NewzIntel.com

Category: DJF

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Register of Foreign Ownership of Australian Assets

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

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    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: O-Positive start for CFA in Emergency Services Blood Drive

    Source:

    CFA is off to a fast and meaningful start in this year’s Emergency Services Blood Drive, holding strong in second place for national plasma donations and currently sitting in third place overall.

    Crucially, a significant amount of CFA’s 60 donations so far (equating to 180 lives saved) have been O-Positive blood types, one of the most urgently needed red cell supply levels, according to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. 

    Running from 1 June to 31 August, the Lifeblood campaign sees emergency service organisations across Australia compete to give the highest number of blood and plasma donations, all while helping save lives. 

    CFA Deputy Chief Officer Rohan Luke joined representatives from other emergency services at an event at the Melbourne Donor Centre on 1 June to launch the blood drive. 

    “One donation can save up to three lives,” Rohan said. 

    “33,000 blood and plasma donations are needed across Australia every week to meet demand. 
    Right now, levels of O negative and O positive blood have dropped to their lowest point since 2023. 

    “If you’ve been thinking about donating, now’s the time.” 

    Bittern Fire Brigade member Jackie Crow, who has the universal O-Negative blood type, has donated blood and plasma more than 125 times and is once again rolling up her sleeves for the cause. 

    “I first started donating because a friend asked me to come along and give it a go and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Jackie said. 

    While each donation is extremely important, in February of this year Jackie was contacted for an extremely important donation, which stands out from the rest  

    “The blood bank called and said my blood was urgently needed for a specific patient, not just a general supply,” she said. 

    “I went in the very next day. I don’t know who it went to, but just knowing it was going straight to someone in desperate need was incredibly special.” 

    Jackie encourages others to get involved, especially those who may be feeling uncertain. 

    “It’s quick, it’s safe, and it’s so rewarding.” 

    In 2024, more than 14,000 donations were collected as part of the Emergency Services Blood Drive nationally, with almost one third coming from Victoria. 

    • Jackie Crow
    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: New EU Single Market strategy with focus on better opportunities for businesses to operate in the EU

    Source: Government of Sweden

    Last week, the European Commission presented a strategy to reboot the Single Market. This new strategy contains more than 50 proposals with the aim to make it easier for businesses to trade in the Single Market, with an emphasis on dismantling barriers, creating jobs and stimulating growth.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Declaration of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

    Source: Government of Sweden

    We are deeply concerned by recent legislative and constitutional amendments infringing on the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ persons which were adopted by the Hungarian Parliament on 18 March and 14 April 2025 following other anti-LGBTIQ+ legislation already introduced in previous years.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Task force for Jewish life meets at the Jewish Museum

    Source: Government of Sweden

    The first meeting of the year for the Government’s task force for Jewish life was held at the Jewish Museum in Stockholm at the beginning of March. The group’s focus area this year is Jewish life, which coincides with celebrations marking 250 years of established Jewish life in Sweden. The group will also continue to focus on security.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Warren, Blunt Rochester Condemn RFK for Making it Harder for Pregnant Women and Children to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines, Putting Their Health at Risk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 04, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), joined by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), today condemned U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for announcing changes to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommended vaccine schedule that would dramatically limit access to COVID-19 vaccines for millions of pregnant women and children, needlessly endangering their health. In their letter, the Senators slam the decision as anti-science and politically motivated, criticizing Secretary Kennedy for failing to provide scientific justification for the policy change and for confirming their longstanding concerns that he would enact unscientific, anti-vax policies as HHS Secretary—despite all his clamoring before Senate committees that he would not restrict vaccine access.

    “Your politically driven, anti-science decision—made suddenly and behind closed doors, without input from the public or scientific and medical communities—flies in the face of your commitment to ‘not…take away anybody’s vaccines’ and will lead to an untold number of preventable illness and death of Americans,” wrote the Senators.

    “Enabled by President Trump and fueled by decades of anti-vaccine skepticism, you appear to be establishing a roadmap by which the United States’ government can implement unscientific, anti-vaccination policies,” the lawmakers continued. “By sowing distrust, creating chaos and justifying your actions with misinformation, you are laying the groundwork to undermine access to other safe, effective vaccines, including for those that prevent diseases like whooping cough, measles and more.”

    The full text of the letter is available on Senator Duckworth’s website and below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy:

    We write to express our extreme concern regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) recent policy changes to dramatically curtail access to the COVID-19 vaccine for those Americans who would choose to receive it. We are particularly alarmed by your May 27, 2025 announcement on X—along with Drs. Marty Makary and Jay Bhattacharya, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), respectively—that the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be included under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) recommended routine immunization schedule for healthy pregnant women.

    We are also concerned that the CDC changed its recommendation for administering the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and adolescents from routine to using “shared clinical decision-making” between clinicians and families. As of the writing of this letter, the CDC has updated the immunization schedule for adults, removing the previous recommendation for pregnant women. The unjustified announcement “blindsided” senior officials at the CDC and were designed to “further erode public trust in the [agency].” By side-stepping the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP’s) open and transparent deliberation of the evidence, you have thrown into question coverage of vaccines under Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance for millions of Americans. Your politically driven, anti-science decision—made suddenly and behind closed doors, without input from the public or scientific and medical communities—flies in the face of your commitment to “not…take away anybody’s vaccines” and will lead to an untold number of preventable illness and death of Americans. We therefore strongly urge you to reverse this position until there is a thorough, transparent consideration of the body of evidence regarding the COVID-19 vaccine’s public health benefit.

    Political Motivations Threaten COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Millions of Americans

    The ACIP’s vaccine recommendations, as adopted by the CDC, form the basis of no-cost access to the vaccines for millions of Americans. For example, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended, requires that most commercial health insurance plans and Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans cover ACIP-recommended vaccines for a given individual with no cost sharing. In addition, for the Vaccines for Children Program, authorized by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, ACIP determines which vaccines are provided at no cost to children who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, Medicaid-enrolled or American Indian or Alaska Native. States must also cover ACIP-recommended vaccines and their administration for children enrolled in separate State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs without enrollee cost-sharing.

    More recently, the Inflation Reduction Act expanded no-cost coverage of ACIP-recommended vaccines and vaccine administration without cost-sharing to adults under Medicare Part D, Medicaid and CHIP. The uncertainty and confusion caused by your politically driven actions may lead to many insurers deciding to drop coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine for millions of people. Without insurance coverage, individuals who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be forced to pay up to $200 or more out-of-pocket—an insurmountable cost for many families, especially amid cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by the current administration’s policies.

    Politically Driven, Anti-Vaccination Decision-Making Circumvents Scientific Input

    You appeared to make this policy change without consulting the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) and prior to the next scheduled public meeting of the ACIP, the members of which are leading vaccine experts tasked with developing vaccine recommendations. You did so even though the ACIP had independently been considering updating COVID-19 vaccine recommendations to take into account the risk levels of different populations and was expected to vote on those recommendations when it was next scheduled to meet on June 25-27, 2025.

    Your announcement is a striking departure from the transparent and evidence-informed manner by which vaccine approvals and recommendations are formulated by HHS. For decades, scientists have weighed in on vaccine recommendations through a strenuous process. Following a decision from FDA experts about whether to approve a new vaccine based on clinical trial evidence and other data, ACIP “weighs extensive evidence about safety, effectiveness and other data to determine the best recommendation for who should receive the vaccine, when and how often.” The CDC director may choose to adopt, reject or modify these recommendations, though rejection or modification of such recommendations is rare. In the past quarter century, the CDC director has acted only twice to expand access beyond the ACIP’s recommendation, both times in response to extraordinary circumstances—in 2002 for the smallpox vaccine in connection with a vaccination campaign to address potential bioterrorism attacks, and in 2021 for the COVID-19 vaccine for front-line workers during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in an unprecedented and deeply troubling abuse of your authority, you did not wait to hear ACIP’s expertise, and you exploited a key vacancy at CDC to set these recommendations yourself. According to the Washington Post, this is “the first time an HHS secretary has unilaterally altered an existing recommendation from the advisory committee and the CDC.”

    Your decision represents a significant public health threat that will endanger millions of Americans. Pregnant women are at higher risk of serious illness and hospitalization if infected with COVID-19, and the virus raises the risk of having a cesarean birth, preeclampsia or eclampsia and blood clots. COVID-19 infection during pregnancy has also been shown to result in higher risk of lower birthweight babies, preterm birth and stillbirth. Babies born to women who were not vaccinated against COVID-19 are at higher risk of needing intensive care. That is why the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) strongly recommend women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to get pregnant get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to ACOG and SMFM, the COVID-19 vaccine has been demonstrated repeatedly to be safe and protective for such individuals. Because this vaccine is so protective and safe for this population, ACOG further recommends eliminating barriers to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. This is likely why the CDC stated in its “Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States,” updated on May 12, 2025:

    “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older in the United States…Vaccination is especially important for people at highest risk of severe COVID-19, including people ages 65 years and older; people with underlying medical conditions, including immune compromise; people living in long-term care facilities; and pregnant women to protect themselves and their infants.” (emphasis added)

    After birth, infants under 6 months of age are at the same high level of risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 as adults ages 65 to 74, and the only means of protecting these infants from COVID-19 is through maternal vaccination. An analysis of HHS data by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 11,199 children were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 during the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season, 7,746 of whom were younger than 5 years old. And 41 percent of children ages 6 months to 17 years old hospitalized with COVID-19 from October 2022 to April 2024 did not have a known underlying condition, meaning that “healthy” children are also at risk of severe disease.

    Establishing an Anti-Vaccination Policy Roadmap

    Enabled by President Trump and fueled by decades of anti-vaccine skepticism, you appear to be establishing a roadmap by which the United States’ government can implement unscientific, anti-vaccination policies. By sowing distrust, creating chaos and justifying your actions with misinformation, you are laying the groundwork to undermine access to other safe, effective vaccines, including for those that prevent diseases, such as pertussis (whooping cough), measles, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), chickenpox, shingles, hepatitis A, as well as cancer caused by hepatitis B and human papilloma virus.

    The May 27, 2025 video announcement is just one action in a series of anti-vaccination, anti-science efforts you have led since becoming HHS Secretary. For example, while the ACIP made recommendations for meningococcal and RSV vaccines months ago, you have failed to adopt the recommendations. Further, even though the United States is experiencing the worst outbreak of measles in 25 years, you have downplayed the harm of one of the world’s most contagious diseases and made false claims that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has not been “safety tested.” This undermining of trust in vaccines has led to multiple preventable hospitalizations and deaths. Indeed, President Trump’s nominee to serve as your deputy at HHS expressed unqualified support for your recommendation “encourag[ing] parents to take the measles vaccine,” while saying nothing about vaccinating children against the disease. And the Trump administration clawed back over $11 billion in pandemic-era funding, which has hampered the ability of public health departments across the country to contain the measles outbreak.

    Moreover, on May 20, 2025, Dr. Vinay Prasad, Director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and Commissioner Makary published an opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), outlining a new FDA approval framework that creates significant barriers for approval of annual COVID-19 vaccines for millions of Americans. This announcement indicated that the annual COVID-19 vaccine will generally be approved without a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (RCT) only for people ages 65 and older and for those who have medical conditions that leave them at higher risk for severe COVID-19. The framework says nothing about the eligibly of healthy people at higher risk of being infected with COVID-19, such as healthcare professionals. This means that, unlike in most other countries, the annual vaccine will not be available to healthy individuals older than 6 months of age and under the age of 65 without an RCT. This change in the approval process will take away Americans’ freedom to choose to get the annual vaccine and put them and their loved ones at risk.

    Further, placebo-controlled trials for vaccines when a proven intervention exists are widely considered by the medical and research community to be unethical. Ethical guidance advises, “Extreme care must be taken to avoid abuse of [the option to conduct placebo-controlled trials when a proven intervention exists]”; the FDA and HHS have guidance accordingly restricting placebo-controlled trials to certain situations. There is no question that the existing safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are such “proven interventions,” and withholding their use in new placebo-controlled trials would constitute a grave ethical violation.

    Your new approval process for the annual COVID-19 vaccine will significantly delay access to updated FDA-approved vaccines, jeopardizing the health and lives of the American people. Typically, vaccines, such as the annually updated flu shot, are approved after exhibiting immunogenicity data or other laboratory testing data comparable to previous vaccine versions, which themselves have provided robust safety and efficacy data. A multi-year study and lengthy approval process, which is generally considered by experts to be unnecessary, particularly for annually updated vaccines. The significant hurdles associated with FDA’s new RCT requirement could discourage vaccine manufacturers and researchers from developing new, innovative products that could prevent cancer, HIV and other diseases and ultimately save lives. Dr. Peter Hotez from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston stated requiring RCTs for future vaccine development “would basically be a recipe for paralysis.”

    Indeed, the day after your announcement, Moderna withdrew an application for its new combined flu and COVID-19 vaccine, despite the new vaccine outperforming existing COVID-19 and flu vaccines. It also comes on the heels of the FDA delaying its approval of Novavax’s protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, missing its own April 1, 2025 deadline. When the FDA finally approved the vaccine, it did so for only a narrow population (adults 65 and older and those between ages 21-64 with an underlying medical condition). In a highly unusual step, FDA is also requiring that Novavax conduct a placebo-controlled RCT for less vulnerable populations.

    Given the suddenness of your May 27, 2025 announcement and its lack of detail or scientific justification, we respectfully request you provide written responses to the following questions no later than June 18, 2025:

    1. Despite “a commitment to gold-standard science,” you failed to provide an appropriate, detailed explanation for your change in the COVID-19 vaccination recommendations.

    1. What specific studies, scientific or clinical data did you consult as the basis for removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule for pregnant women and children? Please provide citations for the research articles or publications you considered.
    2. Did you consult with any scientific or professional organizations, such as those representing obstetricians, pediatricians, family physicians, virologists, immunologists, epidemiologists or other relevant experts, in developing this new policy? Please provide the names of such stakeholders.
    3. Did you decide not to follow any recommendations from the scientific and medical communities? Why not?
    4. Did you submit a memo that explains the rationale and scientific justification for your decision? Please provide a copy of such memo, along with any attachments and communications related to it.

    2. Your directive implementing the new CDC recommendations suggests that the decision was made “[b]ased on a review of the recommendation of the FDA and the NIH.”

    1. Please list all individuals who carried out this review and their qualifications to weigh in on such decisions, such as their formal scientific and/or medical training, previously held professional positions or appointments, etc.
    2. Please provide a copy of the recommendation made by the NIH.
    3. Why were the CDC and ACIP apparently excluded from the process through which you imposed the new CDC recommendations?
    4. Given the former acting CDC director’s nomination to be CDC director, who is currently responsible for finalizing CDC recommendations?

    3. Why did you fail to consult the ACIP before changing the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for children and pregnant women, particularly before the ACIP’s next public meeting?

    4. The ACIP is scheduled to meet in June 2025 to discuss COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

    1. Do you commit to allowing the ACIP to move forward with its meeting in June 2025? If so, when will the meeting be publicly noticed in the Federal Register?
    2. Do you commit to not altering the anticipated agenda that includes the discussion of the COVID-19 vaccine?
    3. Do you expect the ACIP’s future COVID-19 vaccine recommendations to be influenced by your decision to publish the new vaccine approval framework?
    4. If the ACIP issues a COVID-19 vaccine recommendation that differs from your May 27 announcement, will you commit to listening to the experts and consider adopting that recommendation?

    5. Why did you fail to consult the VRBPAC before granting a narrow approval for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine?

    6. What role did you play in the decision to publish the new FDA framework outlined in the May 20, 2025 NEJM opinion piece, and in determining its content?

    7. Why did the FDA release this framework in an opinion piece, rather than formally publishing a regulation or guideline written by career vaccine experts?

    8. Does FDA plan to release a regulation, rule or formal guidance that formalizes the framework described in the NEJM article?

    1. If so, when will this policy be released?
    2. Will this policy be developed with the input of vaccine experts, providers, pharmacies, patient advocacy groups and/or other stakeholders?
    3. How will you and Commissioner Makary ensure vaccine experts, providers, pharmacies, patient advocacy groups and/or other stakeholders may provide input or feedback on the framework?

    9. Does the FDA’s new framework apply to initial doses (i.e., primary series) of new formulations of COVID-19 vaccines?

    1. Will this impact parents’ choices to vaccinate their children against COVID-19?
    2. Will you commit to preserving the current COVID-19 vaccine approval standards for the primary vaccine series?

    10. Given the ethical and recruitment challenges clinical trial sponsors may face because of new RCT requirements, how will FDA ensure the public has access to safe and effective vaccines if companies are unable to complete these trials in a timely manner?

    11. Figure 2 of the May 20, 2025 NEJM opinion piece listed pregnancy and recent pregnancy as underlying medical conditions that put an individual at risk of severe COVID-19.

    1. If the CDC is no longer recommending pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine, will such individuals still be eligible for the vaccine?
    2. If so, will they be able to get the vaccine at no cost?
    3. If there will be cost-sharing, what will be the cost-sharing policy for the vaccine, and who will make such decisions?

    12. Is the list in Figure 2 of the NEJM piece an exhaustive list for what medical conditions will be considered putting an individual at risk for severe COVID-19 disease?

    13. How do the conditions in the list align with the fact that the only high-risk condition now stated on the CDC immunization schedule for COVID-19 is “moderately or severely immunocompromised”?

    14. Do you believe that parents should have the right to vaccinate their children against COVID-19? If not, why not?

    15. Do you expect the current version of the COVID-19 vaccine to remain available in the primary vaccine series for individuals under 65 without underlying medical conditions?

    16. Will healthcare workers under age 65 who do not have a condition that predisposes them to severe COVID-19 and hospitalization be able to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine?

    17. Do you believe that young, healthy adults should be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to reduce the risk of getting Long COVID or of transmitting the virus to individuals with a higher risk of severe infection?

    1. If so, how will the FDA’s new framework preserve this choice?
    2. Why does the FDA’s new vaccine approval framework fail to consider a broad range of potential benefits of booster shots, such as reduced risk of Long COVID-19 and a shorter duration of illness?

    18. Has the FDA communicated with pharmacies about whether they plan to restrict COVID-19 vaccine access in response to the new vaccine approval framework?

    1. If so, will pharmacies require patients to verify they have health conditions putting them at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 to receive the vaccine?
    2. What will be an acceptable means of verification?

    19. What information did you provide health insurers (including Medicaid and Medicare) regarding their requirements for coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine going forward?

    1. Do you expect insurers to drop or alter coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine for children and pregnant women due to the altered CDC recommendation?
    2. If so, was that taken into consideration when formulating the recommendation?

    20. Have you communicated with the vaccine manufacturers to ensure there will be enough supply of the vaccine for the upcoming respiratory illness season? What steps are you taking to ensure supply chains will not be disrupted?

    21. Do you have any plans to change FDA approval frameworks or the CDC immunization schedule for any other vaccines? If so, which ones?

    Your anti-vaccine, anti-science stance has taken priority over the public health and well-being of the American people. We urge you to save lives by reversing course and making evidence-based policy in an open, transparent and clear manner.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Files Amicus Brief in Support of Michigan’s Conversion Therapy Ban for Minors

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta yesterday, as part of a multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the state of Michigan in Catholic Charities v. Whitmer, a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s ban on licensed health care providers offering conversion therapy for minors. Conversion therapy is a cruel, harmful, and ineffective practice that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In their brief, the attorneys general underscore the harms of conversion therapy, arguing that it falls below the standard of care for mental health practitioners, is not a safe or effective treatment for any condition, and puts minors at risk of serious harms including increased risks of suicide and depression.

    “California is proud to support the State of Michigan in protecting our youth from scientifically discredited practices that put their health, safety, and well-being at risk,” said Attorney General Bonta. “No child should ever be subjected to harmful, non-evidence-based practices for simply being who they are.”

    Enacted in February 2024, Michigan’s ban on conversion therapy for minors applies to mental health professionals, including physicians, psychologists, and professional counselors. The overwhelming medical consensus is that conversion therapy is inconsistent with the standard of care because it is ineffective and increases the risk of suicide and lifelong mental illness. In 2012, California became the first state to enact legislation – SB 1172 – banning conversion therapy on anyone under 18 years of age. Additionally, over 25 states have laws prohibiting or restricting the practice of conversion therapy for minors by licensed health care professionals.

    In the amicus brief, the coalition asserts that:

    • The First Amendment does not shield dangerous and ineffective mental health practices from regulation, nor does it allow licensed providers to operate below a certain standard of care.
    • Such bans are consistent with states’ long history of establishing and regulating professional standards of care.
    • Striking down such a ban would likely create profound unintended consequences for states’ authority to regulate professional practices within their borders as they have throughout most of the nation’s history.

    In filing the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys generals of Washington, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

    A copy of the amicus brief can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s homegrown 9-valent HPV vaccine expected to boost immunization coverage

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

    A nurse shows human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines developed by Chinese researchers at the provincial Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, May 18, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s drug regulator has approved the country’s first domestically developed 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, ending over a decade of foreign dominance in the market.

    The vaccine, Cecolin 9, has been included on a list of approved medical products that was made public by the National Medical Products Administration on Wednesday.

    “The approval of Cecolin 9 not only offers more vaccination options for eligible women in China, but is also expected to improve vaccine accessibility and coverage, reducing the risk of cervical cancer further,” said Zhang Jun, dean of the School of Public Health at Xiamen University and a leading member of the vaccine development team.

    HPV vaccines are commonly used to prevent cervical cancer in women, as well as genital cancers and warts in both men and women.

    Cecolin 9, which targets nine HPV strains, was developed by Xiamen University, the Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory and Xiamen Innovax Biotech Co., Ltd., marking a breakthrough in China’s ability to produce high-valency HPV vaccines independently.

    China is now the second country — after the United States — capable of supplying 9-valent HPV vaccines.

    Compared to bivalent HPV vaccines, which are effective against two high-risk genotypes (HPV 16 and 18), 9-valent HPV vaccines protect against an additional five high-risk genotypes (HPV 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58) and two low-risk genotypes (HPV 6 and 11), and provide better protection against cervical cancer.

    Over 18 years of research, scientists overcame major technical challenges in producing virus-like particles (VLPs) from multiple HPV types using an E. coli platform, and completed crucial clinical trial validation processes.

    Five related clinical trials have been conducted across China since 2019, and the vaccine has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and a strong immune response, comparable to those of similar international products.

    Statistics show that globally, approximately 700,000 cancer cases each year are associated with HPV, including an estimated 530,000 cases of cervical cancer. Vaccination is up to 94 percent effective in preventing HPV infection.

    In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, aiming for 90 percent of girls to be fully vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15 by 2030.

    In alignment with the WHO strategy, China’s National Health Commission launched a cervical cancer elimination action plan for the 2022-2030 period, urging the expansion of HPV vaccination coverage nationwide.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese mainland police pursue 20 suspects involved in cyber attacks initiated by Taiwan organization

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

    The police in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou put 20 suspects on a wanted list on Thursday, accusing them of participating in cyber attacks launched by an organization of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party authorities.

    The notice issued by the public security bureau of Guangzhou’s Tianhe District also provided details of cyber attacks carried out by Taiwan’s “Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM).”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Mainland spokesperson slams Taiwan leader’s defamatory remarks

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

    A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed recent remarks made by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities that have been defaming the mainland’s social system.

    In response to a media query, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said Lai and the DPP authorities have been maliciously smearing and attacking the mainland, and trying to intensify cross-Strait confrontation and mislead international public opinion.

    “Their intentions are extremely sinister, and their methods are extremely despicable,” Zhu said.

    The DPP authorities are deceiving and swindling in the international community under the cloak of “democracy,” and attempting to challenge the one-China principle, Zhu said.

    Their actions completely violate the spirit of democracy, and the essence of their “fake democracy, real dictatorship” has long been seen through by the world and condemned by Taiwan compatriots, she added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s top diplomat meets UAE president’s special envoy

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

    Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, met with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, special envoy of the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to China, in Beijing on Wednesday.

    Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said that China-UAE ties have maintained sound development momentum under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ heads of state.

    China is willing to work with the UAE to provide mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, maintain close coordination on international and regional affairs, and promote the in-depth development of the China-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said.

    Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak said the UAE is willing to strengthen its high-level exchanges with China and further advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

    The UAE adheres to the one-China principle and will uphold the principles of independence and autonomy in steadfastly promoting cooperation with China, he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China launches renovation of 5,679 old urban residential compounds in first four months

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

    This photo taken on March 15, 2024 shows the construction site of a residential complex under an urban renewal project in Jing’an District of east China’s Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China initiated renovation of 5,679 old urban residential compounds in the first four months of 2025, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on Wednesday.

    The country aims to renovate 25,000 such residential compounds this year, as part of its ongoing efforts to transform cities into more resilient and intelligent areas that are desirable to live in.

    From 2019 to 2024, China renovated a total of 280,000 old residential compounds, benefiting over 120 million people.

    During this period — 360,000 km of aging pipelines were renovated or upgraded, 3.87 million parking lots were added, and 78,000 public service facilities, such as elderly care and childcare centers, were constructed.

    The ministry said it will keep working to enhance living environments and upgrade community facilities to better meet the daily needs of residents and ensure their safety.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China accelerates express delivery green packaging amid e-commerce boom

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

    China is ramping up efforts to green its booming express delivery sector, as a newly amended regulation took effect during the bustling mid-year online shopping festival.

    The revised regulation concerning the courier sector came into force on June 1, and for the first time introduced a dedicated chapter on packaging. It stipulates that packaging should minimize resource use, avoid excessive wrapping and prevent environmental pollution.

    Experts hailed the move as a milestone in the industry’s push for sustainable and high-quality development.

    China, the world’s largest express delivery market, handled over 175 billion parcels in 2024, a 21.5-percent increase from the previous year.

    This vibrant growth has led to a surge in packaging waste, making sustainable practices a critical priority, said Ding Hongtao, director of legal affair department at the China Express Association.

    The green initiative has already been felt at the manufacturing level. In Pinghu, east China’s Zhejiang Province, a local packaging company now uses 100 percent recycled cardboard to produce corrugated paper. In its factory, waste boxes are shredded, filtered, refined and pressed into new paperboard.

    “For every tonne of corrugated paper, we use about 1.1 tonnes of recycled boxes,” said Hu Zhonghua, general manager of Jingxing Packaging Materials Co., Ltd. “Even the leftover scraps from box production are cycled back into the paper mill, forming a closed-loop system.”

    Elsewhere, similar innovations are driving progress. In east China’s Anhui Province, Anhui Huayi Packaging Co., Ltd. has industrialized fully biodegradable adhesive tape after five years of research, and now produces up to 600 million square meters annually. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang, a logistics center of supply chain technology company Shunxinhui has replaced single-use plastic wrap with reusable strapping, thereby avoiding the use of 300 tonnes of plastics on average each year.

    “China is forming a green supply chain for express packaging,” said Liu Jianguo, professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Data showed that 248 types of packaging products from more than 100 companies have now been certified as green products in the country.

    In addition to greener materials, couriers have begun to use packaging more efficiently.

    At JD Logistics’ industrial park in Hangzhou, home appliances and furniture are now shipped in their original manufacturer packaging, bypassing the need for secondary wrapping.

    “By strengthening coordination with suppliers, the share of direct shipments to customers without repackaging has risen from about 5 percent a few years ago to 25 percent last year. And we expect the ratio to hit 40 percent this year,” said Gao Jiaqi, head of the industrial park. In 2024 alone, JD Logistics eliminated over 1 billion pieces of secondary packaging.

    Green practices are also gaining traction among consumers. At a mail service station at Zhejiang University, students and faculty members routinely deposit used boxes into designated recycling bins after collecting their packages.

    These boxes are sorted and reused for outbound shipments. Currently, 90 percent of boxes used at the station are recycled, significantly reducing the carbon footprint.

    Moreover, a digital screen at the station displays real-time data, converting environmental actions like recycling and walking into carbon credits — thus fostering a green digital ecosystem through incentives. Following the launch of the system, green awareness among customers has continuously increased, said Chang Xuelian, a staff member of the company managing the system.

    Thanks to concerted efforts, green packaging governance in the express delivery sector has been expanded to the entire chain — from production to consumption and recycling.

    Moving forward, the State Post Bureau pledged to speed up the implementation of packaging standards and supportive policies, while fostering innovation in products, technologies and business models, in a bid to expedite the green transition of China’s fast-growing delivery industry. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s finance ministry issues 12.5B yuan of treasury bonds in Hong Kong

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

    China’s Ministry of Finance on Wednesday issued this year’s third batch of yuan-denominated treasury bonds — worth a total of 12.5 billion yuan (about 1.74 billion U.S. dollars) — in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

    The issuance included 3.5 billion yuan of two-year bonds, 3 billion yuan of three-year bonds, 3 billion yuan of five-year bonds, and 3 billion yuan of 10-year bonds, according to the ministry. These bonds have respective interest rates of 1.49 percent, 1.52 percent, 1.6 percent, and 1.75 percent.

    This latest issuance has been well-received among investors, with the total bid amount coming in at 3.96 times the amount in circulation, the ministry said.

    Last month, it announced that it would issue six batches of yuan-denominated treasury bonds in the HKSAR this year, with all six batches totaling 68 billion yuan. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Ronaldo fires Portugal into Nations League final

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

    Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal as Portugal came from behind to defeat Germany 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League semifinal in Munich on Wednesday, ending the hosts’ hopes of reaching the tournament final for the first time.

    After a 10-minute delay caused by a hailstorm, Germany settled more quickly. Leon Goretzka tested Diogo Costa early, while debutant Nick Woltemade linked well with Aleksandar Pavlovic to create another opportunity.

    However, Portugal soon found its rhythm. Pedro Neto’s blistering pace repeatedly exposed the German defense, and Ronaldo tested goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen twice. It was Ter Stegen’s first appearance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.

    Florian Wirtz (L) of Germany vies with Bruno Fernandes of Portugal during the UEFA Nations League A semifinal match between Germany and Portugal in Munich, Germany, June 4, 2025. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)

    Florian Wirtz broke the deadlock just after the restart. The Bayer Leverkusen playmaker timed his run perfectly to meet Joshua Kimmich’s lofted pass, guiding a header into the bottom corner.

    But instead of calming Germany’s nerves, the goal only galvanized Portugal. Francisco Conceicao, introduced just minutes earlier, turned the match with a stunning solo strike, cutting inside and curling the ball into the far corner.

    Germany barely had time to regroup before falling behind. A slick one-two between Bruno Fernandes and Nuno Mendes split the German backline, and Mendes’ low cross was converted by Ronaldo. At 40 years and 119 days old, he became the oldest player ever to score against Germany.

    Germany brought on attacking reinforcements, including Karim Adeyemi and Niclas Fullkrug, but struggled to regain momentum. Adeyemi came closest to equalizing, hitting the post in the 82nd minute. At the other end, Ter Stegen denied both Conceicao and Diogo Jota to keep the scoreline close.

    Germany will now play in Sunday’s third-place playoff, while Portugal advances to the final.

    “It was certainly one of our weakest performances in recent times. We didn’t always attack with enough conviction. We started well and took a deserved lead but then did far too little. Against a team like Portugal, if you’re too slow in transition, you get punished. We need to be at 100% if we want to belong to the best in Europe. This defeat hurts, but we must learn from it,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said.

    “I’m very happy. This was an important game against a top-quality Germany side, and we played away from home. To beat Germany for the first time in 25 years means a lot. Turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win shows what this team is capable of,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: E-commerce opens broader markets for Xizang specialties

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

    Tibetan specialties are being sold via livestreaming at the 5th China Xizang Tourism and Culture Expo in Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, June 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

    In southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, a county perched at an altitude of 3,800 meters is embracing the digital era through livestreaming.

    Tashi Lhamo, a 34-year-old resident of Qonggyai County, held up her phone and greeted her audience: “I just got back from the farm. Please give me lots of likes today.” With ease, she promoted local products to her livestream viewers, a scene that has become increasingly common in this once-isolated highland.

    Thanks to the completion of a large-scale telecom network upgrade, internet coverage has become increasingly more stable, prompting many villagers to jump on the e-commerce bandwagon. A simple smartphone now connects the area with the outside world.

    As the county’s most popular influencer, Tashi Lhamo has around 4 million followers across Chinese video-sharing platforms. Through her livestreams, she helps villagers sell local specialties like butter and tsamba — the most popular staple food in Xizang — to customers nationwide, generating an annual income of more than 1 million yuan (about 139,109 U.S. dollars).

    Across Xizang, e-commerce is gaining momentum as the regional government seeks to promote high-quality development of the sector through measures including supportive policies, online vouchers, e-commerce bases and livestreaming competitions.

    According to the regional commerce department, from January to April this year, Xizang’s online retail sales reached 10.84 billion yuan, up 36.7 percent year-on-year. Of that total, livestreaming accounted for 3.36 billion yuan, a 41.8 percent increase, while online sales of agricultural products hit 320 million yuan, up 17.5 percent from the same period last year.

    In the regional capital of Lhasa, local wool products are rolling off the production lines at a factory run by Xizang Holy Trust Industry Co., Ltd.

    “In the past, most of our orders came from offline channels. Now, by leveraging Xizang’s rich wool resources, we have developed an integrated model: e-commerce orders drive on-demand production, cooperatives facilitate procurement, and herders adjust livestock breeding and wool harvesting based on market demand,” said Lhapa Trinley, board chairman of the company.

    Today, through various online platforms, the company’s products, such as scarves, clothing and rugs, are sold across China. Semi-processed materials like washed wool, cashmere and yak wool are even exported to countries including Nepal and India.

    Beyond agricultural and pastoral goods, cultural products such as Tibetan incense and traditional accessories are also gaining popularity, introducing Tibetan culture to wider audiences.

    “E-commerce means that Xizang’s products are no longer niche,” said Li Yanping, head of the e-commerce division at the regional commerce department, adding that the region plans to improve rural logistics and support more e-commerce talent to further expand the reach of its specialties. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck southwest China’s Yunnan Province

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 jolted Eryuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province at 4:31 a.m. Thursday Beijing time, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.

    The epicenter of the earthquake was located at a point with coordinates 26.26 degrees north latitude and 100.03 degrees east longitude. The source was located at a depth of 10 km.

    According to local residents, the tremors were clearly felt in Eryuan County, Dali City and Heqing County. The emergency response mode was immediately launched by the Eryuan County authorities. The aftermath of the natural disaster is being investigated. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Marong Planning Scheme Amendment approved

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme Amendment C263gben, which applies to Marong, has come into effect following Minister for Planning approval.

    Amendment C263gben implements the Marong Township Structure Plan 2020 (re-adopted in 2024), the Marong Flood Study 2018 (North Central Catchment Authority) and the Marong Heritage Citations (Minerva Heritage).

    The land affected is within and adjacent to the township of Marong and the amendment changes zones and overlays to land in the Marong township. Specifically, the amendment:

    • Rezones land within the Marong township from Township Zone to Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 3 and Mixed-use Zone Schedule 3
    • Expands Commercial 1 Zoning and updates floor area maximums
    • Applies new overlays to guide development, character and bushfire protection
    • Applies the Heritage Overlay to 8 new places including statements of significance for each
    • Implements the Marong Flood Study, along with new Local Flood Development Plan by introducing the Floodway Overlay and the Land Subject to Inundation Overlay
    • Identifies new residential growth areas for future rezoning to accommodate a population of approximately 8,000 people

    The amendment process and approval were in accordance with the Planning and Environment Act 1987. The Amendment was considered by an independent panel, and recommendations were supported by Council. The Minister for Planning has the final say and made some changes to the amendment before approving it.

    Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf welcomed the approval of the Amendment as an important step for guiding Marong’s future development.

    “Marong is expected to grow over the next 25 years with an estimated population of 8,000 people and this Planning Scheme Amendment implements the Marong Township Structure Plan. The Amendment supports creating a compact, well-planned township with a vibrant town centre,” Cr Metcalf said.

    “The completion of this Amendment allows the consideration of new rezoning applications in the Marong growth areas and complements the Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct project.”

    The approved Amendment C263gben is the first in a series of planning scheme amendments to support the future growth of Marong. Other projects currently underway include:

    • The preparation of a Shared Infrastructure Contributions Plan for Marong
    • Planning for the Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct by the Victorian Planning Authority
    • Planning for the Marong Western Freight Corridor by the Department of Transport and Planning – Transport
    • The rezoning of the residential growth precincts in accordance with the City’s Private Planning Scheme Amendment Policy

    The Marong Township Structure Plan was originally adopted in September 2020. The Amendment C263gben was exhibited for six weeks from May to July 2023, and the independent planning panel hearing was held in February 2024. Council adopted C263gben in June 2024. The Minister for Planning approved with changes and gazetted the Amendment on May 29, 2025.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Enjoy Dark Mofo and stay safe

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Enjoy Dark Mofo and stay safe

    Thursday, 5 June 2025 – 11:24 am.

    As thousands of people descend on Hobart for the Dark Mofo festival, Tasmania Police is urging pedestrians and motorists to prioritise safety, particularly during the darker hours of the event.
    Tasmania’s popular Dark Mofo winter festival is back with a full program of events in Hobart including the opening night of the Winter Feast, on Castray Esplanade, on Thursday.
    There will be road closures and traffic disruptions across the Hobart CBD during the two-week festival, with further information available at www.darkmofo.net.au/info/road-closures
    While it is an amazing time of the year for locals, and our interstate and international visitors, police are urging everyone to enjoy it safely and responsibly.
    “Pedestrians are among our most vulnerable road users, especially during busy events such as Dark Mofo,” Hobart Police Inspector John Toohey said.
    “This year already, three pedestrians have died on Tasmanian roads, with a further 14 seriously injured.
    “We’re asking everyone to stay alert, avoid distractions such as phones or headphones, and only cross at designated crossings.
    “With many festival events taking place at night and in low-light conditions, we’re hoping to see responsible behaviour, that is, people looking out for each other, obeying traffic signals and being visible in the dark.”
    Supporting Inspector Toohey, Tasmania Police State Road Safety Co-ordinator Inspector Justin Lawson urged motorists and pedestrians to take extra care in Hobart’s city and waterfront precincts.
    “Our message is, we are just as excited as you that Dark Mofo is back,” Inspector Lawson said.
    “And while savouring all that is on offer in our city, please be mindful of each other’s safety on our streets and footpaths.
    “With thousands anticipated to move between different venues, there will be a marked increase in pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
    “Please cross the road only when safe and if driving, be alert to festival-goers on foot.”

    CAPTION: Tasmania Police officers (from left) Constable Scott Hill, Constable Erin McNamara, Constable Tess Allanby and Constable Aaron Eaton urge locals and visitors to Hobart to enjoy the Dark Mofo festival safely. Picture: Tasmania Police

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Self-managed superannuation fund annual return instructions

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Use the Self-managed superannuation fund annual return instructions (NAT 71606) to help you complete your annual return.

    You should refer to the instructions for the relevant year:

    A self-managed super fund assesses its own tax debt or refund. As such, a notice of assessment won’t be issued. This is because the lodgment of the return is deemed to be an assessment.

    For more information on accessing the SMSF annual return for the relevant year, refer to Self-managed superannuation fund annual returns (NAT 71226).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The pursuit of eternal youth goes back centuries. Modern cosmetic surgery is turning it into a reality – for rich people

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Gibson, Associate Professor of Sociology, Griffith University

    The Conversation, CC BY-SA

    Kris Jenner’s “new” face sparked myriad headlines about how she can look so good at 69 years old. While she’s not confirmed what sort of procedures she’s undergone, speculation abounds.

    As a US reality TV personality, socialite and Kardashian matriarch, Jenner has long curated her on-screen identity. Her fame and fortune are intimately tied to a multinational cosmetics industry that has, for centuries, bartered in the illusion of timeless beauty.

    The pursuit of cosmetic enhancement can be traced back as far as Ancient Egypt, reminding us the desire to look younger is hardly new.

    But while many women try in vain to battle the ageing process, Jenner is an example of someone who’s actually succeeded, at least visually. What does that mean for the rest of us?

    Decades of surgeries

    Modern cosmetic plastic surgery has its roots in compassion. It was developed to help disfigured first world war soldiers rebuild their faces and identities.

    But this origin story has been sidelined. Today, aesthetic procedures are overwhelmingly pursued by women and marketed as lifestyle enhancements rather than medical interventions.

    Advancements in reconstructive surgery were made after both world wars with treatments on wounded soldiers.
    AFP/Getty Images

    Plastic surgery, once considered extreme or shameful, began to gain popularity in the 1960s, and is now widespread.

    Hollywood has long played a role in shaping these standards. During its Golden Age, stars like Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne are reported to have undergone cosmetic surgeries – rhinoplasty (nose jobs), chin implants, facelifts – to preserve their screen personas.

    Even before Instagram, before-and-after images were a cultural obsession, often used to shame or expose.

    From taboo to trend

    The digital age has further normalised cosmetic enhancements, with social media influencers and celebrities promoting procedures alongside beauty products.

    It’s estimated Jenner spent upwards of US$130,000 (around A$200,000) on cosmetic interventions, resulting in a look that some media outlets suggest places her in her 30s.

    There’s been similar speculation about Lindsay Lohan, Christina Aguilera and Anne Hathaway, though none of the women have confirmed anything themselves.

    On Jenner, social media users are split. Some offer aspirational praise (“If I had the money, I’d get it all done!”), while others criticise her rejection of “ageing gracefully”.

    Today, celebrities increasingly control the narrative. Jenner has embraced her past cosmetic transformations, sharing them openly on social media and in interviews. The taboo is evolving.

    Yet many stars, including Courtney Cox, Ariana Grande, and Mickey Rourke, have spoken openly about regrets and the psychological toll of these procedures. Even with agency, the pressure remains immense.

    Youth as a cultural ideal

    This obsession with agelessness reflects a deeper societal discomfort with visible ageing, particularly in women.

    Celebrities, with access to elite medical professionals and procedures, seem to cheat time.

    Yet the outcome of is often disorienting: when Jenner appears younger than her children, the generational lines blur.

    This erasure of age difference entrenches youth as an end in itself. It also destabilises how we perceive kinship and mortality.

    Supermodel Bella Hadid has said she regrets getting a rhinoplasty as a teenager. Of Palestinian descent, she said “I wish I’d kept the nose of my ancestors”.

    In my own research, I’ve argued cosmetic enhancement is tied to a cultural denial of death.

    The ageing isn’t the problem – it’s our refusal to accept it.

    The desperate clinging to youth reflects a collective resistance to change. Celebrity culture and consumer capitalism exploit this vulnerability, making age a problem to be solved rather than a life stage to be honoured.

    We should mourn our ageing, not erase it. In another world, we could witness it, share it, and celebrate its quiet, powerful beauty.

    So what about us?

    But that’s not the world many live in, and the pressure extends beyond Hollywood.

    With filters, apps, and social media platforms, ordinary people also curate and enhance their images, playing their part in a fantasy of perfection.

    A recent study looked at the way young Australians use selfie editing tools. It found the widespread use of such apps have a significant effect on the body image of young people.



    Read more:
    ‘Perfect bodies and perfect lives’: how selfie-editing tools are distorting how young people see themselves

    The line between self-care and self-deception has never been blurrier. We all want to present the best version of ourselves, even if reality slips into illusion.

    So while women have long tried to outrun visible ageing, whether that be through anti-wrinkle creams or more invasive means, Jenner is an example of something relatively rare: a woman who’s actually managed to do it.

    In doing so, she and her celebrity counterparts set a new youthful beauty standard in what ageing should (or shouldn’t) look like.

    And while that standard may be felt by a variety of women, few will be able to achieve it.

    Extremely wealthy beauty moguls like Kris Jenner can afford elite treatments, while most people face growing financial pressure and a cost-of-living crisis. The divide isn’t just aesthetic – it’s economic.

    Beauty, in this context, is both a product and a privilege.

    And of course, judgement of women’s appearances remains a powerful force for discrediting their political, social, and moral worth. For every bit of praise there is for Jenner’s “youthful” appearance, there are videos claiming she’s “ruined her face” and questioning of whether she should spend so much money on such a cause.

    As long as gender inequality persists and beauty remains a currency of value, the pressure to conform will endure.

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

    – ref. The pursuit of eternal youth goes back centuries. Modern cosmetic surgery is turning it into a reality – for rich people – https://theconversation.com/the-pursuit-of-eternal-youth-goes-back-centuries-modern-cosmetic-surgery-is-turning-it-into-a-reality-for-rich-people-257969

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: One year ago, Australia scrapped a key equity in STEM program. Where are we now?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Vieira, Lecturer, Education Futures, University of South Australia

    ThisIsEngineering/Pexels

    In June 2024, the Australian government ended the Women in STEM Ambassador program. The decision followed a report that urged a broader, intersectional approach to diversity in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

    For six years, under the leadership of astrophysicist Lisa Harvey-Smith, the program contributed to research, tools and resources aimed at breaking down structural barriers that limit women’s and girls’ participation in STEM education and careers.

    At the time, the move to scrap it was framed as a step toward more inclusive progress.

    Does that reasoning still hold one year later? As diversity and inclusion efforts face global cutbacks, it’s more important than ever to reflect on where Australia is heading. Are we truly building a more equitable STEM future?

    Why diversity in STEM matters

    Structural barriers have long limited participation in STEM for women, people of colour, First Nations communities, people with disabilities, and those in low socioeconomic groups.

    Such barriers include stereotypes and bias, a lack of role models, limited flexible work arrangements, and inadequate parental leave and childcare support.

    If we achieved equity in STEM, everyone – including entire groups who have been systemically excluded in the past – would have equal access to opportunities, resources and recognition.

    For a young Aboriginal woman studying engineering in a regional town, it would mean the same chance to apply for internships at top firms as peers who live in cities. She would have the same access to well-equipped labs and mentoring programs, and an equal likelihood of being nominated for academic awards or leadership roles.

    Improving diversity in STEM is also critical to Australia’s capacity for innovation, particularly as we face global challenges such as climate change, disruption from artificial intelligence, and geopolitical instability.

    Diverse STEM teams are more likely to approach problems from multiple perspectives. They embody democratic values, driving innovation and strengthening resilience in the face of complex issues.

    Yet, despite decades of gender-focused programs, meaningful progress has been limited. STEM Equity Monitor 2024 data show that while the number of women in STEM has increased, only 37% of university STEM enrolments are women. When it comes to STEM jobs in Australia, only 15% are occupied by women.

    If not an ambassador, then what?

    The lack of diversity in STEM is driven by systemic barriers such as persistent stereotypes, a shortage of diverse role models, and unequal access to opportunities.

    An independent report released in February 2024 recommended looking at diversity in a more inclusive way.

    Instead of focusing only on women in STEM, it suggested we consider how different aspects of a person’s identity – such as their gender, race, or background – can combine and affect their experience.

    This means some people may face additional challenges. For example, a migrant woman of colour in STEM might deal with more obstacles than a white woman in the same field, because of the way her different identities overlap.

    So … where are we now?

    While adopting this view is commendable, the practical changes that have happened over the past year raise important questions about whether Australia is truly moving toward a more inclusive STEM landscape.

    In August 2024, the government announced a $38 million boost to STEM programs, aligning with recommendations from the independent report. Two long-standing programs were closed, while seven other initiatives received additional funding.

    However, many of the funded programs still leave major gaps.

    For instance, one of the few initiatives targeting school-aged students, the National Youth Science Forum, is mostly limited to Years 11 and 12. Yet we know that girls’ disengagement from STEM begins as early as primary school.

    Similarly, while the Superstars of STEM initiative continues to receive investment, its focus remains on “inspiring” students through role models.

    Inspiration alone is not enough. We need a sustained, systemic approach that changes attitudes and builds structures to support and retain diverse students throughout their STEM journey.

    A key tool may have been left underfunded

    Of all the initiatives announced, the STEM Equity Monitor received the smallest share of funding, despite being the key tool for tracking Australia’s progress on diversity in STEM.

    The 2024 report still relies on some data last updated in 2022, reflecting a lack of commitment to maintaining a consistent, annual pulse on equity outcomes. Moreover, the monitor doesn’t provide intersectional analysis, limiting its ability to inform targeted, evidence-based actions.

    In principle, it still makes sense to shift Australia’s strategy on diversity in STEM towards a more intersectional and systemic approach. However, the practical steps taken so far don’t seem to align with that vision. Funding decisions, program closures, and limited investment in data and accountability tools suggest a disconnect between intent and implementation.

    Without clear action plans, inclusive design – which ensures STEM initiatives genuinely serve people of all backgrounds – and robust monitoring, there is a risk the new direction will be symbolic rather than transformative.

    Maria Vieira has previously received funding from the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship Round 3 Grant from the Australian Government.

    – ref. One year ago, Australia scrapped a key equity in STEM program. Where are we now? – https://theconversation.com/one-year-ago-australia-scrapped-a-key-equity-in-stem-program-where-are-we-now-257977

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Chairs Missouri District Judge Nominations Hearing  

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Wednesday, June 04, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) chaired the Judiciary Committee nominations hearing featuring the four Missourians President Trump has tapped to serve as district judges for Missouri–his first tranche of judicial nominees. 
    The nominees are:
    Maria A. Lanahan, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri
    Cristian M. Stevens, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri
    Joshua M. Divine, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
    Zachary M. Bluestone, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri
    These individuals would fill judicial positions that have been vacant throughout the Biden Administration. Since the beginning of the year, Senator Hawley has worked closely with the Trump White House to ensure that appointments to Missouri vacancies are prioritized.

    Meet the 4 outstanding Missourians Trump tapped as his FIRST judicial nominees: Josh Divine, Maria Lanahan, Zachary Bluestone & Cris Stevens
    We’ve waited four long years for these judges. We WILL get them confirmed. And they will be a great credit to Missouri pic.twitter.com/OuC5mqAT1g
    — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 4, 2025

    Senator Hawley also had a memorable exchange on Title IX protections with Whitney D. Hermandorfer, nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. Senator Hawley highlighted her record of defending legislation to safeguard women’s sports and opportunities from men who identify as women. 
    “I want to thank you for going to battle for our daughters, for going to battle for the women you played sports with, for standing up for this landmark legislation,”Senator Hawley said. 
    “When it comes to the litigation that you carried out on behalf of Tennessee … I think you did a great service, not just to Tennessee but for the nation,” Senator Hawley added. 
    Watch the full committee hearing here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New report highlights food safety system at work

    Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

    A report by New Zealand Food Safety identifies the recall of imported sesame seeds with the potential to cause Salmonella poisoning as last year’s biggest food safety event.

    The ‘Consumer-level food recalls annual report for 2024’, published today, says Salmonella was detected during routine testing by a New Zealand business importing the seeds.

    Consumer-level food recalls annual report for 2024 [PDF, 4.8 MB]

    “Thanks to the swift action of the team at New Zealand Food Safety, risk to the public was minimised. It was complex and meticulous work, involving testing and tracing potentially affected sesame seeds through the domestic market,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

    “As a result of these efforts potentially affected product was identified and removed from shelves. In total there were 15 related recalls where the seeds were used, including as ingredients in other products. Most importantly there were no confirmed reports of related illness.

    “Recalls are an important part of our work to protect consumers. New Zealand’s food safety system has a strong track record of keeping people safe and – given the volumes of food being produced, manufactured, and imported – incidences of related illness remain rare.

    “However, there are occasions when food safety issues occur, and that’s when we work quickly with food businesses to recall the affected product, removing it from the food supply chain and promoting public awareness.

    “Good regulations also play a key role. The rules for imported sesame seeds have recently been strengthened. They now receive more scrutiny at the border to help minimise the risk of Salmonella contamination.”

    Importing crushed sesame seeds

    The 2024 report shows New Zealand Food Safety supported food businesses to conduct 88 consumer-level food recalls.

    “It’s important to note that the number of recalls is not an accurate indicator of the level of risk to consumers. Numbers are dependent on many factors, including regulatory changes, business and public awareness of food-related problems, and reporting of those problems,” says Mr Arbuckle.

    Of the 88 recalls, 56 were initiated for domestically produced foods and 32 were for imported foods.

    Allergens in food were the leading cause for recalls in 2024, accounting for 46% of all recalls.

    “Food recalls are a sign that our food safety system is working to protect consumers,” says Mr Arbuckle.

    “You can help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts from the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page.

    Subscibe to food recall

    “With World Food Safety Day coming up on Saturday (7 June 2025) it’s a good time to make sure you’ve got the latest information to help keep you and yours safe.”

    Find details of recalled food products here:

    Recalled food products list

    By the numbers:

    • 88 consumer-level recalls in 2024.
    • Allergens were the leading cause for recalls in 2024 (40).
    • Gluten was the allergen that triggered the most recalls (12). 
    • 29 recalls were due to microbiological contamination.
    • 10 recalls were due to physical contamination.
    • 56 recalls were initiated from domestically produced foods and 32 recalls were from imported foods.

    Read the full report here:

    Consumer-level food recalls annual report 2024 [PDF, 4.8 MB]

    For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

    For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Jun 5, 2025 0100 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

     For best viewing experience, please enable browser JavaScript support.

    Jun 5, 2025 0100 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Updated: Thu Jun 5 00:33:04 UTC 2025 (Print Version |   |  )

    Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table

     Forecast Discussion

    SPC AC 050033

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0733 PM CDT Wed Jun 04 2025

    Valid 050100Z – 051200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF
    THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS…

    …SUMMARY…
    Isolated severe thunderstorms are expected this evening across
    portions of the southern High Plains. Large hail and severe wind
    gusts are the primary concerns.

    …01z Update…

    Upper low that was located over the northern Baja Peninsula early
    this morning has deamplified and quickly sheared northeast as it
    tracks into western NM. Large-scale ascent ahead of this feature
    appears to be aiding several thunderstorm clusters along the Sangre
    de Cristo range, and more isolated activity now across the high
    Plains of northeast NM. ICECHIP sounding from TCC earlier this
    afternoon exhibited strong, deep-layer shear (50kt through 6km),
    with substantial veering in the lowest 1km. While buoyancy is not
    particularly strong on 00z sounding from AMA, wind profiles favor
    supercells and this activity should spread across northeast NM
    toward the southern TX Panhandle later this evening. Some longevity
    is expected as a LLJ is expected to increase across the High Plains
    after sunset. Hail and wind are the primary concerns.

    ..Darrow.. 06/05/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

    .html”>Latest Day 2 Outlook/Today’s Outlooks/Forecast Products/Home

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CORRECTION: Coast Guard responds to vessel fire offshore Adak, Alaska

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    News Release

    		  

    U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska
    Contact: 17th District Public Affairs
    Office: (907) 463-2065
    After Hours: (907) 463-2065
    17th District online newsroom

     

    06/04/2025 08:37 PM EDT

    Corrections: Updated vehicle numbers are 3,048 total vehicles, with 70 being fully electric vehicles and 681 being partial hybrid electric vehicles.  Vessel is Liberian-flagged and U.K.-managed The crew evacuated aboard a life boat, not life raft Zodiac Maritime is the vessel’s manager, not parent company KODIAK, Alaska — The Coast Guard is responding to a vessel fire approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Wednesday.   Watchstanders at the Seventeenth Coast Guard District command center received a distress alert Tuesday at approximately 3:15 p.m. reporting a fire aboard the cargo ship Morning Midas, a 600-foot Liberian-flagged and U.K. managed cargo vessel with 22 crew members and reportedly carrying several thousand vehicles. Watchstanders immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast requesting assistance from vessels in the vicinity of the Morning Midas. Three good Samaritan vessels responded to the incident.  Watchstanders also diverted the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) to the area, directed the launch of a C-130J Super Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, and positioned an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew in Adak. All 22 crew members aboard the Morning Midas evacuated the ship aboard a life boat and were subsequently rescued by the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, one of the good Samaritan vessels on scene, with no reported injuries. The status of the fire is currently unknown, but smoke is still emanating from the vessel. “As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel’s manager, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel,” said Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District. “We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives.” The Morning Midas is estimated to have approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) onboard. They are also reportedly carrying a total of 3,048 vehicles, with 70 being fully electric vehicles and 681 being partial hybrid electric vehicles. This is based on reports to the Coast Guard and is subject to change pending the development of any new information.  The Coast Guard is working with the Morning Midas’s manager Zodiac Maritime to coordinate recovery efforts of the vessel. Zodiac Maritime can be contacted via email at media@navigateresponse.com or by phone at 44-207-283-9915 or 65-6222-6375.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 06/4/2025 Blackburn Introduces Legislation to Protect Federal Law Enforcement Officers from Doxxing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act to make it illegal to dox federal law enforcement officials following the dangerous actions of Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and his office to publicly release the names of law enforcement officers last week. This puts them at a higher risk of being targeted by criminal gangs, including MS-13 and Tren De Aragua.
    “Blue city mayors are doing everything they can to obstruct the Trump administration’s efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens,” said Senator Blackburn. “Just last week, Nashville Mayor O’Connell and his office doxxed federal law enforcement officers after the Trump administration worked with Tennessee Highway Patrol to arrest criminal illegal aliens. My Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act would make this illegal and hold blue city mayors accountable for obstructing enforcement of our immigration laws by putting law enforcement officers in harm’s way.”
    BACKGROUND
    Last year, an illegal alien from Mexico was charged with criminal homicide and evidence tampering after Nashville restaurant owner, Matt Carney, was tragically killed in a hit-and-run crash. Just a few months earlier, another illegal alien was charged with attempted kidnapping, sexual battery, public intoxication, and evading arrest after he followed a woman into the bathroom and groped her at the Nashville Sundae Club in the Gulch.
    Click here for a list of examples of the criminal illegal aliens who were arrested during a joint operation in Nashville by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, including convicted rapists, drug dealers, and individuals affiliated with MS-13. Senator Blackburn praised this operation in a recent column published by The Tennessean.
    Following this operation, Mayor O’Connell and his office doxxed federal law enforcement officers, putting them at risk of being targeted by criminal gangs. 
    Senator Blackburn has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the actions of Mayor O’Connell and his office for attempting to undermine President Trump and ICE’s work to get dangerous criminals out of Tennessee communities.
    THE PROTECTING LAW ENFORCEMENT FROM DOXXING ACT
    The Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act would make it illegal to publish the name of a federal law enforcement officer with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration operation.
    Under this legislation, an individual found guilty of doxxing a federal law enforcement officer would face a fine and/or imprisonment of five years. 
    Click here for bill text.
    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Facing Extreme Hurricane & Wildfire Seasons, Cantwell Slams Admin’s Erosion of Weather Forecasting: “NOAA Has Been Transparent That They Can’t Keep Up”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    06.04.25
    Facing Extreme Hurricane & Wildfire Seasons, Cantwell Slams Admin’s Erosion of Weather Forecasting: “NOAA Has Been Transparent That They Can’t Keep Up”
    Meteorologists from WA, OK and FL sound the alarm on laying off 100s of National Weather Service employees, creating unprecedented staffing shortages; Earlier today, Trump’s Commerce Secretary misled a Senate subcommittee that NOAA was “fully staffed” heading into hurricane & wildfire season
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined renowned meteorologists from across the country for a virtual presser to sound the alarm on cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) as the United States heads into peak hurricane and wildfire season – and call on the Trump Administration to restore the agency to full capacity.
    “We have already seen these impacts from the Administration failing to heed these warnings. For at least a half a century, the National Weather Service has provided forecasts for 24 hours a day, seven days a week — until now. At least eight weather forecasting offices no longer have a meteorologist to cover overnight shifts. They are planning on eliminating the NOAA buoy program. You can’t map a hurricane if you don’t have the buoy information,” Sen. Cantwell said. “NOAA has been transparent that they can’t keep up. They have said that they can’t keep the lights on in a number of forecast offices. The Department of Commerce needs to be clear to the American people that the staffing shortages will impact our ability to compute that science [and] get those wildfire crews and emergency response where they need to go.”
    “We’re already a handful of days into the 2025 hurricane season. But the National Weather Service and NOAA are dealing with their own storm right now in the form of short staffing and budget cuts,” said Brian LaMarre, former Meteorologist in Charge in the Tampa Bay area. “There are eight [NWS offices] that are below a certain number of employees that work at that particular office, and that means that they can’t work 24/7 operations. That’s never before happened in my career.”
    “For the first time in 35 years, I have real concerns due to the staffing situation,” said Alan Gerard, a 35-year meteorologist with the NWS and the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, OK. “And the very fact that some offices aren’t able to operate 24/7 and that the administration has authorized these hires during a hiring freeze, tells you that there’s recognition that there’s serious shortages.”
    “I find it frankly shameful that we even have to have this sort of discussion,” said Jeff Renner, retired meteorologist of 39 years at KING 5 in Seattle. “More people such as you and I now utilize weather apps such as I have on my telephone, yet there is a lack of fundamental appreciation that most of those forecasts, if not all of them, stem from National Weather Service forecasts.”
    Video of today’s virtual press conference is available HERE; a transcript is HERE.
    Over the past several months, the NWS lost over 560 employees due to layoffs and retirements spurred by the Trump Administration. On Monday, they announced they’d hire 126 – amounting to “a flimsy band-aid,” Sen. Cantwell said.
    This dangerous decision to leave critical jobs unfilled comes as the National Interagency Fire Center, a partnership which includes NWS, released its Fire Maps for the next four months predicting above normal significant fire potential across the West, in Hawaii, the coasts of North and South Carolina, and parts of Texas and Florida. The National Weather Service predicts an above-normal hurricane season, which began June 1.  Last year, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, there were 27 weather disaster events that cost over $1 billion each and resulted in 568 deaths.
    Earlier this week, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) baffled his staff when he stated that he did not know that the United States had a hurricane season.
    And earlier today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testified in a Senate hearing and claimed, falsely, that NOAA is “fully staffed” heading into the summer.
    Lutnick was plainly incorrect:
    National Hurricane Center in Miami has at least five vacancies.
    At least eight NWS weather forecasting offices no longer have enough meteorologists to cover overnight shifts.
    30 of the 122 weather forecast offices don’t currently have a meteorologist-in-charge, their most experienced weather expert. Some of these vacancies are in major metropolitan areas such as New York City, Cleveland, Houston, and hurricane-prone Tampa.
    Since mid-March, at least 10 weather forecast offices have suspended or limited their weather balloon launches needed for daily forecasts.
    NOAA is short more than 90 staffers whose job is maintaining Doppler radar and automated airport weather sensors operational across the nation.
    Last Thursday, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter demanding that the Trump Administration immediately exempt the NWS from its current federal hiring freeze so that citizens and communities will not be left to fend for themselves without adequate warnings as both hurricane season and wildfire season rapidly approach.
    Monday’s action by the administration lifted the hiring freeze on 126 positions across four roles – meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists, and electronic technicians. However, many other important roles remain subject to the freeze, including credentialed mariners needed to safety operate NOAA research vessels, weather scientists, and weather satellite technicians. NOAA vessels and satellites are crucial to maintaining forecast and weather infrastructure needed for meteorologists to issue quality and timely forecasts. These firings also impact our economy, with a number of commercial fishing surveys cancelled this year, including for Alaska pollock and salmon. Elimination of surveys will take catch from fishing families, which will result in job loss and increased cost for consumers who want access to high-quality American seafood at their local markets and restaurants.
    Multiple recent reports have documented the impacts of the hiring freeze. The Washington Post reports that “Some…forecasting teams are so critically understaffed that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses for any staff willing to transfer to those offices, according to notices recently sent to employees…” And the New York Times found that “The National Weather Service is preparing for the probability that fewer forecast updates will be fine-tuned by specialists, among other cutbacks, because of ‘severe shortages’ of meteorologists and other employees, according to an internal agency document.” These reports make clear that action must be taken immediately to avoid a catastrophic gap in capacity in the face of a future storm or wildfire.
    In February, Sen. Cantwell sent Lutnick a letter warning of the likelihood of this exact situation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The secret to Ukraine’s battlefield successes against Russia – it knows wars are never won in the past

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Matthew Sussex, Associate Professor (Adj), Griffith Asia Institute; and Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    The iconoclastic American general Douglas Macarthur once said that “wars are never won in the past”.

    That sentiment certainly seemed to ring true following Ukraine’s recent audacious attack on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, using small, cheap drones housed in wooden pods and transported near Russian airfields in trucks.

    The synchronised operation targeted Russian Air Force planes as far away as Irkutsk – more than 5,000 kilometres from Ukraine. Early reports suggest around a third of Russia’s long-range bombers were either destroyed or badly damaged. Russian military bloggers have put the estimated losses lower, but agree the attack was catastrophic for the Russian Air Force, which has struggled to adapt to Ukrainian tactics.

    This particular attack was reportedly 18 months in the making. To keep it secret was an extraordinary feat. Notably, Kyiv did not inform the United States that the attack was in the offing. The Ukrainians judged – perhaps understandably – that sharing intelligence on their plans could have alerted the Kremlin in relatively short order.

    Ukraine’s success once again demonstrates that its armed forces and intelligence services are the modern masters of battlefield innovation and operational security.

    Finding new solutions

    Western military planners have been carefully studying Ukraine’s successes ever since its forces managed to blunt Russia’s initial onslaught deep into its territory in early 2022, and then launched a stunning counteroffensive that drove the Russian invaders back towards their original starting positions.

    There have been other lessons, too, about how the apparently weak can stand up to the strong. These include:

    • attacks on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vanity project, the Kerch Bridge, linking the Russian mainland to occupied Crimea (the last assault occurred just days ago)

    • the relentless targeting of Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure with drones

    • attacks against targets in Moscow to remind the Russian populace about the war, and

    • its incursion into the Kursk region, which saw Ukrainian forces capture around 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory.

    On each occasion, Western defence analysts have questioned the wisdom of Kyiv’s moves.

    Why invade Russia using your best troops when Moscow’s forces continue laying waste to cities in Ukraine?

    Why hit Russia’s energy infrastructure if it doesn’t markedly impede the battlefield mobility of Russian forces?

    And why attack symbolic targets like bridges when it could provoke Putin into dangerous “escalation”?

    The answer to this is the key to effective innovation during wartime. Ukraine’s defence and security planners have interpreted their missions – and their best possible outcomes – far more accurately than conventional wisdom would have thought.

    Above all, they have focused on winning the war they are in, rather than those of the past. This means:

    • using technological advancements to force the Russians to change their tactics

    • shaping the information environment to promote their narratives and keep vital Western aid flowing, and

    • deploying surprise attacks not just as ways to boost public morale, but also to impose disproportionate costs on the Russian state.

    The impact of Ukraine’s drone attack

    In doing so, Ukraine has had an eye for strategic effects. As the smaller nation reliant on international support, this has been the only logical choice.

    Putin has been prepared to commit a virtually inexhaustible supply of expendable cannon fodder to continue his country’s war ad infinitum. Russia has typically won its wars this way – by attrition – albeit at a tremendous human and material cost.

    That said, Ukraine’s most recent surprise attack does not change the overall contours of the war. The only person with the ability to end it is Putin himself.

    That’s why Ukraine is putting as much pressure as possible on his regime, as well as domestic and international perceptions of it. It is key to Ukraine’s theory of victory.

    This is also why the latest drone attack is so significant. Russia needs its long-range bomber fleet, not just to fire conventional cruise missiles at Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets, but as aerial delivery systems for its strategic nuclear arsenal.

    The destruction of even a small portion of Russia’s deterrence capability has the potential to affect its nuclear strategy. It has increasingly relied on this strategy to threaten the West.

    A second impact of the attack is psychological. The drone attacks are more likely to enrage Putin than bring him to the bargaining table. However, they reinforce to the Russian military that there are few places – even on its own soil – that its air force can act with operational impunity.

    The surprise attacks also provide a shot in the arm domestically, reminding Ukrainians they remain very much in the fight.

    Finally, the drone attacks send a signal to Western leaders. US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, for instance, have gone to great lengths to tell the world that Ukraine is weak and has “no cards”. This action shows Kyiv does indeed have some powerful cards to play.

    That may, of course, backfire: after all, Trump is acutely sensitive to being made to look a fool. He may look unkindly at resuming military aid to Ukraine after being shown up for saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be forced to capitulate without US support.

    But Trump’s own hubris has already done that for him. His regular claims that a peace deal is just weeks away have gone beyond wishful thinking and are now monotonous.

    Unsurprisingly, Trump’s reluctance to put anything approaching serious pressure on Putin has merely incentivised the Russian leader to string the process along.

    Indeed, Putin’s insistence on a maximalist victory, requiring Ukrainian demobilisation and disarmament without any security guarantees for Kyiv, is not diplomacy at all. It is merely the reiteration of the same unworkable demands he has made since even before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

    However, Ukraine’s ability to smuggle drones undetected onto an opponent’s territory, and then unleash them all together, will pose headaches for Ukraine’s friends, as well as its enemies.

    That’s because it makes domestic intelligence and policing part of any effective defence posture. It is a contingency democracies will have to plan for, just as much as authoritarian regimes, who are also learning from Ukraine’s lessons.

    In other words, while the attack has shown up Russia’s domestic security services for failing to uncover the plan, Western security elites, as well as authoritarian ones, will now be wondering whether their own security apparatuses would be up to the job.

    The drone strikes will also likely lead to questions about how useful it is to invest in high-end and extraordinarily expensive weapons systems when they can be vulnerable. The Security Service of Ukraine estimates the damage cost Russia US$7 billion (A$10.9 billion). Ukraine’s drones, by comparison, cost a couple of thousand dollars each.

    At the very least, coming up with a suitable response to those challenges will require significant thought and effort. But as Ukraine has repeatedly shown us, you can’t win wars in the past.

    Matthew Sussex has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Atlantic Council, the Fulbright Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, the Lowy Institute and various Australian government departments and agencies.

    – ref. The secret to Ukraine’s battlefield successes against Russia – it knows wars are never won in the past – https://theconversation.com/the-secret-to-ukraines-battlefield-successes-against-russia-it-knows-wars-are-never-won-in-the-past-258172

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Unprecedented heat in the North Atlantic Ocean kickstarted Europe’s hellish 2023 summer. Now we know what caused it

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Matthew England, Scientia Professor and Deputy Director of the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, UNSW Sydney

    Westend61/Getty Images

    In June 2023, a record-breaking marine heatwave swept across the North Atlantic Ocean, smashing previous temperature records.

    Soon after, deadly heatwaves broke out across large areas of Europe, and torrential rains and flash flooding devastated parts of Spain and Eastern Europe. That year Switzerland lost more than 4% of its total glacier volume, and severe bushfires broke out around the Mediterranean.

    It wasn’t just Europe that was impacted. The coral reefs of the Caribbean were bleaching under severe heat stress. And hurricanes, fuelled by ocean heat, intensified into disasters. For example, Hurricane Idalia hit Florida in August 2023 – causing 12 deaths and an estimated US$3.6 billion in damages.

    Today, in a paper published in Nature, we uncover what drove this unprecedented marine heatwave.

    A strange discovery

    In a strange twist to the global warming story, there is a region of the North Atlantic Ocean to the southeast of Greenland that has been cooling over the last 50 to 100 years.

    This so-called “cold blob” or “warming hole” has been linked to the weakening of what’s known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation – a system of ocean currents that conveys warm water from the equator towards the poles.

    During July 2023 we met as a team to analyse this cold blob – how deep it reaches and how robust it is as a measure of the strength of the Atlantic overturning circulation – when it became clear there was a strong reversal of the historical cooling trend. The cold blob had warmed to 2°C above average.

    But was that a sign the overturning circulation had been reinvigorated? Or was something else going on?

    A layered story

    It soon became clear the anomalous warm temperatures southeast of Greenland were part of an unprecedented marine heatwave that had developed across much of the North Atlantic Ocean. By July, basin-averaged warming in the North Atlantic reached 1.4°C above normal, almost double the previous record set in 2010.

    To uncover what was behind these record breaking temperatures, we combined estimates of the atmospheric conditions that prevailed during the heatwave, such as winds and cloud cover, with ocean observations and model simulations.

    We were especially interested in understanding what was happening in the mixed upper layer of water of the ocean, which is strongly affected by the atmosphere.

    Distinct from the deeper layer of cold water, the ocean’s surface mixed layer warms as it’s exposed to more sunlight during spring and summer. But the rate at which this warming happens depends on its thickness. If it’s thick, it will warm more gradually; if it’s thin, rapid warming can ensue.

    During summer the thickness of this surface mixed layer is largely set by winds. Winds churn up the surface ocean and the stronger they are the deeper the mixing penetrates, so strong winds create a think upper layer and weak winds generate a shallower layer.

    Sea surface temperature anomaly (°C) for the month of June 2023, relative to the 1991–2020 reference period.
    Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF

    Thinning at the surface

    Our new research indicates that the primary driver of the marine heatwave was record-breaking weak winds across much of the basin. The winds were at their weakest measured levels during June and July, possibly linked to a developing El Niño in the east Pacific Ocean.

    This led to by far the shallowest upper layer on record. Data from the Argo Program – a global array of nearly 4,000 robotic floats that measure the temperature and salinity in the upper 2,000 metres of the ocean – showed in some areas this layer was only ten metres deep, compared to the usual 20 to 40 metres deep.

    This caused the sun to heat the thin surface layer far more rapidly than usual.

    In addition to these short term changes in 2023, previous research has shown long-term warming associated with anthropogenic climate change is reducing the ability of winds to mix the upper ocean, causing it to gradually thin.

    We also identified a possible secondary driver of more localised warming during the 2023 marine heatwave: above-average solar radiation hitting the ocean. This could be linked in part with the introduction of new international rules in 2020 to reduce sulfate emissions from ships.

    The aim of these rules was to reduce air pollution from ship’s exhaust systems. But sulfate aerosols also reflect solar radiation and can lead to cloud formation. The resultant clearer skies can then lead to more ocean warming.

    Early warning signs

    The extreme 2023 heatwave provides a preview of the future. Marine heatwaves are expected to worsen as Earth continues to warm due to greenhouse gas emissions, with devastating impacts on marine ecosystems such as coral reefs and fisheries. This also means more intense hurricanes – and more intense land-based heatwaves.

    Right now, although the “cold blob” to the southeast of Greenland has returned, parts of the North Atlantic remain significantly warmer than the average. There is a particularly warm patch of water off the coast of the United Kingdom, with temperatures up to 4°C above normal. And this is likely priming Europe for extreme land-based heatwaves this summer.

    Global ocean temperatures on June 2 2025. A patch of abnormally warm water is visible off the southern coast of the United Kingdom.
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    To better understand, forecast and plan for the impacts of marine heatwaves, long-term ocean and atmospheric data and models, including those provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States, are crucial. In fact, without these data and models, our new study would not have been possible.

    Despite this, NOAA faces an uncertain future. A proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year released by the White House last month could mean devastating funding cuts of more than US$1.5 billion – mostly targeting climate-based research and data collection.

    This would be a disaster for monitoring our oceans and climate system, right at a time when change is severe, unprecedented, and proving very costly.

    Matthew England receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Alex Sen Gupta receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Andrew Kiss receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Zhi Li receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Unprecedented heat in the North Atlantic Ocean kickstarted Europe’s hellish 2023 summer. Now we know what caused it – https://theconversation.com/unprecedented-heat-in-the-north-atlantic-ocean-kickstarted-europes-hellish-2023-summer-now-we-know-what-caused-it-258061

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –