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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Don’t blame toxic masculinity for online misogyny – the manosphere is hurting men too

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kate Cantrell, Senior Lecturer – Writing, Editing, and Publishing, University of Southern Queensland

    “Imagine her tenderly pressing her soft lips against yours”, writes one incel on Reddit, before concluding, “you will never get to experience this because your skeleton is too small or the bones in your face are not the right shape”.

    In his debut book, The Male Complaint, Simon Copland escorts his readers through the manosphere and into the minds of its inhabitants. He illustrates how boys and men who are “terrifyingly normal” become attracted to the manosphere’s grim logic – and the cognitive distortions of anti-feminist influencers like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson.

    While mainstream debates often cite toxic masculinity as the cause of online misogyny, Copland, a writer and researcher at the Australian National University, shifts the blame to a deeper cultural malaise. It’s caused, he argues, by the cruel optimism of the manosphere, the multiple social and economic crises of late-stage capitalism and a collective nihilistic misery in which complaint becomes futile and destruction “the only way out”.

    Review: The Male Complaint – Simon Copland (Polity)

    The manosphere is a network of loosely related blogs and forums devoted to “men’s interests” – sites like The Rational Male, Game Global and the subreddits ForeverAlone, TheRedPill and MensRights. These online communities, separate in their specific beliefs, are united by their misogynistic ideas – and anti-women and anti-diversity sentiments.

    They’re also united by the growing tendency of the men in these communities towards nihilistic violence: not only against others, but also against themselves.

    In The Male Complaint, Copland relays his dismay at discovering “a constant stream” of suicide notes on Reddit, including a subreddit, IncelGraveyard, which catalogues close to 100 suicide notes and letters posted by self-identified incels.

    Since I was a kid I was fed up with ‘Don’t worry, it will get better’, ‘You will find someone’ […] it’s not even that I want a SO (significant other) anymore. Women are awful. People are awful. I have no friends.

    For Copland, the violence incels inflict on themselves is a form of passive nihilism. Incels “don’t just express disgust and despair at the world, but in themselves – their looks, body, lives, personality, intelligence, and more”.

    Who’s in the manosphere?

    The manosphere includes men’s rights activists, pick-up artists and “Men Going Their Own Way” (male separatists who avoid contact with women altogether). And of course, incels: men who believe they are unable to find a romantic or sexual partner due to their perceived genetic inferiority and oppression.

    Incels also blame their problems on women’s alleged hypergamy: the theory women seek out partners of higher social or economic status and therefore marry “up”. Put another way, hypergamy, a concept rooted in evolutionary psychology, is the belief “women are hard-wired to be gold diggers”.

    Rollo Tomassi, the so-called “godfather of the manosphere”, complains on his blog that “women love opportunistically”, while “men believe that love matters for the sake of it”.

    According to Tomassi, the “cruel reality” of modern dating is that men are romantics who are “forced to be realists”, while women are realists whose use “romanticisms to effect their imperatives”. Tomassi complains:

    Our girlfriends, our wives, daughters and even our mothers are all incapable of idealized love […] By order of degrees, hypergamy will define who a woman loves and who she will not, depending upon her own opportunities and capacity to attract it.

    Ten years ago, these communities were largely regarded as fringe groups. Today, their ideology has infiltrated the mainstream.

    On Sunday, ABC TV’s Compass reported that misogyny is on the rise in Australian classrooms, with female teachers sharing their experiences of sexual assault and harassment on school grounds – ranging from boys writing stories about gang raping their teachers to masturbating “over them” in the bathrooms. One student even pretended to stab his pregnant teacher as a “joke”.

    A 2025 report published by UN Women shows 53% of women have experienced some form of technology-facilitated, gender-based violence. The dark side of digitalisation disproportionately affects young women aged between 18 and 24, LGBTQI+ women, women who are divorced or who live in the city, and women who participate in online gaming.

    ‘Biologically bad’?

    Copland argues that simplified critiques of toxic masculinity minimise the problem of male violence. They fail to consider the context and history of gendered behaviour, assuming toxic traits are somehow innate and unique to men, rather than the product of social expectations and relations.

    This, in turn, promotes the idea that male violence derives from something “biologically bad” in the nature of masculinity itself. As Copland explains, “this is embedded in the term ‘toxic’, which makes it sound like men’s bodies have become diseased or infected”.

    Blaming toxic masculinity for digital misogyny also embraces a form of smug politics in which disaffected men are dismissed as degenerates who are fundamentally different to “us” (meaning the activist left and leftist elites). They are “cellar dwellers”, “subhuman freaks”, or “virgin losers” who need to be either enlightened or locked up. “We”, on the other hand, are educated, progressive, superior.

    This kind of rhetoric, as Copland explains, is unhelpful. It does not create the conditions for changing the opinions, narratives and futures of manosphere men because it does not allow people to understand their complaints and where those concerns come from – even if we do not agree with them.

    Belittling attitudes and demeaning discourses alienate men who already feel socially isolated. This pushes those men further to the fringes – into the hands of “manfluencers” who claim to understand.

    ‘Not having love becomes everything’

    The manosphere, Copland observes, is not “an aberration that is different and distinct from the rest of the world”, nor is it a community that exists solely on the “dark corners of the web”.


    Rather, the manosphere, as an echo chamber, enables and encourages what Copland calls “the male complaint”: a sense of collective pain or “injury” so intrinsic to the group’s identity, it cannot be redressed.

    As injured subjects who believe their problems are caused through no fault of their own, manosphere men cannot mend the “wound” they believe society has inflicted upon them. Their “marginalisation” and injured status are the lens through which they view themselves and the world.

    In the Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) community, for example, some men talk about the movement as a hospital where “physicians of the male soul” use different “methods of healing” to treat the “illness of gynocentric-induced disease weighing them down”. These methods include “self-improvement” strategies that are designed to build men’s power and wealth: purchasing gym equipment, investing in the stock market, even abstaining from pornography and sex.

    Others in the MGTOW community are vocally anti-victim: “You can live an extraordinary life,” one man says to another, “but you’re wasting your time on complaints and negativity”.

    Even when they disagree, though, manosphere men frame women and feminism as the enemy. In this way, the machinery of the manosphere capitalises on men’s discontent, reflects that messaging back to them and displaces their anger and hurt onto an easy scapegoat.

    As Copland observes, it is easier for men to blame women for their unhappiness than it is to blame the complex systems of capitalism: “if love and sex is everything, then not having love becomes everything as well”.

    Blackpilled incels, lookism and anonymity

    This preoccupation with intimacy is central to the incel community. It is exemplified by the various artefacts Copland embeds in his book – memes and posts from the manosphere itself.

    Blackpilled incels are a subgroup of incels who believe their access to romantic and sexual relationships is doomed because of “lookism”: the belief women choose sexual partners based solely on their physical features.

    Blackpilled ideology attributes romantic failure to genetically unalterable aspects of the human body, such as one’s height or skull shape. Some blackpilled incels, who call themselves wristcels, even blame their lack of sexual success on the width of their wrists.

    This logic is countered by research that demonstrates men, in fact, show stronger preferences for physical attractiveness than women, with women tending to prioritise education level and earning potential.

    On Reddit, incels often imagine and bitterly dismiss the potential for love and intimacy because of their looks.
    Ohsineon/Pexels

    The manosphere, however, amplifies this type of thinking and filters out information that challenges these ideas and opinions, increasing group polarisation. Despite its promise of solidarity, the manosphere isolates boys and men, and ultimately distances them from their wider community. This segregation results in a deep sense of alienation – these boys and men become stuck in a perpetual cycle of ideological reinforcement.

    The manosphere thrives on anonymity, writes Copland, which only reinforces the idea it is not designed to foster deep relationships or connections.

    No silver bullets

    The sense of community the manosphere claims to offer is a sham; its alienating structures do not offer boys and men genuine belonging and connection, or real solutions to their problems.

    “From one day to the next, the ability to communicate depends on the whims of hidden engineers,” writes media studies professor Mark Andrejevic of online networks more broadly. The manosphere, like other virtual constructs, is subject to manipulation by those who control the infrastructure and the rules of engagement.

    More than this, the manosphere does not provide an alternative to complaint. When complaint is the only option, writes Copland, nihilism and violence are the inevitable result.

    When nothing matters, there are no consequences to anything, including violence […] Manosphere men do not look to convince others, but rather seek their destruction. Destruction is the outlet they find to deal with their complaint.

    That’s what makes the manosphere so dangerous.

    ‘Popular boys must be punished’

    In 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, a British-American college student, embarked on an hours-long stabbing and shooting spree in the university town of Isla Vista, California, killing six and injuring 14. On the morning of May 23 – the “Day of Retribution” – Rodger emailed a 140-page “manifesto” to his family, friends and therapists. He also uploaded several YouTube videos in which he lamented his inability to find a girlfriend, the “hedonistic pleasures” of his peers and his painful existence of “loneliness, rejection, and unfilled desires”.

    In his memoir-manifesto, Rodger – the supposed “patron saint of inceldom” – explains the motive for his violence:

    I had nothing left to live for but revenge. Women must be punished for their crimes of rejecting such a magnificent gentleman as myself. All of those popular boys must be punished for enjoying heavenly lives and having sex with all the girls while I had to suffer in lonely virginity.

    Four years later, in April 2018, Alek Minassian, a self-described incel, drove a rented van onto a busy sidewalk in Toronto, killing 11 (nine of them women) and injuring many more. On Facebook, Minassian explained that his actions were part of the “incel rebellion” led by the “Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger”. Later, Minassian told police, “I feel like I accomplished my mission”.

    Rodger, too, ended his final YouTube video with a similar message: “If I can’t have you girls, I will destroy you”.

    In his book, Copland even draws a parallel between the Westfield Bondi Junction attack and the explanation for attacker Joel Cauchi’s violence, put forward by his father just two days after the attack: “To you, he is a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy […] he wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain”.

    In fact, Cauchi suffered from treatment-resistant schizophrenia and had been unmedicated at the time of the attack: “after almost two decades of treatment, Cauchi had no regular psychiatrist, was not on any medications to treat his schizophrenia and had no family living nearby”. The multifaceted causes of Cauchi’s crime are more complex than misogynistic violence.

    Indeed, the pieces of the manosphere puzzle, when put together, reveal a sobering image of the male complaint. However, they demonstrate misogyny is bad for everyone – not just women and girls.

    As Copland concludes:

    The manosphere promises men that it can make their lives better […] But it really cannot deliver. The promises it offers are not real, and in many cases make things worse […] This is how cruel optimism works, always offering, but never delivering.

    ‘It’s the combinations’

    Recent evidence suggests there is no single route to radicalisation, and no single cause of violent extremism. Rather, complex interactions between push, pull, and personal factors are the root causes of male violence.

    The Netflix sensation Adolescence – the harrowing story of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested and charged with murder – is powered by a single question: why did Jamie kill Katie?

    In attempting to answer this question, critics and fans have offered a range of explanations: bullying, low self-esteem, emotional dysregulation, obsession with love and sex, deprivation of love and sex, the manosphere. The real answer is less obvious and infinitely more complex. It can be found in a simple line of dialogue, spoken at the end of the series by Jamie’s sister.

    “It’s the combinations,” Lisa says. “Combinations are everything.”

    In this moment, Lisa is justifying her outfit to her parents as they await Jamie’s trial. But subtextually, her statement doubles as the most likely explanation for his actions. And it’s the closest explanation for why some boys and men commit extreme acts of violence: the combinations.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Kate Cantrell 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. Don’t blame toxic masculinity for online misogyny – the manosphere is hurting men too – https://theconversation.com/dont-blame-toxic-masculinity-for-online-misogyny-the-manosphere-is-hurting-men-too-254802

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney

    Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock

    Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish?

    Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and change fish behaviour. Many of these behaviours are essential for healthy ecosystems.

    In a new study, my colleagues and I found that pesticides affect many different behaviours in fish. Overall, the chemical pesticides make fish less sociable and interactive. They spend less time gathering in groups, become less protective of their territory, and make fewer attempts to mate.

    Imagine the ocean without the vibrant schools of fish we’ve come to love – only isolated swimmers drifting about. Quietly, ecosystems begin to unravel, long before mass die-offs hit the news.

    Healthy reef ecosystems feature fish swimming together and socialising.
    Mike Workman, Shutterstock

    Fish are living and dying in polluted water

    Australia is a major producer and user of pesticides, with more than 11,000 approved chemical products routinely used in agricultural and domestic settings. Remarkably, some of these chemicals remain approved in Australia despite being banned in other regions such as the European Union due to safety concerns.

    When a tractor or plane sprays pesticides onto crops, it creates a mist of chemicals in the air to kill crop pests. After heavy rain, these chemicals can flow into roadside drains, filter through soil, and slowly move into rivers, lakes and oceans.

    Fish swim in this diluted chemical mixture. They can absorb pesticides through their gills or eat contaminated prey.

    At high concentrations, mass fish deaths can result, such as those repeatedly observed in the Menindee Lakes. However, doses in the wild often aren’t lethal and more subtle effects can occur. Scientists call these “sub-lethal” effects.

    One commonly investigated sub-lethal effect is a change in behaviour – in other words, a change in the way a fish interacts with its surrounding environment.

    Our previous research has found most experiments have looked at the impacts on fish in isolation, measuring things such as how far or how fast they swim when pesticides are present.

    But fish aren’t solitary — they form groups, defend territory and find mates. These behaviours keep aquatic ecosystems stable. So this time we studied how pesticides affect these crucial social behaviours.

    Pesticide exposure makes fish less social

    Our study extracted and analysed data from 37 experiments conducted around the world. Together, these tested the impacts of 31 different pesticides on the social behaviour of 11 different fish species.

    The evidence suggests pesticides make fish less social, and this finding is consistent across species. Courtship was the most severely impacted behaviour – the process fish use to find and attract mates. This is particularly alarming because successful courtship is essential for healthy fish populations and ecosystem stability.

    Next, we found pesticides such as the herbicide glyphosate, which can disrupt brain function and hormone levels had the strongest impacts on fish social behaviours. This raises important questions about how brain function and hormones drive fish social behaviour, which could be tested by scientists in the future.

    For example, scientists could test how much a change in testosterone relates to a change in territory defence. Looking at these relationships between what’s going on inside the body mechanisms and outward behaviour will help us better understand the complex impacts of pesticides.

    We also identified gaps in the current studies. Most existing studies focus on a limited number of easy-to-study “model species” such as zebrafish, medaka and guppies. They also often use pesticide dosages and durations that may not reflect real-world realities.

    Addressing these gaps by including a range of species and environmentally relevant dosages is crucial to understanding how pesticides affect fish in the wild.

    One of the experiments in our study involved convict surgeonfish, which gather in large groups or ‘shoals’.
    Damsea, Shutterstock

    Behaviour is a blind spot in regulation

    Regulatory authorities should begin to recognise behaviour as a reliable and important indicator of pesticide safety. This can help them catch pesticide pollution early, before mass deaths occur.

    Scientists play a crucial role too. By following the same methods, scientists can produce comparable results. A standardised method then provides regulators the evidence needed to confidently assess pesticide risks.

    Together, regulatory authorities and scientists can find a way to use behavioural studies to help inform policy decisions. This will help to prevent mass deaths and catch pesticide impacts early on.

    Leave no stone unturned in restoring our waters

    Rivers, lakes, oceans and reefs are bearing the brunt of an ever-growing human footprint.

    So far, much of the spotlight has focused on reducing carbon emissions and managing overfishing — and rightly so. But there’s another, quieter threat drifting beneath the surface: the chemicals we use.

    Pesticides used on farms and in gardens are being detected everywhere, even iconic ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. As we have shown, these pesticides can have disturbing effects even at low concentrations.

    Now is the time to cut pesticide use and reduce runoff. Through switching to less toxic chemicals and introducing better regulations, we can reduce the damage. If we act with urgency, we can limit the impacts pesticides have on our planet.

    Kyle Morrison 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. Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart – https://theconversation.com/many-fish-are-social-but-pesticides-are-pushing-them-apart-256230

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Rachel Hughes, Associate Professor of Geography, The University of Melbourne

    A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee.

    This is not only important for Cambodia, but also raises important questions for atrocity sites in Australia.

    Before this, the World Heritage list only recognised seven “sites of memory” associated with recent conflicts, which UNESCO defines as “events having occurred from the turn of the 20th century” under its criterion vi. These sat within a broader list of more than 950 cultural sites.

    In recent years, experts have intensely debated the question of whether a site associated with recent conflict could, or should, be nominated and evaluated for World Heritage status. Some argue such listings would contradict the objectives of UNESCO and its spirit of peace, which was part of the specialised agency’s mandate after the destruction of two world wars.

    Sites associated with recent conflicts can be divisive. For instance, when Japan nominated the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, both China and the United States objected and eventually disassociated from the decision. The US argued the nomination lacked “historical perspective” on the events that led to the bomb’s use. Meanwhile, China argued listing the property would not be conducive for peace as other Asian countries and peoples had suffered at the hands of the Japanese during WWII.

    Heritage inscriptions risk reinforcing societal divisions if they conserve a particular memory in a one-sided way.

    Nonetheless, the World Heritage Committee decided in 2023 to no longer preclude such sites for inscription. This was done partly in recognition of how these sites may “serve the peace-building mission of UNESCO”.

    Shortly after, three listing were added: the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory, a former clandestine centre for detention, torture and extermination in Argentina; memorial sites of the Rwandan genocide at Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero; and funerary and memory sites of the first world war in Belgium and France.

    A number of legacy sites associated with Nelson Mandela’s human rights struggle in South Africa were also added last year.

    Atrocities of the Khmer Rouge

    The recently inscribed Cambodian Memorial Sites include prisons S-21 (now known as Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum) and M-13, as well as the execution site Choeung Ek.

    These sites were nominated for their value in showing the development of extreme mass violence in relation to the security system of the Khmer Rouge in 1975–79. They also have value as places of memorialisation, peace and learning.

    The Khmer Rouge developed its methods of disappearance, incarceration and torture of suspected “enemies” during the civil conflict of 1970–75. It established a system of local-level security centres in so-called “liberated” areas.

    One of these centres was known as M-13, a small, well-hidden prison in the country’s rural southwest. A man named Kaing Guek Eav – also called Duch – was responsible for prisoners at M-13.

    Shortly after the entire country fell to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975, Duch was assigned to lead the headquarters of the regime’s security system: a large detention and torture centre known as S-21.

    Under his instruction, tens of thousands of people were detained in inhumane conditions, tortured and interrogated. Many detainees were later taken to the outskirts of the city to be brutally killed and buried in pits at a place called Choeung Ek.

    The sites operated until early 1979, when the Khmer Rouge was forced from power.

    The S-21 facility and the mass graves at Choeung Ek have long been memorialised as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre.

    However, the former M-13 site shows few visual clues to its prior use, and has only recently been investigated by an international team led by Cambodian archaeologist and museum director Hang Nisay. The site is on an island in a small river that forms the boundary between the Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu provinces.

    Further research, site protection and memorialisation activities will now be supported, with help from locals.

    From repression to reflection

    The Cambodian memorial sites have been recognised as holding “outstanding universal value” for the way they evidence one of the 20th century’s worst atrocities, and are now places of memory.

    In its nomination dossier for these sites, Cambodia drew on findings from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to verify and link the conflict and the sites.

    In 2010, the tribunal found Duch guilty of crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Duch was sentenced to 30 years in prison (which eventually turned into life imprisonment). He died in 2020.

    While courts such as the International Criminal Court have previously examined the destruction of heritage as an international crime, drawing on legal findings to assert heritage status is an unusual inverse. It raises important questions about the legacies of former UN-supported tribunals and the ongoing implications of their findings.

    The recent listings also raise questions for Australia, which has many sites of documented mass killing associated with colonisation and the frontier wars that lasted into the 20th century.

    Might Australia nominate any of these atrocity sites in the future? And could other processes such as truth-telling, reparation and redress support (or be supported by) such nominations?

    Rachel Hughes has consulted to UNESCO Cambodia.

    Maria Elander 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. UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict – https://theconversation.com/unesco-grants-world-heritage-status-to-khmer-rouge-atrocity-sites-paving-the-way-for-other-sites-of-conflict-260923

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: PRRT assessable receipts

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Assessable petroleum receipts

    Commercial recovery of petroleum is the most significant assessable receipts that result from a petroleum project. These are referred to as assessable petroleum receipts. They generally arise when recovered petroleum is sold before it is processed or after some preliminary processing has been undertaken.

    Certain other kinds of receipts are also assessable under the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT). Broadly, these receipts are assessable to ensure there is symmetry in the PRRT as they generally arise from amounts that have been previously claimed as a deduction. For example, the consideration received from the disposal of property used in a petroleum project is assessable as the original purchase is deductible under the PRRT.

    There is no revenue or capital distinction in the PRRT. Therefore, receipts of a revenue or capital nature may be assessable under the PRRT.

    For more information, see PRRT concepts.

    Derivation of assessable receipts

    Assessable receipts derived in relation to a petroleum project need to be taken into account in the financial year in which they are receivable or, in certain cases, when they are deemed to be receivable.

    As assessable receipts are derived when they are receivable or deemed to be receivable, they may be derived before the project commences (that is, before a production licence comes into force) or after it has ceased.

    Broadly, assessable receipts from the North West Shelf project derived from 1 July 2012 will be assessable.

    Types of assessable receipts

    There are 7 types of assessable receipts for petroleum projects:

    For further information, see PRRT deductible expenditure.

    Assessable petroleum receipts

    Assessable petroleum receipts are derived when consideration becomes receivable from the sale of a marketable petroleum commodity (MPC). Assessable petroleum receipts are the consideration receivable for the sale less any expenses payable in relation to the sale.

    An MPC is a product produced from petroleum (for example, stabilised crude oil, sales gas and condensate) that is in its final form for the purpose of either sale, use as feedstock for conversion to another product or direct consumption as energy. However, it does not include a product that was produced from an MPC.

    In a situation where the MPC is not sold but it becomes an excluded commodity, the assessable petroleum receipts represent the market value of the MPC before it becomes or became an excluded commodity. Where there is insufficient evidence of the market value, the Commissioner of Taxation may determine a fair and reasonable amount to be the assessable petroleum receipts.

    An excluded commodity is an MPC that has been sold, further processed or treated after being produced, moved from the place of its production other than to an adjacent storage site or moved from a storage site adjacent to the place of production.

    Special rules

    Special rules apply in calculating assessable petroleum receipts from sales gas produced in an integrated gas-to-liquid (GTL) operation or an integrated gas-to-electricity (GTE) operation whereby the sales gas is further processed into a liquefied product or consumed in the commercial production of electricity.

    For more information, see:

    Assessable tolling receipts

    Assessable tolling receipts are consideration receivable for the processing of internal or external petroleum in relation to a petroleum project.

    Internal petroleum is petroleum recovered from a production licence area of the project. For example, a joint venturer who owns the processing facility may process the share of petroleum of one or more other venturers.

    External petroleum is petroleum recovered from an area other than the production licence area of the project. For example, petroleum recovered from project A is processed in the processing plant of project B.

    Assessable exploration recovery receipts

    Assessable exploration recovery receipts are derived in a similar manner as assessable petroleum receipts, except that they are derived from petroleum (or an MPC produced from the petroleum) recovered from the eligible exploration or recovery area (other than a production licence area) in relation to a petroleum project. In other words, they relate to recovery of petroleum from the area of an exploration permit or a retention lease.

    Assessable property receipts

    Assessable property receipts include certain amounts receivable in respect of the disposal, loss or destruction of property for which a deduction for capital expenditure (being eligible real expenditure) was incurred in relation to the project.

    Assessable property receipts include all of the following amounts:

    • consideration receivable on disposal of project property
    • the market value of property on termination of its use in the project
    • insurance payments for loss or damage to project property
    • consideration receivable for hiring, leasing out or granting of a right to use project property
    • consideration receivable for the provision of information obtained by incurring eligible real expenditure in relation to the project (for example, amounts receivable from sale of information obtained from a survey, appraisal or study).

    Where property has been purchased for use partly in relation to a project (and accordingly only that proportion of capital expenditure has been claimed as eligible real expenditure of the project), only a corresponding proportion of the receipts from the disposal of that property (or other things referred to above) will be included as assessable property receipts in relation to the project.

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts include amounts receivable by way of insurance, compensation or indemnity in respect of all of the following:

    • the loss or destruction (or in respect of the loss of any profit caused by the loss or destruction) of petroleum before an MPC had been produced from the petroleum
    • the loss or destruction (or in respect of the loss of any profit caused by the loss or destruction) of an MPC before it becomes an excluded commodity
    • the loss of any amounts that would otherwise have been assessable receipts in relation to a project.

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts also include amounts receivable by way of refund, rebate, discount, commission, compensation or indemnity received in relation to eligible real expenditure incurred in relation to a project.

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts will include grossed up amounts of refunds of resource tax expenditure for the North West Shelf project.

    Refunds of resource tax expenditure

    The North West Shelf project is subject to certain Commonwealth, state and territory excise and royalties (resource tax expenditure).

    From 1 July 2012, resource tax expenditure is creditable against the PRRT liability of the North West Shelf project. This is achieved by grossing up payments of resource taxes by the PRRT rate that is then deductible against assessable receipts of the project.

    Entities may be entitled to a refund where there has been an overpayment of a royalty or excise. In these circumstances the refund will be grossed up (by dividing it by the PRRT rate) and will be treated as an assessable miscellaneous compensation receipt in the year it is received.

    However, refunds received after 1 July 2012 that relate to petroleum extracted before 1 July 2012, will not be assessable.

    Assessable employee amenities receipts

    Amounts receivable for or in respect of the provision of employee amenities in respect of which eligible real expenditure was incurred, are assessable employee amenities receipts.

    The term ’employee amenities’ means provision of non-profit housing, health, education, recreation, welfare or similar facilities and services (including provision of meals) to project employees or their dependents.

    Assessable incidental production receipts

    Consideration receivable from the sale of incidental products other than petroleum or an MPC which have been recovered, extracted or produced using operations, facilities and other things that are related to the petroleum project and for which eligible real expenditure was incurred, will be treated as assessable incidental production receipts.

    Examples include consideration receivable from the sale of both:

    • water from a water treatment facility that is an integral part of a petroleum project
    • excess electricity that is produced as part of a petroleum project.

    Assessable incidental production receipts also include consideration receivable from the sale of services relating to carbon capture and storage provided to another entity using operations, facilities and other things of the petroleum project and for which eligible real expenditure was incurred.

    Receipts which are not assessable receipts

    Some receipts are not assessable for PRRT purposes, particularly those receipts that relate to expenditure which has been categorised as excluded expenditure for PRRT purposes. Examples include:

    • amounts received as loans, or in respect of loans made
    • receipts of interest and capital repayments received from borrowers
    • share capital received as shareholders’ funds
    • dividend or bonus shares received from associated companies
    • private override royalty income
    • proceeds from the sale of interests in an exploration permit, retention lease or production licence.

    For more information, see PRRT deductible expenditure.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 15, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025.

    A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s

    ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous

    Is there any hope for the internet?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love:

    Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of

    Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations
    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand.

    Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by reminding us of the “old saying, would the last person to leave New Zealand please turn out the lights” (a saying which has been used in

    Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy.

    Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate

    Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and

    Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up

    Israeli settlers shoot, beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings
    BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were shot and beaten to death on their land, and 30 injured, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. A large group of settlers attacked the rural Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the Ramallah governorate, beating Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20,

    View from The Hill: Segal’s antisemitism plan gives government controversy, not clarity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be rueing what seemed a good idea at the time – the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism (as well as an envoy to combat Islamophobia). Or perhaps Jillian Segal, a former president

    David Robie condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the

    Was the Air India crash caused by pilot error or technical fault? None of the theories holds up – yet
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guido Carim Junior, Senior Lecturer in Aviation, Griffith University Over the weekend, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on last month’s crash of Air India flight 171, which killed 260 people, 19 of them on the ground. The aim of a preliminary report

    Confusing for doctors, inequitable for patients: why Australia’s medicinal cannabis system needs urgent reform
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Mary Hallinan, Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne Vanessa Nunes/Getty Images In 2024 alone, Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications for medicinal cannabis

    Treasury warns the government it may not balance the budget or meet its housing targets
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra Kokkai Ng/Getty In the runup to each election, federal treasury produces a “blue book” and a “red book”, with advice tailored to the priorities of the two alternative governments. One of these is given to the incoming

    UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hughes, Associate Professor of Geography, The University of Melbourne A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee. This is not only important

    How do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What the Grok drama reveals about AI training
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Senior Research Fellow in AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy & AI4Media, CC BY Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot embedded in X (formerly Twitter) and built by Elon Musk’s company xAI, is back in the headlines after calling

    Author condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Asia Pacific Report A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch

    Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 15, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025.

    A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s

    ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous

    Is there any hope for the internet?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love:

    Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of

    Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations
    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand.

    Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by reminding us of the “old saying, would the last person to leave New Zealand please turn out the lights” (a saying which has been used in

    Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy.

    Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate

    Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and

    Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up

    Israeli settlers shoot, beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings
    BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were shot and beaten to death on their land, and 30 injured, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. A large group of settlers attacked the rural Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the Ramallah governorate, beating Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20,

    View from The Hill: Segal’s antisemitism plan gives government controversy, not clarity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be rueing what seemed a good idea at the time – the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism (as well as an envoy to combat Islamophobia). Or perhaps Jillian Segal, a former president

    David Robie condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the

    Was the Air India crash caused by pilot error or technical fault? None of the theories holds up – yet
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guido Carim Junior, Senior Lecturer in Aviation, Griffith University Over the weekend, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on last month’s crash of Air India flight 171, which killed 260 people, 19 of them on the ground. The aim of a preliminary report

    Confusing for doctors, inequitable for patients: why Australia’s medicinal cannabis system needs urgent reform
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Mary Hallinan, Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne Vanessa Nunes/Getty Images In 2024 alone, Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications for medicinal cannabis

    Treasury warns the government it may not balance the budget or meet its housing targets
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra Kokkai Ng/Getty In the runup to each election, federal treasury produces a “blue book” and a “red book”, with advice tailored to the priorities of the two alternative governments. One of these is given to the incoming

    UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hughes, Associate Professor of Geography, The University of Melbourne A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee. This is not only important

    How do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What the Grok drama reveals about AI training
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Senior Research Fellow in AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy & AI4Media, CC BY Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot embedded in X (formerly Twitter) and built by Elon Musk’s company xAI, is back in the headlines after calling

    Author condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Asia Pacific Report A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch

    Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Asia-Pacific Power Summit 2025 Kicks Off Today Taipower Partners with International Utilities to Advance Smart Grid Resilience

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    In response to global trends such as the growth of renewable energy and the pursuit of net-zero emissions, the development and strengthening of smart grid resilience has become a priority for power utilities worldwide. Taipower, together with the Taiwan Smart Grid Industry Association (TSGIA), the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER), and Moxa, is co-hosting the three-day Asia-Pacific Power Summit 2025, which opened today (May 26) at Taipower’s headquarters. The event brings together representatives from major international utilities for discussions and exchanges. The Summit gathers power companies from across the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, alongside industry leaders, system integrators, and technical experts. By sharing international technologies and hands-on experiences, the Summit aims to accelerate grid modernization and drive the smart transformation of the energy sector.

    This year’s Summit, themed Enhancing Smart Grid Resilience, features senior executives from eight power companies, including Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Kansai Electric Power Company, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Indonesia’s PLN, and Australia’s Endeavour Energy, as well as leading research institutions such as the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Salt River Project (SRP) from the United States. Representing Taipower, Vice President Chin-Chung Wu delivered a keynote speech outlining the Company’s comprehensive strategy to strengthen power supply stability and enhance grid resilience while expanding renewable energy integration.

    Vice President Chin-Chung Wu highlighted that from 2022 to 2024, Taipower ranked second globally in the Smart Grid Index (SGI), a prominent benchmark for smart grid development based in Singapore, demonstrating Taipower’s strong technical capabilities. In recent years, Taipower has continued to integrate and apply information and communications technology (ICT) across its power grid operations. Through smart dispatch and generation, grid management, distributed energy storage, demand response load management, and ICT infrastructure, Taipower has optimized supply-demand balancing, improved monitoring and automation, bolstering system resilience, and ensured stable power supply and high power quality.

    To further exchange practical experience, Taipower also held a three-way technical session with TEPCO and Japanese ICT company NESIC, sharing how the Geospatial Outage Management System (GeoOMS) is used during natural disasters to quickly assess damage and expedite power restoration. Additionally, Taipower met with KEPCO to discuss best practices for grid stability and reliability. Taipower emphasized that it will continue to deepen its cooperation with international utilities on smart grid applications, working together to build more resilent, smarter grids, and to achieve the shared goals of stable power supply, optimal energy utilization, and net-zero emissions.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02 )2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw

    Contact Person: Director of the Power Dispatch Department Fang-Cheng Chou
    Tel: (02 )2366-6600/0952-810-417
    Email: u027007@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taipower Launches RE30 Product on June 1: Low-Carbon Electricity to Help Taiwan Businesses Compete Globally

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    In response to the global net-zero trend and to help Taiwan’s export-oriented companies meet their renewable energy (RE) targets and secure a place in international supply chains, Taipower is launching its first-ever RE30 electricity product. Designed to meet supplement companies’ green energy needs, RE30 bridges the gap to ensure that 30% of a user’s electricity consumption comes from renewable sources, together with the green power they already purchased independently. Taipower announced that it will supply 500 GWh of green power from its self-built renewable energy sites, plus around 1,660 GWh of standard grid power. Sales will run from June 1 to December 31, with delivery starting on July 1. Interested customers can apply through their local Taipower office.

    Taipower stated that RE30 is available to high-voltage and above users who are already wheeling green power from private power providers. Each account can purchase between 1 GWh and 100 GWh per year (including 0.3-30 GWh of green power). The wheeling contract period is fixed at one year, and applications must be made in 0.1 GWh increments within the eligible range. Power delivery starts on the first day of the month following approval and continues for 12 months.
    Regarding pricing, Taipower explained that the green portion of RE30 is priced at NT$6.3 per kWh (excluding VAT and wheeling fees), referencing last year’s average market price for small-scale green power transactions. To encourage early participation and carbon reduction, an early-bird rate of NT$6.1 per kWh is available for green power delivered by the end of 2025, reverting to NT$6.3 from January 1, 2026. The standard grid power portion of RE30 will be billed at the regular electricity rate.

    Taipower emphasized that RE30 will play a timely role in boosting the green power market. Monthly usage will be calculated case by case: priority is given to green power wheeled from private providers, and any shortfall needed to reach 30% is topped up with RE30. For example, if a business signs up for 1 GWh (or 1,000,000 kWh) of RE30 for a year (including 0.3 GWh or 300,000 kWh of green power) to meet its monthly electricity demand, and consumes 100,000 kWh in a given month while sourcing 10,000 kWh of green power privately, Taipower will supply the remaining 20,000 kWh through RE30 to ensure the 30% renewable energy target is met.

    Taipower added that RE30 uses a “grid power combined with green power” model. The green portion comes from Taipower’s own renewable facilities, and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are issued based on the actual green power supplied to help businesses reduce carbon emissions. Taipower plans to gradually expand its annual green power supply, aiming to reach 3,000 GWh by 2027, enough to help industries achieve RE30 targets for up to 10,000 GWh of total electricity consumption.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02)2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw

    Contact Person: Director of the Business Department Mei-Lien Huang
    Tel: (02)2366-6650/0922-696-383
    Email: u030573@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taipower Launches 2025 Environmental Month Dajia River Power Plant Builds Aquatic Ecological Corridor, Conservation Meets International Standards

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Taipower officially launched its 2025 Environmental Month today (April 30). Following earlier conservation efforts such as relocating bat habitats at the Taixi Wind Farm and creating bird habitats at the Yong’an Wetlands by Hsinta Power Plant, Taipower has now completed an aquatic ecological corridor at its Dajia River Power Plant. Aligning with global trends in biological conservation, Taipower has embraced the principles of OECM (Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures) by extending conservation efforts beyond legally designated protected areas. Guided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Taipower proactively launched an OECM demonstration project in the Ma’an Dam area of the Dajia River. The results of this conservation effort, along with future planning, have been verified by an impartial third-party organization as meeting international standards.

    The Taipower 2025 Environmental Month Launch Event, held today at its headquarters under the theme Coexisting with Nature, Moving Forward with Taipower, was attended and supported by Taipower Chairman Wen-Sheng Tseng, President Yao-Ting Wang, Deputy Executive Director of the Executive Yuan’s Office of Energy and Carbon Reduction Tze-Luen Lin, Secretary General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs Ming-Chih Chuang, Director-General of the Department of State-owned Enterprise Affairs Wen-Chung Hu, Professor Kwang-Tsao Shao of National Taiwan Ocean University, Emeritus Professor Ching-Hsien Tseng of National Tsing Hua University, and Professor Lee-Shing Fang of National Sun Yat-sen University. A special guest, Professor Nobuyuki Yagi from the University of Tokyo, former UN biodiversity policy expert and a key architect of Japan’s OECM framework, attended to witness Taipower’s ecological conservation work at the Dajia River Power Plant meeting global benchmarks.

    Reviewing its 2024 environmental performance, Taipower reported major progress: compared to its 2016 baseline, air pollutant emission intensity from thermal power units (covering the total particulate matter (PM), sulfur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) per kilowatt-hour generated) have dropped by nearly 70%. Carbon emission intensity (greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt-hour) have decreased by 11%.

    In terms of ecological conservation, Taipower emphasized that hydroelectric plants have strong connections to local ecosystems and cultural heritage. The Dajia River Basin hosts a rich diversity of species, including the Plumbeous Water Redstart, Formosan Reeve’s muntjac, and the Taiwan leaf-nosed bat, along with a diverse riverine ecosystem. The OECM demonstration zone covers the upstream and downstream stretches of the Ma’an Dam, home to 17 fish species and critical habitats for native species such as the Taiwan torrent carp, Taiwan shovel-jaw carp, and river loach. To balance power generation with ecological conservation, Taipower constructed a fishway at Ma’an Dam as early as 1998 to assist fish migration, and further upgraded it in 2016 by lowering the entrance threshold and riverbed drop, enabling smaller or leaping fish species to swim upstream more successfully.

    Taipower further explained that, to better evaluate the fishway’s effectiveness, the Company began deploying underwater monitoring cameras in 2023 to record fish movement within the passage. Last year, the Company also developed an AI-based Species Recognition System. By combining expert tagging with an expanding image database, Taipower now monitors fishway usage more accurately and in real time.

    Taipower noted that the Dajia River Power Plant has carried out sustained conservation efforts for more than a decade. The OECM project was guided by experts and further verified by PwC Taiwan (one of Taiwan’s Big Four Accounting Firms), confirming that the upstream and downstream sections of the Ma’an Dam align with IUCN’s OECM guidelines. A verification certificate was presented today and received by President Yao-Ting Wang on behalf of Taipower . Taipower also stated that as Taiwan officially announces its OECM standards and certification system, the Company will strive to support the process and is confident that it will become one of the first companies in Taiwan to earn government OECM certification.

    Glossary:
    OECM (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures ):
    Specific geographical areas outside of legally designated protected areas where diverse governance and management approaches deliver measurable biodiversity and ecosystem conservation outcomes.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02 )2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw

    Contact Person: Director of the Environmental Protection Department Cheng-Hung Wu
    Tel: (02 )2366-7200/0927-291-156
    Email: u015279@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taipower Promotes Corporate Energy Conservation Energy-Saving Teams Visit Over 5,000 Companies in 18 Months, Projected to Save Nearly 150 GWh

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    In line with the government’s intensive energy conservation policy launched in 2024, Taipower has been working closely with businesses to help them cut electricity use. To date, Taipower has hosted nearly 50 seminars for major electricity users and promoted advanced energy-saving measures to thousands of companies across Taiwan. Taipower’s energy-saving teams have also gone directly into communities, carrying out on-site visits to over 5,000 companies nationwide. These efforts are expected to yield savings of nearly 150 GWh of electricity. Taipower expressed hope that more businesses will embrace energy conservation and carbon reduction, improve energy efficiency, and contribute to a sustainable environment.

    Taipower explained that to support Taiwanese companies in adopting energy-saving practices, it established three Energy Conservation Diagnostic Centers in northern, central, and southern Taiwan in 2019. These centers provide free energy-saving consultation services for large electricity users with contract capacities ranging from 100 to 800 kW. Since early 2024, Taipower’s energy-saving teams have visited over 5,000 companies across the country, helping them identify potential savings and providing tailored recommendations. If all suggested measures are fully implemented, nearly 150 GWh of electricity could be saved, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 36,000 households, while cutting around 71,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.

    According to Taipower, companies can use its diagnostic services to receive customized energy-saving reports and then work with Energy Service Companies (ESCOs ) to replace old equipment and implement energy management solutions that reduce costs and boost efficiency. For example, after undergoing Taipower’s initial assessment, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital replaced its chilled water units, cooling towers, and indoor lighting, achieving annual savings of 2 GWh, a reduction rate of up to 70%. Likewise, Lung Hsing Refrigerating Works in Kaohsiung followed Taipower’s advice to replace outdated equipment, adopt an energy management system, and lower its contract capacity, resulting in annual electricity savings of 2.2 GWh.

    In addition to equipment like chilled water units and cooling towers, transformers are also a key focus for businesses aiming to save electricity. Taipower reminds businesses to check the service life of their self-owned transformers. If a transformer has been in service for over 30 years, upgrading to a new high-efficiency model can improve power use and reduce electricity bills. For example, after receiving energy-saving guidance from Taipower, the Taiwan Electric Research & Testing Center, an accredited Taiwanese testing institution, replaced old transformers with high-efficiency ones, saving an estimated 140,000 kWh of electricity and cutting annual electricity expenses by approximately NT$700,000.

    Alongside its work with businesses in energy conservation and carbon reduction, Taipower continues to lead by example internally through its own. Power plants across Taiwan are introducing automated modules to better manage electricity usage and are refining unit operating conditions to reduce heat rates. In its offices, Taipower is also fully aligning with the government’s intensive energy-saving initiative. Six facilities, including its headquarters, the Shulin Campus of the Taiwan Power Research Institute, the Linkou Training Center, and the Beinan, Hsinchu, and Taichung district offices, have been designated as demonstration sites for energy upgrades. For instance, the Beinan District Office has upgraded its central air conditioning system with ESCO support, which is expected to save nearly 1 GWh of electricity annually.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02 )2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw
    Contact Person: Director of the Business Department Mei-Lien Huang
    Tel: (02 )2366-6650/0922-696-383
    Email: u030573@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: MEDIA RELEASE: Aeris Resources’ André Labuschagne joins AREEA Board of Directors

    Source:

    The Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association (AREEA) is pleased to announce André Labuschagne, Executive Chairman of Aeris Resources, has joined its Board of Directors.

    Mr Labuschagne is an experienced mining executive, carving out a 35-year career primarily in the gold and copper industry.

    He has held various executive roles in South Africa, PNG, Fiji and Australia for leading gold companies including Emperor Gold Mines, DRD Gold and AngloGold Ashanti.

    As the former managing director of Norton Gold Fields Limited, Mr Labuschagne led the ASX-lister’s evolution into a significant Australian gold producer before its sale to a major Chinese gold company in 2012.

    AREEA Chief Executive Steve Knott AM said Mr Labuschagne would be a strong addition to the national employer group’s Board of Directors.

    “André is a hands-on leader whose strategic thinking, inclusive approach and decisiveness have not only contributed to successful corporate transactions but stood at the heart of building great teams and companies,” Mr Knott said.

    “His executive and operational skills – and long record of bringing value to businesses – will be of great benefit to AREEA’s membership.”

    About AREEA’s Board

    AREEA is the largest and most diverse national employer group for the Australian resources and energy industry.

    Its members include employers in hard rock and critical minerals mining, oil and gas, coal, smelting, refining, transport, logistics, engineering and all other supply and servicing sectors.

    As of July 2025, the AREEA Board comprises:

    • Julie Fallon (AREEA President), Executive Vice President Technical and Energy Development, Woodside Energy Limited
    • Tom Quinn (AREEA Vice President), Non-Executive Director, pitt&sherry, and Vast
    • Jo Taylor, (AREEA Vice President), Managing Director, Compass Group Australia
    • Johnpaul Dimech, Zone President APMEA, Brazil and LatAm; Region CEO, APMEA, Sodexo
    • André Labuschagne, Executive Chairman, Aeris Resources
    • Mark Norwell, Managing Director & CEO, Perenti
    • Bill Townsend, Senior Vice President Corporate, INPEX
    • Simon Younger, Chair, ExxonMobil Australia

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CORRECTION: Coast Guard assists 11 people aboard flooding catamaran off Dana Point, Calif.

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 07/14/2025 10:45 PM EDT

     

    07/14/2025 10:22 AM EDT

    Corrections:  Coast Guard assisted 11 people aboard the charter catamaran. The previous published release stated the people were saved.  The Coast Guard cutter’s small boat crew assisted in using dewatering pumps to remove water from the vessel.   The 11 passengers were transferred to another charter vessel operated by the same company and no injuries were reported  DANA POINT, Calif. — U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies assist 11 people aboard a charter catamaran taking on water approximately 7 miles south of Dana Point Harbor, Saturday evening. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach watchstanders received a distress call at approximately 6:20 p.m. from the operator of the 50-foot catamaran Manute’a, reporting flooding while still making way toward Dana Point Harbor.  The Dana Point Harbor Patrol and Orange County Sheriff’s Department were monitoring Channel 16 and immediately responded to assist. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach assumed command of the search and rescue mission, issued an urgent marine information broadcast, and launched a response boat from Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach while diverting the Coast Guard Cutter David Duren. The cutter’s small boat crew, along with partner agency vessels, arrived on scene, and assisted with using dewatering pumps to remove water from the vessel.  The 11 passengers were transferred to another charter vessel, operated by the same company. The charter catamaran operator was able to safely transit back to port under the vessel’s own power with no other assistance needed.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CORRECTION: Coast Guard assists 11 people aboard flooding catamaran off Dana Point, Calif.

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 07/14/2025 10:45 PM EDT

     

    07/14/2025 10:22 AM EDT

    Corrections:  Coast Guard assisted 11 people aboard the charter catamaran. The previous published release stated the people were saved.  The Coast Guard cutter’s small boat crew assisted in using dewatering pumps to remove water from the vessel.   The 11 passengers were transferred to another charter vessel operated by the same company and no injuries were reported  DANA POINT, Calif. — U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies assist 11 people aboard a charter catamaran taking on water approximately 7 miles south of Dana Point Harbor, Saturday evening. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach watchstanders received a distress call at approximately 6:20 p.m. from the operator of the 50-foot catamaran Manute’a, reporting flooding while still making way toward Dana Point Harbor.  The Dana Point Harbor Patrol and Orange County Sheriff’s Department were monitoring Channel 16 and immediately responded to assist. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach assumed command of the search and rescue mission, issued an urgent marine information broadcast, and launched a response boat from Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach while diverting the Coast Guard Cutter David Duren. The cutter’s small boat crew, along with partner agency vessels, arrived on scene, and assisted with using dewatering pumps to remove water from the vessel.  The 11 passengers were transferred to another charter vessel, operated by the same company. The charter catamaran operator was able to safely transit back to port under the vessel’s own power with no other assistance needed.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: New technology for restoring gas turbine engine blades patented at Novosibirsk State University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Employees Competence Center of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) in the direction of “Modeling and development of new functional materials with specified properties” based at NSU developed an innovative method for restoring damaged turbine blades of engines for aviation and energy (gas turbine units). The technology was developed with financial support from the NTI Foundation, successfully patented and is already beginning to be implemented in practice.

    Leading researcher of the NTI Center of Novosibirsk State University, head of the laser technology laboratory of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Engineering Alexander Malikov spoke in detail about the essence of the development and the prospects for its implementation:

    — Our new method allows us to restore heavily worn sections of gas turbine blades, fully preserving the original performance characteristics of the product. To do this, we use a special mode of laser pulse-periodic action, which allows us to form strong protective layers of metal or ceramic composites on the surface.

    According to Alexander Malikov, the task was to restore the thin edges of the blades, which are subject to intense exposure to high temperatures and pressure during engine operation. The advantage of the proposed technology is that using the traditional surfacing method would lead to overheating and destruction of sensitive areas of the parts.

    “We proposed an original solution to the problem by preliminary forming special protective layers before the main stage of surfacing. This approach allowed us to preserve the original geometric shape of the blade and ensure reliable adhesion of the restored layer to the main structure,” the scientist explained.

    The new method significantly reduces the cost of repairs, ensuring high strength and durability of restored elements of gas turbine units.

    The developed technology is in high demand on the Russian energy generation and aircraft manufacturing market. Modern gas turbine engines are used everywhere – from civil aviation to electric power engineering and natural gas transportation.

    Alexander Malikov noted the importance of this area of research:

    — The production of high-quality blades is one of the ten key technologies of the modern world. Their production requires complex solutions due to extreme operating conditions. Only four countries in the world have the necessary competencies: the USA, Great Britain, France and Russia.

    Previously, the energy segment of the Russian market was heavily dependent on foreign suppliers of spare parts and services for the restoration of parts. With the departure of Western companies from the Russian market, there was a need to develop our own technologies and services capable of replacing foreign analogues. The new technology created by Novosibirsk scientists is capable of significantly increasing the reliability and cost-effectiveness of servicing large industrial enterprises and facilities using gas turbine units.

    In the near future, it is planned to introduce the technology into serial production; a number of Russian companies have shown interest in it. Meanwhile, researchers continue to develop technologies for the restoration of various types of blades and other elements of industrial equipment.

    — To solve problems of this type, we first need to carefully study the properties of the material from which the product is made at the atomic level. In our work, we use synchrotron radiation, which provides great opportunities for emitting phase composition at a very high resolution level, and if we know the exact phase states of the material, the structural phases, then we can control it, — explained Alexander Malikov.

    Scientists will have even more opportunities with the launch of the Siberian Ring Photon Source (SKIF), at one of whose workstations a number of studies in this area are already planned.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Panasonic Washing and Drying Machine “ALPHA Set” wins “Best of the Best” at the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Panasonic Washing and Drying Machine “ALPHA Set” wins “Best of the Best” at the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025

    Essen, Germany – The Panasonic Washing and Drying Machine “ALPHA Set” was awarded the “Best of the Best”—the top honor at the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025. Twelve other Panasonic products also received Red Dot Awards. 

    The award-winning products are as follows:

    Red Dot Award: Best of the Best

    Red Dot Award

    Panasonic Corporation, Living Appliances and Solutions Company

    Panasonic Corporation, Heating & Ventilation A/C Company

    Panasonic Corporation, China & Northeast Asia Company

    Panasonic Corporation, Technics Brand Business Promotion Office

    Panasonic Entertainment & Communication Co., Ltd.

    The Red Dot Award, founded in 1955, is a globally recognized design competition spanning over 60 years. In the Product Design Category, approximately forty experts rigorously evaluated all entries against nine criteria, including quality, ergonomics, and product life.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: In Belarus, the growth rate of money supply in June of this year slowed down in annual terms

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    MINSK, July 15 (Xinhua) — In June 2025, the average broad money supply grew by 16.9 percent year-on-year, down from 21.2 percent in the same period last year. The average ruble money supply grew by 27.9 percent in June this year, down from 29.1 percent in June 2024, according to data released by the National Bank of Belarus.

    The share of the ruble component in the average broad money supply in June 2025 increased to 62.8 percent from 57.4 percent last year.

    In addition, in June 2025, the annual increase in the average value of term ruble deposits of individuals amounted to 38.4 percent, and legal entities – 40.6 percent. Over the year in June, the share of term ruble deposits of individuals and legal entities in the average ruble money supply increased from 40.8 percent to 44.5 percent.

    The share of the M1 aggregate, which includes cash in circulation and transferable deposits, in the average ruble money supply decreased by 3.6 percentage points over the year. The annual growth rate of the average value of the M1 aggregate slowed from 21 percent to 19.5 percent, including cash in circulation — from 25.5 percent to 22.5 percent. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: New financing instrument for socially beneficial and development promotion projects in low- and lower middle-income countries

    Source: Government of Sweden

    The Government has adopted a new ordinance that enables development assistance funding in conjunction with export credits and export credit guarantees for the implementation of socially beneficial development promotion projects in low- and lower middle-income countries. The new financial instrument enables projects that benefit sustainable development in low- and lower middle-income countries that would not be possible on commercial grounds. In parallel to this, Swedish companies will contribute with their products and expertise in implementation.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: New financing instrument for socially beneficial and development promotion projects in low- and lower middle-income countries

    Source: Government of Sweden

    The Government has adopted a new ordinance that enables development assistance funding in conjunction with export credits and export credit guarantees for the implementation of socially beneficial development promotion projects in low- and lower middle-income countries. The new financial instrument enables projects that benefit sustainable development in low- and lower middle-income countries that would not be possible on commercial grounds. In parallel to this, Swedish companies will contribute with their products and expertise in implementation.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taipower Holds 2025 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting: Continues Strengthening Financial Operations, Calls for Budget Support

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Taipower held its 2025 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting today (June 27), briefing shareholders on its mission to ensure stable power supply for Taiwan while helping the government mitigate the impact of global developments on households and industries in recent years. Taipower noted that despite financial challenges, it sought a total of NT$300 billion in government budget subsidies over the past year, but none were approved by the legislature. To maintain the sustainable operation of Taiwan’s electricity supply, secure the nation’s power needs, and support economic development, Taipower will continue to seek government funding while doing its utmost to improve its own financial operations. Compared with the same period last year, losses from January to May this year have already narrowed by nearly NT$32 billion, a decline of over 50%.

    The 2025 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting was chaired by Taipower Chairman Wen-Sheng Tseng, with President Yao-Ting Wang delivering the 2024 Business Report. During the meeting, shareholders were also briefed on last year’s corporate bond issuance, financial statements, and the approval of its deficit compensation proposal. Additionally, the biennial board member election was conducted during the meeting.

    Taipower explained that the Russia-Ukraine war led to surging fuel prices globally. While other countries substantially raised electricity rates, further fueling inflation, Taipower instead chose to absorb nearly NT$600 billion in electricity costs for households and industries over the past three years to protect livelihoods and cushion inflationary pressures, resulting in significant financial losses. In 2023, Taipower recorded total revenue of NT$871.4 billion and expenditures of NT$912.5 billion, with a pre-tax net loss of NT$41.1 billion. After factoring in tax credits, the net loss remained NT$41.1 billion. As of the end of last year, cumulative losses stood at NT$422.9 billion.

    Taipower stressed that a stable financial footing is crucial to protecting the public’s right to reliable power and supporting social and industrial development. In April this year, the Electricity Price Review Committee decided, in light of global trade tariffs and political-economic conditions, to freeze electricity prices, meaning Taipower continues to bear external cost pressures on behalf of households and businesses. To maintain financial soundness, Taipower has, over the past year, repeatedly sought a total of NT$300 billion in government funding to cover the costs it has absorbed to stabilize power prices, essentially subsidizing electricity for the entire nation, but these proposals have not been approved by the legislature. Taipower hopes for greater understanding and support from all sectors of society.

    In addition to pursuing government subsidies, Taipower is also working to improve its own finances. For electricity price subsidies for schools and social welfare organizations, Taipower has, in accordance with the Electricity Act and the March 2024 resolution of the Electricity Price Review Committee, maintained preferential electricity rates but will reduce its direct subsidies starting this year. Relevant funding will now revert to the respective competent authorities for budgeting, which is expected to increase Taipower’s annual revenue by nearly NT$4 billion. As for subsidized electricity for offshore islands, Taipower has absorbed losses exceeding NT$100 billion to date. Moving forward, Taipower will handle related matters through the national budgeting process under the Offshore Islands Development Act and will actively seek government budget allocations to cover them.

    Furthermore, Taipower has adopted four key strategies to boost revenue and reduce expenses to strengthen its financial foundation: On the power generation and procurement side, it has refined its fuel procurement strategies. On the electricity retailing side, it has expanded green power resale and low-carbon power sales. In transmission and distribution, it has reduced expenditures by adjusting line installation fees and optimizing ancillary services. Furthermore, Taipower is investing in asset revitalization to expand revenue sources, making every effort to reduce losses. From January to May this year, Taipower recorded a loss of NT$28.5 billion, nearly NT$32 billion less than the same period last year, marking a reduction of more than 50%.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02 )2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw
    Contact Person: Chief Secretary of Board Secretariat Shou-Fu Cheng
    Tel: (02 )2366-6210/0900-781-357
    Email: u026726@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taipower Wins Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards for Eighth Consecutive Year Recognized for Marine Ecological Conservation and Talent Development

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    The prestigious Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA), recognized as a gold standard for corporate sustainability in Asia, held its award ceremony yesterday (June 27) in Bangkok, Thailand. This year, Taipower was honored with two major awards, the Green Leadership Award and the Investment in People Award, for its efforts in marine ecological conservation and talent cultivation. This marks the eighth consecutive year since 2018 that Taipower has earned international recognition. Taipower noted that while ensuring a stable power supply remains its core mission, it is equally committed to environmental sustainability and talent cultivation, fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and giving back to society through concrete action.

    Enterprise Asia has long championed Asian entrepreneurship and, since 2011, has hosted the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards, a highly competitive benchmark for sustainability benchmark in the region. To date, over 900 organizations from 19 countries have been recognized. Now in its 15th year, the 2025 award ceremony in Bangkok presented honors across eight major categories, including Green Leadership, Investment in People, Social Empowerment, and Circular Economy Leadership.

    Taipower stated that, to balance stable power supply with environmental sustainability, it published its Environmental White Paper in 2019, outlining six strategic pillars for sustainability and launching the Power Facility Ecological Integration Program. In marine conservation, Taipower has worked closely with local governments, academic experts, and environmental groups to continuously promote a wide range of eco-friendly initiatives, such as fish fry releases, beach cleanups, and ecological monitoring, while also actively promoting marine education and awareness. These sustained efforts have earned Taipower the Green Leadership Award for four consecutive years.

    Taipower explained that because power plants require a stable water source for cooling, many are located along coastlines, making marine ecosystem protection a priority. Since 2002, Taipower has organized annual fish fry release programs and partnered with research institutions to build a fish fry genetic database that contributes valuable data to Taiwan’s marine research. Moreover, Taipower has also hosted nationwide beach cleanups for 31 consecutive years, mobilizing nearly 6,000 participants each year to clean the ocean and adopting 13 kilometers of coastline for long-term maintenance. At the intake area of the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant, Taipower has installed a coral reef ecological monitoring station and a livestream platform to track seawater temperatures and coral reef in real time, while continuing to invest in coral reef restoration.

    In addition to its long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, Taipower has invested in training skilled professionals to uphold its mission of a stable power supply. The Company previously received the Investment in People Award in 2019 for integrating VR technology into high-altitude operations training, in 2022 for its structured athlete system, and in 2024 for its Dalin model training center and its certification system for power plant O&M (Operation & Maintenance ) talent. This year, Taipower once again stood out among more than 70 companies, earning the award for the fourth time thanks to its robust recruitment and training programs.

    On the talent recruitment front, Taipower not only attracts power industry professionals through its rigorous examination system but also recuits young talent through various channels such as internships and industry-academic partnerships. For training, Taipower operates four training centers across the country and uses a one-on-one mentorship system to rapidly and thoroughly develop employees’ technical skills. In recent years, it has further integrated digital technology into technical training, using virtual reality (VR ) simulations to replicate various power operation scenarios, greatly enhancing hands-on training outcomes for trainees.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02 )2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw
    Business Contact: Director of the Project Planning Department Chiu-Ying Kuo
    Tel: (02 )2366-6440/0978-105-282
    Email: u004770@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: [Next-Generation Communications Leadership Interview ①] ‘Standardization Shapes the Future of Communications’

    Source: Samsung

    In the global mobile communications industry, standards are much more than just technical specifications — they are key drivers of the global market’s direction and technological leadership. As the world moves beyond 5G and accelerates toward 6G, attention is once again turning to the technological leadership behind global standardization.
     
    Since 2020, Samsung Electronics has played a pioneering role in advancing next-generation communication technologies through active participation in international standardization efforts. This includes the publication of its 6G white papers and securing of key positions in major organizations such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). At the May 2025 3GPP elections, Samsung secured additional leadership positions, reaffirming its distinct standing at the forefront of the industry.
     
    To shine a light on this progress, Samsung Newsroom is launching an interview series with the leaders of the company’s communications business, which will introduce the current state of next-generation communications technology research and global standardization efforts. In part one of the Communications Leadership Interview series, the Newsroom sat down with Jin-Kyu Han, Vice President of the Tech Standards Research Team at Samsung Research, to discuss the current landscape and future outlook of 6G standardization, as well as Samsung’s strategies and vision.
     
    ▲ Jin-Kyu Han, Vice President of the Tech Standards Research Team at Samsung Research
     
     
    International Standards for Seamless Communication Across Borders
    Today, using our own smartphones to access roaming services while traveling abroad is something we often take for granted. This is a convenience that has only become truly seamless through the invisible promise of international standards — born from the collaboration of countless companies and experts around the world.
     
    “Common protocols are essential for products and services from different companies to work together seamlessly,” explained Han. “In the mobile communications industry, where a diverse range of players — including smartphone manufacturers, network equipment vendors, telecom operators and semiconductor companies — are involved, standardization is an indispensable element. It plays a key role in uniting the world into a single market.”
     
    Standardization serves as the backbone that drives the global communications industry toward a unified direction. “At technological inflection points like the transition to 6G, the importance of industry-wide discussions and consensus on standards becomes even greater,” Han emphasized.
     
     
    Global Collaboration Driving 6G Standardization
    How does global standardization actually function? Unlike initiatives driven by a single entity, global telecommunications standardization is built on a clear, step-by-step framework of collaboration. Two key players in this process are the International Telecommunication Union (ITU1) and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP2).
     
    “The ITU sets the direction for each new generation of communication technology, and based on that blueprint, the 3GPP works with global companies to define the technical details and carry out the standardization process,” explained Han.
     
    ▲ Overview of ITU and 3GPP
     

    Global 6G standardization has now entered its launch phase. Following preliminary discussions on 6G technology directions that began in 2021, ITU-R officially announced the recommended framework for 6G standardization in November 2023. With the goal of finalizing 6G technical specifications by 2030, 3GPP plans to develop and propose a range of candidate technologies.
     
    “3GPP took its first step toward 6G standardization by hosting a workshop in Korea this March,” explained Han. “6G study items were approved during its plenary meeting in June, and starting in the second half of this year, detailed technical discussions will begin within its Working Groups (WGs).”
     
    ▲ Key milestones and objectives of the ITU and 3GPP by year
     
    The standardization of 6G is a shared journey in which the world works together toward a common goal. As standardization efforts gain momentum, companies worldwide are moving quickly to position their technologies within this framework, ensuring interoperability while developing solutions that meet market demands.
     
     
    Samsung’s 6G Leadership: Driving Consensus Amid Fierce Competition
    Countries and companies around the world are participating in discussions on next-generation communications standardization, each taking on specific roles. This process demands forward-looking leadership capable of both steering technological development and harmonizing diverse viewpoints—a role where Samsung Electronics has emerged as a central figure, simultaneously advancing innovation while building industry consensus.
     
    Standardization is a continuous process marked by fierce competition among countless global stakeholders that aim to secure a lead in standards by having their own technologies incorporated. In this complex landscape, Samsung has consistently been elected to leadership positions within groups, earning recognition for its neutrality, credibility and coordination capabilities
     
    “Samsung chaired the ITU-R’s 6G Vision Group, helping to establish the initial global vision for 6G and contributing to the design of its early roadmap,” explained Han. “We’re also leading discussions within 3GPP by serving as chairs and vice-chairs across various technical groups, steering the direction of standardization.”
     
    Currently, Samsung Electronics holds a total of eight chair and vice-chair positions across 3GPP’s key Technical Specification Groups (TSGs). Han added, “In particular, the Radio Access Network (RAN) and System Architecture (SA) WG2 groups, where Samsung serves as chair, are central to shaping the structure and direction of 6G technologies. These groups are at the core of industry-wide technical discussions and the fact that Samsung chairs them is a testament to our influence.”
     

     
    Samsung is also laying a solid technological foundation for standardization discussions through its pioneering research activities across various core 6G technologies. Since standardization only holds real value when it is backed by concrete technologies and practical feasibility, Samsung’s technological competitiveness contributes to making these discussions more effective.
     
    “3GPP chairs are responsible for guiding discussions according to the timeline, while mediating and resolving various conflicts that arise during the standardization process,” Han explained. “Holding a significant number of chair positions is a clear sign that the mobile communications industry recognizes our technological capabilities and leadership.”
     
     
    Key Focus Areas for Next-Generation 6G Research
    As technical discussions within 3GPP begin in earnest this year, Samsung is concentrating its research on the core technologies necessary for 6G commercialization. At the heart of these discussions are three key phrases: AI integration, enhanced energy efficiency, and strengthened security.
     
    “6G should deliver user-perceivable improvements, not just faster speeds or higher quality,” noted Han. “By applying AI technologies to network operations, we can automate complex processes while simultaneously reducing operational costs and improving service quality.”
     
    “From the increasingly critical perspective of security and privacy, Samsung is also focusing on building safer communication systems while increasing system flexibility to easily and rapidly incorporate new services,” he added.
     

     
    As we approach the 6G era — where technologies and services will connect seamlessly across national borders — international cooperation and coordination are more important than ever. In this evolving landscape, Samsung Electronics continues to play a leading role in shaping the global conversation on next-generation connectivity.
     
    In part two of this series, Samsung Newsroom will explore the 6G standardization roadmap, key focus technologies and Samsung’s role as chair of the 3GPP TSG RAN, providing a closer look at the forefront of next-generation communications discussions.
     
     
    1 Short for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations specialized agency dedicated to advancing information and communication technologies (ICT) and networks. Its work includes allocating radio frequencies, establishing technical standards, and supporting developing countries, while playing a vital role in fostering international cooperation in the global ICT sector.
    2 Short for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, an international collaborative initiative established to develop standards for mobile communication technologies. It primarily develops globally applicable specifications for mobile communication systems, including radio access networks, services and systems, core networks, and mobile devices.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Hails Enactment of Anti-IRS Snooping Provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, hailed the inclusion of the Stop the Nosy Obsession with Online Payments (SNOOP) Act, in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025. The SNOOP Act and its corresponding text in the OBBBA eliminates a Biden-era policy that massively expanded the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) 1099-K reporting requirements for small businesses, gig workers, and individual sellers.
    “Small businesses and Tennesseans were unreasonably targeted by the previous administration’s overreach,” said Senator Hagerty.  “By eliminating an ill-conceived and invasive Biden-era policy, the ‘One, Big Beautiful Bill’ provides much-needed tax relief and helps hardworking Americans keep their focus on serving their customers—not the IRS.”
    The SNOOP Act restores the 1099-K reporting thresholds to $20,000 and 200 transactions, their levels prior to the enactment of the American Rescue Plan during the Biden Administration. Senator Hagerty introduced the SNOOP Act in the 119th, 118th, and 117th Congresses.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Demands Answers on Trump Admin Re-Adding Medical Debt onto Credit Reports

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Demands Answers on Trump Admin Re-Adding Medical Debt onto Credit Reports

    Senator Reverend Warnock leads the Democratic caucus in demanding the Trump administration explain its rollback of the medical debt rule finalized in January 2025

    In the final days of the Biden Administration, Senator Warnock successfully pressed the CFPB to ban credit lenders from including medical bills in credit reports and prohibit lenders from using medical information in lending decisions

    In Georgia, 27% of rural citizens have medical collections on their credit report, ten percentage points higher than the national average due in part to the state’s refusal to expand Medicaid

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and 26 other senators pushed the Trump administration for answers regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) decision to vacate the medical debt rule finalized in January 2025. The letter demands CFPB share any data the agency relied on in deciding to petition a court to vacate the rule and any communications it had with entities during the process that would profit from its decision.

    “On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with collection agencies that stand to profit from it,” the senators said.

    “Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studies show that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts…Almost half of all medical bills contain at least one error, and almost half of nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care,” they continued.

    At the conclusion of the letter, the senators emphasize the need for transparency into the agency’s decision-making process.

    “On April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it – lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry,”    the senators closed.

    Senator Warnock continues to stand up in defense of Georgia consumers by holding the CFPB under President Trump accountable. In February, Senator Warnock questioned Trump administration CFPB nominees at a Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing. During the hearing, Senator Warnock asked the nominees if they agreed with President Trump on the CFPB being, ‘A very important thing to get rid of’ and if the agency would address the 266,560 outstanding complaints from Georgians in a timely manner. In May, President Trump withdrew his nominee for the CFPB. OMB Director Russell Vought serves as acting director of the agency.

    In Georgia, roughly 640,000 people don’t have access to affordable health care because state leaders have refused to expand Medicaid. 27% of rural citizens have medical collections on their credit report – ten percentage points higher than the national average. Senator Warnock has a long track record of working to address the harmful consequences of medical debt on working families including calling on the CFPB to establish an ombudsman position for consumer medical debt and urging the CFPB to protect Americans from predatory medical debt collection practices. 

    In addition to Senators Warnock, Warren, Schumer, and Merkley the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Angus King (I-ME), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

    Read the full letter HERE, and the text is below

    Dear Acting Director Vought,

    On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with debt collection agencies that stand to profit from it. 

    Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studies show that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts. One major credit scoring company, VantageScore, has stopped using medical debt in its newer models entirely. Almost half of all medical bills contain at least one error, and almost half of nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care. People often receive collection notices for debts they did not owe, in the wrong amount, or that should have been covered by insurance—but still end up experiencing long-lasting damage to their credit scores.

    Listing medical debt on a person’s credit report drives down their credit score, which hurts their ability to purchase a car, buy a home or rent an apartment, get utility service, start a business, or access other banking services. This has profound effects on families that can last generations. To make matters worse, medical debt is the most common reason debt collectors contact consumers; the debt collection industry makes one-fourth of its annual revenue from health care debt. Including medical debt on credit reports makes consumers more vulnerable to predatory debt collection practices.

    Medical debt on credit reports also blocks working families from access to credit that they would be able to repay.The CFPB found that people who had all their medical debts completely removed from their credit reports experienced an average credit score increase of 20 points, in some cases elevating families into a higher credit score tier. 

    In response to growing data that medical debt is not a good indicator of creditworthiness, states across the country have acted to ban the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. And on January 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. The rule would remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of 15 million Americans, prohibit credit reporting companies from sharing medical debt information with lenders, and bar lenders from considering medical debt in underwriting decisions. It was designed to help the millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, by lowering costs and increasing access to affordable credit for working families without affecting the predictive value of their credit reports. The rule would also help reduce the effects of structural racism and other prejudices. People of color are disproportionately harmed by the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. Meanwhile, adults with a disability and new moms are more than twice as likely to carry medical debt.

    Despite the critical importance of the medical debt rule, on April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it—lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry, by July 28, 2025. We specifically request that CFPB publicly publish all data about how medical debt relates to key economic indicators, including:

    • Barriers to home and car ownership, including challenges getting loans or not being approved to rent or lease,
    • Paying higher premiums for auto, homeowner’s and other types of insurance,
    • Losing job opportunities as a result of credit reporting on background checks,
    • Obstacles to starting small businesses because of challenges with securing loans,
    • Paying more for everyday services such as household utilities or cell phone contracts

    We are particularly concerned about the outsize impact that medical debt has on the credit scores of seniors, veterans, new parents, people with disabilities, cancer patients and survivors, and small business owners.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s express delivery sector maintains growth momentum in H1

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

    An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 11, 2024 shows an automatic sorting line at an express delivery company in Changxing County of Huzhou City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s express delivery market saw stable growth in the first half of 2025, maintaining a high market volume, the State Post Bureau said Monday.

    The country’s express delivery revenue is expected to have surpassed 700 billion yuan (about 97.9 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-June period, up 8.5 percent year on year.

    The volume of parcels handled during the period is estimated to surpass 95 billion, marking a 19-percent increase from a year earlier, Zhu Li, an official with the Development and Research Center of the State Post Bureau, told a press conference.

    In June alone, the express delivery development index stood at 454.3, a year-on-year increase of 4.7 percent.

    In the first half of this year, China’s express delivery sector saw steady growth, meeting the delivery needs of livestreaming e-commerce, the holiday economy and consumer goods trade-in, Zhu noted.

    It has also tapped into potential needs in cultural tourism and sports events, further stimulating online consumption, Zhu said.

    In the second half, the industry is expected to gain further growth momentum, driven by deeper industrial coordination and increasingly diversified services, Zhu added. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is there any hope for the internet?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College

    Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images

    In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love: New Visions,” she lamented “the lack of an ongoing public discussion … about the practice of love in our culture and in our lives.”

    Back then, the internet was at a crossroads. The dot-com crash had bankrupted many early internet companies, and people wondered if the technology was long for this world.

    The doubts were unfounded. In only a few decades, the internet has merged with our bodies as smartphones and mined our personalities via algorithms that know us more intimately than some of our closest friends. It has even constructed a secondary social world.

    Yet as the internet has become more integrated in our daily lives, few would describe it as a place of love, compassion and cooperation. Study after study describe how social media platforms promote alienation and disconnection – in part because many algorithms reward behaviors like trolling, cyberbullying and outrage.

    Is the internet’s place in human history cemented as a harbinger of despair? Or is there still hope for an internet that supports collective flourishing?

    Algorithms and alienation

    I explore these questions in my new book, “Attention and Alienation.”

    In it, I explain how social media companies’ profits depend on users investing their time, creativity and emotions. Whether it’s spending hours filming content for TikTok or a few minutes crafting a thoughtful Reddit comment, participating on these platforms takes work. And it can be exhausting.

    Even passive engagement – like scrolling through feeds and “lurking” in forums – consumes time. It might feel like free entertainment – until people recognize they are the product, with their data being harvested and their emotions being manipulated.

    Blogger, journalist and science fiction writer Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification” to describe how experiences on online platforms gradually deteriorate as companies increasingly exploit users’ data and tweak their algorithms to maximize profits.

    For these reasons, much of people’s time spent online involves dealing with toxic interactions or mindlessly doomscrolling, immersed in dopamine-driven feedback loops.

    This cycle is neither an accident nor a novel insight. Hate and mental illness fester in this culture because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits.

    Care hiding in plain sight

    In his 2009 book “Envisioning Real Utopias,” the late sociologist Erik Olin Wright discusses places in the world that prioritize cooperation, care and egalitarianism.

    Wright mainly focused on offline systems like worker-owned cooperatives. But one of his examples lived on the internet: Wikipedia. He argued that Wikipedia demonstrates the ethos “from each according to ability, to each according to need” – a utopian ideal popularized by Karl Marx.

    Wikipedia still thrives as a nonprofit, volunteer-ran bureaucracy. The website is a form of media that is deeply social, in the literal sense: People voluntarily curate and share knowledge, collectively and democratically, for free. Unlike social media, the rewards are only collective.

    There are no visible likes, comments or rage emojis for participants to hoard and chase. Nobody loses and everyone wins, including the vast majority of people who use Wikipedia without contributing work or money to keep it operational.

    Building a new digital world

    Wikipedia is evidence of care, cooperation and love hiding in plain sight.

    In recent years, there have been more efforts to create nonprofit apps and websites that are committed to protecting user data. Popular examples include Signal, a free and open source instant messaging service, and Proton Mail, an encrypted email service.

    These are all laudable developments. But how can the internet actively promote collective flourishing?

    What if Wikipedia were less the exception, and more the norm?
    Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

    In “Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want,” sociologist Ruha Benjamin points to a way forward. She tells the story of Black TikTok creators who led a successful cultural labor strike in 2021. Many viral TikTok dances had originally been created by Black artists, whose accounts, they claimed, were suppressed by a biased algorithm that favored white influencers.

    TikTok responded to the viral #BlackTikTokStrike movement by formally apologizing and making commitments to better represent and compensate the work of Black creators. These creators demonstrated how social media engagement is work – and that workers have the power to demand equitable conditions and fair pay.

    This landmark strike showed how anyone who uses social media companies that profit off the work, emotions and personal data of their users – whether it’s TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram or Reddit – can become organized.

    Meanwhile, there are organizations devoted to designing an internet that promotes collective flourishing. Sociologist Firuzeh Shokooh Valle provides examples of worker-owned technology cooperatives in her 2023 book, “In Defense of Solidarity and Pleasure: Feminist Technopolitics in the Global South.” She highlights the Sulá Batsú co-op in Costa Rica, which promotes policies that seek to break the stranglehold that negativity and exploitation have over internet culture.

    “Digital spaces are increasingly powered by hate and discrimination,” the group writes, adding that it hopes to create an online world where “women and people of diverse sexualities and genders are able to access and enjoy a free and open internet to exercise agency and autonomy, build collective power, strengthen movements, and transform power relations.”

    In Los Angeles, there’s Chani, Inc., a technology company that describes itself as “proudly” not funded by venture capitalists. The Chani app blends mindfulness practices and astrology with the goal of simply helping people. The app is not designed for compulsive user engagement, the company never sells user data, and there are no comments sections.

    No comments

    What would social media look like if Wikipedia were the norm instead of an exception?

    To me, a big problem in internet culture is the way people’s humanity is obscured. People are free to speak their minds in text-based public discussion forums, but the words aren’t always attached to someone’s identity. Real people hide behind the anonymity of user names. It isn’t true human interaction.

    In “Attention and Alienation,” I argue that the ability to meet and interact with others online as fully realized, three-dimensional human beings would go a long way toward creating a more empathetic, cooperative internet.

    When I was 8 years old, my parents lived abroad for work. Sometimes we talked on the phone. Often I would cry late into the night, praying for the ability to “see them through the phone.” It felt like a miraculous possibility – like magic.

    I told this story to my students in a moment of shared vulnerability. This was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the class was taking place over videoconferencing. In these online classes, one person talked at a time. Others listened.

    It wasn’t perfect, but I think a better internet would promote this form of discussion – people getting together from across the world to share the fullness of their humanity.

    Efforts like Clubhouse have tapped into this vision by creating voice-based discussion forums. The company, however, has been criticized for predatory data privacy policies.

    What if the next iteration of public social media platforms could build on Clubhouse? What if they brought people together and showcased not just their voices, but also live video feeds of their faces without harvesting their data or promoting conflict and outrage?

    Raised eyebrows. Grins. Frowns. They’re what make humans distinct from increasingly sophisticated large language models and artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT.

    After all, is anything you can’t say while looking at another human being in the eye worth saying in the first place?

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

    – ref. Is there any hope for the internet? – https://theconversation.com/is-there-any-hope-for-the-internet-259251

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

    Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus

    It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump concerning editorial decisions in the production of a CBS interview with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024.

    On July 2, 2025, those rumors proved true: The settlement between Paramount and Trump’s legal team resulted in CBS’s parent company agreeing to pay $16 million to the future Donald Trump Library – the $16 million included Trump’s legal fees – in exchange for ending the lawsuit. Despite the opinion of many media law scholars and practicing attorneys who considered the lawsuit meritless, Shari Redstone, the largest shareholder of Paramount, yielded to Trump.

    Redstone had been trying to sell Paramount to Skydance Media since July 2024, but the transaction was delayed by issues involving government approval.

    Specifically, when the Trump administration assumed power in January 2025, the new Federal Communications Commission had no legal obligation to facilitate, without scrutiny, the transfer of the CBS network’s broadcast licenses for its owned-and-operated TV stations to new ownership.

    The FCC, under newly installed Republican Chairman Brendan Carr, was fully aware of the issues in the legal conflict between Trump and CBS at the time Paramount needed FCC approval for the license transfers. Without a settlement, the Paramount-Skydance deal remained in jeopardy.

    Until it wasn’t.

    At that point, Paramount joined Disney in implicitly apologizing for journalism produced by their TV news divisions.

    Earlier in 2025, Disney had settled a different Trump lawsuit with ABC News in exchange for a $15 million donation to the future Trump Library. That lawsuit involved a dispute over the wording of the actions for which Trump was found liable in a civil lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll.

    GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump said the CBS interview with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris was ‘fraudulent interference with an election.’

    It’s not certain what the ABC and CBS settlements portend, but many are predicting they will produce a “chilling effect” within the network news divisions. Such an outcome would arise from fear of new litigation, and it would install a form of internal self-censorship that would influence network journalists when deciding whether the pursuit of investigative stories involving the Trump administration would be worth the risk.

    Trump has apparently succeeded where earlier presidents failed.

    Presidential pressure

    From Jimmy Carter trying to get CBS anchor Walter Cronkite to stop ending his evening newscasts with the number of days American hostages were being held in Iran to Richard Nixon’s administration threatening the broadcast licenses of The Washington Post’s TV stations to weaken Watergate reporting, previous presidents sought to apply editorial pressure on broadcast journalists.

    But in the cases of Carter and Nixon, it didn’t work. The broadcast networks’ focus on both Watergate and the Iran hostage crisis remained unrelenting.

    Nor were Nixon and Carter the first presidents seeking to influence, and possibly control, network news.

    President Lyndon Johnson, who owned local TV and radio stations in Austin, Texas, regularly complained to his old friend, CBS President Frank Stanton, about what he perceived as biased TV coverage. Johnson was so furious with the CBS and NBC reporting from Vietnam, he once argued that their newscasts seemed “controlled by the Vietcong.”

    Yet none of these earlier presidents won millions from the corporations that aired ethical news reporting in the public interest.

    Before Trump, these conflicts mostly occurred backstage and informally, allowing the broadcasters to sidestep the damage to their credibility should any surrender to White House administrations be made public. In a “Reporter’s Notebook” on the CBS Evening News the night of the Trump settlement, anchor John Dickerson summarized the new dilemma succinctly: “Can you hold power to account when you’ve paid it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you’ve traded away that trust?”

    “The audience will decide that,” Dickerson continued, concluding: “Our job is to show up to honor what we witness on behalf of the people we witness it for.”

    During the Iran hostage crisis, CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite ended every broadcast with the number of days the hostages had been held captive.

    Holding power to account

    There’s an adage in TV news: “You’re only as good as your last show.”

    Soon, Skydance Media will assume control over the Paramount properties, and the new CBS will be on the airwaves.

    When the licenses for KCBS in Los Angeles, WCBS in New York and the other CBS-owned-and-operated stations are transferred, we’ll learn the long-term legacy of corporate capitulation. But for now, it remains too early to judge tomorrow’s newscasts.

    As a scholar of broadcast journalism and a former broadcast journalist, I recommend evaluating programs like “60 Minutes” and the “CBS Evening News” on the record they will compile over the next three years – and the record they compiled over the past 50. The same goes for “ABC World News Tonight” and other ABC News programs.

    A major complicating factor for the Paramount-Skydance deal was the fact that “60 Minutes” has, over the past six months, broken major scoops embarrassing to the Trump administration, which led to additional scrutiny by its corporate ownership. Judged by its reporting in the first half of 2025, “60 Minutes” has upheld its record of critical and independent reporting in the public interest.

    If audience members want to see ethical, independent and professional broadcast journalism that holds power to account, then it’s the audience’s responsibility to tune it in. The only way to learn the consequences of these settlements is by watching future programming rather than dismissing it beforehand.

    The journalists working at ABC News and CBS News understand the legacy of their organizations, and they are also aware of how their owners have cast suspicion on the news divisions’ professionalism and credibility. As Dickerson asserted, they plan to “show up” regardless of the stain, and I’d bet they’re more motivated to redeem their reputations than we expect.

    I don’t think reporters, editors and producers plan to let Donald Trump become their editor-in-chief over the next three years. But we’ll only know by watching.

    Michael Socolow’s father, Sanford Socolow, worked for CBS News from 1956 to 1988.

    – ref. ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief – https://theconversation.com/abcs-and-cbss-settlements-with-trump-are-a-dangerous-step-toward-the-commander-in-chief-becoming-the-editor-in-chief-261006

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury

    Getty Images

    New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s swollen rivers and 200mm of overnight rainfall.

    By mid-morning, floodwaters had engulfed entire streets. Power was out. Roads were underwater. Emergency services responded swiftly, coordinating evacuations and establishing shelters.

    But for many residents, the realisation came days later: the help they expected after the water receded – support to rebuild, relocate or recover – wasn’t coming.

    “We lost everything,” says Mere Rākete, a solo mother of three, standing outside her home, now uninhabitable. “I rang the council, the government helpline, even the insurance company. They all said I’m not covered.”

    Mere lives in a suburb long identified as “high risk” under national climate risk maps. She didn’t stay there because she ignored the risk. She stayed because she had no viable alternative.

    “They say we had a choice. But when houses here were $400,000 and anything safer was $700,000, what choice is that?”

    No more buyouts

    Although this story is fictitious, it describes a plausible future based on how New Zealand’s draft climate adaptation framework could play out. It reflects the likely consequences of policy decisions that focus narrowly on financial exposure.

    Last week’s recommendations from the Ministry for the Environment’s Independent Reference Group rightly called for urgent and improved risk information. But they focused narrowly on direct risk to property and infrastructure.

    In particular, the group proposed that beyond 2045 the government should not buy out property owners after climate-related disasters (or those at high risk of future events).

    Responding to the recommendations last week, climate policy analyst Jonathan Boston wrote that ruling out property buyouts “is philosophically misguided, morally questionable, administratively inept, and politically naïve”.

    But it appears the government shares the reference group’s view. Addressing the current flooding disaster in the Tasman district, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, “In principle, the government won’t be able to keep bailing out people in this way.”

    Beyond the specifics of financial compensation, however, lie the cascading and systemic risks that follow a major weather event. In reality, the impacts do not stop at the property boundary.

    When a family is displaced, or even fears displacement, the consequences ripple outward: schooling is disrupted, jobs are lost, mental health declines, community networks fragment and local economies suffer.

    Research shows how the after-effects of a disaster domino through interconnected systems, affecting health, housing, labour markets and social cohesion.

    A policy decades in the making

    Back to the future: our fictional town of Te Taone sits in a floodplain identified decades ago. By the 2040s, insurance had become unaffordable. New development slowed but many families, especially those on lower incomes, remained, with few relocation options.

    The adaptation framework proposed in 2025, based on a “beneficiary pays” model, created a 20-year transition period that ended in 2045. After that, residents in high-risk areas became ineligible for buyouts or standard recovery funding.

    Future government investment was limited to Crown-owned assets or projects with “national benefit”. Restoration of local infrastructure such as roads and power lines would depend on whether councils or ratepayers could pay.

    Today, parts of Te Taone remain cut off. Power is still out in some areas. The school has relocated inland. Local shops have closed. Many homes are damaged, waterlogged, or destroyed, and some families are now living in tents.

    “It’s not that we weren’t warned,” says a local community worker. “It’s just that we couldn’t afford to do anything but live with the risk and hope for the best.”

    Te Taone’s experience is now raising deeper concerns that Aotearoa New Zealand’s climate adaptation framework may be entrenching a form of “climate redlining”. Those with the means can move to escape risk, while others are left behind to bear it.

    Adaptation or abandonment?

    Māori communities are especially affected. Parts of the floodplain include ancestral land, some communally owned, some leased by whānau who cannot easily relocate. In many cases, this land was only recently returned from the Crown, after years of land court proceedings or Treaty settlements.

    The prospect of abandoning it again, without coordinated support, echoes earlier waves of institutional neglect. Mere Rākete is now considering joining a class action, one of several reportedly forming across the country.

    Residents are challenging the government or local councils over a failure in their duty of care by allowing homes to be built, sold or inhabited in known risk zones without clear and enforceable warnings or adequate alternatives.

    Meanwhile, adaptation experts are calling for a reset: a national compensation framework with clear eligibility rules, long-term investment in affordable housing beyond hazard-prone areas.

    Above all, they argue, government policy based on a climate adaptation framework developed 25 years ago has not reduced exposure to risk. Instead, it has redistributed it from those who could leave to those who couldn’t.

    In the meantime, the remaining residents of Te Taone wait for the next cyclone and wonder whether, next time, anyone will help.

    Planning with people in mind

    Our imagined future scenario can be avoided if governments take a broader view of adaptation. Treating climate risk as an individual responsibility may reduce short-term government liability. But it will not reduce long-term social and fiscal liability.

    The risk of failing to act systemically is that the country pays in other ways – in fractured communities, rising inequity and preventable harm.

    Adaptation to climate change has to be about more than limiting the upfront costs of buyouts or infrastructure repairs. Ignoring the wider impacts will only shift the burden and increase it over time.

    Real economic and community resilience means planning with people in mind, investing early and making sure no one is left behind. That work must begin now.

    Tom Logan owns shares in Urban Intelligence. He receives funding from the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and the Royal Society of NZ.

    Paula Blackett works part time for Urban Intelligence. She receives research funding from the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and undertakes consulting work regarding climate risk and adaptation.

    – ref. A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today – https://theconversation.com/a-warning-from-the-future-the-risk-if-nz-gets-climate-adaptation-policy-wrong-today-260912

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of a majority at this Saturday’s election. I also cover the Coalition’s vote was inefficiently distributed at the federal election, as well as US and UK politics.

    The Tasmanian state election will be held this Saturday. Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system for its lower house elections. The five Tasmanian seats used at federal elections each have seven members, for a total of 35 MPs. A quota for election is one-eighth of the vote, or 12.5%.

    A DemosAU poll for Pulse Tasmania, conducted July 6–10 from a sample of 3,421, gave the Liberals 34.9% of the vote (up 0.9 since the June 19–26 DemosAU poll), Labor 24.7% (down 2.6), the Greens 15.6% (up 0.5), the Nationals 2.7%, the Shooters 1.8% and independents 20.3% (up 1.0).

    The Nationals are only contesting Bass, Braddon and Lyons, and the poll would not have included them in the other two electorates of Clark and Franklin, so the Nationals’ vote in the electorates they are contesting would be higher than their statewide vote.

    With a total sample of over 3,400, the sample size per electorate would be over 680. Using the results in individual electorates, this poll has the Liberals on a total of 13–14 seats out of 35, Labor on 9–10, the Greens on 6–7, independents on 4–6 and both the Nationals and Shooters either winning zero or one seat.

    If the election results reflect this poll, the Liberals would easily be the largest party, but they would not win the 18 seats needed for a majority. There would probably be a majority for Labor, the Greens and left-wing independents, but Labor did not attempt to form government in a similar situation after the March 2024 election.

    It’s been 11 years since Labor last held government in Tasmania, with the Labor/Greens government at that time widely blamed for Labor’s heavy defeat in the March 2014 election. But with the continuing decline of the major parties, Labor may have to reach an agreement with the Greens if they want to form government again in Tasmania.

    Labor and the Liberals have both supported construction of a new AFL stadium. I believe this partly explains the drop in Labor’s vote, as many on the left would oppose this stadium. Labor’s refusal to attempt to form government after the March 2024 election probably also contributed to its low vote.

    Voters may also be blaming Labor for this early election, just 16 months after the previous Tasmanian election. This election is just over two months after the federal election.

    Federal election: Coalition’s vote inefficiently distributed

    Analyst Kevin Bonham has a pendulum of House of Representatives seats after the results of the May 3 federal election. There are likely to be federal redistributions from July 2026 in some states, so this won’t be the pendulum used at the next federal election.

    Labor won 94 of the 150 seats, the Coalition 43 and all Others 13, from a two-party vote of 55.2–44.8 to Labor. Assuming the Others are unchanged, Labor would need to lose 19 seats to drop below the 76 needed for a majority. On the pendulum, this occurs when the seat of Whitlam falls, but Labor won Whitlam by 56.3–43.7, more than 1% higher than their national vote.

    This means that, using a uniform swing on the actual results, Labor would have won a majority even if they had lost the national two-party vote by 51.0–49.0, despite 13 Other seats.

    Despite the electoral hammering, the Coalition retained many regional seats by large margins. This contributed to an inefficiently distributed vote. With voters in the cities making up a majority of all Australian voters, the Coalition can’t win by appealing just to voters in the regions.

    The Coalition would be the largest party if they won 26 seats from Labor. This happens when the Coalition gains Braddon, which Labor won by 57.2–42.8, so the Coalition would need a 51.9–48.1 national two-party margin. For a Coalition majority, they would need 33 gains, and need a 53.7–46.3 national two-party win.

    US and UK politics

    I wrote for The Poll Bludger on Saturday that United States President Donald Trump’s net approval was nearly unchanged at -6.7 after the passage of the “big beautiful bill” through Congress. I also covered Elon Musk’s new party and New York City mayoral general election polls.

    In the United Kingdom, a Labour MP has defected to a potential Jeremy Corbyn-led party. The far-right Reform has led Labour in UK national polls since the early May local elections. In a House of Commons vote on a welfare reform bill, 49 Labour MPs rebelled.

    Two Queensland poll give LNP big leads

    A Queensland state DemosAU poll, conducted July 4–9 from a sample of 1,027, gave the Liberal National Party a 55–45 lead (53.8–46.2 to the LNP at the October 2024 election). The Poll Bludger said this was a one-point gain for the LNP since a February DemosAU poll.

    Primary votes were 40% LNP (steady), 28% Labor (down two), 13% Greens (up one), 12% One Nation (up two) and 7% for all Others (down one). On the recent Queensland state budget, 24% thought it would be good for the Queensland economy, 19% bad and 57% were unsure. By 43–26, respondents thought Labor would not have delivered a better budget.

    A Queensland state Redbridge poll gave the LNP a 56–44 lead. Primary votes were 43% LNP, 29% Labor, 11% Greens and 17% for all Others (there was no One Nation breakdown).

    Queensland was the only state the Coalition won at the federal election, though only by 50.6–49.4. The state LNP is still benefiting from a honeymoon after ousting Labor at last year’s election.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll – https://theconversation.com/hung-parliament-still-likely-outcome-of-tasmanian-election-with-liberals-well-ahead-of-labor-in-new-poll-261073

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of a majority at this Saturday’s election. I also cover the Coalition’s vote was inefficiently distributed at the federal election, as well as US and UK politics.

    The Tasmanian state election will be held this Saturday. Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system for its lower house elections. The five Tasmanian seats used at federal elections each have seven members, for a total of 35 MPs. A quota for election is one-eighth of the vote, or 12.5%.

    A DemosAU poll for Pulse Tasmania, conducted July 6–10 from a sample of 3,421, gave the Liberals 34.9% of the vote (up 0.9 since the June 19–26 DemosAU poll), Labor 24.7% (down 2.6), the Greens 15.6% (up 0.5), the Nationals 2.7%, the Shooters 1.8% and independents 20.3% (up 1.0).

    The Nationals are only contesting Bass, Braddon and Lyons, and the poll would not have included them in the other two electorates of Clark and Franklin, so the Nationals’ vote in the electorates they are contesting would be higher than their statewide vote.

    With a total sample of over 3,400, the sample size per electorate would be over 680. Using the results in individual electorates, this poll has the Liberals on a total of 13–14 seats out of 35, Labor on 9–10, the Greens on 6–7, independents on 4–6 and both the Nationals and Shooters either winning zero or one seat.

    If the election results reflect this poll, the Liberals would easily be the largest party, but they would not win the 18 seats needed for a majority. There would probably be a majority for Labor, the Greens and left-wing independents, but Labor did not attempt to form government in a similar situation after the March 2024 election.

    It’s been 11 years since Labor last held government in Tasmania, with the Labor/Greens government at that time widely blamed for Labor’s heavy defeat in the March 2014 election. But with the continuing decline of the major parties, Labor may have to reach an agreement with the Greens if they want to form government again in Tasmania.

    Labor and the Liberals have both supported construction of a new AFL stadium. I believe this partly explains the drop in Labor’s vote, as many on the left would oppose this stadium. Labor’s refusal to attempt to form government after the March 2024 election probably also contributed to its low vote.

    Voters may also be blaming Labor for this early election, just 16 months after the previous Tasmanian election. This election is just over two months after the federal election.

    Federal election: Coalition’s vote inefficiently distributed

    Analyst Kevin Bonham has a pendulum of House of Representatives seats after the results of the May 3 federal election. There are likely to be federal redistributions from July 2026 in some states, so this won’t be the pendulum used at the next federal election.

    Labor won 94 of the 150 seats, the Coalition 43 and all Others 13, from a two-party vote of 55.2–44.8 to Labor. Assuming the Others are unchanged, Labor would need to lose 19 seats to drop below the 76 needed for a majority. On the pendulum, this occurs when the seat of Whitlam falls, but Labor won Whitlam by 56.3–43.7, more than 1% higher than their national vote.

    This means that, using a uniform swing on the actual results, Labor would have won a majority even if they had lost the national two-party vote by 51.0–49.0, despite 13 Other seats.

    Despite the electoral hammering, the Coalition retained many regional seats by large margins. This contributed to an inefficiently distributed vote. With voters in the cities making up a majority of all Australian voters, the Coalition can’t win by appealing just to voters in the regions.

    The Coalition would be the largest party if they won 26 seats from Labor. This happens when the Coalition gains Braddon, which Labor won by 57.2–42.8, so the Coalition would need a 51.9–48.1 national two-party margin. For a Coalition majority, they would need 33 gains, and need a 53.7–46.3 national two-party win.

    US and UK politics

    I wrote for The Poll Bludger on Saturday that United States President Donald Trump’s net approval was nearly unchanged at -6.7 after the passage of the “big beautiful bill” through Congress. I also covered Elon Musk’s new party and New York City mayoral general election polls.

    In the United Kingdom, a Labour MP has defected to a potential Jeremy Corbyn-led party. The far-right Reform has led Labour in UK national polls since the early May local elections. In a House of Commons vote on a welfare reform bill, 49 Labour MPs rebelled.

    Two Queensland poll give LNP big leads

    A Queensland state DemosAU poll, conducted July 4–9 from a sample of 1,027, gave the Liberal National Party a 55–45 lead (53.8–46.2 to the LNP at the October 2024 election). The Poll Bludger said this was a one-point gain for the LNP since a February DemosAU poll.

    Primary votes were 40% LNP (steady), 28% Labor (down two), 13% Greens (up one), 12% One Nation (up two) and 7% for all Others (down one). On the recent Queensland state budget, 24% thought it would be good for the Queensland economy, 19% bad and 57% were unsure. By 43–26, respondents thought Labor would not have delivered a better budget.

    A Queensland state Redbridge poll gave the LNP a 56–44 lead. Primary votes were 43% LNP, 29% Labor, 11% Greens and 17% for all Others (there was no One Nation breakdown).

    Queensland was the only state the Coalition won at the federal election, though only by 50.6–49.4. The state LNP is still benefiting from a honeymoon after ousting Labor at last year’s election.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll – https://theconversation.com/hung-parliament-still-likely-outcome-of-tasmanian-election-with-liberals-well-ahead-of-labor-in-new-poll-261073

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Africa – Unlocking Opportunity: How India can Harness the Africa Corridor to Grow Merchandise Exports (By Shivank Goel)

    Source: Rand Merchant Bank

    From tech stack adoption in countries like Ghana and Angola, to partnerships between Indian public sector firms and African energy providers, the bilateral relationship is rapidly deepening
    SANDTON, South Africa, July 14, 2025 – By Shivank Goel, an Indo-Africa Corridor Specialist at RMB (www.RMB.co.za)

    At GTR Africa 2025, a diverse panel of experts – including representatives from the Reserve Bank of India’s research wing, MSME chambers and leading financial institutions – explored the question of how India can double its export trade to reach the government’s target of $2 trillion by 2030. In 2024, India’s exports of goods and services were estimated at over $800 billion, up 5.6% year on year. Yet services continue to outpace goods, with an eight-percentage-point lead in growth.

    For India to achieve a more balanced export profile and reach its national targets, boosting merchandise exports is imperative. Africa stands out as a significant factor in helping India achieve its ambitious goals, particularly as a market for Indian merchandise exports. Financial institutions have a substantial role to play in supporting this trade and unlocking the opportunities within the India-Africa corridor.

    A growth market with strategic alignment

    Africa is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Across sectors such as infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automotive components, agriculture, and consumer goods, Indian products are already gaining traction. Shared cultural and historical ties, a largely English-speaking business environment, and similar developmental goals in education, technology, healthcare, and infrastructure position the two regions as natural trade partners.

    With the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Africa is poised to become more integrated with an addressable market of 1.2 billion people, $3.4 trillion in GDP, and reduced intra-continental tariffs. This transforms the way Indian exporters can approach the region, moving from fragmented country-specific strategies to viewing Africa as a unified, high-growth destination, not only for trade but also for embedding into the region as a way to participate in the global value chain.

    Financial and structural hurdles to overcome

    Although this opportunity is promising, Indian exporters, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), face several challenges in navigating African markets. One of the most significant hurdles is logistical complexity, including infrastructure constraints in certain regions, which can disrupt supply chains and increase the cost and time of moving goods across borders.

    Another key concern is partner and counterparty risk. In many cases, assessing the creditworthiness of potential trading partners is difficult, and this uncertainty can deter Indian firms from entering new markets. Exporters must also contend with foreign exchange volatility and concerns about the timely and secure repatriation of funds, which can further complicate trade with certain African countries.

    In addition, many exporters – particularly newer or smaller firms – struggle to access the working capital and trade finance required to scale operations or explore new markets. These financing gaps can limit their ability to take advantage of the growing opportunities presented by Africa’s expanding consumer base and regional trade integration.

    Overcoming these barriers requires a holistic financial approach that combines a deep understanding of local markets with tailored credit solutions, risk mitigation tools, and long-term partnership models.

    Digitisation is a critical enabler of trade finance

    As global trade becomes increasingly volatile due to shifting tariffs, regulatory uncertainty, and tightening cycles, efficiency and agility are critical. Digital transformation plays a pivotal role in reducing costs and improving access to finance.

    Innovations such as e-bills of lading, blockchain-based guarantees, and the use of machine learning and AI for document verification and compliance checks can reduce delays and human error in cross-border trade processes. While traditional trade finance cycles can take 60 to 90 days, digital solutions allow exporters to respond quickly to market changes and manage cash flow more effectively.

    Banks and financiers investing in African-led digitisation efforts are well placed to support Indian exporters entering or expanding in the region. By building digital platforms that align with local regulatory environments and business norms, financial partners can help unlock a new era of trade connectivity between the two regions.

    Leveraging AfCFTA for regional and global value chains

    One of the most powerful tools available to Indian exporters is the ability to use Africa not just as an end market but also as a base for regional and global value chain participation. With AfCFTA aiming to eliminate trade barriers between African nations, a company that invests or establishes operations in one country could potentially access the entire continent tariff-free.

    This opens new opportunities to move up the value chain through manufacturing, technology transfer, and joint ventures that foster local capacity while increasing India’s global trade footprint. It also encourages long-term thinking and investment in the corridor, for shared prosperity, rather than short-term export opportunism.

    The need for skills and inclusive innovation

    Export growth cannot happen in a vacuum. Both India and Africa need to invest in upskilling and reskilling their workforces, particularly in fields like engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and infrastructure. Encouraging more people to pursue careers in these sectors is essential in building long-term trade resilience.

    Technology must be made accessible and inclusive, with tools and training offered in local languages and tailored to diverse educational backgrounds. The goal is not to replace people with machines, but to empower people to work more effectively with technology, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and productivity, particularly in the areas of financing and trade compliance.

    The role of diplomacy

    India’s growing diplomatic and economic engagement with Africa is already yielding results. During its presidency of the G20 in 2023, India championed the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member, highlighting its ambition to serve as a voice for the Global South.

    Today, India is collaborating with African nations on digital infrastructure, payment platforms, energy projects, naval cooperation, and more. From tech stack adoption in countries like Ghana and Angola, to partnerships between Indian public sector firms and African energy providers, the bilateral relationship is rapidly deepening.

    To accelerate trade, policy frameworks on both sides must evolve to support openness, competition, and innovation. Incentives for exporters, joint R&D investments, streamlined customs procedures, and predictable regulations will all play a critical role.

    Building a corridor for shared prosperity

    The India–Africa trade corridor represents one of the most promising frontiers for growing Indian merchandise exports in the coming decade. The geopolitical environment is increasingly supportive, and there is significant scale and numerous synergies that can be leveraged for expansion.  

    By investing in digital transformation, financial access, skills development, and long-term policy alignment, stakeholders across the trade ecosystem, from governments and banks to MSMEs and large corporates, can build a corridor that delivers shared growth and resilience. Africa is not just a market to be tapped; it has the potential to become a strategic partner for India in shaping the future of global trade.

    About the Author:
    Shivank Goel is an Indo-Africa Corridor Specialist at RMB. He was a panellist at GTR Africa 2025, contributing to the discussion on policy and finance strategies to accelerate India’s merchandise exports and strengthen the India–Africa trade corridor.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –