NewzIntel.com

Category: Farming

  • MIL-OSI China: Walnut trees on plateau bear ecological, economic fruits

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

    On the winding mountain paths, Liu Liping, from the plateau walnut industry research institute of Yangtze University, swiftly removed a label from her coat and carefully attached it to a newly grafted walnut branch.

    Upon her arrival at Gyaca County, Shannan City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, in early 2020, she was astonished by the ancient walnut trees scattered throughout the county. A remarkable total of 3,657 millennia-old walnut trees formed a unique ancient walnut grove on the plateau.

    The history of walnut cultivation in Gyaca dates back over 1,000 years. However, despite this rich history, local villagers have long struggled with the absence of scientific cultivation techniques and efficient production methods.

    In the past, villagers didn’t know how to properly plant walnut trees. “We crammed hundreds of trees into a narrow space, making it impossible even to walk through. The walnut trees grew thin and small, and the nuts were unusable,” said Qi Lyu, Party branch secretary of a local village.

    “Without those trees, the riverbanks were just barren land, easily buried by sand when strong winds blew,” Qi said.

    In March 2021, central China’s Hubei Province launched its 2021 to 2025 science and technology pairing assistance program with Xizang. Liu joined the assistance talent team, where she devoted herself to local walnut variety selection, breeding, and cultivation management.

    Liu had visited all 27 walnut-growing villages in Gyaca. “The villagers initially didn’t understand the purpose of our work and were annoyed by our repeated visits,” Liu recalled.

    “Now we welcome Dr. Liu’s visits. She taught us grafting and cultivation techniques, and the grafted walnut trees produce excellent fruit with high yields,” said Goksang, a resident whose family has tended an ancient walnut tree.

    The county’s walnut cultivation has expanded to 520,000 trees across 45,000 mu (about 3,000 hectares), with an annual output of 1,200 tonnes and a total output value exceeding 80 million yuan (about 11.2 million U.S. dollars).

    Six superior walnut trees have been successfully selected, and a 1,000-mu high-quality walnut cultivation demonstration base has been established in Gyaca. Since 2021, over 100,000 walnut trees have been planted along the Yarlung Zangbo River as part of the local ecological corridor project. This project has not only helped stabilize the soil and prevented sandstorms, but also created new income streams for residents, achieving positive ecological and economic outcomes.

    Over 500 villagers have participated in grafting training sessions, including many farmers, said Zhang Rongceng, a grassroots young official, who has been working in Gyaca since 2022.

    Beyond supplying local afforestation and agricultural development, Gyaca’s walnut saplings are also used in the largest afforestation project in Lhasa, the regional capital of Xizang. The project has completed nearly 700,000 mu of afforestation since 2022, with an overall survival rate of around 85 percent.

    Kan Simeng is in charge of an afforestation area of over 3,100 mu, situated at an altitude of over 3,700 meters. He traveled 200 kilometers to Gyaca, where he discovered walnut seedlings that are ideally suited for high-altitude planting.

    “These saplings have a high survival rate, and their robust root systems also effectively stabilize the soil and prevent erosion,” said Kan. Walnut trees have since blanketed mountains near Lhasa. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Dakota Receives $2 Million in Interior PILT Funds

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announcedNorth Dakota will receive $2,093,127 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2025 to support the costs associated with maintaining vital community services. PILT payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal land within each county or jurisdiction, and population.
    PILT payments are made for tax-exempt federal lands administered by DOI bureaus, including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, PILT payments cover federal lands administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In FY24, North Dakota received nearly $2 million from PILT for counties encumbered by non-taxable federal land.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Mohiuddin Ahmed, Senior Lecturer of Computing and Security, Edith Cowan University

    Dylan Carr/Unsplash

    In recent days, Iranians experienced a near-complete internet blackout, with local service providers – including mobile services – repeatedly going offline. Iran’s government has cited cyber security concerns for ordering the shutdown.

    Shutting off the internet within an entire country is a serious action. It severely limits people’s ability to freely communicate and to find reliable information during times of conflict.

    In countries that have privatised mobile and internet providers, control is often exercised through legislation or through government directives – such as age restrictions on adult content. By contrast, Iran has spent years developing the capacity to directly control its telecommunications infrastructure.

    So how can a country have broad control over internet access, and could this happen anywhere in the world?

    How does ‘blocking the internet’ work?

    The “internet” is a broad term. It covers many types of applications, services and, of course, the websites we’re familiar with.

    There’s a range of ways to control access to internet services, but broadly speaking, there are two “simple” methods a nation could use to block citizens’ internet access.

    Hardware

    A nation may opt to physically disconnect the incoming internet connectivity at the point of entry to the country (imagine pulling the plug on a telephone exchange).

    This allows for easy recovery of service when the government is ready, but the impact will be far-reaching. Nobody in the country, including the government itself, will be able to connect to the internet – unless the government has its own additional, covert connectivity to the rest of the world.



    Read more:
    Undersea cables are the unseen backbone of the global internet

    Software and configuration

    This is where it gets more technical. Every internet-connected endpoint – laptop, computer, mobile phone – has an IP (internet protocol) address. They’re strings of numbers; for example, 77.237.87.95 is an address assigned to one of the internet service providers in Iran.

    IP addresses identify the device on the public internet. However, since strings of numbers are not easy to remember, humans use domain names to connect to services – theconversation.com is an example of a domain name.

    That connection between the IP address and the domain is controlled by the domain name system or DNS. It’s possible for a government to control access to key internet services by modifying the DNS – this manipulates the connection between domain names and their underlying numeric addresses.

    An additional way to control the internet involves manipulating the traffic flow. IP addresses allow devices to send and receive data across networks controlled by internet service providers. In turn, they rely on the border gateway protocol (BGP) – think of it like a series of traffic signs which direct internet traffic flow, allowing data to move around the world.

    Governments could force local internet service providers to remove their BGP routes from the internet. As a result, the devices they service wouldn’t be able to connect to the internet. In the same manner, the rest of the world would no longer be able to “see” into the country.



    Read more:
    Internet shutdowns: here’s how governments do it

    How common is this?

    In dozens of countries around the world, the internet is either routinely controlled or has been shut down in response to major incidents.

    A recent example is a wide-scale internet blackout in Bangladesh in July 2024 during student-led protests against government job quotas.

    In 2023, Senegal limited internet access to handle violent protests that erupted over the sentencing of a political leader. In 2020, India imposed a lengthy internet blackout on the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. In 2011, the Egyptian government withdrew BGP routes to address civil unrest.

    These events clearly show that if a government anywhere in the world wants to turn off the internet, it really can. The democratic state of the country is the most significant influence on the willingness to undertake such action – not the technical capability.

    However, in today’s world, being disconnected from the internet will heavily impact people’s lives, jobs and the economy. It’s not an action to be taken lightly.

    How can people evade internet controls?

    Virtual private networks or VPNs have long been used to hide communications in countries with strict internet controls, and continue to be an effective internet access method for many people. (However, there are indications Iran has clamped down on VPN use in recent times.)

    However, VPNs won’t help when the internet is physically disconnected. Depending on configuration, if BGP routes are blocked, this may also prevent any VPN traffic from reaching the target.

    This is where independent satellite internet services open up the most reliable alternative. Satellite internet is great for remote and rural areas where traditional internet service providers have yet to establish their cabling infrastructure – or can’t do so.

    Even if traditional wired or wireless internet connections are unavailable, services such as Starlink, Viasat, Hughesnet and others can provide internet access through satellites orbiting Earth.

    To use satellite internet, users rely on antenna kits supplied by providers. In Iran, Elon Musk’s Starlink was activated during the blackout, and independent reports suggest there are thousands of Starlink receivers secretly operating in the country.

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

    – ref. Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet? – https://theconversation.com/irans-internet-blackout-left-people-in-the-dark-how-does-a-country-shut-down-the-internet-259546

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century judge and ambassador, travelled further than Marco Polo. The Rihla records his adventures

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ismail Albayrak, Professor of Islam and Catholic Muslim Relations, Australian Catholic University

    In our guides to the classics, experts explain key literary works.

    Ibn Battuta, was born in Tangier, Morocco, on February 24, 1304. From a statement in his celebrated travel book the Rihla (“legal affairs are my ancestral profession,”) he evidently came from an intellectually distinguished family.

    According to the Rihla (travelogue), Ibn Battuta embarked on his travels from Tangier at the age of 22 with the intention of performing the Hajj (the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca) in 1325. Although he returned to Fez (his adopted home-town) around the end of 1349, he continued to visit various regions, including Granada and Sudan, in subsequent years.

    Over the course of his almost 30 years of travel, Ibn Battuta covered an astonishing distance of approximately 73,000 miles (117,000 kilometres), visiting a region that today encompasses more than 50 countries. His journeys covered much of the medieval Islamic world and beyond, excluding Northern Europe.

    In 1355, he returned to Morocco for the last time and remained there for the rest of his life. Upon his return he dictated his experiences, observations and anecdotes to the Andalusian scholar Ibn Juzayy, with a compilation of his travels completed in 1355 or 1356.

    The work, formally titled A Gift to Researchers on the Curiosities of Cities and the Marvels of Journeys, is more commonly referred to as Rihlat Ibn Battuta or simply Rihla.

    A painting of Ibn Battuta (on right) in Egypt by Leon Benett.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

    More than a travelogue or geographical record, this book provides rich insights into 14th-century social and political life, capturing cultural diversity across nations. Ibn Battuta details local lifestyles, linguistic traits, beliefs, clothing, cuisines, holidays, artistic traditions and gender relations, as well as commercial activities and currencies.

    His observations also include geographical features such as mountains, rivers and agricultural products. Notably, the work highlights his encounters with over 60 sultans and more than 2,000 prominent figures, making it a valuable historical resource.

    The travels

    His travels began after a dream. According to Ibn Battuta, one night, while in Fuwwa, a town near Alexandria in Egypt, he dreamed of flying on a massive bird across various lands, landing in a dark, greenish country.

    To test the local sheikh’s mystical knowledge, he decided if the sheikh knew of his dream, he was truly extraordinary. The next morning, after leading the dawn prayer, he saw the sheikh bid farewell to visitors. Later, the sheikh astonishingly revealed knowledge of Ibn Battuta’s dream and prophesied his pilgrimage through Yemen, Iraq, Turkey and India.

    At the time, the Middle East was under the rule of the Mamluk sultanate, Anatolia was divided among principalities and the Mongol Ilkhanate state controlled Iran, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

    Ibn Battuta initially travelled through North Africa, Egypt, Palestine and Syria, completing his first Hajj in 1326.

    He then visited Iraq and Iran, returning to Mecca. In 1328, he explored East Africa, reaching Mogadishu, Mombasa, Sudan and Kilwa (modern Tanzania), as well as Yemen, Oman and Anatolia, where he documented cities like Alanya, Konya, Erzurum, Nicaea and Bursa.

    His descriptions are vivid. Describing the city of Dimyat, on the bank of the Nile, he says:

    Many of the houses have steps leading down to the Nile. Banana trees are especially abundant there, and their fruit is carried to Cairo in boats. Its sheep and goats are allowed to pasture at liberty day and night, and for this reason the saying goes of Dimyat, ‘Its wall is a sweetmeat and its dogs are sheep’. No one who enters the city may afterwards leave it except by the governor’s seal […]

    Farmland on the banks of the Nile river today.
    Alice-D/shutterstock

    When it comes to Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), he declares:

    This country, known as the Land of Rum, is the most beautiful in the world. While Allah Almighty has distributed beauty to other lands separately, He has gathered them all here. The most beautiful and well-dressed people live in this land, and the most delicious food is prepared here […] From the moment we arrived, our neighbors — both men and women — showed great concern for our wellbeing. Here, women do not shy away from men; when we departed, they bid us farewell as if we were family, expressing their sadness through tears.

    A judge and husband

    In 1332, Ibn Battutua met the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

    Since Ibn Battuta dictated his work, it’s difficult to assess the extent of the scribe’s influence in recording his narratives. Despite being an educated man, he occasionally narrates like a commoner and sometimes exceeds the bounds of polite language. At times, he provides excessive detail, giving the impression he may be quoting from sources beyond his own observations.

    Nevertheless, the Rihla stands out for its engaging style and captivating anecdotes, drawing readers in.

    Ibn Battuta later journeyed through Crimea, Central Asia, Khwarezm (a large oasis region in the territories of present-day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), Bukhara (a city in Uzbekistan), and the Hindu Kush Mountains. In 1332, he met Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos and travelled to Istanbul with the caravan of Uzbek Khan’s third wife. He mentions a caravan that even has a market:

    Whenever the caravan halted, food was cooked in great brass cauldrons, called dasts, and supplied from them to the poorer pilgrims and those who had no provisions. […] This caravan contained also animated bazaars and great supplies of luxuries and all kinds of food and fruit. They used to march during the night and light torches in front of the file of camels and litters, so that you saw the countryside gleaming with light and the darkness turned into radiant day.

    Ibn Battuta arrived in Delhi in 1333, where he served as a judge under Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq for seven years. He married or was married to local women in many of the places he stayed. Among his wives were ordinary people as well as the daughters of the administrative class.

    Miniature painting in Mughal style depicting the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

    The Sultan’s generosity, intelligence and unconventional ruling style both impressed and surprised Ibn Battuta. However, Muhammad bin Tughluq was known for making excessively harsh and abrupt decisions at times, which led Ibn Battuta to approach him with caution. Nevertheless, with the Sultan’s support, he remained in India for a long time and was eventually chosen as an ambassador to China in 1341.

    In 1345 his mission was disrupted when his ship capsized off the coast of Calcutta (then known as Sadqawan) in the Indian Ocean. Though he survived, he lost most of his possessions.

    After the incident, he remained in India for a while before continuing his journey by other means. During this period, he travelled through India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He served as a judge in the latter for one and a half years. In 1345, he journeyed to China via Bengal, Burma and Sumatra, reaching the city of Guangzhou but limiting his exploration to the southern coast.

    He was among the first Arab travellers to record Islam’s spread in the Malay Archipelago, noting interactions between Muslims and Hindu-Buddhist communities. Visiting Java and Sumatra, he praised Sultan Malik al-Zahir of Sumatra as a generous, pious and scholarly ruler and highlighted his rare practice of walking to Friday prayers.

    On his return, Ibn Battuta explored regions such as Iran, Iraq, North Africa, Spain and the Kingdom of Mali, documenting the vast Islamic world.

    Back in his homeland, Ibn Battuta served as a judge in several locations. He died around 1368-9 while serving as a judge in Morocco and was buried in his birthplace, Tangier.

    Historic copy of selected parts of the Travel Report by Ibn Battuta, 1836 CE, Cairo.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

    The status of women

    Ibn Battuta’s travels revealed intriguing insights into the status of women across regions. In inner West Africa, he observed matriarchal practices where lineage and inheritance were determined by the mother’s family.

    Among Turks, women rode horses like raiders, traded actively and did not veil their faces.

    In the Maldives, husbands leaving the region had to abandon their wives. He noted that Muslim women there, including the ruling woman, did not cover their heads. Despite attempting to enforce the hijab as a judge, he failed.

    He offers fascinating insights into food cultures. In Siberia, sled dogs were fed before humans. He described 15-day wedding feasts in India.

    He tried local produce such as mango in the Indian subcontinent, which he compared to an apple, and sun-dried, sliced fish in Oman.

    Religious practices

    Ibn Battuta’s accounts of the Hajj (pilgrimage) rituals he performed six times provide a unique perspective. He references a fatwa by Ibn Taymiyyah, prominent Islamic scholar and theologian known for his opposition to theological innovations and critiques of Sufism and philosophy, advising against shortening prayers for those travelling to Medina.

    Ibn Battuta’s accounts, particularly regarding the Iranian region, offer important perspectives into religious sects during a period when Iran started shifting from Sunnism to Shiism. He describes societies with diverse demographics, including Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Arabs and Baluchis. His observations on religious practices are especially significant.

    Inclined toward Sufism, Ibn Battuta often dressed like a dervish during his travels. He offers a compelling view of Islamic mysticism. He considered regions like Damascus as places of abundance and Anatolia as a land of compassion, interpreting them with a spiritual perspective.

    His accounts of Sufi education, dervish lodges, zawiyas (similar to monasteries), and tombs, along with the special invocations of Sufi masters, are important historical records. He also observed and documented unique practices, such as the followers of the Persian Sufi saint Sheikh Qutb al-Din Haydar wearing iron rings on their hands, necks, ears, and even private parts to avoid sexual intercourse.

    While Ibn Battuta primarily visited Muslim lands, he also travelled to non-Muslim territories, offering key understandings into different religious cultures, for instance interactions between Crimean Muslims and Christian Armenians in the Golden Horde region.

    He also documented churches, icons and monasteries, such as the tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem. His observation of Muslims openly reciting the call to prayer (adhan) in China is significant.

    Other anecdotes include the division of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus into a mosque and Christian church. Most importantly, his encounters with Hindus and Buddhists in the Indian subcontinent and Malay Islands provide rich historical context.

    Umayyad Mosque, Damascus.
    eyetravelphotos/shutterstock

    His accounts of death rituals reveal diverse practices. In Sinop (a city in Turkey), 40 days of mourning were declared for a ruler’s mother, while in Iran, a funeral resembled a wedding celebration. He observed similarities in cremation practices between India and China and described a chilling custom in some regions where slaves and concubines were buried alive with the deceased.

    Ibn Battuta’s Rihla, widely translated into Eastern and Western languages, has drawn some criticism for containing depictions that sometimes diverge from historical continuity or borrow from other works. Ibn Battuta himself admitted to using earlier travel books as references.

    Despite limited recognition in older sources, the Rihla gained prominence in the West in the 19th century. His legacy remains vibrant today. Morocco declared 1996–1997 the “Year of Ibn Battuta,” and established a museum in Tangier to honour him. In Dubai, a mall is named after him.

    Notably, Ibn Battuta travelled to more destinations than Marco Polo and shared a broader range of humane anecdotes, showcasing the depth and diversity of his experiences.

    Ismail Albayrak 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. Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century judge and ambassador, travelled further than Marco Polo. The Rihla records his adventures – https://theconversation.com/ibn-battuta-a-14th-century-judge-and-ambassador-travelled-further-than-marco-polo-the-rihla-records-his-adventures-246148

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: ‘Sea of Death’ becomes land of wonder

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

    Hop aboard, grip the handrail, press the gas, and it’s time for an exhilarating adventure across the vast, rolling sand dunes on a four-wheeled quad bike.

    This thrilling experience is just one of many adventures visitors can enjoy at the N39 scenic area in Makit County of Xinjiang’s Kashgar Prefecture. Located on the southwestern edge of the Taklimakan, China’s largest and the world’s second-largest drifting desert — often referred to as the “Sea of Death” — this once-remote and seldom-visited wilderness has become a captivating destination.

    “The ride was so much fun and so intense, we enjoyed it a lot,” said Li Wei, who brought her 18-year-old son for a post-graduation trip from Wuhu in east China’s Anhui Province, a city some 4,000 km from Kashgar. “Playing in the desert should be a great way for the kid to relax after the college entrance exam,” she added.

    Launched in 2016, the tourist site is attracting a growing number of visitors. The annual tourist visits have reached 500,000, with a consistent year-on-year growth rate of 7 to 15 percent, according to Dong Mingjiang, general manager of the tourism development company of the scenic area.

    “Many of our visitors come from afar, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, and we have also received many foreign visitors from countries such as the United States, Britain, Singapore and Thailand,” he said.

    Besides the four-wheelers, the site offers a wide choice of desert-based activities such as off-roaders, sand surfing, camel riding and desert camping.

    At the camel trekking area, Chen Wenbai mounted a camel and, under the guidance of staff, set off to explore the rolling sand dunes. The rhythmic chime of camel bells and the ethereal whistling of the camel herders echoed across the wilderness, creating a scene reminiscent of the ancient Silk Road.

    “It is my first time to see the big desert, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Chen, who traveled all the way from Zhuhai in south China’s Guangdong Province to Xinjiang. Accompanying him were a dozen “travel buddies” he met online, who had discovered this scenic spot through Xiaohongshu, the Chinese lifestyle online platform known overseas as “rednote.”

    The name of the tourist site N39 means the 39 degrees north latitude, a line popular with adventurers and off-road enthusiasts to cross the Taklimakan Desert. The history of the N39 dates back to 1895 when Swedish explorer Sven Anders Hedin led his team along this line to cross the Taklimakan in vain.

    Today, witnessing an evolving landscape, the once-feared “Sea of Death” is transforming into a sea of life and hope.

    Over the years, against the background of China’s fight against desertification, people in Xinjiang have been cultivating drought-resistant plants such as populus euphratica, saxaul and red willow at the edge of the Taklimakan to fix the sand and improve the environment. In November 2024, a sand-blocking green belt stretching 3,046 km was completed to encircle the Taklimakan.

    In Makit, a total of 78,400 hectares of sand prevention and control projects, including 30,666 hectares of protective forests, have been completed. At the same time, the county has been tapping into the economic potential of the desert. Besides the N39 scenic area, it also established a tourist site featuring the Daolang (swordsman) culture and paintings created by local farmers.

    According to Pan Guoping, deputy director of the local culture, broadcasting and tourism bureau, in the first five months of 2025, the county received over 1.78 million tourist visits, a growth of 55.05 percent year-on-year. Tourism revenue during the period reached 732 million yuan (102 million U.S. dollars), up 61.58 percent.

    The tourist boom is evident around the Taklimakan.

    At the northern edge of the desert, Xayar County, Aksu Prefecture, boasts the world’s largest and best-preserved pristine populus euphratica forest stretching along the Tarim River.

    Thanks to the ecological restoration efforts such as ecological water conveyance and replanting, the county has created a wetland scenic area in the desert, integrating populus euphratica forests, lakes, wetlands and waterfowl habitats. In autumn, when the forests turn into a sea of golden yellow, this once-isolated area emerges as a popular destination, drawing visitors and photographers from near and far.

    At the southern margin of the desert, Yutian County in Hotan Prefecture has a long history of rose cultivation. As part of the sand control efforts, local communities have successfully cultivated drought-resistant and highly adaptable rose varieties suitable to their local desert conditions.

    The region now hosts a rose culture tourism festival annually, featuring an array of activities including song and dance performances, cultural exhibitions, rose-themed experiences, gourmet food tasting, agricultural product fairs, and sports events.

    The booming tourism industry is offering immense opportunities for locals.

    Four years ago, after graduating from Shanghai Normal University, Aynur Emer returned to her hometown of Makit and became a tour guide at the N39 scenic area. Now, at just 25 years old, she is the scenic spot’s deputy general manager.

    Growing up in a farming family, Aynur Emer often found herself reflecting on the desert that dominated her childhood memories — a place of hardship she hoped to leave.

    “The back door of our house opened directly onto the desert,” she recalled. “During sandstorms, the roads would disappear entirely. Coming back from the market, I frequently struggled to find my way home.”

    As a little girl, she never imagined that the desert could become a tourist destination. Yet today, thanks to environmental improvements and a burgeoning tourism industry, the desert has transformed in her eyes from a source of struggle to one of beauty and prosperity.

    “When I was young, I dreamed of traveling to see stunning landscapes far from home,” Aynur Emer said. “But now, the best view is right at my doorstep.” ■

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 24th, 2025 Heinrich Slams Trump Administration’s Decision to Rescind Roadless Rule That Strips Protections of Millions of Acres of America’s National Forests

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins’ efforts to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, also known as the Roadless Rule, established during the Clinton Administration to protect over 58 million acres of public lands administered by the Forest Service.

    “Once again, the Trump Administration is putting special interests first by torching protections for our national forests. Rolling back the Roadless Rule will make millions of acres vulnerable to destructive wildfires, carve up wildlife habitat, degrade opportunities for recreation, and threaten the headwaters our communities rely on,” said Heinrich. “More than 80 percent of wildfires are started by humans within a half mile of a road – but now Trump is pretending that this rollback is necessary for fire prevention. This is nothing more than a reckless giveaway to private interests that puts lives and our lands at risk.” 

    See the map of New Mexico’s inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 25, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 25, 2025.

    Bats get fat to survive hard times. But climate change is threatening their survival strategy
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Wu, Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology, Murdoch University Rudmer Zwerver/Shutterstock Bats are often cast as the unseen night-time stewards of nature, flitting through the dark to control pest insects, pollinate plants and disperse seeds. But behind their silent contributions lies a remarkable and underappreciated survival strategy: seasonal

    Japanese prime minister’s abrupt no-show at NATO summit reveals a strained alliance with the US
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Adjunct Lecturer, Faculty of Economics, Hosei University Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a clear signal to the Trump administration: the Japan–US relationship is in a dire state. After saying just days ago he would be attending this week’s NATO summit at The Hague,

    Why have athletes stopped ‘taking a knee’?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ciprian N. Radavoi, Associate Professor in Law, University of Southern Queensland Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers kneel ahead of a game in 2016. Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images It’s almost a decade since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started

    Nearly half of Kiwis oppose automatic citizenship for Cook Islands, says poll
    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist A new poll by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union shows that almost half of respondents oppose the Cook Islands having automatic New Zealand citizenship. Thirty percent of the 1000-person sample supported Cook Islanders retaining citizenship, 46 percent were opposed and 24 percent were unsure. The question asked: The Cook

    Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders discuss Middle East conflict before ceasefire
    RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says the Middle East conflict was one of the discussions of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Suva this week — and Pacific leaders “took note of what is happening”. The Post-Courier reports Marape saying the “12 Day War” between Israel and Iran was based on

    The ancients also had to deal with a cost-of-living crisis. Here’s how they managed
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Louis Le Brun, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY Talk to anyone today, and they will probably have something to say about how expensive life has become. While the rate of inflation has

    Video games can help trans players feel seen and safe. It all starts with design
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Toups Dugas, Associate Professor of Human-Centred Computing, Monash University Shano Liang There is a comfort in finding and being yourself. Video games offer opportunities for this comfort. They allow people to exist in safe spaces, to develop community, and to explore the self – as well

    How old are you really? Are the latest ‘biological age’ tests all they’re cracked up to be?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University We all like to imagine we’re ageing well. Now a simple blood or saliva test promises to tell us by measuring our “biological age”. And then, as many have done, we can share how “young” we really are on social

    Global rankings fuel hype, but students have more to consider when choosing a uni
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Message, Professor of Public Humanities and Director of the ANU Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University At this time of year, many year 12 students are seriously turning their minds to the future. Should they go to university next year? If so, which one? June is

    Playful or harmful? David Seymour’s posts raise questions about what’s OK to say online
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Veale, Senior Lecturer in Media Studies, part of the Digital Cultures Laboratory in the School of Humanities, Media, and Creative Communication, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour says he is being “playful” and

    Shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien accepts invitation to government’s economic roundtable
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal opposition has accepted an invitation from Treasurer Jim Chalmers for shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien to attend the August economic roundtable. The acceptance contrasts with the position taken by former opposition leader Peter Dutton last term. He refused to

    Fiji advocacy group slams Indonesian role in MSG as a ‘disgrace’
    Asia Pacific Report A Fiji-based advocacy group has condemned the participation of Indonesia in the Melanesian Spearhead Group which is meeting in Suva this week, saying it is a “profound disgrace” that the Indonesian Embassy continues to “operate freely” within the the MSG Secretariat. “This presence blatantly undermines the core principles of justice and solidarity

    Will the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel hold? One factor could be crucial to it sticking
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Amir Levy/Getty Images After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades. Israel

    Ramzy Baroud: The fallout – winners and losers from the Israeli war on Iran
    COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud, editor of The Palestinian Chronicle The conflict between Israel and Iran over the past 12 days has redefined the regional chessboard. Here is a look at their key takeaways: Israel:Pulled in the US: Israel successfully drew the United States into a direct military confrontation with Iran, setting a significant precedent for

    Iran and Israel agree to a fragile ceasefire. One factor could be crucial to it sticking
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Amir Levy/Getty Images After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades. Israel

    eSafety boss wants YouTube included in the social media ban. But AI raises even more concerns for kids
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University Irina WS/Shutterstock Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, today addressed the National Press Club to outline how her office will be driving the Social Media Minimum Age Bill when it comes into effect in December this year. The bill,

    Trouble getting out of bed? Signs the ‘winter blues’ may be something more serious
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology Justin Paget/Getty Winter is here. As the days grow shorter and the skies turn darker, you might start to feel a bit “off”. You may notice a dip in your mood or energy levels.

    A carbon levy on global shipping promises to slash emissions. We calculated what that means for Australia’s biggest export
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Brear, Director, Melbourne Energy Institute, The University of Melbourne Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images Moving people and things around the world by sea has a big climate impact. The shipping industry produces almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions – roughly the same as Germany – largely

    The war won’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it will drive it underground, following North Korea’s model
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Burke, Professor of Environmental Politics & International Relations, UNSW Sydney The United States’ and Israel’s strikes on Iran are concerning, and not just for the questionable legal justifications provided by both governments. Even if their attacks cause severe damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, this will only

    Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohiuddin Ahmed, Senior Lecturer of Computing and Security, Edith Cowan University Dylan Carr/Unsplash In recent days, Iranians experienced a near-complete internet blackout, with local service providers – including mobile services – repeatedly going offline. Iran’s government has cited cyber security concerns for ordering the shutdown. Shutting off

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hetao Irrigation Area in China’s Inner Mongolia

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

    Hetao Irrigation Area in China’s Inner Mongolia

    Updated: June 25, 2025 09:43 Xinhua
    A farmer operates agricultural machinery in farmlands in Urad Front Banner of Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, June 4, 2025. Nestled at the top of the Yellow River’s “Great Bend” and in the heart of the Hetao Plain, Bayannur is a city nurtured by the Yellow River, renowned as a granary of northern China. The word Bayannur means “abundant lake” in Mongolian, perfectly describing the region’s water resources. Viewed from above, the Hetao Irrigation Area reveals an extensive 64,000-kilometer network of irrigation channels that nourish the entire city, making it both the largest irrigation system in the Yellow River Basin and the largest single-source gravity-fed irrigation system in Asia. The Sanshenggong Water Control Project serves as the sole water source for the Hetao Irrigation Area. The project’s dam divides the river flow, with one branch flowing into the main canal that sustains the agricultural heartland, while the other continues downstream. As part of the World Heritage Irrigation Structures, the ingenuity of the Hetao Irrigation Area lies in its dual function of water deliver and drainage. After irrigating farmlands, excess water flows through the main drainage canal into Ulansuhai Nur, creating a sustainable balance between human activity and water resources. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the second diversion hub of the main canal in Linhe District of Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on June 4, 2025 shows the Ulansuhai Nur in Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the Sanshenggong Water Control Project in Dengkou County of Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the second diversion hub of the main canal in Linhe District of Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows farmlands in Dengkou County of Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the main canal in Dengkou County of Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the main canal in Linhe District of Bayannur, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACCC authorises collaboration to improve the sustainability of cash-in-transit services

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    The ACCC has issued a determination granting authorisation with conditions to allow the Australian Banking Association Ltd (ABA), major banks, major retailers and supermarkets, Australia Post and other industry participants to collaborate on the future continuity of cash-in-transit services.

    The authorisation allows the major banks and retailers to provide financial support to Armaguard and for the parties to discuss, agree and implement operational sustainability and efficiency measures across the services provided by Armaguard’s cash-in-transit business to those banks and retailers.

    The authorisation also allows the parties to develop, but not implement, an independent pricing mechanism in respect of their cash services agreements with Armaguard.

    “We consider that the conduct would be likely to reduce the risk of disruption to Armaguard’s cash-in-transit services in the immediate future, while the increased sustainability of those services would support ongoing access to cash across Australia,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

    “This is a significant public benefit.”

    The ACCC considers that, with the conditions set out in this determination, the conduct is likely to result in minimal public detriments.

    “This decision will increase future consultation in the cash-in-transit industry,” Mr Keogh said.

    “The ABA is now required to ensure that an independent expert will conduct reasonable consultation with stakeholders in the development of an independent pricing mechanism proposal.”

    Further information about the ACCC’s final determination is available on the authorisations public register.

    Note to editors

    The ACCC’s role is to consider requests for exemptions from competition laws that may be breached to enable competitors to collaborate on such arrangements.

    ACCC authorisation provides statutory protection from court action for conduct that might otherwise raise concerns under the competition provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).

    Broadly, s 91 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) allows the ACCC to grant an authorisation when it is satisfied that the public benefit from the conduct outweighs any public detriment.

    Background

    Cash-in-transit services involve providing cash transport, management, and processing services. These services are provided to banks, retailers, and independent ATM operators.

    On 13 June 2023, the ACCC granted merger authorisation to Armaguard and Prosegur Australia to combine their cash distribution, management and other businesses in Australia, and accepted a court-enforceable undertaking, which is a condition of the merger authorisation. Following this merger, Armaguard became the major supplier of cash-in-transit services in Australia.

    On 27 May 2024, the ACCC granted authorisation with conditions to the ABA, the Customer Owned Banking Association, banks, retailers and other industry participants to allow them to develop responses to support the distribution of cash across Australia. 

    On 3 July 2024, the ACCC granted interim authorisation with a condition to allow the ANZ Bank, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac, Australia Post, Coles, Wesfarmers and Woolworths (the Funding Parties) to provide financial contributions to Armaguard. 

    On 12 September 2024, the ACCC revoked the interim authorisation dated 3 July 2024 and granted a new interim authorisation for an expanded range of conduct with 4 conditions.

    On 11 December 2024, the ACCC issued a draft determination proposing to grant authorisation with conditions until 30 June 2026. Also on 11 December 2024, the ACCC revoked the interim authorisation with conditions dated 12 September 2024 and granted a new interim authorisation with amended conditions.

    On 25 June 2025, the ACCC granted authorisation with 6 conditions which broadly require:

    • the ABA provide regular reports to the ACCC, Reserve Bank and Treasury about discussions, developments and decisions made under the authorisation relating to operational sustainability and Efficiency Measures and the Independent Pricing Mechanism, including any consultation undertaken
    • prior to any operational sustainability and Efficiency Measures being implemented, the ABA to provide a report to the ACCC, the RBA and Treasury which describes the measure in detail and sets out the consultation undertaken with other parties (smaller ABA members, COBA, IGA/Metcash, the Australian Hotels Association and Clubs Australia) about the measure including its potential impact on the accessibility of cash in regional and remote areas
    • discussions, contracts, arrangements or understandings regarding any operational sustainability and Efficiency Measure and/or Independent Pricing Mechanism to occur at, in preparation for, or arise out of, a meeting, meetings or communications of the ABA Weekly Cash SteerCo or a meeting involving the Reserve Bank or Treasury
    • the ABA to ensure that Deloitte (or any alternative independent facilitator) conducts reasonable consultation with specified parties in respect of the development of the Independent Pricing Mechanism prior to any in-principle agreement.

    The authorisation made on 25 June 2025 does not extend to the implementation of any pricing proposal. A further application for authorisation of implementation of the pricing proposal is anticipated once agreement between the Funding parties and Armaguard is reached on the proposal.

    A separate application lodged by the ABA relating to cash-in-transit sustainability measures and business continuity measures remains before the ACCC for consideration.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Kenya holds forum to promote Sino-African agricultural, industrial cooperation

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

    Hamadi Boga, vice president of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), delivers a speech during the inaugural Africa-China Forum on Agri-Tech and Industrial Cooperation in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The inaugural Africa-China Forum on Agri-Tech and Industrial Cooperation took place on Tuesday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

    The day-long conference was hosted by Nairobi-based Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Beijing Jingwa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Center, the International Livestock Research Institute and the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation.

    Ibrahim Mayaki, African Union special envoy for food systems, said the continent stands to gain from emulating China’s model of agricultural transformation, driven by forward-looking policies, technology and innovations.

    “We can leverage China’s successes in agricultural modernization, rural transformation and poverty alleviation as reference points for Africa’s own agricultural renaissance, while recognizing the specificity of African ecosystems and cultures,” Mayaki said.

    Mayaki stressed that joint research between China and Africa in climate-smart farming practices, development of high-yielding crops, modern irrigation technologies and digital extension services could offer lasting solution to hunger, rural poverty and malnutrition affecting the world’s second-largest continent.

    Hamadi Boga, vice president of AGRA, noted that China has set the pace in technology- and innovation-led agricultural modernization, inspiring African nations to follow suit, feed their growing population and leapfrog into an industrial era.

    The Sino-African agricultural cooperation, according to Boga, has rapidly evolved as witnessed by technology transfer, establishment of demonstration zones, exchange visits and institutional collaboration, boosting crop yield, agro-processing and exports.

    Boga also called on African research institutions to forge long-term partnership with their Chinese counterparts to accelerate an inclusive food systems transformation, rooted in improved soil health, climate resilience, access to finance, technologies and markets.

    Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan said China is keen to share with Africa’s bilateral partners its home-grown technologies, innovations, experience and best practices, which could hasten the continent’s agricultural modernization to realize food security and boost export competitiveness.

    Guo noted that China-Africa agricultural cooperation has prioritized technology transfer, facilitating trade in agricultural commodities and upgrading value chains for farm produce.

    In addition, China has partnered with African countries to enhance response to crop pests and diseases, capacity building for extension workers and farmers, deployment of technologies for scaling up agro-processing and value addition, Guo added. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: FLINT Announces Voting Results from Shareholders’ Meeting

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FLINT Corp. (“FLINT”) (TSX: FLNT) is pleased to announce that all matters presented for approval at its annual meeting (the “Meeting”) of holders of common shares (“Common Shares”) held earlier today were approved. A total of 24,877,170 Common Shares, representing approximately 22.62% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, were represented at the Meeting.

    All of the nominees listed in FLINT’s management information circular dated May 9, 2025 were elected as directors of FLINT to hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders or until their successors are elected or appointed. The results of the vote were:

        Votes For   Votes Withheld
    Nominee   #   %   #   %
    Barry Card   23,866,574   96.98   744,347   3.02
    H. Fraser Clarke   23,866,574   96.98   744,347   3.02
    Katrisha Gibson   23,867,798   96.98   743,123   3.02
    Karl Johannson   23,413,621   95.14   1,197,300   4.86
    Dean T. MacDonald   23,866,574   96.98   744,347   3.02
    Sean D. McMaster   23,866,574   96.98   744,347   3.02

    Ernst & Young LLP was appointed as FLINT’s auditor until the next annual meeting of shareholders, and the directors were authorized to fix their remuneration. The result of the vote was:

    Votes For   Votes Withheld
    #   %   #   %
    24,800,533   99.69   76,536   0.31


    About FLINT Corp.

    With a legacy of excellence and experience stretching back more than 100 years, FLINT provides solutions for the Energy and Industrial markets including: Oil & Gas, (upstream, midstream and downstream), Petrochemical, Mining, Power, Agriculture, Forestry, Infrastructure and Water Treatment. With offices strategically located across Canada and a dedicated workforce, we provide maintenance, turnaround, construction, wear technology and environmental services that help our customers bring their resources to our world. For more information about FLINT, please visit www.flintcorp.com or contact:

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Speaks with Department of Defense Nominees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) participated in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Vice Admiral Charles B. Cooper II, to be Commander for United States Central Command, and Lieutenant General Alexus G. Grynkewich to be Commander for United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander of Europe. During the hearing, Senator Tuberville and Lt. General Grynkewich discussed the general’s relationship with NATO commanders as well as the conflict in Eastern Europe. Additionally, he spoke to Vice Admiral Cooper about preventing the Houthis from obstructing trade in the Middle East.

    Read Senator Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.

    ON NATO RELATIONSHIPS:

    TUBERVILLE: “Good morning. Thanks for both of your service and moving your families around. Kinda like a coach. You know, you don’t stay very long in one spot. Admiral, it’s good to see your family here. Auburn folks. Good Alabama folks. Living Montgomery, I think.
    Right? […]

    “General, let me ask you this. What’s your relationship with the NATO commanders in the bigger countries? That we have.”

    GRYNKEWICH: “Senator, I have worked with European partners around the world over the years in a variety of coalition environments, and I know many of the leaders across all of those countries. It’s a solid relationship, sir.”

    TUBERVILLE: “How about Turkey?”

    GRYNKEWICH: “Sir, I’ve had the privilege of visiting Türkiye several times over the course of my career and have great respect for the military capabilities that they can bring to bear.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Largest military in NATO. Is that right?”

    GRYNKEWICH: “Yes, sir.”

    ON LIKELIHOOD OF UKRAINE DEFEATING RUSSIA:

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. Let me ask this question. This Ukraine-Russia war has been going on for a long time. A lot of people killed. We’ve spent a lot of money. Can Ukraine win?”

    GRYNKEWICH: “Senator, I think Ukraine can win. I think anytime your own homeland is threatened, you fight with a tenacity that’s difficult for us to conceive of if we haven’t found ourselves in that same situation.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. They’ve they have absolutely fought hard. You gotta give it to them.”

    ON WHO SUPPORTS HOUTHIS:

    TUBERVILLE: “Admiral, we hadn’t talked about the Houthis. I think we’ve bombed them for 30 straight days. Is that correct?”

    COOPER: “Sir, we bombed them for 51 straight days in conjunction with Operation Rough Rider.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. Have we stopped?”

    COOPER: “Sir, the president gave the military a very precise mission, which was to restore the freedom of navigation, and that mission was successfully executed. We have freedom of navigation today. We agreed [to] a ceasefire several weeks ago. Now 40 days ago. If the Houthis didn’t shoot at us, we wouldn’t shoot at them. They have not shot at us. We have not shot at them. And we have multiple examples of destroyers going back and forth through the Bab al-Mandab.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Destroyers, but what about merchant ships?”

    COOPER: “There is merchant ships flowing through the Bab al-Mandab today. If we walk back to the fall of 2023 when the Houthis started their kinetic actions, it took several months for the flow of commerce to leave the Red Sea. I would expect it’s gonna take several months for it to fully come back.”

    TUBERVILLE: “My understanding is that the Houthis are one of the strongest groups that are backed by Iran. Is that correct?”

    COOPER: “Sir, they’ve been supported with arms, people, training, ISR for the better part of 10 years. They’re well supported.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. China support’s them too?”

    COOPER: “They do.”

    TUBERVILLE: “So, do you think this is going to be an on and off project with the Houthis over the years? Or are we going to be able to stabilize it?”

    COOPER: “I think we’re now 40 days into this; the ball is in the Houthis’ court. We’re prepared for a range of actions, but I think the policies associated with the ceasefire remain in place, and we’ll just be prepared, from a military perspective, for a wide range of contingencies as is our obligation to do so.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Do we actually know who the leadership is that controls the Houthis?”

    COOPER: “We do, sir.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. […] Do we talk to them? They talk back to us? How does that work?”

    COOPER: “Communications with the Houthis is done through diplomatic channels. And Houthis are a foreign terrorist organization. We don’t have a communication via the military.”

    TUBERVILLE: “So the president, when he works and tries to calm the situation down, who does he talk to?”

    COOPER: “Sir, he uses the Envoy for the Middle East, Ambassador Steve Witkoff, who helped enable the most recent ceasefire.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. They must be some tough rascals. I mean, we bombed them for 51 days and they’re still kicking. Right?”

    COOPER: “They’re extremely well supplied by the Iranians.”

    TUBERVILLE: “They’re supplied, but what? Are they dug in?”

    COOPER: “As we’ve seen throughout the region, groups are going underground, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis. This is a serious issue that we will have to look at into the future.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. We do make a bomb in Huntsville called ‘MOAB.’ They do a lot of damage. I think we’ve seen that in Afghanistan. We got a few left. So, maybe in the future, [if] we can’t get them to reconcile…because we’re gonna have to have full passage in the Red Sea. If we’re going to get AI going, we’re going to get supply chains going, we can’t haphazardly wonder if they’re going to sink one of our ships but thank you. Good luck to both of you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Farm-to-forest Ban passes first reading

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government has taken a major step towards protecting food production by ending the large-scale conversion of productive farmland into pine plantations, with the first reading of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme—Forestry Conversion) Amendment Bill receiving unanimous support in Parliament last night.

    “This Bill is about protecting our most valuable land that grows food for export and sustains rural communities,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. 

    “For too long, ETS incentives have driven the wrong outcomes for our rural sector.”

    “Once farms are planted in trees as a result of carbon credits we lose the ability to produce the high-quality safe food that consumers demand – and we lose rural jobs, export earnings, and the families that go with them. Today we are putting a stop to the harm that this has done to rural New Zealand.”

    The Bill will:

    • Prevent exotic forests from entering the ETS on LUC 1–5 land (New Zealand’s most productive soil);
    • Limit new ETS registrations on LUC 6 land to 15,000 hectares per year, allocated by ballot;
    • Allow up to 25 per cent of a farm to go into the ETS, preserving landowner choice while ending full-farm conversions;
    • Protect eligible Māori-owned land, and provide time-limited exemptions for pre-announced investments.

    The Bill includes temporary exemptions where an investor can provide evidence of a qualifying forestry investment between 1 January 2021 and 4 December 2024. For instance, the purchase of land and ordering of trees prior to 4 December 2024 would be an example of proof of a qualifying investment, whilst each of these actions alone would not. 

    “The last Government sat back while 300,000 hectares of farmland were sold off for carbon credits. That short-sighted policy puts ideology ahead of long-term food security. We’re reversing that damage.”

    The new settings will take effect from 4 December 2024, with the law coming fully into force in October 2025.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Statement After USDA Rescinds Roadless Rule

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
    06.24.25
    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which impacts the Little Missouri National Grassland. Hoeven has been working with USDA Secretary Rollins and other senior USDA officials to help ensure better access to lands managed by USDA in North Dakota, including for grazing and energy production.
    “Rolling back the restrictive roadlesss rule is an important step in helping to ensure access to the grasslands and putting decision-making back into the hands of locals who know best how to manage these lands. We appreciate Secretary Rollins and USDA for working to rescind this rule and to provide more local control over our federal lands,” said Hoeven. “This deregulation is an important step as we continue working with USDA to ensure section line rights-of-way are respected in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.”
    Hoeven continues working with USDA on grassland management issues, including:
    Working to resolve the dispute between North Dakota and the USFS regarding section lines in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.
    Hoeven has made clear to USDA officials that section line rights-of-way are critical for enabling ranchers to access cattle grazing on USFS lands.

    Coordinating with local ranchers and rural fire departments on wildfire management.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Environment – Damning new groundwater figures reveal growing drinking water crisis – Greenpeace

    Source: Greenpeace

    New data published yesterday by StatsNZ shows about half of groundwater monitoring sites had contamination that exceeded maximum health limits for New Zealand at least once between April 2019 and March 2024.
    Over that period, 45.1% of sites exceeded the maximum acceptable level for E. coli, and 12.4% for nitrate – a contaminant linked to cancer and preterm births.
    The alarming figures have been revealed less than a month after the Luxon Government released proposals to further weaken freshwater protections.
    Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe says the proposals show the Government is knowingly sacrificing the health of rural communities to appease corporate dairy and Federated Farmers.
    “While he should be ensuring that everyone has access to clean drinking water and swimmable rivers, Luxon has instead proposed scrapping the cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. This rule exists to prevent further nitrate contamination and protect people’s health.”
    “His Government also wants to prioritise corporate uses of water over safe drinking water and healthy rivers.”
    “The Government’s job is to safeguard public health – not bankroll big dairy.”
    A cap on the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser was introduced in 2021, which was set at 190 kg/hectare. As part of the National Direction proposals for freshwater, the Luxon Government has proposed repealing this cap, along with other changes that weaken environmental protections and benefit irrigation companies and intensive dairy. Consultation on the proposals are open until 27 July 2025.
    The current maximum allowable value (MAV) for nitrate is 11.3 mg/L, which was set in the 1950s to avoid blue baby syndrome. But this standard has been criticised by health scientists for being woefully out of date, because it doesn’t take into account newer health science that finds health risks like preterm birth and cancer at much lower levels.
    “We’ve already seen the influence the agriculture lobby has had over the rollback of freshwater protections last year, and this data published yesterday demonstrates the consequences.”
    “The science is clear, and the stakes are high. Luxon needs to decide if he’s governing for people – or polluters.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy, Daines, colleagues to Trump admin: New trade deals can benefit American farmers, energy producers and manufacturers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and 53 other lawmakers in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick recognizing the Trump administration’s efforts to secure deals with foreign countries that level the playing field for American farmers, energy producers and manufacturers.

    The letter specifically highlights the momentum for engaging in trade negotiations that President Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on implementation of certain tariffs presents and notes the potential for agreements that lower trade barriers on American goods.

    “We write to you to express our strong support for ongoing trade negotiations to level the playing field for American producers and manufacturers. President Trump’s decision to pause the implementation of certain reciprocal tariffs creates momentum to secure meaningful and enforceable agreements for U.S. agricultural producers, energy producers, and manufacturers,” the lawmakers began.

    “International trade is fundamental to the continued success and vitality of U.S. industry, particularly agriculture. Many of the commodities grown in the U.S. are dependent on access to export markets, including grains, oilseeds, specialty crops, and livestock products,” they added.

    “Certain barriers may require long-term negotiations. However, we are confident in your ability to utilize this 90-day pause to come to agreements that can benefit all American industries while providing opportunity for continued dialogue,” the members of Congress continued.

    “We applaud the President for seeking to renew American leadership in global trade and secure meaningful market access for American industries. We look forward to working together on a trade policy agenda that strengthens American industry, agriculture, and rural communities,” they concluded. 

    Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) and 43 members of the House of Representatives also joined the letter.

    The full letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. Declares 2025 Second-Quarter Cash Dividend

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ARCHBOLD, Ohio, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc., (Nasdaq: FMAO) the holding company of F&M Bank, with total assets of $3.39 billion at March 31, 2025, today announced that it has approved the Company’s quarterly cash dividend of $0.22125 per share. The second-quarter dividend is payable on July 20, 2025, to shareholders of record as of July 7, 2025.  

    For over 50 years, F&M has paid a quarterly dividend and has increased its annual dividend for 30 consecutive years reflecting the Company’s long-standing commitment to return capital to shareholders. 

    About Farmers & Merchants State Bank:
    F&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County, and we have Loan Production Offices in Troy, Michigan; Muncie, Indiana; and Perrysburg and Bryan, Ohio.

    Safe Harbor statement
    Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (“F&M”) wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impacts on our credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions. F&M assumes no responsibility to update this information. For more details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s website www.fm.bank.

    Company Contact: Investor and Media Contact:
    Lars B. Eller
    President and Chief Executive Officer
    Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.
    (419) 446-2501
    leller@fm.bank    		 Andrew M. Berger
    Managing Director
    SM Berger & Company, Inc.
    (216) 464-6400
    andrew@smberger.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. Declares 2025 Second-Quarter Cash Dividend

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ARCHBOLD, Ohio, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc., (Nasdaq: FMAO) the holding company of F&M Bank, with total assets of $3.39 billion at March 31, 2025, today announced that it has approved the Company’s quarterly cash dividend of $0.22125 per share. The second-quarter dividend is payable on July 20, 2025, to shareholders of record as of July 7, 2025.  

    For over 50 years, F&M has paid a quarterly dividend and has increased its annual dividend for 30 consecutive years reflecting the Company’s long-standing commitment to return capital to shareholders. 

    About Farmers & Merchants State Bank:
    F&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County, and we have Loan Production Offices in Troy, Michigan; Muncie, Indiana; and Perrysburg and Bryan, Ohio.

    Safe Harbor statement
    Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (“F&M”) wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impacts on our credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions. F&M assumes no responsibility to update this information. For more details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s website www.fm.bank.

    Company Contact: Investor and Media Contact:
    Lars B. Eller
    President and Chief Executive Officer
    Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.
    (419) 446-2501
    leller@fm.bank    		 Andrew M. Berger
    Managing Director
    SM Berger & Company, Inc.
    (216) 464-6400
    andrew@smberger.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: One Big Beautiful Bill Will Protect American Jobs, Unleash Economic Growth

    Source: US Whitehouse

    President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is a generational opportunity to restore America’s economic strength and reward our hardworking citizens. With provisions designed to support the backbone of our nation — families, farmers, job creators, and law enforcement — the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver meaningful results for Americans across the country.

    Everyday Americans joined top lawmakers to detail how the One Big Beautiful Bill will affect their livelihoods:

    • Toni McAllister, executive director of the Louisiana Loggers Association, says the One Big Beautiful Bill will give small logging businesses a chance to thrive: “It will finally give small businesses like ours a better opportunity to not just survive, but to grow and succeed … This legislation will lower the effective tax rate for producing in America, increase and make permanent the small business deduction, double immediate small business expensing, and reduce reporting burdens for small businesses.”
    • Paul Danos, CEO of his family-owned offshore energy service company, says the One Big Beautiful Bill is key for American energy dominance: “This bill is a lifeline for American energy and restores the kind of predictably that businesses like ours need to invest and grow.”
    • Sam Palmeter, an executive at one of the last remaining laser technology companies fully owned and operated in America, says the tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill will give them a chance to expand: “This will immediately allow us to double our manufacturing space … This bill incentivizes us to create new jobs in the U.S. and we are incentivized to manufacture in the USA.”
    • Sheriff (Ret.) James Stuart, CEO of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, says the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver needed support for law enforcement: “No Tax on Overtime pay would benefit our protectors all across the country in tremendous ways. The increase in take home pay for these deputies and officers rewards the extra hours and the extra efforts that they devote to protecting their communities, impacting their own lives in significant ways. That is more money in their pockets to save, to invest, and to grow.”

    Agricultural leaders outlined how the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver for America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers.

    • Michael Hunt, fifth-generation Wisconsin farmer: “The single biggest threat to family farm operations in the United States right now is the Estate Tax limitations. There’s no possible way, with the rising real estate values that are occurring in rural America, for production agriculture to shoulder the cost burden of estate tax when the first generation passes on.”
    • Ethan Lane of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association: “That big chunk of the farm bill that’s in this reconciliation bill, including those animal health provisions that we have worked on for so long in the cattle industry, that is a huge win for cattle producers.”
    • National Pork Producers Council: “These investments and policy extensions offer critical support to agriculture, ensuring stability and long-term growth for farmers, ranchers, and the rural economy.”

    The National Association of Manufacturers launched a new ad campaign to highlight what’s at stake if the Trump Tax Cuts aren’t extended in the One Big Beautiful Bill: “If Congress doesn’t act, manufacturers will be hit with the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Six million jobs could be lost — that’s our neighbors, our communities, our futures.”

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright discussed how the One Big Beautiful Bill ENDS the Biden-era Green New Scam: “It’s going to get rid of these subsidies and distortions that have hurt not just our electricity market, but our broader energy markets … The One Big Beautiful Bill — it is big. There are a lot of things in it, but a lot of them are just cleaning out underbrush and nonsense so it’s easier to build things in our country again, remove the distortions from the energy markets, unleash American businesses to build energy productions of all different kinds — but kinds that work, without subsidies.”

    Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, says extending the Trump Tax Cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill is a top priority for preventing American jobs from being exported to foreign countries: “These tax rates were meant to get the U.S. competitive on taxes on corporations … Remember back to people were exporting business outside the United States for lower tax rate reasons … All that’s been gone for the last seven or eight years, and so we need to make sure these extend or that will start up again.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California needs more than groundwater to ensure water sustainability

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jun 24, 2025

    What you need to know: Despite the Newsom Administration’s efforts to increase groundwater and develop stronger partnerships with water agencies, California’s water system remains unprepared for the hotter and drier future. Without the successful completion of the Delta Conveyance Project, water supplies for millions of Californians are threatened.

    SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Newsom and the Department of Water Resources released a new report showing that the state is collecting more groundwater data than ever before, and strengthening partnerships with water agencies to ensure that more groundwater is collected. While this can help the millions of Californians who rely on this water supply, it is not nearly enough. In order to continue capturing, moving, and storing enough water for all Californians, the state must complete long-delayed infrastructure projects and water system improvements, such as the Delta Conveyance Project.

    “California is taking an all-in approach to its water supply — including creating more groundwater storage and data to help us plan for the future. The data doesn’t lie, and it is telling us that our water system is unprepared for California’s hotter and drier climate. That means we also need to build new water infrastructure like the Delta Conveyance Project. We literally cannot afford to wait to complete this vital project and Californians are sick and tired of the self-imposed roadblocks standing in the way of our state’s continued progress.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    More groundwater data 

    California is now collecting more groundwater data than ever before. A new report released today by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) shows that groundwater storage increased by 2.2 million acre-feet during Water Year 2024 — thanks to abundant precipitation and efforts by the State and its regional partners to capture and store more high flows during winter storms in groundwater basins, expand recharge basins, improve groundwater monitoring, and better coordination amongst local agencies to reduce groundwater pumping. That’s on top of significant groundwater storage increases in the previous water year.

    Yet, despite this, California still lacks the water infrastructure needed to ensure the state is prepared for a hotter, drier future and to provide Californians with the water they need. 

    More than ever, California must complete one of the most important water management and climate adaptation projects in state history, the Delta Conveyance Project, advancing much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project.

    Data is key to informed decisions on groundwater

    The groundwater data was provided as part of DWR Semi-Annual Groundwater Conditions Update, will help state and local agencies better manage groundwater basins – a source of more than half of California’s water supplies in dry years – by providing updated information on statewide groundwater levels, groundwater storage, recharge, land subsidence, and well infrastructure.

    This data will continue to support groundwater recharge, which Governor Newsom has directed state agencies to maximize whenever possible.

     

    Partnering with farmers for increased groundwater storage

    Also today, Governor Newsom provided an update on the state’s ongoing partnerships with groundwater sustainability agencies and farmers, through the LandFlex program, which was launched in 2022.

    To address the impacts of multiyear drought in the Central Valley, DWR awarded $23.3 million in grant funding to six groundwater sustainability agencies in the Central Valley. The funding was distributed to help 52 small and mid-sized farms transition to more sustainable practices while eliminating groundwater overdraft and protecting drinking water supplies. 

    As a result, the program helped save over 100,000 acre-feet of groundwater, protected 16,500 drinking water wells, and reduced the over-pumping of groundwater on Central Valley farms.

    Learn more about this first-of-its-kind program. 
     

    Modernizing California’s water delivery infrastructure

    In order to prepare for a hotter, drier future, California must also invest in the modernization of its water delivery infrastructure. That’s why Governor Newsom is calling on the Legislature to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project.

    The proposed project would create much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project, which provides water for 27 million people and 750,00 acres of farmland. It would allow the State Water Project to better capture high flows during storm events and move that water to where it’s needed in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. It would also protect against earthquake risk.

    If the Delta Conveyance Project had been operational this past rainy season, it could have captured 952,000 acre-feet of water, enough for nearly 10 million people.

    Without action, the ability of the State Water Project to reliably deliver water to homes, farms and businesses will decline. The Governor will continue working to quickly advance these improvements to ensure that California is ready for a drier and hotter future, and its communities are safe and protected. 

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jun 24, 2025

    News What you need to know: President Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles continues to hamstring crucial firefighting resources in California at the height of peak fire season. SACRAMENTO – With fires popping up across the state, the California National…

    Jun 23, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement regarding the death of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Sergeant Shiou Deng:“Jennifer and I are heartbroken by the loss of Sergeant Deng, who dedicated more than 26 years to serving the Los…

    Jun 23, 2025

    News What you need to know: Thanks to California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, 48 projects — including 43 independent features — will be made in California, projected to generate $664 million in economic activity and employ over 6,500 cast and crew across…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Agricultural Policy – E-001469/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments made to Member States during the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), i.e. in financial years 2021-2024, are listed in the attached table[1].

    While the Commission bears overall responsibility for the financial management of the CAP, most of the CAP budget (around 99.5%) is implemented under ‘shared management’ between the Commission and Member States. In the financial year 2024, 5.7 million farmers received CAP support directly, not counting all other beneficiaries.

    On the second and third questions, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1475[2] sets out detailed rules for the monitoring and evaluation of the CAP Strategic Plans, including the provision of information from Member States.

    Under this regulation, Member States have to submit data to the Commission on CAP interventions and beneficiaries. The first deadline for data submission was 30 April 2025.

    The Commission is currently conducting quality checks to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data collected. Given the volume of data the Commission estimates that the dataset will be ready for analysis by the fourth quarter of 2025.

    Under the transparency rules for the CAP, Member States publish details of the beneficiaries of CAP payments[3].

    • [1] For more details the Commission refers the Honourable Member to the annual financial reports on the European agricultural guarantee fund (EAGF) and the European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD): https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common-agricultural-policy/financing-cap/cap-funds/financial-report-eagf-and-eafrd_en.
    • [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2022/1475/oj.
    • [3] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common-agricultural-policy/financing-cap/beneficiaries_en.
    Last updated: 24 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Implementing Protocol (2025-2030) to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark – A10-0103/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT NON-LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

    on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Implementing Protocol (2025-2030) to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark

    (COM(2024)0479 – C10‑0227/2024 – 2024/0263M(NLE))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union, on the one hand, and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark, on the other (2025-2030) (14652/2024),

    – having regard to the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union, on the one hand, and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark, on the other (2025-2030) (14781/2024),

    – having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 43(2) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C10‑0227/2024),

    – having regard to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the European Union on the one hand, and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark on the other hand, and the Implementing Protocol thereto,

    – having regard to Article 62 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,

    – having regard to the Convention of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC),

    – having regard to the Convention of the North-West Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO),

    – having regard to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR),

    – having regard to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,

    – having regard to the Agreement to prevent unregulated high seas fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean,

    – having regard to Protocol No 34 to the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union on special arrangements for Greenland,

    – having regard to the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations,

    – having regard to the EU Competitiveness Compass,

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, and in particular Articles 29 and 31 thereof[1],

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/2403 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017 on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets, and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1006/2008[2],

    – having regard to Council Decision (EU) No 2021/1764 of 5 October 2021 on the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union including relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other (Decision on the Overseas Association, including Greenland)[3],

    – having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 13 October 2021 entitled ‘A stronger EU engagement for a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Arctic’ (JOIN(2021)0027),

    – having regard to the ex ante and ex post evaluation study of the 2021-2024 protocol and of a possible new implementing protocol to the SFPA between the European Union and Greenland,

    – having regard to EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030,

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 19 February 2025 entitled ‘A Vision for Agriculture and Food – Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations’ (COM(2025)0075),

    – having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 24 June 2022 entitled ‘Setting the course for a sustainable blue planet – Joint Communication on the EU’s International Ocean Governance agenda’ (JOIN(2022)0028),

    – having regard to its non-legislative resolution of 5 October 2021 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union, on the one hand, and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark, on the other hand, and the Implementing Protocol thereto[4],

    – having regard to the reports of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) entitled ‘Greenland Sea Ecosystem Overview’ of 2023, and ‘Greenland Sea Ecoregion – Fisheries Overview’ of 2024,

    – having regard to its legislative resolution of …[5] on the draft decision,

    – having regard to Rule 107(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A10-0103/2025),

    A. whereas Greenland, as an autonomous territory, is responsible for managing its fisheries resources and regulating commercial fishing in Greenland and its exclusive economic zone, and for regulating who is allowed to fish in its waters;

    B. whereas Greenland’s fisheries comprise coastal fisheries and deep-sea fisheries;

    C. whereas 88 % of Greenland’s population identifies as Greenlandic Inuit;

    D. whereas small-scale coastal fisheries and subsistence fisheries form an integral part of the traditional culture, economy and social structure of Greenland’s coastal communities and of the Greenlandic Inuit people, providing both livelihoods, in particular for isolated settlements, and cultural heritage;

    E. whereas inshore fisheries are key to ensuring food security in Greenland and contribute to addressing social challenges;

    F. whereas the SFPA between the EU and Greenland is the second most significant fisheries agreement for the EU in financial terms; whereas, according to the findings and conclusions of the ex post evaluation, the SFPA and the Protocol thereto have significantly contributed to Greenland’s fisheries policy, in particular by enhancing cooperation and collaboration and supporting sustainable fisheries management, thus creating a mutually beneficial arrangement between the EU and Greenland;

    G. whereas the EU-Greenland SFPA and the EU-Norway agreement are closely interlinked, with the EU exchanging fishing opportunities in Greenland for access to Norwegian waters; whereas in recent years, following the exchange of quotas with Norway, fishing opportunities have been granted to around 10 Community vessels under the Protocol;

    H. whereas the EU maintains a close relationship with Greenland, including through the fisheries partnership agreement that has been in place since 1984; whereas Greenland is the overseas country and territory (OCT) that receives the most EU funding by far; whereas EU support to Greenland for the period from 2021 to 2027 comes to EUR 225 million, which is equivalent to the total amount received by the other 12 OCTs combined;

    I. whereas, according to scientists, the Arctic region is warming up almost four times faster than the rest of the world, with rapid increases in ice melt and implications for fish populations, marine ecosystems and coastal communities, as well as for the fishing industry and the livelihoods of fishers, which depend on Arctic waters;

    J. whereas healthy fish populations and marine ecosystems are crucial for resilience to the growing effects of climate change and for guaranteeing the future of coastal fishing communities;

    K. whereas the accelerating pace of global warming in the region underscores the urgent need for coordinated global action, including in fisheries;

    L. whereas Greenland efficiently manages fishing activities within its EEZ, with the Greenland Fisheries and Hunting Control Authority (GFJK) responsible for registering and monitoring both domestic and foreign catches and landings and for ensuring compliance with international control and enforcement agreements, while also facilitating daily data exchanges with the countries that have fisheries agreements with Greenland;

    M. whereas the evaluation of the previous protocol reveals that overfishing can be ruled out with certainty for only five of the fifteen stocks exploited under the Protocol, but that there is a lack of scientific data for some of the stocks, and four of them are regarded as still overexploited;

    N. whereas fishing opportunities are established by a joint committee on the basis of the best available scientific advice and the recommendations made by NAFO, NEAFC and ICES;

    O. whereas fisheries are a crucial economic sector for Greenland, providing a livelihood for many; whereas it is essential to ensure that fishing practices do not harm marine ecosystems, particularly given that according to ICES, the greatest physical disturbance of the seabed and benthic habitats in the Greenland Sea ecoregion is caused by mobile bottom-contacting fishing gear and there is a considerable overlap between the distribution of corals, sponges and sea pens and the areas trawled[6]; whereas to safeguard both the marine environment and the future of fisheries, it is vital that all forms of trawling are conducted in a manner that minimises damage to the seabed; whereas according to the ex post and ex ante evaluation study, the management measures applicable to EU vessels operating in Greenland, and the risk levels of EU vessels having negative impacts on ecosystems, mean that bycatch levels and impacts on ecosystems are minimal;

     

    P. whereas ICES also points out that other activities causing marine pollution, marine litter or underwater noise, as well as climate change, are having an impact on the marine ecosystems and upsetting the balance of the ecoregion;

    Q. whereas the European Union and Greenland, on behalf of Denmark, hold seats on NEAFC and NAFO;

    Context and general principles of the SFPA

    1. Notes the importance of the fisheries sector for Greenland, given that seafood exports account for over 90 % of the autonomous territory’s total exports, and that fishing and the fishing industry together account for 15 % of all jobs; highlights the great professionalism of Greenlandic people in the fishing sector and their extensive knowledge, skills and experience in fisheries management and maritime operations; notes that their deep-rooted expertise reflects a strong commitment to maintaining the economic and cultural significance of fisheries in Greenland; stresses that the share of Greenlandic total allowable catches (TACs) allocated to the EU under the Protocol is relatively small;

    2. Recalls Greenland’s geostrategic position within the Arctic region; underlines the importance of the SFPA for relations between the European Union and Greenland in the current geopolitical context, particularly in the light of the recent diplomatic and geopolitical tensions caused by the new US Government, but also given the reality of the climate crisis and its impact on the region;

    3. Highlights the importance of using the SFPA as a key framework for addressing common challenges such as the climate crisis and geopolitical, security and preparedness concerns, for promoting sustainable fisheries policy, scientific cooperation and environmental resilience in Arctic waters, and for fostering economic cooperation; points out the need to strengthen the EU’s Arctic policy and its cooperation with the Government of Greenland;

    4. Underlines that, while guaranteeing fishing opportunities for the EU fleet, the SFPA should contribute to the exploitation of fisheries resources within sustainable limits and the preservation of marine biodiversity in Greenland’s waters, in line with the standards laid down by the European Union and international forums such as regional fisheries management organisations, in order to achieve economic, social and environmental benefits; recalls that EU vessels are to fish only the available surplus, as established in Article 3 of the SFPA;

    5. Highlights that the agreement has provided benefits to both parties, including EU and Greenlandic stakeholders, particularly in terms of sustainability, transparency, equity, scientific research, capacity-building and national development;

    6. Points out that the sectoral support available under the Protocol will help the Government of Greenland to implement its national fisheries and maritime economy strategy, including in the fight against illegal, unreported and undeclared (IUU) fishing, while promoting decent working conditions for fishing activity;

    7. Notes that the new Protocol has been concluded for a term of six years, which means improved visibility for stakeholders, in particular the fisheries sector;

    8. Notes the increase in the total financial contribution paid by the European Union and the fees paid by fishing operators, which ensure that Greenland receives economic benefits from access rights to its waters and that EU vessels operate under regulated and monitored conditions, reducing risks of overfishing or environmental damage;

    9. Underlines the high value of the SFPA and that every EUR 1 invested from the EU budget in the compensation payment for access supports the creation of EUR 6.88 of added value, with EUR 4.32 for the EU and EUR 2.12 for Greenland;

    Sustainability of fisheries under the SFPA

    10. Welcomes the robust monitoring system, the comprehensive framework for managing bycatch and the ban on discards that apply in Greenland waters; considers positively the effort made in terms of controls of fishing operations and the presence of observers in these activities, to which the sectoral support provided under the SFPA has contributed; highlights that all catches, including bycatches and discards, must be recorded and reported by species according to the applicable Greenlandic legislation; acknowledges the fundamental role of observers in ensuring compliance with the applicable rules, contributing to transparency and supporting sustainable fisheries management in the region;

    11. Reaffirms its concerns regarding the lack of precise scientific data about the state of fish stocks, which are assessed with limited data or using a precautionary approach; regrets, in particular, the situation of the Northern prawn, targeted by both Greenland vessels and Community vessels (which account for a more marginal share); notes, in this respect, the positive step taken by reducing indicative annual fishing opportunities for several fish stocks on the basis of the available scientific data;

    12. Remains concerned by the exploitation of the Northern prawn, particularly in certain areas of West Greenland, where stocks have shown signs of decline as a result of fishing pressure, global warming and increased predation by cod; emphasises the importance of strengthening sustainable management measures, including adjusting catch quotas on the basis of scientific recommendations from ICES and NAFO, and of improving fishing practices to reduce bycatch and preserve the marine ecosystem; calls on the Commission to enhance cooperation with the Greenlandic authorities to ensure a sustainable and balanced exploitation of this resource, which is essential to the local economy;

    13. Reiterates that, on the basis of the SFPA, the Commission and Greenland should continue to apply a precautionary approach and use the best available scientific advice, including the scientific recommendations issued by the relevant regional fisheries management organisations, as a basis for setting annual fishing opportunities, while also taking into consideration the socio-economic aspects;

    14. Notes that a considerable share of the fishing opportunities granted to the European Union by Greenland go to Norwegian vessels in connection with the exchange of quotas; recalls that the same sustainability standards and fisheries control rules followed by EU vessels must apply to Norwegian vessels in order to ensure that they are treated equally;

    Improvement of scientific advice and data collection

    15. Recalls that reliable and robust data is required to calculate the available surplus; reiterates its concerns regarding the existing gaps for some stocks; recommends, in this regard, that particular attention be given to calculating available surpluses; welcomes the efforts of the fisheries sector to cooperate with scientific monitoring and data collection and invites the Commission to step up scientific and financial cooperation with Greenland, including, for instance, by continuing to support the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources;

    16. Underlines the limited availability of data about benthic habitats in the Greenland Sea ecoregion, such as habitats that could potentially be considered vulnerable marine ecosystems; stresses the need to obtain more comprehensive scientific data in order to map these habitats, to adopt appropriate measures, particularly technical and spatial measures aimed at mitigating the impact of fisheries on these ecosystems, and to encourage the reporting of encounters with vulnerable marine ecosystem species (VMEs) by vessels; invites the Greenlandic authorities to consider dedicating a share of sectoral support to consolidating the mapping and detection of VMEs;

    17. Recalls that use of vessel monitoring systems is crucial for monitoring fishing activities, as it allows the real-time tracking of fishing vessels, thus making it possible to monitor compliance with the applicable rules, including in sensitive marine areas;

    18. Calls on the Commission and on Greenland to provide a further assessment of the impacts on fish stocks of other activities affecting the ecosystems, such as maritime transport, seismological research, pollution and climate change;

    Support for fisheries policy in Greenland

    19. Notes that the SFPA has generated employment opportunities for Greenlandic nationals and that sectoral support is being implemented effectively, providing significant environmental, social and economic benefits to Greenland; underlines, nevertheless, the small share of landings carried out by the EU fleet in Greenland and the limited number of seafarers from Greenland signed on with EU vessels (five, according to the evaluation of the previous agreement, accounting for 2.5 % of total jobs);

    20. Recalls, in this regard, the limited number of EU vessels fishing in Greenland under the Protocol (8-10 vessels), and notes that the majority do not land in or visit Greenlandic ports; encourages operators to maintain good cooperation and further enhance employment opportunities; highlights that according to the ex ante and ex post evaluation study, there has been no reciprocal interest in establishing joint enterprises/ventures given the priorities of the private sector in Greenland and in EU Member States;

    21. Considers that the indirect added value delivered to Greenland’s economy by the Protocol has the potential to be higher than with previous protocols; believes that the goal is to ensure a mutually beneficial agreement for the EU and Greenland, and for Greenland to derive an overall benefit from such agreements through the sustainable development of fisheries and auxiliary sectors in Greenland, which will have a lasting positive impact on the local economy;

    22. Points out that resources for sectoral support under the previous protocol helped to strengthen Greenland’s scientific research and administrative capacity and contributed to better ocean governance in Greenland;

    23. Stresses the importance, for both sides, of respecting all the relevant international commitments when implementing the Protocol, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

    24. Welcomes, too, the fact that a significant share of the sectoral support paid under the previous protocol was used to step up the monitoring of fisheries, scientific research and data collection, administration and support for small-scale coastal fisheries;

    25. Encourages the Commission and Greenland, within the framework of the SFPA, to provide further support to Greenland’s small-scale coastal fisheries, in line with the FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries and the priorities and needs of the Greenlandic authorities;

    26. Considers that sectoral support can contribute to securing the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities through such measures as, but not limited to, access to training, support for co-management in coastal areas or measures to adapt fishing activities to climate change and improve data, including data about their fishing effort;

    27. Supports the appropriate inclusion of Greenland’s fishing communities and civil society throughout the process leading to the adoption of the protocols, and stresses the importance of helping to ensure their participation in the implementation of the SFPA;

    28. Highlights that EU vessels fish beyond 12 nautical miles from the baseline of Greenland, which prevents competition with small-scale coastal fisheries;

    29. Encourages both parties to facilitate the exchange of best practices in arrangements for access to and preservation of fisheries resources;

    30. Notes Greenland’s willingness to develop its fisheries sector further; takes note of the recent reform of its fisheries legislation; highlights that the SFPA can support the continued development of Greenland’s fisheries policy; notes that this policy includes elements such as ensuring the long-term health and productivity of Greenland’s marine ecosystems and the distribution of fishing resources, including for coastal fisheries communities; recalls that Greenlandic lawmakers have exclusive competence for such developments;

    Regional governance of fisheries and challenges for the Arctic

    31. Underscores the importance of repositioning the fisheries agreement in the broader context of post-Brexit fisheries governance and regional fisheries management, relations between the European Union and Norway, and other coastal states, in the area of fisheries and the European Union’s policy on the Arctic; stresses the critical need to maintain a strong and productive partnership with Greenland and its Nordic neighbours;

    32. Encourages Greenland to continue strengthening its already strong transparency and cooperation within the framework of regional fisheries management organisations and agreements between coastal states for the management of certain stocks;

    33. Calls on the Commission to further utilise the opportunities that the Commission office in Nuuk provides, especially in terms of strengthening cooperation with the Greenlandic Government;

    34. Recalls the joint communication of 13 October 2021 entitled ‘A stronger EU engagement for a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Arctic’;

    °

    ° °

    35. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Greenland.

    EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

    At the end of 2024, Greenland and the European Union signed a new Protocol implementing the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) (2025-2030). This is a mixed agreement that allows the European Union’s vessels to fish species such as cod, Greenland halibut, redfish and Northern prawn. In return, the European Union pays a financial contribution of EUR 17,296,857 per annum, comprising EUR 14,096,857 for access rights and EUR 3,200,000 for support and implementation of Greenland’s fisheries policy, plus the fees paid by vessel owners. In recent years, the fisheries agreement has allowed around 10 of the European Union’s vessels to operate in the autonomous territory’s waters. The new Protocol provides details of the rules and provisions governing this access.

     

    Fisheries in Greenland

     

    The fisheries sector is of central importance for Greenland in socio-economic and cultural terms. It accounts for 15% of the territory’s jobs and over 90% of its exports. Coastal fisheries mainly involve small vessels (dinghies), and sustain an economy and local jobs. Many remote Inuit communities rely on subsistence fishing. The territory also has a highly developed deep-sea fishing fleet, and has concluded fisheries agreements that allow foreign vessels to fish in the deep-sea fishing area. Greenland’s fisheries are suffering the effects of climate change on a vulnerable Arctic marine environment, with particular impacts on the species caught. Greenland has put measures in place to limit the impact of fisheries on the marine environment; these include a ban on discards, a plan for the management of bycatch etc.

     

    New Protocol implementing the SFPA

     

    The new Protocol that has been signed has a term of six years, providing stability and visibility for stakeholders. It contains provisions aimed at providing a framework for access to waters by European vessels and cooperation with Greenland: fishing opportunities, bycatch, scientific cooperation, monitoring, controls, surveillance, fishing areas, observers etc.

     

    A specific characteristic of the agreement is that catches are regulated on the basis of fishing opportunities that are set annually. Your rapporteur is concerned about the fact that, according to the ex-post evaluation, the TACs for several of the targeted species exceed the limits set on the basis of scientific advice. These proven cases of overfishing, or of uncertainty owing to a lack of data, pose a threat to fish populations and the sustainability of fisheries, as in the case of the Northern prawn. Several indicative fishing opportunities have been reduced. The second noteworthy point is linked to the need for additional data regarding the targeted species and marine ecosystems.

     

    The programming of sectoral support will be adopted in the three months following the application of the Protocol. The sectoral support allocated in recent years has made it possible to support research and scientific assessments, the administration of Greenland’s fisheries, controls and also small-scale coastal fisheries. This is assessed positively in the evaluation of the last Protocol.

     

    Findings and recommendations 

     

    In the context of current diplomatic tensions with the United States and the climate crisis in the Arctic, your rapporteur recalls the importance of the SFPA and relations between Greenland and the European Union in the area of fisheries. Through its sectoral support, the fisheries agreement offers assistance that is welcomed by the authorities and a number of civil society actors in Greenland. Positive developments include the increase in the financial contribution paid by the European Union, in the amount of sectoral support and in the fees paid by vessel owners.

     

    Your rapporteur invites the European Union to provide increased support to coastal fishing communities, with respect for the rights of the indigenous peoples and the FAO’s Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries. It is advisable to ensure that these peoples, as well as NGOs, are involved in the agreement. Another positive development is the European Union’s support in areas such as controls, the fight against IUU fishing, the collection of data and scientific research.

    Your rapporteur underlines the environmental challenges associated with the agreement. As already requested by Parliament in 2021, it is essential to continue efforts in relation to data collection and the fight against overfishing, by following the scientific advice for setting TACs in Greenland and allocating annual fishing opportunities to the European Union. Even though it fishes smaller quantities, the European Union must follow the precautionary principle. The definition of the surplus is controversial in certain cases. The fishing carried out by the European Union’s vessels furthermore has an impact on seabed ecosystems and the emphasis must be on identifying and protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems, with the sector’s help.

     

    Finally, your rapporteur asks for this fisheries agreement to be repositioned in the context of regional fisheries governance. Quota exchanges mean that post-Brexit relations with coastal countries, including Norway, are closely linked to the agreement. The European Union and Greenland must strengthen cooperation and transparency within the RFMOs and the agreements between coastal states. More broadly, the European Union must do more to protect species and the marine environment in the Arctic.

     

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How restoring river catchments can minimise drought and flood risks

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Neil Entwistle, Professor of River Science and Climate Resilience, University of Salford

    Elenitsa/Shutterstock

    As Britain’s first heatwave of 2025 hits with temperatures climbing above 30°C, Yorkshire has joined the northwest in official drought status.

    This spring has been the driest in the UK since 1893. May’s rainfall was 43% lower than the long-term average. Fish rescues have already taken place in Shropshire as rivers dried up. Low water levels have made it difficult for boats to navigate along some canals.

    Water companies in regions such as Hampshire, Yorkshire and Cumbria are encouraging residents to conserve water.

    Years of drainage, overgrazing and peatland degradation have turned much of the UK’s uplands into fast-draining systems. Rainfall that once infiltrated slowly now rushes off hillsides, filling rivers quickly, before vanishing just as fast.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Even after a year of exceptional rain and flooding, the soils and ecosystems that should be buffering us against drought are depleted. This recent spell of dry weather has exposed just how fragile the system has become.

    The UK government reconvened the national drought group – a coalition of its most senior decision-makers, Environment Agency, water companies, plus key farming and environmental groups – on June 5 to address growing concerns as reservoir levels which are at 77% of capacity nationally.

    Water availability remains under pressure across much of England. Sources in the northwest Pennines, Haweswater and Thirlmere in the Lake District, which supply much of the northwest, are currently at around 50% of capacity. Normally, they would be around 75% full. In Yorkshire, these water levels are currently around 60%.

    The reservoir at Anglezarke in Lancashire is drying out.
    Neil Entwistle, CC BY-NC-ND

    But landscapes can be restored in ways that reduce both flood risk and the effects of drought. At Smithills Estate near Bolton, the Mersey Forest (Cheshire and Merseyside’s community forest), conservation charity Woodland Trust and the Environment Agency have spent the last decade restoring 1,700 hectares of upland.

    They have blocked old drainage channels, rewetted peat bogs, planted trees, improved soil structure and adapted farming. These changes (often referred to as natural flood management) allow the land to hold water longer, slow its release, and sustain the flow of water in rivers during dry periods that can help water conservation and reduce the risk of floods.

    Restoring rivers

    We both grew up in the shadow of the moorlands around Rivington and Smithills in Bolton. We built our careers restoring rivers and their catchments and want to prevent “water-stressed” situations where water demand exceeds the available supply. We continue to study the implications and resilience of natural flood management here in the UK and overseas.

    At Smithills, restored bogs act like sponges, soaking up rain and releasing it gradually. Newly planted woodland supports biodiversity, encourages water infiltration and provides shade, which reduces evaporation. Natural flood management has slowed water down across the catchment, helping to reduce peak flows during storms by 27.3% and has boosted river flows during dry spells by storing and slowly releasing water by 27.1%.

    Tree trunks slow down the flow of water.
    Neil Entwistle, CC BY-NC-ND

    Tree trunks laid across the gullies have kept areas of Smithills wet throughout spring, creating valuable habitat and supporting water resilience in the landscape. We’re working with partners to monitor natural flood management benefits and expand restoration, while also exploring new questions.

    These include how the structures influence greenhouse gas emissions through wetting and drying cycles, affect sediment capture and storage, and how their function changes over time. This research is helping to shape how nature-based solutions are understood, valued and adopted more widely.

    Mitigation (tackling the root causes) and adaptation (adjusting systems and behaviours) to water stresses require landowners, water companies, local authorities, regulators, environmental groups and communities to work together to deliver shared outcomes.

    But this effort needs to be matched by an understanding that changes in how land is managed too. If the landscape continues to shed water rapidly, reservoirs will struggle to recover even when rain does arrive. We need to slow the flow of water and rejuvenate the lost natural processes at large scales through restoration.

    Farmers are grazing cattle on the heath.
    Neil Entwistle, CC BY-NC-ND

    The UK will face water shortages within the next decade unless urgent action is taken. The recent Independent Water Commission, set up by the UK government to recommend a major overhaul of the water sector’s planning, regulation and infrastructure, highlights the importance of nature-based solutions, such as restoring natural processes like river flow and wetland function, alongside natural capital investment.

    This involves putting money and resources into the protection, restoration or enhancement of nature, to secure long-term benefits such as clean air, water purification or flood protection.

    Nature-based solutions can be scaled up quickly, plus they benefit people and the environment. Local communities can also get involved in meaningful restoration work. At Smithills, volunteers plant trees and help monitor the benefits of natural flood management, including changes in water quality, water levels and biodiversity. Farmers are exploring regenerative grazing.

    Schools use the estate for environmental learning. This is not only about resilience – it is about reconnecting people with the natural landscapes that surround them.

    To avoid routine hosepipe bans, protect biodiversity and secure food and water supply into the future, land needs to be at the centre of the UK’s drought strategy. Restoring bogs, woodlands and soils is not a luxury. It is essential infrastructure in a changing climate.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Neil Entwistle has received previous funding from British Council, Universities UK, NERC for work related to river restoration and climate resilience. He also works for a boutique fund manager, to fund and deploy solutions to some of the most pressing Nature-related challenges our economy faces today.

    Neil Macdonald receives funding from DEFRA through the Natural Flood Management Programme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/natural-flood-management-programme).

    – ref. How restoring river catchments can minimise drought and flood risks – https://theconversation.com/how-restoring-river-catchments-can-minimise-drought-and-flood-risks-258840

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) Launches Fresh Feed Project to Support Livestock Farming in Libya

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

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    The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has launched the “365 Days of Fresh Feed” project in the Tajoura district of Tripoli, the capital of Libya, to support the development of the livestock sector and contribute to sustainable feed production.

    The “Hasılmatik: 365 Days of Fresh Feed” project was implemented by TİKA in cooperation with the Municipality of Tajoura. The project, introduced for the first time in Libya, is expected to significantly improve feed production efficiency.

    TİKA’s Tripoli Coordinator, Ali Suha Bacanakgil, stated that the project would have a transformative impact on the livestock sector and emphasized the goal of expanding it across the country. “In this project, wheat and barley seeds turn into fresh fodder within 7 to 10 days. The feed produced by Hasılmatik is much more efficient than dry feed. Animals can consume it entirely, including its sprouts and roots, with 100% digestibility,” he explained.

    Bacanakgil underlined that the project was carried out with a spirit of social solidarity and noted their intention to increase the number of local stakeholders and expand cooperation with municipalities and agricultural cooperatives.

    Tajoura Deputy Mayor Ayman Al-Salim highlighted the issue of groundwater scarcity in the region, stating that the project offered a significant solution to this problem in terms of livestock production. “A simple system, low water usage, and high productivity—this project will revitalize animal husbandry. We thank TİKA,” he said.

    Mahmoud Marwan, one of the local farmers benefiting from the project, emphasized that the “365 Days of Fresh Feed” system saves both land and time and noted that the resulting product is suitable for cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry.

    Supported by TİKA, this project stands out as a model initiative promoting sustainable agriculture and livestock farming in Libya.

    – on behalf of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Backgrounder: Minister Olszewski announces support to help Alberta businesses diversify, scale up and thrive

    Source: Government of Canada News

    PrairiesCan is investing $10,901,711 in repayable and non-repayable funding for seven projects in Alberta through the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program, the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII), and the Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative (RHII).

    These targeted investments will help businesses and organizations access diverse funding opportunities to enhance their productivity, scale up, boost production efficiencies, and tackle challenges with new and innovative technologies. They are expected to support approximately 200 jobs and enable Alberta businesses to capitalize on new opportunities.

    Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program – $5,189,535

    The BSP program supports high-growth businesses that are seeking to improve productivity, scale-up, and commercialize technology. It offers interest-free, repayable funding to incorporated businesses that have been in operation for a minimum of two years.

    PrairiesCan announced investments for three projects under BSP:

    • 48Hour Discovery ($1,149,504)
      Enhance the organization’s drug discovery platform through AI to gain access to new markets.
    • Crust Craft ($2,040,270)
      Expand commercial baking capacity in Edmonton by relocating and installing advanced automated production lines.
    • RAM Elevators + Lifts ($1,999,761)
      Expand the manufacturing capacity of its elevators and lifts for home and commercial spaces in North America, including the introduction of the Flex Lift to market.

    Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) – $3,212,176

    The RAII provides $200 million to help businesses bring new AI technologies to market and speed up adoption in critical sectors such as agriculture, clean technology, healthcare, and manufacturing. This repayable and non-repayable interest-free funding is part of the government’s 2024 budget commitment to ensure Canada is a world leader in AI.

    PrairiesCan announced investments for three projects under the RAII:

    • Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network ($494,000)
      Establish and launch a technology demonstration program to support the commercial adoption of AI-based agriculture technology.
    • Phoenix Farms Ltd. ($918,176)
      Adopt an optical sorter with AI detection to grade and sort potatoes to expand on-farm efficiency and quality market offerings.
    • samdesk ($1,800,000)
      Commercialize and accelerate the marketplace adoption of an AI-powered platform for crisis and travel risk management.

    Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative (RHII) – $2,500,000

    Through the RHII, the Government of Canada is investing $50 million over two years to support innovative housing solutions across the country. The RHII provides repayable interest-free funding to pursue new approaches for building houses, including designing and upscaling modular homes, using 3D printing, leveraging panelized construction, as well as implementing net-zero and climate resilient homebuilding practices.

    PrairiesCan announced investment for one project under the RHII:

    • Promise Robotics Inc. ($2,500,000)
      Establish a robotics-driven homebuilding factory in Calgary that will support the production of sustainable and affordable homes.

    Related products

    Associated links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of Sustainability Awards Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants to Student-Led Projects

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn, consistently one of the top ten most sustainable universities in the United States, will be getting even better at upholding sustainable practices with the help of seven student-led projects this year.

    These innovative projects are funded by the Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants (ESSG) Program through the Office of Sustainability. Creative student-faculty teams applied for funding to support campus programs that enhance environmental and social sustainability while engaging students and community members. Applicants shared ideas spanning education, research, authentic community engagement, and campus operations. This is the fourth round of ESSG funding since 2021, which has helped launch the Swap Shop (now Thrift Den), a composting privy at Spring Valley Student Farm, and efforts to combat food insecurity via hydroponic farming.

    “The ESSG program is just one of the Office of Sustainability’s growing suite of experiential learning programs available to all UConn students. In alignment with UConn’s strategic goals, we are excited to be able to award these funds to empower students to take action on addressing real-world challenges that impact the wellness of people and the planet. Faculty and staff mentors play an instrumental role in ensuring the success of these projects and we’re also incredibly grateful for their support,” said Patrick McKee, Director of the Office of Sustainability.

    Seven projects were awarded funds due to their interdisciplinary nature and ability to advance sustainability and equity.

    Harnessing Phosphorus

    Phosphorus is a key piece in fertilizing crops and producing food. This project aims to explore sustainable, easy ways of getting phosphorus out of wastewater to make it easier, cheaper, and less climate-intensive for farmers to grow food in underprivileged areas.

    • Student: Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS)
    • Staff Mentor: Katie Milardo, Associate Director, Energy & Water Conservation

    The Grove of Generosity: Sustainable Food Forest for Students

    A food forest to create community for people, plants and wildlife on the Storrs campus. Using native plants, this project will provide habitat, food for all, and space to make connections between people and nature.

    • Students: Olivia Ballaro ’26 (CAHNR), Ella May ’27 (CAHNR), Howard Truax ’26 (CAHNR)
    • Faculty Mentor: Phoebe Godfrey, Professor in Residence, Sociology

    Sustainability Practicum: Designing a UConn Hartford Service-Learning Course

    This project will create materials for a UConn Hartford geography service-learning course titled “Sustainability Practicum,” designed to develop student leaders of environmental & social sustainability in collaboration with & in service of Keney Park Sustainability Project, a nonprofit developing sustainable community-based food systems in urban North Hartford.

    • Students: Thomas Bonitz, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography
    • Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography

    Project Racoon

    Project Raccoon is a student-led initiative that collects redeemable bottles and cans to reduce waste, increase recycling, and fund student scholarships. With this grant, the program will expand to over 50+ bins and engage more volunteers.

    • Student: Abigail Koval ’26 (BUS), Anny Zheng ’26 (COE), Jennifer Weng ’26 (COE), Virginia Weng ’26 (COE)
    • Staff Mentor: Cody Ryan, Innovation Zone Supervisor

    Seeds2Sustain: Hartford & Stamford Campuses

    Seeds2Sustain is a program designed to help students address food insecurity on a personal level by using hydroponics. Over 9 weeks, students are taught about the evolution of food production, food insecurity, hydroponics, nutrition, cooking and more to gain a solid foundation of knowledge.

    • Students: Lucy Ledesma ‘26 (BUS, COE), Audrey Larson ‘25 (COE)
    • Faculty Mentor: Johnathan Moore, Executive Director, Digital Frontiers Initiative, Director of OPIM Innovate Labs 

    Disasters in Society: Working Towards Resilient & Sustainable Futures through Experiential Learning & Service

    This project captures Asheville’s recovery from Hurricane Helene, highlighting student engagement and hands-on learning in disaster resilience. Through storytelling and service, they aim to expand access to fieldwork and promote support for sustainability-focused education.

    • Students: Lisel Nee ’26 (COE), Melia Marshall, MPP Candidate, Daniel Kraemer, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography, Brandon Soto, Masters of Energy and Environmental Management Candidate
    • Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography

    Sustainable Dairy Wastewater Treatment Using Microalgae at UConn

    This project addresses the challenge of dairy wastewater from the UConn barns, which can be a significant source of pollution if not properly managed. By using microalgae to treat wastewater, we can convert it into a sustainable biomass that can be used as poultry feed. This approach not only helps clean and recycle wastewater but also aligns with circular bioeconomy principles, turning waste into valuable resources. This initiative advances UConn’s environmental goals and contributes to a more sustainable campus ecosystem.

    • Students: Azeem Sarwar ’27 (COE), Syed Zahid Ahmad, Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering
    • Faculty Mentors: Dr. Yu Lei, Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Yongku Cho, Associate Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

    Over $37,000 will be awarded in total to support these student-lead projects.

    Thomas Bonitz, a grantee pursuing a Ph.D. in Geography says, “As an aspiring educator, I am thrilled to work on designing a “sustainability practicum” course for the UConn Hartford campus. There is obvious educational and community value getting students out of the traditional classroom setting to learn from and contribute to real-world efforts to practice sustainability.” His project exemplifies UConn’s dedication to promoting student success and providing service to Connecticut communities.

    “I look forward to moving onto the next stage for my Harnessing Phosphorus project and being able to work with more resources. I’ve been working on this project independently since my first semester at UConn, so receiving this grant and finding support from new mentors is a reminder of how far I’ve come. It’s great to see the University also believes in my project’s potential,” shares Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS) who will be working on ways to make fertilizer more accessible, less likely to cause algae blooms, and decrease the carbon footprint of a critical agricultural ingredient.

    Students will present their project findings and impacts this fall at the Climate Change Cafe poster symposium in December.

    For more details on the Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grants Program, please visit: https://sustainability.uconn.edu/environmental-social-sustainability-small-grants-program/

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Prevents the Largest Tax Hike in History and Unleashes Economic Growth

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL DELIVERS FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER: The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers the largest tax cut for working- and middle-class Americans in history. Put simply, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill will unleash our economy and deliver a Blue-Collar BOOM.
    Bigger Paychecks: Hardworking Americans and families will see an average increase in take-home pay of OVER $10,000 per year.
    Historic Tax Relief for Workers: 15% tax cut for Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 per year.
    No Taxes on Overtime or Tips: Saves overtime and tipped workers nearly $2,000 annually.
    Historic Tax Breaks for Seniors: Introduces unprecedented financial relief for seniors.
    Made-in-America Tax Breaks: Interest deduction for loans on new American-made vehicles.
    Large Standard Deduction: Keeps the doubled standard deduction used by 91% of taxpayers, ensuring taxpayers keep more of their money with a simpler tax break.
    Provides Historic Relief for Working Families
    Bolsters Child Tax Credit: Increases and makes permanent the child tax credit, supporting over 40 million families.
    Supports Working Families: Expands childcare access and makes the paid leave tax credit permanent.
    Establishes Trump Investment Accounts for Newborns: Creates savings accounts to secure financial futures for every American child from birth.
    Improves Housing Affordability: Expands the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to incentivize the construction of affordable homes for American families.
    Supports Family Farms: Raises death tax exemption, Increasing the amount family farms can inherit without paying taxes—protecting two million family farms from excessive taxation.
    Empowers School Choices: Enhances 529 savings accounts to make education affordable and empower American families and students to choose the education that best fits their needs.
    Drives Economic Growth Through America First Tax Policies
    Incentivizes Made-in-America Manufacturing: Full expensing for new factories and improvements to unleash domestic production.
    Expands Opportunity Zones: Permanently renews program, unlocking $100B+ for rural and distressed communities.
    Boosts American Businesses: The bill delivers full 100% expensing for new factories, equipment, and machinery.
    Puts Main Street Over Wall Street
    Promotes Growth: Helps small businesses keep more money by making permanent—and enhancing—the small business tax deduction, making it easier to grow and hire.
    Doubles Small Business Expensing: Raises the limit for small businesses to immediately deduct up to $2.5 million in equipment and property costs, helping them hire more workers and expand.
    President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill lowers tax rates to keep more money in Americans’ pockets—PREVENTING THE LARGEST TAX HIKE IN HISTORY.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Torres Leads Amendments to protect Americans’ Privacy, Ensure Safe Baby Formula, and Address the Threat of Bird Flu

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

    June 24, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Congresswoman Norma Torres led three amendments during the Appropriations Committee Markup of the FY2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Bill, offering critical amendments to safeguard tens of millions of Americans’ personal information from DOGE and protect the public servants who work to ensure the safety and supply of infant formula and address the ongoing threat of bird flu from the indiscriminate and lawless firings implemented by the Trump Administration and DOGE.  

    “I voted against this bill, which, like so much of what the Trump Administration and Republicans have been pushing, throws families and children under the bus, and in this case, our farmers and agricultural communities, too. The bill recklessly cuts vital programs that support our farmers and help hardworking families put food on the table, all under the hypocritical reasoning of “responsible spending” as Republicans push for trillions in tax breaks to billionaires,” said Congresswoman Torres. “But Republicans also rejected three amendments I led that aimed to improve the bill, from protecting Americans’ privacy from DOGE, protecting those who work tirelessly to ensure infant formula that many mothers rely on is safe, and ensuring the Trump Administration and DOGE can’t recklessly fire these critical public servants.”

    The House Republican FY26 Agriculture-FDA Appropriations bill cuts overall funding by more than $1 billion, underfunding programs that support farmers and ranchers, lower costs for consumers, and help families put food on the table.

    For example, the Republican bill underfunds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which helps pregnant mothers and babies not only access free healthy foods, but also receive breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and connects mothers with resources like medical, dental, and mental healthcare. On top of this, the bill included an additional 10% cut on WIC benefits for fruits and vegetables, making it harder for women and children to have access to healthy, nutritious foods. The bill also cuts rural wastewater funding, even though many communities in California struggle with water issues. 

    Congresswoman Torres led three amendments to help improve the bill that Republicans rejected: 

    No Sharing Personal Information with DOGE: This amendment prohibits agencies from sharing personally identifiable information with DOGE. It protects the privacy of tens of millions of Americans by preventing USDA, FDA, and other covered agencies from providing sensitive data to DOGE, safeguarding families’ personal information from unnecessary exposure.

    No Infant Formula Employee Firings: This amendment prohibits the firing of employees who work to ensure the safety and supply of infant formula. Congresswoman Torres is committed to protecting the dedicated public servants at the FDA who work tirelessly to maintain a safe, reliable supply of infant formula for families and babies nationwide.

    No Bird Flu Employee Firings: This amendment protects employees working on bird flu (also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza or HPAI) issues by prohibiting their dismissal. Bird flu continues to threaten poultry, livestock, and frontline workers, and these employees play a crucial role in addressing this ongoing threat. As of June 20, 38 of the 70 human cases in America have occurred in California.

    “These amendments reflect my commitment to protecting families’ privacy, ensuring the safety of mothers and babies, and defending our communities against bird flu. We must prioritize funding for programs that prevent families from going hungry, safeguard our food supply, and invest in our communities — not fund tax breaks for billionaires.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Austrian Foot and Mouth Disease controls amended

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Austrian Foot and Mouth Disease controls amended

    Foot and mouth disease controls have been amended for Austria

    Following rigorous technical assessment, the UK has lifted the commercial import restrictions that were applied to Austria as a result of outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) near the Austria-Hungary border earlier this year.

    This means that the export of affected commodities from Austria can take now place, provided that all other import conditions are met and attestations in the relevant export health certificate can be certified.

    Personal import restrictions still apply for the entire EU area.

    FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals. Livestock keepers should therefore be absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity.

    Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect foot and mouth disease in your animals, you must report it immediately by calling:  

    • 03000 200 301 in England   
    • 0300 303 8268 in Wales   
    • your local  Field Services Office in Scotland

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Indicators of Global Climate Change 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Indicators of Global Climate Change 2024 is the third in a series of annual updates on the state of the climate system and human influence.

    The report, published in Earth System Science Data, was compiled by an international team of climate scientists and serves as an annual synthesis of key climate measures inbetween the IPCC assessment reports. According to the authors, they follow methods as closely as possible to those used in the IPCC AR6 Working Group 1 report.

    The report provides estimates for key climate indicators related to forcing of the climate system:

    • emissions of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate forcers
    • greenhouse gas concentrations
    • radiative forcing
    • the Earth’s energy imbalance
    • surface temperature changes
    • warming attributed to human activities
    • the remaining carbon budget
    • estimates of global temperature extremes
    • global land precipitation
    • global mean sea level rise

    Journalists came to this online SMC briefing to hear from some of the report’s authors.

    Speakers included:

    Prof Piers Forster, Director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, University of Leeds

    Prof Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research at the Grantham Institute and Professor of Climate Science & Policy at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London

    Dr William Lamb, Senior Scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

    Dr Matthew Palmer, Joint Director of the UK National Climate Science Partnership (UKNCSP) at Met Office Hadley Centre, and Associate Professor at the University of Bristol

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –