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Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Fishing season begins at largest lake on China-Russia border

    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

    BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) — Local fishermen went down to Lake Xingkai (Khanka) on Tuesday and cast their nets to haul in the first batch of fish, marking the end of the seasonal fishing ban on the largest lake on the China-Russia border, Zhongxinshe News Agency reported.

    Lake Xingkai, located in the southeast of Heilongjiang Province /Northeast China/ and in the Primorsky Territory of the Russian Far East, is the largest border lake of the two countries. Its water surface area is 4,380 square kilometers.

    Shinkai has rich fish resources. According to research, there are 65 species of fish in the lake. In order to ensure biodiversity and promote sustainable fisheries development, a seasonal fishing ban has been in place in this lake since 1952.

    This year, a 40-day fishing ban on the lake began in early June.

    According to a local border control official, patrols will be stepped up during the fishing season and measures will be taken to prevent and combat illegal fishing activities to ensure security and stability in the border areas. -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 Submissions: Bali is built on informal and ‘illegal’ settlements. Bulldozing Bingin Beach misses the real threat of overdevelopment

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kim Dovey, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, The University of Melbourne

    Balinese officials have begun the demolition of more than 40 businesses at Bingin Beach, a popular tourist spot in the Uluwatu region.

    In June, the Balinese House of Representatives determined the settlement is on public land, and is therefore illegal and needs to be demolished. But I’d argue it doesn’t.

    The ‘illegal’ settlement

    The Bingin Beach coastal settlement began development in the 1970s as an informal surfer hub at the base of a steep escarpment. The beach is a few hundred metres long and largely disappears at high tide.

    Originally lined with a string of makeshift warungs (small food stores) and cheap accommodations, the settlement has grown incrementally over the decades, up and along the escarpment, with an intensive mix of surf shops, restaurants and small hotels.

    The steepness of the slope precludes vehicle access. The only public access is via two somewhat narrow pedestrian stairways.

    While it initially served the surfer community, the settlement now caters to a broader tourist market, with some rooms going for upwards of US$150 per night.

    But after more than 50 years of incremental development, the House of Representatives has declared the settlement was illegally constructed on state land, and has ordered the demolition of 45 buildings – effectively the entire settlement.

    While most of the buildings seem highly durable, the demolition order is based on illegality, and not durability. A spokesperson for the traders argues most of the businesses are locally owned, and livelihoods are at stake.

    The ‘legal’ settlement

    The former farmland at the top of the escarpment is also covered with tourist developments that mostly emerged since 2010, and now extend up to a kilometre inland. This is a much more familiar landscape for Bali: a mix of walled hotel compounds and private villas, with manicured gardens and swimming pools.

    However, one could scarcely call this larger settlement “planned”. Shops and restaurants emerge wherever they can find a market along the narrow roads. There are no sidewalks and pedestrians are constantly engaged in an anxious game of negotiated passing.

    The infrastructure of roads and lanes has also been designed incrementally, across the former farm fields, as the settlement developed. The resulting street network is convoluted and largely unwalkable. The most common street sign is “no beach access this way”.

    What is informality?

    I’m an academic, architect and urban planner who studies informal settlements and informal urbanism more generally. In this context “informal” can mean illegal, makeshift and unplanned, but it can also mean incremental, adaptive and inventive.

    Informal settlement is the means by which a large proportion of Indonesians produce affordable housing. It is also the most traditional form of indigenous housing globally.

    After many decades of governments trying to demolish such settlements, the overwhelming consensus across the United Nations Human Settlements Programme is that wholesale demolition is rarely an answer. On-site formalisation and upgrading is the more sustainable pathway.

    When engaging with informal settlements, we need to preserve the infrastructures that work and only demolish where necessary. The Bingin Beach escarpment settlement has proven sustainable and has become an integral part of the local heritage.

    Its demolition will destroy livelihoods and displace the surfing market, while feathering other nests.

    So why is it being demolished? Perhaps to clear the ground for the next round of up-market resorts – what urban studies research calls “accumulation by disposession”. Bingin is widely seen as a major real estate hotspot for investment.

    What is overdevelopment?

    One of the key dangers of informal settlement is “overdevelopment”. Without
    formal planning codes, density can escalate to destroy the very attraction that produced the settlement.

    Most buildings along the Bingin Beach escarpment are two to four storeys, and step back with the slope of the escarpment. The exception is the 2019 addition of the Morabito Art Cliff hotel that rises more than six storeys, obscuring the natural landscape, blocking views, and setting a precedent for more of the same.

    If everyone in the area built like this, the Bingin settlement would be replaced with a cliff of buildings. To demolish this one building would set a useful precedent of containing the settlement to a sustainable scale.

    The Impossibles dream

    A few hundred metres south-west of Bingin Beach, a different story unfolds near the beach known as Impossibles. Here, a precarious limestone cliff largely precludes access to the beach, and the clifftop has long been lined with low-rise tourist compounds.

    An aeriel view of the Uluwatu coast shows Bingin Beach and the Impossibles.
    Map data: Google, 2025 Maxar Technologies

    This earlier layer of development is now being demolished and replaced with larger, denser resorts as part of the Amali project which claims a “rare cliff-front location”. The location is “rare” because about half of the 50-metre-high cliff has been excavated to construct villa units quite literally in the cliff.

    This excavation was well underway when, in May 2024, it caused much of the remaining natural cliff face to collapse onto the beach and into the ocean. It remains unclear whether the excavation was formally approved. Either way, it prompts the question: what if everyone did that?

    The Bingin escarpment and the Impossibles cliff face represent very different kinds of development. One is incremental, irregular and geared to its social and environmental context, while the other is large-grain and environmentally destructive. It makes no sense to demolish the former in order to make way for the latter.

    It is imperative to not only save the Bingin Beach settlement, which is part of Bali’s surfing heritage, but also to awaken from the impossible dream of building more and more villas on this fragile and limited coastland.

    Kim Dovey 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. Bali is built on informal and ‘illegal’ settlements. Bulldozing Bingin Beach misses the real threat of overdevelopment – https://theconversation.com/bali-is-built-on-informal-and-illegal-settlements-bulldozing-bingin-beach-misses-the-real-threat-of-overdevelopment-261755

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: The RBA’s Dual Mandate – Inflation and Employment

    Source: Airservices Australia

    I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to Elders past and present.

    It’s an honour to join you today at the Anika Foundation fundraising lunch. The Foundation supports vital work on youth mental health research, awareness and education, in which I have a strong personal interest.

    I’m proud to uphold the tradition of the Reserve Bank Governor speaking at this event to support an organisation that is making a real difference.

    My remarks today centre on the dual objectives of monetary policy: ‘price stability’, which means maintaining low and stable inflation; and full employment, which I will talk about in more detail later.

    I’ll explore how these aims have shaped the Monetary Policy Board’s strategy in recent years. As part of that, I will reflect on the relationship between the labour market and inflation over that time, and how conditions in the labour market have evolved to the present day.

    Now is a good time to revisit these subjects, following the agreement two weeks ago of an updated Statement on the Conduct of Monetary Policy, which sets out the common understanding of Government and the Board on key elements of the monetary policy framework.

    But before I turn to that, I’ll start with an update on recent monetary policy settings.

    Recent monetary policy settings

    If you cast your mind back to 2022, you will recall that inflation was higher than it had been in decades, peaking at 7.8 per cent at the end of that year. It was this rise in inflation that required a tightening in monetary policy over 2022 and 2023, with the cash rate increasing from almost zero to 4.35 per cent over that period.

    Over the past couple of years, we have made meaningful progress in bringing inflation down. Higher interest rates have been working to bring aggregate demand and supply closer towards balance. We expect headline inflation in the June quarter to be in the lower half of our 2–3 per cent target range – although that partly reflects the ongoing effect of temporary cost-of-living relief. As that effect unwinds, we expect headline inflation to pick up to around the top of the band at the end of this year and into the first part of 2026.

    To help look through temporary factors like this, we also pay close attention to trimmed mean inflation (published quarterly), which provides a good guide to underlying inflation trends. This measure has also been easing, but it’s still a bit higher than headline inflation. At 2.9 per cent in the March quarter, year-ended trimmed mean inflation was under 3 per cent for the first time since 2021.

    We expect trimmed mean inflation to fall a little further in the June quarter in year-ended terms. However, the monthly CPI Indicator data, which are volatile, suggest that the fall may not be quite as much as we forecast back in May. We still think it will show inflation declining slowly towards 2½ per cent, but we are looking for data to support this expectation.

    Encouragingly, as inflation has slowed, the labour market has eased only gradually and the unemployment rate is relatively low. I’ll have more to say on developments in the labour market later.

    Since February, we have reduced the cash rate by 50 basis points. The Board continues to judge that a measured and gradual approach to monetary policy easing is appropriate. Global economic and policy developments have so far been largely in line with our baseline May forecasts, and the likelihood of a severe downside ‘trade war’ appears to have diminished. But there is still uncertainty and unpredictability in the global economy. The Board’s view is that monetary policy is well placed to respond decisively to adverse international developments if needed.

    Our longstanding strategy has been to bring inflation back to target while preserving as many of the gains in the labour market as possible. This approach meant that interest rates in Australia did not rise as high as they did in some other economies, and so we may not need to lower them as much on the way down.

    We also know that Australians continue to feel cost-of-living pressures, with the average level of prices now notably higher than it was just a few years ago. That is why we want to make sure that inflation remains low and stable from here on in. Low and stable inflation is good for households, good for jobs, good for communities and good for the economy.

    Our goals of price stability and full employment generally reinforce each other

    Stepping back from current policy settings and the inflationary episode of recent years, I now want to reflect on the framework that guides the Board’s decisions more generally.

    The RBA’s monetary policy objectives are set out in legislation. Our overarching goal is to promote the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people, both now and into the future. For the Board, this means setting monetary policy in a way that best achieves both price stability and full employment.

    These goals are often referred to as our ‘dual mandate’ and are longstanding objectives of the RBA.

    Over time, low and stable inflation and full employment go hand in hand. Low and stable inflation – or price stability – is a prerequisite for strong and sustainable employment growth because it creates favourable conditions for households and businesses to plan, invest and create jobs without having to worry about inflation. So our two objectives are complementary over the longer term.

    Even in the shorter term, the two objectives often go hand in hand. For example, when there are ups and downs in demand, inflation tends to rise as the labour market tightens, and fall as it loosens. So a monetary policy response that returns inflation to target will, in time, also move the labour market towards full employment.

    But sometimes there are developments that push up inflation at the same time as they weigh down demand – and therefore employment. This includes sharp increases in energy prices and supply disruptions that push up prices more broadly. As I’ll discuss in a moment, such ‘negative supply shocks’ were part of the reason for the high inflation of recent years, though they were not the only factor.

    In the face of supply shocks that push up prices, we need to think about possible trade-offs: how do we balance our two goals in these circumstances?

    If a supply disruption is temporary and modest, monetary policy should mostly ‘look through’ it. Raising interest rates makes little sense if inflation is expected to ease once temporary supply disruptions are resolved – it would only weaken the job market.

    By contrast, when a supply shock is likely to have a longer lasting effect on the economy and inflation there may be stronger grounds for monetary policy to respond.

    A key concern here is that the longer inflation stays high, the more households’ and businesses’ expectations for future inflation could increase. This could, in turn, lead to second-round effects on inflation as households and businesses build higher expectations into their decisions.

    But if households and businesses instead maintain a high level of confidence that the Board will do what is needed to return inflation to target, inflationary shocks will have less effect on price and wage setting. That means we can look through adverse supply shocks to a greater extent – even those that we think could last for some time.

    This highlights another important way in which our objectives are complementary – and it’s something I want to emphasise. Having a strong track record of low and stable inflation puts us in the best possible position to support employment. It means there is less risk of inflation getting out of control, which allows inflation to be brought down with smaller increases in interest rates than otherwise. This in turn keeps the labour market closer to full employment.

    That is why maintaining well-anchored inflation expectations is a key benefit of inflation targeting frameworks, as I will return to in a moment, and why it is important that inflation returns to be sustainably in our target range.

    The dual mandate in the post-pandemic period

    So how did this dual mandate shape our policy response to the post-pandemic rise in inflation?

    First, the starting point for our monetary policy settings mattered – these were of course very accommodative, with the cash rate effectively at zero.

    Second, the causes of the pick-up in inflation were crucial. The initial pick-up in inflation was partly driven by some of the supply factors I have mentioned. Temporary disruptions in global supply chains during the pandemic led to strong increases in goods prices, and the war in Ukraine caused a spike in global energy prices.

    But it was also clear that demand was part of the story. Accommodative fiscal and monetary policy settings in the pandemic period supported strong growth in demand for goods during lockdowns, and this demand strength interacted with supply constraints to amplify inflationary pressures. Then, as lockdowns eased and the economy started to recover, demand for services also recovered strongly. As a result, conditions in product markets and labour markets were very tight by mid-2022.

    It was clear that we needed to increase interest rates to bring about a better balance between demand and supply, which would help to ease domestic price pressures. This need was reinforced by a concern that longer run inflation expectations could increase. If this happened, it would add to inflationary pressure and would ultimately require a larger policy response, and higher job losses.

    Although it was clear that we needed to raise interest rates to slow demand growth, it was less clear how quickly demand pressures needed to ease, how persistent global shocks or their effects would be, and how much we could afford to ‘look through’ those effects.

    The Board could have chosen to match the more significant rate increases of some other central banks to bring inflation back to target more quickly. But this could have risked a sharper and more persistent increase in the unemployment rate.

    Instead, the Board judged that a measured approach was consistent with its dual mandate. We increased the cash rate quickly at first – but we didn’t go as high as some other central banks. We then held the cash rate for over a year, even as some other central banks started easing monetary policy. Throughout, we kept a close eye on longer term inflation expectations, to ensure they remained anchored to the target.

    This strategy was designed to rein in inflation while also preserving as many of the gains in the labour market as possible – an example of our dual mandate in practice.

    How has this played out so far?

    Since the peak of inflation in 2022, headline inflation has declined by over 5 percentage points. And over the same period there has been a relatively modest easing in labour market conditions. The unemployment rate has increased from around 3.5 per cent in mid-2022 to 4.2 per cent in the June quarter this year, and remains low by historical standards.

    Crucially, the share of the population in work has remained around record highs; this is in contrast to declines in many other advanced economies (Graph 1).

    The fact that unemployment has remained low and employment growth has remained strong is remarkable – and very welcome.

    And it is striking that the increase in the unemployment rate has been small compared with the large decline in inflation. This is especially true compared with previous episodes of disinflation in Australia (Graph 2).

    Why is this?

    Part of the answer is that the supply-driven price increases that I mentioned earlier did turn out to be temporary, even if they flowed through to the economy over a long period of time (Graph 3). As these supply disruptions eventually subsided and oil prices declined, price pressures eased.

    And also as I mentioned earlier, the Board were very alert to the risk that inflation expectations could increase. Crucially, that did not happen.

    Instead, households and businesses continued to believe that inflation would return to the target range (Graph 4). This limited any so-called ‘second-round’ effects on inflation, which allowed inflation to fall without a sharp rise in the unemployment rate.

    This demonstrates the point I made earlier about how our two objectives can be complementary. A history of low and stable inflation, and the resulting public confidence in the inflation target, enabled the Board to adopt a strategy that protected the labour market as much as possible while still ensuring inflation came down.

    How has the labour market adjusted in the current cycle?

    I’ve already highlighted the comparatively modest increase in the unemployment rate over the past few years from a very low level, and that overall employment has continued growing. The rate of layoffs has increased only a little and remains at a remarkably low level by historical standards (Graph 5). The share of workers who are long-term unemployed also remains low.

    These are good outcomes – as job losses are an especially painful way for the labour market to adjust to tighter monetary policy. Losing a job can be one of the most stressful events in someone’s life, and it can have far-reaching implications for families and communities.

    While the unemployment rate has risen since its trough in late 2022, including an uptick in the month of June, there has been significant jobs growth in aggregate. Instead, the labour market has adjusted in some other – less disruptive – ways.

    First, job vacancies have declined from a very high level as firms have slowed hiring activity.

    Second, the average number of hours that people are working has declined. This follows a period when hours had increased sharply due to very strong demand for workers (Graph 6).

    Having your hours cut is tough, but it’s often preferable to losing a job altogether. And it’s worth noting that some of this decline in hours has been voluntary, especially over the past year or so.

    Third, there has been a decline in the share of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs (the ‘quits rate’). This suggests there could be less need for firms to compete to attract and retain workers, implying less upward pressure on wages growth than otherwise (Graph 7).

    In summary, the gradual easing in labour market conditions has so far been most evident in fewer job vacancies, reductions in hours worked and declining rates of voluntary job switching.

    These shifts aren’t without their challenges, but they all tend to be less disruptive than outright job losses.

    I should note that the RBA can’t wave a magic wand and control how adjustments in the labour market play out. Interest rates are too blunt an instrument for that, and I am not here to claim credit for the fact that the adjustment has so far taken place in a less costly way.

    By the same token, because the labour market can adjust in different ways, we do not ‘target’ any one adjustment mechanism, such as a set number of job losses, as we seek to bring demand and supply back into balance. Indeed, there have been substantial job gains over this period.

    Are we close to full employment?

    Let me bring the labour market story up to date.

    Our overall assessment at the time of our most recent forecast in May was that there was still some tightness in the labour market, and we expected it to ease a little over the remainder of this year.

    A broad range of indicators underpinned this assessment, and in many ways not much has changed. Firms still report significant difficulties finding labour, even if this constraint has eased somewhat recently. The ratio of vacancies to unemployed people remains high (Graph 8). At the same time, unit labour costs have been increasing strongly.

    In May we also highlighted the possibility that labour market conditions could be less tight than we thought. As I noted earlier, the low rate of job switching may imply less upward pressure on wage growth than otherwise. And the quarterly rate of underlying inflation has recently been around a pace that would be consistent with 2½ per cent in annual terms.

    For that reason, our May forecasts for wages growth and inflation incorporated some downwards judgement to reflect the possibility that there is more capacity in the labour market – and the economy more broadly – than is suggested by our usual assessment.

    Last week brought us the latest labour market data, which confirmed that the unemployment rate increased in the June quarter. Some of the coverage of the latest data suggested this was a shock – but the outcome for the June quarter was in line with the forecast we released in May. That on its own suggests that the labour market moved a little further towards balance, as we were anticipating. While the June monthly data showed a noticeable pick-up in the unemployment rate, other measures – such as the vacancy rate – have been stable recently. More broadly, leading indicators are not pointing to further significant increases in the unemployment rate in the near term.

    Nevertheless, the risks we highlighted in May remain. As always, there is uncertainty around how labour market conditions stand relative to full employment, and we will continue to closely monitor incoming labour market data. Our August Statement on Monetary Policy will provide a full updated assessment of labour market conditions and the outlook.

    Concluding remarks

    So, to conclude, our goals of low and stable inflation and full employment are closely linked and generally reinforce each other.

    A critical feature of the recent high-inflation period is that longer term inflation expectations remained anchored. This has enabled the Board’s monetary policy strategy of bringing inflation down in a relatively gradual way so as to limit the easing in labour market conditions.

    Much of the rebalancing of demand and supply in the labour market that has occurred in recent years has been reflected in declines in job vacancies, hours worked and voluntary job switching. There are many ways the labour market can adjust. The RBA doesn’t ‘target’ a specific outcome, like a certain unemployment rate or number of job losses, to reach full employment.

    Monetary policy cannot control how the adjustment happens, but if it can occur while keeping employment strong – and even growing – that is a great outcome for workers, families, communities and the economy.

    In the end, the best way to promote the economic welfare of Australians is by achieving low and stable inflation alongside full employment.

    And that is what the Board is constantly striving for.

    Thank you and I look forward to taking your questions.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall & Bennet Introduce Legislation To Strengthen Existing Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), led the re-introduction of the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act along with Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colorado). The No Surprises Act, originally passed in 2020, instills key patient protections and ensures an efficient resolution process for disputes between health insurers and providers. However, the resolution process is not being executed as Congress intended.
    Specifically, the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act will reinforce the original intent of the No Surprises Act by closing enforcement gaps through increasing penalties for parties who are non-compliant with payment deadlines. The bill also increases transparency in reporting requirements.
    “Surprise medical bills can have devastating economic impacts on families’ checkbooks. The idea that health insurers are breaking the law and unfairly punishing patients and providers is unbelievable,” said Senator Marshall. “Our legislation ensures that out-of-network medical bills are resolved promptly and fairly, with enhanced penalties for any failure by the health insurers to do so. We are keeping our promises to the American people, who often feel helpless battling the powerful insurers and the health care industry. This bill will double down to ensure this law is properly enforced.”
    “For too long, surprise medical bills left Coloradans on the hook for high, unexpected costs after a hospital visit. That’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation in 2019 to ban this harmful practice, and I was glad to see the No Surprises Act signed into law,” said Senator Bennet. “This legislation ensures that health care providers and insurance companies are upholding their obligations under that law.”
    The House companion bill was introduced by Reps. Greg Murphy (R-North Carolina-03), Raul Ruiz (D-California-25), John Joyce (R-Pennsylvania-13), Kim Schrier (D-Washington-8), Bob Onder (R-Missouri-3), and Jimmy Panetta (D-California-19).
    “Nearly five years ago, the bipartisan No Surprises Act was signed into law to eliminate surprise medical billing,” said Representative Murphy, M.D. “Although this historic legislation became law, big insurance companies have not been held accountable for paying what they owe. My bill cracks down on those that are willfully defying the law and doubles down on protecting patients. I am grateful for the continued bipartisan support to put patients first and prevent Americans from being crushed by medical debt from surprise billing.”
    “As an emergency physician, I’ve seen how delayed payments to providers hurt patients in underserved communities,” said Representative Ruiz. “The No Surprises Act Enforcement Act will ensure accountability for both insurers and providers, so health officials can enforce the law effectively and patients can receive timely, uninterrupted care.”
    “The No Surprises Act was the culmination of months of bipartisan work to ensure patients do not face surprise medical bills when receiving medical services outside of their network. Unfortunately, implementation of this law has been deeply flawed, often flagrantly ignoring Congressional intent,” said Representative Joyce, M.D. “By introducing the bipartisan No Surprises Act Enforcement Act, we can ensure balance in the way the No Surprises Act is being enforced by enacting necessary penalties for those not complying promptly with the law itself.”
    “In 2020, I was proud to join my colleagues in supporting the No Surprises Act, a bipartisan bill to protect patients from unexpected medical bills when emergency care is provided out of network,” said Representative Schrier, M.D. “The No Surprises Enforcement Act will hold insurers and providers equally responsible for upholding the guidelines set by the No Surprises Act and continue to protect patients.”
    “When Congress passed the No Surprises Act in 2020, it had one mission: protect patients from crippling, unexpected medical bills. But now, far too many insurance companies are skirting the law by refusing to pay providers on time, shifting costs back onto families, and even surprise billing patients. That’s unacceptable,” said Representative Onder. “The No Surprises Act Enforcement Act holds insurers accountable by applying the same penalties to insurers that already exist for providers. This bipartisan bill sends a clear message: our parents, our kids, and everyday Missourians deserve accountability, transparency, and fairness, no matter who’s at fault.”
    “Gaps in the enforcement of the No Surprises Act have allowed some providers and insurers to sidestep the law and leave patients vulnerable to unexpected medical bills,” said Representative Panetta. “Our bipartisan No Surprises Act Enforcement Act would increase penalties and close enforcement loopholes to give this law more teeth and dissuade bad actors.  We need to be doing all we can to shield working families from costly, surprise medical expenses and restore fairness and accountability across our health care system.”
    Click here to read the full bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall & Bennet Introduce Legislation To Strengthen Existing Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), led the re-introduction of the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act along with Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colorado). The No Surprises Act, originally passed in 2020, instills key patient protections and ensures an efficient resolution process for disputes between health insurers and providers. However, the resolution process is not being executed as Congress intended.
    Specifically, the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act will reinforce the original intent of the No Surprises Act by closing enforcement gaps through increasing penalties for parties who are non-compliant with payment deadlines. The bill also increases transparency in reporting requirements.
    “Surprise medical bills can have devastating economic impacts on families’ checkbooks. The idea that health insurers are breaking the law and unfairly punishing patients and providers is unbelievable,” said Senator Marshall. “Our legislation ensures that out-of-network medical bills are resolved promptly and fairly, with enhanced penalties for any failure by the health insurers to do so. We are keeping our promises to the American people, who often feel helpless battling the powerful insurers and the health care industry. This bill will double down to ensure this law is properly enforced.”
    “For too long, surprise medical bills left Coloradans on the hook for high, unexpected costs after a hospital visit. That’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation in 2019 to ban this harmful practice, and I was glad to see the No Surprises Act signed into law,” said Senator Bennet. “This legislation ensures that health care providers and insurance companies are upholding their obligations under that law.”
    The House companion bill was introduced by Reps. Greg Murphy (R-North Carolina-03), Raul Ruiz (D-California-25), John Joyce (R-Pennsylvania-13), Kim Schrier (D-Washington-8), Bob Onder (R-Missouri-3), and Jimmy Panetta (D-California-19).
    “Nearly five years ago, the bipartisan No Surprises Act was signed into law to eliminate surprise medical billing,” said Representative Murphy, M.D. “Although this historic legislation became law, big insurance companies have not been held accountable for paying what they owe. My bill cracks down on those that are willfully defying the law and doubles down on protecting patients. I am grateful for the continued bipartisan support to put patients first and prevent Americans from being crushed by medical debt from surprise billing.”
    “As an emergency physician, I’ve seen how delayed payments to providers hurt patients in underserved communities,” said Representative Ruiz. “The No Surprises Act Enforcement Act will ensure accountability for both insurers and providers, so health officials can enforce the law effectively and patients can receive timely, uninterrupted care.”
    “The No Surprises Act was the culmination of months of bipartisan work to ensure patients do not face surprise medical bills when receiving medical services outside of their network. Unfortunately, implementation of this law has been deeply flawed, often flagrantly ignoring Congressional intent,” said Representative Joyce, M.D. “By introducing the bipartisan No Surprises Act Enforcement Act, we can ensure balance in the way the No Surprises Act is being enforced by enacting necessary penalties for those not complying promptly with the law itself.”
    “In 2020, I was proud to join my colleagues in supporting the No Surprises Act, a bipartisan bill to protect patients from unexpected medical bills when emergency care is provided out of network,” said Representative Schrier, M.D. “The No Surprises Enforcement Act will hold insurers and providers equally responsible for upholding the guidelines set by the No Surprises Act and continue to protect patients.”
    “When Congress passed the No Surprises Act in 2020, it had one mission: protect patients from crippling, unexpected medical bills. But now, far too many insurance companies are skirting the law by refusing to pay providers on time, shifting costs back onto families, and even surprise billing patients. That’s unacceptable,” said Representative Onder. “The No Surprises Act Enforcement Act holds insurers accountable by applying the same penalties to insurers that already exist for providers. This bipartisan bill sends a clear message: our parents, our kids, and everyday Missourians deserve accountability, transparency, and fairness, no matter who’s at fault.”
    “Gaps in the enforcement of the No Surprises Act have allowed some providers and insurers to sidestep the law and leave patients vulnerable to unexpected medical bills,” said Representative Panetta. “Our bipartisan No Surprises Act Enforcement Act would increase penalties and close enforcement loopholes to give this law more teeth and dissuade bad actors.  We need to be doing all we can to shield working families from costly, surprise medical expenses and restore fairness and accountability across our health care system.”
    Click here to read the full bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Ferlita Nussel Dowell Financial Group Launches Personalized Financial Services to Support Investors During Market Turbulence

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Tampa, FL, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ferlita Nussel Dowell (FND) Financial Group, a member of Advisory Services Network, LLC, has launched a personalized financial services model to help investors navigate today’s volatile market environment. This personalized approach centers on creating fully customized financial plans based on each client’s unique goals, risk tolerance, and life stage, departing from prebuilt portfolio templates often used across the industry.

    The rollout comes as investors face heightened uncertainty around inflation, market swings, estate goals, and retirement timelines. With this model, FND Financial Group aims to meet the growing demand for responsive and tailored financial guidance, implementing a client-first process that adapts to changing circumstances. The firm’s leadership sees this as an opportunity to reshape how wealth planning is delivered, placing education, transparency, and collaboration at the center of client interactions.

    “We recognize that traditional wealth management services have often been perceived as exclusive, accessible only to those with substantial assets. This has been a longstanding industry norm. However, our firm is committed to breaking this mold by providing bespoke wealth management solutions to each client, regardless of their asset level. Our mission is to help ensure that all clients have access to personalized financial strategies tailored to their unique needs,” said Colton Nussel, Partner at FND Financial Group.

    What’s New in the Personalized Services Model

    The firm’s personalized financial services model incorporates a suite of financial services, including retirement planning, investment management, income strategies, estate planning coordination, and ongoing financial coaching within a unified, personalized framework. Rather than fitting clients into prebuilt investment portfolios, FND financial advisors co-create plans that adapt to both market conditions and life events.

    The model introduces the firm’s unique FND Financial Process, a three-step planning framework – Familiarize, Navigate, Deliver – that translates client conversations into customized, actionable strategies. This structured process ensures each plan reflects the client’s individual vision while remaining flexible enough to adjust to market shifts or life transitions.

    Partner Austin Ferlita explains the philosophy behind this shift, “Financial planning is no longer about fitting people into models. It’s about building models around people – their goals, their lives, and the transitions they face along the way.”

    This framework supports ongoing alignment between the client’s goals and their financial plan, particularly as personal circumstances or market conditions change. The approach offers an alternative to static, one-size-fits-all models by emphasizing flexibility in the planning process.

    Key Benefits of the Personalized Services Model

    The launch of FND Financial Group’s personalized financial services comes amid significant changes in the financial services industry. As technology and automation play an increasingly prominent role in asset management, clients are demanding more human-centered planning that accounts for nuance, emotions, and changing needs.

    The firm’s approach responds to this shift by offering:

    • Tailored, Goal-Based Strategies: Clients receive customized strategies designed to support income-generation goals throughout retirement, helping them better meet expenses, regardless of market fluctuations.
    • Full Transparency on Costs and Risk: Every portfolio is built with clear visibility into fees, risk levels, and asset performance, allowing clients to make informed decisions aligned with their comfort level.
    • Integrated and Comprehensive Planning: Clients benefit from a cohesive strategy that brings together income planning, investment management, tax efficiency, healthcare planning, and legacy considerations under one unified plan.
    • Flexible, Client-Led Strategy: Clients drive the conversation. Whether they’re concerned about market volatility, want to preserve wealth, or plan a charitable legacy, the strategy is built around their vision.
    • Lifelong Support and Communication: Financial planning doesn’t end with implementation. FND advisors provide continuous reviews and updates to adjust the plan as clients’ lives and market conditions change.

    Strategic Rollout and Impact

    FND Financial Group has already begun onboarding new and existing clients into the updated planning framework. Early feedback has been positive, with clients citing improved clarity around their financial objectives and greater confidence in the firm’s ability to adapt to their evolving needs.

    “Behind every portfolio is a real person with real goals and concerns. Our job is to make sure their financial plan reflects not just the numbers, but the life they’re working so hard to build,” adds Matthew Dowell, Partner at FND Financial Group.

    Internally, the model also brings greater consistency to the firm’s advisory operations, helping advisors streamline onboarding and maintain alignment across the planning process. While every client receives a fully personalized plan, the structured nature of the process helps prevent any critical component from being overlooked.

    To learn more about FND Financial Group’s personalized financial approach or to schedule a consultation, please visit https://www.fndfg.com/.

    About Ferlita Nussel Dowell Financial Group

    FND Financial Group focuses on crafting personalized financial strategies that reflect each client’s unique goals, life stage, and priorities. Their comprehensive approach addresses all aspects of financial well-being, including income planning, investments, tax strategies, healthcare, and legacy planning. As fiduciary advisors, the firm is dedicated to helping clients build, preserve, and transfer wealth with clarity and confidence. Through thoughtful guidance and long-term support, FND Financial Group empowers individuals and families to move forward with financial strategies tailored to their lives.

    Media Contact
    Company Name: Ferlita Nussel Dowell Financial Group
    Contact Number: 813-692-6202
    Email: info@fndfg.com  
    Country: United States
    Website: https://www.fndfg.com/
    Socials: @fndfinancial

    Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

    Advisory services offered through FND Wealth Management, A Member of Advisory Services Network, LLC. Insurance products and services offered through Ferlita Nussel Dowell Financial Group. Advisory Services Network, LLC and Ferlita Nussel Dowell Financial Group are not affiliated.

    Ferlita Nussel Dowell Financial Group does not provide tax or legal advice. Consult with your tax or legal professional prior to making any financial decisions for your personal situation.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NEOGEN SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS INVESTORS WITH LOSSES IN EXCESS OF $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits Against Neogen Corporation – NEOG

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW ORLEANS, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until September 16, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Neogen Corporation (NasdaqGS: NEOG), if they purchased the Company’s shares between January 5, 2023 through June 3, 2025, inclusive (the “Class Period”). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

    Get Help

    Neogen investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nasdaq-neog/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

    About the Lawsuit

    Neogen and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

    On April 9, 2025, the Company disclosed a quarterly revenue decrease of 3.4% to $221 million due to integration issues and again cut its FY25 guidance and noted that capital expenditures were expected to be $100 million as a result of lowered adjusted EBITDA and a pull-forward of integration-related capital expenditures into FY25, as well as announcing the departure of its CEO. On this news, the price of Neogen’s shares plummeted 28% to close at $5.02 per share, on a volume of 47 million shares. Then, on June 4, 2025, the Company disclosed that it expected “EBITDA margin to probably be around the high-teens” which represented a considerable drop from the previous quarter’s profit margin of 22%. On this news, the price of Neogen’s shares fell an additional 17%, to close at $4.96 per share.

    The case is Operating Eng’rs Constr. Indus. & Misc. Pension Fund v. Neogen Corp., et al., No. 25-cv-00802.

    About ClaimsFiler

    ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

    To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Inbound tourists indulged with shopping spree in Shanghai

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

    Thai tourists learn about products at a trendy toy shop on Nanjing Road in east China’s Shanghai on July 17, 2025.

    China now has unilateral visa exemption for 47 countries and transit visa exemption for 55 countries, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on July 11.

    Fueled by relaxed visa rules, there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign passport holders entering China, leading to a surge in inbound tourism consumption.

    Positioned as a world-class tourism hub with global appeal, Shanghai Municipality has witnessed the strong consumption vitality of inbound tourism in the first half of this year. (Xinhua/Chen Haoming)

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US opens investigation into Harvard’s participation in Exchange Visitor Program

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

    The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it is opening an investigation into Harvard University’s continued eligibility as a sponsor for the Exchange Visitor Program, which allows foreign students and scholars to participate in exchange programs in the United States.

    The investigation marks the Trump administration’s renewed effort to restrict the admission of overseas students at the country’s oldest university.

    “To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States,” U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio said in a statement.

    “The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation’s interests,” said Rubio.

    A spokesperson for Harvard University said in a statement that this investigation is “yet another retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” while noting that Harvard is committed to continuing to comply with the applicable Exchange Visitor Program regulations.

    Earlier this week, Judge Allison Burroughs from the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts held a hearing on the Trump administration’s cuts to Harvard’s federal funding — an estimated total of over 2.6 billion U.S. dollars.

    In a social media post, U.S. President Donald Trump called the judge “a total disaster,” pledging that his administration would file an immediate appeal should the ruling go against them. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Top DPRK leader oversees artillery firing contest

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

    Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), oversaw on Wednesday a firing contest involving artillery sub-units of large combined units of the Korean People’s Army, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.

    The contest examined the sub-units’ capability in carrying out a night march, combat deployment and firing attack on an unexpected enemy target in coastal regional environment and summer conditions, the report said.

    Kim, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, expressed his satisfaction with the contest and its result.

    Lauding the artillery force as the core arm of the country’s armed forces, Kim stressed the need to continuously and rapidly develop DPRK-style artillery tactics and combat methods. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: STAR Market reforms to spur innovation

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

    Ongoing reforms at the tech-focused STAR Market of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, part of China’s continued efforts to give more financial support to the private economy, will further spur technology innovation and facilitate high-quality economic growth in the country, said experts.

    The comments came after two new private economy-focused subindexes were officially launched at the STAR Market on Wednesday.

    The SSE STAR Private-owned Enterprises Index will track all private companies trading on the STAR Market.

    Public data show that there were 422 such companies by the end of June, with a combined market capitalization of 3.5 trillion yuan ($490 million). Among these, 171 reported increases both in sales revenue and net profit last year, 37 companies posted a 50 percent year-on-year increase in turnover, while 64 firms saw a 50 percent surge in annual net profit.

    Another subindex, SSE STAR Private-owned Enterprises 50 Strategy Index, was also launched on Wednesday.

    The index constituents are 50 private companies with high research expenditure and strong profitability. Companies specializing in semiconductors, computers and biomedicine account for about 68.5 percent weighting in the new index.

    The total market cap of its 50 constituents reached 1.2 trillion yuan by the end of June. The average daily trading value of these companies came in at 16.1 billion yuan in 2024.

    Fang Yi, chief strategist at Guotai Haitong Securities, said that index-based investments have been maturing at the STAR Market after the board started trading six years ago. More products have been designed and introduced based on these indexes, boosting market activity and diversifying the investor pool, he said.

    A total of 32 STAR Market subindexes have been launched so far, deriving 86 STAR Market exchange-traded funds with a total market value of over 250 billion yuan. Half of these subindexes were rolled out after the release of eight additional reform policies for the STAR Market in June last year, according to SSE and China Securities Index Co Ltd.

    According to market tracker Wind Info, there are about 3,478 private companies trading on mainland’s major exchanges, accounting for two-thirds of all the A-share companies. Their combined market cap topped 31.7 trillion yuan, accounting for 38.5 percent of the A-share market total.

    More important, A-share listed private companies saw their combined research investment exceeding 650 billion yuan for a second consecutive year in 2024. Research expenditure was equal to 3.8 percent of their annual sales revenue last year, 1.2 percentage points higher than the A-share market average.

    A large number of STAR Market companies specialize in future-oriented industries such as biological manufacturing, quantum technology, embodied intelligence and 6G, which are at an early stage in China, said experts from Changjiang Securities.

    Focusing on hard technologies, cutting-edge technologies and market-based pricing, the STAR Market has served as a major venue for the Chinese capital market to facilitate technology innovation, said Tian Xuan, head of Tsinghua University’s National Institute of Financial Research.

    China has also been advancing efforts to inject more vitality into the private sector. The Private Sector Promotion Law, which took effect in May, has unveiled substantial measures regarding the investment and financing of private enterprises.

    Apart from announcing a set of new STAR Market reform policies at the Lujiazui Forum in June, China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Wu Qing stressed that unprofitable yet quality innovation-driven companies will be supported to seek public listings.

    With concerted efforts from various government bodies, financing provided to private enterprises will be increased and their costs lowered. These companies’ technology innovation and green transition will be better supported, said Tian Lihui, head of the Institute of Finance and Development at Nankai University.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: AI advances spur growth of internet

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

    China’s internet sector is gaining robust growth momentum, driven by technological advances in artificial intelligence, which has become a vital force bolstering the country’s high-quality economic development and industrial upgrades, said officials, experts and company executives.

    Highlighting China’s great achievements in the development of internet infrastructure, they said bolstering application of cutting-edge AI in a wider range of sectors is crucial for nurturing new quality productive forces and establishing a modern industrial system.

    They made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 2025 China Internet Conference, which started on Wednesday in Beijing.

    According to the Internet Society of China, the user base of generative AI products has reached 249 million, accounting for 17.7 percent of the total population, which highlights the country’s widespread adoption of AI across various sectors.

    As the country is advancing the deep integration of digital technologies with the real economy, the popularization rate of digital research and design tools in key industry enterprises now stands at 80.1 percent, significantly improving production efficiency and lowering operational costs of enterprises.

    Zhang Yunming, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said more efforts are needed to promote original and disruptive technological innovations, with a focus on key areas such as advanced computing, AI and quantum information.

    China will push ahead with the construction of new-type information infrastructure, vigorously upgrade traditional industries, bolster the development of emerging industries and future-oriented industries, and accelerate the cultivation of new quality productive forces.

    Shang Bing, president of the Internet Society of China, emphasized the importance of speeding up the establishment of computing power infrastructure, achieving breakthroughs in crucial technologies, such as 5G-Advanced and 6G, and quantum communication, and leveraging AI technology to promote the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing.

    The AI agent — a system that autonomously performs actions by designing workflows using related tools — has gained worldwide attention and witnessed explosive growth since the start of this year. It is more advanced than a chatbot because it not only provides suggestions or answers, but also executes complex tasks across a multitude of industries, delivering tangible results.

    Wu Hequan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said AI has contributed to 48 percent of global internet traffic growth, and is driving disruptive changes in network architecture, adding that the development direction of AI will shift from generative AI to AI agents, and the internet sector will enter into the era of AI agents.

    China boasts abundant application scenarios, and all industries have the opportunity to be reshaped by AI agents, which can serve as digital partners and digital employees to analyze people’s working processes and enhance efficiency, said Zhou Hongyi, founder of Chinese internet enterprise 360 Security Group, estimating the next two years will be a crucial period for the implementation of such technology.

    He said currently, large language models have some limitations, while calling for more efforts to create AI agents with different specialties by combining different industries and professional fields. These agents will look like virtual advisors or experts with specialized expertise, he added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s first Airbus jet symbolizes 40 years of aviation ties

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

    Preserved at Beijing’s Civil Aviation Museum, an Airbus A310 with the registration number B-2301 stands as a physical testament to four decades of cooperation between China’s civil aviation industry and the European plane maker.

    The China Eastern Airlines lettering on the fuselage and the airline’s red-and-blue logo on the tail remain distinct despite the aircraft’s age.

    The plane was Airbus’ first commercial delivery to China, delivered on June 25, 1985. Received by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Shanghai Branch, which was the predecessor to China Eastern Airlines, it marked the beginning of Airbus’ partnership with China’s civil aviation sector.

    The delivery came as China’s reform and opening-up accelerated demand for domestic and international air travel. With a national fleet of just over 200 aircraft at the time, China sought modern jets to expand its network. The twin-engine widebody A310 significantly boosted capacities, profitability and passenger comfort on key routes between Shanghai and locations like Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Osaka.

    “This A310 did start what became a phenomenal success story, friendship and basis of trust between airlines and us at Airbus, beyond the European aviation ecosystem and its Chinese counterparts, and even beyond that between Europe and China,” said Christian Scherer, CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft.

    In the decades that followed, China’s civil aviation sustained an average annual growth rate of around 20 percent in total traffic turnover over a prolonged period. Successive Airbus models, including the A300, A340, A320, A330, A380 and A350, joined Chinese fleets, enabling the creation of a comprehensive domestic and international route network.

    Specific models saw notable milestone achievements. The A340 pioneered a polar route, the A319 and A330 operated effectively on the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the A320 family introduced a fly-by-wire digital flight control system, the A350 opened the possibility of ultra-long-haul routes, and Airbus freighters bolstered air logistics.

    Airbus became both a witness to and a participant in China’s rapid aviation development.

    China is now the world’s second-largest air transport market and Airbus’ largest single-country market for commercial aircraft. Operating a fleet exceeding 4,300 aircraft, over 2,200 of which are Airbus jets, Chinese aviation has evolved from follower to leader.

    The Airbus 2025 global market forecast projects annual air trips per capita in China will rise from 0.6 in 2024 to 1.8 by 2044. Over the next 20 years, China is expected to become the world’s largest air transport market, requiring 9,570 new aircraft — nearly a quarter of global demand.

    “It is the intention of Airbus to continue its footprint in China,” Scherer said. “Ranging from the second final assembly line at Tianjin to the development of more services and support capabilities, including digital services and, of course, pioneering with Chinese partners in sustainable aviation fuel.”

    Cooperation now spans the entire aircraft life cycle from research, design, manufacturing and final assembly to operational support and end-of-life recycling.

    Airbus and its Chinese partners have established facilities across China: training, engineering and customer support centers in Beijing, an A320-family final assembly line and widebody completion-and-delivery center in Tianjin, an aircraft life-cycle services center in Chengdu, a composites manufacturing center in Harbin, an innovation center in Shenzhen, and an R&D center in Suzhou. Airbus employs over 2,300 staff in China.

    To mark 40 years of operations, Airbus has launched a project to refurbish the historic B-2301 A310. After 21 years of service, the plane was retired in 2006. Repurchased by Airbus and donated to the China Civil Aviation Science Popularization Foundation, it now resides at the Civil Aviation Museum in Beijing as the institution’s largest and most valuable exhibit.

    The refurbishment project, involving the aircraft’s cockpit, cabin and external livery, aims to offer the public an immersive, educational experience by 2027. Wang Yanan, an aviation expert at Beihang University, said that the revitalized A310 will become a communicator of science and culture, revealing what lies behind aircraft design and manufacturing.

    Fang Zhaoya, chairman of China Eastern Airlines Technology Co., Ltd. and the project’s honorary advisor, voiced his anticipation for strengthened cooperation between Airbus and China, saying that he looks forward to “another 40 golden years of partnership.”

    George Xu, executive vice president of Airbus and CEO of Airbus China, called the A310 “a symbol of China-Europe aviation cooperation and the starting point of the Airbus story in China.”

    “Looking ahead, Airbus remains committed to deepening its roots in China, serving China, growing alongside its civil aviation industry, and contributing further to its high-quality development,” Xu said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The II International Forum of Russia-Africa Cooperation “Education. Business. Culture – 2025” will be held within the framework of “Technoprom-2025”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    In August 2025, the II International Forum of Russia-Africa Cooperation “Education. Business. Culture – 2025” will be held as part of the XII International Forum “Technoprom-2025”. The event is organized by the Center for Public Diplomacy, NSU and the Consortium of Russian Universities for the Development of Cooperation with African Countries.

    An impressive delegation from African countries plans to take part in the forum:

    — Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation of the following countries: Republic of Mali, Republic of Chad, Republic of Guinea, Burkina Faso, Republic of Niger, Rwanda, Namibia, Angola and Ghana.

    — Ministers of Education of the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Guinea and Burkina Faso, Ministers of Industry, Digitalization and Agriculture of Burkina Faso.

    — The Presidents of the Academies of Sciences of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the Rectors of the Abdou Moumouni University and the University of Agadez (both from the Republic of Niger).

    — Heads of the national oil companies of Burkina Faso and Niger.

    — Mayor of the city of Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina Faso).

    Let us recall that the first forum “Russia-Africa” was held last year on the initiative of NSU and the Center for Public Diplomacy. One of the results was the creation of a Consortium of Russian Universities for the development of cooperation with African countries.

    This year, the Consortium members will analyze the current interaction of Russian universities with African countries, discuss the challenges and obstacles that hinder mutually beneficial cooperation, identify key areas and formulate a roadmap (work plan) for the Consortium for the next year. The roadmap will be based on a systemic approach that ensures the consolidation of efforts by Russian universities and the unification of actions at all levels – from government agencies to the universities themselves. The implementation of the proposed measures will improve the quality of education and improve the culture of mutual understanding between the regions. The implementation of these initiatives will strengthen Russia’s position on the African continent and will become the basis for the further development of bilateral relations.

    The Forum also plans to discuss joint work in the areas of school and secondary specialized education. The Center for Public Diplomacy and NSU plan to hold talks with the Minister of Secondary Education, Vocational and Technical Training of Burkina Faso Boubacar Sawadogo on the possibilities of cooperation and to develop an algorithm for joint actions.

    The following are promising educational projects in African countries:

    — The “Russian Teacher Abroad” program, within the framework of which students from the pilot international class of the African school will study the Russian language.

    — A program for training foreign students in working specialties under joint educational programs of African and Novosibirsk colleges. Those who successfully complete the training will be able to continue their studies at Novosibirsk universities. The pilot project includes colleges implementing training in agricultural, technical and natural science areas.

    — The African continent is a priority region for the export of Russian education. Since 2024, NSU has been actively developing cooperation with African countries. In this context, agreements were signed with Thomas Sankara University (Burkina Faso) and Abdou Moumouni University (Niger). From December 2024 to July 2025, a preparatory department in the medical and biological profile operated jointly with the Russian House in Niger, in which 24 people studied. From March to the end of July 2025, online courses in the Russian language were opened at Thomas Sankara University, which were completed by 50 bachelors and masters. The next stage will be the organization of preparatory courses in the medical and biological profile, after which students will be able to continue their studies at NSU. The University also plans to organize scientific internships for young scientists and graduate students from Burkina Faso for 3-6 months, said Evgeny Sagaydak, Head of the Education Export Department at NSU.

    Another interesting project is the preliminary agreement reached between NSU and the University of Saint Dominic (USDAO) from Burkina Faso on joint training of medical personnel for this West African state. The cooperation agreement between the universities may be signed this summer.

    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 New Zealand: New appointment to the TEC Board

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Vocational Education Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced the appointment of Yvonne Browning MNZM to a vacant position on the Board of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). 

    “I am pleased to confirm the appointment of Mrs Browning to this role. She is passionate about ensuring students, particularly young women, can realise their potential by engaging in tertiary education and training,” Ms Simmonds says. 

    “Mrs Browning has been Principal of Southland Girls’ High School since 2003 and in 2023 was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to education and youth. 

    “Key to this honour was her role leading a partnership with Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter and other organisations in Southland, including iwi and the Pacific community, that resulted in more young women pursuing qualifications and careers in engineering.” 

    “The TEC has a statutory role to facilitate and strengthen connections between schools, employers and tertiary education organisations to ensure students are prepared for further education or training and employment. Mrs Browning’s expertise in this area will be valuable to its Board,” Ms Simmonds says. 

    “Her experience and skills will complement and strengthen the governance of the Board and ensure that the TEC’s funding of tertiary education and training providers is informed by views of what works for young people when they are considering potential career options. 

    “This is critical as the TEC has a key role in ensuring young New Zealanders have the information and skills they need to succeed and help New Zealand grow.” 

    The appointment is for a three-year term from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2028.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: USS Carl Vinson receives Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for US Pacific Fleet

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    PHILIPPINE SEA — On June 26, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) received the 2024 Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award in recognition of the crew’s exceptional performance and battle readiness throughout the year. The Carl Vinson’s crew was cited for their indomitable spirit, superior performance, and consistently high standards of readiness in the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Keris Strike 25: Trilateral Planning Enhances Interoperability

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    PERAK, Malaysia — In a dynamic display of multinational cooperation, Soldiers from the U.S. Army, Malaysian Army, and Australian Defence Force came together to conduct a joint planning session during Exercise Keris Strike 25. The session focused on aligning military planning processes, improving interoperability, and strengthening relationships among the three partner nations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: WADS, PADS Integrate with Royal Australian Air Force for Talisman Sabre 2025

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    AUSTRALIA — Operators from the Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) and Pacific Air Defense Sector (PADS) integrated with the Royal Australian Air Force’s No. 3 Control and Reporting Unit (3CRU) to deliver seamless command and control (C2) during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: WADS, PADS Integrate with Royal Australian Air Force for Talisman Sabre 2025

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    AUSTRALIA — Operators from the Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) and Pacific Air Defense Sector (PADS) integrated with the Royal Australian Air Force’s No. 3 Control and Reporting Unit (3CRU) to deliver seamless command and control (C2) during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: World’s highest court issues groundbreaking ruling for climate action. Here’s what it means for Australia

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

    JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

    The world’s highest court says countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change, in a ruling that repudiates Australia’s claims it is not legally responsible for emissions from our fossil fuel exports.

    The landmark ruling overnight by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will reverberate in courts, parliaments and boardrooms the world over.

    In a closely watched case at The Hague, the judges were asked to clarify the legal obligations countries have to protect the Earth’s climate system for current and future generations. They were also asked to clarify the legal consequences for nations that fail to do this.

    At issue was the scope of legal obligations. During the court’s deliberations, Australia sided with other fossil fuel exporters and major emitters – including Saudi Arabia, the United States and China – to argue state obligations on climate change are restricted to those set out in climate-specific treaties such as the Paris Agreement.

    But the court disagreed. It found countries have additional obligations to protect the climate and take action to prevent climate harm inside and outside their boundaries. These obligations arise in human rights law, the law of the sea, and general principles of international law.

    This clear statement will have groundbreaking consequences. It means Australia must set a 2035 emissions reduction target in line with the best available science, as required under the Paris Agreement. But it must also go further, by regulating the fossil fuel industry to prevent further harm.

    Australia’s arguments rejected

    The ICJ is the primary legal organ of the United Nations. Its key role is to settle disputes between countries and clarify international law as it applies to nation states.

    While weighing up the obligations of countries to address the climate crisis, the court heard legal arguments from almost 100 countries, making it the largest case ever heard by the ICJ.

    The case threatened major implications for fossil-fuel producers such as Australia, which is heavily reliant on coal and gas exports.

    In his oral presentation to the ICJ, Australian Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue told the court only the Paris Agreement should apply when it comes to mitigating climate change. Under the Paris rules, countries must set targets to cut domestic emissions, but they are not required to report emissions created when their fossil fuel exports are burned overseas.

    Donaghue and the Australian delegation also suggested responsibility for harms caused by climate change could not be pinned on individual states. Australia also argued protecting human rights does not extend to obligations to tackle climate change.

    The ICJ largely rejected these arguments.

    The ICJ judges largely rejected Australia’s arguments. Pictured: ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa (third from right) and members issuing their advisory opinion.
    JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

    Fossil fuel era is over

    The court found Australia, and other fossil fuel producers, are obliged under international law to prevent fossil fuel companies in their territory from causing significant climate harm.

    This will essentially require a managed phase out of fossil fuel production. As the ICJ ruling says:

    Failure of a State to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from [greenhouse gas] emissions – including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licences or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies – may constitute an internationally wrongful act which is attributable to that State.

    Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and gas. When burned overseas, emissions from Australia’s fossil fuel exports are more than double those of its entire domestic economy.

    Australia has approved hundreds of oil, gas and coal projects in recent decades. Dozens more are in the approvals pipeline. Final federal approval is still pending for Woodside’s massive Northwest Shelf gas project – which is set to add millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year, for decades.

    The Australian government must heed the message from the Hague. The days of impunity for the fossil fuel industry are coming to an end.

    Woodside’s massive Northwest Shelf gas project is set to add millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
    GREG WOOD/AFP via Getty Images

    A spark of hope from the Pacific

    Today’s ruling is remarkable for where it originated.

    In 2019, 27 law students at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu were given a challenge: find the most ambitious legal pathways towards climate justice.

    Each year, Vanuatu faces the prospect of cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, flooding rain and drought. Climate change compounds the risk to island communities – people who have done the least to contribute to the problem.

    The students decided to file a case with the world court. And so began a legal campaign that travelled from Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, through the halls of the United Nations in New York and to the world court in the Hague.

    In 2023 Vanuatu and other island nations succeeded in passing a UN General Assembly resolution. It asked the ICJ to give an advisory opinion on countries’ obligations to protect the climate system and legal consequences for states causing “significant harm” to Earth’s climate.

    This week’s ruling delivers poetic justice to Vanuatu and other vulnerable island states.

    The ruling delivers poetic justice to Vanuatu and other vulnerable island states. Pictured: representatives of Pacific states outside the International Court of Justice in December 2024.
    Michel Porro/Getty Images

    A new era for climate justice

    The court’s findings are likely to influence a wave of climate litigation worldwide. It could shape legal reasoning in Australia, too.

    Last week, a Federal Court judge found the Australian government has no legal duty of care to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. If that case is appealed, a superior court may revisit the government’s obligations – and have regard to the ICJ ruling in doing so.

    The ICJ decision will also be relevant for the Queensland Land Court, which this week began hearing a challenge to stop a greenfield mine proposed by Whitehaven Coal – citing environmental and human rights impacts of the project’s emissions.

    Clarified international law obligations should also guide policymakers in the Australian parliament. With a huge majority in the House of Representatives and a climate-friendly Senate crossbench, the Albanese government has a mandate to implement policy in line with Australia’s international law obligations.

    Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council of Australia

    Gillian Moon is a regular donor to the Australian Conservation Foundation, which is a party in the Whitehaven Coal case.

    – ref. World’s highest court issues groundbreaking ruling for climate action. Here’s what it means for Australia – https://theconversation.com/worlds-highest-court-issues-groundbreaking-ruling-for-climate-action-heres-what-it-means-for-australia-261842

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 24, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 24, 2025.

    World’s highest court issues groundbreaking ruling for climate action. Here’s what it means for Australia
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images The world’s highest court says countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change, in a ruling that repudiates Australia’s claims it is not legally responsible for emissions

    Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on why it’s ‘a little frustrating’ bidding for COP 31
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Energy and climate issues are front and centre for both sides of politics. The government is struggling with pushback from some regional communities against the rollout of transmission lines and wind farms. At the same time, it will soon have

    Cycling’s governing body is introducing new rules to slow down elite riders. Not everyone’s happy
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Popi Sotiriadou, Associate Professor of Sport Management – Director Business Innovation, Griffith University MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images Most sports look to support their athletes to become “faster, higher, stronger” – in reference to the Olympic Games’ original motto – so it is perhaps surprising that cycling’s

    Swirling nebula of two dying stars revealed in spectacular detail in new Webb telescope image
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Pope, Associate Professor, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University The day before my thesis examination, my friend and radio astronomer Joe Callingham showed me an image we’d been awaiting for five long years – an infrared photo of two dying stars we’d requested from

    UN’s highest court finds countries can be held legally responsible for emissions
    By Jamie Tahana in The Hague for RNZ Pacific The United Nations’ highest court has found that countries can be held legally responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions, in a ruling highly anticipated by Pacific countries long frustrated with the pace of global action to address climate change. In a landmark opinion delivered yesterday in

    Five arms, no heart and a global family: what DNA revealed about the weird deep-sea world of brittle stars
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim O’Hara, Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates, Museums Victoria Research Institute A brittle star of the species _Gorgonocephalus eucnemis_. Lagunatic Photo / Getty Images You may have read that the deep sea is a very different environment from the land and shallow water. There is no light,

    Birds use hidden black and white feathers to make themselves more colourful
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Griffith, Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University The green-headed tanager (_Tangara seledon_) has a hidden layer of plumage that is white underneath the orange feathers and black underneath the blue and green feathers. Daniel Field Birds are perhaps the most colourful group of animals, bringing

    Is sleeping a lot actually bad for your health? A sleep scientist explains
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia Walstrom, Susanne/Getty We’re constantly being reminded by news articles and social media posts that we should be getting more sleep. You probably don’t need to hear it again – not sleeping enough is bad

    From grasslands to killing fields: why trees are bad news for one of Australia’s most stunning birds
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Associate Professor in Geography, University of Adelaide JJ Harrison/Wikimedia, CC BY Picture this. A small, rainbow-coloured chick emerges from its nest for the first time. It stretches its wings and prepares to take flight. But before the fledgling’s life in the wild has begun,

    As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celia McMichael, Professor in Geography, The University of Melbourne Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND In the village of Nagigi, Fiji, the ocean isn’t just a resource – it’s part of the community’s identity. But in recent years, villagers have seen the sea behave differently. Tides are pushing inland.

    After 70 years, twisted gothic thriller The Night of the Hunter remains as disturbing and beguiling as ever
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben McCann, Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Adelaide United Artists/Getty Images In 1955, director Charles Laughton crafted one of the darkest, strangest fairytales ever to come out of Hollywood. The Night of the Hunter remains visually exquisite and profoundly unsettling. Shortly before Ben Harper is

    Almost a third of NZ households face energy hardship – reform has to go beyond cheaper off-peak power
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley O’Sullivan, Senior Research Fellow, He Kainga Oranga – Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago Igor Suka/Getty Images The spotlight is again on New Zealand’s energy sector, with a group of industry bodies and independent retailers pushing for a market overhaul, saying the sector was

    Immigration courts hiding the names of ICE lawyers goes against centuries of precedent and legal ethics requiring transparency in courts
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University Some immigration courts have allowed ICE attorneys to conceal their names during proceedings. Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Something unusual is happening in U.S. immigration courts. Government lawyers are

    How the UK’s immigration system splits families apart – by design
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nando Sigona, Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity, University of Birmingham arda savasciogullari/Shutterstock The letter that arrived for eleven-year-old Guilherme in June 2025 was addressed personally to him. The UK Home Office was informing

    4.48 Psychosis revival: the play’s window into a mind on the edge is as brutal as ever
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Sidi, Associate Professor of Health Humanities, UCL Under bright lights, the audience looks at a bare stage on two planes. Below, a small stage is white and empty, occupied only by a table and two chairs. Above, a huge, slanted mirror reflects a bird’s-eye view of

    Togo’s ‘Nana-Benz’: how cheap Chinese imports of African fabrics has hurt the famous women traders
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fidele B. Ebia, Postdoctoral fellow, Duke Africa Initiative, Duke University The manufacturing of African print textiles has shifted to China in the 21st century. While they are widely consumed in African countries – and symbolic of the continent – the rise of “made in China” has undermined

    2 ways cities can beat the heat: Which is best, urban trees or cool roofs?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Smith, Research Scientist in Earth & Environment, Boston University Trees like these in Boston can help keep neighborhoods cooler on hot days. Yassine Khalfalli/Unsplash, CC BY When summer turns up the heat, cities can start to feel like an oven, as buildings and pavement trap the

    Indonesian military set to complete Trans-Papua Highway under Prabowo’s rule
    By Julian Isaac The Indonesian Military (TNI) is committed to supporting the completion of the Trans-Papua Highway during President Prabowo Subianto’s term in office. While the military is not involved in construction, it plays a critical role in securing the project from threats posed by pro-independence Papuan resistance groups in “high-risk” regions. Spanning a total

    View from The Hill: Nationals’ mavericks ensure the Coalition is the issue in parliament’s first week
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra For almost as long anyone can remember, the Nationals have caused the Coalition grief on climate and energy policy. Still, for Barnaby Joyce to bring on a fresh load of trouble – with a private member’s bill to scrap Australia’s

    Childcare centres will have funding stripped if they’re not ‘up to scratch’. Is this enough?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney Maskot/Getty Images Childcare centres will lose their eligibility for fee subsidies if they don’t meet safety standards, according to a new bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday. As Education Minister Jason Clare told parliament: it

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 24, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 24, 2025.

    World’s highest court issues groundbreaking ruling for climate action. Here’s what it means for Australia
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images The world’s highest court says countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change, in a ruling that repudiates Australia’s claims it is not legally responsible for emissions

    Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on why it’s ‘a little frustrating’ bidding for COP 31
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Energy and climate issues are front and centre for both sides of politics. The government is struggling with pushback from some regional communities against the rollout of transmission lines and wind farms. At the same time, it will soon have

    Cycling’s governing body is introducing new rules to slow down elite riders. Not everyone’s happy
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Popi Sotiriadou, Associate Professor of Sport Management – Director Business Innovation, Griffith University MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images Most sports look to support their athletes to become “faster, higher, stronger” – in reference to the Olympic Games’ original motto – so it is perhaps surprising that cycling’s

    Swirling nebula of two dying stars revealed in spectacular detail in new Webb telescope image
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Pope, Associate Professor, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University The day before my thesis examination, my friend and radio astronomer Joe Callingham showed me an image we’d been awaiting for five long years – an infrared photo of two dying stars we’d requested from

    UN’s highest court finds countries can be held legally responsible for emissions
    By Jamie Tahana in The Hague for RNZ Pacific The United Nations’ highest court has found that countries can be held legally responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions, in a ruling highly anticipated by Pacific countries long frustrated with the pace of global action to address climate change. In a landmark opinion delivered yesterday in

    Five arms, no heart and a global family: what DNA revealed about the weird deep-sea world of brittle stars
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim O’Hara, Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates, Museums Victoria Research Institute A brittle star of the species _Gorgonocephalus eucnemis_. Lagunatic Photo / Getty Images You may have read that the deep sea is a very different environment from the land and shallow water. There is no light,

    Birds use hidden black and white feathers to make themselves more colourful
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Griffith, Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University The green-headed tanager (_Tangara seledon_) has a hidden layer of plumage that is white underneath the orange feathers and black underneath the blue and green feathers. Daniel Field Birds are perhaps the most colourful group of animals, bringing

    Is sleeping a lot actually bad for your health? A sleep scientist explains
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia Walstrom, Susanne/Getty We’re constantly being reminded by news articles and social media posts that we should be getting more sleep. You probably don’t need to hear it again – not sleeping enough is bad

    From grasslands to killing fields: why trees are bad news for one of Australia’s most stunning birds
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Associate Professor in Geography, University of Adelaide JJ Harrison/Wikimedia, CC BY Picture this. A small, rainbow-coloured chick emerges from its nest for the first time. It stretches its wings and prepares to take flight. But before the fledgling’s life in the wild has begun,

    As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celia McMichael, Professor in Geography, The University of Melbourne Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND In the village of Nagigi, Fiji, the ocean isn’t just a resource – it’s part of the community’s identity. But in recent years, villagers have seen the sea behave differently. Tides are pushing inland.

    After 70 years, twisted gothic thriller The Night of the Hunter remains as disturbing and beguiling as ever
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben McCann, Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Adelaide United Artists/Getty Images In 1955, director Charles Laughton crafted one of the darkest, strangest fairytales ever to come out of Hollywood. The Night of the Hunter remains visually exquisite and profoundly unsettling. Shortly before Ben Harper is

    Almost a third of NZ households face energy hardship – reform has to go beyond cheaper off-peak power
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley O’Sullivan, Senior Research Fellow, He Kainga Oranga – Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago Igor Suka/Getty Images The spotlight is again on New Zealand’s energy sector, with a group of industry bodies and independent retailers pushing for a market overhaul, saying the sector was

    Immigration courts hiding the names of ICE lawyers goes against centuries of precedent and legal ethics requiring transparency in courts
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University Some immigration courts have allowed ICE attorneys to conceal their names during proceedings. Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Something unusual is happening in U.S. immigration courts. Government lawyers are

    How the UK’s immigration system splits families apart – by design
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nando Sigona, Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity, University of Birmingham arda savasciogullari/Shutterstock The letter that arrived for eleven-year-old Guilherme in June 2025 was addressed personally to him. The UK Home Office was informing

    4.48 Psychosis revival: the play’s window into a mind on the edge is as brutal as ever
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Sidi, Associate Professor of Health Humanities, UCL Under bright lights, the audience looks at a bare stage on two planes. Below, a small stage is white and empty, occupied only by a table and two chairs. Above, a huge, slanted mirror reflects a bird’s-eye view of

    Togo’s ‘Nana-Benz’: how cheap Chinese imports of African fabrics has hurt the famous women traders
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fidele B. Ebia, Postdoctoral fellow, Duke Africa Initiative, Duke University The manufacturing of African print textiles has shifted to China in the 21st century. While they are widely consumed in African countries – and symbolic of the continent – the rise of “made in China” has undermined

    2 ways cities can beat the heat: Which is best, urban trees or cool roofs?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Smith, Research Scientist in Earth & Environment, Boston University Trees like these in Boston can help keep neighborhoods cooler on hot days. Yassine Khalfalli/Unsplash, CC BY When summer turns up the heat, cities can start to feel like an oven, as buildings and pavement trap the

    Indonesian military set to complete Trans-Papua Highway under Prabowo’s rule
    By Julian Isaac The Indonesian Military (TNI) is committed to supporting the completion of the Trans-Papua Highway during President Prabowo Subianto’s term in office. While the military is not involved in construction, it plays a critical role in securing the project from threats posed by pro-independence Papuan resistance groups in “high-risk” regions. Spanning a total

    View from The Hill: Nationals’ mavericks ensure the Coalition is the issue in parliament’s first week
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra For almost as long anyone can remember, the Nationals have caused the Coalition grief on climate and energy policy. Still, for Barnaby Joyce to bring on a fresh load of trouble – with a private member’s bill to scrap Australia’s

    Childcare centres will have funding stripped if they’re not ‘up to scratch’. Is this enough?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney Maskot/Getty Images Childcare centres will lose their eligibility for fee subsidies if they don’t meet safety standards, according to a new bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday. As Education Minister Jason Clare told parliament: it

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray, British Columbia Premier Eby, WA Small Businesses Speak Out About How Trump’s Reckless Trade War with Canada is Creating Chaos, Hurting Business, and Raising Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Hears from Mayors and Business Leaders About How Trump’s Trade War is Hurting Border Communities in Northwest Washington

    AP: Trump’s 35% Canada tariff plan deepens a rift between the neighbors

    ***WATCH HERE; DOWNLOAD HERE***

    Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a virtual press conference with British Columbia Premier David Eby and Washington state business leaders to sound the alarm on how President Trump’s trade war with Canada is driving down business and creating chaos for families, small businesses, and economies on both sides of the border.

    Canada is the second-largest export market for Washington state, exporting $7.9 billion in goods and $2.2 billion in services annually. Washington state imports $17.8 billion in goods from Canada each year, with energy imports accounting for 54 percent of that total. 608 Canadian-owned companies employ 25,050 workers in Washington state. Canada is also the largest source of international visitors to the U.S., accounting for 20.4 million visits and $20.5 billion in spending in 2024. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported a 35 percent drop in border crossings into the U.S. through the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway Crossings in Washington state this May, compared to the same month last year. Additional data on trade between Washington state and Canada is available HERE.  

    President Trump recently announced a plan to impose 35 percent tariffs across-the-board on imports from Canada beginning August 1st. This comes after Trump has already applied 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum—of which Canada is the largest exporter to the United States—and 25 percent duties on cars, excluding U.S. made parts. Yesterday, after a meeting with Canada’s political leaders—including Premier Eby—Prime Minister Mark Carney downplayed the chances of success in talks aimed at reaching a trade deal with President Trump.

    “Canada isn’t just a trading partner for us—it is our ally, and they are our neighbor. We have friends, and families that span that northern border. We have supply lines and businesses that depend on the open flow of trade, tourism, and goodwill between our countries,” Senator Murray said at the press conference today. “Canada is one of our largest trading partners—accounting for, every year, nearly $8 billion in exports including our seafood, apples, and airplane parts and more than $2 billion in cross-border tourism and business. Not to mention we actually import nearly $18 billion in goods from Canada each year. So, for us, having Trump throw a tantrum with these tariffs is really throwing a wrench into our businesses that have operated for decades, and throwing communities on both sides of the border into chaos, and really throwing our neighborly way of life into jeopardy.”

    “Here’s what Trump needs to understand: this is not reality TV. It is actual reality,” Senator Murray continued. “These aren’t people playing ‘businessman’—they are trying to run actual businesses, that employ actual Americans. Unlike him, they don’t thrive on outrage. And they do not want any drama, they need certainty, they need common sense. And they need policies that bring in customers, not drive them away, and bring prices down, not drive them up. So, I want you all to know I am going to keep fighting in Congress to put an end to these pointless tariffs that are making life harder for people on both sides of our border. And I will keep pushing for legislation to reassert Congress’s power over tariff policy. It is beyond clear we cannot entrust this responsibility to a President who is toggling economic policies on and off like a kid with a joystick.”

    “We have a long and happy relationship with the American people; they’re our friends, our family members and coworkers. President Trump’s actions have broken our trust with his government, but they’ll never shake our relationship with our closest neighbours. I am grateful for Senator Murray’s leadership at this time in calling out a President that ran on an affordability agenda and is now bringing in tariffs that are raising the price of everyday goods for hard working families,” said David Eby, Premier of British Columbia.  

    “President Trump seems to have created the 51st state that he was talking about, which is the great state of uncertainty. And this is affecting all of us and that we predict that in 2025 alone, that tariffs will cost SEL $100 million in unanticipated federal taxes. These $100 million, divided by our 7000 owners, is a hit of $14,000 per employee around the world. And I agree so much with Senator Murray that the best thing we can do is to support the efforts by Democrats and Republicans in both the House and the Senate to restore congressional control over tariffs and block this President and future ones from abusing executive orders, especially here in the case of free trade,” saidDr. Ed Schweitzer, founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman.

    “Maintaining good relations with our northern neighbors is paramount to our maritime industry. Along with being a key supplier for vital parts of the industry, our relations also impact negotiations, such as the Pacific Salmon Treaty being negotiated right now. These negotiations and trade rely on goodwill and good relations, and we cannot state enough how much we value our Canadian partners in all sectors of our maritime industry here in the United States,” said Dan Tucker, Executive Director of the Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition.

    Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs in the state tied to international commerce. Washington state is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will struggle to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—for example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.

    Senator Murray has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s chaotic trade war and has been constantly lifting up the voices of people in every corner of Washington state who are being harmed by this administration’s approach to trade. Senator Murray continues to call on Republicans to end Trump’s trade war—which Congress has the power to do—and take back Congress’ Constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs. Earlier this year—among many other events—Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state to highlight how Trump’s ongoing trade war is already a devastating hit to Washington state’s economy, businesses, and our agriculture sector, and held a roundtable discussion in Blaine on how Trump’s chaotic trade war and senseless tariffs are specifically hurting Washington state’s border communities and local businesses. Senator Murray has also taken to the Senate floor to lay out how Trump’s chaotic trade war is seriously threatening our economy, American businesses, families’ retirement savings, and so much else.

    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered, are below and video is HERE:

    “Thank you everyone for joining us today.

    “You know for a so-called businessman, President Trump doesn’t seem to know the first thing about running a business—then again, maybe that explains his six bankruptcies. But besides that, every time Trump opens his mouth, he is demonstrating that he doesn’t understand how tariffs work and doesn’t care if his absurd tax hikes are hurting our economy and our small businesses. The reality is plain as day. Especially in places like Washington state where we are on the front line of a trade war with our neighbors that nobody asked for.

    “Canada isn’t just a trading partner for us—it is our ally, and they are our neighbor. We have friends, and families that span that northern border. We have supply lines and businesses that depend on the open flow of trade, tourism, and goodwill between our countries.

    “Canada is one of our largest trading partners—accounting for, every year, nearly $8 billion in exports including our seafood, apples, and airplane parts and more than $2 billion in cross-border tourism and business. Not to mention we actually import nearly $18 billion in goods from Canada each year.  

    “So, for us, having Trump throw a tantrum with these tariffs is really throwing a wrench into our businesses that have operated for decades, and throwing communities on both sides of the border into chaos, and really throwing our neighborly way of life into jeopardy.

    “How are farmers supposed to stay afloat when Trump just jacked up the cost of the supplies they need, at the same time that he is driving some of their best customers away?

    “How are businesses and factories supposed to keep the lights on when their supply chains are being disrupted, and their inputs—like energy, and steel, and aluminum—keep getting more expensive?

    “How are hotels and towns that are fueled by tourism supposed to keep their doors open, when cancellations are going up, bookings are going down, and 75 percent of Canadian travelers who weregoing to visit the U.S. are deciding they’d now rather go somewhere the President doesn’t constantly attack?

    “So, let’s be clear, these aren’t hypothetical questions. They are the cold, hard realities Trump is forcing onto our communities. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how hard Trump’s trade war is making life for people—especially for our border communities.

    “All you have to do is listen. Talk to ferry operators, who are feeling the squeeze of reduced travel. Talk to community leaders in Bellingham and Whatcom County, where 12 percent of taxable retail sales came from Canadians. Talk to business owners in Point Roberts, which just completely depends on Canadian trade and tourism.

    “I have been telling this over and over to my colleagues and anyone who will listen. If you want to understand the real cost of what is happening, come to Washington state, talk to people on the front lines of this pointless, painful trade war.

    “And that’s exactly why we are having this call today. To put a spotlight on what we are seeing on both sides of the border; to make more of these voices heard; to raise the alarm; and maybe even offer a little economics lesson to Trump—since he appears to need it.

    “When you raise the costs for small businesses—which is exactly what tariffs do, when you drive away loyal customers, and trading partners—which is exactly what happens when you toss up barriers and toss out insults—you make life harder, and you raise costs for everyday Americans. It is very clear that President Trump wants to treat tariffs like a reality TV show, constantly playing up the outrage and the uncertainty of the ‘Will he? Won’t he?’ drama that he seems to like living in. But the questions that I am hearing when I talk to folks home in Washington state, are more like, ‘Why on Earth would he do this?’ and ‘What the heck is he thinking?’ and ‘How am I going to be able to afford this?’

    “Because here’s what Trump needs to understand: this is not reality TV. This is actual reality. These aren’t peopleplaying ‘businessman’—they are trying to run actual businesses, that employ actual Americans. Unlike him, they don’t thrive on outrage. And they do not want any drama, they need certainty, they need common sense. And they need policies that bring in customers, not drive them away, and bring prices down, not drive them up.

    “So, I want you all to know I am going to keep fighting in Congress to put an end to these pointless tariffs that are making life harder for people on both sides of our border. And I will keep pushing for legislation to reassert Congress’s power over tariff policy.

    “It is beyond clear we cannot entrust this responsibility to a President who is toggling economic policies on and off like a kid with a joystick.

    “We have got to keep talking about this, which is why we are having this call today, until more of my Republican colleagues get the message. And I thank everybody who’s participating in this today to talk about what you are seeing.

    “So, I’m joined on this call by British Columbia Premier David Eby, he will be speaking next. As I’ve told him in the past, I appreciate our relationship and thank you for working with us on this. It’s a joy to have you on this call.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China unveils guideline on advancing high-quality development of copyright sector

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

    China unveils guideline on advancing high-quality development of copyright sector

    China has unveiled a guideline on accelerating the high-quality development of the copyright industry, calling for strong protection related to new sectors by optimizing relevant legal systems and policies.

    The 20-article guideline was issued on Wednesday by the National Copyright Administration on its website, aiming to comprehensively enhance the levels of the country’s copyright creation, utilization, protection, management, and services.

    While pledging to strengthen copyright protection in news fields such as blockchain, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, the guideline also requires greater efforts to protect copyrights in areas such as sports events, entertainment shows and livestreaming.

    Additionally, copyright protection should be further enhanced in the fields of film and television, online audiovisual content, internet literature, e-commerce and search engines, according to the guideline.

    It also orders copyright administrators nationwide to increase information sharing and piracy clues with judicial, cyberspace, cultural and market regulation authorities, so that the copyright industry can be promoted in a healthy manner.

    Furthermore, it calls on all copyright regulators across the country to actively participate in multilateral cooperation with international organizations, including the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization, holding high-level copyright conversations with nations involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

    It emphasizes the importance of enhancing the awareness of copyright protection among young people, encouraging better use of various new media platforms and innovative approaches to help children understand more about copyrights.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taisugar Stands with Farmers, Rent Relief of One to Three Months Offered to Typhoon-Affected Tenants, Based on Damage Severity

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    On July 7, Typhoon Danas passed through southern Taiwan leaving a trail of devastation. To reduce the burden on farmers and help them get through these difficult times, Taisugar is offering to waive rent for one to three months depending on the severity of the damage and proof of typhoon-related losses.

    According to Taisugar, tenants in areas eligible for agricultural national disaster financial assistance and low-interest rates as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture should report their disaster-related losses to their local town hall/district office and submit proof to the Taisugar land management unit. Taisugar will then issue rent waivers based on the extent of crop damage. Those that suffered between 20% to 40% damage will have their rent waived for 1 month. Those with over 40% but less than 60% damage will have their rent waived for 2 months. Those with over 60% damage will have their rent waived for 3 months. Additional extensions may be negotiated in special circumstances. Rent paid in advance can be rolled over to the following year or used to extend their lease.

    Taisugar added that if the tenant wishes to terminate their lease due to the impact of the disaster, any rent or bond paid in advance can be refunded without interest once both parties have agreed on a termination date. Taisugar is willing to do everything possible to stand with farmers and help them get through these difficult times.

    TSC News Contact Person:
    Chang Mu-Jung
    Public Relations, Department of Secretariat, TSC
    Contact Number: 886-6-337-8819 / 886-920-636-951
    Email:a63449@taisugar.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard conducts bilateral maritime law enforcement operations with Republic of Marshall Island

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    MAJURO, Republic of the Marshall Islands — The crew of national security cutter USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752) conducted at-sea boardings with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Sea Patrol within RMI’s exclusive economic zone from July 9 to 13.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Cycling’s governing body is introducing new rules to slow down elite riders. Not everyone’s happy

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Popi Sotiriadou, Associate Professor of Sport Management – Director Business Innovation, Griffith University

    MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

    Most sports look to support their athletes to become “faster, higher, stronger” – in reference to the Olympic Games’ original motto – so it is perhaps surprising that cycling’s world governing body is trying to slow down elite riders.

    However, there’s good reason the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recently announced new rules to slow riders down.

    These rules – which apply to elite road and cyclo-cross mass-start events for men and women such as the Tour de France – come into place shortly and are aimed at improving rider safety.



    Read more:
    I rode the Tour de France to study its impact on the human body – here’s what I learned

    What are the new rules?

    From August 1, a new bicycle gearing regulation will kick in.

    Professional cyclists will only be allowed to use a 54-tooth front chainring with an 11-tooth rear cog.

    This replaces the current common setup of 54-10.

    To put this into context, a 54-tooth chainring is the big front gear on a bike and the 11-tooth cog is a small rear gear. Moving to a slightly bigger cog (54-11) makes it harder to hit top speeds: the change from a 54-10 to a 54-11 gear setup could reduce the top speed by about 2.4 kilometres per hour.

    Pro riders can reach incredible speeds during descents, sometimes surpassing 130 kilometres per hour.

    Then, from January 1 2026, handlebars must become wider, increasing from a minimum 350–360 millimetres width (depending on the event) to at least 400mm wide.

    The handlebar width affects how a rider controls their bike: narrower bars reduce frontal surface area, making a rider more aerodynamic which again means a faster ride.

    This is especially useful in time trials or sprints.

    Wider bars offer better stability and control, helping navigate tight turns, peloton traffic, or crosswinds.

    The UCI has also announced plans to introduce a formal helmet approval protocol in 2027, which will include separate standards for helmets used in mass-start events and time trials.

    This shift suggests helmets may soon be subject to the same pre-race approval process as frames and wheels, potentially leading to safer, more regulated head protection.

    New rules, different opinions

    Professional cycling is getting faster due to stronger athletes, better training and advanced, lighter equipment.

    As a result, high-speed crashes, especially downhill or in crowded sprint finishes, have become more common and more dangerous.

    The UCI maintain the new regulations are part of a broader strategy to mitigate speed-related risks, enhance safety and uphold the integrity of the sport.

    However, these measures have sparked debate within the cycling community.

    Some elite cyclists, particularly those who have suffered severe crashes and injuries, suggest it is time safety caught up with technology.

    Wout van Aert, who suffered a severe knee injury in September 2024 during a wet descent, said:

    Limiting the number of gears would make the sport much safer.

    Chris Froome, four-time Tour de France winner, also said he supported strategies “to keep the speeds down on the descents”.

    The Professional Cycling Council supports testing gear ratio limits.

    It is also likely these changes could limit cutting-edge innovations that only wealthy teams can afford. This would in turn narrow technological disparities across teams.

    Former pro Michael Barry though believes gear restrictions are not the answer, and the UCI should instead focus on improved course design and inspection, better barriers and crash protective clothing.

    Technology experts agree, arguing speed is determined more by a rider’s power output and aerodynamic drag than by gear ratios. To enhance safety, they propose alternative solutions such as real-time rider tracking, crash-protective clothing, improved course design and inspection and faster medical response.

    The wider handlebar rule has also stirred controversy, especially among smaller-framed riders, many of whom are women, who typically ride with 360–380mm handlebars for better comfort and control.

    Under the new regulation, those forced to use bars that exceed their optimal fit range could end up suffering from poor wrist alignment, increased fatigue and a higher risk of repetitive strain injuries.

    Despite the growth of women’s cycling, the UCI has not made exemptions for smaller riders, raising concerns a one-size-fits-all solution may compromise inclusively and safety.

    Even though regular riders can continue to use the equipment they prefer, what happens in the pro world often shapes non-elite rider preferences and trends, and the bikes sold in stores. If narrower bars are banned at the top level, manufacturers may stop offering them.

    Historically, advancements in aerodynamics, gear ratios and component weights seen in the pro peloton have become standard features on consumer bikes.

    A delicate balance

    The UCI’s new regulations mark a likely shift towards standardised equipment and heightened safety. This deliberate emphasis on safety naturally elevates awareness among all cyclists about the crucial link between equipment choices and rider wellbeing.

    While these restrictions may foster a more level playing field, they also risk curbing the sport’s long-standing tradition of engineering innovation.

    The very appeal of professional cycling has often been intrinsically tied to the relentless pursuit of technological advancements that yield even fractional competitive advantages.

    Striking a balance between ensuring safety and preserving this spirit of ingenuity remains a crucial challenge for the sport’s future.

    Popi Sotiriadou 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. Cycling’s governing body is introducing new rules to slow down elite riders. Not everyone’s happy – https://theconversation.com/cyclings-governing-body-is-introducing-new-rules-to-slow-down-elite-riders-not-everyones-happy-260917

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey, Rep. Khanna Introduce Legislation to Pause Sentinel Nuclear Missile Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF)

    Washington (July 23, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), along with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), today introduced the Investing in Children Before Missiles (ICBM) Act of 2025, legislation that would redirect funding from the troubled Sentinel nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program to the U.S. Department of Education.

    The Trump administration is planning to replace the current fleet of nuclear-armed Minuteman III ICBMs with a new fleet of Sentinel ICBMs. However, the Sentinel program is so over budget and behind schedule that the Department of Defense (DoD) was forced to complete a Nunn–McCurdy review last year that found that the cost of the program had skyrocketed to $141 billion, an 81 percent increase. Moreover, the Air Force recently announced the Sentinel program will likely require digging new missile silos, a move that would cause further significant cost increases and schedule delays. In response to Sentinel’s setbacks, DoD is restructuring the program and considering extending the life of the Minuteman III by 11 years, from 2039 to 2050.

    In addition, the Air Force recently announced its plans to pay for upgrades to President Trump’s gift jet from Qatar using excess Sentinel funds. This is yet more evidence that Sentinel funding is “excess to need” and that the program should be paused for one year while it is being restructured. Nevertheless, the Trump administration is seeking to double the budget for the Sentinel missile to $4.1 billion for fiscal year 2026.

    “The United States should invest in education, not annihilation,” said Senator Markey. “The ICBM Act makes clear that we will not continue to waste billions on nuclear weapons we do not need—and that actually make us less safe—when there are more important things to fund, like public education. The Sentinel program is 81 percent overbudget—we are literally throwing taxpayer dollars down the deepest money pit ever created. When you are in a hole, stop digging. The ICBM Act signals we intend to make the world safe from nuclear weapons and prioritize spending that improves lives, rather than endangering them.”

    “The Trump administration’s Sentinel program is $60 billion over budget and years behind schedule. We need to invest into Americans, not further increase wasteful defense spending. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Investing in Children Before Missiles Act of 2025 that will pause the Sentinel program, commission an independent review of existing missile capacity, and redirect funds saved into K-12 programs in low-income communities,” said Rep. Khanna.

    “While the world has changed significantly since I was a nuclear weapons policy analyst at the Pentagon and Congressional Budget Office, the costs associated with nuclear weapons have steadily increased,” said Senator Merkley. “The United States is currently spending billions of dollars on nuclear weapons programs with limited oversight and accountability. As cost overruns continue to mount, Congress must rein in out-of-control nuclear weapons spending and instead responsibly invest these dollars in the success of America’s future leaders: our children.”

    “Instead of sinking tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into propping up a relic of our outdated Cold War-era nuclear strategy – and raising the risk of global mass destruction – we can invest more in fostering greater opportunity for our next generation. The Investing in Children Before Missiles Act does just that – diverting taxpayer funds away from an increasingly expensive boondoggle and instead directing them toward ensuring every child receives a quality education, without compromising our national security. If there ever was an opportunity for greater government efficiency, this is it,” said Senator Van Hollen.

    The ICBM Act is endorsed by the Federation of American Scientists, Council for a Livable World, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Union of Concerned Scientists, Win Without War and United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society.

    “Whether you think nuclear weapons make us more secure or put us at grave risk, everyone can agree that programs should run on time and on budget, or close to it. The Sentinel program is tens of billions over budget and years behind schedule. This is a classic white elephant program – rushed into production before key milestones were reached. The ICBM program should be sent back to the drawing board. We can do much better things that make America safer, stronger and more prosperous with $200 billion,” said Jon Wolfsthal, Director of Global Risk, Federation of American Scientists and former special assistant to the President.

    “The Sentinel ICBM is completely unnecessary, wildly expensive, and so far behind schedule the Pentagon has only a vague idea of when it will be deployed. Given that ICBMs are vulnerable to attack, and therefore kept on hair trigger alert, they create pointless risk. UCS has long called for eliminating them entirely. Sentinel should be cancelled and existing ICBMs retired,” said Stephen Young, Associate Director, Government Affairs, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists.

    “The Sentinel ICBM program is a case study in waste, risk, and misplaced priorities. There is no justification for pouring billions more into new land-based nuclear missiles that increase the risk of accidental war. Instead of deepening our dependence on Cold War-era thinking, we should invest in the future our children deserve: strong public schools, climate resilience, and real security rooted in equity and care. We applaud Senator Markey and Representative Khanna for their leadership in stopping the dangerous and costly Sentinel program and redirecting those resources to what truly keeps our communities safe,” said Sara Haghdoosti, Executive Director of Win Without War.

    “In 2021, Sen. Markey and Rep. Khanna first introduced the ICBM Act to pause funding and work on the already-troubled Sentinel program. Since then, the Sentinel program has continued to raise alarm bells, including in 2024 when it violated the Nunn-McCurdy Act by being more than 30% over budget. Now, the more we learn about this program, the more problems we uncover about its exceptional cost — it is now at least 80% over budget — and inability to meet deadlines. These additional concerns even led the Air Force to talk about a further life-extension of the Minuteman III missile, which the Sentinel is supposed to replace. Enough. It is past time for Congress to ask some serious questions about the necessity of this program and make some tough decisions to stop throwing good money after bad. Modernization of our nuclear forces should not be a blank check. At a time when it seems every government program is under a microscope and funding for critical programs that help every day Americans is being cut, pausing funding and work on this one program until Congress can get to the bottom of the cause of its issues seems like a no-brainer,” said John Tierney, Executive Director, Council for a Livable World.

    “As people of faith committed to peace, justice, and responsible stewardship of public resources, the Friends Committee on National Legislation strongly supports the Investing in Children Before Missiles (ICBM) Act. We oppose pouring billions into new nuclear weapon systems, especially one that’s so consistently over budget and behind schedule. It’s time to end the wasteful spending on the Sentinel program and invest instead in schools and communities,” said Allen Hester, Legislative Representative for Nuclear Disarmament & Pentagon Spending, Friends Committee on National Legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Analysis of China’s Economic Growth Drivers for the First Half of the Year

    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

    On July 15, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China released data showing that China’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the first half of 2025 was 66.0536 trillion yuan. In terms of constant prices, the year-on-year growth reached 5.3%. NBS Deputy Director Sheng Laiyun noted that since the beginning of this year, the national economy has withstood the pressure and, despite the difficulties, continues to develop steadily, accumulating new driving forces for growth and improving the circulation of economic processes.

    As the data show, in the first half of the year, the contribution of final consumption expenditure to economic growth was 52%, gross capital formation was 16.8%, and net exports of goods and services was 31.2%. Of these “three driving forces” of the economy, consumption remains the main factor in GDP growth.

    According to Wang Xiaosong, professor at the Institute of Economics at Renmin University of China, the data for the first half of the year show that the Chinese economy is developing steadily while maintaining stability, demonstrating its high resilience and potential for future growth. This is mainly due to China’s solid industrial base – both the manufacturing and service sectors have made significant progress in recent years. The indicators for the first half of the year show that added value and investment in machinery are growing rapidly, demonstrating the high resilience and potential for development of the Chinese economy. In addition, the government has taken a number of measures to stabilize growth. Both fiscal policy and targeted monetary policy have had a very positive effect.

    In the first half of the year, the consumer market continued to gain momentum, and the potential of the super-large Chinese market was steadily unleashed, demonstrating the dynamism of the Chinese economy. In terms of market sales, the total retail sales volume of consumer goods in the first half of the year was 24.55 trillion yuan, up 5% year-on-year.

    According to Qi Yunlan, deputy department director and research fellow at the Institute of Market Economy, Development Research Center of the State Council, this year, with the effective combination of policies to actively support consumption and the continued optimization of the consumption structure, the domestic consumer market has improved significantly. The trade-in program has been expanded and improved, which has stimulated the acceleration of growth in commodity consumption.

    According to statistics, in the first half of this year, China’s industrial production rapidly gained momentum, and the machinery and high-tech manufacturing industries showed good growth dynamics. The added value of machinery increased by 10.2% compared with the same period last year, and that of high-tech manufacturing by 9.5%. From January to May, the number of applications for valid invention patents in China approached 5 million, up 12.8% year-on-year.

    According to Lian Ping, chairman of the China Forum of Chief Economists and director of the Guangkai Institute of Industrial Research, the economic performance in the first six months generally exceeded market expectations, with the main feature being the release of pent-up demand and the improvement of the economic structure. Consumption growth was higher than market expectations and significantly recovered from the previous year. In addition, production and investment in the manufacturing industry showed steady positive dynamics, especially in areas related to new-quality productive forces, where the growth rate exceeded the double-digit threshold.

    In the first half of the year, the total volume of import and export trade was 21.7876 trillion yuan, up 2.9% year-on-year. Machinery exports grew by 9.5% to account for 60% of total exports.

    Qin Tai, deputy director and chief macroeconomic analyst at Huafu Securities Research Institute, said that two key factors played a decisive role in the first half of the year. First, financial subsidies for durable goods provided a significant stimulus effect. Second, China’s industrial chain, with its integrity, advanced technology and resilience, performed well.

    Sheng Laiyun said that the economy as a whole performed steadily in the first half of the year, showing positive dynamics while maintaining stability, which is a very valuable achievement. Since the beginning of this year, China has been implementing more active and effective macroeconomic policies, which has played an important role in maintaining stability. According to the instructions of the central government, relevant departments will speed up the implementation of a set of measures for the second half of the year in the near future, and they will continue to play a key role in ensuring the stable functioning of the economy.

    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 New Zealand: Exploring the societal impacts of medicines

    Source: PHARMAC

    “Right now, our decision-making framework—the Factors for Consideration—looks at how a medicine affects the person who needs it, their whānau, and the health system,” says Dr David Hughes, Pharmac’s Director of Advice and Assessment

    Like countries such as Australia, Canada, and the UK, our economic evaluations focus on the health system perspective. That means we look at how well a medicine works and what it will cost the health system in New Zealand.

    But there are other ways to look at the value of funding a medicine – for example, through a societal lens.

    “Medicines can have an impact on New Zealanders well beyond the hospital room. They can help people stay in work, reduce the need for unpaid care, and ease financial pressure on families,” says Dr Hughes.

    To begin exploring this idea, Pharmac partnered with researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands last year and is now working with the Institute for Medical Technology Assessment (iMTA) at Erasmus University – world leaders of the ‘societal perspective.’

    Their pilot study showed that using a societal perspective can change how New Zealand values medicines. Greater value was identified for treatments for chronic conditions affecting working-age people, for example, when broader impacts were considered.

    Pharmac is now commissioning two more assessments from iMTA. The Erasmus team will also train Pharmac staff to apply this approach in future assessments.

    Pharmac has also been talking with the Canadian Drug Agency (CDA) to share perspectives on measuring societal impacts. At the same time, the CDA has been piloting its own assessment of an expanded societal perspective.

    “We’re building our capability to see what it would look like if our assessments reflect the value of medicines not just to the health system, but to the whole of society,” says Dr Hughes.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –