NewzIntel.com

Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Australia’s most friendly and welcoming city for the LGBTIQA+ communities

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    • Canberra is Australia’s most welcoming city for the LGBTIQA+ communities.
    • This article lists art and entertainment, events, sports and activities and health related information for LGBTIQA+ communities.

    As the Capital of Equality, Canberra offers a lot for LGBTIQA+ people who call it home.

    For people living here, this isn’t just a saying — it’s something you can see and feel every day. Whether you’ve lived in Canberra your whole life or just moved here, there are many ways to feel safe, meet others, and be yourself.

    Across the city, there are support services, social groups, and events that celebrate LGBTIQA+ communities. You can find places to connect, have fun, and get help if you need it.

    This guide will help you discover a glimpse of what’s out here and how to get involved.

    Art and entertainment

    Canberra Qwire is Canberra’s own LGBTIQA+ choir which celebrates a common love of music and singing. With 120+ members from all walks, you can join the choir or attend a concert.

    SpringOUT is Canberra’s own pride festival held annually in November. While still a little away, the applications to run a range of LGBTIQA+ events or to hold a stall at the Fair Day will soon open.

    FLESH: Queer Life Drawing sessions feature a life model run by and for LGBTIQA+ folks. Join the relaxed, social atmosphere to pursue your own creative approaches.

    Queer Variety Show is a bi-monthly event featuring LGBTIQA+ and disabled performers held at Smith’s Alternative.

    Smith’s Alternative is one of Canberra’s most iconic and loved performance venues. The bar and performing arts cafe celebrate queerness and local culture. Smiths is known for providing a safe and inclusive space. It offers live music, poetry, comedy, burlesque, theatre, drag, queer shows, cabaret, art exhibitions and dance parties.

    She Shapes History is on a mission to promote gender equality through tourism. Join their walking tour to learn about women’s and LGBTIQA+ history of Canberra. You can also listen to the She Shapes History Queer Past podcast about Canberra’s queer history.

    Tuggeranong Arts Centre is a creative hub and gathering place in South Canberra. The centre aims to connect people, create new experiences and celebrate the arts. Keep an eye out for events and workshops.

    Belconnen Arts Centre is an inner-north hub for visual and performing arts classes. As part of the many LGBTIQA+ events and workshops they run, Kaleidescope, an annual exhibition, celebrating LGBTIQA+ experiences.

    Sport and the outdoors

    Queer run CBR is an inclusive community of runners, riders, rollers and strollers. If you are looking to find a space that celebrates LGBTIQA+ folks and allies, look no further.

    ACT Water Polo is an inclusive and diverse club that promotes physical activity and friendship in a safe and judgement free space.

    Pink Tennis is a welcoming group of LGBTIQA+ individuals who encourages people of all abilities to pick up a racquet and join a bunch of queer people in Canberra who like to play tennis.

    Rainbow Racquets Squash is a squash group for LGBTIQA+ people and their allies. They create a relaxed and inclusive space to enjoy squash and connect.

    Canberra Roller Derby League are a competitive flat track roller derby club run by the skaters, for the skaters. They are dedicated to promoting health, sport, community and inclusion.

    Pride Fitness Canberra is a business focused on providing a safe space for community to meet and get active. They offer bootcamp, running meets and post workout coffees.

    Support for LGBTIQA+ communities and their families

    A Gender Agenda is a community organisation that supports intersex, trans, and gender diverse people. Check out their resources and support services.

    Meridian is a community organisation that provides health and social support services to LGBTIQA+ communities.

    Seahorse Playgroup is a local playgroup and community space for LGBTIQA+ parents, carers, and their children.

    Community and support for young LGBTIQA+ people

    Encampment 2025 is a locally run initiative that brings LGBTIQA+ young people aged 13-17 years old together. They help to navigate gender identities and sexualities and strengthen their connection to the community. Check their application dates for 2025/26.

    Bit Bent offers weekly culturally safe and participant-led groups for LGBTIQA+ young people aged 10 to 25. Whether you’re looking for resources, connections, or simply a place to hang out and be with like-minded individuals, they have you covered.

    Rainbow Mob is a local community organisation run for and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQASB+ young people.

    Variations in sex characteristics is a psychosocial service at Canberra Health Services that provides support to children and young people born with sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies.

    Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT (SHFPACT) supports public, private and faith-based schools in Canberra with age-appropriate, accurate and sexuality education. View their resources and education workshops.

    Stun Magazine is a Canberra born and bred queer magazine. New to the scene but already making a huge impact. The magazine covers readers across Sydney, Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle with high-quality entertainment and queer content.

    FUSE Magazine is a national gay, lesbian bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer lifestyle magazine. It covers everything from news, entertainment, fashion health and social issues.

    LGBTIQA+ Directory is exactly what is sounds like. If you are looking for LGBTIQA+ support, businesses, or community-based connections, look no further.

    ACT Government 

    The Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs run a community grants program called Capital of Equality Grants, hosts LGBTIQA+ events and engages with LGBTIQA+ communities to help make Canberra the capital of equality.

    For more information visit their website, follow their Facebook page for the Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs or subscribe to their newsletter.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s decision to bomb Iran exposes fissures in US politics

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Lester Munson, Non-Resident Fellow, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

    US President Donald Trump’s strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which he foreshadowed on and off for the past few days, has revealed a surprisingly broad middle ground in US politics, even as it has provoked controversy in the international community.

    Almost immediately after news of the US military action broke, John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, blasted out a statement of support, calling the attack the “correct move”.

    Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who spent decades in House Democratic Leadership roles, said the strike “was essential to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon”.

    Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, a likely presidential candidate in 2028, gave a thoughtful evaluation of the attack, calling Iran’s nuclear weapons program “dangerous”.

    Other Democrats were more muted. Leading Senators, including Leader Chuck Schumer, complained about the lack of congressional authorisation and the administration’s failure to consult Congress before the strike, but didn’t specifically oppose the US action.

    In the US system, only Congress can declare war, but the president has broad power as commander-in-chief to respond to threats. Most defenders of presidential authority acknowledge his authority to act militarily – particularly when the US’s role is highly limited, such as in the Iran strike. Should US involvement deepen, the calls for a congressional role in authorising the war will become louder and more legitimate.

    Some on the far left, including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, openly opposed the strike and even called for Trump’s impeachment. Ocasio-Cortez said:

    The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.

    On the Republican side, there has also not been unanimous support for the strike.

    Even within the president’s coalition, some isolationists have been opposed to any US strike on Iran. They rightly pointed out that Trump campaigned on ending wars, not starting them.

    Media personalities Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon openly urged the president not to strike Iran. Carlson’s interview on the issue with hawkish Republican Ted Cruz gathered huge attention on social media.

    Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence and a member of his cabinet, went so far as to make a video about the horrors of nuclear conflict.

    Trump’s reaction to Gabbard’s video was furious. He even suggested he might eliminate her office, which is charged with coordinating America’s many intelligence agencies.

    Trump also called Carlson, whose millions-strong following on X is a key component of Trump’s political base, “kooky” for opposing a strike on Iran. Trump later walked that back, saying Carlson had called to apologise, and that Carlson “is a nice guy”.

    In Congress, one notable Trump ally opposed the Iran attack. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the controversial congresswoman from Georgia, said:

    Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war […] This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.

    Trump’s decision has wide cross-party support

    It is certainly fair to look closely at Trump’s base and explore divisions and disagreements. However, it is highly likely that Trump’s dominant personality means he will keep the vast majority of his base together.

    More revealing about US politics is the support across the aisle for his Iran policy.

    Trump’s brash manner and divisive rhetoric make it difficult for Democrats to support him in any circumstance, but the US people’s disdain for Iran appears to be much stronger.

    In 1979, Iranian revolutionaries took 52 US diplomats hostage. The image of those captive hostages blindfolded and at the mercy of Iranian radicals is burned into older Americans’ brains.

    A generation later, Iran-backed militias killed more than 600 Americans in the war in Iraq. There are other sins Iran has committed against the US, included the attempted assassination of Trump. In this context, Trump’s policy is in the US mainstream.

    Why didn’t Trump consult Congress?

    It has been the standard practice of US presidents to brief the bipartisan leadership of Congress on key national security initiatives, such as a strikes on adversaries. While not a hard-and-fast rule, the practice can produce more bipartisan support for a president’s actions that he might otherwise have. It’s not unreasonable to think senior congressional Democrats might be more openly supportive of the Iran strike if they had been consulted in this manner.

    However, Trump and his administration did not do this, for a reason. There is little value in open bipartisanship in America today. Even though both parties are very close on Iran policy, neither wants that to be seen in public as cooperating across the aisle. Each party would much rather make the case to its base that it represents their interests and is not willing to compromise with the other party. Support from Democrats does not strengthen Trump, as his base is highly suspicious of the opposition party.

    The reverse is true for elected Democrats, including those in leadership. They will be more vulnerable from progressives in next year’s primary contests if they are seen as insufficiently resisting Trump. There is no Trump-like figure in their party to protect them from this base.

    In US politics today, nothing is more dangerous than agreeing with the other party. There is a premium value on publicly opposing your political adversaries, no matter what the issue. It makes for a foreign policy that appears more fractured than it actually is.

    Lester Munson receives funding from the U.S. Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He is affiliated with the Republican Party.

    – ref. Trump’s decision to bomb Iran exposes fissures in US politics – https://theconversation.com/trumps-decision-to-bomb-iran-exposes-fissures-in-us-politics-259446

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: My kids only want to eat processed foods. How can I get them eating a healthier and more varied diet?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Clinical Trials Director, Department of Endocrinology, RPA Hospital, University of Sydney

    If it feels like your child’s diet consists entirely of breakfast cereal, chicken nuggets and snacks that’d outlast the apocalypse, you’re not alone.

    Processed foods are the go-to for many kids, and for some, they’re the only foods they’ll eat.

    Here’s why – and what you can do about it.

    Processed foods and their prevalence in kids’ diets

    Processed foods are any foods altered from their natural state.

    While some food processing is beneficial – such as pasteurising milk to kill bacteria – the ones that cause parents concern are ultra-processed foods, which use industrial methods to enhance flavour, texture and shelf life by adding sugars, salt, fats and artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.

    Parents know some ultra-processed foods all too well – they’re the fast and junk foods kids love. But others hide in plain sight, disguised as “healthy” convenience foods such as flavoured yoghurts and muffins.

    Ultra-processed foods offer low-to-no nutrition, which is why dietary guidelines recommend limiting them. But these
    “discretionary foods” make up one-third of Aussie kids’ daily energy intake.

    Why do kids find processed foods so appealing?

    Basic biology

    Ultra-processed foods are engineered to be addictive, with their added sugar, salt and fat activating kids’ brains’ reward system, releasing feelgood chemicals.

    Evolution has hardwired humans to seek natural sugar- and fat-rich foods – a physiological response our hunter-gatherer ancestors developed to avoid starvation.

    Food fussiness

    One in two kids will experience a fussy eating phase – another survival response inherited from our ancestors, who avoided toxins by developing an aversion to unfamiliar and bitter foods.

    Fussy eaters also favour ultra-processed foods, such as chicken nuggets, chips and breakfast cereals, because they’re familiar and non-threatening, often beige like breastmilk and kids’ first solid foods. Plus their blander flavours don’t overwhelm developing tastebuds.

    Pester power

    From sneaky YouTube ads to eye-level supermarket displays, kids are incessantly exposed to marketing that makes them crave – and demand – ultra-processed foods.

    How processed foods impact kids’ health

    Ultra-processed foods can impact kids’ health in a range of ways, contributing to:

    • nutritional deficiencies. Kids filling up on ultra-processed foods are less likely to eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean meats, producing a diet lacking in fibre and other key nutrients needed for growth and development

    • childhood obesity. Ultra-processed foods are high in calories, unhealthy sugars, salt and fat, and often lack portion control, promoting overeating

    • increased risk of diseases. Long-term overconsumption of ultra-processed foods is linked with a higher risk of developing a range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

    Unhealthy eating habits can be hard to break, but positive diet and lifestyle changes – even later in childhood – can reverse these negative health effects.

    Science-based tips for healthier eating habits

    1. Eat together

    Family mealtimes allow you to model healthy eating. Sit together around the table, share the same meal, and put devices away so everyone’s attention is on eating.

    2. Introduce foods carefully

    Research shows kids need eight to ten exposures before they willingly eat new foods. So offer them regularly, encourage tasting and don’t pressure them to eat.

    While it’s tempting, avoid offering dessert as a reward for trying something healthy. Using treats as a reward increases kids’ preference for unhealthy foods.

    Kids are also more likely to try new foods when they’re hungry, so avoid snacks one to preferably two hours before mealtimes.

    3. Introduce variety to family favourites

    Children are more open to trying new foods when there’s something familiar on their plate.

    So, tweak family favourites by swapping ingredients, such as using lentils instead of beef in bolognese or roasting carrots to make “orange chippies”. Grating veggies into sauces also expands kids’ diets without overwhelming them.

    4. Make food fun

    Children respond positively when healthy foods are presented in fun ways, so include different colours, textures and shapes on their plate to hold their interest.

    Changing meal locations – and enjoying an occasional outdoor picnic – is another simple way to make mealtimes feel special and fun.

    Changing where you eat can make meals fun.
    RDNE/Pexels

    5. Teach kids about the science of food

    Teaching children in an age-appropriate way about the foods we eat promotes healthier eating, so:

    • encourage kids to grow herbs and veggies so they understand where healthy food comes from: toddlers can harvest produce; older kids can plant and prune

    • visit the greengrocer, fishmonger and butcher regularly so kids can see and explore the healthy foods on offer

    • talk to toddlers about food in energy terms: “eating wholegrain toast helps you play longer”

    • share fun facts with older kids: “fish has a special type of fat called omega-3 that makes us smarter”.

    6. Involve kids in cooking

    Spark kids’ interest in healthy meals by involving them in food preparation. Let them choose recipes and take on age-appropriate tasks such as mixing and chopping.

    When kids help make a meal, they feel proud of their effort, and research shows they’re more likely to try what they’ve created.

    It takes about two months to form a habit, so expect resistance along the way. But with perseverance, we can shift kids’ love of processed foods toward healthier choices, helping them establish healthy eating habits for life.

    Nick Fuller is the author of Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids – Six Steps to Total Family Wellness.

    A/Professor Nick Fuller works for the University of Sydney and RPA Hospital and has received external funding for projects relating to the treatment of overweight and obesity. He is the author and founder of the Interval Weight Loss program, and the author of Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids with Penguin Books.

    – ref. My kids only want to eat processed foods. How can I get them eating a healthier and more varied diet? – https://theconversation.com/my-kids-only-want-to-eat-processed-foods-how-can-i-get-them-eating-a-healthier-and-more-varied-diet-242764

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACT Budget 2025-26: Investing in Tourism, Events and Iconic Destinations

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 22/06/2025 – Joint media release

    The ACT Government is investing more than $15 million through the 2025-26 Budget to support Canberra’s growing visitor economy, strengthen the city’s national profile, and deliver high-quality events that benefit the whole community.

    The Budget includes funding to grow tourism, attract more events and business visitors, and continue the revitalisation of one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks – Telstra Tower.

    Backing tourism, events and destination marketing, the Government is supporting Canberra’s tourism industry with:

    • Continued operational support for the Canberra Convention Bureau
    • An Aviation Stimulus Fund to improve flight access to the capital
    • Continuing the Major Events Fund
    • Support for core activities of Brand Canberra, the National Capital Educational Tourism Project, and in-market tourism representation
    • Additional funding to deliver and enhance major events including Enlighten, Floriade and New Year’s Eve, and the return of Windows to the World in 2025.

    Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the investments would help grow Canberra’s tourism, hospitality and events sectors.

    “This Budget supports a growing visitor economy, with targeted funding to further expand aviation access, bring new events to Canberra, and showcase our strengths,” the Chief Minister said.

    “We’re backing local tourism operators and our major festivals, while also strengthening our international engagement and trade connections to create new economic opportunities for the ACT.”

    The Government will also support the revitalisation of Telstra Tower in partnership with Telstra.  The Government is working towards finalisation of an operational agreement with Telstra.

    “We want Telstra Tower to once again be part of a great Canberra tourism experience,” the Chief Minister said.

    “By working with Telstra to deliver a commercially viable and modern fit-out, we can secure the future of this iconic landmark and boost tourism activity.”

    The Budget also includes funding to continue the ACT’s international engagement activities, including trade missions, business export support and international partnerships, with a focus on business, education and tourism opportunities.

    Treasurer Chris Steel said the investments were part of a broader plan to grow Canberra’s economy and support local jobs.

    “This Budget provides targeted investments in tourism, events, business and trade that will deliver economic returns to the Territory,” Mr Steel said.

    “Whether it’s new events, more flights, or major destination projects like Telstra Tower, we’re making sure Canberra is well-placed to grow as a visitor and business hub.”

    Quote attributable to Brendon Riley, Telstra InfraCo CEO

    “Telstra is proud to be partnering with the ACT Government to revitalise this iconic site. We’ve already taken important steps by preparing the Tower for redevelopment, and we look forward to supporting the ACT’s vision through detailed design collaboration and a staged re-opening. This project represents a strong commitment from both parties to create something enduring for the Canberra community and its visitors.”

    – Statement ends –

    Andrew Barr, MLA | Chris Steel, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACT Budget 25-26: 30,000 new homes to provide more housing for Canberrans

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 23/06/2025 – Joint media release

    The Government is supporting the delivery of more homes for Canberrans where and how they want to live.

    The Territory Budget will invest more than $145 million to kickstart a significant pipeline of homes for our growing city.  This supply pipeline will be supported through a range of policy initiatives and industry incentives.

    In partnership with the Australian Government, and our commitments under the national housing accord, the ACT Government has a clear plan to enable 30,000 new homes by 2030.

    The Housing Supply and Land Release Program released today demonstrates how the Government will achieve this target, with government land release to support nearly 26,000 homes over the next five years, direct investment to build social and affordable housing, and thousands more homes expected to be delivered on leased land enabled by new planning reforms.

    The investments through the Budget will make it easier for Canberrans to find the home they need, whether they’re buying their first home, raising a family, ageing in place, or in need of supported housing.

    This includes direct investment in new social and affordable homes, modernising the planning system to support medium-density supply, and targeted reforms to improve fairness and choice in the housing market.

    At the same time, the Government will be increasing apprenticeship subsidies for training in six key construction trades to 90 per cent, building on our existing investment in electrotechnology apprenticeships.

    This significant investment in training for the construction industry will shape the workforce Canberra needs to build more homes for a generation.

    The Budget supports a wide range of practical initiatives to boost supply, increase affordability and deliver homes that suit different stages of life:

    • Increasing eligibility for stamp duty concessions for all eligible purchasers’ price threshold above $1 million.
    • 85 new public housing dwellings delivered through Community Housing Providers under the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility (HAFFF).
    • $20 million additional funding for the Affordable Housing Project Fund, increasing the total to $100 million.
    • 300 affordable Build-to-Rent homes.
    • 17 new social housing townhouses acquired in Coombs under the Social Housing Accelerator.
    • Ongoing investment in the Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program to maintain and expand Canberra’s public housing portfolio.

    In addition to new home construction, the ACT Government is continuing the planning work needed to ensure Canberra grows in a smart, inclusive and sustainable way.

    This includes:

    • Planning for new housing and community facilities in well-located areas, particularly around town centres, local shops and public transport corridors.
    • Funding to support the Construction Productivity Agenda for the ACT of the new Planning Act, aimed at streamlining approvals and increasing clarity for developers and the community.

    To support our plans to enable 30,000 homes by 2030, the Budget supports the development of a future construction workforce, including:

    • An increase in training subsidies to 90% for carpenters, plumbers, tilers, bricklaying and other critical construction trades.
    • The Try-a-Trade program in ACT public high schools to support more young women to enter the construction industry.
    • $250 cost-of-living payments to apprentices and trainees, including an extra $250 for first year apprentices, building on the $10,000 payments available under the Commonwealth’s residential construction training incentive.

    Chief Minister Andrew Barr said housing remains a central investment priority as Canberra grows.

    “Canberrans need homes where they want to live that are affordable, sustainable and well-designed,” the Chief Minister said.

    “This Budget brings together land release, planning reform, housing delivery and tax reform to meet the needs of a changing city and enable 30,000 new homes by 2030.”

    Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry said the Budget delivers both practical results and a pathway to lasting change.

    “We’re investing in affordable homes now and laying the foundations for a more equitable, more liveable city,” Minister Berry said.

    “A stable home is essential for a good life, which is why we’re partnering with the Commonwealth Government to get more homes built than ever before.”

    Treasurer Chris Steel said that the Budget demonstrates how the ACT Government is taking action on housing supply from all sides to support 30,000 new homes and making Canberra a more affordable place to live.

    “Housing is a key priority for our Government in the Budget. These targets will be achieved through budget investment to build more social and affordable homes, undertaking the next stages of planning reform, further land release and investment in supporting infrastructure,” Minister Steel said.

    “We will continue to progress missing middle housing reforms, as well as supporting more well-located homes close to transport, services and jobs.

    “The investment in construction skills, trades and productivity will make a real difference to getting more quality homes built more quickly, boosting our economy and helping to reduce inequality.”

    Finance Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said reforms to stamp duty are part of the Government’s broader approach to making housing more accessible.

    “By expanding stamp duty concessions to more homebuyers, we’re making it easier for Canberrans to enter the market and find a home that suits their needs.”

    Minister for Skills, Training and Industrial Relations Michael Pettersson said that the ACT Government was delivering on election commitments to strengthen Canberra’s construction workforce.

    “We promised to make training in the construction trades more accessible for Canberrans who want to develop the skills they need to get a good, secure job – and now we’re delivering.”

    – Statement ends –

    Andrew Barr, MLA | Yvette Berry, MLA | Chris Steel, MLA | Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Michael Pettersson, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump’s decision to bomb Iran exposes fissures in US politics

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lester Munson, Non-Resident Fellow, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

    US President Donald Trump’s strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which he foreshadowed on and off for the past few days, has revealed a surprisingly broad middle ground in US politics, even as it has provoked controversy in the international community.

    Almost immediately after news of the US military action broke, John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, blasted out a statement of support, calling the attack the “correct move”.

    Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who spent decades in House Democratic Leadership roles, said the strike “was essential to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon”.

    Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, a likely presidential candidate in 2028, gave a thoughtful evaluation of the attack, calling Iran’s nuclear weapons program “dangerous”.

    Other Democrats were more muted. Leading Senators, including Leader Chuck Schumer, complained about the lack of congressional authorisation and the administration’s failure to consult Congress before the strike, but didn’t specifically oppose the US action.

    In the US system, only Congress can declare war, but the president has broad power as commander-in-chief to respond to threats. Most defenders of presidential authority acknowledge his authority to act militarily – particularly when the US’s role is highly limited, such as in the Iran strike. Should US involvement deepen, the calls for a congressional role in authorising the war will become louder and more legitimate.

    Some on the far left, including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, openly opposed the strike and even called for Trump’s impeachment. Ocasio-Cortez said:

    The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.

    On the Republican side, there has also not been unanimous support for the strike.

    Even within the president’s coalition, some isolationists have been opposed to any US strike on Iran. They rightly pointed out that Trump campaigned on ending wars, not starting them.

    Media personalities Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon openly urged the president not to strike Iran. Carlson’s interview on the issue with hawkish Republican Ted Cruz gathered huge attention on social media.

    Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence and a member of his cabinet, went so far as to make a video about the horrors of nuclear conflict.

    Trump’s reaction to Gabbard’s video was furious. He even suggested he might eliminate her office, which is charged with coordinating America’s many intelligence agencies.

    Trump also called Carlson, whose millions-strong following on X is a key component of Trump’s political base, “kooky” for opposing a strike on Iran. Trump later walked that back, saying Carlson had called to apologise, and that Carlson “is a nice guy”.

    In Congress, one notable Trump ally opposed the Iran attack. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the controversial congresswoman from Georgia, said:

    Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war […] This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.

    Trump’s decision has wide cross-party support

    It is certainly fair to look closely at Trump’s base and explore divisions and disagreements. However, it is highly likely that Trump’s dominant personality means he will keep the vast majority of his base together.

    More revealing about US politics is the support across the aisle for his Iran policy.

    Trump’s brash manner and divisive rhetoric make it difficult for Democrats to support him in any circumstance, but the US people’s disdain for Iran appears to be much stronger.

    In 1979, Iranian revolutionaries took 52 US diplomats hostage. The image of those captive hostages blindfolded and at the mercy of Iranian radicals is burned into older Americans’ brains.

    A generation later, Iran-backed militias killed more than 600 Americans in the war in Iraq. There are other sins Iran has committed against the US, included the attempted assassination of Trump. In this context, Trump’s policy is in the US mainstream.

    Why didn’t Trump consult Congress?

    It has been the standard practice of US presidents to brief the bipartisan leadership of Congress on key national security initiatives, such as a strikes on adversaries. While not a hard-and-fast rule, the practice can produce more bipartisan support for a president’s actions that he might otherwise have. It’s not unreasonable to think senior congressional Democrats might be more openly supportive of the Iran strike if they had been consulted in this manner.

    However, Trump and his administration did not do this, for a reason. There is little value in open bipartisanship in America today. Even though both parties are very close on Iran policy, neither wants that to be seen in public as cooperating across the aisle. Each party would much rather make the case to its base that it represents their interests and is not willing to compromise with the other party. Support from Democrats does not strengthen Trump, as his base is highly suspicious of the opposition party.

    The reverse is true for elected Democrats, including those in leadership. They will be more vulnerable from progressives in next year’s primary contests if they are seen as insufficiently resisting Trump. There is no Trump-like figure in their party to protect them from this base.

    In US politics today, nothing is more dangerous than agreeing with the other party. There is a premium value on publicly opposing your political adversaries, no matter what the issue. It makes for a foreign policy that appears more fractured than it actually is.

    Lester Munson receives funding from the U.S. Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He is affiliated with the Republican Party.

    – ref. Trump’s decision to bomb Iran exposes fissures in US politics – https://theconversation.com/trumps-decision-to-bomb-iran-exposes-fissures-in-us-politics-259446

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACT Budget 2025-26: Delivering for Molonglo, Weston Creek and Woden

    Source: Australian National Party

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 21/06/2025 – Joint media release

    The 2025-26 ACT Budget continues the Government’s significant investment in infrastructure and services to meet the needs of rapidly growing communities in Molonglo, Weston Creek and Woden.

    This Budget delivers new investment in suburban upgrades, sport and recreation facilities, and active travel infrastructure, while also progressing planning and early works for major community precincts like the Molonglo Town Centre and Stromlo Forest Park.

    Treasurer Chris Steel said the Budget would ensure that community infrastructure keeps pace with growth in the region.

    “This Budget delivers a strong pipeline of infrastructure and local upgrades across Woden, Weston Creek and Molonglo, supporting growing communities and improving the services people rely on,” Minister Steel said.

    2025-26 Budget initiatives for Molonglo, Weston Creek and Woden include:

    Better Footpaths and Safer Streets:

    • Improvements to footpaths across Woden and Weston Creek.
    • Lighting upgrades to improve safety and visibility.

    Revitalised Local Shops:

    • Upgrades to the public spaces around Mawson Group Centre

    Investing in Sport and Recreation:

    • Mawson, Phillip and Hughes will benefit from female-friendly changeroom upgrades, part of Territory-wide investment in inclusive sports facilities.
    • Changeroom and toilet upgrades at North Curtin Oval.
    • Improved lighting at Waramanga Oval.
    • Stage 1 of the Stromlo Forest Park Tracks and Trails Master Plan, including new trails and signage.

    “We are delivering on Labor’s commitment to upgrade Mawson shops, with improved pedestrian access, landscaping and other improvements to make it an even better place to visit our thriving local businesses,” Minister Steel said.

    “The investment in tracks and trails at UC Stromlo will ensure that park continues to offer range of new experiences for mountain bikers and other users, based directly on their feedback in the master plan.”

    Minister for Women, Dr Marisa Paterson said these upgrades would make a meaningful difference for local families and sports clubs.

    “These investments in community sport and recreation facilities will create spaces where everyone feels welcome, supported and inspired to participate, especially women and girls,” Minister Paterson said.

    Canberrans of all ages will benefit from the ACT Government’s expanded path renewal program, over the next four years in active travel infrastructure will be upgraded across the city.

    Dr Paterson said delivering safe and accessible footpaths and bike paths was one of her key priorities for the region.

    “I’ve been advocating for better path networks and improved lighting across our suburbs, so I’m thrilled to see this funding in the Budget to help keep our community connected, safe and active.”

    – Statement ends –

    Chris Steel, MLA | Marisa Paterson, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Australia Post’s stamp price increase not opposed

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    The ACCC has not objected to Australia Post’s proposed 13.3 per cent price increase, to take effect in July 2025, for its reserved ordinary letter service delivered to the regular timetable.

    Unless the Minister For Communications disapproves the proposed increase, the price for ordinary small letters – known as the basic postage rate – will increase from $1.50 to $1.70. Prices for ordinary large letters up to 125g will increase from $3.00 to $3.40, and ordinary large letters between 125 and 250 grams will rise from $4.50 to $5.10.

    The price of concession stamps ($3 for five) and stamps for seasonal greeting cards (65 cents) will not change.

    “We understand that these price increases will mean extra costs for consumers. However, our decision to not object to Australia Post’s proposed price increase is based on evidence that the costs to Australia Post of providing the letter service are greater than the revenue it produces,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.

    Australia Post’s letter services – including its reserved services – have incurred significant losses in recent years, which Australia Post attributes primarily to the ongoing reduction in letter volumes combined with an increase in delivery points.

    Australia Post has submitted that its letters business is in decline, which is consistent with a trend occurring across postal services globally. Currently, Australia Post only delivers around two letters to each household per week and expects reserved letter volumes to continue to decrease by around 10.6 per cent annually until 2027–28.

    As outlined in the ACCC’s April 2025 preliminary view on Australia Post’s draft proposal, the ACCC found that that Australia Post is unlikely to recover revenue in excess of its costs for reserved postal services, even with the proposed price increase. 

    The ACCC’s final decision was formed in line with its role for postal services, and follows a public consultation process on the preliminary view.

    “Our final decision recommends Australia Post examine ways to alleviate affordability issues for businesses, including those subject to requirements to send physical mail.  Further we made recommendations to address a number of other concerns expressed by stakeholders during consultation,” Ms Brakey said.

    “We are especially mindful of the impact price changes can have on vulnerable Australians, and so our decision paper recommends that Australia Post increases the number of concession stamps per customer, which is currently capped at 50 per year.”

    The bulk of the recommendations made by the ACCC are designed to improve the quality of information provided by Australia Post in support of its price notification submissions – particularly in relation to forecast data and Australia Post’s cost allocation model.

    “While Australia Post has been working constructively with the ACCC on these recommendations, in most instances, we expect full implementation to be reached, so that we can conduct rigorous cost-based assessments going forward,” Ms Brakey said.

    “As there are many businesses in Australia that still rely on sending letters, it is crucial that Australia Post has a transparent dialogue with these customers so they are aware of potential pricing changes well ahead of time.”

    Australia Post’s proposed price of $1.70 for a single postage stamp is below the current median price of $1.93 among OECD postal service operators.

    The ACCC does not approve or reject notified letter price changes – only the Minister for Communications has the power to reject a stamp price increase.

    The final decision paper and an accompanying fact sheet are available on the ACCC website.

    Background

    Australia Post’s proposed price change was outlined in a draft price notification provided to the ACCC in November 2024, and confirmed in a formal price notification submitted in June 2025. 

    Under the Competition and Consumer Act, the ACCC is responsible for assessing proposed price increases by Australia Post for its reserved ordinary letter services delivered to the regular timetable. These are services for which Australia Post holds a statutory monopoly and are declared as ‘notified services’ for the purposes of Part VIIA of the Act.

    The ACCC must consider Australia Post’s proposed price increases for notified services, and may decide to:

    • not object to the price increase
    • not object to a price that is less than that proposed, or
    • object to the price increase.

    The price notification framework does not allow the ACCC to set stamp prices. The ACCC’s role does not include binding decision-making powers, nor broader controls to regulate Australia Post’s service standards.

    Only the Minister for Communications has the power to reject a price increase proposed by Australia Post. Unless the current price notification is disapproved by the Minister within 30 days of receipt, Australia Post is expected to increase notified letter prices from 17 July 2025.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Regulatory reform in digital platform markets is needed to improve competition and consumer outcomes

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    Without sufficient laws in place, Australian consumers and businesses continue to encounter a significant number of harmful practices across a range of digital platform services, the ACCC’s tenth and final report of the ACCC’s Digital Platform Services Inquiry has found.

    “Digital platform services are critically important to Australian consumers and businesses and are major drivers of productivity growth in our economy,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.

    “While these services have brought many benefits, they have also created harms that our current competition and consumer laws cannot adequately address. This is why we continue to recommend that targeted regulation of digital platform services is needed to increase competition and innovation, and protect consumers in digital markets.”

    The report, which concludes the ACCC’s five year inquiry, has reiterated support for measures including an economy wide unfair trading practices prohibition, an external dispute resolution body for digital platform services, and a new digital competition regime.

    Continued risk of widespread harms to Australian consumers and small businesses

    The ACCC’s final report found that there continues to be significant risk of consumer and competition harms on digital platforms.

    Consumers continue to face unfair trading practices in digital markets including manipulative design practices, such as user interfaces that direct consumers to more expensive subscriptions or purchase options.

    “72 per cent of Australian consumers surveyed by the ACCC reported that they had encountered potentially unfair practices when shopping online, such as accidental subscriptions or hidden fees. An unfair trading practices prohibition is required to protect consumers from these kinds of tactics, both online and offline,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

    “Our consumer survey also found 82 per cent of respondents agree that there should be a specialised independent external dispute resolution body for users of digital platform services to escalate complaints which cannot be resolved with platforms directly.”

    “An external dispute resolution body would also help Australian small businesses who rely on digital platforms to reach their customers – for example, when a fake review is made about their business on a search engine or marketplace, or when they have an account deactivated and lose their means of accessing their customers on social media,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

    A new digital competition regime will bring benefits to Australians

    Throughout the course of this five-year Inquiry, the ACCC has also observed conduct by the most powerful digital platforms that is distorting the competitive process. This conduct includes denying interoperability, self-preferencing and tying, exclusivity agreements, impeding switching, and withholding access to important hardware, software, and data inputs.

    “A lack of competition in digital markets can lead to higher prices, less choice, lower quality or even greater harvesting of personal data, ultimately impacting everyday users,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

    “There is broad international recognition that there is anti-competitive conduct in digital markets that needs to be addressed. Several jurisdictions have already introduced regulation to improve competition in digital markets, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.”

    “It is timely to progress a new digital competition regime in Australia which will increase contestability, benefit both local and foreign companies that rely on access to these platforms to conduct business in Australia, and support a growing economy,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

    Emerging services and technology need continued scrutiny

    The final report has also outlined how rapidly evolving digital markets and emerging technologies, like cloud computing and generative AI, may exacerbate existing risks to competition and consumers in Australia or give rise to new ones.

    For example, cloud computing is continuing to grow both globally and in Australia, providing significant benefits for businesses and consumers. However, the ACCC’s report identified a range of potential competition risks in this sector.

    “We found that the major providers of cloud computing in Australia – Amazon, Microsoft and Google – are vast, incumbent digital platforms that are vertically integrated across the cloud technology stack. Vertically-integrated cloud providers may be incentivised to engage in conduct that could harm their competitors – for example, anti-competitively bundling their own services across different layers of the cloud stack,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

    The report also found that generative AI developers and deployers generally require access to significant cloud computing power to train and deploy their products. However, cloud providers may be incentivised to anti-competitively bundle, tie or self-preference their own generative AI products above those of competitors.

    “Harms to competition in the generative AI sector could hamper innovation, result in lower quality products and services, and force Australian businesses and consumers to pay more than they otherwise would to utilise this technology,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

    “To protect against these kinds of risks, it is critical that the proposed digital competition regime enable the ACCC to continue monitoring changes to services it has previously examined, as well as new technologies that emerge over time.”

    Background

    The ACCC’s Digital Platforms Branch conducted a five-year inquiry into markets for the supply of digital platform services in Australia and their impacts on competition and consumers, following a direction from the Treasurer in 2020.

    The inquiry reported to the Government every six months and examined different forms of digital platform services, including: online private messaging services, app marketplaces, search defaults and choice screens, general online retail marketplaces, regulatory reform, social media services, expanding ecosystems of digital platforms, data products and

    services supplied by data firms, and revisiting general search services. This ACCC’s tenth report concludes the inquiry.

    Previous reports are published at Digital platform services inquiry 2020-25.

    In the fifth DPSI interim report on regulatory reform, the ACCC made a range of recommendations to bolster competition in the digital economy, level the playing field between big tech companies and Australian businesses, and reduce prices for consumers. The recommendations include new service-specific mandatory codes of conduct for particular ‘designated digital platforms,’ based on principles set out in legislation.

    In December 2023, the Government accepted the ACCC’s findings that existing competition provisions by themselves are not sufficient to address current or potential future competition harms and supported-in-principle the development of a new digital competition regime. In December 2024, the Government began consultation on the implementation of a new digital competition regime in Australia.

    Further information, including key findings are available on the ACCC website.

    Notes to editors

    ‘Cloud computing’ refers to the provision of global, on-demand network access to computing resources such as networks, servers, storage, applications and services. Cloud computing can be contrasted with traditional on-premises computing, where an organisation installs and maintains its own IT infrastructure for private use.

    ‘Generative AI’ refers to a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that can create content such as text, images, audio, video or data, in response to prompts entered by a user. Generative AI adopts a machine learning approach for turning inputs and outputs into new outputs by analysing extremely large datasets.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fatal crash – Deep Well

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force is currently investigating a fatal crash that occurred in Deep Well yesterday.

    Around 10:40am, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of a motorcycle crash that occurred along Maryvale Road. The 52-year-old old male rider was riding with a group of motorcyclists when he allegedly crashed.

    He was declared deceased upon emergency service arrival.

    The Major Crash Investigation Unit attended the scene and confirmed the exact location of the crash along Maryvale Road, and the man’s family have now been notified.  

    Investigations remain ongoing and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

    Police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25167734.

    The lives lost on Territory roads now stands at 20.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Stress hormone in the womb alters early heart development, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease

    Source:

    23 June 2025

    Exposure to high levels of the body’s primary stress hormone – cortisol – in preterm fetuses can disrupt normal heart development, potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life.

    That’s the finding from a new study led by the University of South Australia (UniSA), showing that elevated cortisol levels in preterm lambs significantly alters molecules that control proper heart development.

    The findings, published in Experimental Physiology, offer vital insights into how early life stress may influence heart health in later life and could help inform how corticosteroids are used in pregnancy.

    Lead author Professor Janna Morrison, Head of the Early Origins of Adult Health Research Group at UniSA, says preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal mortality and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

    “Our research sought to understand how cortisol – whether naturally elevated or via synthetic versions of cortisol to promote lung development – affects the developing cardiovascular system in preterm fetuses,” Prof Morrison says.

    “We know that cortisol rises naturally in late pregnancy and plays a critical role in maturing fetal organs in preparation for birth, but we did not know how crucial molecules involved in heart development were impacted by cortisol in the preterm period.

    “When cortisol levels rise too early – either due to maternal stress or medical intervention – it may accelerate heart development in ways that aren’t entirely beneficial, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease many years later.”

    Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, obesity and placental insufficiency can lead to a premature increase in cortisol concentrations earlier in gestation that impacts the developing fetus.

    To mimic the cortisol levels that are normal in late gestation, researchers administered cortisol to preterm sheep fetuses over seven days and then studied the impact on signalling molecules in the heart.

    The results showed significant changes in the heart’s molecular structure.

    “We found that elevated levels of cortisol during early heart development disrupt key cardiac pathways by suppressing glucocorticoid receptors and altering molecular signals involved in growth, energy metabolism, and cardio-protection,” says co-author UniSA researcher Dr Reza Amanollahi.

    “These disruptions may leave the premature heart more susceptible to cardiovascular instability. Given the close similarities between sheep and human heart development, our findings raise important concerns that prenatal stress could also compromise heart health in preterm human infants.”

    Co-lead on the project, Dr Mitchell Lock, says that while antenatal corticosteroids remain critical for improving survival, our research highlights the importance of closely monitoring their use in pregnancy.

    “We hope these findings will also help refine the clinical care of preterm babies to support better long-term outcomes.”

    “Elevated cortisol concentration in preterm sheep fetuses impacts heart development” was authored by researchers from the University of South Australia, the University of Queensland and Oregon Health & Science University. DOI: 10.1113/EP092506

    A video discussing the findings is available here.

    Notes for editors

    Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide and several risk factors such as age, pre-existing conditions and lifestyle contribute to its disease burden. This study explores the causes from a different angle: the influence of stress hormones when the heart is developing in the fetus.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview: Dr Reza Amanollahi E: reza.amanollahi@unisa.edu.au

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Research – NZ’s Elite Athlete Breaking Point Research to be Shared with Five Eyes Nations

    Source: Impact PR for Vantaset

    A world-first performance transformation framework developed in New Zealand from research into the psychological breaking point of elite athletes has caught the attention of police forces in North America and the United Kingdom, with a number of trials in discussion.

    The move follows the inking of long-term contracts with global law enforcement advisory organisation World Policing in the UK, which provides governance and technical advice to thousands of police forces around the world, and a specialist consulting firm that supports Government security and law enforcement agencies throughout Europe and North America, including the FBI.

    Vantaset, founded by performance expert Craig Steel, whose team includes a former All Blacks manager and two Olympians, has unveiled a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) model designed to optimise workplace performance using a scientifically engineered system to help athletes deliver personal bests on demand.

    The global interest from global law enforcement and defence agencies in the company’s platform, which took seven years and $7 million to develop, follows the success of an earlier iteration of the framework with the New Zealand Police under former commissioner Mike Bush.

    The process, which was credited by Bush as helping him achieve what was described as one of the most successful Government sector transformations in history, not only lifted staff engagement and public trust in the organisation, it helped him reduce crime by over 20%.1

    Steel says discussions are underway with a number of North American police chiefs and defence experts who have identified their process as a potential solution to address plummeting engagement and retention issues they are facing.

    “They told us this was the most promising process they’ve seen to address what they describe as a leadership and engagement crisis affecting critical agencies globally, so piloting the process is the logical next step in demonstrating its effectiveness in this environment.”

    Bernard Rix, chairman of World Policing says, “Given the demonstrable impact Vantaset’s technology had on New Zealand Police, we’re confident it can be implemented in other law enforcement agencies around the world to help them improve the performance of their respective forces, which is why we’ve partnered with them.”

    Steel’s work began three decades ago as a study into ‘athlete capitulation’, the moment top athletes psychologically collapse under pressure. By reverse engineering the process he identified that caused it, Steel developed a repeatable framework that helped New Zealand athletes amass over 20 World Cup and World Championship equivalent titles.

    Described as ‘one of the single greatest breakthroughs in human performance,’ the framework delivered unparalleled results, enabling athletes to achieve personal bests 87% of the time they competed in Tier 1 events compared to the international average of 8-10%.

    “What began as a system for world-class athletes is now changing the way organisations develop and engage their workforce,” says Steel.

    “We’re focused on helping organisations, including the Police, improve the impact and effectiveness of their staff as their personal performance is vital to the nations they represent.

    Kiwi Olympians Moss Burmester and advisor Anthony Moss are part of the team looking to take the same high-performance principles that helped them succeed on the world stage into boardrooms, government agencies and frontline services.

    Steel says too many organisations default to a risk-averse mindset, building internal frameworks focused on controlling resources which stifles ingenuity.

    “Our work began with high-performance sport. But when we were invited to trial it in business, the results were just as transformative.

    Steel’s system codifies elite performance enabling leaders to support every level of their organisation. “It’s about unlocking the potential that already exists in their business as opposed to just trying to mitigate its risks, which crushes innovation,” he says.

    “In elite sport, the goal is never to avoid failure, it’s to produce something exceptional. But in the business world, most performance management systems are built to manage issues when they occur rather than amplifying the organisation’s capacity to perform. Steel says Vantaset’s platform ‘flips the script’ by embedding performance principles drawn from decades of helping top-tier athletes win on the world stage.

    “What we’ve done is build a high-performance operating system that organisations can scale across their entire workforce so they can embed a proven way of working that brings out the best in everyone. The focus isn’t on minimising mistakes, it’s on helping people be the most effective versions of themselves, as that’s what drives growth and improvement.”

    Over 100 organisations and around 30,000 employees have benefited from Steel’s process to date, although their new digital platform will enable Vantaset to scale globally. The firm has assisted both public and private sector clients across New Zealand and Australia for over a decade but plans to expand into other Five Eyes nations in the years ahead.

    “We’ve chosen to focus on the Five Eyes nations because we recognise that when it comes to working with defence forces and critical government agencies, trust and national security considerations are paramount.

    “If we were to work with non-aligned or competing jurisdictions, it could close doors to the agencies in the nations we’re best positioned to support. This strategic alignment should ensure our eligibility to work with the most sensitive public sector environments, where human performance is most vital.”

    Vantaset is also engaging with international consulting firms to act as distribution partners to accelerate its global expansion, given its applicability to Government agencies and the private sector.

    1 International consulting group McKinsey and Co’s Centre for Government focuses on helping the public sector tackle complex challenges, modernise organisations and improve services. This group identified NZ Police’s change process as “one of the most successful Government sector transformations in history”.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Safer Boating Forum “Maintaining unity”

    Source: Maritime New Zealand

    More than 50 members – the largest turnout to date – gathered to reflect on the progress made in implementing the Recreational Craft Strategy 2023–25 and to plan for the months ahead.

    Maritime NZ’s Harm Prevention Lead – Recreational Craft, Victoria Slade, says one of the standouts of the day for her was a deep dive into one particular risk area: dinghies.

    “Following powerboats, dinghies are the second most common type of recreational craft involved in fatal accidents. Dinghies represent 12% of all recreational craft, yet are responsible for 26% of fatalities (more than 45 fatalities in the past 11 years),” she says. “So it’s really concerning that there are currently no safety interventions focussed on using dinghies safely.”

    As part of the discussion, forum members worked together to develop possible strategies to encourage safe behaviour for dinghy users.

    Other topics explored include:

    • how best to promote the wearing of lifejackets, including through the potential introduction of legislation
    • given the overrepresentation of Māori and Pacific men in fatality statistics, how we can build meaningful relationships with Māori communities to ensure that initiatives are developed on a foundation of mutual trust and respect
    • close-to-shore forecasting – the weather services available and their coverage, strengths and limitations, and how weather predictions differ in close-to-shore areas
    • the Kia Mataara winter campaign – Better your odds – which focuses on encouraging 40–60-year-old males to increase their odds of coming home safely.

    The forum was organised and chaired by Maritime NZ and included presentations from partners ACC, Drowning Prevention Auckland, and MetService.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 453

    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.
    SEL3

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 453
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    400 PM CDT Sun Jun 22 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Central Nebraska
    Southeast South Dakota

    * Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 400 PM until
    1100 PM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter possible
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
    A tornado or two possible

    SUMMARY…Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop rapidly and
    move northeast across the watch area through this evening with a
    risk for damaging wind gusts and large hail. The potential for
    corridors of more concentrated wind damage may increase towards this
    evening.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 60
    statute miles east and west of a line from 45 miles northeast of
    Mitchell SD to 60 miles south southeast of North Platte NE. For a
    complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

    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.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 451…WW 452…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A
    few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean storm motion vector
    23030.

    …Bunting

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW3
    WW 453 SEVERE TSTM NE SD 222100Z – 230400Z
    AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    45NE MHE/MITCHELL SD/ – 60SSE LBF/NORTH PLATTE NE/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM E/W /44NW FSD – 18ENE MCK/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23030.

    LAT…LON 44229618 40329911 40320138 44229860

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU3.

    Watch 453 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low (20%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Low (5%)

    Wind

    Probability of 10 or more severe wind events

    Mod (50%)

    Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots

    Low (20%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Mod (40%)

    Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches

    Mod (30%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    High (80%)

    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 Australia: Serious assault at Devon Park

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Police are investigating an assault at Devon Park this morning.

    About 4.30am this morning (Monday 23 June) emergency services were called to Belford Avenue after reports a man had been assaulted.

    When police arrived, they located a 28-year-old man who had been stabbed. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

    It is early in the Investigation anyone with further information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Freak wind gusts made worse by climate change threaten airline passenger safety

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney

    Unexpected severe turbulence injured crew and passengers on a Qantas Boeing 737 during descent at Brisbane on May 4 2024. The subsequent Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation suggested the severity of the turbulence caught the captain by surprise.

    This is not an isolated event. Thunderstorms featuring severe wind gusts such as violent updrafts and downbursts are hazardous to aircraft. Downbursts in particular have been known to cause many serious accidents.

    Our new research suggests global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of wind gusts from thunderstorm “downbursts”, with serious consequences for air travel.

    We used machine learning techniques to identify the climate drivers causing more thunderstorm downbursts. Increased heat and moisture over eastern Australia turned out to be the key ingredients.

    The findings suggest air safety authorities and airlines in eastern Australia must be more vigilant during takeoff and landing in a warming world.

    The weather radar system on a 737 jet plane can detect a microburst just before it causes heavy turbulence.
    Qantas, annotated by the ATSB

    Warm, moist air spells trouble for planes

    Global warming increases the amount of water vapour in the lower atmosphere. That’s because 1°C of warming allows the atmosphere to hold 7% more water vapour.

    The extra moisture typically comes from adjacent warmer seas. It evaporates from the surface of the ocean and feeds clouds.

    Increased heat and water vapour fuels stronger thunderstorms. So climate change is expected to increase thunderstorm activity over eastern Australia

    For aircraft, the main problem with thunderstorms is the risk of hazardous, rapid changes in wind strength and direction at low levels.

    Small yet powerful

    Small downbursts, several kilometres wide, are especially dangerous. These “microbursts” can cause abrupt changes in wind gust speed and direction, creating turbulence that suddenly moves the plane in all directions, both horizontally and vertically.

    Microburst wind gusts can be extremely strong. Brisbane airport recorded a microburst wind gust at 157km per hour in November 2016. Three planes on the tarmac were extensively damaged.

    On descent or ascent, aircraft encountering microbursts can experience sudden, unexpected losses or gains in altitude. This has caused numerous aircraft accidents in the past. Microbursts will become increasingly problematic in a warming climate.

    Delta Flight 191 is the most famous aviation accident caused by a microburst | Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation

    Microburst analysis and prediction

    Microbursts are very difficult to predict, because they are so small. So we used machine learning to identify the environmental factors most conducive to the formation of microbursts and associated severe wind gusts.

    We accessed observational data from the Bureau of Meteorology’s extensive archives. Then we applied eight different machine learning techniques to find the one that worked best.

    Machine learning is a field of study in artificial intelligence using algorithms and statistical models to enable computers to learn from data without explicit programming. It enables systems to identify patterns, make predictions and improve performance over time as they take in more information.

    We found atmospheric conditions in eastern Australia are increasingly favouring the development of stronger, more frequent thunderstorm microbursts.

    We investigated a microburst outbreak from a storm front in 2018. It produced severe surface wind gusts at six regional airports in New South Wales: Bourke, Walgett, Coonamble, Moree, Narrabri and Gunnedah.

    Regional airports in Australia and around the world often use small aircraft. Small planes with 4–50 passenger seats are more vulnerable to the strong, even extreme, wind gusts spawned by thunderstorm microbursts.

    Widespread consequences

    Our extensive regional case study identified the weather patterns that create severe thunderstorms in eastern Australia during the warmer months.

    High cloud water content creates a [downward force] [https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/11215] in the cloud. This force induces a descending air current. When the heavier air reaches the ground, wind gusts spray out in multiple directions.

    A small yet powerful downburst can deflect a plane from it’s intended path of descent, pushing it down towards the ground.
    Mehmood, K., et al (2023) Fluids., CC BY

    These wind gusts endanger aircraft during takeoff and landing, because rapid wind shifts from tail winds to head winds can cause the aircraft to dangerously gain or lose altitude.

    Our analysis highlights the elevated aviation risks of increased atmospheric turbulence from thunderstorm microbursts across eastern Australia.

    Smaller aircraft at inland regional airports in southeastern Australia are especially vulnerable. But these sudden microburst-generated wind gusts will require monitoring by major east coast airports, such as Sydney and Brisbane.

    Beware of heightened microburst activity

    Flying has long been recognised as a very safe mode of travel, with an accident rate of just 1.13 per million flights.

    However, passenger numbers worldwide have increased dramatically, implying even a small risk increase could affect a large number of travellers.

    Previous research into climate-related risks to air travel has tended to focus on high-altitude cruising dangers, such as clear air turbulence and jet stream instability. In contrast, there has been less emphasis on dangers during low-level ascent and descent.

    Our research is among the first to detail the heightened climate risk to airlines from thunderstorm microbursts, especially during takeoff and landing. Airlines and air safety authorities should anticipate more strong microbursts. More frequent wind gust turbulence from microbursts is to be expected over eastern Australia, in our ongoing warming climate.

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

    – ref. Freak wind gusts made worse by climate change threaten airline passenger safety – https://theconversation.com/freak-wind-gusts-made-worse-by-climate-change-threaten-airline-passenger-safety-258823

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Freak wind gusts made worse by climate change threaten airline passenger safety

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney

    Unexpected severe turbulence injured crew and passengers on a Qantas Boeing 737 during descent at Brisbane on May 4 2024. The subsequent Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation suggested the severity of the turbulence caught the captain by surprise.

    This is not an isolated event. Thunderstorms featuring severe wind gusts such as violent updrafts and downbursts are hazardous to aircraft. Downbursts in particular have been known to cause many serious accidents.

    Our new research suggests global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of wind gusts from thunderstorm “downbursts”, with serious consequences for air travel.

    We used machine learning techniques to identify the climate drivers causing more thunderstorm downbursts. Increased heat and moisture over eastern Australia turned out to be the key ingredients.

    The findings suggest air safety authorities and airlines in eastern Australia must be more vigilant during takeoff and landing in a warming world.

    The weather radar system on a 737 jet plane can detect a microburst just before it causes heavy turbulence.
    Qantas, annotated by the ATSB

    Warm, moist air spells trouble for planes

    Global warming increases the amount of water vapour in the lower atmosphere. That’s because 1°C of warming allows the atmosphere to hold 7% more water vapour.

    The extra moisture typically comes from adjacent warmer seas. It evaporates from the surface of the ocean and feeds clouds.

    Increased heat and water vapour fuels stronger thunderstorms. So climate change is expected to increase thunderstorm activity over eastern Australia

    For aircraft, the main problem with thunderstorms is the risk of hazardous, rapid changes in wind strength and direction at low levels.

    Small yet powerful

    Small downbursts, several kilometres wide, are especially dangerous. These “microbursts” can cause abrupt changes in wind gust speed and direction, creating turbulence that suddenly moves the plane in all directions, both horizontally and vertically.

    Microburst wind gusts can be extremely strong. Brisbane airport recorded a microburst wind gust at 157km per hour in November 2016. Three planes on the tarmac were extensively damaged.

    On descent or ascent, aircraft encountering microbursts can experience sudden, unexpected losses or gains in altitude. This has caused numerous aircraft accidents in the past. Microbursts will become increasingly problematic in a warming climate.

    Delta Flight 191 is the most famous aviation accident caused by a microburst | Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation

    Microburst analysis and prediction

    Microbursts are very difficult to predict, because they are so small. So we used machine learning to identify the environmental factors most conducive to the formation of microbursts and associated severe wind gusts.

    We accessed observational data from the Bureau of Meteorology’s extensive archives. Then we applied eight different machine learning techniques to find the one that worked best.

    Machine learning is a field of study in artificial intelligence using algorithms and statistical models to enable computers to learn from data without explicit programming. It enables systems to identify patterns, make predictions and improve performance over time as they take in more information.

    We found atmospheric conditions in eastern Australia are increasingly favouring the development of stronger, more frequent thunderstorm microbursts.

    We investigated a microburst outbreak from a storm front in 2018. It produced severe surface wind gusts at six regional airports in New South Wales: Bourke, Walgett, Coonamble, Moree, Narrabri and Gunnedah.

    Regional airports in Australia and around the world often use small aircraft. Small planes with 4–50 passenger seats are more vulnerable to the strong, even extreme, wind gusts spawned by thunderstorm microbursts.

    Widespread consequences

    Our extensive regional case study identified the weather patterns that create severe thunderstorms in eastern Australia during the warmer months.

    High cloud water content creates a [downward force] [https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/11215] in the cloud. This force induces a descending air current. When the heavier air reaches the ground, wind gusts spray out in multiple directions.

    A small yet powerful downburst can deflect a plane from it’s intended path of descent, pushing it down towards the ground.
    Mehmood, K., et al (2023) Fluids., CC BY

    These wind gusts endanger aircraft during takeoff and landing, because rapid wind shifts from tail winds to head winds can cause the aircraft to dangerously gain or lose altitude.

    Our analysis highlights the elevated aviation risks of increased atmospheric turbulence from thunderstorm microbursts across eastern Australia.

    Smaller aircraft at inland regional airports in southeastern Australia are especially vulnerable. But these sudden microburst-generated wind gusts will require monitoring by major east coast airports, such as Sydney and Brisbane.

    Beware of heightened microburst activity

    Flying has long been recognised as a very safe mode of travel, with an accident rate of just 1.13 per million flights.

    However, passenger numbers worldwide have increased dramatically, implying even a small risk increase could affect a large number of travellers.

    Previous research into climate-related risks to air travel has tended to focus on high-altitude cruising dangers, such as clear air turbulence and jet stream instability. In contrast, there has been less emphasis on dangers during low-level ascent and descent.

    Our research is among the first to detail the heightened climate risk to airlines from thunderstorm microbursts, especially during takeoff and landing. Airlines and air safety authorities should anticipate more strong microbursts. More frequent wind gust turbulence from microbursts is to be expected over eastern Australia, in our ongoing warming climate.

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

    – ref. Freak wind gusts made worse by climate change threaten airline passenger safety – https://theconversation.com/freak-wind-gusts-made-worse-by-climate-change-threaten-airline-passenger-safety-258823

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes is changing. Here’s what this means for you

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexis Shub, Obstetrician & Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, The University of Melbourne

    How Australian pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes is set to change, with new national guidelines released today.

    Changes are expected to lead to fewer diagnoses in women at lower risk, reducing the burden of extra monitoring and intervention. Meanwhile the changes focus care and support towards women and babies who will benefit most.

    These latest recommendations form the first update in screening for gestational diabetes in more than a decade, and potentially affect more than 280,000 pregnant women a year across Australia.

    The new guidelines, which we have been involved in writing, are released today by the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society and published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

    What is gestational diabetes? Why do we test for it?

    Gestational diabetes (also known as gestational diabetes mellitus) is one of the most common medical complications of pregnancy. It affects nearly one in five pregnancies in Australia.

    It is defined by abnormally high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood that are first picked up during pregnancy.

    Most of the time gestational diabetes goes away after the birth. But women with gestational diabetes are at least seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

    In Australia, routine screening for gestational diabetes is recommended for all pregnant women. This will continue.

    That’s because treatment reduces the risk of poorer pregnancy outcomes. This includes
    babies being born very large – a condition called macrosomia – which can lead to difficult births, and a caesarean. Treatment also reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia, when women have high blood pressure and protein in their urine, and other serious pregnancy complications.

    Screening for gestational diabetes is also an opportunity to identify women who may benefit from diabetes prevention programs and ways to support their long-term health, including support with nutrition and physical activity.

    Why is testing changing?

    Most women benefit from detection and treatment. However, for some women, a diagnosis can have negative impacts. This often relates to how care is delivered.

    Women have described feeling shame and stigma after the diagnosis. Others report challenges accessing the care and support they need during pregnancy. This may include access to specialist doctors, allied health professionals and clinics. Some women have restricted their diet in an unhealthy way, without appropriate supervision by a health professional. Some have had to change their preferred maternity care provider or location of birth because their pregnancy is now considered higher risk.

    So we must diagnose the condition in women when the benefits outweigh the potential costs.

    Which pregnant women need a blood test and when? And when are other types of testing warranted?
    Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock

    When are blood sugar levels too high?

    Diagnosing gestational diabetes is based on having blood glucose levels above a certain threshold.

    However, there is no clear level above which the risk of complications starts to increase. And determining the best thresholds to identify who does, and who does not, have gestational diabetes has been subject to much research and debate.

    Globally, screening approaches and diagnostic criteria vary substantially. There are differences in who is recommended to be screened, when in pregnancy screening should occur, which tests should be used, and what the diagnostic glucose levels should be.

    So, what changes?

    The new recommendations are the result of reviewing up-to-date evidence with input from a wide range of professional and consumer groups.

    Screening will continue

    All pregnant women who don’t already have a diagnosis of pre-pregnancy diabetes, or gestational diabetes, will still be recommended screening at between 24 and 28 weeks’ gestation. They’ll still have an oral glucose tolerance test, a measure of how the body processes sugar. The test involves fasting overnight, and having a blood test in the morning before drinking a sugary drink. Then there are two more blood tests over two hours. However, fewer women will have this test twice in their pregnancy.

    Changes mean more targeted care

    The following changes mean health services should be able to reorient resources to ensure women have access to the care they need to support healthier pregnancies, including early support for women who need it most:

    • women with risk factors of existing, undiagnosed diabetes (such as a higher body-mass index or BMI, or a previous large baby) will be screened in the first trimester, with a single, non-fasting blood test (known as HbA1c)

    • fewer women will have an oral glucose tolerance test early in the pregnancy, ideally between ten and 14 weeks gestation. This early testing will be reserved for women with specific risk factors, such as gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, or a high level on the HbA1c test

    • women will only be diagnosed if their blood glucose level is above new, higher cut-off points for the oral glucose tolerance test, for tests conducted early or later in the pregnancy.

    Which tests do I need?

    These changes will be implemented over coming months. So women are encouraged to speak to their maternity care provider about how the changes apply to them.

    Alexis Shub is a board director of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society. She has received research funding from ADIPS.

    Matthew Hare has received research funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, Diabetes Australia, Australian Diabetes Society, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Viertel Charitable Foundation and Australian government Department of Health. He has received honoraria for consultancies, steering committees and invited talks from Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca. He is president and board chair of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society, and a member of the Australian Diabetes Society and Endocrine Society of Australia.

    Susan de Jersey has received research funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Metro North Health. She is a member of Dietitians Australia, Australian Diabetes Educators Association, and is vice chair and board director of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society.

    – ref. How pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes is changing. Here’s what this means for you – https://theconversation.com/how-pregnant-women-are-tested-for-gestational-diabetes-is-changing-heres-what-this-means-for-you-259260

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes is changing. Here’s what this means for you

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexis Shub, Obstetrician & Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, The University of Melbourne

    How Australian pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes is set to change, with new national guidelines released today.

    Changes are expected to lead to fewer diagnoses in women at lower risk, reducing the burden of extra monitoring and intervention. Meanwhile the changes focus care and support towards women and babies who will benefit most.

    These latest recommendations form the first update in screening for gestational diabetes in more than a decade, and potentially affect more than 280,000 pregnant women a year across Australia.

    The new guidelines, which we have been involved in writing, are released today by the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society and published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

    What is gestational diabetes? Why do we test for it?

    Gestational diabetes (also known as gestational diabetes mellitus) is one of the most common medical complications of pregnancy. It affects nearly one in five pregnancies in Australia.

    It is defined by abnormally high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood that are first picked up during pregnancy.

    Most of the time gestational diabetes goes away after the birth. But women with gestational diabetes are at least seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

    In Australia, routine screening for gestational diabetes is recommended for all pregnant women. This will continue.

    That’s because treatment reduces the risk of poorer pregnancy outcomes. This includes
    babies being born very large – a condition called macrosomia – which can lead to difficult births, and a caesarean. Treatment also reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia, when women have high blood pressure and protein in their urine, and other serious pregnancy complications.

    Screening for gestational diabetes is also an opportunity to identify women who may benefit from diabetes prevention programs and ways to support their long-term health, including support with nutrition and physical activity.

    Why is testing changing?

    Most women benefit from detection and treatment. However, for some women, a diagnosis can have negative impacts. This often relates to how care is delivered.

    Women have described feeling shame and stigma after the diagnosis. Others report challenges accessing the care and support they need during pregnancy. This may include access to specialist doctors, allied health professionals and clinics. Some women have restricted their diet in an unhealthy way, without appropriate supervision by a health professional. Some have had to change their preferred maternity care provider or location of birth because their pregnancy is now considered higher risk.

    So we must diagnose the condition in women when the benefits outweigh the potential costs.

    Which pregnant women need a blood test and when? And when are other types of testing warranted?
    Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock

    When are blood sugar levels too high?

    Diagnosing gestational diabetes is based on having blood glucose levels above a certain threshold.

    However, there is no clear level above which the risk of complications starts to increase. And determining the best thresholds to identify who does, and who does not, have gestational diabetes has been subject to much research and debate.

    Globally, screening approaches and diagnostic criteria vary substantially. There are differences in who is recommended to be screened, when in pregnancy screening should occur, which tests should be used, and what the diagnostic glucose levels should be.

    So, what changes?

    The new recommendations are the result of reviewing up-to-date evidence with input from a wide range of professional and consumer groups.

    Screening will continue

    All pregnant women who don’t already have a diagnosis of pre-pregnancy diabetes, or gestational diabetes, will still be recommended screening at between 24 and 28 weeks’ gestation. They’ll still have an oral glucose tolerance test, a measure of how the body processes sugar. The test involves fasting overnight, and having a blood test in the morning before drinking a sugary drink. Then there are two more blood tests over two hours. However, fewer women will have this test twice in their pregnancy.

    Changes mean more targeted care

    The following changes mean health services should be able to reorient resources to ensure women have access to the care they need to support healthier pregnancies, including early support for women who need it most:

    • women with risk factors of existing, undiagnosed diabetes (such as a higher body-mass index or BMI, or a previous large baby) will be screened in the first trimester, with a single, non-fasting blood test (known as HbA1c)

    • fewer women will have an oral glucose tolerance test early in the pregnancy, ideally between ten and 14 weeks gestation. This early testing will be reserved for women with specific risk factors, such as gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, or a high level on the HbA1c test

    • women will only be diagnosed if their blood glucose level is above new, higher cut-off points for the oral glucose tolerance test, for tests conducted early or later in the pregnancy.

    Which tests do I need?

    These changes will be implemented over coming months. So women are encouraged to speak to their maternity care provider about how the changes apply to them.

    Alexis Shub is a board director of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society. She has received research funding from ADIPS.

    Matthew Hare has received research funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, Diabetes Australia, Australian Diabetes Society, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Viertel Charitable Foundation and Australian government Department of Health. He has received honoraria for consultancies, steering committees and invited talks from Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca. He is president and board chair of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society, and a member of the Australian Diabetes Society and Endocrine Society of Australia.

    Susan de Jersey has received research funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Metro North Health. She is a member of Dietitians Australia, Australian Diabetes Educators Association, and is vice chair and board director of the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society.

    – ref. How pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes is changing. Here’s what this means for you – https://theconversation.com/how-pregnant-women-are-tested-for-gestational-diabetes-is-changing-heres-what-this-means-for-you-259260

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Global warming is changing cloud patterns. That means more global warming

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Jakob, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century, Monash University

    Caleb Weiner / Unsplash

    At any given time, about two-thirds of Earth’s surface is covered by clouds. Overall, they make the planet much cooler than it would be without them.

    But as Earth gets warmer, mostly due to the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from humans burning fossil fuels, clouds are changing too. And that might already be causing more warming – adding to the greenhouse heat boost, and changing clouds even more.

    Over the past few years, the world’s average temperature has increased more than climate scientists were expecting. In our latest research, led by NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, we show that changes in clouds have made a significant contribution to turning up the thermostat.

    Clouds and climate

    Clouds help to keep Earth cool by reflecting sunlight back out to space before it can reach the ground. But not all clouds are equal.

    Shiny, white clouds reflect away more sunlight – especially when they are closer to the equator, in the parts of Earth that receive the most sun. Grey, broken clouds reflect less sunlight, as do clouds closer to the poles where less light falls.

    Research published last year showed that Earth has been absorbing more sunlight than the greenhouse effect alone can explain. Clouds were involved, but it wasn’t clear exactly how.

    Bright cloud zones are shrinking

    Our new study shows what is happening. The areas covered by highly reflective clouds are shrinking. At the same time, the areas containing broken, less reflective clouds are growing.

    The net effect is that additional energy from sunlight is reaching Earth’s surface. Here it is absorbed, leading to extra heating.

    We also looked at the effect of changes in the properties of the highly reflective clouds, caused by things such as changes in the amount of aerosol pollution in the atmosphere. However, we found these effects are much smaller than the effect of the change in area.

    The global picture

    In the big picture, Earth’s wind patterns are driven by hot air rising near the equator and the rotation of the planet. This creates huge, looping currents of atmospheric circulation around the globe.

    Local weather systems – the kind that determine the location and type of clouds – depend on these major, large-scale wind systems. The major circulation patterns in the atmosphere are changing as a result of global warming.

    We found much of the cloud action is taking place at the edges of these major wind systems.

    Cloud cover is changing in several parts of Earth.
    NASA Earth Observatory

    Highly reflective clouds are on the decline in a region near the equator called the intertropical convergence zone, and also two other bands called the storm tracks, which lie between 30 and 40 degrees of latitude.

    At the same time the subtropical trade-wind regions, home to ever-present but less reflective broken clouds, are expanding.

    A feedback loop

    In short, the global warming induced by increased greenhouse gases changes the major wind systems on Earth. This in turn reduces the area of highly reflective clouds, leading to additional warming.

    Warming changes wind patterns, which changes cloud patterns, which results in more warming. This is what we call a “positive feedback” in the climate system: warming leads to more warming.

    We still have a lot to learn about the details of this feedback loop. Our research will use ongoing satellite-based observations of clouds and how much energy Earth receives and radiates back out to space.

    Christian Jakob receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Global warming is changing cloud patterns. That means more global warming – https://theconversation.com/global-warming-is-changing-cloud-patterns-that-means-more-global-warming-259376

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Global warming is changing cloud patterns. That means more global warming

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Jakob, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century, Monash University

    Caleb Weiner / Unsplash

    At any given time, about two-thirds of Earth’s surface is covered by clouds. Overall, they make the planet much cooler than it would be without them.

    But as Earth gets warmer, mostly due to the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from humans burning fossil fuels, clouds are changing too. And that might already be causing more warming – adding to the greenhouse heat boost, and changing clouds even more.

    Over the past few years, the world’s average temperature has increased more than climate scientists were expecting. In our latest research, led by NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, we show that changes in clouds have made a significant contribution to turning up the thermostat.

    Clouds and climate

    Clouds help to keep Earth cool by reflecting sunlight back out to space before it can reach the ground. But not all clouds are equal.

    Shiny, white clouds reflect away more sunlight – especially when they are closer to the equator, in the parts of Earth that receive the most sun. Grey, broken clouds reflect less sunlight, as do clouds closer to the poles where less light falls.

    Research published last year showed that Earth has been absorbing more sunlight than the greenhouse effect alone can explain. Clouds were involved, but it wasn’t clear exactly how.

    Bright cloud zones are shrinking

    Our new study shows what is happening. The areas covered by highly reflective clouds are shrinking. At the same time, the areas containing broken, less reflective clouds are growing.

    The net effect is that additional energy from sunlight is reaching Earth’s surface. Here it is absorbed, leading to extra heating.

    We also looked at the effect of changes in the properties of the highly reflective clouds, caused by things such as changes in the amount of aerosol pollution in the atmosphere. However, we found these effects are much smaller than the effect of the change in area.

    The global picture

    In the big picture, Earth’s wind patterns are driven by hot air rising near the equator and the rotation of the planet. This creates huge, looping currents of atmospheric circulation around the globe.

    Local weather systems – the kind that determine the location and type of clouds – depend on these major, large-scale wind systems. The major circulation patterns in the atmosphere are changing as a result of global warming.

    We found much of the cloud action is taking place at the edges of these major wind systems.

    Cloud cover is changing in several parts of Earth.
    NASA Earth Observatory

    Highly reflective clouds are on the decline in a region near the equator called the intertropical convergence zone, and also two other bands called the storm tracks, which lie between 30 and 40 degrees of latitude.

    At the same time the subtropical trade-wind regions, home to ever-present but less reflective broken clouds, are expanding.

    A feedback loop

    In short, the global warming induced by increased greenhouse gases changes the major wind systems on Earth. This in turn reduces the area of highly reflective clouds, leading to additional warming.

    Warming changes wind patterns, which changes cloud patterns, which results in more warming. This is what we call a “positive feedback” in the climate system: warming leads to more warming.

    We still have a lot to learn about the details of this feedback loop. Our research will use ongoing satellite-based observations of clouds and how much energy Earth receives and radiates back out to space.

    Christian Jakob receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Global warming is changing cloud patterns. That means more global warming – https://theconversation.com/global-warming-is-changing-cloud-patterns-that-means-more-global-warming-259376

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Tornado Watch 451

    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.
    SEL1

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Tornado Watch Number 451
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    255 PM CDT Sun Jun 22 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Tornado Watch for portions of
    West-central and Northern Minnesota
    Eastern North Dakota

    * Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 255 PM until
    1000 PM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5
    inches in diameter possible
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

    SUMMARY…Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop and move
    northeast across the watch area this afternoon and evening. A few
    tornadoes will be possible, including the potential for a couple
    strong tornadoes. Large hail and damaging thunderstorm wind gusts
    will also accompany the most intense storms.

    The tornado watch area is approximately along and 70 statute miles
    east and west of a line from 35 miles west northwest of
    International Falls MN to 55 miles south southwest of Fargo ND. For
    a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
    tornadoes and 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.

    &&

    AVIATION…Tornadoes and 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 550. Mean
    storm motion vector 23030.

    …Bunting

    SEL1

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Tornado Watch Number 451
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    255 PM CDT Sun Jun 22 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Tornado Watch for portions of
    West-central and Northern Minnesota
    Eastern North Dakota

    * Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 255 PM until
    1000 PM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5
    inches in diameter possible
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

    SUMMARY…Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop and move
    northeast across the watch area this afternoon and evening. A few
    tornadoes will be possible, including the potential for a couple
    strong tornadoes. Large hail and damaging thunderstorm wind gusts
    will also accompany the most intense storms.

    The tornado watch area is approximately along and 70 statute miles
    east and west of a line from 35 miles west northwest of
    International Falls MN to 55 miles south southwest of Fargo ND. For
    a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
    tornadoes and 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.

    &&

    AVIATION…Tornadoes and 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 550. Mean
    storm motion vector 23030.

    …Bunting

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW1
    WW 451 TORNADO MN ND 221955Z – 230300Z
    AXIS..70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    35WNW INL/INTERNATIONAL FALLS MN/ – 55SSW FAR/FARGO ND/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 60NM E/W /30WNW INL – 38SSW FAR/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2.5 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23030.

    LAT…LON 48759257 46179580 46179872 48759565

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU1.

    Watch 451 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Mod (50%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Mod (30%)

    Wind

    Probability of 10 or more severe wind events

    Mod (40%)

    Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots

    Low (10%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Mod (40%)

    Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches

    Mod (40%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    High (70%)

    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 USA: Kamlager-Dove Statement on U.S. Strikes in Iran

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager California (37th District)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, released the following statement on the U.S. strikes in Iran:

    “The ‘President of peace’ just bombed Iran without Congressional authorization, without clear evidence that Iran is imminently close to having a nuclear weapon, without properly notifying both parties in Congress, and with no clear plan for what comes next. 

    “I support the longstanding U.S. policy that Iran, an adversary and state-sponsor of terror, must never acquire a nuclear weapon. However, I have not received any classified briefing on the intelligence that shows Iran could imminently develop a nuclear weapon, which directly contradicts DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s testimony to Congress in March. Equally concerning, President Trump and his incompetent national security team have not shown to the American people what their day after plan is and how they will manage the possibility of another forever war in the Middle East.

    “The U.S. must not be dragged into a wider war in the Middle East, and I pray for the U.S. servicemembers Trump has now placed in harm’s way. The Trump Administration must come before Congress to seek approval for further actions and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle must reassert Congress’s constitutional authority to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of past conflicts.”

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 4 reasons to be concerned about Bill C-4’s threats to Canadian privacy and sovereignty

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sara Bannerman, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Communication Policy and Governance, McMaster University

    In Canada, federal political parties are not governed by basic standards of federal privacy law. If passed, Bill C-4, also known as the Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act, would also make provincial and territorial privacy laws inapplicable to federal political parties, with no adequate federal law in place.

    Federal legislation in the form of the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act sets out privacy standards for government and business, based on the fair information principles that provide for the collection, use and disclosure of Canadians’ personal information.

    At the moment, these laws don’t apply to political parties. Some provinces — especially British Columbia — have implemented laws that do. In May 2024, the B.C. Supreme Court upheld the provincial Information Commissioner’s ruling that B.C.’s privacy legislation applies to federal political parties. That decision is currently under appeal.

    Bill C-4 would undermine those B.C. rights. It would make inapplicable to federal parties the standard privacy rights that apply in other business and government contexts— such as the right to consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information — and to access and correct personal information held by organizations.

    Why should we be concerned about Bill C-4’s erasure of these privacy protections for Canadians? There are four reasons:

    1. Threats to Canada’s sovereignty

    In light of threats to Canadian sovereignty by United States President Donald Trump, the Canadian government and Canadian politicians must rethink their approach to digital sovereignty.

    Until now, Canadian parties and governments have been content to use American platforms, data companies and datified campaign tactics. Bill C-4 would leave federal parties free to do more of the same. This is the opposite of what’s needed.

    The politics that resulted in Trump being elected twice to the Oval Office was spurred in part by the datafied campaigning of Cambridge Analytica in 2016 and Elon Musk in 2024. These politics are driven by micro-targeted and arguably manipulative political campaigns.

    Do Canadians want Canada to go in the same direction?



    Read more:
    How political party data collection may turn off voters

    Are political parties spying and experimenting on Canadians via personal data collection?
    (Unsplash/Arthur Mazi), FAL

    2. Threats to Canada’s future

    Bill C-4 would undermine one of the mechanisms that makes Canada a society: collective political decisions.

    Datified campaigning and the collection of personal information by political parties change the nature of democracy. Rather than appealing to political values or visions of what voters may want in the future or as a society — critically important at this historical and troubling moment in history — datified campaigning operates by experimenting on unwitting individual citizens who are alone on their phones and computers. It operates by testing their isolated opinions and unvarnished behaviours.

    For example, a political campaign might do what’s known as A/B testing of ads, which explores whether ad A or ad B is more successful by issuing two different versions of an ad to determine which one gets more clicks, shares, petition signatures, donations or other measurable behaviour. With this knowledge, a campaign or party can manipulate the ads through multiple versions to get the desired behaviour and result. They also learn about ad audiences for future targeting.



    Read more:
    A/B testing: how offline businesses are learning from Google to improve profits

    In other words, political parties engaging in this tactic aren’t engaging with Canadians — they’re experimenting on them to see what type of messages, or even what colour schemes or visuals, appeal most. This can be used to shape the campaign or just the determine the style of follow-up messaging to particular users.

    University researchers, to name just one example, are bound by strict ethical protocols and approvals, including the principle that participants should consent to the collection of personal information, and to participation in experiments and studies. Political parties have no such standards, despite the high stakes — the very future of democracy and society.

    Most citizens think of elections as being about deliberation and collectively deciding what kind of society they want to live in and what kind of future they want to have together as they decide how to cast their ballots.

    But with datified campaigning, citizens may not be aware of the political significance of their online actions. Their data trail might cause them to be included, or excluded, from a party’s future campaigning and door-knocking, for example. The process isn’t deliberative, thoughtful or collective.

    3. Secret personal data collection

    Political parties collect highly personal data about Canadians without their knowledge or consent. Most Canadians are not aware of the extent of the collection by political parties and the range of data they collect, which can include political views, ethnicity, income, religion or online activities, social media IDs, observations of door-knockers and more.

    If asked, most Canadians would not consent to the range of data collection by parties.

    4. Data can be dangerous in the wrong hands

    Some governments can and do use data to punish individuals politically and criminally, sometimes without the protection of the rule of law.

    Breaches and misuses of data, cybersecurity experts say, are no longer a question of “if,” but “when.”

    Worse, what would happen if the wall between political parties and politicians or government broke down and the personal information collected by parties became available to governments? What if the data were used for political purposes, such as for vetting people for political appointments or government benefits? What if it were used against civil servants?

    What if it were to be used at the border, or passed to other governments? What if it were passed to and used by authoritarian governments to harass and punish citizens?

    What if it was passed to tech companies and further to data brokers?

    OpenMedia recently revealed that Canadians’ data is being passed to the many different data companies political parties use. That data is not necessarily housed in Canada or by Canadian companies.

    If provincial law is undermined, there are few protections against any of these problems.

    Strengthening democracy

    Bill C-4 would erase the possibility of provincial and territorial privacy laws being applied to federal political parties, with virtually nothing remaining. Privacy protection promotes confidence and engagement with democratic processes — particularly online. Erasing privacy protections threatens this confidence and engagement.

    The current approach of federal political parties in terms of datified campaigning and privacy law is entirely wrong for this political moment, dangerous to Canadians and dangerous to democracy. Reforms should instead ensure federal political parties must adhere to the same standards as businesses and all levels of government.

    Data privacy is important everywhere, but particularly so for political parties, campaigns and democratic engagement. It is important at all times — particularly now.

    Sara Bannerman receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs program, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and McMaster University. She has previously received funding from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s Contributions Program and the Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge.

    – ref. 4 reasons to be concerned about Bill C-4’s threats to Canadian privacy and sovereignty – https://theconversation.com/4-reasons-to-be-concerned-about-bill-c-4s-threats-to-canadian-privacy-and-sovereignty-259331

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Information for accredited media

    Source: NATO

    PROGRAMME

    Please check the event programme for the schedule of events. The detailed media programme (pdf) also includes pools departures and other technical details.

    VENUE

     On 24 – 25 June, the NATO Summit will take place at the World Forum Convention Centre. The International Media Centre (IMC) is located in the World Forum Convention Centre. 

    The Accreditation Office is located at Stadhouderslaan 15, 2517 HV The Hague.

    PICKING UP YOUR ACCREDITATION BADGE

     You will be granted a media pass only if you received a confirmation from NATO that your application for accreditation has been successful.

     You can collect your NATO Summit media pass at the Accreditation Office, located at Stadhouderslaan 15, 2517 HV The Hague.

     You will need to show a valid national identification document (Passport or ID-card) and press card (or accreditation letter from a recognised media organisation). You will need to bring the same ID document that you used in your accreditation application.

    ACCESS TO THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CENTRE

     All media representatives must use Stadhouderslaan 15, 2517 HV The Hague to access the International Media Centre. 

    The location is accessible by city public transport (tram/bus), taxi, car or bike. A passenger drop-off point and bicycle racks are available. There are no parking facilities nearby.

    Tram station World Forum (served by the lines 1 and 17) and bus stop World Forum (served by the lines 24 and 28) are located in the proximity of the Accreditation Office. 

    Please note media will need to go through airport-style security screening which may take longer at peak periods. 

    Given the security procedures and distances between venues, please plan at least 45 minutes for reaching the IMC.

    OPENING HOURS

      Media Centre Accreditation Office
     Saturday, 21 June  Closed  12:00 – 18:00
     Sunday, 22 June  12:00 – 18:00  12:00 – 18:00
     Monday, 23 June  09:00 – 20:00  09:00 – 20:00
     Tuesday, 24 June  Open continuously from 07:00  07:00 – 18:00
     Wednesday, 25 June  Open continuously until 02:00 on 26 June  06:30 – 14:00

    MEDIA CENTRE / FACILITIES

    The IMC includes the following facilities:

    • General filing area which is the main working space for all media accredited to the Summit, with access to internet (free), video and audio feed, and power outlets – available on a first come first serve basis.
    • Editing area – fully booked
    • Indoor/outdoor stand-up positions – fully booked
    • TV presentation positions
    • Press briefing rooms: One large press briefing room (Main Press Theatre) and 13 other press briefing rooms of different sizes. There will also be several informal media huddle/stakeout positions.
    • One Summit TV studio and one online engagements studio
    • Catering facilities for media

    Lockers for media are available in the IMC; belongings can be stored overnight in the lockers. Bulky equipment exceeding the size of the lockers cannot be left / stored in the media centre overnight.

    The World Forum is a non-smoking building.

    For any questions during the Summit, accredited journalists can go to the Information Desk at the Media centre.

    OPEN ACCESS FOR MEDIA

    Media will have unescorted access to the following:

    • Filing, broadcast and catering area.
    • Outdoor stand-up positions
    • Press conference area – when press conferences are taking place.
    • Media huddle/stakeout area – when engagements are taking place.

    NATO Secretary General’s press conferences are open to all accredited media representatives. Press conference announced on the CCTV are open for accredited media present in the IMC.

    POOLED ACCESS FOR MEDIA

    Media access to the main Summit events is pooled. Specific pool cards for each event will be used by NATO to identify the media authorised to attend. Please consult the media programme to identify the pools for each event.

    Media representatives wishing to be considered for a media pool need to contact Summitmediaoperations@hq.nato.int. You will receive a confirmation if your request can be accommodated, and you will be invited to collect your pool card.

    By accepting a NATO pool position, you commit to share immediately all information and material collected while in the pool with any accredited media that request it, at no charge and with no restriction on the use of the material for news purposes. Media representatives and news organisations must identify that it is pooled material every time it is used. Pooled material can only be used for legitimate news purposes and it cannot be sold.

    MEDIA ACCESS TO NATIONAL EVENTS

     Participating Heads of State and Government may hold press conferences in the Media Centre. If those are open to all media, time and location will be announced on the CCTV. 

    Details about national media plans (press briefings, bilateral meetings) are available from the national delegations. Providing information about, and organizing media coverage of bilateral events is the responsibility of the respective national delegations. 

    Please contact the national delegations directly. A contact list of national press officers is available at the Information Desk in the Media Centre.

    BROADCAST AND CONTENT

    NEP Groep/Wirtz Film operates as Host TV for the NATO Summit and covers live all events open to the media. The coverage will be available via satellite (on world feed), in the International Media Centre and on the NATO website. 

    Host TV will also provide continuous broadcast quality video feed of the Public Forum in the IMC. The Public Forum will also be shown live on NATO’s YouTube channel and on www.natopublicforum.org.

    Technical details relevant for broadcasters are available here

    Broadcast-quality B-roll will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal. Journalists need to register to the portal to be able to download videos: natomultimedia.tv/portal/Register.html. For more information, contact content@natomultimedia.tv.

    Transcripts of the Secretary General’s public remarks, as well as pictures taken by NATO photographers will be available on the NATO website.

    REGISTRATION OF WIRELESS EQUIPMENT

    To ensure your wireless equipment functions properly, safely, and legally during the NATO summit, it’s important to understand whether a license is required and how to comply with national regulations. Please visit to find out:   https://www.rdi.nl/onderwerpen/public-events

    NATO PUBLIC FORUM

    The NATO Public Forum will take place on 24-25 June at the Summit site. Details about the event are available at www.natopublicforum.org.

    Direct coverage by credentialed media will be pooled and access will be escorted from the International Media Centre. Media can ask for access at the Information Desk.

    NOTE: Media cannot participate in the discussions or ask questions.

    INTERPRETATION

    There will be simultaneous interpretation into French, Russian and Ukrainian of the NATO Secretary General’s press conferences and public remarks at the start of the Summit’s working sessions. Interpretation in multiple languages will also available during the live-streaming on the NATO website. 

    Interpretation might be provided for some of the national press conferences. Headsets will be available in the respective press conference rooms.

    SECURITY

    It is strongly recommended to arrive early to clear security checks. Please comply with the instructions of security staff. Passes must be visible at all times.

    If you lose your accreditation badge, please write to NATOAccreditations@hq.nato.int and report at the Information Desk.

    CATERING

    Catering will be available at the Summit venue throughout the Summit at no cost. Snacks, coffee, water will be provided throughout the IMC during opening hours. Hot meals will be provided in the media catering area at times outlined below.

    Day Lunch Dinner Dinner
     22 June  13:00 – 15:00  –  
     23 June  12:30 – 14:30  17.30 -19.30  
     24 June  11:30 – 14:30  19:00 – 21:00  Light catering overnight
     25 June  11:30 – 14:30  18:30-21:00  Light catering overnight

    LOST AND FOUND

     Please check at the Information Desk.

    MAPS

    Access to the premises

    CONTACT POINTS

    General logistics, pool access:  Summitmediaoperations@hq.nato.int

    Media accreditation:  NATOAccreditations@hq.nato.int 

    Edit booths, standups, etc: broadcastoperations@mfasummits.nl 

    TV Studio:  broadcastoperations@hq.nato.int 

    B-roll and video distribution:  content@natomultimedia.tv

    NATO Summit Media Coordination:
    Ms. Alina COCA – Summitmediaoperations@hq.nato.int

    The Netherlands Media Coordination: antoinet-de.haan@minbuza.nl

    Media queries and / or requests for interviews of NATO officials:
    NATO Press and Media Service – press@hq.nato.int
    The Netherlands: NATO2025-press@minbuza.nl

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Budget invests in tourism and events

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The ACT Government will support the revitalisation of Telstra Tower.

    In brief:

    • The 2025–26 ACT Budget is investing in Canberra’s tourism, hospitality and events sectors.
    • This will help city is grow as a destination for both tourism and business.
    • This story outlines the targeted investment included in the Budget.

    The 2025–26 ACT Budget will support Canberra’s tourism, hospitality and events sectors.

    Targeted investment will help attract more visitors and events to Canberra. It will:

    • support Canberra’s growing visitor economy
    • strengthen the city’s national profile
    • deliver high-quality events that benefit the whole community.

    This will help ensure the city is well-placed to grow as a visitor and business hub.

    Telstra Tower – an iconic landmark

    The ACT Government is committed to returning Telstra Tower as part of the Canberra tourism experience.

    The tower is one of Canberra’s most recognisable landmarks. The Government is partnering with Telstra to support its revitalisation. This will include a modern, commercially viable fit-out.

    The Government is working towards finalising an operational agreement with Telstra.

    Supporting Canberra’s tourism industry

    The Government is supporting the Territory’s tourism industry with:

    • continued operational support for the Canberra Convention Bureau
    • an Aviation Stimulus Fund to improve flight access to the capital
    • continuing the Major Events Fund
    • support for core activities of Brand Canberra, the National Capital Educational Tourism Project, and in-market tourism representation
    • support for major events. These include Enlighten, Floriade, New Year’s Eve, and Windows to the World, returning in 2025.

    Support for international engagement

    The Budget also includes support to continue the ACT’s international engagement activities. These include:

    • trade missions
    • business export support
    • international partnerships, with a focus on business, education and tourism opportunities.

    The investment is part of the ACT Government’s broader plan to grow Canberra’s economy and support local jobs.

    Read more like this:

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Middle East Studies, Australian National University

    After prevaricating about whether the United States would enter Israel’s war on Iran, President Donald Trump finally made a decision.

    Early Sunday, US warplanes and submarines struck three of Iran’s nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, where the Iranians have a uranium enrichment plant buried about 80 metres beneath a mountain.

    These strikes have to be viewed as part of an overall continuum that began with the Gaza war following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and then continued with Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah (the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon) and the fall of the Iran-backed Assad regime in Syria.

    Iran has never been weaker than it is now. And when Trump said it may take two weeks for him to decide whether to bomb Iran, the Israelis likely pushed him to act sooner.

    We can assume there was a lot of Israeli pressure on Trump to use the massive ordnance penetrators, the 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) “bunker buster” bombs that only the US can deploy with its B2 bombers.

    Now that Trump has taken the significant step of entering the US in yet another Middle East war, where could things go from here? There are a few possible scenarios.

    Iran strikes back

    The Iranians know they don’t have the strength to take on the US, and that the Americans can do enormous damage to their country and even put the Iranian regime’s stability at risk.

    This is always the prime consideration of the clerical regime led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – everything else is subordinate to that.

    To gauge Iran’s possible reaction, we can look at the how it responded to the first Trump administration’s assassination of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020.

    Iran said there would be a major reaction, but all it did was launch a barrage of missiles at two American bases in Iraq, which caused no US fatalities and very little damage. After that token retaliation, Iran said the matter was closed.

    Iran’s reaction to the new US strikes will likely be along these lines. It probably won’t want to get into a tit-for-tat with the US by launching attacks against American facilities in the region. Trump has promised to respond with force:

    Iran, a bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

    It’s also unclear how long Iran will be able to prosecute this war. This depends largely on how many ballistic missiles and launchers it has left.

    There are various estimates as to how many ballistic missiles Iran may have remaining in its stockpiles. It was believed to have about 2,000 missiles capable of reaching Israel at the start of the war. Some estimates say Iran has fired 700 of them; others say around 400. Whatever the number is, its stockpiles are dwindling quickly.

    Israel has also destroyed about a third of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. If Israel is able to destroy all of them, Iran would have very limited ability to fight back.

    Iran backs down

    Before the US got involved in the conflict, Iran said it was prepared to negotiate, but it wouldn’t do so while Israel was still attacking.

    So, one scenario is that some sort of compromise can now be worked out, in which Israel announces a ceasefire and Iran and the US agree to resume negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.

    The big problem is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he doesn’t trust the negotiating process and he doesn’t want to stop Israel’s military actions until all of Iran’s nuclear facilities have been completely destroyed. He’s also been bombing Iran’s oil terminals and gas facilities to put even more pressure on the regime.

    But the regime has shown itself to be incredibly determined not to lose face. It was under great pressure at different times during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and never considered surrendering until a US missile mistakenly took down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people.

    Iran then agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire. But the Iran-Iraq war lasted eight years, causing an estimated one million deaths. And when the then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, agreed to the ceasefire, he said it was “worse than drinking poison”.

    Given the state of Iran’s military capabilities, Khamenei, the current supreme leader, might surrender simply to try to preserve the regime. But this would be quite a climbdown as far as he’s concerned, and he has been very obstinate in the past.

    The regime is very unpopular, but the Iranian people, in my experience, are strongly patriotic – loyal to their country, if not the regime. Though it’s difficult to gauge opinion in a country of 90 million people, a lot of Iranians would not want to be ordered to do anything by the US or Israel, and would rather fight on.

    Netanyahu has said he wants to create the conditions for the Iranian people to rise up against the regime.

    But it’s worth bearing in mind that the opposite of autocracy is not necessarily democracy. It could possibly be chaos. Iran has a number of different ethnic groups and there may be huge disagreements over what should take the place of the clerical regime, were it to fall.

    At this stage, the regime will probably be able to hold together. And even if Khameini were to die suddenly, the regime will likely be able to quickly replace him.

    Though we don’t know his probable successor, the regime has had plenty of time to plan for this. Those in senior positions will also know that a post-Khamenei succession struggle really would put the regime at risk.

    The US engagement is limited

    According to the new polling by The Economist and YouGov, released on June 17, 60% of Americans were opposed to joining the conflict between Israel and Iran, with just 16% in favour. Among Republicans, 53% opposed military action.

    So, these strikes were not an obviously popular move among Americans at this stage. However, if this is an isolated event and succeeds in bringing a swift end to the war, Trump will probably be applauded by a majority of Americans.

    If the US has to go back with more bombers – or there are serious attacks on US interests in the region – there could be more adverse reactions among Americans.

    Another question is whether Iran’s 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium have been destroyed in the US attack.

    If it hasn’t been destroyed, and depending how much damage has been done to its centrifuges, Iran may be able to reconstruct its nuclear program relatively quickly. And it could have more incentive to further enrich this uranium to 90% purity, or weapons-grade level, to build a nuclear device.

    Ian Parmeter 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. The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next – https://theconversation.com/the-us-has-entered-the-israel-iran-war-here-are-3-scenarios-for-what-might-happen-next-259509

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is a ‘bunker buster’? An expert explains what the US dropped on Iran

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By James Dwyer, Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania

    The jagged silhouette of a B2 stealth bomber seen during a 2015 flyover in the US. Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images

    Late on Saturday night, local time, the United States carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, marking its open participation in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

    The US says it fired 30 submarine-launched missiles at the sites in Natanz and Isfahan, as well as dropping more than a dozen “bunker buster” bombs at Fordow and Natanz.

    The kind of bomb in question is the extremely destructive GBU-57 Massive Ordance Penetrator, or MOP, which weighs around 13.5 tonnes.

    The attacks raise a lot of questions. What are these enormous bombs? Why did the US feel it had to get involved in the conflict? And, going forward, what does it mean for Iran’s nuclear ambitions?

    What are ‘bunker busters’, and why are they used?

    Bunker busters are weapons designed to destroy heavily protected facilities such as bunkers deep underground, beyond the reach of normal bombs.

    Bunker busters are designed to bury themselves into the ground before detonating. This allows more of the explosive force to penetrate into the ground, rather than travelling through the air or across the surface.

    Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan are built deep underground. Estimates suggest that Fordow for example could be 80m beneath the surface, and capped with layers of reinforced concrete and soil.

    What is the MOP?

    The bunker buster used in this particular operation is the largest in the US arsenal. Leaving aside nuclear weapons, the MOP is the largest known buster buster in the world.

    Weighing some 13.5 tonnes, the MOP is believed to be able to penetrate up to 60 metres below ground in the right conditions. It is not known how many the US possesses, but the numbers are thought to be small (perhaps 20 or so in total).

    We also don’t know exactly how many were used in Iran, though some reports say it was 14. However, it is likely to be a significant portion of the US MOP arsenal.

    Why does only the US possess this capability?

    The US is not the only state with bunker-busting weaponry. However, the size of MOP means it requires very specialised bombers to carry and drop it.

    Only the B2 stealth bomber is currently able to deploy the MOP. Each B2 can carry at most two MOPs at a time. Around seven of America’s 19 operational B2s were used in the Iran operation.

    There has been some consideration whether large transport aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules could be modified to carry and drop the MOP from its rear cargo doors. While this would allow other countries (including Israel) to deploy the MOP, it is for now purely hypothetical.

    Why has the US (apparently) used them in Iran

    The Trump administration claims Iran may be only a few weeks from possessing a nuclear weapon, and that it needed to act now to destroy Iranian nuclear enrichment sites. This claim is notably at odds with published assessments from the US intelligence community.

    However, Israel lacks bunker busting weaponry sufficient to damage the deeply buried and fortified enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

    An F-15E Strike Eagle releases a GBU-28 ‘bunker buster’ laser-guided bomb, a smaller equivalewnt of the 13,600 kg GBU-57 ‘Massive Ordnance Penetrator’ believed to have been used in Iran.
    Michael Ammons / US Air Force

    Only the MOP could do the job (short of using nuclear weapons). Even then, multiple MOPs would have been required to ensure sufficient damage to the underground facilities.

    The US has claimed that these sites have been utterly destroyed. We cannot conclusively say whether this is true.

    Iran may also have other, undeclared nuclear sites elsewhere in the country.

    Iran’s reaction

    The US has reportedly reached out to Iran via diplomatic channels to emphasise that this attack was a one-off, not part of a larger project of regime change. It is hard to say what will happen in the next few weeks.

    Iran may retaliate with large strikes against Israel or against US forces in the region. It could also interrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which would affect a large portion of global oil shipments, with profound economic implications.

    Alternatively, Iran could capitulate and take steps to demonstrate it is ending its nuclear program. However, capitulation would not necessarily mean the end of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

    The value of nuclear weapons

    Perhaps a greater concern is that the attack will reinforce Iran’s desire to go nuclear. Without nuclear weapons, Iran was unable to threaten the US enough to deter today’s attack.

    Iran may take lessons from the fate of other states. Ukraine (in)famously surrendered its stockpile of former Soviet nuclear weapons in the early 1990s. Russia has since felt emboldened to annex Crimea in 2014 and launch an ongoing invasion in 2022. Other potential nuclear states, such as Iraq and Gadaffi’s regime in Libya, also suffered from military intervention.

    By contrast, North Korea successfully tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006. Since then there has been no serious consideration of military intervention in North Korea.

    Iran may yet have the ability to produce useful amounts of weapons-grade uranium. It may now aim to buy itself time to assemble a relatively small nuclear device, similar in scale to the bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Depending on what facilities and resources have survive the US strikes, the attack has likely reinforced that the only way the Iranian regime can guarantee its survival is to possess nuclear weapons.

    James Dwyer 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. What is a ‘bunker buster’? An expert explains what the US dropped on Iran – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-bunker-buster-an-expert-explains-what-the-us-dropped-on-iran-259508

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: /China in Focus/ The Labubu Hype or China’s Rise as a Global Intellectual Property Power

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    HANGZHOU, June 22 (Xinhua) — A pajama factory in east China’s Jiangsu Province was idle for a while but was brought back to life by one plush toy.

    “I didn’t like Labubu at first, but now I find it charming,” said Qiu Zunjun, general manager of Suzhou-based Shuofeng, a consumer goods company, with a smile.

    Labubu took the world by storm with its signature mischievous smile and sharp teeth. Noticing the excitement, Qiu Zunjun saw a gap in the market – clothes for collectors to dress up their plush friends. He bought samples of the toys and fabric, and by the end of May, the factory was churning out clothes for the little rascal.

    “In less than 20 days, we produced more than 80 types of doll clothes, earning about 170,000 yuan (approximately $23,643).” Qiu Zunjun estimates that monthly revenue could reach 1 million yuan if orders continue to increase.

    Cool, cute, with bunny ears, this character from China has inspired people around the world to line up for a chance to own it. It is the latest example of the globalization of Chinese intellectual property (IP), marking China’s transition from being a manufacturing hub to a source of original cultural exports that are breathing life into traditional industries.

    CHINESE IS CONQUERING THE WORLD

    Maraid Vintena of Sydney, Australia, queued for an hour at a Pop Mart Labubu machine in her local area this week. “There are four Pop Mart machines near my house,” she said. “But most of the time they’re empty. I check the site about 10 times a day… I feel like I’m addicted, but it’s fun.”

    “As you get older, life becomes a little mundane. A little joy like Labubu or a blind box is like a breath of fresh air,” Vintena explained her love for the doll.

    Amid growing excitement, clothing brand Uniqlo has announced a collaboration with Pop Mart to release a new collection, The Monsters.

    It is not the only IP from China to gain global recognition. From last year’s hit video game “Black Myth: Wukong,” which attracted 1.04 million concurrent players within an hour of its release, to the blockbuster “Nezha 2,” which has risen to fifth place in the history of the global box office, the success of Chinese IP demonstrates the growing cultural confidence and strength of the country’s industrial system, said Wang Ruotong, a researcher at Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

    Beyond culture, a number of Chinese brands have also made it into the global top tier of IP, from artificial intelligence (AI) to electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

    China maintained its growth momentum in new energy vehicle exports, with pure electric vehicle exports set to exceed 2 million units for the first time in 2024, according to the General Administration of Customs.

    Chinese automaker BYD is building factories in Thailand and Mexico, integrating Chinese aesthetics into car design.

    In the field of AI, China has made comprehensive progress, forming a thriving industrial ecosystem. The country is home to more than 400 “little giants” – small and medium-sized enterprises leading niche segments of the AI market, including innovator DeepSeek.

    The dynamic growth of China’s creative IP is driven by China’s booming domestic cultural consumption and strong industrial manufacturing base. As China moves from mass production to high-tech, intelligent manufacturing, the synthesis of aesthetics and craftsmanship is helping propel the country’s manufacturing industry up the global value chain.

    According to the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China (NBS), the average per capita expenditure on education, culture and entertainment in China was 3,189 yuan in 2024, up 9.8 percent year on year and accounting for 11.3 percent of total per capita consumption expenditure. The ever-expanding cultural services consumption market is becoming a powerful driver for the development of China’s intellectual property industry.

    REVIVAL OF TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES

    At a market in Yiwu, east China’s Zhejiang Province, shoppers with black bags wander from stall to stall asking, “Are there any clothes for Labubu?” The global buzz around the doll has opened up business opportunities for China’s “global supermarket.”

    Zhu Hui’s shop not only sells shirts, pants, and skirts for Labubu, but also accessories like glasses and hats. “Our clothes are 7-15 yuan each, and accessories are 1-2 yuan,” she said.

    Zhu Hui’s shop opened just half a month ago, but the number of orders is growing rapidly. “At first, we received orders for tens or hundreds of pieces a day, but now we have more than 10,000 pieces.” Her factory has about 50 workers, all of whom have recently had to work overtime.

    Inspired by Labubu, other toy manufacturers are also looking to make their products more appealing.

    Sun Lijuan is the manager of Yiwu Hongsheng Toy Factory, which exports dolls to more than 80 countries and regions in South America, the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe and Africa.

    “Our dolls can talk, sing and tell stories,” she said. They are now implementing AI technologies to create products that meet different consumer needs.

    According to Sun Lijuan, in recent years they have seen the development of new technologies, which have strengthened their business and helped them avoid homogeneous competition. Their factory is 13 years old, but its turnover has been growing steadily in recent years.

    “The main potential of the globalization of IP in the future lies in the continuous development of content and its deep integration with technology,” said Wang Ruotong. “With the maturation of technologies such as AI and virtual reality, IP display will move toward immersive and interactive experiences.”

    “China has a strong manufacturing base,” she continued. “So the current popularity of Labubu has opened up a huge opportunity for the industry. I’m sure there will be many more Labubu in the future.” -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ group slams Israeli ‘hoodwinking’ of US over nuclear strikes – Peters calls for talks

    Asia Pacific Report

    The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has called on New Zealanders to condemn the US bombing of Iran.

    PSNA co-chair Maher Nazzal said in a statement that he hoped the New Zealand government would be critical of the US for its war escalation.

    “Israel has once again hoodwinked the United States into fighting Israel’s wars,” he said.

    “Israel’s Prime Minister has [been declaring] Iran to be on the point of producing nuclear weapons since the 1990s.

    “It’s all part of his big plan for expulsion of Palestinians from Palestine to create a Greater Israel, and regime change for the entire region.”

    Israel knew that Arab and European countries would “fall in behind these plans” and in many cases actually help implement them.

    “It is a dreadful day for the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s forces will be turned back onto them in Gaza and the West Bank.”

    ‘Dreadful day’ for Middle East
    “It is just as dreadful day for the whole Middle East.

    “Trump has tried to add Iran to the disasters of US foreign policy in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The US simply doesn’t care how many people will die.”

    New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters “acknowledged the development in the past 24 hours”, including President Trump’s announcement of the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

    He described it as “extremely worrying” military action in the Middle East, and it was critical further escalation was avoided.

    “New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks,” he said.

    “Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.”

    The Australian government said in a statement that Canberra had been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme had been a “threat to international peace and security”.

    It also noted that the US President had declared that “now is the time for peace”.

    “The security situation in the region is highly volatile,” said the statement. “We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

    Iran calls attack ‘outrageous’
    However, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the “outrageous” US attacks on Iran’s “peaceful nuclear installations” would have “everlasting consequences”.

    His comments come as an Iranian missile attack on central and northern Israel wounded at least 23 people.

    In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dr Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said the people of Iran feared that Israel’s goals stretched far beyond its stated goal of destroying the country’s nuclear and missile programmes.

    “Many in Iran believe that Israel’s end game, really, is to turn Iran into Libya, into Iraq, what it was after the US invasion in 2003, and/or Afghanistan.

    “And so the dismemberment of Iran is what Netanyahu has in mind, at least as far as Tehran is concerned,” he said.

    US attack ‘more or less guarantees’ Iran will be nuclear-armed within decade

    ‘No evidence’ of Iran ‘threat’
    Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said there had been “absolutely no evidence” that Iran posed a threat.

    “Neither was it existential, nor imminent,” he told Al Jazeera.

    “We have to keep in mind the reality of the situation, which is that two nuclear-equipped countries attacked a non-nuclear weapons state without having gotten attacked first.

    “Israel was not attacked by Iran — it started that war; the United States was not attacked by Iran — it started this confrontation at this point.”

    Dr Parsi added that the attacks on Iran would “send shockwaves” throughout the world.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –