Category: Education

MIL-OSI Analysis: Iran war: from the Middle East to America, history shows you cannot assassinate your way to peace

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University

In the late 1960s, the prevailing opinion among Israeli Shin Bet intelligence officers was that the key to defeating the Palestinian Liberation Organisation was to assassinate its then-leader Yasser Arafat.

The elimination of Arafat, the Shin Bet commander Yehuda Arbel wrote in his diary, was “a precondition to finding a solution to the Palestinian problem.”

For other, even more radical Israelis – such as the ultra-nationalist assassin Yigal Amir – the answer lay elsewhere. They sought the assassination of Israeli leaders such as Yitzak Rabin who wanted peace with the Palestinians.

Despite Rabin’s long personal history as a famed and often ruthless military commander in the 1948 and 1967 Arab-Israeli Wars, Amir stalked and shot Rabin dead in 1995. He believed Rabin had betrayed Israel by signing the Oslo Accords peace deal with Arafat.

It’s been 20 years since Arafat died as possibly the victim of polonium poisoning, and 30 years after the shooting of Rabin. Peace between Israelis and the Palestinians has never been further away.

What Amnesty International and a United Nations Special Committee have called genocidal attacks on Palestinians in Gaza have spilled over into Israeli attacks on the prominent leaders of its enemies in Lebanon and, most recently, Iran.

Since its attacks on Iran began on Friday, Israel has killed numerous military and intelligence leaders, including Iran’s intelligence chief, Mohammad Kazemi; the chief of the armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri; and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami. At least nine Iranian nuclear scientists have also been killed.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said:

We got their chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran.

Iran, predictably, has responded with deadly missile attacks on Israel.

Far from having solved the issue of Middle East peace, assassinations continue to pour oil on the flames.

A long history of extra-judicial killings

Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman’s book Rise and Kill First argues assassinations have long sat at the heart of Israeli politics.

In the past 75 years, there have been more than 2,700 assassination operations undertaken by Israel. These have, in Bergman’s words, attempted to “stop history” and bypass “statesmanship and political discourse”.

This normalisation of assassinations has been codified in the Israeli expression of “mowing the grass”. This is, as historian Nadim Rouhana has shown, a metaphor for a politics of constant assassination. Enemy “leadership and military facilities must regularly be hit in order to keep them weak.”

The point is not to solve the underlying political questions at issue. Instead, this approach aims to sow fear, dissent and confusion among enemies.

Thousands of assassination operations have not, however, proved sufficient to resolve the long-running conflict between Israel, its neighbours and the Palestinians. The tactic itself is surely overdue for retirement.

Targeted assassinations elsewhere

Israel has been far from alone in this strategy of assassination and killing.

Former US President Barack Obama oversaw the extra-judicial killing of Osama Bin Laden, for instance.

After what Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch denounced as a flawed trial, former US President George W. Bush welcomed the hanging of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as “an important milestone on Iraq’s course to becoming a democracy”.

Current US President Donald Trump oversaw the assassination of Iran’s leader of clandestine military operations, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020.

More recently, however, Trump appears to have baulked at granting Netanyahu permission to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

And it’s worth noting the US Department of Justice last year brought charges against an Iranian man who said he’d been tasked with killing Trump.

Elsewhere, in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, it’s common for senior political and media opponents to be shot in the streets. Frequently they also “fall” out of high windows, are killed in plane crashes or succumb to mystery “illnesses”.

A poor record

Extra-judicial killings, however, have a poor record as a mechanism for solving political problems.

Cutting off the hydra’s head has generally led to its often immediate replacement by another equally or more ideologically committed person, as has already happened in Iran. Perhaps they too await the next round of “mowing the grass”.

But as the latest Israeli strikes in Iran and elsewhere show, solving the underlying issue is rarely the point.

In situations where finding a lasting negotiated settlement would mean painful concessions or strategic risks, assassinations prove simply too tempting. They circumvent the difficulties and complexities of diplomacy while avoiding the need to concede power or territory.

As many have concluded, however, assassinations have never killed resistance. They have never killed the ideas and experiences that give birth to resistance in the first place.

Nor have they offered lasting security to those who have ordered the lethal strike.

Enduring security requires that, at some point, someone grasp the nettle and look to the underlying issues.

The alternative is the continuation of the brutal pattern of strike and counter-strike for generations to come.

Matt Fitzpatrick receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. Iran war: from the Middle East to America, history shows you cannot assassinate your way to peace – https://theconversation.com/iran-war-from-the-middle-east-to-america-history-shows-you-cannot-assassinate-your-way-to-peace-259038

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: The Middle East is a major flight hub. How do airlines keep passengers safe during conflict?

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Natasha Heap, Program Director for the Bachelor of Aviation, University of Southern Queensland

Screenshot June 17 2025, Courtesy of Flightradar24

The Middle East is a region of intense beauty and ancient kingdoms. It has also repeatedly endured periods of geopolitical instability over many centuries.

Today, geopolitical, socio-political and religious tensions persist. The world is currently watching as longstanding regional tensions come to a head in the shocking and escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

The global airline industry takes a special interest in how such tensions play out. This airspace is a crucial corridor linking Europe, Asia and Africa.

The Middle East is now home to several of the world’s largest international airlines: Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. These airlines’ home bases – Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, respectively – have become pivotal hubs in international aviation.

Keeping passengers safe will be all airlines’ highest priority. What could an escalating conflict mean for both the airlines and the travelling public?

Safety first

History shows that the civil airline industry and military conflict do not mix. On July 3 1988, the USS Vincennes, a US navy warship, fired two surface-to-air missiles and shot down Iran Air Flight 655, an international passenger service over the Persian Gulf.

More recently, on July 17 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine as the battle between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists continued.

Understandably, global airlines are very risk-averse when it comes to military conflict. The International Civil Aviation Organization requires airlines to implement and maintain a Safety Management System (SMS).

One of the main concerns – known as “pillars” – of the SMS is “safety risk management”. This includes the processes to identify hazards, assess risks and implement risk mitigation strategies.

The risk-management departments of airlines transiting the Middle East region will have been working hard on these strategies.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, the International Civil Aviation Organization has strict requirements and protocols to keep passengers safe.
meunierd/Shutterstock

Route recalculation

The most immediate and obvious evidence of such strategies being put in place are changes to aircraft routing, either by cancelling or suspending flights or making changes to the flight plans. This is to ensure aircraft avoid the airspace where military conflicts are flaring.

At the time of writing, a quick look at flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows global aircraft traffic avoiding the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon. The airspace over Ukraine is also devoid of air traffic.

Rerouting, however, creates its own challenges. Condensing the path of the traffic into smaller, more congested areas can push aircraft into and over areas that are not necessarily equipped to deal with such a large increase in traffic.

Having more aircraft in a smaller amount of available safe airspace creates challenges for air traffic control services and the pilots operating the aircraft.

More time and fuel

Avoiding areas of conflict is one of the most visible forms of airline risk management. This may add time to the length of a planned flight, leading to higher fuel consumption and other logistical challenges. This will add to the airlines’ operating costs.

There will be no impact on the cost of tickets already purchased. But if the instability in the region continues, we may see airline ticket prices increase.

It is not just the avoidance of airspace in the region that could place upward pressure on the cost of flying. Airliners run on Jet-A1 fuel, produced from oil.

If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint”, this could see the cost of oil, and in turn Jet-A1, significantly increase. Increasing fuel costs will be passed on the paying passenger. However, some experts believe such a move is unlikely.

A major hub

The major aviation hubs in the Middle East provide increased global connectivity, enabling passengers to travel seamlessly between continents.

Increased regional instability has the potential to disrupt this global connectivity. In the event of a prolonged conflict, airlines operating in and around the region may find they have increased insurance costs. Such costs would eventually find their way passed on to consumers through higher ticket prices.

The Middle East is a major connecting hub for global aviation.
Art Konovalov/Shutterstock

Passenger confidence

Across the globe, airlines and governments are issuing travel advisories and warnings. The onus is on the travelling public to stay informed about changes to flight status, and potential delays.

Such warnings and advisories can lead to a drop in passenger confidence, which may then lead to a drop in bookings both into and onwards from the region.

Until the increase in instability in the Middle East, global airline passenger traffic numbers were larger than pre-pandemic figures. Strong growth had been predicted in the coming decades.

Anything that results in falling passenger confidence could negatively impact these figures, leading to slowed growth and affecting airline profitability.

Despite high-profile disasters, aviation remains the safest form of transport. As airlines deal with these challenges they will constantly work to keep flights safe and to win back passenger confidence in this unpredictable situation.

Natasha Heap 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 Middle East is a major flight hub. How do airlines keep passengers safe during conflict? – https://theconversation.com/the-middle-east-is-a-major-flight-hub-how-do-airlines-keep-passengers-safe-during-conflict-259034

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Dopamine can make it hard to put down our phone or abandon the online shopping cart. Here’s why

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney

Vardan Papikyan/Unsplash

Ever find yourself unable to stop scrolling through your phone, chasing that next funny video or interesting post?

Or maybe you’ve felt a rush of excitement when you achieve a goal, eat a delicious meal, or fill your online shopping cart.

Why do some experiences feel so rewarding, while others leave us feeling flat? Well, dopamine might be responsible for that. Here’s what it does in our brains and bodies.

It’s a chemical messenger

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter – a chemical messenger that facilitates communication between the brain and the central nervous system. It sends messages between different parts of your nervous system, helping your body and brain coordinate everything from your movement to your mood.

Dopamine is most known for its role in short-term pleasure, and the boost we get from things such as eating tasty foods, drinking alcohol, scrolling social media or falling in love.

Dopamine also assists with learning, maintaining focus and attention, and helps us store memories.

It even plays a role in kidney function by regulating the levels of salt and water we excrete.

Conversely, low levels of dopamine have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

How dopamine motivates us to pursue pleasure

Dopamine is not just active when we do pleasurable things. It’s active beforehand and it drives us to pursue pleasure.

Say I go to a cafe and decide to buy a doughnut. When I bite into the doughnut, it tastes fantastic. Dopamine surges and I experience pleasure.

The next time I walk past the cafe, dopamine is already active. It remembers the doughnut I had last time and how delicious it was. Dopamine drives me to walk back into the cafe, purchase another doughnut and eat it.

Dopamine drives us to do things that felt good last time.
Fotios Photos/Pexels

From an evolutionary perspective, dopamine was incredibly important and it ensured survival of the species. It motivated behaviours such as hunting and foraging for food. It reinforced the pursuit of finding shelter and safety and keeping away from predators. And it motivated people to seek out mates and to reproduce.

However, modern technology has amplified the effects of dopamine, leading to negative consequences. Activities such as excessive social media use, gambling, consuming alcohol, drug use, sex, pornography and gaming can stimulate dopamine release, creating cycles of addiction and compulsive behaviours.

Our dopamine levels can vary

Our brain is constantly releasing small amounts of dopamine at a “baseline” rate. This is because dopamine is crucial to the functioning of our brain and body, irrespective of pleasure.

Everyone has a different baseline, influenced by genetic factors such as our DRD2 dopamine receptor genes. Some people produce and metabolise dopamine faster than other people. Our baseline levels can also be influenced by sleep, nutrition and stress in our lives.

Given we all have a baseline of dopamine, our experience of pleasure at any given time is relative to our baseline rate and relative to what has come before.

If I play games on my phone all morning and get a dopamine release from that, then I eat something tasty for morning tea, I may not experience the same level of fulfilment or enjoyment that I would have had I not played those games.

The brain works hard to regulate itself and it won’t allow us to be in a constant state of dopamine “highs”. This means we can build a tolerance to certain exciting activities if we seek them out too much, as the brain wants to avoid being in a state of constant dopamine “highs”.

Healthy ways to get a dopamine boost

Thankfully, there are healthy, non-addictive ways to boost your dopamine levels.

Exercise is one of the most effective methods for boosting dopamine naturally. Physical activities such as walking, running, cycling, or even dancing can trigger the release of dopamine, leading to improved mood and greater motivation.

Running can also give you a dopamine boost.
Leandro Boogalu/Pexels

Research has shown listening to music you enjoy makes your brain release more dopamine, giving you a pleasurable experience.

And of course, spending time with people whose company we enjoy is another great way to activate dopamine.

Incorporating these habits into daily life can support your brain’s natural dopamine production and help you enjoy lasting improvements in motivation, mood and overall health.

Anastasia Hronis is the author of The Dopamine Brain: Your Science-Backed Guide to Balancing Pleasure and Purpose, published by Penguin Books Aus & NZ.

– ref. Dopamine can make it hard to put down our phone or abandon the online shopping cart. Here’s why – https://theconversation.com/dopamine-can-make-it-hard-to-put-down-our-phone-or-abandon-the-online-shopping-cart-heres-why-254811

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Jaws at 50: how two musical notes terrified an entire generation

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Alison Cole, Composer and Lecturer in Screen Composition, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney

Universal Pictures

Our experience of the world often involves hearing our environment before seeing it. Whether it’s the sound of something moving through nearby water, or the rustling of vegetation, our fear of the unseen is rooted in our survival instincts as a species.

Cinematic sound and music taps into these somewhat unsettling instincts – and this is exactly what director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams achieved in the iconic 1975 thriller Jaws. The sound design and musical score work in tandem to confront the audience with a mysterious killer animal.

In what is arguably the film’s most iconic scene, featuring beach swimmers’ legs flailing underwater, the shark remains largely unseen – yet the sound perfectly conveys the threat at large.

Creating tension in a soundtrack

Film composers aim to create soundscapes that will profoundly move and influence their audience. And they express these intentions through the use of musical elements such as rhythm, harmony, tempo, form, dynamics, melody and texture.

In Jaws, the initial encounter with the shark opens innocently with the sound of an offshore buoy and its clanging bell. The scene is established both musically and atmospherically to evoke a sense of isolation for the two characters enjoying a late-night swim on an empty beach.

But once we hear the the low strings, followed by the central two-note motif played on a tuba, we know something sinister is afoot.

This compositional technique of alternating between two notes at an increasing speed has long been employed by composers, including by Antonín Dvořák in his 1893 work New World Symphony.

John Williams reportedly used six basses, eight cellos, four trombones and a tuba to create the blend of low frequencies that would go on to define his entire Jaws score.

The bass instruments emphasise the lower end of the musical frequency spectrum, evoking a dark timbre that conveys depth, power and intensity. String players can use various bowing techniques, such as staccato and marcato, to deliver dark and even menacing tones, especially in the lower registers.

Meanwhile, there is a marked absence of tonality in the repeating E–F notes, played with increasing speed on the tuba. Coupled with the intensifying dynamics in the instrumental blend, this accelerating two-note motif signals the looming danger before we even see it – tapping into our instinctive fear of the unknown.

The use of the two-note motif and lower-end orchestration characterises a composition style that aims to unsettle and disorientate the audience. Another example of this style can be heard in Bernard Herrmann’s car crash scene audio in North by Northwest (1959).

Similarly, in Sergei Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, the opening of the second movement (Dance of the Pagan Gods) uses an alternating D#–E motif.

The elasticity of Williams’ motif allows the two notes to be played on different instruments throughout the soundtrack, exploring various timbral possibilities to induce a kaleidoscope of fear, panic and dread.

The psychology behind our response

What is it that makes the Jaws soundtrack so psychologically confronting, even without the visuals? Music scholars have various theories. Some suggest the two notes imitate the sound of human respiration, while others have proposed the theme evokes the heartbeat of a shark.

Williams explained his approach in an interview with the Los Angeles Times:

I fiddled around with the idea of creating something that was very … brainless […] Meaning something could be very repetitious, very visceral, and grab you in your gut, not in your brain. […] It could be something you could play very softly, which would indicate that the shark is far away when all you see is water. Brainless music that gets louder and gets closer to you, something is gonna swallow you up.

Williams plays with the audience’s emotions throughout the film’s score, culminating in the scene Man Against Beast – a celebration of thematic development and heightened orchestration.

The film’s iconic soundtrack has created a legacy that extends beyond the visual. And this suggests the score isn’t just a soundtrack – but a character in its own right.

By using music to reveal what is hidden, Williams creates an intense emotional experience rife with anticipation and tension. The score’s two-note motif showcases his genius – and serves as a sonic shorthand that has kept a generation behind the breakers of every beach.

Alison Cole 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. Jaws at 50: how two musical notes terrified an entire generation – https://theconversation.com/jaws-at-50-how-two-musical-notes-terrified-an-entire-generation-258068

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Computers tracking us, people as data points: Gilles Deleuze’s 1990 Postcript on the Societies of Control was eerily prescient

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Cameron Shackell, Sessional Academic, School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology

Our cultural touchstones series looks at influential works.

Gilles Deleuze was one of the most original and imaginative thinkers of postwar France. A lifelong teacher, he spent most of his career at the University of Paris VIII, influencing generations of students but largely shunning the mantle of public intellectual.

His complex, creative books mix philosophy, literature, film and politics – not to give clear answers, but to spark new ways of thinking.

Postscript on the Societies of Control, published 35 years ago in the countercultural L’Autre Journal is Deleuze at his most accessible and prophetic.

Written at a time when the Cold War was ending, computers were becoming more common, and the internet was beginning to connect institutions, the essay describes the emergence of a new kind of society – one not ruled by a single stern voice but by the soft hum of networks.

How societies work

Postscript was written as an update to the work of Deleuze’s contemporary Michel Foucault, who had died in 1984. Deleuze called it a “postscript” not just because of its brevity (it’s only around 2,300 words in English translation) but to highlight he wasn’t refuting Foucault, just building on his work.

Gilles Deleuze.
Tintinades/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

From the 18th to early 20th centuries, Foucault had argued, Western societies were “disciplinary societies”. Schools, factories, prisons and hospitals – institutions with walls, schedules, routines and clear expectations – moulded behaviour. People were trained, observed, tested and corrected as they passed from one institution to the next.

Read more:
‘A dark masterpiece’: Foucault’s Discipline and Punish at 50

But in the late 20th century, Deleuze saw something shifting. He thought the stodgy old disciplinary institutions were “in a generalized crisis” due to technological advances and a new form of capitalism that demanded more flexibility in workers and consumers.

New systems of management and technology were starting to reshape people without sending them through traditional institutions. Deleuze wrote presciently, for example, that “perpetual training tends to replace the school, and continuous control to replace the examination”.

In business, he saw a growing idea of “salary according to merit”, transforming work into “challenges, contests, and highly comic group sessions” – something much at odds with the old model of the standard wage and the assembly line. Traditional government institutions like hospitals and the classic factory were embracing the model of the corporation, driven always by a profit motive and the need for better human tools.

To Deleuze, all this meant people were becoming more “free-floating” – they could be still playing socially useful roles but were being gently steered into them. This greater freedom, however, required a new system to keep everyone in line. He called this “modulation” to underline its dynamic, enveloping nature.

Like nudging, but everywhere

Deleuze described modulation as “a self-deforming cast that will continuously change from one moment to the other”. He meant that people were beginning to live in an environment where everything shape-shifts to encourage or discourage us in the right direction without explicitly putting up walls.

A prime example of how modulation has since become commonplace is nudging – the use of psychological techniques, often subtle and data-driven, to shape people’s behaviour.

Nudging didn’t really exist in 1990, but governments and tech companies use nudges all the time now. We’re nudged to eat healthier, buy, save, recycle, donate. Web sites use “dark patterns” – tricky designs that steer (or nudge) us toward certain choices. Social media feeds use algorithms to exclude us if we say the wrong thing. In fact, entire teams of behavioural scientists operate behind the scenes to manipulate many aspects of our lives.

Nudges can be good and can save us from poor choices, but their newfound moral acceptability (sometimes called libertarian paternalism) is very much a clue that Deleuze’s control society has arrived.

Control in your pocket

Deleuze, who died in 1995, wrote Postscript before the advent of the smartphone, but he foresaw that an “electronic collar” would assume a central role in society. He envisaged a “computer that tracks each person’s position – licit or illicit – and effects a universal modulation.”

Smartphones more than fit the bill. In the old disciplinary ways, they track where we go, what we search for, what we buy, how many steps we take, even how well we sleep. But if we apply Deleuze’s ideas to these phones, detailed surveillance is no longer their most important function. Our phones present and curate options.

In effect, they shape how we see the world. When you scroll through news or social media, for instance, you’re reading about a version of the world built just for you, designed to keep you looking, clicking and reacting – and keep you very finely attuned to what is acceptable or dangerous behaviour.

In Deleuze’s terms, this is pure modulation: not a forceful “No” but a softly spoken, “How about this?” Your phone doesn’t lock you in – it draws you in. It shapes what you see, rewards your cooperation, ignores your silence, and always keeps score. And it does this 24/7. You might unlock it hundreds of times a day. And each time it’s updated to guide your next move more precisely.

At the same time our phones quietly turn us into a set of credentials useful for regulating physical access to workplaces, bank accounts, information: In the societies of control, writes Deleuze, “what is important is no longer either a signature or a number, but a code: the code is a password.”

Data points not people?

Deleuze warned that, in a control society: “Individuals have become ‘dividuals,’ and masses have become samples, data, markets, or ‘banks.’” A dividual to Deleuze is a person transformed into a set of data points and metrics.

You are your credit rating, your search history, your likes and clicks – a different dataset to every institution. Such fragments are used to make decisions about you until they effectively replace you. In fact, for Deleuze a dividual has internalised this treatment and thinks of themselves as a net worth, a mortgage size, a car value – psychological anchors for control.

He illustrates this point with healthcare, predicting a

new medicine ‘without doctor or patient’ that singles out potential sick people and subjects at risk, which in no way attests to individuation.

How many health decisions are now made for us collectively before we ever see a doctor? We should be grateful for advances in public health and epidemiology, but this has certainly impacted our individuality and how we are treated.

Hard to detect

An unsettling part of Deleuze’s perspective is that control doesn’t usually feel like control. It’s often dressed up as convenience, efficiency or progress. You set up internet-linked video cameras because then you can work from home. You agree to long terms and conditions because your banking app won’t work otherwise.

One problem is there are no longer clear barriers we can rail against. As Deleuze said:

In disciplinary societies one was always starting again (from school to the barracks, from the barracks to the factory), while in control societies one is never finished with anything.

Control doesn’t always crush – it can enable. Digital networks bring real freedom, economic possibility, even joy. We move more easily – both mentally and geographically – than ever before. But while we move, it always inside a kind of invisible map shaped by capitalism.

It’s no conspiracy because nobody has the whole map. So it’s difficult to work out exactly what action, if any, to take. As Deleuze concludes: “The coils of a serpent are even more complex than the burrows of a molehill.”

So what can we do?

Postscript doesn’t offer a political program beyond the sardonic comment that:

Many young people strangely boast of being ‘motivated’ […] It’s up to them to discover what they’re being made to serve.

There are ways to resist control. Some people demand more privacy or digital rights. Others opt out selectively – logging off, turning off, refusing to be nudged. Some look to art as a way of resisting its smooth grip. These acts – however small – may offer what Deleuze and his collaborator, the French psychiatrist and philosopher Félix Guattari, called lines of flight: creative ways to move not just against control, but beyond it.

The real message of Postscript, however, is its invitation to consider a timeless perspective. Any society must have a way to make people useful. So, what kind of society do we want? What kinds of restrictions are we willing to live under? And, crucial to this current age, how explicit should control be?

Cameron Shackell 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. Computers tracking us, people as data points: Gilles Deleuze’s 1990 Postcript on the Societies of Control was eerily prescient – https://theconversation.com/computers-tracking-us-people-as-data-points-gilles-deleuzes-1990-postcript-on-the-societies-of-control-was-eerily-prescient-254579

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Australia could become the world’s first net-zero exporter of fossil fuels – here’s how

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University

Photo by Jie Zhao/Corbis via Getty Images

Australia is among the world’s top three exporters of LNG and second-largest exporter of coal. When burned overseas, these exports result in 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year – almost three times Australia’s domestic emissions.

Emissions embedded in Australia’s exports do not count towards our national emissions targets. But they contribute to climate change – and they’re the reason for Australia’s international reputation as a fossil-fuel economy.

On the bright side, Australia boasts huge potential for low-cost renewable energy and a knack for resource industries.

We can, and should, become a “renewable energy superpower”. This term refers to the potential for Australia to use its bountiful renewable energy resources to make commodities such as iron, ammonia and other products and fuels in “green” or low-emissions ways.

So how does Australia give salience to this idea on the global stage, while our fossil fuel exports continue? The solution could be a new net-zero target for Australia, in which emissions from green exports are tallied up against those from fossil fuel exports.

Australia can become a renewable energy superpower.
Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Reinvigorating Australia’s climate policy

If the clean energy transition eventuates, green exports from Australia will rise over time. This will help reduce the use of coal, gas and oil elsewhere in the world.

Meanwhile, coal exports – and later, gas exports – will fall. This will happen irrespective of Australia’s policies, as the world economy decarbonises and demand for fossil fuels slows.

At some point, we can expect emissions avoided by our green commodity exports to surpass those from remaining coal and gas exports. Australia would then reach what could be termed “net-zero export emissions”.

Adopting this net-zero target as a national policy would give a concrete yardstick to Australia’s green-export ambitions. It could also invigorate Australia’s climate policy and boost investor confidence.

A different approach would be to set targets only for green exports, and this could be how we get started. Ultimately, a net-zero target wrapping up both green and fossil-fuel exports would speak most directly to the goal of tackling climate change, and is likely to have more impact on the international stage.

A net-zero export target would give a concrete yardstick to Australia’s ambition to develop green export industries.
Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Getting to net-zero exports

The below chart shows an illustrative decline in emissions embedded in Australia’s coal and LNG (liquified natural gas) exports, out to 2050.*

Authors’ calculations based on Australian Energy Update 2024, Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2024, IEA World Energy Outlook 2024

It’s hard to pin down when Australia might reach net-zero exports. It depends on several factors. How quickly will the cost of clean energy and green-commodity technologies fall? How competitively can Australia produce green goods compared to other nations? What policies will be adopted in Australia and overseas – and will they work?

The magnitudes are sobering. Take iron, for example. Australia currently exports 900 million tonnes of iron ore a year. This is processed overseas to about 560 million tonnes of iron.

To fully compensate for emissions currently embedded in Australia’s coal and gas exports, Australia would need to process about the same amount of green iron – around 550 million tonnes – on home soil every year.

To reach this figure, we assume 0.1 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent is created per tonne of green iron, compared to about 2.1 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per tonne of iron resulting from conventional blast furnace production.

Achieving this would require keeping iron ore production at current levels and processing it all in Australia, which is unlikely to be realistic.

Thankfully, the task of reaching net-zero export emissions will be smaller in future, as global coal and gas demand falls. But exactly how this will translate to Australian exports is highly uncertain.

Let’s suppose Australia’s exports evolved on the same trajectory as they might under current climate policies and pledges for the global coal and gas trade.

In this case, embedded emissions from Australia’s coal and gas exports would be about 360 million tonnes in 2050. This includes about 120 million tonnes from LNG exports – much of it locked in by the extension to Woodside’s North West Shelf project off Western Australia.

Hypothetically, the 360 million tonnes of emissions could be negated by a mix of green exports. They include 102 million tonnes of green iron (saving 204 million tonnes of CO₂), and 11 million tonnes of green ammonia (saving about 23 million tonnes of CO₂), and the remainder covered by a combination of green aluminium, silicon, methanol and transport fuels.

Judgement calls would be needed about which commodities to include in the target. The composition of green exports suggested above is akin to assumptions about Australia’s potential global market share outlined by The Superpower Institute.

Importantly, it’s hard to predict with certainty the greenhouse gas emissions displaced elsewhere in the world by Australia’s green exports. So, the estimates should be understood as broad illustrations, and not as exact as the accounting used to calculate countries’ domestic emissions.

The precise year chosen for reaching a net-zero target for export emissions may well be less important than the commitment that, at some point, Australia’s green energy exports will exceed fossil fuel exports. This would establish the notion that Australia has the capacity and willingness to help the world decarbonise.

At some point, Australia’s green energy exports will exceed fossil fuel exports.
David Gray/Getty Images

A positive agenda for change

The export target could be part of Australia’s updated emissions pledge due to be submitted to the United Nations by September this year. The pledge, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), is required by signatories to the Paris Agreement.

Each nation is expected to detail its national emissions target for 2035. But nations can make additional pledges towards the world’s climate change effort. You could call it an “NDC+”.

So Australia could outline an indicative goal for net-zero exports – perhaps alongside other pledges such as leveraging climate change finance for developing countries, or helping our Pacific neighbours adapt to climate change impacts.

As a large fossil fuels exporter, Australia would earn kudos for showing it has a positive agenda for change.

And if Australia wins the bid to host the COP31 climate conference next year, a plan to reduce export emissions could be a major rallying point.

* Underlying data for the chart showing an expected decline in future emissions embedded in Australia’s coal and LNG exports:

Exports in 2022–23: coal, 9.6 exajoules (EJ); LNG, 4.5 EJ, from Australian Energy Update. This was multiplied by an emissions factor 90.2 for coal (MtCO₂-e/EJ) and 51.5 for LNG (MtCO₂-e/EJ), as drawn from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors

Exports for 2035 and 2050: this assumes a trend aligned with the IEA’s Announced Pledges Scenario, as outlined in the World Energy Outlook 2024. Note the percentage changes from 2023 to 2035 and 2050 for coal (-45% and -73% respectively) and for LNG (+9% and -47% respectively.) These figures do not distinguish between steam coal for power and metallurgical coal.

Frank Jotzo leads research projects on climate, energy and industry policy. He is a commissioner with the NSW Net Zero Commission and chairs the Queensland Clean Economy Expert Panel.

Annette Zou works on research projects on climate policy and decarbonisation and has previously worked with The Superpower Institute

– ref. Australia could become the world’s first net-zero exporter of fossil fuels – here’s how – https://theconversation.com/australia-could-become-the-worlds-first-net-zero-exporter-of-fossil-fuels-heres-how-259037

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: How high can US debt go before it triggers a financial crisis?

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Luke Hartigan, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney

rarrarorro/Shutterstock

The tax cuts bill currently being debated by the US Senate will add another US$3 trillion (A$4.6 trillion) to US debt. President Donald Trump calls it the “big, beautiful bill”; his erstwhile policy adviser Elon Musk called it a “disgusting abomination”.

Foreign investors have already been rattled by Trump’s upending of the global trade system. The eruption of war in the Middle East would usually lead to “flight to safety” buying of the US dollar, but the dollar has barely budged. That suggests US assets are not seen as the safe haven they used to be.

Greg Combet, chair of Australia’s own sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, outlined many of the new risks arising from US policies in a speech on Tuesday.

As investors turn cautious on the US, at some point the surging US debt pile will become unsustainable. That could risk a financial crisis. But at what point does that happen?

The public sector holds a range of debt

When talking about the sustainability of US government debt, we have to distinguish between total debt and public debt.

Public debt is owed to individuals, companies, foreign governments and investors. This accounts for about 80% of total US debt. The remainder is intra-governmental debt held by government agencies and the Federal Reserve.

Public debt is a more correct measure of US government debt. And it is much less than the headline total government debt amount that is frequently quoted, which is running at US$36 trillion or 121% of GDP.

Are there limits to government debt?

Governments are not like households. They can feasibly roll over debt indefinitely and don’t technically need to repay it, unlike a personal credit card. And countries such as the US that issue debt in their own currency can’t technically default unless they choose to.

Debt also serves a useful role. It is the main way a government funds infrastructure projects. It is an important channel for monetary policy, because the US Federal Reserve sets the benchmark interest rate that affects borrowing costs across the economy. And because the US government issues bonds, known as Treasuries, to finance the debt, this is an important asset for investors.

There is probably some limit to the amount of debt the US government can issue. But we don’t really know what this amount is, and we won’t know until we get there. Additionally, the US’s reserve currency status, due to the US dollar’s dominant role in international finance, gives the US government more leeway than other governments.

Interest costs are surging

What is important is the government’s ability to service its debt – that is, to pay the interest cost. This depends on two components: growth in economic activity, and the interest rate on government debt.

If economic growth on average is higher than the interest rate, then the government’s effective interest cost is negative and it could sustainably carry its existing debt burden.

The interest cost of US government debt has surged recently following a series of Federal Reserve interest rate hikes in 2022 and 2023 to quell inflation.

The US government is now spending more on interest payments than on defence – about US$882 billion annually. This will soon start crowding out spending in other areas, unless taxes are raised or further spending cuts made.

Recent policy decisions not helping

The turmoil caused by Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and heightened uncertainty about future government policy are expected to weaken US economic growth and raise inflation. This, coupled with the recent credit downgrade of US government debt by ratings agency Moody’s, is likely to put upward pressure on US interest rates, further increasing the servicing cost of US government debt.

Moody’s cited concerns about the growth of US federal debt. This comes as the US House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which seeks to extend the 2017 tax cuts indefinitely while slashing social spending. This has caused some to question the sustainability of the US government’s fiscal position.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will add a further US$3 trillion to government debt over the ten years to 2034, increasing debt to 124% of GDP. And this would increase to US$4.5 trillion over ten years and take debt to 128% of GDP if some tax initiatives were made permanent.

Also troubling is Section 899 of the bill, known as the “revenge tax”. This controversial provision raises the tax payable by foreign investors and could further deter foreign investment, potentially making US government debt even less attractive.

A compromised Federal Reserve is the next risk

The passing of the tax and spending bill is unlikely to cause a financial crisis in the US. But the US could be entering into a period of “fiscal dominance”, which is just as concerning.

In this situation, the independence of the Federal Reserve might be compromised if it is pressured to support the US government’s fiscal position. It would do this by keeping interest rates lower than otherwise, or buying government debt to support the government instead of targeting inflation. Trump has already been putting pressure on Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, demanding he cut rates immediately.

This could lead to much higher inflation in the US, as occurred in Germany in the 1920s, and more recently in Argentina and Turkey.

Luke Hartigan receives funding from the Australian Research Council (DP230100959)

– ref. How high can US debt go before it triggers a financial crisis? – https://theconversation.com/how-high-can-us-debt-go-before-it-triggers-a-financial-crisis-258812

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Honors Representative Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

WATCH KLOBUCHAR’S FULL REMARKS HERE

WASHINGTON —On the Senate Floor, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith delivered remarks honoring the life and legacy of Representative Melissa Hortman, former Minnesota House speaker, and her husband Mark Hortman.

A transcript of the Senator Klobuchar’s floor speech is below:

Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Smith, to honor two Minnesotans who are friends of ours, who were taken from us this weekend in a shocking act of political violence: Representative Melissa Hortman, our former Speaker of the House and her husband, Mark Hortman.

I’m also continuing to pray for State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who survived a brutal assassination attempt. John took nine bullets and Yvette took eight, and they are continuing to recover in the hospital. I’ve been in touch with Yvette, and she is grateful for the outpouring of support from all over the country for their family.

And I want to extend my enormous gratitude to the hundreds and hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement who worked tirelessly over the course of a 43-hour manhunt to apprehend the suspect. They ran toward the danger. They risked their lives, and because of their bravery and diligence, our state was able to breathe a sigh of relief Sunday night knowing that this man was no longer at large.

The local officers from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota also stopped further assassinations, along with other officers, in the moment by going over to check on legislators after learning about what had happened at Senator Hoffman’s house. We now know that the assassin went to two other legislators’ homes in between the two shootings that night, and in one case, sped off after being spotted by the police.

While it was too late to save Melissa and Mark, the officers’ decision to check on their house allowed them to spot the assassin, separate him from his vehicle, and begin the manhunt.

But right now, we want to focus on who Melissa and Mark were as people. They were great neighbors, wonderful friends and great parents to their beloved children, Sophie and Colin.

Melissa is someone that I wish the whole Senate and the whole nation knew. We treasured her in Minnesota. She was the epitome of what you want in a public servant. She went into it for all the right reasons.

She grew up in Spring Lake Park and Andover Minnesota, working at her family’s used auto parts company in Blaine in the summers. After leaving for college, she came back to Minnesota for law school and began her career in our state.

She was always devoted to her community. She was a girl scout leader and taught Sunday School at her local Catholic Church, and she was always one of the first to raise her hand when someone needed a volunteer for, well, just about anything, including training service dogs for veterans. One of them, Gilbert, was just too friendly for service, and so their family adopted him and loved him very much. Sadly, he was shot that night, and the two children had to make the decision to put him down this weekend. How they loved that dog.

Melissa and I first ran for public office around the same time, both with little kids. Me, for the county attorney’s office, her for the state legislature. That’s how I got to know her. I was the county attorney. She was running for legislature. We went door to door together, and it seemed like she knew everyone in the district already.

She was elected in 2004 and served in the Minnesota House for 20 years. And she left a lasting impact. As a legislator, she authored legislation that created Minnesota’s solar energy standard. As minority leader, she guided her caucus with conviction and a sense of humor. And she wasn’t afraid to call out the all-male card game taking place during debates.

When her colleagues chose to make her the speaker, her first order of business was getting rid of the speaker’s mute button. As she said at the time, “I have a gavel…and a gavel is good enough for me.”

Melissa was one of the most consequential speakers in the history of our state. She knew no limits in terms of trying to get people together, trying to get things done. And while I cannot believe she is gone, Minnesotans will be feeling the impact of her leadership forever.

When a Minnesota student gets a free school lunch, that’s Melissa.

When a Minnesota parent is able to take paid leave to spend those early, precious moments with a newborn, that’s Melissa.

When a Minnesota voter casts a ballot without facing unfair discrimination, that’s Melissa.

When a woman is able to access reproductive care in our state, that’s Melissa, and when our state achieves 100% clean energy by 2040, that will be because of Melissa.

And when we had a tied state house this year, it was Melissa who forged a power sharing agreement and a budget with her Republican counterpart.

She was a generational leader, and she led with integrity and with courage. She, like her husband, Mark, who also was accomplished in business and a kind, kind person, they were compassionate and they were smart, and they were just nice to everyone. And I can’t believe they are gone.

The polarization in our country, the divisions, the online hate, needs to stop. Violence has absolutely no place in our democracy. We need to come together and bring down the rhetoric. We must be united in the face of this attack. It was simply un-American.

That’s why the entire Minnesota delegation, Democrats and Republicans, including Senator Smith, including Congressman Emmer, came together over the weekend to call this violence out. We spoke with one voice to condemn it, and in our state, Melissa’s colleagues on both sides of the aisle have done the same.

We need to recognize the reality that there are unbalanced people out there. Read things online, they believe them. They act on them.

We have seen this too many times. There are many things we can do as a body to fix this problem, and I’m sure in the days to come, we will offer legislation on security and all kinds of things. But we don’t need to pass a law for people to turn down the rhetoric, to treat each other with decency and respect, to act a little more like Melissa and Mark.

Mr. President, Melissa and Mark Hortman were the best of us. I am shattered to have lost them, but eternally grateful to have known them.

I want to end by sharing a message from their beloved kids, Sophie and Colin. They wrote this just last night: “This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer, love your neighbors and treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents’ memory,” they said,”is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”

I urge my colleagues to hear that message, and I’m honored to be here with my wonderful colleague, Senator Smith. Thank you and I yield the floor.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Terracotta Warriors take center stage in new XR experience

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

A new extended reality (XR) experience based on the Terracotta Warriors, titled “The Empire Code: Terracotta Warriors – Secrets of the First Emperor’s Mausoleum,” was unveiled on June 14 at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF).

Wang Yuan, general producer and chairwoman of Xi’an Hongwen Digital Technology Co., introduces “The Empire Code” at the opening of the XR section during the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, June 14, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Xi’an Hongwen Digital Technology]

“The Empire Code,” the first XR project officially authorized by Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, draws on the famous Terracotta Warrior pits and other archaeological discoveries from the UNESCO World Heritage site in Xi’an, Shaanxi province. The interactive underground tomb experience is designed to set a new standard for presenting Chinese civilization in the digital age.

The project was unveiled at the launch of the festival’s SIFF XR section. Wang Yuan, general producer and chairwoman of Xi’an Hongwen Digital Technology, a joint venture between Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group and HTC, said the team was not using technology to resurrect cultural relics, but to allow them to “open history’s door through technology.”

“Virtual reality serves as a radiant bridge across time, connecting ancient wisdom, eternal art and future imagination,” she added.

A poster for “The Empire Code: Terracotta Warriors – Secrets of the First Emperor’s Mausoleum.” [Image courtesy of Xi’an Hongwen Digital Technology]

Along with a trailer and poster launched in Shanghai, audiences can preview a five-minute immersive experience during the festival. The full version is set to open this summer in Beijing and Xi’an.

The project will also be presented at the festival’s International Film & TV Market, where organizers aim to showcase China’s digital cultural solutions and technological expertise to a global audience.

“The Empire Code” brings together specialists in archaeology, filmmaking and virtual reality. Historical accuracy is overseen by Zhang Weixing, a researcher at Northwest University’s Collaborative Research Center for Archaeology of the Silk Roads and former head of Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site excavation team. Acclaimed director Jin Tiemu crafts the narrative, while production designer Huo Tingxiao recreates authentic Qin dynasty visuals. The project also draws on technical expertise from HTC Vive Arts, which has partnered with more than 70 museums worldwide, and Wevr, known for its work in 3D and game development.

A man experiences a preview of “The Empire Code” during the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 14, 2025. [Photo courtesy of SIFF Organizing Committee]

The project uses XR technology such as 5K ultra-high-definition rendering, six degrees of freedom motion tracking and gesture controls to create an immersive experience aimed at minimizing motion sickness.

Producers say the cross-disciplinary effort combines cultural, artistic and technological elements, providing an interactive way to share China’s history while maintaining cultural authenticity.

“The Empire Code” was announced alongside several upcoming projects at SIFF XR, including virtual reality adaptations of China’s animated blockbuster “Chang An,” Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and the historical VR film “Creation of the Gods Prequel: A Female General in Shang Dynasty’s Golden Age.”

Other highlights include the sci-fi VR experience “The Devourer,” based on renowned writer Liu Cixin’s short story in which players defend Earth from aliens, and the location-based mixed reality piece “A Tapestry of a Legendary Land,” adapted from the popular dance drama that immerses audiences in Song dynasty artistry.

The opening of the XR section at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, June 14, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Xi’an Hongwen Digital Technology]

SIFF XR, a collaboration between the 27th SIFF and the Putuo Culture and Tourism Bureau, ran from June 14 to 16. The event showcased 16 domestic and international feature films, including several global and Asian premieres.

Highlights included “Mnemosyne,” inspired by the classical Chinese opera “The Peony Pavilion,” and “Golog Unbounded,” which explores the natural landscapes of Qinghai province. Attendees could also explore the anime universe of “Gundam” and experience narrative-driven works such as “Nana Lou” and “Jack & Flo.”

By combining film, gaming, performance and tourism, SIFF XR offered immersive experiences that blurred the line between cinema and reality.

MIL OSI China News –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities and Trade – Strengthening ties to China during Prime Minister’s trade delegation
Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Launching new study abroad and research collaboration partnerships with top Chinese universities and research institutes is the focus of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s involvement in the Prime Minister’s trade delegation to China.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Nic Smith is delighted to be participating in this visit to China to formalise these arrangements which offer exciting opportunities to future students interested in coming to study in Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as forge new research collaborations.

These partnerships include a major research partnership with Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University, focused on public health, biotechnology, and climate science, as well as articulation and study abroad agreements with one of China’s largest universities, Zhengzhou University.

This visit provides an important opportunity for Victoria University of Wellington to position itself as a top choice for students to consider when looking at studying overseas, says Professor Smith.

“We are committed to deepening our partnerships with China’s leading institutions—united by a shared ambition to blend academic excellence with global citizenship.

“Together, we are preparing the next generation to lead with knowledge, empathy, and purpose.”

“Being part of this delegation reflects New Zealand’s recognition of universities as engines of innovation, diplomacy, and enduring global relationships. It is a privilege to represent our sector and reinforce education’s vital role in connecting nations.”

Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon says New Zealand’s education sector is globally respected for its quality, innovation, and commitment to partnership.

“Our universities, including Victoria University of Wellington, play a key role in fostering long-term academic and research collaborations with countries like China. These connections not only support student mobility and world-class research but also strengthen the broader relationship between our two countries.”

Victoria University of Wellington already maintains deep connections and a broad reach across China through longstanding research partnerships, student mobility programmes, and alumni networks.

The University first signed an agreement with Xiamen University in the 1980s, and its Confucius Institute was opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to New Zealand in 2010. It is a founding partner of the New Zealand Centre at Peking University and hosts the pre-eminent New Zealand Contemporary Chinese Research Centre.

In 2023, Victoria University of Wellington welcomed its first cohort of students enrolled at a Joint Institute through a partnership with China’s largest university—Zhengzhou University, a globally ranked university with around 73,000 students. 

Professor Smith says universities play a crucial role in international dialogue as the world faces increasingly complex challenges.

“In a world facing complex, interconnected challenges—from climate change to public health—our researchers are advancing global solutions. This delegation is a powerful opportunity to showcase how collaboration across borders strengthens those efforts.”

“At Victoria University of Wellington, we see education not simply as a journey, but as a launchpad—for discovery, for leadership, and for impact. We are proud to support the aspirations of students who will shape the future of our world.”

The University will also be launching the Kitea Impact Programme—a leadership development initiative for future global changemakers—and a work integrated learning programme which provides students with hands-on experience in real-world projects while offering New Zealand businesses deeper insights into the Chinese market and access to top talent.

Professor Smith will participate in official events and meetings in Beijing and Shanghai and will reinforce Victoria University of Wellington’s commitment to China by signing partnership agreements with a number of prestigious Chinese universities.

About the partnerships

Research collaboration with Fudan University, Shanghai—one of China’s most prestigious and research-intensive universities—in the areas of public health, biotechnology, and climate science.

Student mobility agreements with Communication University of Zhejiang, Hangzhou—one of the two leading universities in China specialising in cultivating professionals for China’s media and broadcast industries. Students will be provided a pathway into Victoria University of Wellington’s Master’s degrees in Computer Science, and Intercultural Communication and Applied Translation.

Research collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences—a leading research centre in Beijing in the fields of philosophy and social sciences. The research collaboration with Victoria University of Wellington’s New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre focuses on climate change, diaspora studies, and modern Chinese history.

Student mobility agreements with Yantai University, a comprehensive university in Shandong with more than 29,000 students, which will see students transfer to complete a Victoria University of Wellington Bachelor degree in Language Sciences.

Study abroad agreement with Zhengzhou University in Henan. With around 73,000 students, it is the largest university in China. The agreement will allow students from ZZU to study at VUW for one or two trimesters.
MIL OSI New Zealand News –
June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Williams, Pressley Introduce Resolution Condemning Anti-Abortion Laws that Continue to Harm People including Adriana Smith
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53)

June 17, 2025

Today, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) introduced a resolution recognizing the tragic and deeply disturbing case of Adriana Smith, a Black mother who was declared brain dead in February 2025 and has since been kept on artificial life support without her family’s consent. On Friday, June 13, 2025, her infant son, named Chance, was born prematurely at approximately 4:41 a.m. via emergency Cesarean section. Chance weighs about 1 pound, 13 ounces and is currently in the NICU. Adriana Smith is being taken off life support today, Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

The resolution calls for urgent legislative and policy changes to protect the rights, autonomy, and dignity of pregnant people — particularly Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by systemic medical neglect and restrictive anti-abortion laws.

Representative Sara Jacobs said: “My heart breaks for Adriana Smith, her family, and new baby Chance, who had to enter the world this way. Georgia’s fetal personhood law denied Adriana Smith’s family the ability to say goodbye to her on their own terms. Instead, she was kept on life support, breathing through machines for nearly four months to serve as an incubator. Women are worth more than their ability to get pregnant and give birth – we are human beings who should be trusted to make our own health care decisions. It’s devastating that Adriana is the latest casualty of our nation’s Black maternal health crisis and anti-abortion laws – but let’s ensure she’s the last. This needs to be the watershed moment to end anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws and guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone to make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families.”

Congresswoman Nikema Williams said: “I extend my sympathies to Adriana Smith’s family as they spend their final moments with Adriana on their terms. Adriana Smith deserved better at every point of this tragedy. Her family, along with baby Chance, remain in my family’s prayers as they navigate life after this unimaginably devastating situation that Georgia’s laws imposed on them.

“From my service in the State Senate when the LIFE Act was passed in 2019, I know that the bill was drafted in a way that created uncertainty among medical providers and my constituents in Georgia’s 5th District about what is permitted under the law and how the law would be enforced. The clear intention of this was to create a chilling effect on doctors providing essential maternal healthcare services and on patients seeking lifesaving medical treatment. We are now seeing this lack of clarity result in unimaginable cruelty to Adriana Smith and her family.”

“Adriana Smith was a beloved daughter, a devoted mother, and a compassionate nurse denied dignity and basic human rights,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “She and her family were failed by a broken system that ignored her pain and then forced them to endure months of trauma under cruel, dehumanizing laws. These laws stripped Adriana of her dignity and denied her family the right to make deeply personal medical decisions. I hope their experiences compel Congress and the states to finally end cruel abortion bans, end fetal personhood laws, and confront the Black maternal morbidity crisis once and for all. I am proud to join Congresswoman Williams and our colleagues on this resolution to honor Adriana’s life, uplift her family, and recommit ourselves to fighting for reproductive freedom, Black maternal health, the right to abortion care and the bodily autonomy of every person who calls this country home. We join Adriana’s family members in praying for strength for baby Chance and mourning the loss of Adriana.”

Adriana Smith, a nurse and mother, sought medical care for symptoms, including an extreme headache, in early February but was not given adequate treatment. She returned the next day as her condition worsened and was declared brain dead while nine weeks pregnant on February 19. She has been kept on artificial support until her pregnancy reaches 32 weeks and the fetus can be delivered, meaning her bodily functions will have been supported for more than 5 months. Due to Georgia’s LIFE Act and uncertainty surrounding fetal personhood laws, Emory University Midtown Hospital began maintaining Adriana’s bodily functions without consent from her family.

The resolution urges the government to:
- Repeal state laws that ban or criminalize abortion and abortion-related services;
- Repeal laws that exclude pregnant people from having their advance directives come into effect;
- Clarify how anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws should be interpreted in medical settings;
- Reaffirm and guarantee autonomy and dignity to pregnant people over their lives, well-being, and medical needs.
While Georgia’s Attorney General has stated that nothing in the LIFE Act explicitly mandates keeping a brain-dead patient on life support, the lack of a formal legal opinion or prosecutorial guidance leaves families and doctors in limbo.

Anti-abortion laws deprive people who can become pregnant of their autonomy by prioritizing the life of the fetus over the health, medical decisions, and rights of the pregnant person — a dehumanizing practice that violates their civil rights and reinforces systemic control over their bodies.

Out of fear of criminalization, family separation, or mistreatment like what Adriana Smith is experiencing, many pregnant people avoid healthcare settings even when they desire care, putting their health and the health of their fetus at risk.

The resolution declares that the House of Representatives stands with Adriana Smith’s family in their efforts to return dignity and justice to their family, condemns giving fetuses rights and taking them away from pregnant people in our laws, and condemns the troublingly common experience that Black women face in medical settings of having their pain not given full credence or treatment.

Read the full resolution here.

Read a one-pager on the resolution here.

MIL OSI USA News –
June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Williams, Pressley Introduce Resolution Condemning Anti-Abortion Laws that Continue to Harm People including Adriana Smith
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53)

June 17, 2025

Today, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) introduced a resolution recognizing the tragic and deeply disturbing case of Adriana Smith, a Black mother who was declared brain dead in February 2025 and has since been kept on artificial life support without her family’s consent. On Friday, June 13, 2025, her infant son, named Chance, was born prematurely at approximately 4:41 a.m. via emergency Cesarean section. Chance weighs about 1 pound, 13 ounces and is currently in the NICU. Adriana Smith is being taken off life support today, Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

The resolution calls for urgent legislative and policy changes to protect the rights, autonomy, and dignity of pregnant people — particularly Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by systemic medical neglect and restrictive anti-abortion laws.

Representative Sara Jacobs said: “My heart breaks for Adriana Smith, her family, and new baby Chance, who had to enter the world this way. Georgia’s fetal personhood law denied Adriana Smith’s family the ability to say goodbye to her on their own terms. Instead, she was kept on life support, breathing through machines for nearly four months to serve as an incubator. Women are worth more than their ability to get pregnant and give birth – we are human beings who should be trusted to make our own health care decisions. It’s devastating that Adriana is the latest casualty of our nation’s Black maternal health crisis and anti-abortion laws – but let’s ensure she’s the last. This needs to be the watershed moment to end anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws and guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone to make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families.”

Congresswoman Nikema Williams said: “I extend my sympathies to Adriana Smith’s family as they spend their final moments with Adriana on their terms. Adriana Smith deserved better at every point of this tragedy. Her family, along with baby Chance, remain in my family’s prayers as they navigate life after this unimaginably devastating situation that Georgia’s laws imposed on them.

“From my service in the State Senate when the LIFE Act was passed in 2019, I know that the bill was drafted in a way that created uncertainty among medical providers and my constituents in Georgia’s 5th District about what is permitted under the law and how the law would be enforced. The clear intention of this was to create a chilling effect on doctors providing essential maternal healthcare services and on patients seeking lifesaving medical treatment. We are now seeing this lack of clarity result in unimaginable cruelty to Adriana Smith and her family.”

“Adriana Smith was a beloved daughter, a devoted mother, and a compassionate nurse denied dignity and basic human rights,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “She and her family were failed by a broken system that ignored her pain and then forced them to endure months of trauma under cruel, dehumanizing laws. These laws stripped Adriana of her dignity and denied her family the right to make deeply personal medical decisions. I hope their experiences compel Congress and the states to finally end cruel abortion bans, end fetal personhood laws, and confront the Black maternal morbidity crisis once and for all. I am proud to join Congresswoman Williams and our colleagues on this resolution to honor Adriana’s life, uplift her family, and recommit ourselves to fighting for reproductive freedom, Black maternal health, the right to abortion care and the bodily autonomy of every person who calls this country home. We join Adriana’s family members in praying for strength for baby Chance and mourning the loss of Adriana.”

Adriana Smith, a nurse and mother, sought medical care for symptoms, including an extreme headache, in early February but was not given adequate treatment. She returned the next day as her condition worsened and was declared brain dead while nine weeks pregnant on February 19. She has been kept on artificial support until her pregnancy reaches 32 weeks and the fetus can be delivered, meaning her bodily functions will have been supported for more than 5 months. Due to Georgia’s LIFE Act and uncertainty surrounding fetal personhood laws, Emory University Midtown Hospital began maintaining Adriana’s bodily functions without consent from her family.

The resolution urges the government to:
- Repeal state laws that ban or criminalize abortion and abortion-related services;
- Repeal laws that exclude pregnant people from having their advance directives come into effect;
- Clarify how anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws should be interpreted in medical settings;
- Reaffirm and guarantee autonomy and dignity to pregnant people over their lives, well-being, and medical needs.
While Georgia’s Attorney General has stated that nothing in the LIFE Act explicitly mandates keeping a brain-dead patient on life support, the lack of a formal legal opinion or prosecutorial guidance leaves families and doctors in limbo.

Anti-abortion laws deprive people who can become pregnant of their autonomy by prioritizing the life of the fetus over the health, medical decisions, and rights of the pregnant person — a dehumanizing practice that violates their civil rights and reinforces systemic control over their bodies.

Out of fear of criminalization, family separation, or mistreatment like what Adriana Smith is experiencing, many pregnant people avoid healthcare settings even when they desire care, putting their health and the health of their fetus at risk.

The resolution declares that the House of Representatives stands with Adriana Smith’s family in their efforts to return dignity and justice to their family, condemns giving fetuses rights and taking them away from pregnant people in our laws, and condemns the troublingly common experience that Black women face in medical settings of having their pain not given full credence or treatment.

Read the full resolution here.

Read a one-pager on the resolution here.

MIL OSI USA News –
June 18, 2025

MIL-OSI: Diversified Royalty Corp. Announces Acquisition of US-Based Cheba Hut Franchising, Inc.’s Trademarks, a 10% Dividend Increase, and an Increase in Size of its Acquisition Facility

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diversified Royalty Corp. (TSX: DIV and DIV.DB.A) (the “Corporation” or “DIV”) is pleased to announce that it has acquired the trademarks and certain other intellectual property used by Cheba Hut Franchising, Inc. (“Cheba Hut”) of Fort Collins, Colorado, adding a ninth royalty stream (and the second based in the United States) to DIV’s portfolio. All dollar amounts in this news release, unless specifically denominated in U.S. dollars, are represented in Canadian dollars.

Highlights

Acquisition of Cheba Hut’s worldwide trademark portfolio and certain other intellectual property rights for US$36 million and certain additional consideration
Initial annual royalty revenue from Cheba Hut of US$4 million, representing approximately 7% of DIV’s pro-forma adjusted revenue¹
The royalty grows at a fixed rate equal to the greater of 3.5% and the U.S. Consumer Price Index (“U.S. CPI”) + 1.5% per year
Annual dividend on DIV’s common shares to be increased 10% from 25 cents per share to 27.5 cents per share, effective July 1, 2025
DIV’s strong balance sheet enabled it to fund the Transaction without the need to raise equity

1. Pro-forma adjusted revenue is a non-IFRS financial measure and as such, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

Acquisition Overview

DIV and its wholly-owned subsidiary Cheeb Royalties Limited Partnership (“Cheeb LP”) entered into an acquisition agreement dated June 17, 2025 (the “Acquisition Agreement”) with Cheba Hut and an affiliate of Cheba Hut pursuant to which Cheeb LP acquired (the “Acquisition”) Cheba Hut’s worldwide trademarks portfolio and certain other intellectual property rights utilized by Cheba Hut in its fast casual, toasted sub sandwich restaurants (the “Cheba Rights”) for a purchase price (the “Purchase Price”), of US$36 million cash. The Purchase Price was funded with (i) approximately US$18 million drawn from DIV’s amended acquisition facility (further details below) (the “Acquisition Facility”), (ii) approximately US$8 million from DIV’s cash on hand, (iii) US$5 million drawn from a new senior credit facility issued to Cheeb LP (the “Cheeb Credit Facility”), and (iv) US$5 million drawn from a new senior term credit facility issued to DIV (the “Additional Term Facility”).

Immediately following the closing of the Acquisition, DIV licensed the Cheba Rights in the United States back to Cheba Hut for 50 years, in exchange for an initial royalty payment of US$4 million per annum (the “Royalty” and together with the Acquisition, the “Transaction”). The Royalty will be automatically increased at a rate equal to the greater of 3.5% and the U.S. CPI + 1.5% per year without any further consideration payable by DIV or Cheeb LP. Cheba Hut may also increase the annual royalty payable on April 1^st of each year following the closing (each an “Adjustment Date”) subject to Cheba Hut satisfying certain royalty coverage tests. The amount of each royalty increase cannot be less than US$500,000 per annum and must, in respect of amounts over that threshold, be in increments of US$100,000 per annum. In consideration for a royalty increase on an Adjustment Date, Cheeb LP will pay an amount to Cheba Hut in cash, based on a multiple between 7 and 8 times (depending on certain conditions being met) the incremental annual royalty purchased, as additional consideration for the Cheba Rights.

Payment of the Royalty will be secured by a general security agreement granted by Cheba Hut to Cheeb LP, and by secured corporate guarantees to be granted to Cheeb LP by several affiliates of Cheba Hut.

The Acquisition is expected to increase DIV’s tax pools by approximately $51 million to a total of approximately $424 million, which can be depreciated over time to reduce DIV’s cash taxes. Amounts paid for incremental annual royalties will also increase DIV’s tax pools.

Founded in 1998, Cheba Hut has 77 fast casual, toasted sub sandwich restaurants in the US. All of Cheba Hut’s locations are franchised, except for two corporate stores and substantially all future growth is currently expected to result from opening additional franchised locations. Cheba Hut had US$149 million of system sales² and SSSG² of 5% in 2024. Cheba Hut is forecasting over US$187 million in system sales² in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.

2. System sales and same store sales growth (SSSG) are supplementary financial measures and as such, do not have standardized meanings under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

Sean Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of DIV, stated, “The Cheba Hut trademark acquisition and royalty agreement adds a ninth royalty stream to DIV’s portfolio, representing approximately 7% of DIV’s pro-forma adjusted revenue³ and is another step in our strategy of purchasing royalties from a diverse group of proven multi-location businesses and franchisors. We believe Cheba Hut’s impressive track record of growth is a result of its strong store-level economics, quality of its franchisees and experience of its management team. Scott Jennings, the founder of Cheba Hut, and his management team represent a great partner for DIV, as they strongly believe in the continued success of Cheba Hut over the long term and therefore partnering with DIV was far superior to selling equity ownership. We look forward to working with Scott and Cheba Hut’s management team to continue expanding the business across the U.S.

DIV has worked to promote its royalty model in the U.S. market and now, with its second US-based royalty transaction, is building significant momentum in that market. Such continued momentum in the U.S. franchisor market will become significant to DIV as it scales its business going forward.

Further, DIV’s strong balance sheet (cash on hand, under-levered existing royalty LP’s, an unused acquisition facility) enabled it to fund the Transaction without the need to raise equity. DIV’s less than 100% payout ratio⁴, automated DRIP program and ability to refinance existing LP’s will enable it to substantially pay down the acquisition facility within 12 months. This is a game-changer for DIV as all prior trademarks acquisitions have been funded concurrently, or shortly thereafter, with a sizeable equity raise.”

Scott Jennings, stated, “DIV understands and believes that leaving us in control of our company keeps us in the best position to sustain our controlled growth. In addition, we can continue to take care of our product, partners, crew, and most importantly our CUSTOMERS the way we have for the last 27 years. We thank DIV for believing in Cheba Hut and helping us stay in excellent position to keep our soul intact for the next 50 years and beyond!!!”

3. Pro-forma adjusted revenue is a non-IFRS financial measure, and as such, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

Amendment to Acquisition Facility

DIV amended its Acquisition Facility to increase the size from $50 million to $70 million and extend the maturity date to May 30, 2027, and thereafter to June 17, 2028 (if certain conditions are met).

DIV and Cheeb LP Credit Facilities

Cheeb LP financed US$5 million of the Purchase Price with new bank debt having a term of three years from closing. The Cheeb Credit Facility is non-amortizing and has a floating interest rate equal to SOFR + 2.5% per annum; however, DIV will have 90 days following closing to effectively fix the interest rate on 75% of the amount borrowed under this facility through an interest rate swap. The Cheeb Credit Facility is secured by the Cheba Rights and the Royalty payable by Cheba Hut, and has covenants customary for this type of a credit facility.

DIV financed approximately US$18 million of the Purchase Price from the Acquisition Facility as amended and described above. The approximately US$18 million drawn on the Acquisition Facility is interest-only for twelve months and thereafter amortizes over a 60-month period. In connection with the Transaction, DIV financed US$5 million of the Purchase Price from an Additional Term Facility of US$5 million with a term of approximately 18 months. The Additional Term Facility is non-amortizing and has a floating interest rate based on SOFR plus a spread based on prevailing market rates. The Additional Term Facility is secured by a general security interest over the assets of the Corporation and, if requested by the lender, may be secured by specific assignments of certain material agreements entered into by the Corporation from time to time, and has covenants customary for this type of credit facility. DIV intends to pay down the Acquisition Facility through a combination of cash flows, debt refinancings and/or capital markets transactions.

Dividend Policy Increase

DIV’s board of directors has approved an increase in DIV’s dividend policy to increase its annualized dividend from 25.0 cents per share to 27.5 cents per share effective July 1, 2025, an increase of 10%. DIV estimates its pro-forma payout ratio⁴ will be approximately 94.9% (pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP is approximately 83.0%)⁴.

4. Pro-forma payout ratio and pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP are non-IFRS ratios, and as such, do not have standardized meanings under IFRS. For additional information, refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” in this news release.

Investor Conference Call

Management of DIV will host a conference call on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 7:00 am Pacific Time (10:00 am Eastern Time). To participate by telephone across Canada, call toll free at 1 (800) 717-1738 or 1 (289) 514-5100 (conference ID 02753). The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. An archived telephone recording of the call will be available until Wednesday, September 17, 2025, by calling 1 (888) 660-6264 or 1 (289) 819-1325 (playback passcode: 02753 #). The management presentation for the conference call will be available on DIV’s website https://www.diversifiedroyaltycorp.com/investors/investor-presentation/ prior to the call. Alternatively, the link to the webcast of the conference can be found below:

https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/QReg/ShowUUID=AE82A2E9-8F95-4F22-BF7D-3DF54A94A39D

About Diversified Royalty Corp.

DIV is a multi-royalty corporation, engaged in the business of acquiring top-line royalties from well-managed multi-location businesses and franchisors in North America. DIV’s objective is to acquire predictable, growing royalty streams from a diverse group of multi-location businesses and franchisors.

DIV currently owns the Mr. Lube + Tires, AIR MILES®, Sutton, Mr. Mikes, Nurse Next Door, Oxford Learning Centres, Stratus Building Solutions, BarBurrito and Cheba Hut trademarks. Mr. Lube + Tires is the leading quick lube service business in Canada, with locations across Canada. AIR MILES® is Canada’s largest coalition loyalty program. Sutton is among the leading residential real estate brokerage franchisor businesses in Canada. Mr. Mikes operates casual steakhouse restaurants primarily in western Canadian communities. Nurse Next Door is a home care provider with locations across Canada and the United States as well as in Australia. Oxford Learning Centres is one of Canada’s leading franchisee supplemental education services. Stratus Building Solutions is a leading commercial cleaning service franchise company providing comprehensive janitorial, building cleaning, and office cleaning services primarily in the United States. BarBurrito is the largest quick service Mexican restaurant food chain in Canada. Cheba Hut is a fast casual toasted sub sandwich franchise with locations across 19 U.S. states.

DIV’s objective is to increase cash flow per share by making accretive royalty purchases and through the growth of purchased royalties. DIV intends to continue to pay a predictable and stable monthly dividend to shareholders and increase the dividend over time, in each case as cash flow per share allows.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute “forward-looking information” or “financial outlook” within the meaning of applicable securities laws that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or financial outlook. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “will”, ”project”, “should”, “believe”, “confident”, “plan” and “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information contains these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking information or financial outlook in this news release includes, but are not limited to, statements made in relation to: the increase in DIV’s annual dividend; statements related to the expected tax implications of the Acquisition on DIV; substantially all future growth for Cheba Hut is currently expected to result from opening additional franchised locations; Cheba Hut’s forecasted system sales in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025; the expected financial impact of the Transaction on DIV, including on its pro-forma payout ratio, pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP and pro-forma adjusted revenue; DIV intends to pay down the Acquisition Facility through a combination of cash flows, debt refinancings and/or capital markets transactions; the continued expansion in the U.S. franchisor market and the expected effect on DIV and its business; DIV’s intention to continue to pay a predictable and stable monthly dividend to shareholders and increase the dividend over time; and DIV’s corporate objectives. The forward-looking information and financial outlook contained herein involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events, performance, or achievements of DIV to differ materially from those anticipated or implied therein. DIV believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information and financial-outlook are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In particular there can be no assurance that: DIV will realize the expected benefits of the Transaction, or that it will be accretive; the actual tax implications of the Acquisition and the Transaction on DIV will be consistent with the tax implications expected by DIV; Cheba Hut will pay the Royalty and otherwise comply with its obligations under the agreements governing the Transaction; Cheba Hut will not be adversely affected by the other risks facing its business; DIV may not complete any further royalty acquisitions; DIV may not increase its dividend in accordance with the currently expected timing or amounts; DIV will be able to make monthly dividend payments to the holders of the DIV common shares; or DIV will achieve any of its corporate objectives. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking information and financial outlook included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking information and financial outlook should not be unduly relied upon. More information about the risks and uncertainties affecting DIV’s business and the businesses of its royalty partners can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of its Annual Information Form dated March 24, 2025 and the “Risk Factors” section of its management’s discussion and analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2025 that are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

In formulating the forward-looking statements contained herein, management has assumed that, among other things, Cheba Hut will be successful in meeting its stated corporate objectives, including its growth targets; DIV will realize the expected benefits of the Transaction; the Cheba Hut business will not suffer any material adverse effect; the actual tax implications of the Acquisition, the Transaction and the payment of the Royalty will be consistent with the tax implications expected by DIV; and the business and economic conditions affecting DIV and Cheba Hut will continue substantially in the ordinary course, including without limitation with respect to general industry conditions, general levels of economic activity and regulations. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect.

To the extent any forward-looking information in this news release constitute a “financial outlook” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, such information is being provided to assist investors in understanding the potential financial impact of the Transaction, the Cheeb Credit Facility, the Additional Term Facility and the dividend increase and may not appropriate for other purposes.

All of the forward-looking information and financial outlook disclosed in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments contemplated thereby will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, DIV contemplated by such forward-looking information and financial outlook contained herein. The forward-looking information and financial outlook included in this news release is made as of the date of this news release and DIV assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law.

Non-IFRS Measures

Management believes that disclosing certain non-IFRS financial measures, non-IFRS ratios and supplementary financial measures provides readers with important information regarding the Corporation’s financial performance and its ability to pay dividends, the performance of its royalty partners and the financial impacts to DIV of the Transaction. By considering these measures in combination with the most closely comparable IFRS measure, management believes that investors are provided with additional and more useful information about the Corporation, its royalty partners and the Transaction than investors would have if they simply considered IFRS measures alone. The non-IFRS financial measures, non-IFRS ratios and supplementary financial measures used in this news release do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and therefore are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Investors are cautioned that non-IFRS financial measures should not be construed as a substitute or an alternative to net income or cash flows from operating activities as determined in accordance with IFRS.

The non-IFRS financial measure used in this news release is pro-forma adjusted revenue, which includes as components the following non-IFRS financial measures: DIV royalty entitlement, adjusted revenue and run-rate adjusted revenue. Run-rate adjusted revenue is calculated as the sum of DIV’s adjusted revenue for each of the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, multiplied by two for purposes of annualizing such amount, plus the amount of Mr. Lube’s roll-in of royalties from 5 net new store locations on May 1, 2025. Pro-forma adjusted revenue is calculated as the run-rate adjusted revenue plus the amount of the initial adjusted revenue contribution payable by Cheba Hut. DIV management believes run-rate adjusted revenue provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s consolidated revenues, and pro-forma adjusted revenue provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s consolidated revenues after giving effect to the Transaction. For an explanation of the composition of DIV royalty entitlement and adjusted revenue, including a reconciliation to the most directly comparable IFRS measure, see the disclosure under the heading “Description of Non-IFRS Financial Measures, Non-IFRS Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures” in DIV’s management discussion and analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2025, copies of which are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The following table reconciles revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025 to pro-forma adjusted revenue and run-rate adjusted revenue:

(Cdn$000’s)	(a) Q4 2024	(b) Q1 2025	=(a+b) x 2 Annualized
Revenues	17,032	15,639	65,342
DIV royalty entitlement	1,320	1,329	5,298
Adjusted revenue	18,352	16,968	70,640

Adjustment:
Mr. Lube roll-in – May 1, 2025⁽¹⁾			668
Run-rate adjusted revenue			71,308

Cheba Hut contribution⁽²⁾			5,600
Pro-forma adjusted revenue			76,908

1) Adjustment for Mr. Lube’s roll-in of royalties from 5 net new store locations on May 1, 2025, assuming incremental annual net system sales (system sales is a non-IFRS supplementary measure and as such, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS – see the disclosure under the heading “Description of Non-IFRS Financial Measures, Non-IFRS Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures” in DIV’s management discussion and analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2025) of $8.4 million, multiplied by 7.95% royalty rate

2) Cheba Hut contribution is calculated as the initial adjusted revenue contribution of USD$4,000,000 payable by Cheba Hut, multiplied by a USD to CAD exchange rate of $1.4:1

The non-IFRS ratios used in this news release are pro-forma payout ratio and pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP, which include as components the following non-IFRS financial measures: EBITDA, normalized EBITDA, distributable cash, run-rate distributable cash, pro-forma distributable cash, pro-forma dividends declared and DIV royalty entitlement net of NND Royalties LP expenses. Run-rate distributable cash is calculated as the sum of DIV’s distributable cash for each of the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, multiplied by two for purposes of annualizing such amount, plus the after-tax amount of Mr. Lube’s roll-in of royalties from 5 net new store locations on May 1, 2025, less adjustments for interest income and current tax. Pro-forma distributable cash is calculated as run-rate distributable cash plus the amount of the initial adjusted revenue contribution payable by Cheba Hut, less incremental operating expenses, interest expenses and taxes. DIV management believes run-rate distributable cash provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash available for payment of dividends after adjusting for non-recurring expenses and pro-forma distributable cash provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash available for payment of dividends after giving effect to the Transaction. Pro-forma dividends declared is calculated as DIV’s new annualized dividend of $0.275 per share multiplied by the number of DIV common shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2025. Pro-forma dividends declared is used to calculate the pro-forma payout ratio, and thus management believes that it provides useful information as to DIV’s expected future aggregate annualized dividend payments. Pro-forma payout ratio is calculated as pro-forma dividends declared divided by pro-forma distributable cash. Pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP is calculated as the difference of (X) pro-forma dividends declared less (Y) dividends paid by DIV in the form of DIV common shares issued under DIV’s dividend reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) at an estimated participation rate of 12.5%, divided by pro-forma distributable cash. For an explanation of the composition of EBITDA, normalized EBITDA, distributable cash and DIV royalty entitlement net of NND Royalties LP expenses, including a reconciliation to the most directly comparable IFRS measure, see the disclosure under the heading “Description of Non-IFRS Financial Measures, Non-IFRS Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures” in DIV’s management discussion and analysis for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024 and three months ended March 31, 2025, copies of which are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, which is incorporated by reference herein. DIV management believes that (i) pro-forma payout ratio provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash to pay dividends following the completion of the Transaction and the increase to the dividend, and (ii) pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP provides useful information as it provides supplemental information regarding DIV’s ability to generate cash to pay dividends following the completion of the Transaction and the increase to the dividend after adjusting for dividends paid by DIV in the form of DIV common shares issued under the DRIP.

The following table reconciles net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, to run-rate distributable cash and pro-forma distributable cash and illustrates the calculation of pro-forma payout ratio and pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP:

(Cdn$000’s)	(a) Q4 2024	(b) Q1 2025	=(a+b) x 2 Annualized
Net income	4,015	7,993	24,016

Interest expense on credit facilities	3,368	3,150	13,036
Income tax expense	1,653	2,997	9,300
Depreciation expense	25	24	98
EBITDA	9,061	14,164	46,450

Adjustments:
Share-based compensation	645	368	2,026
Other finance costs, net	(2,044)	995	(2,098)
Fair value adjustment on financial instruments	15	(904)	(1,778)
Payment of lease obligations	(28)	(28)	(112)
DIV royalty entitlement net of NND Royalties LP expenses	1,314	1,325	5,278
Impairment loss	8,204	–	16,408
Normalized EBITDA	17,167	15,920	66,174
Add: interest income	139	135	548
Less: Distributions on exchangeable MRM units	(34)	(48)	(164)
Less: current tax expense	(1,301)	(1,719)	(6,040)
Less: interest expense on credit facilities	(3,368)	(3,150)	(13,036)
Distributable cash	12,603	11,138	47,482

Adjustment:
Mr. Lube roll-in – May 1, 2025, net of taxes⁽¹⁾			487
Interest income adjustment			(493)
Current tax adjustment			(2,000)
Run-rate distributable cash			45,476
Cheba Hut distributable cash contribution⁽²⁾			3,075
Pro-forma distributable cash			48,551

Pro-forma dividends declared⁽³⁾			46,081
Pro-forma payout ratio			94.9%

Pro-forma dividends declared, net of DRIP⁽⁴⁾			40,321
Pro-forma payout ratio, net of DRIP			83.0%

2) Cheba Hut contribution is calculated as the initial adjusted revenue contribution of USD$4,000,000, multiplied by a USD to CAD exchange rate of $1.4:1, less incremental operating expenses of $50,000, interest expense of $1,890,000 and taxes of $586,000

3) Calculated as the number of DIV common shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2025 (167,567,468) multiplied by the new annualized dividend of $0.275 per share

4) Calculated as pro-forma dividends declared, multiplied by 1 minus the effective DRIP rate of 12.5%

System Sales is a supplementary financial measure and is a reference to the top-line sales revenue reported to Cheba Hut by all Cheba Hut franchisees. System sales is a supplementary financial measure and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. The Corporation believes system sales is a useful measure as it provides investors with an indication of performance of the franchisees underlying Cheba Hut’s business.

Same store sales growth or SSSG is a supplementary financial measure and is a reference to the percentage increase in system sales over the prior comparable period for Cheba Hut locations that were in operation in both the current and prior periods, excluding stores that were permanently closed. The Corporation believes that SSSG is a useful measure as it provides investors with an indication of the change in year-over-year sales of Cheba Hut locations.

Third Party Information

This news release includes information obtained from third party reports and other publicly available sources as well as financial statements and other reports provided to DIV by its royalty partners and Cheba Hut. Although DIV believes these sources to be generally reliable, such information cannot be verified with complete certainty. Accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of this information is not guaranteed. DIV has not independently verified any of the information from third party sources referred to in this news release nor ascertained the underlying assumptions relied upon by such sources.

THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR THE ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Additional Information

Additional information relating to the Corporation and other public filings, is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Contact:
Sean Morrison, President and Chief Executive Officer
Diversified Royalty Corp.
(236) 521-8470

Greg Gutmanis, Chief Financial Officer and VP Acquisitions
Diversified Royalty Corp.
(236) 521-8471

The MIL Network –

June 18, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to Dutch study looking at sexual function in transgender adults who had had puberty blockers in adolescence and then cross-sex hormones

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

June 18, 2025

A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine & Research looks at sexual function of transgender adults who had taken puberty blockers during adolescence.

Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics, Open University, said:

“I should start by saying that I’m no expert in sexual medicine, and certainly not in the sexual problems and issues faced by trans people. It does seem to me, as a non-expert, that much of the information in this new study will be useful to those who do work with trans people on these matters (and to trans people themselves).

“I do, however, have expertise in the design and interpretation of research studies, and because of that I have some doubts about the interpretation of some of the findings, including how they are described in the press release. (The press release does generally match what is said in the research paper.)

“The research paper tells us that, of their group who had been treated with puberty blockers and later with gender-affirming hormones, 58% of the trans men and 50% of the trans women reported at least one sexual dysfunction. 52% of the trans men and 40% of the trans women said they were satisfied with their sex lives. My doubts are mostly about some comparisons within these groups in the study, and particularly about comparisons with other groups that weren’t in the study (trans people who did not have puberty blockers, and cis people).

“The first issue to note is that the number of participants was pretty small for trans men (50 of them) and very small for trans women (just 20). This in itself limits how far the findings can be generalized beyond people attending the clinic where the research was done.

“But how do these rates of sexual dysfunction compare to other groups? Are those percentages large or small? Some comparisons between groups are made in the research paper and reported in the press release, and here I have some doubts.

“Some comparisons are made within the participants in the study. For instance, a quote in the release says, “There was also no difference between people who started puberty blockers early or later in puberty.” That does generally match what the research paper says. However, this was an observational study. In observational studies, there are always doubts about what is causing what. That’s because there will be differences between the groups being compared in terms of other factors, and perhaps the other factors are causing any observed differences in the outcomes. This extends to doubts about whether a lack of difference between people who got puberty blockers at different stages is because the stage of starting the blockers has no real effect – maybe it does have an effect but that is masked by some other factors.

“Typically in this kind of study, the researchers would make statistical adjustments to try to allow for the effects of other factors that differed between subgroups of the participants. But in this study, that could not be done because the number of participants was too small. So there must remain some doubt about whether the puberty stage when puberty blockers began does affect the level of sexual problems later. It might not, or it might.

“However, the researchers make comparison with other groups too, groups on which this study did not itself collect any data. It’s always very awkward to make comparisons between findings from different studies that might use different measurement methods – different questionnaires in this case – and possibly very different populations of participants, where differences in other factors may be very important.

“In the research paper, the researchers make informal comparisons about the level of sexual problems between the people in their own study, who all had puberty blockers and then, later, gender-affirming hormones, with people in a different study who had gender-affirming treatment that started in adulthood, and so had no puberty blockers. They report that the other study (reference 26 in the new paper) found that 54% of sexually active trans men and 69% of sexually active trans women reported at least one sexual difficulty. Those rates are higher than the rates in the new study, but (as the paper points out) there are several differences between the new study and the one used for comparison. But nevertheless the press release says, “The frequency of sexual problems was consistent with previous studies among transgender adults who did not start hormone therapy until adulthood.” Given the small numbers of participants, and the fact that there are reasonably substantial differences between the two studies in terms of sexual difficulties, I think that’s going a bit too far.

“Also, part of a quote in the press release says, “This [the level of satisfaction with their sex lives of the participants in the new study] corresponds to the sexual satisfaction of the cisgender population.” I think that’s going too far as well: The research article quotes rates of sexual dysfunction in cis women in young women in the Netherlands and adult women in the US as 42% and 43% respectively, and in the new study, 50% of the trans women reported at least one sexual dysfunction. (But remember there were only 20 trans women in the new research.) For adult cis men in the US and England, the researchers quote that 31% and 34% reported sexual dysfunction. In the new study, 58% of the trans men reported at least one sexual dysfunction.

“I think the best we can say is that all these percentages are in roughly the same ballpark. But does it make sense to say that they ‘correspond’? How far does it make sense at all to compare data on adults, on average much older than the people in the new study, and to compare recent data (in the new study) with data going back to1998 and 2000 for the UK and US results? And anyway, to what extent might all these figures represent what participants want to tell researchers, rather than what they truly think about their own sex lives?”

Dr Channa Jayasena, Associate Professor in Reproductive Endocrinology, Imperial College London, said:

“Puberty blockers ‘switch off’ a hormone signal from the brain which tells the body to develop male or female adult characteristics. Puberty blockers are approved in many countries to stop puberty in children with gender dysphoria who do not want to go through puberty aligned with their birth sex. In the UK, puberty blockers cannot be given, and a clinical trial is planned to investigate how well they treat symptoms in children with gender dysphoria.

“The current study used questionnaires to investigate rates of sexual problems in patients who had been treated with puberty blockers starting from the ages of 11-18 years. The size and design of the study is like other studies investigating sexual symptoms in patients. The authors found that about half of transgender individuals who were given puberty blockers between ages 11 and 18 years reported sexual satisfaction as adults; the authors state that levels of sexual satisfaction reported in their study were similar to levels of satisfaction reported previously for individuals starting treatment for gender dysphoria as adults. It would have been helpful to have included another group of young people without gender dysphoria, to judge how much gender dysphoria affects sexual satisfaction. In addition, we currently do not know whether puberty blockade alters sexual satisfaction for young people with gender dysphoria if given

‘Sexual satisfaction and dysfunction in transgender adults following puberty suppression treatment during adolescence’ by Isabelle S. van der Meulen et al. was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine & Research at 01:01 UK time on Wednesday 18 June 2025.

Declared interests

Prof Kevin McConway: “No conflicts.”

Dr Channa Jayasena: “None.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s Statement on Adriana Smith
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Adriana Smith’s Family Was Denied the Right to Make Medical Decisions for Months, After She Was Declared Brain Dead, Due to Georgia Abortion Ban

Pressley Joins Williams, Jacobs in Introducing Resolution Condemning Anti-Abortion Laws that Denied Smith’s Dignity and Human Rights

Adriana’s Son Chance was Delivered via Postmortem Emergency C-Section and Adriana Will be Taken Off Life Support

Resolution Text (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) released the following statement on the tragic case of Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old Georgia mother who was declared brain dead in February and had been kept on artificial life support without her family’s consent. The Georgia hospital where Adriana died indicated that the state’s extreme abortion ban mandated Adriana remain on life support because she was 9 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. On Friday, June 13, 2025, her infant son, named Chance, was born prematurely at approximately 4:41 a.m. via a postmortem emergency Cesarean section. Chance weighs about 1 pound, 13 ounces and is currently in the NICU. Adriana is being taken off life support today.

“Adriana Smith was a beloved daughter, a devoted mother, and a compassionate nurse denied dignity and basic human rights,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “She and her family were failed by a broken system that ignored her pain and then forced them to endure months of trauma under cruel, dehumanizing laws. These laws stripped Adriana of her dignity and denied her family the right to make deeply personal medical decisions. I hope their experiences compel Congress and the states to finally end cruel abortion bans, end fetal personhood laws, and confront the Black maternal morbidity crisis once and for all. I am proud to join Congresswoman Williams and our colleagues on this resolution to honor Adriana’s life, uplift her family, and recommit ourselves to fighting for reproductive freedom, Black maternal health, the right to abortion care and the bodily autonomy of every person who calls this country home. We join Adriana’s family members in praying for strength for baby Chance and mourning the loss of Adriana.”

In light of this solemn update, Congresswoman Pressley joined Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) in introducing a resolution recognizing the deeply disturbing case of Adriana Smith.

The resolution calls for urgent legislative and policy changes to protect the rights, autonomy, and dignity of pregnant people — particularly Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by systemic medical neglect and restrictive anti-abortion laws.

“I extend my sympathies to Adriana Smith’s family as they spend their final moments with Adriana on their terms. Adriana Smith deserved better at every point of this tragedy. Her family, along with baby Chance, remain in my family’s prayers as they navigate life after this unimaginably devastating situation that Georgia’s laws imposed on them. From my service in the State Senate when the LIFE Act was passed in 2019, I know that the bill was drafted in a way that created uncertainty among medical providers and my constituents in Georgia’s 5th District about what is permitted under the law and how the law would be enforced. The clear intention of this was to create a chilling effect on doctors providing essential maternal healthcare services and on patients seeking lifesaving medical treatment. We are now seeing this lack of clarity result in unimaginable cruelty to Adriana Smith and her family,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams.

“My heart breaks for Adriana Smith, her family, and new baby Chance, who had to enter the world this way. Georgia’s fetal personhood law denied Adriana Smith’s family the ability to say goodbye to her on their own terms,” said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. “Instead, she was kept on life support, breathing through machines for nearly four months to serve as an incubator. Women are worth more than their ability to get pregnant and give birth – we are human beings who should be trusted to make our own health care decisions. It’s devastating that Adriana is the latest casualty of our nation’s Black maternal health crisis and anti-abortion laws – but let’s ensure she’s the last. This needs to be the watershed moment to end anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws and guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone to make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families.”

Adriana Smith, a nurse and mother, sought medical care for symptoms, including an extreme headache, in early February but was not given adequate treatment. She returned the next day as her condition worsened and was declared brain dead while nine weeks pregnant on February 19. She has been kept on artificial support until her pregnancy reaches 32 weeks and the fetus can be delivered, meaning her bodily functions will have been supported for more than 5 months. Due to Georgia’s LIFE Act and uncertainty surrounding fetal personhood laws, Emory University Midtown Hospital began maintaining Adriana’s bodily functions without consent from her family.

The resolution urges the government to:
- Repeal state laws that ban or criminalize abortion and abortion-related services;
- Repeal laws that exclude pregnant people from having their advance directives come into effect;
- Clarify how anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws should be interpreted in medical settings;
- Reaffirm and guarantee autonomy and dignity to pregnant people over their lives, well-being, and medical needs.
While Georgia’s Attorney General has stated that nothing in the LIFE Act explicitly mandates keeping a brain-dead patient on life support, the lack of a formal legal opinion or prosecutorial guidance leaves families and doctors in limbo.

Anti-abortion laws deprive people who can become pregnant of their autonomy by prioritizing the life of the fetus over the health, medical decisions, and rights of the pregnant person — a dehumanizing practice that violates their civil rights and reinforces systemic control over their bodies.

Out of fear of criminalization, family separation, or mistreatment like what Adriana Smith is experiencing, many pregnant people avoid healthcare settings even when they desire care, putting their health and the health of their fetus at risk.

The resolution declares that the House of Representatives stands with Adriana Smith’s family in their efforts to return dignity and justice to their family, condemns giving fetuses rights and taking them away from pregnant people in our laws, and condemns the troublingly common experience that Black women face in medical settings of having their pain not given full credence or treatment.

A copy of the resolution text can be found here.

On June 5, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor demanding justice for Adriana Smith and sharing her family’s story. Pressley connected the horrific mistreatment of Adriana Smith to the brutal history of medical violence Black women have faced in America for centuries.

Last month, as Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, Rep. Pressley and Co-Chair Diana DeGette (CO-01) released a statement calling for the state of Georgia and the hospital in question to respect the fundamental rights of Adriana Smith and her family and condemned GOP abortion bans.

###

MIL OSI USA News –
June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: New York ETO promotes biotechnology and academic ties with Boston (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

New York ETO promotes biotechnology and academic ties with Boston
At the June 15 (Boston time) welcome dinner for the Hong Kong delegation at BIO 2025, Ms Ho highlighted Hong Kong’s status as a global hub for biotech innovation and fundraising. She also noted Hong Kong’s strong presence at BIO 2025, showcasing the depth and diversity of the city’s biotechnology sector, including pharmaceuticals, immunotherapies, gene editing, diagnostics and stem cell technologies.

The Hong Kong delegation included representatives from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and its delegation of 16 leading biotech portfolio companies, the medical faculties of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as representatives from the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. At the Hong Kong Pavilion, they showcased the city’s life and health sciences capabilities, aiming to attract global enterprises, talent, and investment, and reinforcing Hong Kong’s status as a global biotech hub.

At the “Hong Kong x Boston Biotech Disrupt Night” on June 16 (Boston time) hosted by Invest Hong Kong, Ms Ho spoke on Hong Kong’s strategic advantages in biotechnology, citing world-class infrastructure, strong intellectual property protection, top-tier universities, and a vibrant start-up ecosystem. She also emphasised government support, funding and initiatives such as InnoLife Healthtech Hub and the New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme. The event, attended by over 140 biotech industry representatives and investors, also featured a panel discussion featuring Hong Kong and Boston’s biotech leaders where they had an insightful exchange on the potential of Boston biotech companies in leveraging Hong Kong for their Asian market expansion.

“Hong Kong offers a nurturing environment for life sciences—combining policy support, research excellence, and regulatory certainty. As the world’s second-largest fundraising hub for biotech IPOs, we also offer deep access to capital and a highly international talent pool. With our world-class infrastructure, common law system, robust IP protections, and proximity to Mainland China and Asia, we serve as a gateway and global launchpad for biotech companies aiming to scale and internationalise”, she said.

While in Boston, Ms Ho also met with representatives of the academia to explore areas of mutual interests and promoted Hong Kong’s various talent admission schemes and the city’s commitment to become an international education and research hub. Her meetings included discussions with Visiting Fellow of Practice at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies Mr Mitchell Presnick; and representatives from the University of Massachusetts Boston, including the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Mr Joseph B. Berger; the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Ms Karen Ferrer-Muñiz; and the Vice Provost of Research and Strategic Initiatives, Mr Bala Sundaram. She also attended a reception hosted by the Mayor of Boston Ms Michelle Wu for key international biotech leaders and stakeholders.
Issued at HKT 7:40

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CategoriesMIL-OSI

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI: Concerned Stockholders Affirm Nomination of Director Candidates to Drive Change at Ionic

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Reiterate Commitment to Fight for Liquidity and Transparency Against Entrenched Incumbents

Set Record Straight on Ionic’s Most Recent Misleading Statements

Urge Their Fellow Stockholders to Learn More About Their Plan for Change at www.ionicvote.com

SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tony Vejseli, Chris Villinger, and Brett Perry (the “Concerned Stockholders”), stockholders of Ionic Digital Inc. (“Ionic” or the “Company”), today issued a public letter to their fellow stockholders announcing that, pursuant to the ruling of the Delaware Court of Chancery that the Ionic board of directors breached its fiduciary duty and ordering the Company to reopen its nomination window for director candidates, the Concerned Stockholders have submitted a new nomination of their two highly qualified candidates, Mike Abbate and Oliver Wiener, for the two Class I Board seats up for election at the Company’s 2025 annual meeting of stockholders scheduled for July 2, 2025.

The full text of the letter can be found on the Concerned Stockholder’s website at www.ionicvote.com and below:

Fellow Ionic Digital Stockholders:

Tony Vejseli, Chris Villinger, and Brett Perry (together, the “Concerned Stockholders,” “we,” or “us”) are stockholders of Ionic Digital Inc. (“Ionic” or the “Company”) and have long been committed to fighting for the rights of our fellow stockholders. We believe our recent victory in the Delaware Court of Chancery, in which the court found that the Ionic board of directors (the “Board”) breached its fiduciary duties in seeking to entrench itself by reducing the size of the Board as a defensive tactic in the midst of a proxy contest. This ruling against each of the current Board members vindicates many of our concerns regarding the disgraceful lack of oversight and disregard for stockholder rights at Ionic.

Pursuant to the court’s order that the Company reopen its nomination window for director candidates for election to the two open Class I Board seats at the Company’s 2025 annual meeting of stockholders scheduled for July 2, 2025 (the “Annual Meeting”), we are pleased to announce that we have re-nominated Mike Abbate and Oliver Wiener, two highly-qualified candidates whom we have vetted thoroughly and are confident possess the background and experience in capital markets, corporate finance and the cryptocurrency space that we believe is necessary drive the much-needed change highlighted by the Delaware Court of Chancery’s decision and finally put stockholder value first at Ionic. The bios of our candidates are below, and interested stockholders can learn more at www.ionicvote.com.

We also feel it is critical to set the record straight regarding certain misleading claims made by Ionic in its latest stockholder communication. While we are confident that no stockholder of Ionic would take the current Board’s statements at face value, given its long history of obfuscation and documented failure to focus on stockholder interests, we believe that stockholders deserve the whole truth, and that the election at the Annual Meeting should be made on a fully-informed basis and not be manipulated by misleading insinuations and distortions.

For instance, the Board purports to believe that our interests conflict with those of our fellow stockholders. But nothing could be further from the truth – our only interests, and the only interests of our director candidates, are in creating stockholder value and generating liquidity after the long and undeserved drought spearheaded by the incumbent Board. Neither we nor any of our director candidates have any commitment to pursuing any particular liquidity pathway, and if elected, Messrs. Abbate and Wiener would consider all options for liquidity consistent with their fiduciary duties to stockholders – something the incumbent Board is clearly and demonstrably incapable of doing itself.

Ionic also attempts to smear Mr. Wiener’s stellar reputation as a successful veteran of fintech and blockchain-based investments by focusing exclusively on his experience as a member of the advisory board of FTX, an advisory position of platitude, not fiduciary duty. Ionic refuses to acknowledge Mr. Wiener’s deep experience with and understanding of the cryptocurrency industry, a depth of expertise not possessed by a single member of the incumbent Board.

Ionic falsely claims that Elizabeth LaPuma is the only nominee with decades of experience in capital markets, corporate finance and corporate transformation – but Mr. Wiener, not Ms. LaPuma, is the only candidate for election to the Board who served as senior leadership of an investment bank for two decades and founded a private equity firm, bringing more capital markets and finance experience to the table than the entire incumbent Board, including Ms. LaPuma. We further emphasize that among the many impressive and relevant items on Mr. Wiener’s resume, there is not a single judgment by a court that he ever breached a fiduciary duty to his stockholders, nor any period of failure in which he sat on a board for a year and a half collecting obscene board fees and juggling a rotating cast of executives, consultants, and auditors while failing to deliver on repeated promises of liquidity for long-suffering stockholders – which is more than can be said for any member of the Ionic Board.

Finally, we note that Ionic’s most recent stockholder communication includes some limited scraps of operational data, and we applaud the Company for recognizing, if only belatedly and only as a result of our hard-fought engagement, that it needs to communicate with stockholders. But we emphasize that these communications remain sporadic, opportunistic, and incomplete. It should be highly concerning to all Ionic stockholders that the Company has failed to produce an annual report or any standard financial disclosures. Critically, over a year and a half of existence, Ionic has still never released a single data point regarding its costs and expenses. In fact, we understand the Company has engaged three separate investment banks, but has failed to disclose exactly how much it is paying these expensive advisors. Stockholders deserve to know how much of our money is being burned by a Board that has already demonstrated that it doesn’t care about its duties to its stockholders.

The Concerned Stockholders believe that the incumbent Board has had more than adequate opportunity to prove itself, and it has failed. Over the last year and a half, the incumbent Board has proven only that it lacks the necessary experience to oversee the business of Ionic. As Scott Flanders himself testified in the Delaware Court of Chancery, regarding the operations of the Company:

“…material safety issues, just gross negligent construction, not adhering to any kind of best practices, the performance, and lack of responsiveness from Hut 8.”

Stockholders deserve real change – we urge you to throw away your WHITE proxy card and vote for Mike Abbate and Oliver Wiener on the GOLD Proxy Card today to cast a vote for restoring transparency, accountability, and liquidity to Ionic.

Learn more at www.ionicvote.com

Contact Information
Investor Contact:
Saratoga Proxy Consulting LLC
John Ferguson / Ann Marie Mellone
(888) 368-0379
(212) 257-1311
info@saratogaproxy.com

Our Candidates:

Michael Abbate, age 46, currently serves as an Advisor to Figure Markets Holdings, Inc. (“Figure Markets”), a decentralized custody and exchange for financial assets, since February 2025. Previously, Mr. Abbate served as Chief Investment Officer of Figure Markets, from January 2024 to January 2025. Prior to Figure Markets, Mr. Abbate served as Managing Partner of NovaWulf Digital Management, LP (“NovaWulf”), an investment manager focused on digital assets, from August 2021 to January 2024 and as a private investor from January 2021 to August 2021. Earlier in his career, Mr. Abbate worked for over 16 years at King Street Capital Management, L.P., a leading global alternative asset manager, most recently as a Member, from March 2004 to December 2020. Mr. Abbate started his career as an investment banker in global technology at Morgan Stanley and received a Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering from Dartmouth College.

Oliver Wiener, age 47, has served as Founder and Managing Partner of Kensington Merchant Partners, a merchant bank, investment management and corporate development advisory business focused on Financials, Fintech, Insurance, Insuretech and Blockchain verticals, since January 2023. Previously, he served as a Portfolio Manager at Standard Investments LLC, an investment platform focused on the intersection of industry and technology, from May 2021 to December 2022. Prior to that, Mr. Wiener served as Co-Founder and Partner at BTIG, LLC, a global financial services firm, from March 2003 to May 2021. Mr. Wiener currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Chain Bridge I, a special situations fund focused on convertible bonds, SPAC securities, PIPEs, warrants and public equities, since February 2024, and The National Security Group, Inc., an insurance holding company, since October 2024. He has also served as a board observer at Figment Inc., a leading provider of blockchain infrastructure, since 2022, an advisory board member at Extend, an AI enabled post purchase protection Insurtech since 2021 and an advisor at Figment Capital, a Web3 infrastructure investment fund, since July 2021, Hangar, a private equity sponsor focused on technology and public sector markets, since March 2023, and the Opportunity Network, a non-profit focused on providing access to college and professional mobility for underrepresented students, since January 2021. He is also an active member of the Economic Club of New York and the University of Wisconsin College of Letters and Science Board of Visitors, as well as the UW Technology Entrepreneurship Office Advisory Council. Previously, he served as a member of the board of directors of Interchecks Technologies, Inc., a payment technology company, from January 2022 to January 2023, and as an advisory board member at Anchor Labs Inc., a software developer, from the spring of 2020 to the winter of 2023. Mr. Wiener also served as a founding member and President of the board of the Association for Digital Asset Markets, a private, non-profit, industry-led, broad-based association of firms operating in the digital asset space, from November 2018 to May 2021, and was a member of Prince’s Trust US Finance Committee from January 2019 to December 2023. Mr. Wiener began his career as an equities analyst at CIBC Oppenheimer. He received a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The MIL Network –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New plans to supercharge UK cyber sector
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

New plans to supercharge UK cyber sector

The UK’s growing cyber security sector will be boosted by millions in new investment and a new Cyber Growth Action Plan, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
New Cyber Growth Action Plan to boost jobs and innovation, growing the UK’s £13.2 billion cyber sector.

Up to £16 million in new funding to turn cutting edge innovation into new business, and boost cyber startups

Cyber experts from defence and big tech set to advise government on public sector cybersecurity, amid growing threats.

The UK’s growing and cutting edge cyber security sector will be boosted by millions in new investment and a roadmap for growth, as part of the Plan for Change.

The government has today [Wednesday 18 June] set out the Cyber Growth Action Plan that will chart a course for the UK’s thriving cyber industry, including the technologies, processes, and services designed to protect digital systems, to continue to grow – with the sector already generating £13.2 billion in annual revenue and supporting over 67,000 jobs in 2024.

Led by independent experts at University of Bristol and Imperial College London’s Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance, the Plan will examine the strengths of the UK’s cyber sector and provide a roadmap for its future growth. This will culminate with a set of recommendations later this summer for government to plot out what steps can be taken to deliver maximum impact.

On top of this, up to £16 million in new investment has been announced in 2 cyber sector programmes to kickstart growth. Up to £10 million in additional funding will be invested in the CyberASAP programme over the next 4 years, which will support the UK’s cutting edge academic cyber sector to turn their research into commercial companies. The programme has already supported the creation of 34 spin-out companies which have raised over £43 million in investment. The new funding aims to generate a further 25 spin-outs by 2030 and attract £30 million in additional investment.

To build on the work of the government’s current cyber accelerator Cyber Runway, up to £6 million will be also allocated to support cyber startups and SMEs – helping firms scale, access new markets through trade missions, and strengthen the UK’s wider cyber ecosystem. By backing researchers and entrepreneurs, these programmes will ensure the UK remains a global leader in cyber innovation and growth. This investment will unlock more jobs, support innovation, and bolster Britain’s cyber security.

Cyber Security Minister Feryal Clark said:

Cyber security is essential to our economic strength and national resilience. Today’s announcement is backed by investment showing we’re serious about making the UK a global leader in cyber innovation and protection.

Through our Plan for Change, we’re backing the sector to create high-quality jobs through the Cyber Growth Action Plan and ensuring our public services are built on secure foundations with the expert support of the Government Cyber Advisory Board.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said:

Today’s investment will help to turn innovative ideas into successful businesses up and down the country, and the new research will support our mission to grow the economy.

Recent cyber attacks show just how important it is we foster the development of the sector – delivering the double dividend of high paying jobs as well as strengthening the country’s cyber security.

The Growth Action Plan is due to report later this summer and will feed into the forthcoming National Cyber Strategy, ensuring the UK remains resilient and competitive in an increasingly interconnected world. This is central to the government’s Plan for Change, aimed at driving innovation, creating high-quality jobs and securing long-term economic resilience.

The review is set to cover the supply and demand of cyber goods and services such as protective monitoring and encryption, to understand opportunities for growth. The research will aim to spot new trends and potential areas to capitalise on – as well as explore emerging technologies including AI and Quantum, and identify opportunities to strengthen Britain’s competitive edge. This will in turn protect our digital economy and the new growth which is fundamental to the government’s Plan for Change.

Simon Shiu, Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Bristol and leading the project, said:

The UK Cyber Sector is successful and growing, but so too are the challenges as demonstrated by recent events which have affected businesses and consumers. Based on input from all parts of the Cyber Sector, this project will make independent recommendations to accelerate growth in Cyber, but also to increase cyber-resilience in the other sectors critical to UK security, industry, and prosperity.

Professor Nigel Brandon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial, said:

The Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance (CSEP) at Imperial is uniquely placed to work with the University of Bristol on this important work in a rapidly growing and key sector for the UK economy. This work is aligned with our ambition to help drive economic growth by boosting the UK’s innovation capacity, productivity and competitiveness.

Senior cybersecurity experts from defence, big tech companies, AI labs, academia and more are also advising the government on public sector cybersecurity. Cyber leaders from BAE Systems, Santander, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google DeepMind will form the new iteration of the Government Cyber Advisory Board, which will play a key role in supporting the government’s goal to strengthen the public sector’s cyber resilience. This aligns with the government Cyber Security Strategy and underpins the delivery of secure digital services across government.

The cyber sector will be a key focus of the upcoming Industrial Strategy – becoming a central pillar of the government’s Plan for Change to kick-start growth and put more money in people’s pockets across the UK. Cyber security has become a central part of the government’s plans to secure the economy and drive growth across the country as part of its Plan for Change.

Earlier this year, the Technology Secretary set out his ambition for the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill which includes proposals to protect the UK’s supply chains, critical national services, and IT service providers and suppliers and is expected to be introduced to Parliament later this year.

As part of the new measures, hospitals and energy suppliers are set to boost their cyber defences, protecting public services and safeguarding growth.

Notes to editors

You can find the Terms of Reference for the growth review here.

The new board members of the Government Cyber Advisory Board include:

Daniel Cuthbert (co-chair), Global Head of Cyber Security Research, Santander

Bella Powell (co-chair), Government Cyber Director, Government Digital Service

Daniel Card, Cyber Security Consultant

Cate Pye, Global Partner Lead for Digital Trust and Cyber Security, PA Consulting

Heather Bedson, Head of Information Security, BPP

Jeff Moss, President of DEF CON Communications Inc

Jen Ellis, Cyber Security Consultant

Asif Matadar, CEO and Founder, cyberwargames.ai

Dr Simon Parkinson, Professor of Cyber Security, University of Huddersfield

Julia Spain, Partner, Ashurst Risk Advisory

Nicole Fowler, Chief Information Security Officer, Bank of Ireland UK

Thomas Harvey, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Santander UK

Richard Palk, Managing Director Security, Accenture UK

Sam Kirby-French, Group CISO, BAE Systems

Phil Legg, Professor in Cyber Security, University of the West of England

Mark Evans, Principal Security Strategist, Amazon Web Services

Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Chief Security Advisor, Microsoft

Ian Thompson, Senior Government Cyber Advisor, Middle East and North Africa, Google

Eleanor Sim, Director Security Strategy and Architecture, Chief Security Architect, Bupa

Euan Birch, Head of Cyber Security Operations, SP Energy Networks

Vijay Bolina, Chief Information Security Officer, Head of Cybersecurity Research, DeepMind

Daniel Cuthbert (industry co-chair):

It is an honour to co-chair the UK Government Cyber Advisory Board (GCAB). Our strength comes from the close partnership between public and private sector experts, drawing on a wide range of experience to help protect the UK. As cyber threats continue to evolve, strong cyber security is essential to safeguarding our economy, protecting public services, and supporting everyday life. The diversity of expertise on the board plays a vital role in ensuring the UK remains resilient, innovative and secure.

Ian Thompson:

The Government Cyber Advisory Board plays a vital role in bringing together expertise from across government and a wide set of industry sectors. This cross-sector collaboration not only accelerates the sharing of best practices and experience but also ensures balanced perspectives and mutual learning — something I’m personally finding invaluable.

Sarah Armstrong-Smith:

From laggards to leaders – in an era where cyber-attacks are coming thick and fast, GCAB has the opportunity to take a commanding role, setting the right path and principles for how the UK should respond to this systemic threat. This requires a whole-of-society approach to build collective resilience that inspires confidence in times of uncertainty.

Cate Pye:

I’m delighted to be part of the GCAB, it is a really pivotal part of making sure that the whole of the UK contribute to our cyber security as this becomes increasingly essential to the way we live and work. It is also an exemplar of how government and industry can work as one team to really change the way both government and the private sector pragmatically address cyber challenges together, building trust and competency in both.

Asif Matadar:

It has been an absolute honour to serve as an inaugural member of the Government Cyber Advisory Board. This initiative has already delivered concrete improvements in how government organisations anticipate and mitigate cyber threats, embedding best practice across government. I am therefore delighted that my term has been extended for a further year, during which I will continue to apply my expertise in incident response, cyber skills development and emerging technologies to support the UK government’s mission of building a world‑class, resilient cyber estate by 2030.

Euan Birch:

GCAB reflects the best of trusted public-private partnerships, embedding strategic collaboration and shared responsibility at the heart of government. As a member, I value the opportunity to support government in its mission to strengthen the UK’s resilience to cyber attacks and help secure its position as a global leader.

Heather Bedson:

Being part of the GCAB is an opportunity to drive change and improve the Government’s cyber resilience by using expertise from a wide range of industries. I enjoy being part of the GCAB, as it’s an opportunity to share my experiences while collaborating with colleagues across the sector who I might not have otherwise met.

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Published 18 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Norcross Announces National Science Foundation Grant for Rowan University

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, DC —Today, Representative Donald Norcross announced that Rowan University was awarded a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“This is an exciting investment to expand cutting-edge research in South Jersey,” said Congressman Don Norcross. “Supporting research in our community creates opportunities, spurs economic growth, and drives innovation that benefits our communities. I’m dedicated to continuing to transform South Jersey into a leading hub for higher education and medical research.”

The funding that was granted through the NSF CAREER award will support research on how oxygen levels and inflammation affect the development and spread of diseases in the body. The NSF CAREER award is one of the top honors for early-career faculty and supports a highly skilled workforce.

The NSF supports innovative scientific research to strengthen our nation’s economy and skilled workforce. Read more about the NSF here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Sharpened focus on quality economic, population stats

Source: New Zealand Government

Statistics Minister Dr Shane Reti has today announced a major new direction for Stats NZ, replacing the traditional paper-based census and increasing the frequency and quality of economic data to underpin the Government’s growth agenda.
From 2030, New Zealand will move away from a traditional nationwide census and adopt a new approach using administrative data, supported by a smaller annual survey and targeted data collection.
“This approach will save time and money while delivering more timely insights into New Zealand’s population,” says Dr Reti.
“Relying solely on a nationwide census day is no longer financially viable. In 2013, the census cost $104 million. In 2023, costs had risen astronomically to $325 million and the next was expected to come in at $400 million over five years.
“Despite the unsustainable and escalating costs, successive censuses have been beset with issues or failed to meet expectations.
“By leveraging data already collected by government agencies, we can produce key census statistics every year, better informing decisions that affect people’s lives.”
While administrative data will form the backbone of the new approach, surveys will continue to verify data quality and fill gaps. Stats NZ will work closely with communities to ensure smaller population groups are accurately represented.
The Government will also invest $16.5 million to deliver a monthly Consumers Price Index (CPI) from 2027, bringing New Zealand into line with other advanced economies. This will provide more timely inflation data to help the Government and Reserve Bank respond quickly to cost-of-living pressures.
“Inflation affects interest rates, benefit adjustments, and household budgets. Timely data helps ensure Kiwis are better supported in a fast-changing environment,” says Dr Reti.
Funding is also being allocated to align Stats NZ’s reporting with updated international macroeconomic standards. These reflect shifts such as the growth of the digital economy and will ensure New Zealand is measuring what matters in today’s world.
“Modern, internationally aligned statistics will support trade and investment, helping drive economic growth and job creation,” says Dr Reti.
Dr Reti says these changes reflect a broader reset for Stats NZ.
“Some outputs have not met the standard expected of a world-class statistics agency. We’re getting back to basics – measuring what matters. Our goal is a modern, efficient, and reliable data system that delivers the insights New Zealand needs now and into the future.”
Note to editors:Administrative (admin) data is information collected by government agencies during their everyday operations — like tax records, education enrolments, or health data.
Admin data is already used regularly to produce some statistics, like population estimates and statistics about international migration, household income, and child poverty. It has also been used in the two most recent censuses to support the information gathered through surveying.
Examples of admin data and their sources include:• ACC injury claims (ACC)• student loan and allowances (Inland Revenue, Ministry of Social Development) • tax and income (Inland Revenue)• births, deaths, and marriages (Department of Internal Affairs)• education data (Ministry of Education).

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Announces More Than $1.3 Million for AmeriCorps Seniors Programs in Maine
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

Published: June 17, 2025
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that three organizations in Maine will receive a total of $1,373,395 through the Fiscal Year 2025 AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) and the Senior Companion Program (SCP). The funding will support the work of 149 older volunteers across the State of Maine who provide aid, companionship, and guidance to seniors, young people, and children.

“These grants will help older Mainers remain active and engaged in their communities while providing critical support to some of the most vulnerable people in our state,” said Senator Collins. “Whether it’s mentoring and providing guidance to students or helping older adults continue to live independently, foster grandparents and senior companions make a real difference in the lives of those they serve.”

The funding is allocated as follows:

The Opportunity Alliance (South Portland)

$583,373 Foster Grandparent Program award to support 65 volunteers.

Penquis CAP (Bangor)

$399,717 Foster Grandparent Program award to support 44 volunteers

University of Maine System (Orono)

$390,305 Senior Companion Program award to support 40 volunteers

According to AmeriCorps, the FGP engages volunteers age 55 and over to serve in communities as role models, mentors, and friends to children. The SCP engages volunteers to provide assistance and companionship primarily to elderly individuals—and also to people with disabilities—who have difficulty with daily living tasks.

Senator Collins is a longstanding member of the National Service Congressional Caucus and has cosponsored legislation to exclude the AmeriCorps Education Award from federal income tax. In recognition of her strong support for AmeriCorps, Senator Collins received the Edward M. Kennedy National Service Lifetime Leadership Award in 2023. She joined a bipartisan group in introducing legislation to expand national service programs significantly to help the country recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 public health emergency.
MIL OSI USA News –
June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police issue appeal for missing teenager Alexander

Source: New Zealand Police

Police is seeking information on the whereabouts of Alexander, who is missing in the Waiatarua area.

The 15-year-old was reported missing to Police at about 8.30pm on Monday night, after he failed to return home from school.

Alexander was dropped off at Henderson High School where he was last seen at about 8.15am on 16 June.

Police have since established he did not attend school that day.

Enquiries have been underway since Monday evening into his movements, and Police is now issuing a public appeal.

Police believe that since Alexander was last seen, he has returned to his home address in Oratia and taken camping equipment and other necessities.

Alexander did not show up to a planned meeting with friends on Monday night.

Search and Rescue staff are deploying to carry out searching around parts of Waiatarua where he frequents.

Alexander is an avid outdoor adventurer and loves spending time in the bush.

It is out of character for him to not return home or let his family know of his whereabouts.

Police and Alexander’s family have concerns for his welfare.

Alexander is described as 180 centimetres tall, of medium build with light brown straight hair.

Anyone with information about Alexander’s whereabouts is asked to contact Police immediately on 111.

People can also update Police online or call 105 using the reference number 250616/4732.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Update 5: Alberta wildfire update (June 17, 3 p.m.)
Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)
Current situation (as of 3 p.m., June 17)
- There are 57 wildfires currently burning across Alberta in the Forest Protection Area, and three mutual aid fires.
  
  22 are classified as out of control, nine are being held and 26 are under control.
  
  There have been nine new wildfires since yesterday.
- Since Jan. 1, there have been 567 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, burning more than 660,000 hectares.
- More than 1,500 Alberta firefighters, contract firefighters and imported firefighters are currently battling wildfires across the province.
- Resources currently being used include heavy equipment, air tankers, helicopters and night vision helicopters.
- Alberta has imported firefighters and aircraft from Yukon, British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Australia, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii and the United States Forest Service.
- Information about wildfires can be found by visiting the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.
Orders and alerts
- Updates on evacuation orders are available on www.alberta.ca/emergency.
- On June 17, Dene Tha’ First Nation lifted its evacuation order for the community of Chateh, allowing all residents to return home. Residents of Chateh must remain prepared to evacuate again if conditions change.
- On June 16, the Town of Swan Hills lifted its evacuation alert.
- On June 13, the County of Grande Prairie No. 1 lifted its evacuation order, allowing all residents to return home. An evacuation alert remains in place for everyone north of Township Road 710 to 740, east of the provincial border with British Columbia to Range Road 132.
- On June 13, Saddle Hills County updated its evacuation order, which now includes everyone located between Township Road 794 and Highway 680 (Township Road 802), and Range Road 95 and Highway 725, as well as the Crown Land north of Township Road 800 and south of the Blueberry Mountain Grazing Reserve. The surrounding areas remain on evacuation alert.
- On June 13, Lac La Biche County lifted its evacuation alert for southern Winefred Lake and Grist Lake.
- The Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council’s evacuation orders for Loon Lake 235, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake remain in effect.
  
  Registration centre at 10451 170 Street, Edmonton.
- The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17’s evacuation order for Red Earth Creek remains in effect.
  
  Reception centre at the Baytex Energy Centre, 9810 73 Avenue, Peace River.
- The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17’s evacuation order for Chipewyan Lake also remains in effect.
  
  Reception centre at Lakeview Sports Centre, 102 Opportunity Drive, Wabasca-Desmarais.
- Residents of the following additional areas must also remain prepared to evacuate if necessary:
  
  Hamlet of Marten Beach – Municipal District of Slave River
  
  Hawk Hills area – County of Northern Lights
- Alberta Emergency Alerts are issued by local authorities and are updated at their discretion. For the best source of information on the status of evacuation orders and alerts, residents are encouraged to follow their local authorities’ preferred communication channels for updates.
- People living in Alberta are encouraged to download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app, which immediately pushes all alerts out to subscribers.
Fire bans
- A fire ban is in effect for the High Level Forest Area as well as parts of the Fort McMurray and Calgary forest areas.
- Under this ban, all outdoor wood fires, barbecue charcoal briquettes, fireworks and exploding targets are prohibited, and existing fire permits are suspended.
- Please confirm advisories, restrictions or bans for your area at alberta.ca/fire-bans.
- Fire bans outside the Forest Protection Area are the responsibility of municipalities and counties.
- Everyone has a role to play in wildfire prevention. Follow all fire bans and restrictions to avoid new fire starts. If you see smoke or flames in the forest, call 310-FIRE to report it.
- Applying FireSmart principles to homes and property can mitigate the risk of wildfire damage. Removing flammable materials and vegetation around the property and preventing embers from accumulating can help protect your home from wildfires. To learn more, visit FireSmart Alberta.
Air quality
- Visit Wildfire Smoke Information for air quality monitoring information to make informed decisions about outdoor activities to protect your health. While wildfire smoke is affecting air quality in parts of Alberta, the presence of smoke does not necessarily mean there is fire near your community. Find information about the status of active wildfires and wildfire updates at Alberta Wildfire.
Roads and highways
- Highway 686 between Red Earth Creek and Trout Lake is currently closed due to a wildfire.
- Highway 671/Kelly Lake Road at the Alberta/British Columbia border to Range Road 130, southwest of Hythe, is now open.
- 511 Alberta is the best source of real time information as conditions change on our highways. Follow on X (formerly known as Twitter) @511alberta.
- Alberta highways that are affected by the wildfires will open and close frequently depending on safety and weather conditions. Be patient and respect the staff at the closure/detour sites – they are there with your safety in mind.
Health
- As of June 16, following the end of the community’s four-hour evacuation order, Alberta Health Services is actively working to restore acute care services at Swan Hills Healthcare Centre.
- For information about wildfire resources, including mental health, visit Wildfire Resources | Alberta Health Services.
Education
- Six schools are currently closed in response to community evacuations:
  
  Dene Tha’ Community School, in Chateh
  
  Kateri School, in Trout Lake
  
  Elizabeth Quintal School, in Peerless Lake
  
  Clarence Jaycox School, in Loon Lake
  
  Red Earth Creek School, in Red Earth Creek
  
  Chipewyan Lake School, in Chipewyan Lake
- Swan Hills School, in Swan Hills, reopened on Monday, June 9.
- Parents and guardians should reach out to local school authorities for the most current information on impacts to schooling.
- All impacted school authorities had plans in place to ensure displaced students have access to educational programming.
Child care
- One child-care centre is currently closed in response to community evacuations:
  
  Opportunity Childcare, in Red Earth Creek
- Licensed child-care programs are required to notify Child Care Connect if they close unexpectedly.
- Parents and guardians should reach out to their child-care provider for information on closures.
Justice and Court Services
- The Chateh and Red Earth Creek courthouses are closed until further notice due to evacuations. Visit the Alberta Courts website for the most current information regarding court scheduling.
Related information
- Active emergency updates
- Alberta Emergency Alerts
- Download the Alberta Emergency Alerts app
- Download the Alberta Wildfire app
- How to prepare for an emergency
- Wildfire smoke information
- Emergency evacuation payments
- Free admission to provincial museums and historic sites
MIL OSI Canada News –
June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Historic Investment at SUNY Downstate Hospital
Source: US State of New York

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SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “Governor Hochul is making a historic investment in SUNY Downstate and Central Brooklyn, which will create a state-of-the-art, modern teaching hospital for generations of Brooklynites. This more than $1 billion investment, as part of a reasonable, scalable, and fiscally responsible plan, will ensure SUNY Downstate’s hospital moves forward and maintains all essential inpatient and outpatient services, as it expands to continue serving the needs of the community.”

The advisory board’s task was to consider recommendations to establish a reasonable, scalable and fiscally responsible plan for the financial health, viability, and sustainability of SUNY Downstate within a range of available funds. Over the course of their deliberations, the advisory board:
- Held four public hearings (one more than statutorily required) on January 22, February 27, March 13, and April 28, with two in Community Board #9 and two in Community Board #17
- Met with numerous community stakeholders including the SUNY Downstate Medical School Department Chairs, the Brooklyn for Downstate advocacy group (twice), the leadership at SUNY Downstate, and other regional health care providers
- Carefully reviewed analysis of the community health needs (including the Brooklyn for Downstate data needs analysis and recommendations for the future of SUNY Downstate, the Community Health Needs Assessment 2022 prepared by the NYC Health & Hospitals, and the New York State Department of Health’s Study of Healthcare System Inequities and Perinatal Access in Brooklyn report), Downstate Hospital’s financials, and the condition of Downstate Hospital’s physical plant
- Engaged a team of consultants to provide expert analysis, infrastructure assessment, financial modeling, architectural and engineering scenarios, and coordination to independently assess the reasonableness of the financial modeling and identify options to reduce the ongoing operating deficit.
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University President Dr. Wayne J. Riley said, “This plan represents an extraordinary investment in SUNY Downstate’s teaching hospital–University Hospital at Downstate–and a brighter future for our patients, students, faculty, and staff. I thank Governor Hochul, the Brooklyn legislative delegation, the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chancellor King, the faculty and staff of SUNY Downstate, and the faith leaders, labor organizations, and other community stakeholders who have worked together to envision a strong and achievable future for SUNY Downstate.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Governor Hochul has committed significant resources to ensure that SUNY Downstate can do more for the health and wellbeing of the Brooklyn community. We are grateful to the Governor, the Downstate Community Advisory Board, including SUNY Chancellor John King, as well as to Senior Vice Chancellor for Health and Hospital Affairs Valerie Grey, and all those who provided comments during this comprehensive review.”

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James V. McDonald said, “This historic investment will transform the landscape of accessible, affordable health care services at SUNY Downstate Hospital for years to come. As a vital community hospital, SUNY Downstate has consistently led efforts to address health disparities and emerging health care needs of the New Yorkers it serves. With Governor Hochul’s investment and the support and collaboration of SUNY and the community, this investment will bring about sustainable improvements that will modernize the facility, ensuring the hospital has the capacity to deliver quality health care for years to come.”

SUNY Downstate Chair of the Department of Community and Family Health Dr. Enitza George, M.D., MBA, MSAI. said, “After six months of working with the DCAB members, I believe these recommendations truly reflect our commitment to listening to the community. We carefully considered what’s needed and balanced it with what’s possible given the current funding. I’m genuinely excited about what’s next—for Brooklyn as a whole and for Downstate in particular.”
“Every New Yorker deserves access to innovative, high-quality care. This historic $1 billion investment into SUNY Downstate’s hospital will contribute to modernization and infrastructure efforts that will lead to a brighter future for this community.”

Governor Kathy Hochul

SUNY Downstate Community Advisory Board Member Pastor Louis Hilton Straker Jr. said, “Reinvesting in Downstate will not only mean improved care, it will also mean a sense of safety and dignity for Central Brooklynites. Over the last year, we’ve seen how different voices and perspectives can enter a room and come together to deliver for our communities. Let Downstate serve as a sign of hope on what we can do when New Yorkers stand by each other and insist on solutions.”

SUNY Downstate Community Advisory Board Member Dr. Lesly Kernisant said, “In my decades of caring for Brooklyn patients, a simple fact is clear: modern facilities and comprehensive services lead to improved care. This investment in SUNY Downstate’s future–which includes vital support for maternal health care–marks an important moment in the collective effort to reduce health disparities and secure a better future for our community.”

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Securing this historic $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate is a major victory for Brooklyn. It preserves critical services, modernizes the hospital, and reaffirms our commitment to equitable, high-quality care. SUNY Downstate is not only a vital healthcare provider, but a lifeline and anchor in Brooklyn. I’m proud that the Senate Majority worked closely with Governor Hochul to deliver the funding needed to fully revitalize this essential institution, and I applaud Senator Myrie and all my Brooklyn colleagues whose tireless advocacy made this moment possible.”

Senator Kevin Parker said, “This historic investment demonstrates the impact of government that truly listens to the people it serves. SUNY Downstate’s inpatient and outpatient services are not just critical—they are life-saving resources for thousands of Brooklyn residents. Preserving these essential programs while committing to their modernization and expansion is a bold affirmation of our community’s right to accessible, high-quality care. It reflects a deep and overdue investment in the health, dignity, and future of Central Brooklyn. I applaud Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and the entire Brooklyn delegation for their leadership in securing this transformative win.”

Senator Roxanne J. Persaud said, “This historic investment in SUNY Downstate is not only a commitment to health equity but a powerful example of what happens when government truly listens to the community,” said Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s leadership and the tireless work of the Community Advisory Board, we now have a fiscally responsible plan to modernize Downstate Hospital and ensure it remains a pillar of care, education, and opportunity in Central Brooklyn for generations to come.”

Senator Zellnor Myrie said, “Last year, Central Brooklyn fought back against a proposal that would have closed SUNY Downstate and sent its patients elsewhere for care. Instead, we secured a commitment to invest in Downstate’s future, modernizing its facilities and preserving its services. I am grateful to the Advisory Board members for their work, to the community for demanding world-class healthcare, and to the Governor and SUNY Chancellor for committing to implement these recommendations. Downstate has been there for Central Brooklyn in our hour of need, and we will always work to protect and strengthen Downstate.”

Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, “For decades, marginalized communities have been forced to accept crumbling infrastructure and underfunded care. This $1 Billion investment in SUNY Downstate is a people-powered win, driven by community voices, labor, and public health advocates fighting for what we deserve: high-quality, publicly funded care that puts patients and workers first. Thank you to the Governor for her work with the Advisory Board and her commitment to increasing funding for healthcare access with our state legislature. We look forward to seeing shovels in the ground.”

Assemblymember Maritza Davila said, “I commend Governor Hochul for this historic $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate Hospital. This commitment ensures that Brooklyn retains access to critical inpatient and outpatient services while advancing health equity through long-overdue infrastructure upgrades. As teaching hospital that provides staffing for hospitals all over Brooklyn and beyond, it is vital to keep SUNY Downstate as a full-service hospital.”

Embedded Flickr Album

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said, “SUNY Downstate was founded 165 years ago, and served as a vital healthcare institution and safety-net hospital, helping over 300,000 Brooklynites annually, regardless of their ability to pay. In recent years, our borough’s only academic medical center kept trying to provide innovative, high-quality-care for all, while its 19th century infrastructure crumbled; putting the Downstate Hospital in serious peril; while leaving our most vulnerable constituents with next-to-nothing for healthcare. Gov. Hochul took decisive action, when other leaders swept this problem under the rug, and worked with the Brooklyn Delegation and our communities to deliver a one billion-dollar solution ensuring a bright future for SUNY Downstate and the Brooklynites who depend on it. Thank you to the Advisory Board for providing a blueprint to revitalize SUNY Downstate into a world-class, state-of-the-art health center that will truly save the lives of Brooklynites today and for decades to come.”

Assemblymember Jo Ann Simon said, “The historic $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate ensures what the community has long fought for: a full-service state hospital that meets the needs of the people it serves. I’m proud that community leaders, along with the Downstate Advisory Board and Governor Hochul, shaped a plan that centers around patient care, preserves vital services, and invests in health equity. This is a critical step forward, and we will continue working to ensure that the voices of patients, workers, and neighbors remain at the forefront.”

Assemblymember Latrice Walker said, “The release of the Downstate Community Advisory Board’s proposal for the reinvestment of more than $1 billion is a victory for the entire Central Brooklyn community, including the constituents of my district who rely on SUNY Downstate Hospital. I’d like to thank all the people who have fought so hard to get us to this point. That includes advocates, lawmakers, union leaders, and members of the faith and medical communities. And, of course, we would not be at this critical juncture without the leadership of Gov. Kathy Hochul and SUNY Chancellor John King. The proposal, which follows months of community input, retains kidney transplant and maternity services – which are priorities for my community, as we battle high rates of diabetes and fight for better Black maternal health outcomes. I look forward to the modernization of the emergency department, infrastructure upgrades and many other improvements stemming from the proposal. We have collectively struck a decisive blow in the ongoing effort to combat health disparities in Brooklyn communities of color. The quality of one’s care should not be determined by zip code.”

Assemblymember Jamie Williams said, “I’m glad to see the governor securing an additional $1 billion for SUNY Downstate’s Hospital. This critical investment will allow for much-needed infrastructure repairs and upgrades, and support for the wide variety of programs SUNY Downstate offers patients throughout New York City. I applaud the governor and look forward to seeing the benefits this investment in our healthcare system will have on our communities.”

Assemblymember Robert Carroll said, “I was proud to join my colleagues in voting to invest in SUNY Downstate in the State’s budget and commend Governor Hochul for the commitment of $1 billion in total as recommended by the SUNY Downstate Advisory Board. With this investment we are ensuring the modernization and sustainability of this institution, which is vital to the health and wellbeing of Brooklyn’s diverse communities and an important center for medical education and research.”

Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman said, “This $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate will help close longstanding health equity gaps, preserve critical medical services, and strengthen a trusted institution that trains the next generation of healthcare professionals,” said Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman (56th District). “Central Brooklyn owes a debt of gratitude to the unions, healthcare workers, clergy, and community leaders who fought tirelessly for a plan that will serve our families for generations to come.”

Assemblymember Brian Cunningham said, “This is what it looks like when government shows up for neighborhoods too often left behind. This $1 billion reinvestment in SUNY Downstate reflects the power of advocacy, partnership, and persistence. I am proud to have stood alongside Governor Hochul and the community to help deliver the resources this hospital has needed for far too long.”

Assemblymember Monique Chandler-Waterman said, “For decades, SUNY Downstate’s University Hospital has served as a lifeline—providing critical care, training for our next generation of healthcare professionals, and anchoring the wellbeing of communities that have historically been underserved, but this historic investment will shift the trajectory for healthcare in our state, in unprecedented ways. With this investment, we are making a bold commitment in people and in the future of our public health system, while providing access that transcends zipcodes. Thank you to Governor Hochul for working with us to secure an allocation of over $1 billion to support significant infrastructure improvements and the overall modernization of this institution that we have advocated for, for much time.

New York City Council Member Farah N. Louis said, “I wholeheartedly applaud Governor Hochul for this historic and transformative $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate Medical Center—a bold commitment that demonstrates extraordinary leadership and responsiveness to the urgent needs of Central Brooklyn residents. Knowing that this funding will restore full inpatient and outpatient care over 200 beds is a massive achievement in our fight to save this institution. As our community continues to advocate for a transformative and responsive investment, I am proud that our concerns were heard to bring modernized facilities and high-quality services to the working-class families of Central Brooklyn. Governor Hochul listened to the needs of our neighborhoods and I look forward to the strengthening of this essential institution.”

New York City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse said, “This $1 billion investment and the restoration of 225 beds are crucial steps in ensuring Downstate stays open and continues to serve our community. I am deeply grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership and unwavering commitment to preserving this essential healthcare institution in Central Brooklyn. By implementing the majority of the Downstate Community Advisory Board’s recommendations, we are listening to those who know best and ensuring a brighter, healthier future for all who rely on Downstate.”

Bishop Orlando Findlayter said, “We’ve seen private hospitals across the city close or limit services in recent years, which has been a rising threat to the healthcare of New Yorkers in underserved communities. But thanks to leadership from the Governor and our local community, Downstate will ensure the long-term commitment of all existing inpatient and outpatient services, and will serve as a beacon of care and community.”

To review the Executive Summary Slides click here. For more information please visit downstateadvisoryboard.org/.

MIL OSI USA News –
June 18, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Jaws at 50: how two musical notes terrified an entire generation

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Cole, Composer and Lecturer in Screen Composition, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney

Universal Pictures

Our experience of the world often involves hearing our environment before seeing it. Whether it’s the sound of something moving through nearby water, or the rustling of vegetation, our fear of the unseen is rooted in our survival instincts as a species.

Cinematic sound and music taps into these somewhat unsettling instincts – and this is exactly what director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams achieved in the iconic 1975 thriller Jaws. The sound design and musical score work in tandem to confront the audience with a mysterious killer animal.

In what is arguably the film’s most iconic scene, featuring beach swimmers’ legs flailing underwater, the shark remains largely unseen – yet the sound perfectly conveys the threat at large.

Creating tension in a soundtrack

Film composers aim to create soundscapes that will profoundly move and influence their audience. And they express these intentions through the use of musical elements such as rhythm, harmony, tempo, form, dynamics, melody and texture.

In Jaws, the initial encounter with the shark opens innocently with the sound of an offshore buoy and its clanging bell. The scene is established both musically and atmospherically to evoke a sense of isolation for the two characters enjoying a late-night swim on an empty beach.

But once we hear the the low strings, followed by the central two-note motif played on a tuba, we know something sinister is afoot.

This compositional technique of alternating between two notes at an increasing speed has long been employed by composers, including by Antonín Dvořák in his 1893 work New World Symphony.

John Williams reportedly used six basses, eight cellos, four trombones and a tuba to create the blend of low frequencies that would go on to define his entire Jaws score.

The bass instruments emphasise the lower end of the musical frequency spectrum, evoking a dark timbre that conveys depth, power and intensity. String players can use various bowing techniques, such as staccato and marcato, to deliver dark and even menacing tones, especially in the lower registers.

Meanwhile, there is a marked absence of tonality in the repeating E–F notes, played with increasing speed on the tuba. Coupled with the intensifying dynamics in the instrumental blend, this accelerating two-note motif signals the looming danger before we even see it – tapping into our instinctive fear of the unknown.

The use of the two-note motif and lower-end orchestration characterises a composition style that aims to unsettle and disorientate the audience. Another example of this style can be heard in Bernard Herrmann’s car crash scene audio in North by Northwest (1959).

Similarly, in Sergei Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, the opening of the second movement (Dance of the Pagan Gods) uses an alternating D#–E motif.

The elasticity of Williams’ motif allows the two notes to be played on different instruments throughout the soundtrack, exploring various timbral possibilities to induce a kaleidoscope of fear, panic and dread.

The psychology behind our response

What is it that makes the Jaws soundtrack so psychologically confronting, even without the visuals? Music scholars have various theories. Some suggest the two notes imitate the sound of human respiration, while others have proposed the theme evokes the heartbeat of a shark.

Williams explained his approach in an interview with the Los Angeles Times:

I fiddled around with the idea of creating something that was very … brainless […] Meaning something could be very repetitious, very visceral, and grab you in your gut, not in your brain. […] It could be something you could play very softly, which would indicate that the shark is far away when all you see is water. Brainless music that gets louder and gets closer to you, something is gonna swallow you up.

Williams plays with the audience’s emotions throughout the film’s score, culminating in the scene Man Against Beast – a celebration of thematic development and heightened orchestration.

The film’s iconic soundtrack has created a legacy that extends beyond the visual. And this suggests the score isn’t just a soundtrack – but a character in its own right.

By using music to reveal what is hidden, Williams creates an intense emotional experience rife with anticipation and tension. The score’s two-note motif showcases his genius – and serves as a sonic shorthand that has kept a generation behind the breakers of every beach.

Alison Cole 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. Jaws at 50: how two musical notes terrified an entire generation – https://theconversation.com/jaws-at-50-how-two-musical-notes-terrified-an-entire-generation-258068

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 18, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: How high can US debt go before it triggers a financial crisis?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Hartigan, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney

rarrarorro/Shutterstock

The tax cuts bill currently being debated by the US Senate will add another US$3 trillion (A$4.6 trillion) to US debt. President Donald Trump calls it the “big, beautiful bill”; his erstwhile policy adviser Elon Musk called it a “disgusting abomination”.

Foreign investors have already been rattled by Trump’s upending of the global trade system. The eruption of war in the Middle East would usually lead to “flight to safety” buying of the US dollar, but the dollar has barely budged. That suggests US assets are not seen as the safe haven they used to be.

Greg Combet, chair of Australia’s own sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, outlined many of the new risks arising from US policies in a speech on Tuesday.

As investors turn cautious on the US, at some point the surging US debt pile will become unsustainable. That could risk a financial crisis. But at what point does that happen?

The public sector holds a range of debt

When talking about the sustainability of US government debt, we have to distinguish between total debt and public debt.

Public debt is owed to individuals, companies, foreign governments and investors. This accounts for about 80% of total US debt. The remainder is intra-governmental debt held by government agencies and the Federal Reserve.

Public debt is a more correct measure of US government debt. And it is much less than the headline total government debt amount that is frequently quoted, which is running at US$36 trillion or 121% of GDP.

Are there limits to government debt?

Governments are not like households. They can feasibly roll over debt indefinitely and don’t technically need to repay it, unlike a personal credit card. And countries such as the US that issue debt in their own currency can’t technically default unless they choose to.

Debt also serves a useful role. It is the main way a government funds infrastructure projects. It is an important channel for monetary policy, because the US Federal Reserve sets the benchmark interest rate that affects borrowing costs across the economy. And because the US government issues bonds, known as Treasuries, to finance the debt, this is an important asset for investors.

There is probably some limit to the amount of debt the US government can issue. But we don’t really know what this amount is, and we won’t know until we get there. Additionally, the US’s reserve currency status, due to the US dollar’s dominant role in international finance, gives the US government more leeway than other governments.

Interest costs are surging

What is important is the government’s ability to service its debt – that is, to pay the interest cost. This depends on two components: growth in economic activity, and the interest rate on government debt.

If economic growth on average is higher than the interest rate, then the government’s effective interest cost is negative and it could sustainably carry its existing debt burden.

The interest cost of US government debt has surged recently following a series of Federal Reserve interest rate hikes in 2022 and 2023 to quell inflation.

The US government is now spending more on interest payments than on defence – about US$882 billion annually. This will soon start crowding out spending in other areas, unless taxes are raised or further spending cuts made.

Recent policy decisions not helping

The turmoil caused by Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and heightened uncertainty about future government policy are expected to weaken US economic growth and raise inflation. This, coupled with the recent credit downgrade of US government debt by ratings agency Moody’s, is likely to put upward pressure on US interest rates, further increasing the servicing cost of US government debt.

Moody’s cited concerns about the growth of US federal debt. This comes as the US House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which seeks to extend the 2017 tax cuts indefinitely while slashing social spending. This has caused some to question the sustainability of the US government’s fiscal position.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will add a further US$3 trillion to government debt over the ten years to 2034, increasing debt to 124% of GDP. And this would increase to US$4.5 trillion over ten years and take debt to 128% of GDP if some tax initiatives were made permanent.

Also troubling is Section 899 of the bill, known as the “revenge tax”. This controversial provision raises the tax payable by foreign investors and could further deter foreign investment, potentially making US government debt even less attractive.

A compromised Federal Reserve is the next risk

The passing of the tax and spending bill is unlikely to cause a financial crisis in the US. But the US could be entering into a period of “fiscal dominance”, which is just as concerning.

In this situation, the independence of the Federal Reserve might be compromised if it is pressured to support the US government’s fiscal position. It would do this by keeping interest rates lower than otherwise, or buying government debt to support the government instead of targeting inflation. Trump has already been putting pressure on Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, demanding he cut rates immediately.

This could lead to much higher inflation in the US, as occurred in Germany in the 1920s, and more recently in Argentina and Turkey.

Luke Hartigan receives funding from the Australian Research Council (DP230100959)

– ref. How high can US debt go before it triggers a financial crisis? – https://theconversation.com/how-high-can-us-debt-go-before-it-triggers-a-financial-crisis-258812

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 18, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Would a corporate tax cut boost productivity in Australia? So far, the evidence is unclear

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University

The Conversation, CC BY-NC

The first term of the Albanese government was defined by its fight against inflation, but the second looks like it will be defined by a need to kick start Australia’s sluggish productivity growth.

Productivity is essentially the art of earning more while working less and is critical for driving our standard of living higher.

The Productivity Commission, tasked with figuring out how to get Australia’s sluggish productivity back on track, is pushing hard for corporate tax cuts as a key part of their plan for building a “dynamic and resilient economy”.

The idea? Lower taxes will attract more foreign investment, get businesses spending again and eventually boost workers’ productivity.

Commission chair, Danielle Wood, said last week while the commission wanted to create more investment opportunities, it was aware this would hit the budget bottom line:

So we’re looking at ways to spur investment while finding other ways we might be able to pick up revenue in the system.

The general company tax rate is currently 30% for large firms, and there’s a reduced rate of 25% for smaller companies with an overall turnover of less than A$50 million.

What the textbooks and other countries tell us

The Productivity Commission’s theory makes sense: if you make capital cheaper and you should get more of it flowing in.

A larger stock of capital means there is more to invest in Australian workers. This should make us more productive and help boost workers’ wages. And looking overseas, the evidence mostly backs this up.

A meta-analysis of 25 studies covering the US, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland,
Denmark, Portugal and Finland found every percentage point you slice off the corporate tax rate brings in about 3.3% more foreign direct investment.

Other research shows multinational companies really do move their operations to places with lower tax rates. This explains why we’re seeing this race to the bottom across Europe and North America, with countries constantly trying to undercut each other.

Research on location decisions shows how multinationals reshuffle their operations based on effective average tax rates.

Even within the United States, a US study found increases in corporate tax rates lead to big reductions in employment and wage income. However, corporate tax cuts can boost economic activity – though typically only if they are implemented during recessions.

Australia’s limited track record

Here in Australia we don’t have much local evidence to go on, and what we do have is pretty puzzling.

This matters because Australia’s corporate tax system has some unique features that may make overseas evidence less relevant. We have dividend imputation (franking credits), different treatment of capital gains, access to immediate reimbursement for some small business expenses and complex capitalisation rules that limit debt deductions for multinationals.

The Federal Government is focussed on improving productivity. In this five-part series, we’ve asked leading experts what that means for the economy, what’s holding us back and their best ideas for reform.

A study by a group of Australian National University economists looked at how the tax system affects business investment. They examined the [2015 and 2016 corporate tax cuts] for small businesses using data on business investment from the Australian Bureau of Statistics combined with tax data from the Australian Tax Office.

The findings were mixed. After the 2015 cut, firms already investing in buildings and equipment spent more — that is, the policy boosted investment only at the intensive margin.

By contrast, there was no evidence it enticed firms that had not been investing to start doing so. The follow-up cut in 2016 had even less bite. Its estimated effect on investment was so small it is statistically indistinguishable from zero.

It remains unclear why the previous corporate tax reductions largely failed to produce a measurable increase in investment. Perhaps the tax cut itself was simply too modest. Or the available data was too volatile to capture its effects.

But it runs contrary to what economic theory tells us to expect. This should give us pause for thought.

The big questions nobody can answer yet

For politicians thinking about another round of corporate tax cuts, this creates an uncomfortable situation. We’ve got solid evidence from overseas it works, but only one weak data point from Australia, plus a lot of head-scratching about why the second cut didn’t move the dial.

Fortunately, the Productivity Commission has the in-house expertise to further investigate this question.

Before we make further cuts to the company tax rate, we should have an in-depth study of these two tax cuts replicating and extending the previous work to see what effect – if any – they had on investment, employment, productivity and Australian living standards.

Until we can solve these puzzles, Australia’s debate over corporate tax rates will keep spinning its wheels. Much like our national productivity itself.

Isaac Gross 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. Would a corporate tax cut boost productivity in Australia? So far, the evidence is unclear – https://theconversation.com/would-a-corporate-tax-cut-boost-productivity-in-australia-so-far-the-evidence-is-unclear-258575

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 18, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Australia could become the world’s first net-zero exporter of fossil fuels – here’s how

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University

Photo by Jie Zhao/Corbis via Getty Images

Australia is the world’s third largest exporter of gas and second largest exporter of coal. When burned overseas, these exports result in 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year – almost three times Australia’s domestic emissions.

Emissions embedded in Australia’s exports do not count towards our national emissions targets. But they contribute to climate change – and they’re the reason for Australia’s international reputation as a fossil-fuel economy.

On the bright side, Australia boasts huge potential for low-cost renewable energy and a knack for resource industries.

We can, and should, become a “renewable energy superpower”. This term refers to the potential for Australia to use its bountiful renewable energy resources to make commodities such as iron, ammonia and other products and fuels in “green” or low-emissions ways.

So how does Australia give salience to this idea on the global stage, while our fossil fuel exports continue? The solution could be a new net-zero target for Australia, in which emissions from green exports are tallied up against those from fossil fuel exports.

Australia can become a renewable energy superpower.
Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Reinvigorating Australia’s climate policy

If the clean energy transition eventuates, green exports from Australia will rise over time. This will help reduce the use of coal, gas and oil elsewhere in the world.

Meanwhile, coal exports – and later, gas exports – will fall. This will happen irrespective of Australia’s policies, as the world economy decarbonises and demand for fossil fuels slows.

At some point, we can expect emissions avoided by our green commodity exports to surpass those from remaining coal and gas exports. Australia would then reach what could be termed “net-zero export emissions”.

Adopting this net-zero target as a national policy would give a concrete yardstick to Australia’s green-export ambitions. It could also invigorate Australia’s climate policy and boost investor confidence.

A different approach would be to set targets only for green exports, and this could be how we get started. Ultimately, a net-zero target wrapping up both green and fossil-fuel exports would speak most directly to the goal of tackling climate change, and is likely to have more impact on the international stage.

A net-zero export target would give a concrete yardstick to Australia’s ambition to develop green export industries.
Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Getting to net-zero exports

The below chart shows an illustrative decline in emissions embedded in Australia’s coal and LNG (liquified natural gas) exports, out to 2050.*

Authors’ calculations based on Australian Energy Update 2024, Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2024, IEA World Energy Outlook 2024

It’s hard to pin down when Australia might reach net-zero exports. It depends on several factors. How quickly will the cost of clean energy and green-commodity technologies fall? How competitively can Australia produce green goods compared to other nations? What policies will be adopted in Australia and overseas – and will they work?

The magnitudes are sobering. Take iron, for example. Australia currently exports 900 million tonnes of iron ore a year. This is processed overseas to about 560 million tonnes of iron.

To fully compensate for emissions currently embedded in Australia’s coal and gas exports, Australia would need to process about the same amount of green iron – around 550 million tonnes – on home soil every year.

To reach this figure, we assume 0.1 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent is created per tonne of green iron, compared to about 2.1 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per tonne of iron resulting from conventional blast furnace production.

Achieving this would require keeping iron ore production at current levels and processing it all in Australia, which is unlikely to be realistic.

Thankfully, the task of reaching net-zero export emissions will be smaller in future, as global coal and gas demand falls. But exactly how this will translate to Australian exports is highly uncertain.

Let’s suppose Australia’s exports evolved on the same trajectory as they might under current climate policies and pledges for the global coal and gas trade.

In this case, embedded emissions from Australia’s coal and gas exports would be about 360 million tonnes in 2050. This includes about 120 million tonnes from LNG exports – much of it locked in by the extension to Woodside’s North West Shelf project off Western Australia.

Hypothetically, the 360 million tonnes of emissions could be negated by a mix of green exports. They include 102 million tonnes of green iron (saving 204 million tonnes of CO₂), and 11 million tonnes of green ammonia (saving about 23 million tonnes of CO₂), and the remainder covered by a combination of green aluminium, silicon, methanol and transport fuels.

Judgement calls would be needed about which commodities to include in the target. The composition of green exports suggested above is akin to assumptions about Australia’s potential global market share outlined by The Superpower Institute.

Importantly, it’s hard to predict with certainty the greenhouse gas emissions displaced elsewhere in the world by Australia’s green exports. So, the estimates should be understood as broad illustrations, and not as exact as the accounting used to calculate countries’ domestic emissions.

The precise year chosen for reaching a net-zero target for export emissions may well be less important than the commitment that, at some point, Australia’s green energy exports will exceed fossil fuel exports. This would establish the notion that Australia has the capacity and willingness to help the world decarbonise.

At some point, Australia’s green energy exports will exceed fossil fuel exports.
David Gray/Getty Images

A positive agenda for change

The export target could be part of Australia’s updated emissions pledge due to be submitted to the United Nations by September this year. The pledge, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), is required by signatories to the Paris Agreement.

Each nation is expected to detail its national emissions target for 2035. But nations can make additional pledges towards the world’s climate change effort. You could call it an “NDC+”.

So Australia could outline an indicative goal for net-zero exports – perhaps alongside other pledges such as leveraging climate change finance for developing countries, or helping our Pacific neighbours adapt to climate change impacts.

As a large fossil fuels exporter, Australia would earn kudos for showing it has a positive agenda for change.

And if Australia wins the bid to host the COP31 climate conference next year, a plan to reduce export emissions could be a major rallying point.

* Underlying data for the chart showing an expected decline in future emissions embedded in Australia’s coal and LNG exports:

Exports in 2022–23: coal, 9.6 exajoules (EJ); LNG, 4.5 EJ, from Australian Energy Update. This was multiplied by an emissions factor 90.2 for coal (MtCO₂-e/EJ) and 51.5 for LNG (MtCO₂-e/EJ), as drawn from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors

Exports for 2035 and 2050: this assumes a trend aligned with the IEA’s Announced Pledges Scenario, as outlined in the World Energy Outlook 2024. Note the percentage changes from 2023 to 2035 and 2050 for coal (-45% and -73% respectively) and for LNG (+9% and -47% respectively.) These figures do not distinguish between steam coal for power and metallurgical coal.

Frank Jotzo leads research projects on climate, energy and industry policy. He is a commissioner with the NSW Net Zero Commission and chairs the Queensland Clean Economy Expert Panel.

Annette Zou works on research projects on climate policy and decarbonisation and has previously worked with The Superpower Institute

– ref. Australia could become the world’s first net-zero exporter of fossil fuels – here’s how – https://theconversation.com/australia-could-become-the-worlds-first-net-zero-exporter-of-fossil-fuels-heres-how-259037

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 18, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: We tracked Aussie teens’ mental health. The news isn’t good – and problems are worse for girls
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlett Smout, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank, University of Sydney

skynesher/Getty Images

We know young people in Australia and worldwide are experiencing growing mental health challenges.

The most recent national survey from the Australian Bureau of Statistics found nearly two in five (38.8%) 16- to 24-year-olds experienced symptoms of a mental disorder in the previous 12 months.

This was substantially higher than the last time the survey was run in 2007, when the figure was 26%.

We’ve published a new study today looking at the rates of mental health problems among Australian high school students specifically. We found almost one in four high school students report mental health problems by Year 10 – and things are worse for girls and gender-diverse teens.

Tracking teens’ mental health

In our study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, we looked at mental health symptoms in more than 6,500 Australian teens, and how these symptoms changed over time.

We surveyed high school students from 71 schools annually from Year 7 (age 12/13) to Year 10 (age 15/16). Our sample, while not nationally representative, includes a large cross-section of schools in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

We found symptoms of mental health problems increased steadily over time:
- in Year 7, 17% of students we surveyed reported symptoms which met the criteria for probable depression, increasing to 28% by Year 10
- some 14% of students reported high psychological distress in Year 7, rising to 24% in Year 10
- the proportion reporting moderate-to-severe anxiety grew from 16% in Year 7 to 24% by Year 10.
Which teens were hardest hit?

We looked at how mental health symptoms over time were linked to different social factors, such as gender, cultural background and family affluence. We also looked at school factors, such as how advantaged a student’s school is.

We found clear differences in mental health by gender, affluence, and school advantage. Girls and gender diverse teens had higher symptoms in Year 7 and a steeper rise in symptoms over the four years, when compared to their male peers.

By Year 10, compared to males, females had average symptom scores that were 88% higher for depression, 34% higher for anxiety, and 55% higher for psychological distress (in models that adjusted for other factors).

Again compared to males and in adjusted models, gender diverse teens had symptom scores at Year 10 that were 121% higher for depression, 55% higher for anxiety, and 89% higher for psychological distress.

Teens from the least affluent families had 7% higher depressive symptoms than those from the most affluent families in adjusted models, while teens attending the least advantaged schools had 9% higher anxiety symptoms than teens attending the most advantaged schools.

We then examined how gender and affluence interacted to influence mental health. Girls in the lowest affluence group experienced heightened anxiety and depressive symptoms over and above the effects of affluence or gender alone.

This shows how multiple factors can stack up, creating greater risk of poor mental health for certain young people.

Gender-diverse teens were more likely to have poor mental health in our study.
SeventyFour/Shutterstock

While we were able to explore a wide range of factors, a limitation of our study was that we could not examine all social factors that may impact mental health. For example, we couldn’t ascertain the potential differences experienced by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander teens or those living in remote and very remote areas.

How does this data compare to other studies?

Recent Australian data from similar-aged adolescents is scarce. However, the 2015 Young Minds Matter study found 14.4% of 12- to 17-year-olds experienced a mental disorder in the prior 12 months.

The higher rates of mental health challenges we observed in our study are likely consistent with recent evidence suggesting “cohort effects” – where each generation has worse mental health than the one before it. Research is still investigating the reasons behind these trends, with avenues of inquiry spanning everything from social media to climate change. But it appears no single factor is to blame.

The COVID pandemic has also played a role, with young people seeming to be hit particularly hard by mental health impacts of the pandemic.

Notably, the gender differences between girls and boys are supported by data from global studies, showing this is not a uniquely Australian phenomenon.

What can we do about the gender divide in mental health?

With a mental health-care system stretched beyond capacity, it’s crucial we prevent and address mental health problems early. While this requires a multilayered approach, aiming to reduce these gender inequities in mental health is an important place to start.

While outside the scope of this study, a growing field of research is interrogating why there are gender differences in mental health. Factors identified include:
- experiences of gender-based violence
- gender differences in lifestyle behaviours (for example, diet, physical activity and screen time)
- gendered norms that place pressure on girls to meet unrealistic gender standards
- gender differences in family and social relationships
- biological differences related to hormones and menstruation.
These areas indicate avenues for potential solutions, but addressing these factors requires wraparound investment.

Promisingly, many of these factors are mentioned in the National Women’s Health Strategy. With women’s health a central platform for the Albanese government’s election campaign, hopefully we will see more investment in research and policy to address these issues.

Importantly, our study found gender inequities in mental health were even more stark for gender diverse teens, so focus should not solely be on girls and women.

We must design solutions with young people

Adolescent mental health isn’t something we can tackle with a one-size-fits-all approach. We need strategies that are meaningfully co-designed with young people themselves. Initiatives can then be tailored to meet their unique needs and reflect their diverse experiences.

When we work directly with priority groups, such as girls, gender diverse teens and those experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, we can offer safe, culturally appropriate and affirming solutions. This helps teens feel seen, heard and supported – all key ingredients for better mental health.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

Scarlett Smout receives funding from the BHP Foundation and provides academic support for Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank.

Katrina Champion receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund and via University of Sydney Horizon Fellowship.

– ref. We tracked Aussie teens’ mental health. The news isn’t good – and problems are worse for girls – https://theconversation.com/we-tracked-aussie-teens-mental-health-the-news-isnt-good-and-problems-are-worse-for-girls-259044
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
June 18, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: House Democrats Defend NIH Grants Against Trump Administration’s Unlawful Termination

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Litigation and Response Task Force led 152 House Democrats in filing an amicus brief challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal and devastating cuts to life-saving medical research grants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The brief defends Congress’s Article I authority to appropriate federal funds and speaks up for every American who relies on crucial life-saving biomedical and public health research conducted at universities, medical schools, research hospitals, and other scientific institutions across the country.

House Democrats’ amicus brief was filed in the consolidated cases Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. NIH, Association of American Medical Colleges v. NIH, and Association of American Universities v. Department of Health and Human Services, all currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. These cases challenge the Trump Administration’s unlawful and unconstitutional efforts to reduce indirect cost reimbursements for projects funded by the NIH.

In early February, the Trump Administration arbitrarily slashed the NIH reimbursement rate for indirect research costs. Without fair reimbursement for indirect costs, more than 300,000 scientists and researchers at 2,500 institutions that receive NIH funding will face devastating impacts, and Americans could be left without access to lifesaving and life-extending treatments. The ramifications would also ripple through global collaboration and the development of our future scientific leadership and workforce, limiting our ability to enhance health and reduce illness and disability in the future.

The full brief is available HERE.

The effort was led by Task Force Co-Chair Joe Neguse and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Ranking Members of the Appropriations and Energy and Commerce Committees, Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Frank Pallone.

See what they had to say below:

“The unconstitutional decision by the Trump administration to gut the NIH should shock the conscience. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are illegally destroying our public health infrastructure and canceling research programs—including pediatric cancer research—in order to hand massive tax breaks to billionaires,” said Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “Congress appropriated these funds and only Congress has the power to claw them back. House Democrats will continue to push back on this blatant disregard of science and the Constitution, and I thank Reps. Neguse, Raskin, DeLauro and Pallone and the Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group for their leadership.”

“The Trump Administration’s reckless and illegal cuts to NIH grants, funded through congressionally appropriated dollars, not only violate Congress’s Article I powers, but also represent an affront to Americans across the country who are left reeling without access to lifesaving and life-extending treatments. This directive has upended critical medical research at our nation’s leading labs, hospitals, research centers, and scientific institutions—and has immediate consequences, including canceled clinical trials and patients losing access to treatments,” said Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse. “In filing this brief, House Democrats are pushing back against the harm being inflicted on everyday Americans and reinforcing the constitutional authority of Congress.”

“Trump’s latest attack on science is dangerous, cruel, and unconstitutional,” said Ranking Member Jamie Raskin. “By slashing NIH grant funding appropriated by Congress, the Trump Administration is jeopardizing lifesaving research conducted by scientists across the country and all the patients who depend on it. He’s also trampling Congress’s clear constitutional authority over federal spending. As president, Trump’s job is to faithfully execute the laws enacted by Congress, not rewrite them and not impound them. Therefore, NIH funds must be delivered exactly as directed by Congress. I’m proud to join my colleagues in defending both the Constitution and the future of essential American biomedical progress.”

“Once again, President Trump and OMB Director Russ Vought are acting in direct violation of the law. In this case, they are causing irreparable damage to ongoing research to develop cures and treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, ALS, Diabetes, Mental Health disorders, opioid abuse, genetic diseases, rare diseases, and other diseases and conditions affecting American families. The Trump Administration is stealing critical funds promised to scientific research institutions funded by the NIH, despite an explicit legal prohibition against this action. By taking an axe to our efforts to find cures to diseases and disorders that are tearing apart families across the country, President Trump and Russ Vought are risking lives and putting the United States on a path to decline,” said Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro.

“The Trump Administration’s NIH grant funding cuts are not only illegal, they’re also incredibly harmful to the American people,” said Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. “Stealing these funds that support research will further interrupt clinical trials and patient care, delay medical research for new cures and treatments, and undermine America’s scientific research institutions. Democrats are fighting to ensure this critical funding is restored and to protect Americans’ access to lifesaving treatment and innovations.”

Background on the Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force:

The Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force first took the unprecedented step of filing a trial court amicus brief to defend American consumers from predatory lenders and bad actors. They were successful in this case after a federal judge blocked efforts to dismantle the CFPB, citing the group’s argument multiple times throughout the 112-page ruling. The Task Force was also able to effectively prevent the Trump Administration from dismantling the Department of Education, filing another such brief that led to a federal court demanding the immediate rehiring of unlawfully terminated staff. House Democrats have so far filed nine amicus briefs in cases against Administration lawlessness.

For more information on House Democrats efforts to protect Americans against the unlawful actions of the Trump Administration, visit litigationandresponse.house.gov.

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MIL OSI USA News –

June 18, 2025

Category: Education

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Reinvigorating Australia’s climate policy

Getting to net-zero exports

A positive agenda for change

The public sector holds a range of debt

Are there limits to government debt?

Interest costs are surging

Recent policy decisions not helping

A compromised Federal Reserve is the next risk

June 18, 2025

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Creating tension in a soundtrack

The psychology behind our response

The public sector holds a range of debt

Are there limits to government debt?

Interest costs are surging

Recent policy decisions not helping

A compromised Federal Reserve is the next risk

What the textbooks and other countries tell us

Australia’s limited track record

The big questions nobody can answer yet

Reinvigorating Australia’s climate policy

Getting to net-zero exports

A positive agenda for change

Tracking teens’ mental health

Which teens were hardest hit?

How does this data compare to other studies?

What can we do about the gender divide in mental health?

We must design solutions with young people