NewzIntel.com

Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Australia: CIT Woden to be high-tech ‘Smart Campus’

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    CIT Woden will open in 2025.

    The ACT Government is committing to an additional $8 million for additional fit-out components and equipment at the new CIT Campus in Woden.

    The campus will be Canberra’s largest new education facility enabled by smart technology. The equipment and digital learning tools will allow students to learn online and in person.

    The campus will have:

    • augmented hearing systems
    • camera tracking capability
    • video conferencing equipment
    • LED wall displays
    • smart screens
    • microphones
    • amplifiers
    • speakers.

    Other features will include:

    • modern commercial workstations
    • appliances
    • a demountable stage
    • creative art equipment.

    This equipment will give students an enhanced learning experience. Smart classrooms, simulated learning environments and hands-on training spaces will help them gain skills in areas such as IT, cybersecurity, hospitality and business.

    The new digitally enabled campus will give students the opportunity to collaborate with local industry in a real-world commercial environment. This will help them be job ready.

    The campus will open in 2025 and will welcome 6,500 students each year. It will include a new light rail ready public transport interchange. This will create more business, employment and education opportunities in the Woden Town Centre.

    The campus buildings are also some of Canberra’s more sustainable buildings. A cross-laminated timber frame is being installed in the main building, contributing to the project’s 6 Green Star Rating. The timber materials in the buildings will lead to a 59 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.

    A second crane has also now been assembled, as construction ramps up across the new campus site. The crane was named ‘Moon Lifter’ by Woden school children and joins first crane, ‘Sir Lifts a Lot’.

    Canberrans can expect to see the main building ‘top out’ in the second half of this year.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: PACER program to continue supporting mental health

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The team of experts provides timely and appropriate mental health support.

    The ACT Government will continue to fund the second Police, Ambulance and Clinician Early Response (PACER) team.

    The PACER team works together to respond to, assess, and help Canberrans experiencing a mental health crisis.

    The team includes a police officer, paramedic, and mental health clinician. They work together to assess and help people of all ages.

    The team of experts provides timely and appropriate mental health support.

    • The police officer helps to make sure that the person being assessed, the PACER team, and the community are safe.
    • The paramedic helps to check and treat any physical health concerns.
    • The mental health clinician assesses the person’s mental health concerns and provides support.

    The program minimises both avoidable hospital presentations and contact with the justice system for people with mental health conditions.

    The program is positively impacting individual lives as well as the ACT’s emergency systems. Since it began in 2019, PACER has attended 6,510 incidents.

    Over 70 per cent of people PACER respond to receive the support and care they need outside of the hospital.

    PACER is available for people in Canberra who have been referred through ACT Policing and the ACT Ambulance Service. The PACER team visits people at their homes or wherever they are in the community.

    The people supported by PACER, their families, carers and the teams have provided feedback on how the program can be improved.

    The ACT Government will look in future to strengthen the PACER model of care to better support the wellbeing and mental health needs of Canberrans in crisis, their family and carers.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Meet Rocky, the longest-staying dog at the shelter

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Rocky is an energetic dog with a zest for life.

    Rocky is a fun-loving, active three-year-old looking for a loving family.

    He’s also the record holder for the longest resident at Domestic Animal Services. The mixed-breed pooch has been waiting 303 days to find his forever family.

    “He’s very playful and loves to play fetch, he knows how to sit, shake, and drop,”

    Jackie Gardner, Assistant Director at Domestic Animal Services, said.

    Rocky is a firm favourite at the shelter for his friendly nature, big energy and zest for life – and it’s not just the humans he’s managed to charm.

    “He has a few girlfriends right now in the shelter too that he plays with,” Jackie said.

    While Rocky has had a few meet-and-greets, potential new homes have ultimately fallen through.

    “Dogs like Rocky get overlooked because people don’t see them as special, or they don’t have a unique look to them or anything like that. But he has the personality to die for, he’s so much fun,” Jackie said.

    Jackie says dogs in the middle age range are often overlooked. But this age, she says, comes with distinct advantages.

    “I think the best thing when you adopt a dog at that age is that you know what you’re getting, you can see the personality.

    “You know the size of the dog, which is always good, because around two years is when a dog stops growing. And at that age they know how to live in a household and understand how to listen when they’re asked to sit and so forth, that’s a big benefit.”

    Jackie says dogs of this age tend to be especially grateful for their adopted family.

    “They do tend to really love the families that they are adopted by. As with every dog, but they seem to just appreciate it so much.”

    Rocky is best suited to an active family keen to explore with Rocky and take him on their daily adventures. Although he’s a medium-sized dog, Rocky is very strong on lead.

    “He has met some really young children during his meet and greets, and he’s been absolutely lovely,” Jackie said.

    “He’s also good with other dogs, as long as they can match that high energy play level of his.”

    If you think that Rocky could be a good match for your family, you can express your interest via the Domestic Animal Services website. An adoption coordinator will call you and discuss the next steps.

    Alternatively, you can visit the Domestic Animal Services shelter in Symonston to meet Rocky, and other dogs available for adoption.

    Walk-in adoptions are available from 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: What to do in a thunderstorm

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Volunteers and ACT Emergency Service Agency staff attend to jobs as quickly as possible.

    Canberra has already seen its fair share of storms this summer. And with more stormy weather predicted, it’s important to know how and where to get help if you need it.

    Here’s how to prepare your house for a storm, and what you can do if one affects you or your property.

    Keep across the weather forecast

    Visit the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website for weather updates, and the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ACTESA) website ACT ESA website and social media for the latest advice.

    It’s important to note that a thunderstorm forecast is different to a severe thunderstorm warning.

    • A thunderstorm forecast indicates the possibility of storms throughout the forecasting period.
    • A severe thunderstorm warning is issued when a storm is imminent or impacting an area.

    What to do during a thunderstorm

    • Keep at least 8 metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences.
    • Keep clear of flooded creeks, rivers and stormwater drains.
    • Don’t walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water
    • Stay indoors away from windows and keep children and pets indoors.

    Get urgent help if needed

    • For help during storms and floods, ring the ACT State Emergency Service (ACTSES) on 132 500
    • Only call Triple Zero (000) if the incident is life-threatening.
    • If your situation changes and you no longer need help, please call back to cancel your request, so resources can be directed elsewhere.

    It can sometimes take a while to get through to the ACTSES when there are many calls for help.

    Similarly, it can take some time for crews to attend to smaller jobs like a leaking roof, or water that has subsided. Please be patient during this time.

    The ACTSES only makes temporary repairs to homes damaged in storms or floods.

    If you have permanent damage to your home, you will need to contact your insurance provider to resolve the problem.

    If you’ve lost power

    Report power outages to Evoenergy.

    If you have a live power line that has come down and is damaged on the ground, do not go near it. Call Evoenergy.

    The latest updates on power outages can be found on the Evoenergy website or on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

    Alternatively, you can call the Evoenergy hotline on 13 10 93.

    Access emergency accommodation

    If you need emergency accommodation, please contact OneLink on 1800 176 468 or via info@onelink.org.au.

    OneLink provides information and connections for support services in the ACT. This includes services for people at risk of homelessness due to their homes being uninhabitable.

    Find emergency food relief support

    If you, or someone you know is experiencing hardship and cannot feed yourself or your family, support is available.

    Volunteering ACT coordinates information about where to get food relief services including meals and local food pantries.

    Find more information on the Volunteering ACT website.

    For further information please contact the Community Info Hub on 02 6248 7988.

    Dispose of spoiled food

    If you have lost power and have food that has spoiled, simply dispose of it in your home compost or your general waste (landfill) bin.

    Remember that you can also remove any recyclable packaging and place it in your recycling bin.

    Dealing with fallen trees

    Do you know what to do if a tree presents a serious and immediate safety risk?

    • Call 000 if a tree is causing an immediate threat to life
    • For assistance with a fallen tree following a storm event, call the SES on 13 25 00
    • If a tree is touching or has fallen on power lines or telephone wires, call Evoenergy on 13 10 93
    • For trees on public land, you can submit a request online using Fix My Street or call Access Canberra.

    If a tree on your property needs urgent attention, you still need permission from the ACT Government to remove it.

    Contact an arborist immediately and call Access Canberra on 13 22 81 to ask for ‘urgent circumstances authorisation for tree removal’.

    To learn more visit https://bit.ly/4661opO.

    Be storm ready – preparing your home

    Ahead of time, remember to do all you can to prepare your home and family for any possible impacts of forecasted storms.

    Complete or update your 20-minute Survival Plan.

    Take some preventative actions around your home. These include:

    • cleaning your gutters
    • checking stormwater drains
    • trimming overhanging branches.

    To prepare for severe weather:

    • move your car under cover and away from trees
    • secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony
    • secure any temporary repairs that are in place as a result of a previous storm
    • stay vigilant and monitor conditions.

    Remember, if you need urgent help

    For assistance in a storm or flood, call the ACT State Emergency Service on 132 500.

    In a life-threatening emergency call Triple-Zero (000).

    You can find more information on storms on the ACT Emergency Services Agency website.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Get ready for the 2024 school year

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    This year there will be changes to term dates, policies and programs that may involve your family.

    Canberra families are about to start another exciting school year.

    This year there will be changes to term dates, policies and programs that may involve your family.

    Here is everything you need to know for the year ahead.

    Student-free days and start of term

    From 2024, there will be four student-free days for ACT public schools. These are the first day of each school term.

    Student-free days are for staff development, enabling teachers and schools to plan in a student-free environment.

    Monday 29 January will be a student-free day.

    On Tuesday 30 January, new students will start school. Continuing students will return to school on Wednesday 31 January.

    Other term dates for the 2024 school year:

    • Friday 12 April– Term 1 ends
    • Tuesday 30 April – Term 2 begins (students start school)
    • Friday 5 July – Term 2 ends
    • Tuesday 23 July – Term 3 begins (students start school)
    • Friday 27 September – Term 3 ends
    • Tuesday 15 October – Term 4 begins (students start school)
    • Tuesday 17 December – Term 4 ends.

    Financial assistance

    The Future of Education Equity Fund (Equity Fund) offers eligible families financial support to help with school essentials. It supports the more vulnerable families in our community.

    Low-income families of students – from preschool through to year 12 – can receive  a one-off, annual payment. This is to help cover the costs of schooling, such as:

    • uniforms
    • sport equipment and activities
    • tuition
    • music lessons.

    The Equity Fund payments are $400 (preschool), $500 (primary school), and $750 (high school and college level, including CIT Year 11 and 12).

    Equity Fund applications  for the 2024 school year are now open.

    Families can apply for all eligible students in their family in the one application, regardless of whether they attend different schools.

    School staff are also able to help families to apply.

    Applications close in November 2024.

    Find out more about eligibility criteria and how to apply online.

    Mobile phone policy

    A new mobile phone policy for all ACT public schools starts in term 1 2024.

    • Students in preschool to year 10 at ACT public schools may not use or access personal communication devices at school. This includes recess and lunch, and during school authorised events.
    • For year 11 and 12 students, mobile phones and other personal communication devices must be silenced and put away during class time.

    Students can request an exemption if they need their device for medical or other specific reasons.

    Schools will communicate their expectations about how and where to store devices at the beginning of the school year.

    Healthy lunches

    It includes a Grab and Go shopping list and tips for a waste-free lunchbox. You’ll also find tips on which food groups to include and how to swap for healthier options.

    Wellbeing for students

    A new school year can be tough for some students, whether they are:

    • starting a new school
    • moving into high school or college
    • just dealing with any of the life changes thrown their way.

    The ACT Government has online resources that could be helpful in starting conversations on finding ways to support them.

    Asthma management

    If your child has asthma, the start of the school year is a good time to make sure you’re managing it.

    You may wish to:

    • book an asthma review with your child’s GP
    • update your child’s asthma action plan with their GP
    • make sure the school has your child’s reliever medication and spacer
    • talk to school staff
    • book an appointment with one of the asthma nurse educators at Canberra Health Services.

    Child development

    Are you concerned about your child’s development? The start of a new year is a good time to contact the Child Development Service, to access free drop-in clinics and assessments.

    Free three-year-old preschool

    ACT three-year-olds can now benefit from 300 hours of free preschool at over 140 locations.

    This will save the average family around $1,329 a year.

    Read more and find where to access three-year-old preschool.

    Period products at all schools

    In 2023 the ACT Government passed new legislation to make free period products available at a range of community locations across the ACT for anyone who needs them.

    This includes at every ACT public school, which is something we already do as a system, and will continue to do.

    Pads and tampons are available in ACT public high schools, colleges, and combined schools. Pads are available in ACT public primary schools.

    They can be accessed at any time during the school day from the school front office for staff, students, and visitors.

    The ACT Government will deliver the broader project in stages and a procurement process for dispensers to be installed in public places, including ACT public schools, will occur in 2024.

    The Education Directorate will continue to work with ACT Health to ensure age-appropriate information on menstrual hygiene is available for students through our schools.

    Read more about free period products.

    Public transport for students

    From Monday 29 January dedicated school services will resume. This includes ‘S’ trips which divert into schools.

    Please check your timetable so you are prepared and ready.

    If your child is in primary school, you can refer to your school’s pack to plan your child’s travel. Find it on the Transport Canberra website.

    If your child is new to school or changing schools, please check available school bus and light rail information on the Transport Canberra website.

    Familiarise yourself and your child with their school routine. They should know which stop the bus will pick up from in the morning and where to get off at the end of the day.

    Make sure your child has a MyWay card that is registered and topped up with sufficient funds. A MyWay card is easy to get and will save you time and money. Find out more about ticketing and MyWay.

    School bus services are available to school students only. Under special circumstances, parents with young children may apply to travel on these services for a few weeks to help their child get used to bus travel.  Find out more about parents travelling on school bus services.

    If you’re a student in college or tertiary education, check the Journey Planner for timings. Just enter your destination for the fastest, most convenient options.

    To stay up-to-date with Transport Canberra updates, including changes to services and latest news, you can:

    40 km/h school zones

    Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. As students return to school, remember to slow down and stick to the 40 km/h limit around schools between 8am and 4pm.

    Mobile speed vans and police regularly patrol school zones. Let’s all slow down and support kids’ safety.

    Parking around schools

    The start of the school year is a particularly busy time in Canberra’s school carparks and surrounding streets.

    Unsafe and illegal parking reduces visibility for students and motorists. This creates a hazard when students cross the road.

    Parking inspectors and license plate recognition vehicles will be out and about enforcing safe parking around schools.

    For drop-offs and pick-ups, arrange a meeting spot, arrive after the rush, or park a little further away from the school and walk with your kids the rest of the way.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Free period products for Canberrans

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Students in ACT public school can access free period products.

    The ACT Government is supporting free period products for Canberrans.

    Students in ACT public schools can already access free period products.

    Free period products are also available at some locations in Canberra including:

    • some ACT public health services
    • the Child and Family Centres located in Gungahlin, West Belconnen and Tuggeranong
    • the Child Development Service in Holder.

    The ACT Government will make period products in more locations in a staged approach over the coming months and years.

    The government will provide regular updates about the availability of free period products. It will also provide age-appropriate information in languages other than English.

    This is an important initiative to reduce period poverty. It will help people who menstruate to manage their periods in a safe and healthy way.

    The ACT follows Scotland as only the second jurisdiction in the world to enshrine free period products in law. This aims to end period poverty and give people who menstruate the dignity they deserve.

    The ACT Government remains committed to free period products for Canberrans.

    In the 2023/24 mid- year budget, the ACT Government has committed to support the roll out of free period products, ahead of the start of the Period Products and Facilities (Access) Act 2023.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Support for Canberra Olympians and Paralympians

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Extra funding will support local athletes like Jack Cleary, Angela Ballard and Chad Perris.

    The ACT Government is backing Canberran Olympic and Paralympic athletes with extra funding.

    The Paris Olympic Games are in July, and the Paralympic Games are in August this year.

    The extra funding will help local athletes prepare to qualify to represent Australia in the lead up to the games. “The funding to me and the whole rowing team allows us to be the best we can be,” Olympic athlete Jack Cleary said.

    “At the games, it is an absolute whirlwind, and we need to keep ourselves central and not worry about the things you can’t control. They are being managed by the staff who come along to help us – which this funding helps to support,” he said.

    The ACT has a history of supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes. It was the first jurisdiction in Australia to fund the Olympic and Paralympic Teams equally.

    Paralympic athlete Chad Perris says the timing of the funding is key.

    “We have a lot of extra costs, whether travel, equipment, there are a lot of things that go into getting us over the line to get us to Paris,” he said.

    “I’m really excited about this funding and to have it as equal funding with our Olympic counterparts is really exciting.”

    “The Paralympic team funding from the ACT Government is huge,” Paralympic athlete Angela Ballard said.

    “I know from behind the scenes how much it takes just to get our athletes over there and make sure we have the resources we need to perform.

    “On a personal level, the ACT Government funding grants for individual ACT athletes will make a big difference. We still have a lot of work to do to keep up our training and to qualify between now and the Games, and this support will be of great help,” she said.

    Canberra is home to elite athletes training at both the Australian Institute of Sport and ACT Academy of Sport. Despite being the smallest jurisdiction in Australia, ACT athletes have a strong presence at each Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

    The ACT Government will provide funding support through the Mid-Year Budget Review. This includes both direct financial assistance and in-kind training assistance through the ACT Academy of Sport.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Career change renews teacher’s passion

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Blair Merton is excited to get back into teaching and has several goals for the year ahead.

    After a 15-year break from teaching, Blair Merton is keen to return to the classroom.

    The avid reader and history buff will teach history and geography at Kaleen High.

    He will also run a Strategy Games Club, where students play miniature wargames.

    He’s the ideal person to coordinate this, having served in the Australian Army during his teaching pause.

    “I’d taught at a few different high schools around Canberra throughout the 2000s – Canberra High, Lanyon and Belconnen – before taking an extended hiatus from teaching in 2009,” Blair said.

    He moved to the Education section of the Australian War Memorial before enlisting in the Army and being posted to Darwin.

    “Life in the military meant that I was part of a wider family of a diverse range of people and experiences, and as an older soldier, I often found myself helping others through their personal trials and tribulations. I often found myself helping some younger soldiers with their written aspects of their courses and administrative work. I was probably the worst shot in the Army, but I did have a knack for communicating,” he said.

    The thought of returning to teaching was never completely out of his mind.

    “My wife began working as a midwife, and we both decided that due to the stresses and strains of our professions we would return to Canberra where we could be closer to our extended families,” he said.

    Although Blair isn’t new to teaching in the Territory, he joins the almost 170 new educators working in ACT public schools this year.

    He is excited to get back into it and has several goals in mind for the year ahead.

    “I’m aiming to improve my student outcomes, their skills. I want to inspire curiosity and build people of good character. I always try to remind my students that a good life means building a balanced life, and I try to remind them of the principles of justice, courage and wisdom. The Ancients started this kind of education back in the day, and there’s still a lot of merit in those principles.

    “The best thing about my subject area is that you make links between all the various disciplines of science, literature and maths in order for students to see the world around them and develop an appreciation of that world, because one day they’ll take custodianship of it,” Blair said.

    Blair understands how a good schooling experience can shape a person.

    “My favourite subjects in school were History and English. My favourite school was Higgins Primary – I have so many good memories from those days. Playing rugby and cricket, watching BTN on the TV trolley, the fetes, discos and Saturday afternoon matinees in the school hall,” he said.

    He is pleased to be back in Canberra and views the lifestyle here as conducive to an active family life.

    “Canberra has lots of opportunities for my children to play sport, attend events and take up hobbies. My family loves living near the bushland, and we regularly run and walk our greyhound on the back tracks. I love playing music in my band, The Lonely Fates, and the Canberra music scene is so much bigger and more professional nowadays,” he said.

    Who knows? For someone so comfortable with change, perhaps a move into Kaleen High’s music department could also be on the cards in future.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Next stage in city-wide FOGO collection

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Canberra’s FOGO facility will recycle food waste at scale into valuable compost, reducing waste going into landfill.

    Canberra’s Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) facility has reached a milestone with the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) now open for community feedback.

    Delivering a large-scale FOGO facility remains an ACT Government priority.

    The industrial-level facility will be capable of processing 50,000 tonnes of FOGO material per year.

    It will recycle food waste at scale into valuable compost, reducing waste going into landfill.

    Since November 2021, the FOGO collection pilot has serviced households in Belconnen, Bruce, Cook and Macquarie. In that time, it has collected more than 2,844 tonnes of food waste.

    These insights will assist the ACT Government to roll out the service city wide.

    The composting facility is proposed to be an in-vessel facility, with indoor composting tunnels and other mitigation measures minimising odour impacts.

    Local residents and the wider Canberra community are encouraged to take a look at the EIS and provide any feedback.

    The public notification period for the EIS commenced on Monday 29 January 2024, and closes on Tuesday 12 March 2024.

    Community feedback has already been taken onboard in the preparation of the EIS.

    Additional feedback from the community and key stakeholder groups is an important part of the government’s decision making as it progresses to the next steps of planning and design.

    FOGO is a key part of the government’s plans for a circular economy in Canberra.

    Organic waste decomposition in landfill currently accounts for more than seven per cent of Canberra’s greenhouse emissions.

    Canberrans can share their thoughts on the draft environmental impact statement on the ACT Planning website.

    There will also be three information sessions:

    • Session 1: Saturday 17 February 2024, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, Chisholm Village Shopping Centre
    • Session 2: Wednesday 21 February 2024, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, Gowrie Shops
    • Session 3: Thursday 29 February 2024, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, Mawson Southlands Shopping Centre.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Shirley Smith High School opens its doors

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    School principal Rebecca Pearce looks forward to welcoming students.

    Shirley Smith High School in East Gungahlin has officially opened its doors to students for the first time.

    More than 80 year seven students now attend the new school, located in Kenny.

    “No matter what school I’ve worked in, there’s nothing like that first day, when the kids come with their brand-new uniform and their bags and their excitement about the shift from primary school to high school,” Shirley Smith High School Principal Rebecca Pearce said.

    “It’s a really important transition and we want to capture that excitement with them.

    “That’s what I’m really looking forward to: getting their energy and then continuing that energy right through the year.”

    Shirley Smith High School will cater to up to 800 year 7-10 student in the East Gungahlin region. Students will join the school in a phased approach, beginning with year seven students in 2024.

    The school’s motto is ‘grow with us’.

    “We teach the whole child and we’re really about developing a young person to be a successful learner right through their life,” Rebecca said.

    “Rather than trying to focus really narrowly on the curriculum content and concepts, it’s about that broad understanding of who you are as a learner, what are your strengths and weaknesses and building on those within the Australian curriculum framework.”

    The new high school responds to the rapid growth in Gungahlin, one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia.

    “‘Grow with us’ is also about being a high school in a community that hasn’t even been built yet,” Rebecca said.

    “And actually, being a community school that understands who their students and families are and caters to the needs of every single student.”

    For the last nine months, Rebecca has recruited a team that includes specialist teachers across all curriculum areas. She’s also created systems and processes to support the staff and students, while leaving space for decision making in response to the school community.

    “We’ll be able to really listen to what their needs are and make changes in a way that supports positive growth because we’ve got that staggered, staged approach.”

    Shirley Smith High School has been designed with visible and flexible learning in mind.

    “Teachers can move walls and make changes very quickly. I think that’s the key to meeting the young person’s needs: that level of flexibility within the structure of the school,” Rebecca said.

    “We have every resource at our fingertips for us to run a comprehensive program.”

    Spaces for community hire and use are also available at Shirley Smith High School. These include a double gymnasium with basketball, netball, futsal and volleyball markings. There is also a covered hard court suitable for basketball and netball and an oval for soccer, rugby union and rugby league games. The multipurpose hall is also available for community use.

    Read more about Shirley Smith High School.

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Susan Ryan sculpture approved for Senate Gardens

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Artist Lis Johnson has completed numerous life-size bronze sculptures in Canberra.

    The Federal Parliament has approved the installation of a sculpture to honour the late Senator Susan Ryan AO FAICD (1942-2020) in the Parliamentary Zone.

    Senator Ryan dedicated her life to public service through many different roles.

    She held public office as a Senator in the ACT and Minister in the Hawke government.

    Senator Ryan also worked in senior roles across the private and public sectors.

    Her distinguished career included many firsts. She was the first Senator for the Australian Capital Territory. She was also the first woman appointed to a Labor frontbench position and the first Age Discrimination Commissioner.

    The life-size bronze sculpture of Susan Ryan will be adjacent to the Senate Rose Gardens eastern central entry.

    The location is near where she once had an office in Old Parliament House. The art work will be in an area featuring a curved bench seat, new paving, and interpretive signage.

    The ACT Government commissioned the sculpture which recognises the contribution that Susan Ryan made to Australian public life.

    It acknowledges her advancement of women’s rights as a Minister and her role in creating the Sex Discrimination Act – an enduring reform that changed Australia.

    Artist Lis Johnson has completed several life-size bronze sculptures. These include those of Dame Enid Lyons and Dame Dorothy Tangney, who stand adjacent to Old Parliament House, and Sir John Gorton (with Suzie Q) in Parkes.

    Lis has been working closely with Susan Ryan’s family, ensuring they are involved at every stage  of the work.

    “We are so thrilled that the sculpture of our mother Susan Ryan will be located in the Senate Rose Gardens at the Old Parliament House,” Justine Butler, Susan’s daughter,  said.

    “For my brother Ben and I, this was the parliament house. We spent a lot of time there, with our mother, and we have happy memories of those gardens, so close to her office.

    “My mother and her colleagues played social tennis games there in the summer, and all year round, the beautiful gardens provided an important place for Susan to think and work,” she said.

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    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: More paramedics to be employed in Canberra

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The new roster will mean the ACT Ambulance Service will be even better placed to meet community demands.

    The ACT Government will increase the number of frontline paramedics employed by implementing a new ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS) roster.

    These changes mean an additional 11 paramedic crews will be rostered on over a 24-hour period.

    This will improve fatigue management practices and create a better work-life balance for paramedics.  The change will also mean that ACTAS will be even better placed to meet community demands for ambulance services.

    In addition, training and development requirements will be covered by rostered resources and operational resourcing flexibility will be increased. Meal breaks will also be accessed more regularly and there would be less need for paramedics to work past their shift times.

    As part of the 2023-24 Budget Review, the government is investing $19.7 million over four years to enable the implementation of the new roster.

    To achieve the new roster, changes need to be made to the ACTAS enterprise agreement. This agreement has been in negotiation for several months and is in the final stages of negotiation between the ACT Government and the Transport Workers Union.

    Paramedics and the ambulance service perform a vital role in the Canberra community, responding to those in need when and where they need help most. This improved roster will better enable paramedics to meet those needs – while also supporting their wellbeing and professional development.

    “Investing in staffing will mean paramedics will continue to enjoy rewarding careers in the ACT Ambulance Service, with improved rostering leading to better outcomes for all,” ACTAS Chief Officer Howard Wren said.

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    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: Dutton has questions to answer on gas; Albanese has supermarket answer still hunting for the problem

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

    Peter Dutton is a tease when it comes to the fine print of policies. At least that’s the benign explanation. Critics have a harsher take on why we’re always being told to wait for the detail. They would claim his policies are often thin, or unfolded on the run.

    Right now, we’re into the first week of the campaign and we’re still waiting for more on the Coalition’s gas reservation policy, announced in Dutton’s budget reply, as well as precision on its immigration policy and for how much extra it would spend on defence.

    Dutton said on Sunday we’d get information on the gas policy in the next “couple of days”.

    Danny Price, of Frontier Economics, has been hard at work, putting some modelling together. Price did the modelling for the opposition’s controversial nuclear policy, finding it much cheaper than the government’s energy transition plan. But those numbers depend on the assumptions. That modelling was contested, and no doubt so will be the gas policy analysis.

    Whatever the numbers that come out, they won’t include one key figure: what you would (arguably) save on your power bill. The opposition has learned something from Labor’s debacle of promising, before the last election, that its energy policy would save households $275 by 2025.

    At the weekend Albanese dismissed Labor’s modelling before the 2022 election as “RepuTex modelling based on the circumstances at the time”. Indeed.

    Dutton has, however, suggested his gas policy would reduce the wholesale domestic price from $14 per gigajoule to under $10 a gigajoule. More gas would mean cheaper prices, is its logic.

    The opposition’s thinking is that it lands the generality of a policy first, lets the public absorb that, and then produces detail. But the trouble with releasing the detail so late is the Coalition is likely to get bogged down in a confusing and damaging debate over what opponents will say are dodgy numbers and assumptions.

    This can lose a day or more and there aren’t that many days in a five-week campaign, especially when pre-polling starts a fortnight before the end.

    While Dutton was batting off questions about gas at the weekend, Anthony Albanese swung into his campaign stride in a comfort zone – at attack on supermarkets.

    He announced that if re-elected, Labor will legislate against supermarkets being able to price gouge. Not immediately though. There’d be a taskforce to work out the detail.

    There’s more than a touch of chutzpah here. We’ve just seen the report of a long inquiry by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission into supermarkets. It found they were very profitable but it didn’t find price gouging. Its raft of recommendations did not include legislation on price gouging.

    This hasn’t deterred the PM, who provided his own definition of the problem. “I got asked today by someone … ‘how do you know what price gouging is?’ Price gouging is when supermarkets are taking the piss off Australian consumers. That’s what it is. That’s what price gouging is. Everyone out there knows. Consumers know. We’ll take action here.”

    He did give the rather less colloquial EU definition.“In the EU, a price is unfair and excessive if, and to quote their law, ‘it has no reasonable relation to the economic value of the product supplied’.”

    After a fairly ordinary start to the campaign, this week Donald Trump will step right into the centre of it, with his much-anticipated tariff announcement. Australian officials continue to lobby the US; no one is confidently predicting whether or not we’ll be escape the firing line.

    Before the Trump announcement will come Tuesday’s first meeting of the new monetary policy board that has been set up under Labor’s changes to the Reserve Bank.

    Unlike February, when all the heat was on the bank’s governor to deliver that rate cut (which did come), nobody is expecting another cut yet. Michele Bullock can relax this week.

    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: Dutton has questions to answer on gas; Albanese has supermarket answer still hunting for the problem – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-dutton-has-questions-to-answer-on-gas-albanese-has-supermarket-answer-still-hunting-for-the-problem-253118

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: AUT Dean’s outburst shows virus of racism alive and well in universities

    Source: ACT Party

    “A racist outburst from the Dean of the AUT Law School targeting an ACT MP on the basis of her being an immigrant reveals exactly why we need the Treaty Principles Bill,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

    In response to Dr Parmjeet Parmar’s draft bill to stop the allocation of university resources based on race, Khylee Quince posted on Facebook: ‘Alternative headline: Immigrant forgets where she lives.’

    Dr Parmar has responded, saying: “I am a New Zealand citizen and I am not here at Ms Quince’s mercy, or anyone’s mercy. I know exactly where I live: in a democracy where everyone has the right to freedom from discrimination. Including immigrants.“

    “This law school Dean believes immigrants should be singled out for different treatment,” says Mr Seymour.

    “The Vice Chancellor needs to stop this rhetoric. How many immigrant students study law at AUT? Should they be treated differently with demands to ‘remember where they live?’

    “In another time that would be called racism. But it’s 2025 and institutions like universities have cloaked that kind of view with respectability.

    “Of course, all New Zealand citizens are either immigrants or descended from immigrants. It’s extraordinary that we need to debate whether some citizens should have the same basic rights as other citizens, but here we are.

    “Whether the Treaty promised equal rights is a civil rights issue, and our major institutions are on the wrong side of history. They’re experiencing collective brain rot.

    “Universities are infecting the minds of young people with the virus of identity politics. Journalism and law schools are pumping out young left-wing activists who believe tangata whenua and tangata tiriti should have different rights.

    “The courts, of course, have decided the Treaty is a partnership requiring different rights for different groups. The question is, what will our elected Parliament decide when it’s asked to take a stand?”

    Editor’s note: AUT Dean of Law Khylee Quince has previously drawn attention for saying Gary Judd KC “can go die quietly in the corner” for opposing compulsory tikanga studies at law schools.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 67

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL7

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 67
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    715 PM CDT Sat Mar 29 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Central and North Texas

    * Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 715 PM
    until 200 AM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5
    inches in diameter possible
    Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

    SUMMARY…Thunderstorm coverage is expected to increase over the
    next few hours as a shortwave trough moves eastward into the region.
    Steep mid-level lapse rates will help support moderate to strong
    buoyancy in the presence of moderate deep-layer vertical shear.
    These environmental conditions could support severe thunderstorms
    capable of large to very large hail and strong wind gusts this
    evening.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 60
    statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles south of
    Brownwood TX to 55 miles north of Dallas TX. For a complete
    depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
    (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    2.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A
    few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    24030.

    …Mosier

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW7
    WW 67 SEVERE TSTM TX 300015Z – 300700Z
    AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    50S BWD/BROWNWOOD TX/ – 55N DAL/DALLAS TX/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM E/W /53ENE JCT – 37SSE ADM/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2.5 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.

    LAT…LON 31079996 33649789 33649581 31079794

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU7.

    Watch 67 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low ( 2 inches

    Mod (40%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    Mod (60%)

    For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Official Launch of The Airport Economist – Taiwan Episode:The CPTPP is Stronger with Taiwan

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Our heartfelt thanks to our good friends from the NSW Parliament, including one of today’s co-hosts, Hon. Jacqui Munro MLC, Hon. Mark Latham MLC, Hon. Scott Farlow MLC, Tim James MP, Jordan Lane MP, Geoff Provest MP, and Richie Williamson MP. We are also grateful to have Australia-Taiwan Business Council Chairman John Toigo, members of the Consular Corps, academia and media representatives, as well as Taiwanese community leaders with us. Thank you for making the launch event at the NSW Parliament a great success!
    Hon. Jacqui Munro expressed her great honor in co-hosting this event at the Parliament, emphasizing that Taiwan’s deeply rooted and solid democratic system serves as a model for democratic countries. She also highlighted Taiwan as an important trade partner for both Australia and New South Wales, stressing that Taiwan’s participation in the CPTPP would be beneficial for both Taiwan and Australia.
    Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu recalled the opportunity to meet Professor Tim Harcourt, Chief Economist of UTS, and discuss the idea of filming the CPTPP episode in Taiwan. He also expressed special gratitude to the New South Wales Parliament for passing motions condemning China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758, opposing foreign interference, and supporting Taiwan’s international participation and democracy. He reiterated that Taiwan not only meets the high standards of the CPTPP but also demonstrates a strong determination to integrate into regional economic cooperation. With Taiwan’s participation, the CPTPP will be even stronger.
    Ambassador Douglas Yu-Tien Hsu of Taiwan in Australia, who is graceful and poised, traveled from Canberra to Sydney to attend the event. He emphasized that Taiwan and Australia’s economic and industrial structures are highly complementary. Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP would establish it as a stable and open economic partner in the Indo-Pacific region, greatly benefiting Australia and regional economic growth.
    Professor Tim Harcourt presented The Airport Economist program and shared insights into the process of creating this episode in Taiwan. He also analyzed Taiwan’s economic and trade development and its competitive strengths, emphasizing that Taiwan’s inclusion in the CPTPP would significantly enhance regional economic and trade integration. In a conversation with John Toigo, Chairman of the Australia-Taiwan Business Council, they discussed Taiwan-Australia economic and trade cooperation over the past decades and their outlook for future relations. Both affirmed that Taiwan meets the high standards required for CPTPP membership and expressed their intention to continue advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion to the Australian government.
    Other attending state MPs also expressed their support, noting that despite ongoing legislative sessions in both houses, they were determined to be present. They emphasized that cooperation between countries with shared values is crucial and that, as a major player in technology and the economy, Taiwan should be included in the CPTPP to benefit all member countries.
    As a major economy and a hub for digital technology innovation, Taiwan can make significant contributions to regional economic integration frameworks such as the CPTPP. We encourage Australia and the international community to recognize Taiwan’s trade commitments and support its inclusion.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April  
    Opening Week Programmes
    ______________________
     
    Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991)
    ___________________________________
     
         Kicking off the festival is the opening programme “Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991)” to be staged on April 4 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Renowned musician Ng Cheuk-yin will reimagine beloved songs from classic comedy films with fresh arrangements, while pop singer Alfred Hui, the a cappella choral theatre company Yat Po Singers, and beatboxer Heartgrey (Eric So) will perform together with a live band. Following the performance, there will be a screening of “The Banquet” (1991) (4K digitally restored version), a comedy produced to raise disaster relief funds for flood relief, directed by Tsui Hark, Clifton Ko, Cheung Tung Joe and Alfred Cheung, featuring a cast of legendary stars. The opening programme, blending entertainment with cultural artistry, offers audiences a fresh and inspiring perspective on the vibrancy of Hong Kong’s pop culture.
     
    ImagineLand 2025
    _______________
     
         Another highlight of the PCF is an outdoor music carnival “ImagineLand 2025” to be held on April 5 and 6 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, the Central Lawn & Event Trellis of Salisbury Garden, the Avenue of Stars free of charge. Supported and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the two-day carnival features both daytime and evening programmes. “Go Beyond Concert”, “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” and “Funarts Corner” will be available during the day, whereas film programme “Movie Under the Stars” will be held at night. “Go Beyond Concert” will showcase three stages featuring over 35 musicians and artists from Hong Kong and eight countries and regions including Mainland China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. The event showcases boundless possibilities of music across the performances. Major line-ups of local artists include Ivana Wong, Joey Tang, Yatfung, Cloud, Ashley Lin, Pandora, Chu Wan-pin and more, performing mesmerising popular songs and original works.
     
         In addition to the music concert, “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” will display Hong Kong comics and animation from different eras to highlight the creativity of local artists. Visitors can learn about the history of Hong Kong’s comics and animation while taking photos with comic characters. In addition, “Funarts Corner” will offer workshops on art, music, and crafts for public participation. In the evenings, “Movie Under the Stars” will screen local comedies: “Table For Six” (2022) and “Forbidden City Cop” (1996) on April 5 and 6 respectively, allowing audiences to enjoy outdoor films while relaxing on the lawn.
     
         Other festival highlights include:
     
    Film Screening
    ____________
     
         Apart from “The Banquet” (1991), the Hong Kong Film Archive will hold a “Laughter Double Bill: Hong Kong Comedy Film Spectacular” film screening, showcasing eight pairs of thematically related classic films from the 1940s to the 2000s, including “Black Rose” (1965) (2K Digital Version) and “92 The Legendary la Rose Noire” (1992), “The Judge Goes to Pieces” (1948), and “Justice, My Foot!”(1992), showcasing the comedic sparks of master comedians from different eras while illustrating the evolution of Hong Kong comedy films.
     
    Exhibitions
    _________
     
         “Comic Fun for All: The Magic of Hong Kong Comedy Comics”, running from May this year to March 2026 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, will showcase exhibits related to Hong Kong comedy comics from different periods. The exhibition will also feature the creative concepts and artistic features behind them, showing the unique charm of Hong Kong comedy comics.
     
         Another exhibition, “Legends of HK Film Comedies, 1980s and 1990s”, to be held from May to October at the Hong Kong Film Archive, will feature a wide selection of highlights from different films, offering an amusing window into the past. In-depth analysis of the films by renowned actors and behind-the-scenes filmmakers will also be offered to reveal the essence of Hong Kong humour.
     
    Library Activities
    _____________
     
         To support the PCF’s theme of “More Than Joy”, the Hong Kong Public Libraries will organise a series of activities under the theme of “Happy Reading” from April to August. This will feature book displays with themes “Delightful Comics”, “Into the World of Movies” and “Music Delights: from Classical Music to Popular Songs”. It will also include subject talks on “Hong Kong Comics” and “Hong Kong Style Humor Films”, as well as workshops on “Digital Art – Creative Comic Drawing” and “National Games Comics Path”, all aimed at sharing fun and happiness through comics, music and films. The “Meet-the-Authors 2025” will focus on “Joyful Writing” to explore writing and positivity. In April, Dr Chan Kai-tai, a psychiatrist and lyricist, will speak on “When Words meet Music and Mind: Cantopop and Well-being” to explore how the lyrics of Cantopop promote our mental well-being.
     
    Performing Arts
    _____________
     
         The 2025 Fiesta of Music Office Bands, Choirs and Orchestras-Bands “The Animated Melodies – Our Nostalgic Memories” will be held at Yuen Long Theatre in April, showcasing all-time favourite theme songs from animations such as “Nintama Rantar??” and “The Lion King”, and a medley of works by Akira Toriyama to transport audiences back to nostalgic moments. Another two “Let’s Have Fun with Music” concerts by Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra in May will blend the best of classical and pop music. To heighten the excitement, original animations crafted by local talents will be woven into the concert, making it a truly engaging and enjoyable concert.  Meanwhile, “Vivek Mahbubani Stand-up Comedy – Funny made in Hong Kong” by Hong Kong born stand-up comedian Vivek Mahbubani will feature jokes about the funny things of Hong Kong’s golden standard of “fast, beautiful and awesome” in June. 

         In pop music, “Ko Shan Fest” will be staged at Ko Shan Theatre in June, featuring two concerts curated by renowned producer and music director Carl Wong. Wong will collaborate with bands with diverse backgrounds and styles to reintroduce audiences to the history and culture of Hong Kong band music. Another two “Music & Laughs” concerts will be held in July at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Curated by veteran producer Edward Chan in collaboration with pop music artists and the Symphonic Pops Orchestra and band, the performance invites the audience to explore together: What is comedy? Several popular artists will join this feast and details will be announced later.
     
         Alongside the above programmes, several industry partners will be offering a range of events as part of the festival, which are not to be missed. These include “My Stage@HKCC 2025/26 – Saturday Music Live” by Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups; “2025 Hong Kong Reading +” by the Hong Kong Publishing Federation; “JITN – SHAG” by the Jazz World (Hong Kong) Ltd & Count-in Music Ltd; “Cinema Day 2025” by Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd; “Cherish Tonight” concerts by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra; and the “4th HK Comics Support Programme” by the Hong Kong Comics & Animation Federation.
     
         Hong Kong’s pop culture has drawn inspiration particularly from humour, a constant trendsetter that has left a deep footprint on many aspects of the city’s rich and colourful pop cultural landscape. The PCF 2025, with more than 20 programmes, will not only delight audiences with exciting performances and works but will also offer an insight into the development paths of Hong Kong’s pop culture along the line of “happiness”. By participating in these activities, audiences will be able to discover their own happiness.
     
         For more details, please visit the website: www.pcf.gov.hkIssued at HKT 20:18

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Pop culture festival to open in April

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The opening programme of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2025, Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991), will be held at the Cultural Centre Grand Theatre on April 4.

    Blending entertainment with cultural artistry, renowned musician Ng Cheuk-yin will reimagine beloved songs from classic comedy films with fresh arrangements, while pop singer Alfred Hui, the a cappella choral theatre company Yat Po Singers, and beatboxer Heartgrey Eric So will perform together with a live band.

    Following the performance, there will be a screening of The Banquet, a comedy produced to raise disaster relief funds for flood relief, directed by Tsui Hark, Clifton Ko, Cheung Tung Joe and Alfred Cheung. 

    Another highlight of the festival is an outdoor music carnival ImagineLand 2025 to be held on April 5 and 6 at the Cultural Centre Piazza, the Central Lawn & Event Trellis of Salisbury Garden, the Avenue of Stars with free admission.

    The two-day carnival features both daytime and evening programmes. “Go Beyond Concert”, “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” and “Funarts Corner” will be available during the day, whereas film programme “Movie Under the Stars” will be held at night. 

    The “Go Beyond Concert” will showcase three stages featuring over 35 musicians and artists from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Japan, Korea, the US, Australia, France, the UK and Ukraine.

    Major line-ups of local artists include Ivana Wong, Joey Tang, Yatfung, Cloud, Ashley Lin, Pandora, Chu Wan-pin and more, performing mesmerising popular songs and original works.

    “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” will display Hong Kong comics and animation from different eras to highlight the creativity of local artists.

    “Funarts Corner” will offer workshops on art, music and crafts for public participation.

    In the evenings, “Movie Under the Stars” will screen local comedies Table For Six and Forbidden City Cop on April 5 and 6 respectively, allowing audiences to enjoy outdoor films while relaxing on the lawn.

    The Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival is being held for the third year with “More Than Joy” as its theme and over 20 programmes will offer audiences an insight into the development paths of Hong Kong’s pop culture along the line of “happiness”. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrests – Stolen motor vehicles and pursuit – Alice Springs

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested four youths in relation to property and vehicle offences in Alice Springs early this morning.

    Around 1:25am, police received reports of an unlawful entry at a residence on De Havilland Drive, Araluen. Two sets of keys were stolen from the location and used to steal a Toyota Prado and a Toyota C-HR.

    A short time later, police sighted the stolen Prado driving dangerously through Amoonguna Community and initiated a pursuit.

    During the pursuit, the Prado rammed the police unit on two occasions and the pursuit was terminated for safety reasons.

    The officers inside the vehicle were not injured.

    Later, a second police vehicle was stationary when the Prado drove at them head-on, ramming the front of the vehicle and then again at the rear. Members subsequently withdrew from the area.

    Both officers inside the vehicle sustained non-life-threatening injuries. While the vehicle was significantly damaged, the officers did not require medical treatment.

    Strike Force Viper attended and initiated a third pursuit with the Prado, with the offenders abandoning the vehicle and attempting to flee the scene on foot.

    The driver of the vehicle, aged 13, and the three passengers, aged 13, 11 and 11, were arrested without further incident with the assistance of the Dog Operations Unit.

    CCTV operators later observed a 14-year-old male exit the second stolen vehicle in the Alice Springs CBD. He was subsequently arrested and found to be in possession of an edged weapon.

    The second stolen vehicle was located abandoned in East Side a short time later.

    Investigations are ongoing.

    Police urge anyone with information about the incident to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference P25085673. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrest – Armed with offensive weapon – Alice Springs

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested a 53-year-old male for being armed with an offensive weapon in Alice Springs yesterday.

    Around 12:15pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) received a report of a male armed with an edged weapon in the Alice Springs CBD.

    The offender had allegedly attended a non-government organisation on Leichhardt Terrace earlier in the day and subsequently returned agitated and armed. Staff locked the doors before he could enter and called police.

    The offender allegedly kicked and banged on the doors multiple times, but did not gain entry, and fled prior to police arrival.

    Multiple police units responded and located the offender on an electric bike heading west on Larapinta Drive. He was arrested without incident and the edged weapon was seized.

    The 53-year-old was later charged to appear court at a later date.

    Police urge anyone who witnesses crime or antisocial behaviour to contact police on 131 444. In an emergency call 000. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrests – Aggravated assault – Casuarina

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Northern Territory Police Force has arrested two female youths in relation to an aggravated assault that occurred in Casuarina yesterday afternoon.

    Around 2:40pm, police received reports of a disturbance in the outdoor food court of a shopping centre on Trower Road, involving a group of five female youths. Weapons were allegedly involved in the altercation.

    It is alleged a 15-year-old female victim was struck multiple times to the head with a blunt weapon before a member of the public intervened and removed the weapon.

    The alleged offender then continued to punch the victim before security officers removed the offenders from the area.

    St John Ambulance attended and conveyed the victim to Royal Darwin Hospital.

    Police later located and arrested two females, aged 13 and 15.

    During the arrests, police received reports of a second incident occurring at the nearby bus exchange on Bradshaw Terrace.

    CCTV footage showed a 14-year-old female victim was allegedly assaulted with an edged weapon, sustaining multiple wounds to the back of the neck and head by an unknown female offender.

    The offender fled before police arrived.

    St John Ambulance conveyed the second victim to Royal Darwin Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

    The third offender remains outstanding, and investigations into both incidents are ongoing.

    Police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444 and quote reference number P25084989. Anonymous reports can also be made via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Draft Nam Sang Wai Outline Zoning Plan approved

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Nam Sang Wai Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). 
     
         “The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Nam Sang Wai area”, a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (March 28). 
     
    The planning scheme area, covering about 600 hectares, is bounded by San Tin Highway and Castle Peak Road – Tam Mi in the east, Mai Po and Fairview Park area in the north, Shan Pui River and Yuen Long New Town in the west and Shan Pui Chung Hau Tsuen and Castle Peak Road – Yuen Long in the south.

    The approved OZP has incorporated amendments shown on the draft Nam Sang Wai OZP No. S/YL-NSW/9, which mainly involve (i) rezoning an area to the north of Ho Chau Road from “Residential (Group D)” (“R(D)”) to “Residential (Group A)1”, “Residential (Group A)2” and “Other Specified Uses” (“OU”) annotated “Pumping Station” to facilitate public housing and private residential developments under a Land Sharing Pilot Scheme application; (ii) rezoning a strip of land to the north of Ho Chau Road from “R(D)” to “Village Type Development” (“V”) as an extension of the adjacent “V” zone, with the remaining knoll from “R(D)” to “Green Belt” to reflect the existing condition; and (iii) rezoning a site at Wing Kei Tsuen from “OU” annotated “Comprehensive Development to include Wetland Restoration Area” to “OU” annotated “Comprehensive Development to include Wetland Restoration Area 1” for a private comprehensive residential development.
     
    The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP have been amended to reflect the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zonings and the planning circumstances, where appropriate. 
     
    The approved Nam Sang Wai OZP No. S/YL-NSW/10 is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Fanling, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long East District Planning Office, (iv) the Yuen Long District Office, (v) the San Tin Rural Committee, and (vi) the Shap Pat Heung Rural Committee.
     
         Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centre in North Point. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board’s website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Small towns, big spirit at CFA Torchlight Procession

    Source:

    Mooroopna’s main street lit up on Saturday night as more than 40 CFA brigades from across Victoria, and two from Western Australia, took part in the annual CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships Torchlight Procession.

    The tradition, which dates back to 1873, saw hundreds of CFA members march through the town after sunset, led by CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and VFBV State President Samantha Collins, behind a fleet of vintage and modern CFA appliances. 

    Jason said the procession remains one of CFA’s proudest traditions. 

    “The energy from both our members and the local community always makes for a truly special night,” he said. 

    “It’s a standout CFA tradition that showcases our pride, discipline, and unity as firefighters, and it was great to see that spirit shine through after a big day of competition.  

    “I want to thank the Mooroopna community for turning out in numbers and adding to the atmosphere.” 

    Judges scored brigades on their appearance and parade performance, and it was the team from the Knox Group of Brigades who took out first place this year. 

    While some brigades were chasing silverware, for 4th Lieutenant of the Gapsted Fire Brigade and Junior Leader Craig Hodgetts, it was more about being part of the tradition. 

    With a population of just 173, Gapsted, in the state’s northeast, is one of the smallest communities represented at the State Championships. 

    The team made its long-awaited comeback to the competition in 2019 after more than three decades away and has returned each year since with growing momentum. 

    “Between 1985 and 2019, Gapsted had no representation at the State Championships,” Craig said.  

    “We’re a very small brigade, so I started a junior team to try and build up our senior numbers.” 

    “It’s not about winning. I tell the kids, ‘I don’t care if you come last, just enjoy it. If you make mistakes, laugh about it and move on.’” 

    Craig first competed in the State Championships in 1982. More than 40 years later, he’s focused on inspiring the next generation to carry the tradition forward. 

    “Back in the 80s, every brigade in our area had a team. Now we’ve only got four. It’d be great to see more come back,” he said.  

    “This year, one of my former junior teams made their debut in the seniors, which was the goal all along.” 

    “It was an incredibly proud moment to watch them march under the Gapsted banner.” 

    “Even better was watching them win our town’s first ever senior event, the Dry Hydrant, in the district 22 championships on Sunday the 23rd.“ 

    “We’ll certainly be part of the procession and championships again next year.” 

    Following a successful first year using LED torchlights in 2024, the new LEDs were used again this year. 

    The CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships will take place in Stawell in 2026. 

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: SafeCard Reviews [CONSUMER REPORTS 2025]: Don’t Buy Till You’ve Read This!

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MONROE, La., March 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Transactions are now faster than ever thanks to contactless payment methods and RFID-enabled cards, but they have also made it easier for criminals to gain access to your private information. Powerful RFID skimming devices have made it possible for cyber criminals to collect your personal card information without any physical contact, and the sad part is that you have probably been a victim in the past, with or without realising it. Many people are now looking for trustworthy methods to safeguard their personal and financial data without the bulk of RFID wallets and sleeves.

    SafeCard RFID Blocking Card Reviews

    We will be discussing the SafeCard, a thin and lightweight RFID-blocking card that promises to stop unwanted scanning of debit cards, credit cards, and other RFID-enabled devices. Many USA consumer reports claim it’s a sleek, hassle-free answer to digital theft, unlike heavy RFID wallets or thin sleeves. Does it, however, work as advertised? Any SafeCard Reviews Complaints on Trustpilot And Reddit?

    It’s important to be on the safe side given the abundance of security devices available on the market. Despite their lofty claims, several RFID-blocking devices fall short of providing adequate protection, leaving consumers vulnerable to cyber theft. Others are difficult to use, requiring frequent modifications or adding needless bulk to wallets.

    But does the SafeCard really work, or is it simply another overhyped RFID-blocking device? Is it worth your dime? What is the real truth of the SafeCard Shield, despite the hype it’s getting in the USA? To answer all these questions and more, we will look more closely at what makes it special, go over some of its main features, pros and cons and actual customer experiences.

    Introduction to Safecard

    What is Safecard (Safecard Reviews)

    If this is your first time hearing about this RFID Blocking device, your first question would be ‘What is The SafeCard?’ So let’s start by answering that. SafeCard is an innovative RFID-blocking gadget made to prevent unwanted scanning of passports, credit cards, debit cards, and other RFID-enabled objects.

    Scammers can now obtain important information from your cards without making direct contact using powerful RFID skimming devices. By creating an imperceptible barrier that prevents these scanning efforts, SafeCard provides a dependable solution and guarantees the security of your financial and personal information.

    SafeCard neutralizes skimming devices by using active interference technology. It creates a barrier around your cards when you carry them in your wallet or purse, keeping identity thieves out. For shoppers, travelers, and anybody else worried about digital security, this makes it a great option.

    SafeCard’s lightweight, thin design is one of its best qualities; it lets customers experience safety without having to carry heavy accessories. With its long-lasting build and universal compatibility with all RFID-enabled cards, it provides long-term 24/7 protection. The SafeCard is a simple, cost-effective, and efficient method of protecting your private information that gives you peace of mind wherever you go.

    FLASH OFF: Click Here To Buy SafeCard From The Official Website – Up To 50% Off, Only While Stock Lasts

    Explanation on How The SafeCard Shield Works

    SafeCard prevents unwanted scanning of your passports, credit cards, debit cards, and other RFID-enabled objects by actively blocking RFID and NFC signals. In contrast to conventional RFID-blocking wallets or sleeves that passively protect cards from signals, SafeCard instantly blocks scanning efforts, guaranteeing that even with sophisticated skimming tools, cybercriminals cannot access your private data. Just put the SafeCard in your wallet, handbag, or cardholder with your other cards to use it. It surrounds them with a protective field that prevents unwanted scanners from picking up RFID signals.

    Most RFID-enabled cards are compatible with SafeCard’s active protection solution, which provides a more sophisticated and dependable option than passive shielding techniques. Its lightweight and thin design also makes it possible for you to use it conveniently without having to deal with the bulk. SafeCard guarantees that your financial and personal information is always secure; you can now travel, buy, or commute with peace of mind.

    Verified Distinguishing Features Of The SafeCard (SafeCard Reviews USA)

    The SafeCards manufacturer’s objective is to provide you with a convenient and safe experience while keeping you one step ahead of fraudsters. SafeCard has recorded a plethora of customer reviews and validated testimonials supporting its functionality. Let’s look at the unique features of SafeCard:

    • Advanced RFID Blocking: SafeCard’s innovative RFID and NFC blocking technology is central to its effectiveness.. The card uses a strong electromagnetic shielding mechanism to stop your ID badges, smart passports, debit cards, and credit cards from being scanned without your permission. Verified users have shared their experiences, proving that SafeCard is effective; thus, this isn’t simply a theoretical assertion. For example, Hannah L. recalled that she had twice been the victim of card skimming at airports. She reported feeling secure after using SafeCard, pointing out that its covert and lightweight design has already thwarted multiple scanning efforts. These first-hand reports provide strong proof that SafeCard performs as intended.
    • Lightweight and Simple design: The thin, light, and simple design of SafeCard is a huge plus. Nobody is interested in dealing with bulky gadgets as they make daily routine tiresome. SafeCard is nearly undetectable in your wallet or purse because it is only 1.1 mm thick, unlike conventional RFID-blocking wallets or sleeves. Another confirmed customer, Emma R., emphasized this advantage by drawing comparisons to RFID wallets she had previously used. She underlined that SafeCard provided the same security without sacrificing comfort or convenience, while the conventional choices were cumbersome and inconvenient; this implies that you will get dependable protection that fits in well with your way of life.
    • No batteries needed: SafeCard offers 24/7 protection as it does not need batteries or recharging. Long-lasting performance without the inconvenience of moving around with chargers or replacing out batteries is guaranteed. The SafeCard is a great option for both regular travelers and daily commuters who require round-the-clock safety wherever they go.
    • Universal compatibility: Another feature that sets SafeCard apart from the competition is its universal compatibility. SafeCard is compatible with all RFID-enabled devices, including transport passes, credit and debit cards, and even access cards. The SafeCard eliminates the need for you to switch between different kinds of protective sleeves for different kinds of cards. You can simplify your security requirements and ensure complete protection across all your RFID-enabled cards with SafeCard.
    • Long-lasting: The manufacturers of the SafeCard are aware that durability is important to you. Long-term use is ensured by SafeCard’s construction using premium, dust-proof, and water-resistant materials. The card is made to resist normal wear and tear, whether you’re driving through crowded cities or in inclement weather. The SafeCard won’t require regular replacements or extra care for many years.
    • Travel-friendly: The TSA-friendly design of SafeCard is a big plus for frequent travelers. Traditional RFID-blocking wallets that could set off alarms during airport security checks are an annoyance, and we understand that. SafeCard was designed to make sure that your trip is easy and hassle-free. Verified buyer Rachel T. told how scammers accessed her bank account while she was traveling through Rio. Her trip was transformed by a SafeCard recommendation, and she now feels confident knowing her wallet is protected. When you are walking through congested public areas or airports, this certainty is priceless.
    • Multi-layer protection: Apart from its fundamental RFID-blocking features, SafeCard incorporates multi-layer encryption. This extra function makes sure that your data is protected by layers of strong encryption, even in the event of an unauthorized attempt to access it. The encryption serves as an additional barrier, protecting your private information from prying eyes even while the device concentrates on preventing illegal scans.
    • Affordable: The SafeCard is available at a surprisingly affordable price. Users of most pay grades can afford the SafeCard without breaking the bank.

    Is SafeCard Better Than RFID Sleeves?

    Many people, especially frequent travelers, are looking for trustworthy methods to safeguard their financial and personal data due to the growing threat of digital theft and illegal RFID scanning. For many years, RFID-blocking sleeves were the only popular solution, hence the tolerance despite their many drawbacks. The SafeCard is here now and is superior to conventional RFID sleeves.

    The fact that RFID sleeves only use passive shielding to prevent signals is one of their main drawbacks. A coating of metallic substance inside these sleeves keeps RFID readers from accessing card data. However, the card must be fully covered and positioned inside the sleeve for them to be effective. Protection may be jeopardized if a card is even slightly exposed or if the sleeve wears out. Conversely, SafeCard makes use of active detection technologies in conjunction with sophisticated electromagnetic shielding. It ensures constant protection by automatically blocking RFID scanning attempts, saving users from having to manually insert or remove cards.

    SafeCard’s lightweight and thin design, which fits easily into any wallet, is another significant benefit. Although theoretically functional, RFID-blocking sleeves can be cumbersome and inconvenient. The fact that each card must be stored separately makes them difficult for many people to use. As a result, people who carry several RFID-enabled cards will need to buy extra sleeves or swap out their cards often. By providing universal safety for all surrounding RFID cards without the need for separate storage, SafeCard removes this inconvenience. Emma R., a verified buyer. recounted her experience, pointing out that SafeCard is so discreet that she hardly notices it’s there and that it performs better than RFID wallets or sleeves.

    Another area in which SafeCard performs better than conventional RFID sleeves is durability. Many sleeves are composed of thin fabrics that eventually rip, deteriorate, or lose their usefulness. SafeCard, on the other hand, is made to endure regular use and has dustproof and water-resistant components that guarantee long-term use. Users don’t have to bother with inefficient shielding or the need to replace worn-out sleeves on a regular basis. The SafeCard is an excellent investment for digital security and definitely superior to RFID and sleeves.

    FLASH OFF: Click Here To Buy SafeCard From The Official Website – Up To 50% Off, Only While Stock Lasts

    Shocking Myths and Truths About SafeCard (SafeCard Shield Reviews)

    As a dependable defense against illegal RFID scanning, SafeCard has grown in popularity in the USA as well as other countries of the world, but like many security devices, it has also been shrouded in rumors and false beliefs. It’s important to distinguish fact from fiction in order to appreciate SafeCard’s true worth. The most common myths and the facts that refute them are listed below.

    Myth 1: SafeCard Is Just Another RFID Sleeve

    The idea that SafeCard works in the same way as a conventional RFID sleeve is among the most common fallacies. Many people believe that passive blocking using material layers is the same approach used by all RFID shielding. This is not at all the case, though. SafeCard is an instant RFID-blocking device that blocks scanning attempts in real time. In contrast to RFID sleeves, which, depending on their quality, can still permit some signals to get through, SafeCard automatically blocks attempts at data compromise.

    Myth 2: RFID Skimming Isn’t a Real Threat

    There is no actual risk of card information being taken electronically, according to those who think RFID skimming is an overblown problem. However, innumerable instances have demonstrated that physical contact is not necessary to compromise RFID-enabled cards. High-tech scammers have targeted travelers in particular, using concealed RFID scanners to collect card information in crowded places like airports and public transportation. Hannah L., a verified buyer. “I’ve had my cards skimmed in airports twice, and it was terrifying,” she said, sharing her story. I truly feel safe when traveling now that I have SafeCard.” This actual case demonstrates that RFID skimming is a genuine and expanding issue.

    Myth 3: SafeCard Is Bulky and Inconvenient

    Some people believe that RFID-blocking devices must be bulky. Well, this might be the case with large wallets that prevent RFID, but SafeCard was made to be portable and convenient. It is lightweight, slim, and fits neatly into any purse or wallet without taking up much space. As confirmed purchaser Emma R. stated, “I’ve previously used RFID wallets, but they were cumbersome and inconvenient. I don’t even realize SafeCard is there, yet it works so much better! “

    Myth 4: SafeCard Requires Constant Charging

    Some people feel that SafeCard is stressful for daily usage because it requires frequent recharging. On the other hand, SafeCard does not need charging at all. It will continue to work 24/7 without needing a battery.

    Myth 5: RFID-Blocking Products Are Unnecessary if You Have a Chip Card

    Many people believe that current chip-enabled debit and credit cards are sufficiently safe and don’t need extra RFID protection. When the card is only in a pocket or wallet, chip technology does not stop unwanted RFID scanning, even though it helps improve security during transactions. By providing an additional layer of security, SafeCard prevents hackers from stealing your data without your knowledge.

    Truth: SafeCard Offers Genuine Security and Peace of Mind

    Despite all of the fallacies, SafeCard is still a legit and useful card for safeguarding personal and financial data. Verified customers have continuously commended its dependability, use, and capabilities. One happy client, Aubree R., said, “I purchased a SafeCard for my family and myself. It’s so simple to use, and I feel more at ease every day knowing that we’re all safe. Ultimately, SafeCard stands out as a reliable, efficient, and user-friendly defense against RFID skimming.

    Step-by-Step Guide on How to Use SafeCard (SafeCard Instructions)

    Using SafeCard is simple and requires no complicated setup. Follow these steps to ensure maximum protection:

    • Step 1: Unbox your newly purchased SafeCard; the good thing is that you don’t need to charge it.
    • Step 2: Insert SafeCard alongside your credit, debit, or ID cards in your wallet or purse.
    • Step 3: SafeCard activates instantly, creating a shield that blocks RFID scanning attempts.
    • Step 4: You can now travel safely because the SafeCard will continue to work as long as it’s in the same wallet with your cards.

    Is SafeCard Legit?

    Many customers are understandably wary of security products given the rising risk of identity theft, digital fraud and probably previous bad experiences with the traditional RFID wallets. Devices with big claims but that fall short are common in the market, which makes people skeptical of SafeCard and similar tools. However, SafeCard’s authenticity is strongly supported by verified customer feedback, demonstrating that it is a valid and trustworthy RFID-blocking device.

    The SafeCard ensures that all your sophisticated RFID-enabled cards, including credit cards, debit cards, passports, and access badges, cannot be scanned without your notice. Unlike conventional blocking sleeves, SafeCard instantly recognizes and blocks scanning efforts in real time. Users attest to the product’s effectiveness; one verified customer, Hannah L., reports that SafeCard has already prevented many scanning attempts while on the road. Her story demonstrates how the product offers genuine defense against possible fraud.

    Numerous consumers have expressed their satisfaction, demonstrating that SafeCard prevents RFID scans and differs from subpar substitutes that don’t provide any true protection. Months of protection are guaranteed with any need for battery changes.

    The overwhelmingly positive reviews left by actual users are one of the best proofs of SafeCard’s legitimacy. Clients such as Rachel T. along with Melissa H., have reported how using SafeCard has prevented them from falling victim to financial fraud in public places. It is a worthy option for travelers because of its lightweight construction, TSA-approved design, and universal compatibility. These practical experiences attest to SafeCard’s status as a reliable security card rather than just another gimmick. SafeCard is by no means a hoax

    FLASH OFF: Click Here To Buy SafeCard From The Official Website – Up To 50% Off, Only While Stock Lasts

    What Makes the SafeCard So Affordable?

    The cost of SafeCard actually surprised many users; We mean, how can a product made to prevent RFID theft be so reasonably priced in a market filled with products with high price tags yet claim superior protection? Unlike expensive RFID-blocking wallets or expensive high-tech security devices, SafeCard provides an affordable option without sacrificing efficacy or quality.

    The simplified design of SafeCard is a major factor in its price. Instead of bundling unnecessary features that inflate the price, SafeCard focuses solely on delivering reliable RFID-blocking technology in a compact form. It doesn’t need a large structure or pricey components; production costs were kept low while still providing excellent protection against digital theft.

    Additionally, SafeCard is sold directly through its official website, cutting out middlemen and reducing extra retail markups. Many security products go through multiple distribution channels before reaching the customer, which significantly raises their final price. By offering SafeCard online without relying on third-party sellers, the manufacturer ensures that buyers get the best price possible without paying unnecessary commissions or inflated retail costs.

    Another reason SafeCard remains affordable is its long-lasting design. Unlike disposable RFID sleeves that need frequent replacement or wallets that wear out over time, SafeCard is built to last. With a durable, non-battery-powered system, it provides continuous protection without requiring users to spend extra on replacements. SafeCard proves that high-quality security doesn’t have to come with a premium price. You can give it a try right away!

    SafeCard Reviews Consumer Reports From United States, Canada, Australia

    Verified Customer Reviews from real users have been included below to help you see the SafeCard from a user perspective:

    • Hannah L. | Verified Purchase -“I’ve had my cards skimmed in airports twice, and it was terrifying. Since using SafeCard, I finally feel safe while traveling. It’s lightweight, discreet, and has stopped several attempted scans already.”
    • Rachel T |Verified Purchase – “While traveling through Rio, I discovered my bank account had been drained by scammers. I was devastated. A fellow traveler recommended SafeCard, and it’s been a lifesaver ever since. No more stolen data, no more stress. Now I can travel with confidence knowing my wallet is secure.”
    • Aubree R. | Verified Buyer – “I got SafeCard for myself and my family. It’s so easy to use, and knowing we’re all protected gives me peace of mind every day. It’s worth every penny!”
    • Emma R. | Verified Buyer – “I’ve used RFID wallets before, but they were bulky and annoying. SafeCard works so much better, and I don’t even notice it’s there!”
    • Melissa H.| Verified Purchase – “I love going to holiday markets, but after watching my friend lose hundreds to a scammer, I knew I needed protection. SafeCard blocks thieves silently, and I haven’t had an issue since. It’s the best purchase I’ve made for my security!”

    FLASH OFF: Click Here To Buy SafeCard From The Official Website – Up To 50% Off, Only While Stock Lasts

    Pros of SafeCard (SafeCard Reviews)

    • SafeCard effectively prevents unauthorized scanning of credit cards, debit cards, passports, and access cards, protecting users from digital theft.
    • Unlike bulky RFID-blocking wallets, SafeCard is ultra-thin and easily fits into any standard wallet, making it a convenient security solution.
    • No batteries or recharging needed
    • SafeCard works with RFID-enabled cards, including credit/debit cards, transit passes, and passports, making it a versatile security tool.
    • SafeCard does not interfere with airport security checks, making it perfect for frequent travelers who need reliable protection.
    • Built with durable materials, SafeCard offers reliable performance at all times
    • There is no setup required; simply place SafeCard in a wallet or purse alongside other cards, and it automatically starts protecting them.
    • SafeCard is available exclusively on its official website, eliminating middlemen and keeping costs lower than competing RFID security devices.

    Cons of SafeCard (SafeCard Reviews)

    • Limited Availability – SafeCard is only sold through the official website, making it difficult for users who prefer purchasing from retail stores or third-party platforms.
    • Not Effective Against Physical Theft – While SafeCard protects against RFID skimming, it does not prevent physical card theft, meaning users still need to be cautious about losing their wallets.
    • Limited in stock – The SafeCard is fast selling out, so hurry while supplies last, and you benefit from the current available discounts.

    How Much Is A SafeCard?

    The SafeCard is available at a really affordable price. You can get your own SafeCard at the following pricing:

    Where Can I Buy SafeCard At The Best Pricing?

    For those looking to purchase SafeCard, the best and most reliable place to buy it is the official website. Buying directly from the official source ensures that customers receive a genuine, high-quality product with all the promised features and benefits. With the rise in counterfeit and substandard RFID protection products, purchasing from unauthorized third-party sellers can pose risks, including receiving an ineffective or fake version of SafeCard.

    Ordering from the official website also comes with several advantages. Customers often gain access to exclusive discounts, bundle deals, and special promotions that are not available elsewhere. Additionally, purchasing directly from the manufacturer ensures better customer support, warranty protection, and hassle-free returns in case of any issues.

    Another key benefit of buying from the official website is the guarantee of security and privacy. Unlike some third-party marketplaces where seller credibility may be uncertain, the official website provides a secure checkout process that protects customers’ personal and payment information.
    Many verified buyers have shared their positive experiences after purchasing SafeCard directly from the manufacturer. The process is straightforward, and orders are typically shipped quickly to ensure fast and reliable delivery.

    To avoid counterfeit products and ensure authentic RFID protection, purchasing SafeCard from the official website is the smartest choice. Visit the manufacturer’s website today to secure personal and financial information with this trusted, high-quality security solution.

    CLICK HERE NOW TO BUY SAFECARD DIRECTLY FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE AT A MASSIVE DISCOUNT

    Commonly Asked Questions (SafeCard Wallet)

    With so much information available, it’s natural to have questions before making a purchase. The comprehensive FAQ section below answers the most common queries about SafeCard, helping you understand the RFID blocking card better.

    Is SafeCard different from RFID-blocking wallets?

    Yes, SafeCard is not just different but better. While RFID-blocking wallets and sleeves rely on a physical barrier to block signals, SafeCard uses the latest technology to neutralize skimming attempts in real time. Additionally, it is slim and lightweight, allowing you to use your existing wallet without adding bulk.

    Do I need a special wallet to use SafeCard?

    No, SafeCard is designed to work with any wallet, purse, or cardholder. Simply place it next to your credit or debit cards, and it will provide instant protection against RFID skimming.

    What types of cards does SafeCard protect?

    SafeCard is compatible with all RFID-enabled cards, including:

    • Credit and debit cards
    • Transit and metro cards
    • Passports with RFID chips
    • Work and access cards
    • Hotel key cards

    How many SafeCards do I need?

    One SafeCard is usually enough to protect multiple cards in a standard wallet. However, if you carry multiple wallets or bags, purchasing an extra SafeCard for each would ensure full protection.

    Is SafeCard effective against all types of digital theft?

    SafeCard is highly effective against RFID skimming, a common form of digital theft where criminals use scanners to steal card data wirelessly. However, it does not protect against physical card theft.

    Does SafeCard require charging?

    No. The SafeCard doesn’t require charging, so it will continue to work in all circumstances.

    Can SafeCard be used while traveling?

    Yes, SafeCard is TSA-approved and safe for travel, so it will work in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries of the world. Unlike metal RFID wallets that might trigger airport security detectors, SafeCard does not interfere with screening processes, making it ideal for frequent travelers.

    Will SafeCard interfere with my phone or other electronics?

    No, SafeCard does not affect mobile phones, Wi-Fi signals, or other electronic devices. It only blocks RFID scanners from reading your card data, ensuring that your personal electronics remain unaffected.

    Is SafeCard waterproof?

    Yes, SafeCard is built with water and dust-resistant materials, making it durable for everyday use. However, it is not fully submersible, so it is best to avoid prolonged exposure to water..

    Does SafeCard wear out over time?

    SafeCard is designed to be durable and long-lasting. With proper care, it will continue to provide RFID-blocking protection for years.

    Can SafeCard be used in a minimalist wallet?

    Yes, SafeCard’s slim design makes it perfect for minimalist wallets. Unlike bulky RFID-blocking wallets, it takes up minimal space while offering superior protection.

    Is SafeCard safe to use?

    Absolutely. SafeCard does not emit harmful radiation or interfere with health devices. It is completely safe to carry in a wallet or purse daily.

    What Are The Benefits Of SafeCard?

    SafeCard provides a very important defense against RFID skimming, stopping illegal access to your financial and personal information. Its lightweight, sleek design offers security without adding bulk and fits easily into any wallet. Travelers, shoppers, and regular users will enjoy the SafeCard’s long-lasting build.

    Can SafeCard protect against contactless payment scammers?

    Yes, SafeCard prevents unauthorized RFID scans, which are commonly used in contactless payment fraud. By blocking these signals, SafeCard ensures that criminals cannot access your card information without your consent.

    Why should I choose SafeCard over other RFID protection methods?

    SafeCard provides a combination of slim design, real-time protection, and universal compatibility, making it one of the most advanced RFID-blocking devices available.

    Final Wrap on SafeCard Reviews

    The SafeCard fulfills its claims according to all available data, consumer reports and complaints. Even discussions on Reddit and Trustpilot agree that the SafeCard is a worthy investment. With its advanced shielding technology, slim design, and ease of use, SafeCard makes sure your private information stays private.

    Many users have shared how SafeCard has helped them stay safe from fraud and financial loss. Rachel T., a verified buyer, recounted her experience: “While traveling through Rio, I discovered my bank account had been drained by scammers. A fellow traveler recommended SafeCard, and it’s been a lifesaver ever since.” This highlights how common digital theft is and why proactive protection is necessary.

    SafeCard also stands out for its convenience. Unlike bulky RFID wallets, it’s compact and discreet. Emma R. praised its design, saying: “I’ve used RFID wallets before, but they were bulky and annoying. SafeCard works so much better, and I don’t even notice it’s there!” This ease of use makes it a preferred choice for those who want to stay safe without the bulk.

    Investing in SafeCard is a smart step toward protecting finances and identity. With SafeCard, you will stay ahead of scammers and enjoy your trips knowing that your personal data is secure. Hurry while offers last!

    SPECIAL OFFER: Click Here To Buy SafeCard From The Official Website — up to 50% OFF, only while stock lasts!

    Contact: SafeCard
    Email: support@safecardshield.com

    Disclaimer:
    This article is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute professional, legal, or cybersecurity advice. While SafeCard may help reduce the risk of RFID-based digital theft, no security product can guarantee 100% protection in all scenarios. Individual results may vary based on usage and other factors. Always exercise general caution and follow best practices when safeguarding your financial and personal data. The publisher and all parties involved in the creation and distribution of this content are not liable for any misuse, loss, or damages arising from the use or reliance on the information provided herein. Always consult the official product website or customer support for the most accurate and updated details.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/73cfc771-032a-4dcd-b2b0-d26ecb66dcc6

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d29cc163-cb6a-4c66-8edf-2f62994e3c33

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b8ff53aa-ffa8-40dc-a79b-e77933daa881

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f88be7c1-c53a-483c-8063-ef12d643d7d6

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Understanding Trump’s Union-Busting Executive Order Ending Collective Bargaining For Hundreds Of Thousands Of Federal Workers

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    President Trump issued a sweeping Executive Order and related Fact Sheet invoking “national security” grounds to end collective bargaining with federal unions. Here are the facts about this outrageous and unprecedented attack on federal workers—and on the Labor movement itself.

    FACT: Federal unions do not undermine national security!

    • Federal civil servants dutifully protect and serve our nation every day and having a union has never changed that.
    • Many federal workers are veterans. Taking away their rights to a representative and a voice in the workplace by claiming it threatens “national security” shows disdain and disrespect for their lifelong dedication to public service.

    FACT: This is retaliation against unions for standing up for the workers they represent.

    • Unions, including the IAM, have been fighting Trump’s effort to ruthlessly terminate tens of thousands of federal workers in violation of laws and CBAs that prevent such arbitrary terminations. Trump cites unions filing grievances to protect workers’ rights and jobs as the rationale for his EO. Trump’s effort now to get rid of the Unions that protect those workers is retaliation for exercising rights protected by federal law.

    FACT: Collective bargaining rights for federal workers do not negatively impact the government.

    • Trump cites the very existence of binding collective bargaining agreements to protect employee working conditions as “dangerous.” But presidents from both parties have upheld the right of federal workers to union representation for decades. CBAs provide both management and employees with guideposts for an efficient and fair workplace.

    FACT: Taking away workers’ unions makes things worse, not more efficient!

    • By eliminating employee unions’ collective bargaining rights, it becomes harder for federal employees to do their jobs. They will face retaliation without any grievance process to address issues. These are the people who take care of our veterans and protect our country, who enforce laws and protect the health and safety of the public.

    FACT: This EO is designed to take away workers’ protections and unions’ abilities to fight back.

    • Ending payroll dues deduction is another direct attempt to attack unions’ ability to fight for workers. Anti-union forces always want to make it harder for members to contribute to their representation, because they hope that it will stop financial support for unions that fight back to protect workers.
    • The agencies Trump targeted are described as having critical national security missions—but these are the same agencies that he and his Elon Musk-led DOGE team are targeting for massive layoffs and budget cuts. They are stripping union representation away from workers right when they need it most!

    The IAM is working with other unions representing federal employees to mount a legal challenge to this unprecedented attack on federal workers. We will not sit back and watch workers lose the right to representation and a voice on the job!

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia

    In early 2021, after a decade of political and economic reforms, Myanmar looked like it was finally beginning to shake off the hangover of decades of military rule. Foreign investment was growing, and standards of living were gradually improving.

    In February that year, however, the military again grabbed power after ousting Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a coup. This sent the country spiralling towards civil war and social and economic collapse.

    In the latest addition to the daily misery of Myanmar’s long-suffering people, a huge 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the centre of the country on Friday. Its epicentre was just outside Mandalay, the county’s second-largest city.

    The Thai capital of Bangkok, more than 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre, experienced extensive damage too. Video images showed a collapsing building under construction and sloshing rooftop infinity pools causing waterfalls down high-rise condominiums.

    Information on the extent of the damage in Myanmar was slower to emerge, given the junta has largely banned social media and communications apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Signal and X.

    The death toll has now passed 1,000 at the time of writing. US Geological Survey modelling, however, suggests there could be more than 10,000 deaths and economic losses potentially exceeding the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    Unusually for the isolationist military juntas of Myanmar, its leader, Min Aung Hlaing, immediately issued a call for international assistance.

    The junta, however, has full control of as little as 21% of the country in the ongoing civil war, with the rest contested or controlled by ethnic armed groups and resistance fighters. This indicates some hard-hit areas of the country may be inaccessible to international aid.

    Compounding these difficulties, the Trump administration has decimated the US Agency for International Development (USAID) activities in the country. This will make it far more challenging to determine the areas most in need and distribute any aid on the ground.

    Natural disasters in Myanmar

    Along with its history of brutal and authoritarian military rule since gaining independence in 1948, Myanmar is also regularly afflicted by natural disasters.

    At least 430 people are believed to have died in floods last September due to the remnants of Typhoon Yagi. In 2023, Cyclone Mocha reportedly killed about 460 of the Rohingya ethnic minority, who are largely confined to government camps in Rakhine state in inhuman conditions.

    The worst natural disaster in living memory, however, was Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which left at least 140,000 dead. On that occasion, the military junta resisted international assistance, likely resulting in many unnecessary deaths.

    At that time, there was no independent media in Myanmar and it was almost impossible to find out what was actually happening on the ground.

    Fortunately, the proliferation of mobile phones in the last decade has allowed information to spread much more widely, even with the junta’s internet blocks and other methods of censorship currently in place.

    When Cyclone Nargis occurred – the year after the iPhone was launched – only around 1% of the Myanmar’s population had mobile phones. By the time of the coup in 2021, Myanmar had a smartphone penetration rate of 114%. (This means the country has more smartphones than people.)

    Foreign assistance has been compromised

    While Min Aung Hlaing has gone farther than his predecessor in 2008 in asking for international help, US President Donald Trump’s actions have ensured that any aid will be far less effective than it would have been two months ago.

    On Friday, the same day the earthquake hit, the Trump administration told Congress it would cut nearly all remaining jobs at USAID and shut the agency, closing all USAID missions worldwide.

    Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International and a former USAID official, called the move “a total abdication of decades of US leadership in the world”. He argued the firings would cut “the last remnants of the team that would have mobilised a USAID disaster response” to the earthquake.

    In 2024, USAID spent US$240 million (A$380 million) in Myanmar, around one-third of all multilateral humanitarian assistance to the country.

    However, since Trump’s inauguration in January, the number of USAID programs in Myanmar has shrunk from 18 to just three. Several NGOs and at least seven US-funded hospitals operating along Myanmar’s border with Thailand have been shut down.

    Myanmar’s exiled independent media outlets, which shine a light on the military’s atrocities, have also seen their funding slashed by the Trump administration’s USAID cuts.

    What happens now?

    The day before the earthquake, Min Aung Hlaing addressed troops at the 80th anniversary of Armed Forces Day Parade. He announced national elections would go ahead in December – a vote that human rights groups are already calling a “sham”.

    There is no conceivable way elections of any integrity can be held in the country under military rule or while the civil war continues to rage.

    Military-backed parties have been overwhelmingly rejected by Myanmar’s electorate in every remotely free or fair election over the last four decades. This includes the most recent elections held in 2020, won by the National League of Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

    While the world should welcome – and urgently respond to – Min Aung Hlaing’s invitation for international assistance, this doesn’t mean the past is forgotten. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost as a result of the military’s unnecessary and destructive 2021 coup.

    If the NLD had remained in government, the country would be infinitely more prepared to deal with consequences of this earthquake. Once again, the military’s brutal rule – and Trump’s draconian aid cuts – will no doubt cause more unnecessary suffering and deaths.

    Adam Simpson 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. Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths – https://theconversation.com/thousands-are-feared-dead-in-myanmars-quake-trumps-usaid-cuts-will-cause-even-more-unnecessary-deaths-253403

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Temporary park closures in Townsville

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Issued: 27 Mar 2025

    Open larger image
    Open larger image

    Townsville Town Common Conservation Park, Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park and Bowling Green Bay National Park are temporarily closed due to heavy rainfall and ongoing weather conditions in the area.

    The closure includes all visitor facilities, camping areas, walking tracks, mountain bike tracks and vehicle access areas.

    These measures have been enforced to ensure the safety of visitors and to allow the park to recover from the adverse effects of the recent severe weather.

    Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is currently not accepting new camping bookings in affected recreation areas, with refunds available for those who have already booked.

    We encourage members of the public and those leaving camping areas to drive safely and follow the instructions of QPWS rangers and emergency services.

    Visitors and campers are being urged to check Park Alerts for up-to-date information on protected area closures.

    Campers wishing to cancel their bookings can request a camping credit or refund by visiting qld.gov.au/Camping.

    QPWS will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates when the protected areas are safe to reopen.

    For up-to-date weather information see the Bureau of Meteorology.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia

    In early 2021, after a decade of political and economic reforms, Myanmar looked like it was finally beginning to shake off the hangover of decades of military rule. Foreign investment was growing, and standards of living were gradually improving.

    In February that year, however, the military again grabbed power after ousting Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a coup. This sent the country spiralling towards civil war and social and economic collapse.

    In the latest addition to the daily misery of Myanmar’s long-suffering people, a huge 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the centre of the country on Friday. Its epicentre was just outside Mandalay, the county’s second-largest city.

    The Thai capital of Bangkok, more than 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre, experienced extensive damage too. Video images showed a collapsing building under construction and sloshing rooftop infinity pools causing waterfalls down high-rise condominiums.

    Information on the extent of the damage in Myanmar was slower to emerge, given the junta has largely banned social media and communications apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Signal and X.

    The death toll has now passed 1,000 at the time of writing. US Geological Survey modelling, however, suggests there could be more than 10,000 deaths and economic losses potentially exceeding the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    Unusually for the isolationist military juntas of Myanmar, its leader, Min Aung Hlaing, immediately issued a call for international assistance.

    The junta, however, has full control of as little as 21% of the country in the ongoing civil war, with the rest contested or controlled by ethnic armed groups and resistance fighters. This indicates some hard-hit areas of the country may be inaccessible to international aid.

    Compounding these difficulties, the Trump administration has decimated the US Agency for International Development (USAID) activities in the country. This will make it far more challenging to determine the areas most in need and distribute any aid on the ground.

    Natural disasters in Myanmar

    Along with its history of brutal and authoritarian military rule since gaining independence in 1948, Myanmar is also regularly afflicted by natural disasters.

    At least 430 people are believed to have died in floods last September due to the remnants of Typhoon Yagi. In 2023, Cyclone Mocha reportedly killed about 460 of the Rohingya ethnic minority, who are largely confined to government camps in Rakhine state in inhuman conditions.

    The worst natural disaster in living memory, however, was Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which left at least 140,000 dead. On that occasion, the military junta resisted international assistance, likely resulting in many unnecessary deaths.

    At that time, there was no independent media in Myanmar and it was almost impossible to find out what was actually happening on the ground.

    Fortunately, the proliferation of mobile phones in the last decade has allowed information to spread much more widely, even with the junta’s internet blocks and other methods of censorship currently in place.

    When Cyclone Nargis occurred – the year after the iPhone was launched – only around 1% of the Myanmar’s population had mobile phones. By the time of the coup in 2021, Myanmar had a smartphone penetration rate of 114%. (This means the country has more smartphones than people.)

    Foreign assistance has been compromised

    While Min Aung Hlaing has gone farther than his predecessor in 2008 in asking for international help, US President Donald Trump’s actions have ensured that any aid will be far less effective than it would have been two months ago.

    On Friday, the same day the earthquake hit, the Trump administration told Congress it would cut nearly all remaining jobs at USAID and shut the agency, closing all USAID missions worldwide.

    Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International and a former USAID official, called the move “a total abdication of decades of US leadership in the world”. He argued the firings would cut “the last remnants of the team that would have mobilised a USAID disaster response” to the earthquake.

    In 2024, USAID spent US$240 million (A$380 million) in Myanmar, around one-third of all multilateral humanitarian assistance to the country.

    However, since Trump’s inauguration in January, the number of USAID programs in Myanmar has shrunk from 18 to just three. Several NGOs and at least seven US-funded hospitals operating along Myanmar’s border with Thailand have been shut down.

    Myanmar’s exiled independent media outlets, which shine a light on the military’s atrocities, have also seen their funding slashed by the Trump administration’s USAID cuts.

    What happens now?

    The day before the earthquake, Min Aung Hlaing addressed troops at the 80th anniversary of Armed Forces Day Parade. He announced national elections would go ahead in December – a vote that human rights groups are already calling a “sham”.

    There is no conceivable way elections of any integrity can be held in the country under military rule or while the civil war continues to rage.

    Military-backed parties have been overwhelmingly rejected by Myanmar’s electorate in every remotely free or fair election over the last four decades. This includes the most recent elections held in 2020, won by the National League of Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

    While the world should welcome – and urgently respond to – Min Aung Hlaing’s invitation for international assistance, this doesn’t mean the past is forgotten. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost as a result of the military’s unnecessary and destructive 2021 coup.

    If the NLD had remained in government, the country would be infinitely more prepared to deal with consequences of this earthquake. Once again, the military’s brutal rule – and Trump’s draconian aid cuts – will no doubt cause more unnecessary suffering and deaths.

    Adam Simpson 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. Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths – https://theconversation.com/thousands-are-feared-dead-in-myanmars-quake-trumps-usaid-cuts-will-cause-even-more-unnecessary-deaths-253403

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: VANDEPEER ROAD, KEILIRA (Grass Fire)

    Source: South Australia County Fire Service

    Issued on
    29 Mar 2025 16:50

    Issued for
    KEILIRA near Avenue Range in the lower South East.

    Warning level
    Advice – Monitor Conditions

    Action
    Monitor local conditions and stay informed if you are in this area. Decide what you will do if the situation changes.

    At this time there is no threat to life or property and firefighters are attending this fire.

    More information will be provided by the CFS when it is available.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DMV Senators Announce MERIT Act to Reinstate Recently Terminated Probationary Federal Employees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in introducing the of the Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination (MERIT) Act. This timely legislation would reinstate recently terminated probationary federal employees and provide them back pay.

    “The Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on the federal workforce have hit Virginians especially hard. Not only have these senseless cuts and layoffs caused unnecessary pain for the federal workforce, but they are making us less safe in the process. Congress must act to undo this damage by reinstating federal employees who were unjustly fired and giving them the back pay they deserve,” said Sen. Warner. 

    “Trump and Musk’s illegal cuts to the nonpartisan civil service have disrupted government’s basic operation and disproportionately impacted veterans in Virginia and across the country,” said Sen. Kaine. “Reinstating these professional civil servants is critical for our economy and national security. That’s why I’m cosponsoring the MERIT Act, and will keep doing all that I can to fight for the patriotic Americans who have dedicated their lives to serving our communities through public service.”

    “This bill protects and restores the meritorious civil servants shamefully attacked by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. If DOGE were serious about rooting out unqualified workers, they’d focus on their own disastrous cabinet nominees: be it a Secretary of Defense who is leaking classified war plans, or a Secretary of Labor who isn’t clear on collective bargaining agreement enforcement, or a Secretary of Health and Human Services who believes our race should determine our vaccine schedules. We have a duty to stand by the patriotic civil servants who work day and night on behalf of the American people. Our bill is an important step towards restoring the full suite of services that our federal employees provide to the American people,” said Sen. Alsobrooks.

    “The Trump-Musk Administration’s illegal purge of federal employees is not only hurting our hard-working public servants — it is wreaking havoc on important services for all Americans. As we support efforts in the courts to reverse these dangerous attacks on federal employees and the work they do, we’re also fighting in Congress. This legislation will allow our federal workers to get back on the job so they can continue serving the American people,” said Sen. Van Hollen.

    “NFFE is fully supportive of the MERIT Act to reinstate illegally terminated federal employees, allowing them to return to work and continue delivering critical services for the American people,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “These are dedicated public servants who care for our veterans, maintain our military readiness, protect our communities from natural disasters, and so much more. Congress must reverse the President’s unlawful and dangerous attempts to dismantle the civil service. Thank you to Senator Alsobrooks for her commitment to federal workers.”

    “Our union applauds Senator Alsobrooks for leading this bill to reinstate thousands of highly qualified federal employees who have been unjustly terminated as part of a Trump-Musk effort to dismantle federal agencies and public services. Not only were these mass firings a reckless misuse of taxpayer dollars and public resources, but these actions have been judged illegal by federal courts. So many of these talented federal workers are veterans, and experienced professionals who were recently promoted, but all of them were hired as federal civil servants due to their qualifications and their competency for the job,” said International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Matt Biggs.

    “The MERIT ACT is greatly needed at a time when so many in our federal workforce have been unjustly fired, and when thousands more, including SEIU members, are doing their jobs in the hostile, chaotic environment created by this administration and DOGE. Federal workers who provide critical services to our communities from agencies such as Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency are navigating through massive job layoffs while scrambling to pay rent, keep the lights on, and feed their families. SEIU is proud to support this bill that will reinstate DOGE-fired workers and ensure that they have backpay they’re due, so they can continue to provide vital services in good and bad times.” said SEIU President April Verrett. 

    The MERIT Act would reinstate federal employees, including probationary workers who were recently promoted or hired, who were fired from federal agencies and departments as part of the ongoing mass layoffs. The bill would provide back pay, treat the employees as “involuntarily separated without cause,” and require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit to Congress a report on the number of workers fired and other information about the layoffs. 

    The MERIT Act has been endorsed by: 

    American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

    International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)

    National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)

    National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)

    Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

    The American Federation of Labor (AFL)

    MIL OSI USA News –