These include polarisation, expanded violence, feeding a siege mentality (when applicable), and making peace negotiations more difficult.

    The children in Gaza and elsewhere in the world deserve advocacy that will prioritise their welfare over the release of moral outrage — however justified.

    So, what approaches would most effectively help end the suffering?

    Most immediately, the solution rests primarily with Israel and, by extension, the Trump administration as the only international actor powerful enough to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to halt the killings.

    Beyond that, and looking toward the future, justice-based activism should be grounded in universal moral principles, acknowledge all innocent victims, and work to create space for both societies to recognise each other’s humanity.

    I served as a counterterrorism specialist with the Israeli Defence Forces in the 1980s.

    – ref. Global outrage over Gaza has reinforced a ‘siege mentality’ in Israel – what are the implications for peace? – https://theconversation.com/global-outrage-over-gaza-has-reinforced-a-siege-mentality-in-israel-what-are-the-implications-for-peace-258561

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Should global media giants shape our cultural and media policy? Lessons from satellite radio

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Brian Fauteux, Associate Professor Popular Music and Media Studies, University of Alberta

    Debates about regulating Canadian content for streaming media platforms are ongoing, and key issues include revising the definition of Canadian content for audio and visual cultural productions and whether big streaming companies would be mandated to follow new Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) policies.

    Global streaming companies are fighting regulations requiring them to fund Canadian content and news.

    The Motion Picture Association-Canada, which represents large streamers like Netflix, Amazon and Disney, has argued that the CRTC should not impose “mandatory positions, functions or elements of a ‘Canadian program’” on global streaming companies.

    The Online Streaming Act, passed in 2023, amended the Broadcasting Act to “ensure that online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content.”

    For example, according to the act, online audio streaming services that make more than $25 million in annual revenue and that aren’t affiliated with a Canadian broadcaster will contribute five per cent of those funds to organizations such as FACTOR, Musicaction, the Community Radio Fund of Canada and the Indigenous Music Office, among others.

    This has the potential to benefit musicians in Canada. But Apple and Spotify, and other tech and music companies, have banded together (under the Digital Media Association, DiMA), labelling the act a “streaming tax” on users.

    This is a pivotal moment to think about the important role of policy to support Canada’s independent artists, as well as public and community media, and the increasing power of global streaming companies when it comes to setting the terms of cultural policy. One way to do this is to consider the trajectory of satellite radio.



    Read more:
    Canada’s identity is at stake if we don’t equitably fund and support its music now

    Lessons from satellite radio

    As I have previously argued, the history of satellite radio anticipated the broader turn to subscription music listening. Similarly, the story of satellite radio in Canada exemplifies the tensions arising in policymaking today with streaming media.

    As I discuss in my new book, Music in Orbit: Satellite Radio in the Streaming Space Age, the launch of subscription satellite radio services in the United States in 2001, and their subsequent entry into the Canadian market in 2005, raised questions about how to regulate these new services.

    Canadian content regulations had been established for broadcast radio in 1971, and these needed to be sorted out for satellite radio channels. Many artists and music industry workers were keen to allow the service to enter the country, while others were concerned with the lack of substantial cultural protectionism.

    Canadian content for satellite

    When the CRTC first licensed Sirius and XM in Canada, the license stipulated that each provider had to offer at least eight Canadian-produced channels, each with at least 85 per cent Canadian content. (These guidelines countered the satellite providers’ proposal of only four Canadian channels each.) Later, the CRTC revised regulations, so that no less than 10 per cent of unique channels, per provider, had to be Canadian.

    Critics felt that relegating Canadian music to a small selection of channels higher on the channel lineup (in the 160s and 170s) was a disservice to Canadian content regulations, as those channels were easy to ignore. They also thought that, overall, the domestic music content featured on satellite would be lower than what was heard on terrestrial radio.

    During the 2004 CRTC public hearing before the licensing of Sirius and XM in Canada, Neil Dixon, the president of Canadian Music Week, argued that “one of the most difficult things we had to do in promoting independent music on an independent label was getting it outside this country.”

    Dixon championed the advantages of satellite radio in comparison to terrestrial radio, as did several creatives entities. They spoke of the belief and hope in seeing Canadian, as well as Indigenous artists, heard beyond Canadian borders and in areas not served by broadcast radio.

    CBC Radio 3 and satellite

    Among the Canadian satellite channels was CBC Radio 3, a channel programming 100 per cent independent Canadian music. It served as a beacon of hope for Canadian artists because its music programming drew from a wide variety of artists who had not yet received commercial radio play. This channel came from a financial and programming partnership between CBC, the public broadcaster, and Sirius Canada.

    Years after the 2011 merger of Sirius and XM in Canada, SiriusXM Canada was restructured in 2016, with 70 per cent of the company now owned by U.S. SiriusXM. This also meant that the CBC would cease being a shareholder in SiriusXM Canada.

    In 2022, Sirius XM Canada announced it was removing CBC Radio 3 and CBC Country; these were replaced by channels programmed by SiriusXM. The company also cut French-language CBC music channels ICI Musique Franco-Country and ICI Musique Chansons and introduced new French music channels.

    Uproar over cutting of CBC channels

    The cutting of CBC channels sparked uproar among artists in Canada, namely independent ones. SiriusXM had become a major income source for Canadian artists, particularly by comparison to the low royalty payments from Canadian commercial radio and streaming platforms.

    One headline in the Toronto Star read: “‘Final nail in the coffin’: Why SiriusXM dropping CBC Radio 3 is ‘potentially catastrophic’ for Canadian artists.”

    For artists, a royalty payment could be about $50 per play, divided between artist and owner of the song’s master (typically labels).



    Read more:
    Artists’ Spotify criticisms point to larger ways musicians lose with streaming — here’s 3 changes to help in Canada

    Subscription radio and superstar artists

    Among the new channels introduced by SiriusXM when it simultaneously cut CBC channels was Mixtape North, devoted to Canadian hip hop and R&B.

    Such a channel has the potential to support upcoming Canadian artists in these genres. However, the Mixtape North channel description mentions massively successful commercial artists: “Playing the newest hits from Drake and Jessie Reyez to classic throwbacks from Kardinal Offishall and K-OS to emerging voices.” In late May 2025, according to xmplaylist.com, the most played artists were The Weeknd and Drake, as well as Melanie Fiona, who has a new song with American artist LaRussell.

    A balance between superstar artists and smaller or independent artists is evident. The channel seems designed for more superstar artists than Radio 3, because it is without the CBC’s public media mandate to play independent artists.

    Precarity of public media institutions

    SiriusXM is a massive commercial subscription radio company with a long history of working to alter cultural policy in its favour. Some have argued that it didn’t make sense for a public media company to partner with a commercial subscription radio service in this way.

    The precarious position of public institutions and regulations to support smaller or independent artists remains a pressing issue. Traditional public broadcasters globally, since at least the early 2000s, have faced a growing pressure to reconceive service delivery and responsiveness to public needs and interests, and the multimedia ways people may want to tune in or engage.



    Read more:
    Trump and many GOP lawmakers want to end all funding for NPR and PBS − unraveling a US public media system that took a century to build

    The story of satellite radio exemplifies an imperfect approach to supporting Canadian culture across the digital and streaming music era, as well as the competing commercial and public interests in policymaking.

    We need to pay careful attention to the uneven power dynamics between major media companies and then the musicians and music lovers who live by the rules established through policymaking.

    Brian Fauteux receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Should global media giants shape our cultural and media policy? Lessons from satellite radio – https://theconversation.com/should-global-media-giants-shape-our-cultural-and-media-policy-lessons-from-satellite-radio-257531

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Assessing the Global Climate in May 2025

    Source: US National Oceanographic Data Center

    May Highlights:

    • May and March–May were much warmer than normal for the globe.
    • Global land average precipitation in May was record high, according to preliminary data.
    • Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was below-normal for the month.
    • Sea ice extent was below average for both poles.
    • Global tropical cyclone activity was below normal with two named storms.
     Map of global selected significant climate anomalies and events in May 2025.

    Temperature

    Globally, May 2025 was the second-warmest May in NOAA’s 176-year record, with a temperature 1.98°F (1.10°C) higher than the 20th-century baseline. This is 0.14°F (0.08°C) cooler than the record set last May (2024). According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Outlook, it is very likely that 2025 will rank among the five warmest years on record, with less than a 1% chance of ranking as the warmest year on record. 

     Land and Ocean Temperature Percentiles for May 2025 (°C). Red indicates warmer than average and blue indicates colder than average.

    May temperatures were above average across much of the globe’s surface, in particular across most ocean areas and parts of every continent. Warm temperature departures were most notable in northern North America, the central and southern parts of South America, the British Isles and surrounding ocean, northern and southwestern Asia and across much of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Pockets of below-average temperatures were present across parts of Alaska, eastern Europe, India and Antarctica.

    Regionally, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and the Arctic all saw their May temperature rank among the 10 highest on record. Europe, Oceania and the Antarctic region also had above-average May temperatures, although they did not rank among the 20 warmest on record. India, parts of the northern Atlantic Ocean, the eastern and southeastern Pacific Ocean, central and eastern Europe and eastern Antarctica had May temperatures that were below average.

    Globally, the March–May 2025 surface temperature was the second-highest in NOAA’s 176-year record, just behind the record set in 2024. This three-month period, defined as meteorological spring for the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, was also the second warmest on record for both hemispheres individually.

    Surface Temperature Departure from the 1991–2020 Average for May 2025 (°C). Red indicates warmer than average and blue indicates colder than average.

    Precipitation

    May saw varied precipitation patterns globally. Many regions experienced drier-than-average conditions, including parts of North and South America, as well as northern Europe, southwestern Asia, southern Australia and areas in Russia and China. Southern Alaska, the eastern U.S., northern and southern parts of South America, northern and southeastern Australia and widespread parts of Asia had wetter-than-average conditions. Preliminary data indicate that the May 2025 globe land, averaged as a whole, had the wettest May in the historical record, which spans from 1979 to present.

    Snow Cover

    The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was the 15th-smallest May extent on record, with 370,000 square miles below average. Snow cover over North America and Greenland was below average by 200,000 square miles and was the 10th-smallest snow cover extent in the 59-year record. Eurasia was also below average by 170,000 square miles–the 16th-smallest extent for May. Below-normal snow cover was observed over Canada, parts of the Rockies in the United States and northern parts of Eurasia, as well as a band from western Mongolia through western China.

    Sea Ice

    Global sea ice extent was 550,000 square miles below the 1991–2020 average, ranking as the fifth-smallest May extent in the historical record. Arctic sea ice extent was also below average by 140,000 square miles, tying with 2004 as the seventh-smallest extent in the 47-year record. The Barents, Okhotsk and Bering Seas had lower than normal sea ice extent. The Antarctic sea ice extent was the fifth-smallest for May at 410,000 square miles below average.

    Map of the Arctic (left) and Antarctic (right) sea ice extent in May 2025.

    Tropical Cyclones

    Globally, tropical cyclone activity was below normal during May, with only two named storms. Neither storm reached tropical cyclone strength. One storm formed in the East Pacific basin, while the other formed in the Australian region. 
     

    For a more complete summary of climate conditions and events, see our May 2025 Global Climate Report or explore our Climate at a Glance Global Time Series.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: TopLine Financial Credit Union Opens New Maple Grove West Branch on June 9, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MAPLE GROVE, Minn., June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TopLine Financial Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based member-owned financial services cooperative, recently opened a new full-service Maple Grove West branch on June 9, 2025, located at 7015 Alvarado Lane North, Maple Grove, MN 55311.

    The new Maple Grove West branch will provide personal service as well as self-service convenience with a new innovative 24/7 Interactive Teller Machine (ITM) that provides members with remote assistance service, combining the convenience of ATMs with the personalized experience of a branch visit. Financial product and service offerings include: savings and checking accounts, auto loans, home loans, personal loans, student loans, mortgage services, investment services, small business and commercial services, insurance agency, remote access, as well as financial education and counseling from TopLine Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors.

    “We are excited to announce the opening of our new Maple Grove West location, further expanding our presence in the surrounding communities of Maple Grove, Corcoran, Hamel and Media to offer accessible financial services to more consumers and small business owners,” stated Mick Olson, President and CEO of TopLine Financial Credit Union. “Our new branch reflects our dedication to delivering tailored financial solutions that empower individuals and families to realize their dreams, whether it’s buying a home, funding education, saving for retirement, protecting assets, or starting a small business. We look forward to creating lifelong connections and serving as a trusted financial partner for individuals and families across these vibrant communities.”

    TopLine will be holding a Grand Opening Celebration at the new location during the week of June 23 – 28, 2025. The community is invited to visit the branch in-person for exclusive specials, tasty treats, and a “We’ll Pay Your Phone Bill for a Month up to $150” raffle as a way to recognize the Bell System telephone workers who started the credit union 90 years ago. To learn more visit https://www.toplinecu.com/atms-locations/new-branch.

    TopLine will be hosting a Ribbon Cutting Celebration in partnership with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber at the new location, 7015 Alvarado Lane North, Maple Grove, MN 55311, on Wednesday, July 9th from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be served.

    TopLine Financial Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesota’s 9th largest credit union, with assets of over $1.1 billion and serves over 70,000 members. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit financial cooperative offers a complete line of financial services from its ten branch locations — in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Circle Pines, Coon Rapids, Forest Lake, Maple Grove, Plymouth, St. Francis and in St. Paul’s Como Park — as well as by phone and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Benton, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington and Wright counties in Minnesota and their immediate family members, as well as employees and retirees of Anoka Hennepin School District #11, Anoka Technical College, Federal Premium Ammunition, Hoffman Enclosures, Inc., GRACO, Inc., and their subsidiaries. Visit us on our Facebook or Instagram. To learn more about the credit union’s foundation, visit www.TopLinecu.com/Foundation.

    CONTACT:
    Vicki Roscoe Erickson
    Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
    TopLine Financial Credit Union
    verickson@toplinecu.com | 763.391.0872

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3800e1e1-5d7e-4023-b216-87db66961a98

    The MIL Network –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Crocodile removed from Mareeba region

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Issued: 12 Jun 2025

    Wildlife rangers have humanely euthanised a large crocodile near Mareeba on Tuesday 10 June, following a crocodile sighting report on 6 June 2025.

    A site investigation by wildlife rangers on the weekend confirmed the presence of the crocodile, in a farm drain near Two Mile Creek at Biboohra, north of Mareeba.

    Director Northern Wildlife Operations at DETSI, Lindsay Delzoppo said rangers had located the crocodile on the property after multiple reports from the community.

    “By removing the crocodile, we have prioritised community safety, and we thank the people who submitted crocodile sighting reports last Friday.

    “We encourage anyone who sees what they believe to be a crocodile to report it to the department in a timely manner, all reports will be investigated.”

    Crocodile sightings can be reported by using the QWildlife app, completing a crocodile sighting report on the DETSI website, or by calling 1300 130 372. The department investigates every crocodile sighting report received.

    Under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan, the Two Mile Creek area at Biboohra is in Zone F (Atypical Habitat Zone). In Zone F, any crocodile confirmed to be present is targeted for removal from the wild, regardless of its size or behaviour.

    Media contact: DETSI Media Unit on (07) 3339 5831 or media@des.qld.gov.au

    MIL OSI News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Future conservationists get their hands dirty in Amamoor Valley weed battle

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Issued: 12 Jun 2025

    Open larger image

    Conservation and Ecosystem Management students from Nambour TAFE join with Gympie-based QPWS rangers to tackle destructive and invasive weeds in the Amamoor State Forest.

    A powerful new partnership between Nambour TAFE and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is giving the next generation of conservation professionals hands-on experience in protecting native ecosystems.

    Twenty Conservation and Ecosystem Management students from Nambour TAFE joined forces with Gympie-based QPWS rangers in late May to tackle the destructive weeds that threaten native rainforests in the Amamoor State Forest.

    The unique collaboration was coordinated by QPWS Sunshine Coast Ranger David Wolters, himself a graduate of the same TAFE course, and TAFE Queensland conservation and ecosystem educator Alissa George.

    David and Elissa, who recognised the opportunity to blend practical learning with meaningful environmental outcomes, said partnerships like these played an important role in combatting invasive species and protecting fragile ecosystems.

    “This was a great experience for Nambour TAFE Conservation and Ecosystem Management students,” Alissa said.

    “The students benefited from real industry experiences and learning the techniques used by QPWS to eradicate environmental weeds including Cats Claw creeper, Dutchman’s Pipe, and Lantana.

    “They eagerly listened to the rangers explain the importance of the site ecologically.

    “We saw the effects of the biocontrol for Cat’s Claw Creeper – the leaf sucking tingid bug – which the students were excited to see.

    “TAFE Nambour is very excited to continue this volunteering opportunity as it has been the highlight of the course for the students,” Alissa said.

    Throughout the day, students honed skills in identifying and removing invasive species including Cat’s Claw Creeper (Dolichandra unguis-cati), Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia elegans), and Lantana (Lantana camara).

    The experience also gave them direct access to seasoned rangers, allowing for deep conversations around conservation careers and techniques used in the field.

    For David Wolters, the day was a full-circle moment.

    “I’ve always been driven by a desire to support and protect our natural environment,” David said.

    “Studying Conservation and Ecosystem Management at TAFE provided me with the hands-on fieldwork and practical training that shaped my skills.

    “Now working in national parks,

    “I’m proud to contribute to the protection of our unique ecosystems and landscapes.

    “I’ve reconnected with TAFE to help current students gain valuable experience in the field, something that made a big difference during my own studies.

    “I’m passionate about sharing the knowledge I’ve gained working for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and look forward to continuing my work with Alissa George and her students in the years ahead.”

    QPWS Gympie Ranger Jim Martin, who also attended, praised the impact of the students’ involvement.

    “It’s great to have such a big group here keen to get stuck into the Cats Claw, which can feel like an insurmountable task at times,” Jim said.

    “Staying on top of the initial treatments we’ve made with solid follow-up work is what will make a real difference here, so the potential benefits of having TAFE groups out here to lend a hand and learn is huge.”

    The initiative not only delivered tangible benefits for the environment but also inspired and equipped the next generation of conservation professionals.

    Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many highlighting the field trip as a defining moment in their studies.

    With the groundwork laid and the vines pulled, both TAFE and QPWS are looking forward to building on this successful partnership – one weed at a time.

    MIL OSI News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Nuclear safeguards: AUKUS statement to the IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Nuclear safeguards: AUKUS statement to the IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025

    Statement by Australia, the UK and the US to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on IAEA safeguards and AUKUS

    Thank you, Chair.

    I take the floor on behalf of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to respond to continued false claims that purposefully mischaracterize AUKUS partners’ intentions and attempt to undermine the independence, integrity, and authority of the IAEA.  

    We reiterate that this item has not been adopted as a standing agenda item by the Board and does not have consensus support among Board members. It is a distraction from the Board’s important work on other pressing issues. We support discussion of naval nuclear propulsion at the appropriate time, such as when the Director General releases reports on the topic. As we have always said, Australia’s arrangement will be referred to the Board for appropriate action guided by the DG’s technical assessment of the arrangement’s nonproliferation provisions when the time is right.

    AUKUS partners remain committed to transparency as we work to set the highest nonproliferation standard, and Director General Grossi has repeatedly expressed satisfaction with AUKUS partners’ engagement and transparency. As a demonstration of our commitment to transparency, I would like to highlight the side event held at the NPT Preparatory Committee in New York on 1 May.  AUKUS partners value sessions such as these to openly offer clarity on how we are developing the non-proliferation approach for Australia’s program, consistent with our respective international obligations.

    As we have said, when we discuss setting the highest nonproliferation standard, we are not seeking to establish a model arrangement for others.  Australia’s arrangement, once finalized, will demonstrate that it is possible to apply the highest non-proliferation standard to naval nuclear propulsion under an Article 14 arrangement in a way that will allow the IAEA to fulfill its technical objectives: verifying there has been no diversion of nuclear material, no misuse of nuclear facilities, and no undeclared nuclear material or activities in Australia. For other Member States seeking naval nuclear propulsion programs, it will be up to them to negotiate directly with the IAEA on appropriate verification arrangements based on the unique nature of the program. Although, we trust that other such Member States likewise will support a high standard and respect the integrity and independence of the IAEA.

    The commitment to a robust Article 14 arrangement was included in our countries’ legal obligations in the AUKUS Naval Nuclear Propulsion Agreement (ANNPA), including through the requirement that the United States and UK not transfer any nuclear material to Australia for naval nuclear propulsion until Australia and the IAEA have such an arrangement in place. As we have prioritized since the start of the AUKUS partnership in 2021, ANNPA, which entered into force in January, is yet another way that we are demonstrating our commitment to setting the highest standard of nonproliferation in an open and transparent manner.

    Chair,

    Some countries continue to make the same false claims about the AUKUS partnership. We have spent considerable time addressing these in the past, both here at the Board and in other venues. To be clear, AUKUS in no way involves cooperation on nuclear weapons. The AUKUS partnership is fully consistent with partners’ respective international obligations under the NPT and safeguards agreements. Again, the transfer of nuclear material under the AUKUS partnership will only proceed once we can ensure it is done in a manner consistent with the highest nonproliferation standard.

    We will continue our open and transparent approach, including by providing an update under Any Other Business, and will engage in good faith with Member States on genuine questions as we continue to develop our partnership.

    Thank you, Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: MCR Live ’25 celebrates a mammoth summer of live music in Manchester

    Source: City of Manchester

    The stage is set for a massive music-filled take-over of Manchester city centre this summer as MCR Live ’25 celebrates the mammoth summer of live music coming to the city.

    An incredible 1.3 million music tourists are expected to visit Manchester this summer during an unmissable three months of live music – which gets underway this weekend – from some of the biggest artists on the planet.

    To help celebrate what promises to be a sensational summer of sound MCR Live ’25 will see music-themed markets, pop-up shops, a festival bar and impromptu performances, as well as fabulous guitar-themed artworks and exhibitions take over the city’s streets, squares, shop windows and other venues.

    Here’s the full lowdown on what’s happening:

    Music for the Senses art trail

    Music for the Senses will take over the streets with a trail of amazing artworks, murals, mosaics and installations celebrating the people, places, moments and instruments of Manchester’s music scene. At the heart of Music for the Senses is Guitar Street, an interactive installation on a to-be-revealed city centre street by Manchester artist Liam Hopkins, known as Lazerian. Liam’s artwork will lovingly repurpose broken guitars, donated by members of the public.

    Meanwhile, you can also discover up to 50 donated guitars which have been transformed into one-of-a kind individual artworks by professional artists. You’ll spot them displayed in shop windows and venues across the city, alongside some extra special guitars donated by Manchester musicians and other famous faces.

    At the end of the trail the guitars will be auctioned to raise money to support grassroots music projects and venues throughout Greater Manchester. 

    Dates and times:

    July 7 – August 31

    The MCR Live Hub bar – Piccadilly Gardens

    Roll with it this summer at the MCR Live Hub – your go-to city centre hangout for all things music. Whether you’re here for the epic Oasis homecoming gigs or exploring the packed calendar of live music across the city, the Hub is where the good times begin and keep on coming.

    The Hub is more than just a meeting place – it’s a celebration. Grab a drink at the bar, sample some of the best street food in the North West, catch surprise acts and DJ takeovers on the outdoor stage, or bring the family along during the day for relaxed, music-inspired fun.

    As the sun sets and the city lights up, let the Hub be your basecamp – a place to connect, discover, and soak up the energy of one of the world’s greatest music destinations.

    Dates and times:

    Opens 3 July (all summer long), 11am to 11pm. 

    MCR Live ’25 markets – St Peter’s Square

    From vinyl to vintage, rum to records, discover the heart of Manchester’s creative spirit at the MCR Live ’25 Pop-up Market in St Peter’s Square. Running alongside Oasis’ legendary homecoming concerts, this buzzing market brings together local makers, artists and indie traders for a celebration of sound, style and city pride. Browse music-inspired prints, handmade jewellery, iconic Manchester merch, global street food, and limited-edition Oasis-themed gifts. Whether you’re a collector, a curious browser or just after something unique, the market is your soundtrack to summer in the world’s greatest music city.

    Dates and Times:

    July 9, 2025 – July 13

    July 16, 2025 – July 20

    Northern Quarter Block Party

    Head down to this laid-back gathering on Edge Street and Thomas Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, where it’s all about good vibes, local sounds, and a great atmosphere.

    Two stages will keep the energy flowing with DJs and live acts throughout the day. Independent bars and cafes will be out in full force – serving up food, drinks, and friendly faces.

    Dates and Times:

    Sat June 28  from 12 noon – 21:30

    Fri July 11 from 12 noon – 21:30

    Sat July 12 from 12 noon – 21:30

    Sat July 19 from 12 noon – 21:30

    Sun July 20 from 12 noon – 21:30

    Oasis Week at Central Library

    To celebrate the homecoming of Oasis, Central Library is offering a week of free festivities.

    Featuring legendary Supernova live sets, Liam’n’Noel look-a-like competitions, a Big Oasis Quiz, Supersonic film screenings, and so much more.

    Look out for fantastic performances from a raft of Rock’n’Roll Stars including Noasis, Canter Semper, Ukelele Orchestra, Manchester String Quartet, and the New Horizons Choir.  

    Join esteemed Northern music journalist and frontman of the Membranes / Goldblade John Robb for a talk about his brand-new book ‘Live Forever: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Oasis’ in a Q&A and book-signing event to mark its release.

    Plus, head over to the Sound & Vision pods on the ground floor to find a trove of classic Oasis interviews that the Archives+ and Sound Archives team have unearthed from the Piccadilly Radio and Key103 audio archives.

    Dates and Times:

    July 14 – July 19

    Capri Beach Club – Exchange Square

    Kick back with a Manchester music-themed cocktail, mocktail or a pint of the finest ale at the Capri Beach Club, bringing Mediterranean vibes and Balearic beats to the heart of Manchester City Centre. A favourite for many years, Capri Beach Club is the perfect spot to sit back and enjoy MCR Live ’25 in style. Come along and bask in a summer of music.

    Dates and Times:

    June 5 – August 25

    This year’s Manchester Day on Saturday 26 July will also be hitting all the right notes this summer with a packed programme of music-themed free fun for all the family to help celebrate the city’s homegrown musical talent – with highlights on the day including a music-filled mini parade from St Peter’s Square to the Cathedral.

    The long-awaited Oasis homecoming gigs at Heaton Park in July anchor a summer stuffed full of major live music events in Manchester’s parks, public spaces and other venues – from June through to the end of August.

    Headline outdoor appearances from Charli XCX, 50 Cent, Elbow, Fontaines DC, Sam Fender, and Hacienda Classical, at Parklife, Sounds of the City, and Live in Wythenshawe Park, will sit alongside other live events including the ever vibrant sounds of Manchester’s annual Caribbean Carnival at Alexandra Park.

    Manchester’s indoor arena venues are also gearing up for some big-name gigs this summer with artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Robbie Williams and Billie Eilish all heading to Manchester, alongside a jam-packed programme at the city’s renowned independent and grassroots venues.

    The music-filled summer is also expected to bring a significant boost to the wider city economy – with Manchester’s smaller music venues, clubs, hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, and other cultural attractions all expected to benefit from the increased number of visitors to the city.

    Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We’ve got a mammoth three months of unmissable live music coming up in Manchester this summer and can’t wait to welcome the 1.3 million music tourists who are heading our way.

    “We’re already known the world over for the music we make and for our unrivalled music scene, and this summer we’re going all out with MCR Live ’25 to harness the moment and celebrate the massive contribution that music makes to the city.

    “As well as providing a sensational soundtrack to our summer, the economic impact on the city of this year’s bumper summer of live music concerts will be significant and shouldn’t be overlooked. Last year alone music and culture had a multiplier effect on other businesses in Manchester that generated an economic impact of more than £342m for the city and supported more than 4,800 jobs.

    “And with well over a million music fans set to hit the city’s streets this summer, businesses in the city look set to see a lot of added benefit from this.

    “With a fantastic line-up all summer long of events and activities taking place across the city, as well as the promise of unmissable moments from some of the most iconic and legendary music artists of our time, Manchester is definitely – no maybe’s – the only place to be this summer.”

    Information on all the MCR Live ’25 events and activities taking place over the summer can be found via a dedicated page on VisitManchester.com which also includes links to live music venues across the city from the smallest of grassroots venues to the big capacity arenas.

    Victoria Braddock, Managing Director at Marketing Manchester, said: “Manchester has a long musical heritage producing some of the world’s greatest bands and artists, and this summer offers a great time to visit the city. Parklife, the Oasis reunion at Heaton Park, and a packed calendar of concerts will welcome visitors from across the world, who will experience a city with a passion for music. MCR Live ’25 will be a celebration of the city’s rich history, offering an opportunity for fans to explore our brilliant grassroots venues and uncover the many exciting events including the Music for the Senses guitar trail, Oasis Week at Central Library and a buzzing atmosphere that will make the city sing out.”

    Residents and visitors who are planning to get out and about over the summer to enjoy the massive programme of activities and concerts are encouraged to make the most of the Bee Network and travel by bus, tram, bike or on foot.  Passengers can travel from just £2 on buses using ‘tap and go’ contactless and travel seamlessly between bus and tram to pay for their journey without the need for a ticket.

    People are reminded that no trams are running from Piccadilly Station to city centre stops due to essential track improvement works between Tuesday 3 June to the end of service on Sunday 10 August.  Find out more information  

    Plan your journey and get all the latest travel information  or download the Bee Network app. 

    Find out more information about MCR Live ’25 events  

    Find out more information about the Music for the Senses guitar art trail and related activities 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Politics with Michelle Grattan: Senator Tammy Tyrrell on wild days in Tasmania

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Tasmanian politics has been thrown into chaos after a Labor motion of no confidence forced Premier Jeremy Rockliff to either resign or call for a new election. The premier opted for the latter, with Tasmanians to vote on July 19, only something over a year into the four-year term.

    In Tasmania, Australia’s smallest state in terms of both size and population, local issues dominate. Labor homed in on economic mismanagement.

    But there is controversy over the Macquarie Point Hobart AFL stadium (which the major parties support) as well as the state’s important salmon industry, which saw a lot of attention federally in the lead-up to the last election.

    To talk all things Tasmanian, we’re joined by Independent Tasmanian Senator Tammy Tyrrell. She was elected in 2022 under the banner of the Jacqui Lambie Network a former member of the party but left last year. We talk about the state election, as well as federal issues and the new Senate.

    Tyrrell laments Tasmanians’ being made to vote again so soon,

    I was out and about on the northwest coast of Tasmania all day yesterday and everybody was like, what the heck is going on? They don’t want to go to an election, the people of Tasmania, they want the parliament to actually be grown ups and sort it out amongst themselves.

    The budget in Tasmania is in a shambles and we’re so far in the red that we can’t see any way out of it. But really? There’s no way that the Labor [party] is going to form government unless they form a minority government and no Tasmanian will support a Labor-Greens government again in a hurry. But I really think that the Liberal government should have elevated somebody else from within to be the leader, to be the premier.

    On her former boss Jacqui Lambie whose party has now collapsed, Tyrrell says it’s because of the kind of person she is,

    [In] the federal election, Jacqui focused outside of Tasmania. She focused on expanding the network. And it didn’t work for her because she didn’t campaign enough here in Tasmania.

    It’s a shame that she’s not supporting the candidate that is still sitting with her under the network. […] I think she should have stuck by Andrew Jenner and supported him through this [Tasmanian] election because he has shown loyalty to her and he has stuck it through thick and thin. So I believe he should be able to run back under the banner.

    Jacqui is a strong person and the network had every chance to be a strong network, but Jacqui [is] not really a team player. She’s more of a single athlete because she’s so determined and strong of her opinion and it’s hard to take a group forward when you’ve got such a strong force that does not communicate sideways very well. She is a strong human being and I still believe in Jacqui but it makes it hard for her to have a team.

    On the salmon farming industry, while Tyrrell voices her support, she agrees that environmental concerns do matter,

    I support any industry that puts jobs and money into small rural and regional communities in Tasmania. I agree that they need to be as eco and as green friendly as possible and I know that the salmon industry is doing things to be clean and as green as possible. But I also believe that we need to look after the people who live and work in Tasmania.

    We can’t sacrifice an industry completely just to satisfy the people that don’t like the salmon industry. I will always support the people of Tasmania and encourage industry and business to be as eco-friendly as possible, which is why we’re encouraging as many biofuels and eco-green fuel companies as possible to come to Tasmania, and thrive here.

    On reports that the Nationals approached her to join their party. Tyrell says while she didn’t seriously consider it, she took it as a “compliment”,

    It was a big compliment though. The Nats represent rural and regional Australia beautifully, by speaking their voice and for them to see that I am representing the people of Tasmania in a good light. It was a huge compliment to be approached to join them. But I’d already been in a relationship and I’m quite happy being a single divorcee.

    It’s amazing being an independent, it means that I can say and do what my community wants me to in their voice without having to agree to broad-sweeping politics or legislative ideas that I don’t agree with fundamentally.

    Michelle Grattan 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. Politics with Michelle Grattan: Senator Tammy Tyrrell on wild days in Tasmania – https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-senator-tammy-tyrrell-on-wild-days-in-tasmania-258802

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Upexi CEO and CSO to Host Fireside Chat on Thursday, June 26th at 11:00 a.m. ET

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TAMPA, Fla., June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Upexi, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPXI) (the “Company” or “Upexi”), a brand owner specializing in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of consumer products with diversification into the cryptocurrency space, today announced that it will host a fireside chat with Allan Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, and Brian Rudick, CFA, Chief Strategy Officer, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. ET.

    During the fireside chat, management will discuss the digital asset treasury company business model, Upexi’s multiple compounding value accrual mechanisms, and the Company’s strategy to grow its lead as the premier Solana treasury company.

    Fireside Chat Details
    Date: Thursday, June 26, 2025
    Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
    Webcast: https://ir.upexi.com/news-events/ir-calendar

    There will be a question and answer session at the conclusion of the fireside chat, and a link to the recording will be available on the ‘News and Events’ section of Upexi’s Investor Relations website after the event.

    About Upexi, Inc.
    Upexi is a brand owner specializing in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of consumer products. The Company has entered the cryptocurrency industry and cash management of assets through a cryptocurrency portfolio. For more information on Upexi’s treasury strategy and future developments, visit www.upexi.com.

    Follow Upexi on X – https://twitter.com/upexitreasury
    Follow CEO, Allan Marshall, on X – https://x.com/marshall_a22015
    Follow CSO, Brian Rudick, on X – https://x.com/thetinyant

    Forward Looking Statements
    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. For example, the Company is using forward looking statements when it discusses the anticipated use of proceeds. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with business strategy, potential acquisitions, revenue guidance, product development, integration, and synergies of acquiring companies and personnel. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward- looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Company Contact
    Brian Rudick, Chief Strategy Officer
    Email:brian.rudick@upexi.com
    Phone: (216) 347-0473

    Investor Relations Contact
    KCSA Strategic Communications
    Valter Pinto, Managing Director
    Email: Upexi@KCSA.com
    Phone: (212) 896-1254

    The MIL Network –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Embedding academic support improves learner outcomes

    Source: Tertiary Education Commission

    Last updated 10 June 2025
    Last updated 10 June 2025

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    Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT’s) Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services share their approach to embedding academic support services that enable better outcomes for learners.
    Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT’s) Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services share their approach to embedding academic support services that enable better outcomes for learners.

    Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services are getting their library workshops and resources in front of thousands of AUT students, which is making a positive impact on learner success.  
    Kate Absolum, Senior Manager Learning and Academic Engagement at Auckland University of Technology’s Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services, covers three key initiatives in this Learner Success Community of Practice lightning session.  
    First, Kate shares how AUT’s library services have embedded learning support into academic courses and how this has helped enable better learner outcomes. She then covers the asynchronous learning materials available through their library, and how they support students to use generative AI ethically and productively.  
    Kate has over 20 years of experience teaching, writing and designing learning materials across diverse educational settings in New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong. Her areas of interest and expertise include curriculum development, assessment and materials design, academic integrity, generative AI and academic literacy education. 
    To watch Kate’s 12-minute lightning session, visit the Learner Success Community of Practice. 
    Learner Success Community of Practice sessions 
    The Tertiary Education Commission hosts online and pre-recorded online Community of Practice sessions in partnership with the tertiary sector. The aim is to connect tertiary education organisations to share knowledge, collaborate, and promote individual, group and organisational development to improve the success of their learners. 
    To find out about upcoming sessions, please contact 0800 601 301 or customerservice@tec.govt.nz with the subject line [EDUMIS # Learner Success Community of Practice]. 
    To view recordings of previous sessions, visit Learner Success Community of Practice. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Canberra’s best pies, as voted by you

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Our CBR is the ACT Government’s key channel to connect with Canberrans and keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the city. Our CBR includes a monthly print edition, email newsletter and website.

    You can easily opt in or out of the newsletter subscription at any time.

    MIL OSI News –

    June 13, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: the galahs are chattering about ‘productivity’, but can Labor really get it moving?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Former prime minister Paul Keating famously used to say the resident galah in any pet shop was talking about micro-economic policy. These days, if you encounter a pet shop with a galah, she’ll be chattering about productivity.

    Productivity is currently the hot topic for a conversation on economic reform. Australia, like many other countries, has a serious problem with it. Our productivity hasn’t significantly increased for more than a decade (apart from a temporary spike during the pandemic).

    Now Treasurer Jim Chalmers has named productivity as his priority for Labor’s second term; assistant minister Andrew Leigh, part of the government’s economic team, has had it inserted into his title; the Productivity Commission has put out 15 potential reform areas for discussion, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a roundtable to canvass the way ahead.

    The roundtable appears to be a prime ministerial initiative. Announcing it at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Albanese made a point of saying he had asked Chalmers to convene it. Perhaps it’s a case of the prime minister emulating his forerunner Bob Hawke, with his penchant for summits, while Chalmers seeks to be a contemporary Keating, as he searches for reforms to promote.

    It would be a major achievement if people were able to remember the second-term Albanese government for paving the way for a significant lift in Australia’s productivity. It would probably also be an economic and political miracle.

    Let’s never knock a summit, but let’s not be taken in by the suggestion that the planned August meeting, involving employers, unions and the government, will mark some breakthrough moment. Business representatives are approaching it with a degree of cynicism; they saw the 2022 jobs and skills summit as preparing the ground for the new government to meet union demands.

    This summit is expected to have fewer participants than the 2022 meeting, and may be briefer. Albanese described it as “a more streamlined dialogue than the jobs and skills summit, dealing with a more targeted set of issues”. Chalmers will announce more details next week. We can expect the government will package a collection of initiatives at least for further work, and perhaps a few for early action.

    While many stakeholders give lip service to improving productivity, there are huge obstacles to actually doing so.

    There’s perennial talk about tax reform – from business and economists, rather than the government. But serious change produces winners and losers, and having “losers” has become a political no-no, especially when there is not enough money to compensate them.

    The housing crisis could be eased, with more homes built faster, if there were less onerous regulations, notably at state and local level. Governments are working around the edges of this, but attempting to seriously slash regulation immediately runs into opposition from those who, variously, argue that will harm city-scapes, the environment, safety or the like.

    Red tape hampers big projects, but interest groups concerned about fauna, flora or the climate defend extensive hurdles and appeals processes as important for other priorities.

    We’d be more productive if people with skills (whether immigrants or those moving between states) faced fewer complexities in getting their credentials recognised. But critics would point to the risk of underqualified people getting through.

    Regulations are both barriers and protections. Whether you see particular regulations as negative or positive will depend where you are coming from. Less regulation can enhance productivity – but in certain cases the trade-off can be less protection and/or more risk. We have, for good or ill, become a more risk-averse community.

    Employers say various industrial relations laws and regulations restrict changes that could boost productivity. A Labor government interlocked with the union movement is going to listen to its industrial base on that one. Asked on Tuesday whether his message to business groups going to the summit was, “don’t waste your breath if you’re going to raise IR” Albanese said, “People are entitled to raise whatever they want to raise. But I’m a Labor prime minister.”

    Artificial Intelligence presents great opportunities to advance productivity. But it will cost some jobs and produce dislocation. Industry Minister Tim Ayres said recently, “I will be looking in particular at how we can strengthen worker voice and agency as technology is diffused into every workplace in the Australian economy. I look forward to working with our trade union movement on all of this.” Employers’ ears pricked at the union reference.

    While the government is signalling it wants to do something meaningful on productivity, the prime minister is also highly cautious when it comes to getting ahead of what he considers to be the government’s electoral mandate. Nor is he one to gamble political capital.

    He is not like, for example, John Howard, who before the 1996 election said he would “never ever” have a GST, then brought forward an ambitious GST package that he took to the 1998 election. That package had plenty of compensation for losers but Howard, who had a big parliamentary majority, was nearly booted out of office.

    Reform is more difficult than it was in the Hawke–Keating era – though it wasn’t as easy then as is often portrayed now. The voters are less trusting of government, and less willing to accept the downsides of change.

    The voices of those wanting to say “no” to various proposed changes are greatly amplified, in a highly professionalised political milieu and ubiquitous media opportunities. In the era of the “permanent campaign”, opinion polling has become so constant that politicians are always measuring their support in the moment, making a government hyper-nervous.

    Progress on productivity is also harder these days because the easier things have been done, and because changes in our economy – especially the growth of the care economy – mean in some sectors efficiencies are not so readily available, or measurable.

    We don’t actually need more inquiries, or a roundtable, to come up with ideas for what could or should be done on productivity. There have been multiple reports and thousands of recommendations. What is required is for the government to devise a bold program, have the will and the skill to implement it, and the ability to sell it to the public. But that runs into the problem of not having sought permission from the voters – which forces the government back to incrementalism.

    Whatever the problems, it is not too fanciful to see Chalmers hanging his hat on the productivity peg in his longer-term bid to be the next Labor prime minister. We’ll see how he goes.

    Michelle Grattan 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. Grattan on Friday: the galahs are chattering about ‘productivity’, but can Labor really get it moving? – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-the-galahs-are-chattering-about-productivity-but-can-labor-really-get-it-moving-257337

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Schools and workplaces to take part in Clean Air Day

    Source: City of Leicester

    LEICESTER schools and workplaces are getting ready to take part in Clean Air Day next week.

    Clean Air Day, on Thursday 19 June, is the UK’s biggest initiative to reduce air pollution, raising awareness about air quality and encouraging action for a healthier environment.

    Selected roads will be closed to traffic so that sports, games and fun activities can be held out on the streets in front of several schools in Leicester.  

    Among the schools taking part in Leicester are Castle Mead Academy, which will be running sporting activities on the street and waterside activities in conjunction with the Canal & River Trust and Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre, including a ‘park and paddle’ where pupils will be able to arrive at school by bell boat.

    Dovelands Primary School will have sports on the streets, cycling activities and the Hop! fully electric green bus, with its signature ‘ribbit’ effect bell, will pay a visit. The Children’s Bookbus will be at Kestrel Mead Infants School, and there will be sport on the street outside Rushey Mead Primary School, as well as a visit from Strider the walking mascot.

    Temporary road closures will be in place on Thursday 19 June from 8am until 4pm on Magnus Road, Bessingham Close, Richard III Road, Eastfield Road, Hazeldene Road and Bramble Close.

    Parking, waiting and loading will be prohibited from 8am on Wednesday 18 June until 4pm on Thursday 19 June 2025 on sections of Mundesley Road, Kestrel Lane, Richard III Road, Maidenwell Avenue, Foxglove Road and Laverton Road.

    Some of the city’s largest workplaces are also getting involved in Clean Air Day. The University of Leicester has organised a walk in Victoria Park, meeting at the memorial arch at 12pm. The walk is suitable for all abilities and is open to staff, students and the public. Researchers from the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, who work on air quality and pollutants, will be taking part in the walk and will be available to discuss their research, how air pollution impacts health and ways we can all support reductions in air pollution.

    The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust will have information stands in hospital restaurants in the run-up to Clean Air Day, offering advice and information to staff and the public on how they can help reduce air pollution, with information on travel, food and nutrition, energy use and some simple flash card quizzes.

    The events are being supported by Leicester City Council, national walking, wheeling and cycling charity Sustrans and Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, as well as by the Canal & River Trust and Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

    Assistant city mayor responsible for air quality, Cllr Geoff Whittle, said: “Clean Air Day is a chance for schools to take part in some fun activities on traffic-free streets, while delivering an important message about improving air quality.

    “It’s also a great chance for local workplaces to get involved by promoting the benefits of active travel.

    “It is very encouraging to see so many people across the city marking Clean Air Day in this way.”

    The city council’s air quality action plan includes commitments to carry out education and awareness campaigns in communities and schools to improve knowledge and understanding of the main sources of pollution and their impact, as well as working with schools to encourage active travel.

    More information on air quality in Leicester is available at www.leicester.gov.uk/airquality

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cash for sharks: the unintended consequences of paying fishermen to release sharks caught in their nets – podcast

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

    As Jaws marks its 50th anniversary this year, sharks continue to get a bad rap. Film after film portrays them as terrifying hunters, the bane of surfers and swimmers.

    But in Indonesia, sharks are the hunted. It’s the world’s largest shark-fishing nation, with more species of sharks found in Indonesian waters than in any other country. It’s estimated that one in three species of shark and their close relatives, including rays, are threatened with extinction.

    Indonesia was the ideal place for conservation scientist Hollie Booth and her colleagues at a local NGO that she founded called Kebersamaan Untuk Lautan (an Indonesian phrase meaning “togetherness for the ocean”), to test out a new idea: would paying fishermen to release any sharks and rays caught accidentally in their nets help to keep more alive?

    “ Nobody’s ever done a randomised control trial of an incentive-based marine conservation programme before,” Booth, a researcher at the University of Oxford, told The Conversation Weekly podcast, “ and it is the best way to get good evidence on what is and isn’t working.”

    Booth and her colleagues were delighted that the vessels taking part in the trial were sending back videos of fishermen releasing sharks and rays caught up in their nets.

    But when they had enough data to really analyse what had been happening, they realised that the incentive programme had some unintended consequences. “ It wasn’t all quite as positive and rosy as we’d originally hoped,” says Booth. “I felt like a fraud.”

    Listen to Hollie Booth and her colleague M. Said Ramdlan discuss their new study on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

    This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware with production assistance from Mend Mariwany and Katie Flood. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

    Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available on Apple Podcasts.

    Hollie Booth is the founder and Chair of Kebersamaan Untuk Lautan. The program and this research was funded by Save Our Seas Foundation and the UK Darwin Initiative. M Said Ramdlan works as a project coordinator and secretary for Kebersamaan untuk Lautan and has received research funding from the Save Our Sea Foundation.

    – ref. Cash for sharks: the unintended consequences of paying fishermen to release sharks caught in their nets – podcast – https://theconversation.com/cash-for-sharks-the-unintended-consequences-of-paying-fishermen-to-release-sharks-caught-in-their-nets-podcast-258350

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: France spent €90,000 to discredit the impact of Pacific nuclear testing – Greenpeace response

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Paris, France – New documents obtained by investigative outlet Disclose suggests that France spent €90,000 to discredit research into the impacts of its nuclear testing in the Pacific. In response: 

    Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said:

    “This act by France is not just a denial of truth — it is an insult to generations who continue to live with the radioactive legacy of these experiments. From the scarred atolls of the Marshall Islands to the irradiated lands of Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), our people carry the enduring fallout of nuclear colonialism – cancers, displacement, environmental devastation, deaths, and loss of generations. Instead of reckoning with its past, France chooses to fund distraction over accountability, image over integrity. This is not the act of a nation seeking justice — it is the act of a nation running from it. The Pacific does not forget and our people will not be silenced. No amount of money can erase the truth written into our Pacific families’ bodies, our lands, and our histories.”

    Pauline Boyer, energy campaigner and nuclear expert at Greenpeace France said: 

    “This is a shamelessly ramped up disinformation campaign by the CEA [France’s Atomic Energy Commission]. Nuclear proponents continue to defend the law of silence at all costs when it comes to the victims of civilian and military nuclear industries. It’s high time the CEA, as well as the French government, acknowledged the facts with transparency and honesty: they deliberately chose to expose populations and their land to radioactive fallout and contamination from French nuclear bomb explosions. Underestimating the number of victims and the extent of the devastating impact on the health of civilian and military populations, in order to reduce the number of compensation claims and minimize this dark chapter in history, is utterly indecent. All the more that France’s choice of the Pacific islands for these nuclear explosions clearly follows a colonialist logic”.

    Last month, a new study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) and commissioned by Greenpeace Germany, revealed that US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands from 1946-1958 had impacted all atolls, but only three of the 24 atolls, all northern and inhabited at the time of radioactive fallout, received medical cancer screening.

    In July, Greenpeace and the Rainbow Warrior will mark the 40 year anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior I by the French secret service, who were attempting to halt Greenpeace’s campaign against nuclear testing in French Polynesia (Maohi Nui) at the time.  

    ENDS

    A collection of archival images of the Rainbow Warrior bombing can be found in the Greenpeace Media Library. Other archival images of Greenpeace protests against French nuclear testing can also be found in the Library.

    Contacts:

    Mary Chevallier, energy and nuclear comms, Greenpeace France, +33(0)614739229, [email protected]

    Shuk-Wah Chung, Communications Lead – Marshall Islands project, Greenpeace International, (+852) 5420 4186, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Greenpeace activists aboard Rainbow Warrior disrupt Pacific industrial fishing operation

    By Emma Page

    Greenpeace activists on board the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior disrupted an industrial longlining fishing operation in the South Pacific, seizing almost 20 km of fishing gear and freeing nine sharks — including an endangered mako — near Australia and New Zealand.

    Crew retrieved the entire longline and more than 210 baited hooks from a European Union-flagged industrial fishing vessel, including an endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks and four swordfish.

    The crew also documented the vessel catching endangered sharks during its longlining operation.

    The at-sea action followed new Greenpeace Australia Pacific analysis exposing the extent of shark catch from industrial longlining in parts of the Pacific Ocean.

    Latest fisheries data showed that almost 70 percent of EU vessels’ catch was blue shark in 2023 alone.

    The operation came ahead of this week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, where world leaders are discussing ocean protection and the Global Ocean Treaty.

    On board the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Georgia Whitaker said: “These longliners are industrial killing machines. Greenpeace Australia Pacific took peaceful and direct action to disrupt this attack on marine life.

    “We saved important species that would otherwise have been killed or left to die on hooks.

    “The scale of industrial fishing — still legal on the high seas — is astronomical. These vessels claim to be targeting swordfish or tuna, but we witnessed shark after shark being hauled up by these industrial fleets, including three endangered sharks in just half an hour.


    Rainbow Warrior crew disrupt longline fishing in the Pacific.  Video: Greenpeace

    “Greenpeace is calling on world leaders at the UN Ocean Conference to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 from this wanton destruction.”

    Stingray caught as bycatch is hauled onboard the Lu Rong Yuan Lu 212 longliner vessel in the Tasman Sea.

    The Rainbow Warrior is in the South Pacific ocean to expose longline fishing and call on governments to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty and create a network of protected areas in the high seas.

    A Greenpeace activist frees a blue shark caught on a longline in the Pacific . . . the blue shark is currently listed as “Near Threatened” globally by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Image: Greenpeace Pacific

    Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on the New Zealand government to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty and help create global ocean sanctuaries, including in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

    New Zealand signed the agreement in 2023.

    More than two-thirds of sharks worldwide are endangered, and a third of those are at risk of extinction from overfishing.

    Over the last three weeks, the Rainbow Warrior has been documenting longlining vessels and practices off Australia’s east coast, including from Spain and China.

    Emma Page is Greenpeace Aotearoa’s communications lead, oceans and fisheries. Republished with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: Is the US playing cat and mouse ahead of expected Albanese-Trump talks?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    For the first time in memory, an Australian prime minister is approaching a prospective meeting with a US president with a distinct feeling of wariness.

    Of course Anthony Albanese would deny it.

    But it’s undeniable the government is relieved that Albanese’s coming trip (for which he leaves Friday) won’t feature a visit to Washington with a meeting in the Oval Office. Having seen what happened publicly to some other leaders in such encounters, Albanese has at least avoided any such risk. Instead, Albanese and President Donald Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G7 in Canada.

    Think about this. Normally, an Australian prime minister heading to North America would be deeply disappointed at not receiving an invitation to Washington, especially when he had not yet met the president face to face (although Albanese and Trump have had phone calls).

    The non-Washington encounter, expected on the sidelines of the G7, is less hazardous but still highly unpredictable for Albanese.

    It could go swimmingly. But that will depend on Trump’s mood on the day and what briefings he has had. And who can make sound predictions about any of that? Australian officials find the White House difficult to deal with or read.

    Now, on the cusp of Albanese’s trip, a US review of AUKUS has become public.

    The story appeared in the Financial Times, which quoted a Pentagon spokesperson saying the departmental review was to ensure “this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the president’s ‘America First’ agenda”. The spokesperson noted US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had “made clear his intent to ensure the [defence] department is focused on the Indo-Pacific region first and foremost”.

    The review is to be led by the undersecretary of defence for policy, Elbridge Colby, who months ago flagged the US wanted Australia to be spending some 3% of GDP on defence. This was upped to 3.5% in a recent meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and Hegseth.

    The Australian government is playing down the AUKUS review as being more or less routine. Marles said he has known about it for some time. He told Sky, “I am comfortable about it and I think it’s a pretty natural step for an incoming government to take and we’ll have an opportunity to engage with it”.

    Nevertheless, the fact of the review and the timing of the report about it will turn the screws on Albanese over defence spending.

    The prime minister makes two points on this – that Australia takes its own decisions, and that defence spending should be set on the basis of the capability needed rather than determined by a set percentage.

    But there is a general view among experts that Australia will need to boost substantially its spending. Albanese won’t want to capitulate on the issue, but he will need some diplomatic lines. He could point out Australia has its next Strategic Defence Review in 2026. This is more an update on delivery than a fundamental review but could give an opportunity for a rethink.

    On AUKUS, Albanese will want to reinforce its mutual benefits and importance. He canvassed AUKUS in his first call with Trump, after the presidential election.

    The president may or may not be briefed on the latest attacks on the pact by two former prime ministers, triggered by the review.

    Paul Keating, an unrelenting critic of the agreement, said in a statement the AUKUS review “might very well be the moment Washington saves Australia from itself”.

    Malcolm Turnbull said in a social media post that the United Kingdom and the United States are conducting reviews of AUKUS but “Australia, which has the most at stake, has no review”.

    The Trump–Albanese conversation could be complicated by the Australian government’s imposition this week of sanctions on two hardline Israeli ministers for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

    This action, in concert with the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, was immediately condemned by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for the sanctions to be withdrawn.

    All this before we even get to the issue of tariffs, and Australia offering a deal on critical minerals to try to get some concessions.

    There is a lot of scripting prepared before such meetings. Albanese will have his talking points down pat. But with Trump being an “off-script” man, it is not an occasion for which the PM can be confident ahead of time that he is fully prepared.

    But Albanese has one safeguard, in domestic political terms. If things went pear-shaped Australians – who have scant regard for Trump – could be expected to blame the president rather than the prime minister.

    Michelle Grattan 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. View from The Hill: Is the US playing cat and mouse ahead of expected Albanese-Trump talks? – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-is-the-us-playing-cat-and-mouse-ahead-of-expected-albanese-trump-talks-257336

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Get onboard for Clean Air Day

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    Funding for the free bus travel initiative was agreed as part of the Council’s 2025/26 budget, with an additional day to raise awareness about the danger of air pollution to communities. 

    Air pollution is linked to 43,000 deaths per year in the UK and is recognised by the World Health Organisation and the UK Government as the largest environmental threat to our health. 
      
    Continuing the success of the 2024 free bus travel offer, where 38,042 people took advantage of the offer, saving almost £108,000 in fares to those who travelled by bus, the initiative is designed to encourage people to get onboard their local bus services and travel sustainably. 

    On 19 June, people can take advantage of the free bus travel offer for journeys made fully in Perth and Kinross provided by local bus operators Stagecoach East Scotland, Docherty’s Midland Coaches, Elizabeth Yule, Sweeney’s Garage and Glenfarg Community Transport Group.   
     
    Passengers who have a free U22, 60+ or disabled concessionary bus pass should use their bus pass as normal to travel.  
      
    Councillor Grant Laing, Perth and Kinross Council Leader said: “Building on the success of last year’s free bus travel initiative, I’m thrilled that this year, we are not only offering free bus on the first Saturday of every month, but an additional day has also been added to raise awareness of air pollution.

    “On Clean Air Day, I would particularly encourage people who normally travel to work on a weekday to leave the car at home, save on parking and fuel and travel for free on your local bus. This could be the first step to loving your local bus.”
     
    Councillor Richard Watters, Convener of the Council’s Climate Change and Sustainability Committee added: “I’m pleased to see the council taking meaningful action to tackle air pollution – not just on Clean Air Day but throughout the year.

    “Initiatives like the free bus travel offer are encouraging people to get onboard their local bus service, helping to reduce carbon emissions. It’s encouraging to see that over 38,000 people took advantage of the offer last year, highlighting growing support for sustainable travel. We are also fortunate that most of Stagecoach local bus services in Perth City are operated by electric buses.

    “We’re also making real progress in reducing emissions from our own operations. As part of the fleet decarbonisation strategy, 18 refuse collection vehicles have already switched to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a cleaner alternative to diesel. Refuse collection vehicles based in Blairgowrie, Crieff, Kinross, and Pitlochry will also transition to HVO. 

    “Tayside Contracts has introduced “TayLow”, a warm mix asphalt to be used in roads construction across Perth and Kinross. It uses less energy and can cut emissions by 5% and 15%, supporting more sustainable construction.” 

    Councillor Liz Barrett, Vice-Convenor of the Council’s Climate Change and Sustainability Committee continued “The new Kingsway, creating a 12km network of walking and cycling paths, connecting the neighbouring communities with Perth city centre is another step forward in offering people healthier, greener alternatives to car travel. 

    “Complementing this, our Nature Restoration Fund supports community-led projects that restore habitats, tackle biodiversity loss and strengthen nature networks that help filter air, absorb carbon and improve overall air quality.

    “By working closely with our partners and communities, we’ll continue to take action to reduce the harmful health effects of air pollution, especially for those most at risk including children, older people, people with health conditions and people who stay in the most polluted areas.” 
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Australia committed to AUKUS despite US deal review – Defence Minister

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    CANBERRA, June 12 (Xinhua) — The Australian government said on Thursday it remains committed to the AUKUS security agreement despite the United States launching a review of it.

    The Pentagon confirmed Wednesday that it has begun a review of the AUKUS agreement to ensure the Biden-era deal is “consistent” with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

    In response to the statement, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday that it was “natural” for the Trump administration to review the pact.

    “We are committed to AUKUS and look forward to working closely with the United States on the review,” he said.

    Speaking later on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio, Mr Marles said he was “very confident” Australia would receive the submarines under the security pact signed in 2021.

    Earlier in June, Marles met with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Singapore, where the Pentagon chief asked Australia to increase defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP as soon as possible.

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected the request and said in a speech at the National Press Club in Canberra on Tuesday that defence spending would be determined by Australia alone.

    E. Albanese is expected to meet with D. Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming G7 summit in Canada. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Call for information – Indecent act on a Child – Palmerston

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The NT Police Force are calling for information in relation to an indecent act towards a child under the age of 16 that occurred in Palmerston this morning.

    About 8am, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received a report that an unknown man had approached a young girl in the vicinity of the Gray Community Hall and indecently exposed himself whilst engaging in an indecent act towards her from a distance. The man fled the scene before police arrival.

    The man is described as being of medium build with dark skin, wearing light coloured knee length shorts, a dark coloured t-shirt and carrying a black sports type bag.

    Detectives from the Child Abuse Taskforce have carriage of the incident and investigations are ongoing.

    Police urge anyone with information about the incident to contact 131 444 and quote reference number NTP2500059923. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or you can make a report online via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

    MIL OSI News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Concern for welfare – Numbulwar

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The NT Police Force hold concerns for the welfare of Amanda and Barrie, who were travelling from Katherine to Numbulwar.

    They were last contacted at approximately 8:30am on Wednesday 11 June and were travelling in a white 2023 Toyota Hilux with a silver tray back, NT registration CF45KJ. Amanda and Barrie have not made contact or arrived in Numbulwar since their departure.

    Police urge anyone who may have information on their whereabouts to contact police on 131 444. Please quote reference number NTP2500060025.

    **This release has been updated to include the reference number and to correct the spelling of Barrie’s name.**

    MIL OSI News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Australia’s Bond Market in a Volatile World

    Source: Airservices Australia

    Introduction

    It is a pleasure to be at the Australian Government Fixed Income Forum here in Tokyo. Today I will talk about three issues that are important for the wider Australian bond market:

    1. How has the market matured over a long period of time?
    2. What might the future hold, given a volatile international backdrop?
    3. What are the implications of the RBA’s new framework for implementing monetary policy?

    To give the punchline up front: in a volatile world, the Australian bond market is supported by a number of enduring strengths that are centred around Australia’s institutional stability and policy frameworks.

    The maturing of the Australian bond market

    If we rewind 25 years, the debate over Australia’s bond market was whether it had much of a future. In the early 2000s, the core of the market – Australian government securities (AGS) – was dwindling in size. That focused minds on the negative feedback effects this would have for the functioning and resilience of Australia’s financial system, ability to attract foreign investors, and the cost of capital.

    We have since seen significant growth in Australia’s overall bond market. The first phase of growth was the expanded issuance by Australian banks raising wholesale funding (Graph 1). The second phase has involved the expanded issuance by governments, both federal and state (‘semi’ government securities). The stock of bonds issued by Australian entities is now about 80 per cent the size of total bank credit in Australia.

    The growth of the market has been supported by a diverse range of investors: banks accumulating liquid assets in response to regulation; super funds managing Australia’s maturing compulsory savings system; and foreign investors attracted by Australia’s institutions, credit profile and history of relatively high yields.

    For most of its history, Australia has benefited from being a net importer of capital, and the bond market has been a key vehicle for that. The growth of the bond market has continued despite an extraordinary decline in Australia’s net foreign liabilities in recent years (Graph 2). That is because Australians have accumulated foreign assets, especially equity, while foreign investors have continued to seek to hold Australian debt.

    As the bond market has grown, we have seen a positive feedback loop. A bigger market has seen more diversity, liquidity and maturity of the underlying infrastructure. Several recent and emerging trends speak to this:

    • We have seen greater depth of the Australian dollar (i.e. onshore) market. Since the 1980s, Australian banks and other corporations have mainly issued bonds offshore in foreign currency to access deeper markets. So we tend to think of the Australian bond market in these broader terms. But in the past few years issuance has shifted onshore – banks now source around half of their bond funding onshore and corporates are issuing much more of their longer term debt onshore (Graph 3). At the same time, foreign investors have been more active in the onshore market.
    • Liquidity has been supported by an expanded repo market, where bonds can be used as collateral to raise cash. The repo market for AGS and semis has doubled in size relative to the physical bond market over the past decade (Graph 4). We also see a broader range of participants and more diverse collateral. The growth of repo partly reflects the larger physical bond market, and is despite money markets having been flush with reserves in recent years.
    • The market is moving toward enhanced infrastructure and transparency. There is a growing industry consensus that centralised clearing could enhance the efficiency, stability and transparency of the Australian bond and repo markets. And a welcome development in the repo market is that the ASX is developing an overnight repo pricing benchmark (SOFIA).

    Some earlier expectations for the bond market have not come to fruition. Most notably, the corporate bond sector remains small by international standards, with lower rated issuers still tending to seek capital abroad. That said, this partly reflects the ongoing strength of the Australian banks, the emergence of a private credit market, and a long-term decline in corporate leverage since the global financial crisis.

    Overall, the Australian bond market has come a long way. Rather than the negative feedback effects that people worried about at the turn of the century, we have seen a positive feedback loop as the market has grown. The market has become more attractive over time to both issuers and investors.

    Challenges and opportunities in a volatile and uncertain world

    What then might the future hold?

    The international backdrop presents two key challenges: competition for global capital; and the potential for periodic market disruptions to spill over. I’ll now outline what each in turn might mean for the Australian bond market. From here, I am largely focusing on government bond markets.

    Competition for global capital

    Recent years have seen increased supply of government bonds globally. That reflects both new issuance and a wind down of central banks’ holdings (Graph 5). Some observers have gone so far as to refer to this as an emerging global ‘bond glut’.

    In turn, there has been a sustained rise in the yield that government bonds pay over expected future short rates – the term premium (Graph 6). And yields on bonds have also risen relative to those in derivatives markets – the interest rate swap spread.

    This shift should be kept in context – the term premium has returned closer to historical norms. Even so, it suggests a fundamental shift from the previous decade or so, when we saw strong demand for government bonds from price-insensitive buyers and historically low term premiums.

    What does this mean for Australia?

    The supply of government bonds in Australia is also projected to grow at a fast pace relative to history. That largely reflects funding tasks for both the Australian federal and state borrowing authorities. It also reflects the gradual unwinding of the RBA’s holdings of AGS and semis. The ‘free float’ of AGS available to private investors is projected to increase by around 4 percentage points of GDP a year in coming years – the highest since the pandemic.

    At the same time, foreign investors continue to own a large share of Australian bonds (Graph 7). That is despite a rapidly growing pool of domestic savings, as I mentioned earlier. Foreign ownership comprises around two-thirds of the free float of AGS available to private investors, though a much lower share of semis.

    In this context, Australia’s institutions and credit profile have long provided an important comparative advantage. Our discussions in liaison confirm that foreign investors are attracted to Australia’s strong and stable institutional arrangements. Australia’s general government net debt is amongst the lowest in the developed world, at around 30 per cent of GDP (Graph 8). As a result, while Australia comprises only around 1 per cent of the outstanding sovereign bonds in advanced economies, it makes up more than 10 per cent of the AAA-rated sovereign bond universe. Looking beyond government bonds, Asian investors have developed a larger presence in bank and corporate bonds in recent years for these same reasons. And in the process, issuers have developed stronger relationships with new offshore investors.

    Much as international trade may be diverted in a new economic order – so too might international capital. There are a range of plausible scenarios for how this may play out. Investors may be concerned about Australia’s exposures as a small economy with a large trade relationship with China and a major stake in an open international trading and financial architecture. But working in the other direction are the enduring institutional factors I have mentioned, which will continue to be attractive to investors. In some scenarios where these institutional factors take precedence, Australia could even be a net recipient of broader portfolio allocations.

    Ultimately, prices will clear markets. And Australia’s floating exchange rate has historically also provided important flexibility, helping to absorb any shifts in relative demand for Australian assets.

    Market disruptions and spillovers

    A second issue is the potential for market disruptions to spill over to the Australian market. This is not new of course. But in an environment of elevated uncertainty, increasing supply and (as I’ll get to) leverage in global bond markets, we need to be prepared for periodic disruptions.

    Events in early April were somewhat dramatic, though brief, and illustrated how changes in the global economic system will play out quickest in capital markets. The US administration’s announcement of larger and broader tariffs than expected, and the response of other governments, saw markets rapidly reassess the outlook. Some large positions in international government bond markets, often associated with leverage, were unwound relatively quickly leading to a sharp rise in yields and thinner liquidity.

    There was a similar unwinding of positions in the Australian Government bond market and some participants reduced their trading amid the volatility. As a result, we saw some large moves in AGS yields and a decline in market liquidity (Graph 9). Bid-ask spreads widened to several times their normal level. Yields for other bonds rose relative to AGS, including because they have less liquidity than the AGS market.

    On this occasion, Australian markets were ultimately able to adjust – we saw a repricing, but not a broad-based shift to cash. Sellers were able to find willing buyers, and Australian governments continued issuing, though at a slower pace. Derivatives markets were resilient, including bond futures, which play a particularly important role in price discovery and risk management in the Australian market. This was in contrast with the early days of the pandemic, when markets became dysfunctional and threatened broader financial stability.

    A key reason that markets stabilised quickly was the pause on the implementation of tariffs. That suggests little room for complacency.

    So what other lessons can we take?

    One is to remain attentive to market leverage. We did not see large-scale deleveraging in AGS or other Australian bonds. But leveraged investors such as hedge funds have had an increased role in many markets in recent years. They bring significant benefits as a source of liquidity in normal times, but also introduce risks as deleveraging can amplify shocks.

    In Australia, we hear that hedge funds are a growing source of demand in some sectors such as semis. But unlike in other countries, where pension funds and insurers can employ significant leverage when holding bonds, Australia’s large superannuation sector is restricted from – and has less incentive to – directly take on leverage.

    And, ultimately, this was a reminder of the importance of resilience in core money markets. Australian repo markets continued to function, which avoided broader deleveraging and supported the ability to trade and issue in bonds. In turn, liquidity in money markets was supported by the RBA’s monetary policy implementation framework.

    Implications of the RBA’s new framework for implementing monetary policy

    Which brings me to my final topic – the RBA’s new framework for implementing monetary policy and its role in markets.

    Recent years have seen a significant decline in the RBA’s balance sheet as our pandemic-era policies have matured. In light of that, we recently announced how we will implement monetary policy in the future to control the cash rate – which is the RBA’s operational target for monetary policy.

    For markets, this framework emphasises the important role of two aspects of liquidity:

    1. Central bank liquidity – by which I mean the availability of reserves as the ultimate liquid asset. At its heart, the framework provides an ‘ample’ level of reserves, as participants can fully satisfy their demand at our ‘full allotment’ repo operations. That is a change from pre-pandemic times when we supplied a scarce quantity of reserves.
    2. Market liquidity – by which I mean the ability to obtain funding in active private money markets. While the framework provides more reserves than in the past, it still aims to also provide private money markets with the space to operate effectively. That is done by applying a modest cost on reserves and operating in the market only weekly.

    The recent episode highlighted the importance of these two aspects of liquidity. Money markets redistributed liquidity where it was needed. And we saw a relatively modest increase in demand for reserves at our weekly operations, which helped keep the necessary overall liquidity in the system (Graph 10). Together, that helped to ensure the initial shock was not amplified through broader markets.

    The framework’s set-up is forward looking. We expect our repo operations to expand from a low share of the market, to meet demand for reserves as our bond holdings gradually unwind (Graph 11). But we do not want that to significantly displace the normal operation of private money markets.

    To help support the smooth operation of markets, we have also emphasised that use of our ‘overnight standing facility’ will be seen as routine liquidity management by both the RBA and APRA.

    In all, we have put through changes seen as appropriate for the future – including the price and tenor of operations and the rate we pay on reserves. While we will learn and recalibrate as needed, markets also benefit from predictability and so the intent is not to adjust these settings frequently.

    Conclusion

    Let me conclude.

    We are facing a volatile world. The global economic system is in flux and what will emerge is difficult to predict. Australia’s open economy has long benefited from open capital flows, and the Australian bond market provides a critical linkage with the rest of the world.

    In that context, the Australian bond market has a number of key and enduring strengths. Its growth over time has been accompanied by greater depth, diversity and infrastructure. More broadly, Australia’s stable institutional foundations and favourable credit profile should help it to remain an attractive destination for international capital, alongside strong growth in domestic savings.

    In an uncertain environment we should be prepared for periods of volatility and market disruption, as events in early April highlighted. Australian markets exhibited resilience and that episode did not become systemic. Importantly, it did not result in a broader shift to cash. On that front, the RBA’s new operational framework is designed to both foster liquid money markets and provide ample central bank reserves. That combination can help Australian markets to remain flexible and resilient in a volatile world.

    Thank you for your time and I look forward to your questions.

    MIL OSI News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Rio Tinto Selects iManage to Support Legal Transformation Across Global Operations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iManage, the company dedicated to Making Knowledge Work™, today announced that global mining company Rio Tinto has deployed iManage as part of a broader strategy to modernize and streamline its legal operations. More than 200 users across Australia, Singapore, the UK, and North America are now benefiting from the platform.

    Seeking to improve searchability, performance, and usability, Rio Tinto replaced its legacy SharePoint-based system with iManage Work 10, Threat Manager, and Share. The implementation has delivered significant gains in user adoption and operational efficiency, while enabling the company to better govern legal knowledge and control its data environment. The move supports Rio Tinto’s focus on a connected digital ecosystem, in which integrated systems and automation simplify processes and unlock new value. This includes seamless API integration between iManage and Rio Tinto’s in-house digital legal hub, with iManage serving as the core content layer.

    “With iManage, we’ve gone from frustrated users to enthusiastic adopters,” said Christopher de Waas, Digital Transformation Lead at Rio Tinto. “People are finally able to search, file, and manage their documents without friction, and that shift has opened the door to real transformation. We’re no longer just solving problems, we’re building momentum.”

    Rio Tinto migrated over 4.5 million documents to iManage and achieved 80% user engagement within the first four months of go-live, with half of the department classified as active users. By enabling users to manage content efficiently, including while offline, iManage has helped reduce rework, increase compliance, and preserve institutional legal knowledge across the organization.

    “We’re proud to support Rio Tinto as they modernize how their legal team works,” said Suzanne Walmsley, Senior Director of European Sales at iManage. “Their focus on usability, governance, and transformation aligns perfectly with our mission. It’s rewarding to see how quickly iManage has driven engagement and unlocked new possibilities across their team.”

    Looking ahead, Rio Tinto is exploring the use of iManage’s AI capabilities, particularly Ask iManage, to unlock the full potential of its legal knowledge base. With a mature, well-governed system in place and strong user participation, the team sees AI as the next step in surfacing insights, accelerating workflows, and driving smarter decision-making across legal and beyond.

    About iManage
    iManage is dedicated to Making Knowledge Work™. Our cloud-native platform is at the center of the knowledge economy, enabling every organization to work more productively, collaboratively, and securely. Built on more than 20 years of industry experience, iManage helps leading organizations manage documents and emails more efficiently, protect vital information assets, and leverage knowledge to drive better business outcomes. As your strategic business partner, we employ our award-winning AI-enabled technology, an extensive partner ecosystem, and a customer-centric approach to provide support and guidance you can trust to make knowledge work for you. iManage is relied on by more than one million professionals at 4,000 organizations around the world. Visit www.imanage.com to learn more.

    Follow iManage via:
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/imanage
    X: https://x.com/imanageinc
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iManage 

    Press contact:
    Alicia Saragosa, iManage
    press@imanage.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Global outrage over Gaza has reinforced a ‘siege mentality’ in Israel – what are the implications for peace?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney

    After more than 20 months of devastating violence in Gaza, the right-wing Israeli government’s pursuit of two irreconcilable objectives — “destroying” Hamas and releasing Israeli hostages — has left the coastal strip in ruins.

    At least 54,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, close to two million have been forcibly displaced, and many are starving. These atrocities have provoked intense moral outrage around the world and turned Israel into a pariah state.

    Meanwhile, Hamas is resolved to retain control over Gaza, even at the cost of sacrificing numerous innocent Palestinian lives for its own survival.

    Both sides have been widely accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and mainly in Israel’s case, genocide.

    While the obstacles to ending the fighting remain stubbornly difficult to overcome, a troubling pattern has become increasingly apparent.

    The very outrage that succeeded in mobilising, sustaining and swelling international opinion against Israel’s actions — a natural psychological response to systematic injustice — has also reinforced a “siege mentality” already present among many in its Jewish population.

    This siege mentality may have undermined more proactive Israeli Jewish public support for a ceasefire and “day-after” concessions.

    A toxic cocktail of emotions

    Several dominant groups have shaped the conflict’s dynamics, each driven by a distinct set of emotional responses.

    For many Israeli Jews, the massacres of October 7 have aggravated longstanding feelings of victimhood and mistrust, fears of terrorist attacks, perceptions of existential threats, intergenerational traumas stemming from the Holocaust, and importantly, the strong sense of siege mentality.

    Together, these emotions have produced a toxic blend of anger, hatred and intense desire for revenge.

    For the Palestinians, Israel’s devastation of Gaza has followed decades of oppressive occupation, endless rights violations, humiliation and dispossession. This has exacerbated feelings of hopelessness, fear and abandonment by the world.

    The wider, global pro-Palestinian camp has been driven by moral outrage over the atrocities being committed in Gaza, alongside empathy for the victims and a sense of guilt over Western governments’ complicity in the killings through the provision of arms to Israel.

    Similarly, for Israel’s supporters around the world, anger and resentment have led to feelings of persecution, and in turn, victimisation and a sense of siege.

    Many on both sides have become prisoners of this moral outrage. And this has suppressed compassion for the suffering of the “other” — those we perceive as perpetrators of injustice against the side we support.

    Complaints of bias and content omissions

    Choosing sides in a conflict translates almost inevitably into biases in how we select, process and assess new information.

    We search for content that confirms what we already believe. And we discount information that would go against our pre-existing perceptions.

    This tendency also increases our sensitivity to omissions of facts we deem important for our cause.

    Since early in the crisis, voices in the two camps have accused the mainstream media in the West of biased coverage in favour of the “other”. These feelings have added fuel to the moral outrage and sense of injustice among both sides.

    Outrage in the pro-Israel camp has focused mainly on a perceived global conspiracy to absolve Hamas of any responsibility.

    In that view, Israel has been singled out as the only culpable party for the killings in Gaza. This is despite the fact Hamas unleashed the violence on October 7, used the Gazan population as human shields while hiding in tunnels, and refused to release all the Israeli hostages to end the fighting.

    On the other side, pro-Palestinian outrage has focused on “blatant” omissions by the media and Western governments of important historical facts that could provide context for the October 7 attacks.

    These included:

    • the 1948 Nakba

    • Israel’s decades-long occupation of the West Bank and Gaza (turning the strip into an “open-air prison”), and

    • the silence of much of the world in the face of Israel’s endless violations of international laws and human rights treaties.

    On both sides, then, significant focus has been placed on omissions of facts that could support one’s own narrative or cause.

    A siege mentality in Israel

    Many Israelis continue to relive October 7 while remaining decidedly blind to the daily horrors their military inflicts on Gaza in their name. For them, the global outrage has reinforced a long-existing and potent siege mentality.

    This mindset has been fed by a reluctance to directly challenge Israeli soldiers risking their lives and other rally-around-the-flag effects. It’s also been bolstered by the desire for revenge and an intense campaign of dehumanising all Palestinians — Hamas or not.

    The so-called “ring of fire” created around Israel by Iran and its proxies —Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Houthis — has further amplified this siege mentality. Their stated objective is the destruction of Israel.

    I’ve conducted an exploratory study of Israeli media, government statements and English Jewish diaspora publications from October 2023 to May 2025, reviewing some 5,000 articles and video clips.

    In this research, I’ve identified strong, consistent uses of siege mentality language, phrases such as:

    • “never again is now”
    • “forced to stand alone”
    • “surrounded by enemies”
    • “existential threat”
    • “we will forever live by the sword”, and
    • “no choice but to fight”.

    In a detailed analysis of 65 English articles from major Israeli outlets, such as The Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel, and Jewish publications in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, I found siege mentality language in nearly nine out of ten searches.

    Importantly, nearly half of these occurrences were in response to pro-Palestinian rhetoric or advocacy: campus protests and actions targeting Israelis or Jews, university groups refusing to condemn October 7, or foreign governments’ recognition of Palestinian statehood.

    The sharp increase in attacks on Jews and Jewish installations since October 7 has also sparked global debates over rising antisemitism. Distinguishing honest critiques of Israel’s actions in Gaza from antisemitic rhetoric has become contentious, as has the use of antisemitism claims by Israeli leaders to dismiss much of this criticism.

    Moving forward

    When viewed through the prism of injustice, the strong asymmetry between Israeli and Palestinian suffering has long been apparent. But it’s grown even wider following Israel’s brutal responses to October 7.

    The culpability of Israel’s government and Hamas for the atrocities in Gaza is incontestable. However, many in the Israeli-Jewish public must also share some of the blame for refusing to stand up to – or by actively supporting – their extremist government’s policies.

    The pro-Palestine movement’s justice-driven campaigns have done much to combat international bystanding and motivate governments to act. At the same time, the unwillingness to unite behind a clearer unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ massacres may have been a strategic mistake.

    By ignoring or minimising the targeting of civilians, the hostage-taking and the reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas, a vocal minority of advocates has weakened the movement’s otherwise strong moral authority with some of the audiences it needed to influence most. First and foremost, this is people in Israel itself.

    My research suggests that while injustice-based outrage can be effective at generating attention and engagement, it can also produce negative side effects. One adverse impact has been the polarisation of the public debate over Gaza, which, in turn, has contributed to the intensification of Israelis’ siege mentality.

    Noam Chomsky, a well-known Jewish academic and fierce critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, once noted in relation to Palestinian advocacy:

    You have to ask yourself, when you conduct some tactic, what the effect is going to be on the victims. You don’t pursue a tactic because it makes you feel good.

    The question, then, is how to harness the strong mobilising power of moral outrage for positive ends – preventing bystander apathy to atrocities – without the potential negative consequences. These include polarisation, expanded violence, feeding a siege mentality (when applicable), and making peace negotiations more difficult.

    The children in Gaza and elsewhere in the world deserve advocacy that will prioritise their welfare over the release of moral outrage — however justified.

    So, what approaches would most effectively help end the suffering?

    Most immediately, the solution rests primarily with Israel and, by extension, the Trump administration as the only international actor powerful enough to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to halt the killings.

    Beyond that, and looking toward the future, justice-based activism should be grounded in universal moral principles, acknowledge all innocent victims, and work to create space for both societies to recognise each other’s humanity.

    I served as a counterterrorism specialist with the Israeli Defence Forces in the 1980s.

    – ref. Global outrage over Gaza has reinforced a ‘siege mentality’ in Israel – what are the implications for peace? – https://theconversation.com/global-outrage-over-gaza-has-reinforced-a-siege-mentality-in-israel-what-are-the-implications-for-peace-258561

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Caitlin Johnstone: Staring down the barrel of war with Iran once again

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone

    Well it looks like the US is on the precipice of war with Iran again.

    US officials are telling the press that they anticipate a potential impending Israeli attack on Iran while the family members of US military personnel are being assisted with evacuation from bases in the region.

    This comes as Tehran issues a warning that it will strike all US military bases within range of its missiles if it comes under attack. There are reportedly some 50,000 US troops in 10 bases which could come under fire should this occur.

    The US is also evacuating its embassy in Iraq, and has authorised the departure of non-essential personnel from its embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain.

    Asked by the press about the evacuations, President Trump said, “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens. We’ve given notice to move out.”

    Trump is openly declaring a willingness to strike Iran if nuclear negotiations fall through, while saying he is now “much less confident” that any deal will be made.


    Staring down the barrel of war with Iran.    Video: Caitlin Johnstone

    “If they don’t make a deal, they’re not gonna have a nuclear weapon; if they do make a deal they’re not gonna have a nuclear weapon too,” the president said in an interview published on Wednesday, adding that “it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying.”

    If the US backs an Israeli attack on Iran and then Iran retaliates by killing a bunch of US military personnel, we could be looking at a full-scale direct war between the US and Iran.

    As I’ve said in this space many times before, this would be the absolute worst-case nightmare scenario for the Middle East, unleashing horrors that dwarf all the other terrible abuses currently happening in the region.

    As Trump’s now-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in 2019 (back when she publicly opposed Trump’s warmongering), “What is important that the American people know is a war with Iran would make the war in Iraq look like a cakewalk.”

    It’s so stupid that this keeps happening. This could all be avoided by the US simply ceasing to support the genocidal apartheid state of Israel no matter what it does.

    The fact that Washington has continued to pour weapons into Israel despite all its warmongering and genocide since 2023 means the US supports everything that Israel has been doing.

    If a war with Iran does occur, you will doubtless hear Western pundits and politicians trying to spin this as America getting “drawn into” another war in the Middle East, or Trump being tricked or manipulated into war.

    But make no mistake: the US could have turned away from this path at any time, and still can.

    If this Pandora’s box is opened, it will be because the US empire knowingly chose to open it.

    Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – Time to prepare for better floodwater management at Murray Mouth – Flinders

    Source: Flinders University

    Extended drought and warm weather are damaging South Australia’s marine ecosystems, and periodic flooding of the River Murray poses another major risk.

    A significant flood in the Murray-Darling Basin in 2022-23 gave Flinders University researchers a rare opportunity to analyse conditions that damaged biodiversity and water quality for both marine species and local ecosystems, some at popular tourist locations south of Adelaide.

    A new study led by the Beach and Dune Systems (BEADS) Lab at Flinders University provides a detailed framework for understanding how the river discharge increased turbidity (silt, clay and other suspended particles in the water) as the sediment plume expanded across thousands of kilometres from the river mouth westwards around the Fleurieu Peninsula into Gulf St Vincent.

    “During this period of high riverine discharge, we measured the spatial extent and intensity of the surface sediment plume, with our satellite imagery providing a reference point for future plume behaviour – particularly near shore for targeted monitoring,” says Flinders environmental science honours student Evan Corbett.

    “Interestingly we found the historically important sediment plume within the coastal region reached its maximum spatial extent of 13,681 km2 during the eight-day period beginning on 11 December 2022, more than a month before the peak discharge occurred.”

    The local monitoring and satellite imaging between November 2022 and February 2023 measured the volume of water discharge, turbidity levels affecting regular seawater quality, surface winds, barrage controls and other factors.

    The study found the major plume typically pooled near the river’s mouth within the northern corner of Long Bay, before migrating persistently westward around the Fleurieu Peninsula through Backstairs Passage into Gulf St Vincent, occasionally exhibiting brief eastward migration periods.

    Fine organic and inorganic particulate matter in water can make it cloudy or opaque, often having a detrimental impact on ecosystems when it occurs in large amounts.  

    Strategic Professor in Coastal Studies Patrick Hesp, who leads Environmental Sciences at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering, says the study – in collaboration with University of Adelaide lecturer Dr Sami Rifai – used technology which effectively built a useful dataset to direct future research.

    “This study highlights the significant role of riverine discharge in driving the surface sediment plume’s spatial extent and intensities, particularly within the plume’s inner core,” says Professor Hesp.

    “Revealing when and where plumes are likely to form and evolve, this study provides a foundation for targeted monitoring, timely management interventions, and informed planning to reduce the discussed ecological and socio-economic risks associated with extreme river discharge events in the future.

    “By improving how we measure and analyse these environmental events, we pave the way for better coastal management strategies, ensuring beaches and ecosystems remain more stable and resilient in the face of changing climate and weather conditions.”

    The article, ‘Temporal and spatial distribution of 2022–2023 River Murray major flood sediment plume’ (2025) by Evan Corbett, Sami W Rifai (University of Adelaide), Graziela Miot da Silva and Patrick A Hesp has been published in the journal Remote Sensing. DOI: 10.3390/rs17101711.

    https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17101711

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 2025–26 ACT Budget: what’s in it for Tuggeranong

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Our CBR is the ACT Government’s key channel to connect with Canberrans and keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the city. Our CBR includes a monthly print edition, email newsletter and website.

    You can easily opt in or out of the newsletter subscription at any time.

    MIL OSI News –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Not all insecure work has to be a ‘bad job’: research shows job design can make a big difference

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rose-Marie Stambe, Adjunct Research Fellow, social and economic marginalisation, The University of Queensland

    Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock

    Inflation has steadied and interest rates are finally coming down. But for many Australians, especially those in low-paid, insecure or precarious work, the cost-of-living crisis feels far from over.

    The federal government has recently focused on improving outcomes for this group in a number of ways. Labor has advocated strongly for real wage increases and taken measures to protect weekend penalty rates.

    Such wage-based policies go some way towards addressing workers’ financial struggles. But they aren’t the only way to improve workers’ lives.

    We know that in contemporary society, having a job is important for subjective wellbeing. We also know not all jobs are equal in terms of quality. Permanent, full-time employment is considered the gold standard, with insecure or precarious work the most detrimental.

    Yet not all insecure work is the same. Our recent study provides additional evidence that how a job is designed may be just as important as what kind of job it is. It also hints at the ingredients for designing better jobs.

    Good jobs, bad jobs

    Many books – from Arne Kalleberg’s Good jobs, Bad jobs to Guy Standing’s The Precariat – have explored the negative impacts job insecurity can have on individuals, their families and communities.

    “Bad jobs” are more likely to affect waged workers with low levels of education or those with a history of unemployment.

    But many different types of insecure work are bundled into what researchers call “contingent employment” – which can include labour hire, casual work and self-employment. And not all have to be “bad jobs”.

    Labour hire is one common form of ‘contingent employment’ arrangements.
    VisualArtStudio/Shutterstock

    Our research

    Using 16 years of nationally representative data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, we examined the relationship between different forms of contingent employment and job satisfaction.

    We found the link between employment type and job satisfaction (our proxy for worker wellbeing) isn’t straightforward. Some forms of contingent work are clearly worse for workers. Others, under the right conditions, can support job satisfaction and wellbeing.

    This is where it becomes important to understand the concept of “job resources” – such as high skill use, autonomy or job security – which help to reduce the cost of meeting job demands.

    Without adequate resources to support job demands, workers’ wellbeing can suffer, including through increased risk of burnout.

    It all depends on job design

    We found that job satisfaction varies significantly across different kinds of contingent roles.

    For example, self-employment is, on average, associated with higher job satisfaction. Our study suggests a number of reasons for this, including that this group enjoys greater autonomy, more flexibility and more opportunities to use a range of skills.

    In our study, self-employment was associated with high job satisfaction.
    Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

    These “job resources” appear to compensate for the lack of traditional employment benefits, such as job security.

    At the other end of the spectrum, labour hire workers (who are hired by a labour hire agency and then supplied to a host organisation to perform work under its direction), experience lower job satisfaction than permanent workers.

    While these jobs tend to be less demanding in terms of workload, they offer very few job resources. Labour hire positions are often marked by low levels of autonomy, minimal skill use and little opportunity for development.

    These conditions are closely linked with lower motivation, disengagement and long-term dissatisfaction.

    Casual differences

    Casual employment sits somewhere in the middle, and our findings reveal important gender differences.

    For men, we found casual work is associated with lower job satisfaction. For women, however, the picture is more complicated.

    Our analysis suggests women in casual jobs may experience certain unmeasured benefits, such as work-life balance, that offset some of the downsides.

    We couldn’t directly measure these benefits in our dataset. But our results align with other studies, showing how the flexibility of casual work can be useful for some women with caregiving responsibilities.

    There were gender differences in the satisfaction levels associated with casual work.
    Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock

    Job design is the missing link

    What connects these findings is the role of job characteristics. Across the board, we found that features like skill use, autonomy, task variety and flexibility play a major role in shaping workers’ satisfaction.

    When insecure jobs include these positive characteristics, they can be satisfying. When they don’t, the downsides build on each other.

    In an ideal world, there should be a perfect trade-off between positive and negative job characteristics. For example, jobs with undesirable characteristics, such as job insecurity, would offer higher wages to attract workers or other desirable characteristics.

    In our study, that only held true for some groups, such as self-employed workers and women in casual roles. For many others, casual or labour hire jobs offer neither security nor satisfaction.

    Designing better jobs

    These findings have implications for how we think about work and wellbeing.

    For employers and policy makers the message is clear: improving job quality isn’t just about offering permanent contracts. While security matters, it’s also about how the job itself is designed.

    Even in non-permanent roles, providing workers with more autonomy, opportunities to use their skills, and flexible scheduling can significantly improve job satisfaction and retention. It’s also important for supporting gender equality in the workplace.

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

    – ref. Not all insecure work has to be a ‘bad job’: research shows job design can make a big difference – https://theconversation.com/not-all-insecure-work-has-to-be-a-bad-job-research-shows-job-design-can-make-a-big-difference-257642

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 12, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cheating by car makers, tampering by owners: crucial car pollution control is being sabotaged

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor of Transport, University of Technology Sydney

    Peter Cade/Getty

    Emission control systems in modern cars have slashed air pollutants such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.

    But these systems face two major challenges: carmakers cheating on pollution tests and owner tampering. Cheating means high-polluting cars can be sold when they shouldn’t be, while tampering can increase some pollutants up to 100 times.

    In our new research review, we found the impacts of cheating and tampering on emissions of pollutants are substantial across the globe. For instance, researchers in Spain found almost half the diesel trucks had been tampered with, while the Volkswagen Dieselgate cheating scandal uncovered in 2015 led to an estimated A$60 billion in health costs in the European Union. In California, researchers found one in 12 trucks had a damaged or malfunctioning diesel particulate filter – and these high-emitting trucks contributed 70% of the entire fleet’s emissions of tiny particulate matter.

    The solutions? Better detection of tampering, cheating and malfunctioning emission systems – and vigilance to get high polluting cars off the road.

    Catalytic converters and other emissions control systems have slashed air pollutant emissions from modern cars.
    Virrage Images/Shutterstock

    How did we get here?

    From the 1950s onwards, smog, air pollution and health issues from car exhausts led many regulators to require carmakers to reduce dangerous air pollutants.

    These days, modern combustion-engine cars are complex computer-controlled systems optimised to balance engine performance, durability and emission control. When working properly, new vehicles can reduce air pollutant emissions by 90% or more. However, they can increase carbon dioxide emissions by using slightly more fuel.

    But these pollutants can soar if emissions control systems malfunction – or suffer from intentional cheating or tampering.

    Cheating and tampering are not new. Cheating was first reported in the 1970s and it’s still happening. Tampering, too, dates back to the 1970s.

    Both issues worsen air quality. These excess air pollutants have substantial costs to human health, as they can trigger respiratory conditions and can cause disability and premature death.

    While the numbers of electric vehicles are rising, they’re only about 5% of the global fleet – about 60 million compared to about 1.5 billion cars powered by petrol, diesel and gas.

    Because cars have relatively long lifespans, many fossil-fuel powered cars will still be in use in 2050, now just 25 years away. Many will be exported from rich countries to developing economies. That means effective pollutant control still matters.

    Cheating by manufacturers

    It’s well established combustion engine cars produce substantially more emissions and pollutants during real-world driving than they do in regulatory tests.

    There are many reasons for this, including natural wear and tear. But one big reason may be cheating.

    Authorities in many nations rely on testing to see if a new model is emitting at rates low enough to meet emission standards.

    Manufacturers can take advantage of the known quirks of official tests and intentionally alter how their vehicles operate during testing. To do this, they may install a “defeat device”, usually deep in the car’s engine or its computer code.

    These devices shift the car to a special low-emissions mode if testing is detected. They’re typically easy for the automaker to install and difficult to detect.

    Car makers can cheat on emission tests by installing defeat devices or other countermeasures.
    Belish/Shutterstock

    Defeat devices are mainly found in diesel cars and trucks, since diesel emissions control systems are more complicated and expensive than petrol or LPG. Adding an emission control system to meet Euro 6 standards costs about $600 for a petrol car. For diesel, the cost can be three to five times higher.

    In 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the state of California announced Volkswagen had been using a software-based defeat device to make its diesel cars appear substantially cleaner. The scandal drew worldwide attention and cost the company about $50 billion.

    For those caught, large fines and mandatory recalls have followed. But this hasn’t been enough to stop the practice.

    The way these tests are conducted usually has to be disclosed by law to ensure transparency and make results comparable and repeatable. Unfortunately, having detailed knowledge of the tests makes it easier to cheat.

    Tampering by car owners

    Tampering is largely done by owners of diesel cars and trucks. Owners can tamper with emission control systems to improve performance, rebel against laws they don’t agree with or avoid extra costs such as Adblue, a liquid needed to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions from diesel trucks.

    Tampering is usually illegal. But that hasn’t stopped the production of aftermarket tampering devices, such as software which deactivates emission control systems. It’s not necessarily illegal to sell these devices, but it is illegal to install and use them.

    In the road freight sector, the use of aftermarket tampering by vehicle owners also acts as an unfair economic advantage by undercutting responsible and law-abiding operators.

    What should be done?

    Combustion engine cars and trucks will be on the world’s roads for decades to come.

    Ensuring they run as cleanly as possible over their lifetime will require independent and in-service emissions testing. Authorities will also need to focus on enforcement.

    Creating an internationally agreed test protocol for the detection of defeat devices will also be necessary.

    Combating tampering by owners as well as malfunctioning emissions systems will require better detection efforts, either through on-road emissions testing or during a car service.

    One approach would be to add telemetry to the onboard diagnostics systems now common in modern cars. Telemetry radio transponders can report emissions problems to the owner and relevant authorities, who can then act.

    Shifting to EVs offers the most robust and cost-effective way to combat fraud and cut exhaust pollutants and carbon emissions from road transport. But this will take decades. Authorities need to ensure diesel and petrol vehicles run as cleanly as possible until they can be retired.

    Robin Smit is the founding Research Director at the Transport Energy/Emission Research (TER) consultancy.

    Alberto Ayala 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. Cheating by car makers, tampering by owners: crucial car pollution control is being sabotaged – https://theconversation.com/cheating-by-car-makers-tampering-by-owners-crucial-car-pollution-control-is-being-sabotaged-255882

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    June 12, 2025
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