NewzIntel.com

Category: Fisheries

  • MIL-OSI USA: FEMA, State, USDA Team to Host Agriculture Recovery Fairs

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: FEMA, State, USDA Team to Host Agriculture Recovery Fairs

    FEMA, State, USDA Team to Host Agriculture Recovery Fairs

    HICKORY, N.C. – One-day Agriculture Recovery Centers are planned to help North Carolina farmers recover from Helene damage. The first locations are set for Buncombe, Henderson, McDowell and Watauga counties. Additional events are planned for Ashe, Avery, Burke, Mitchell and Yancey counties. All are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.The walk-through events will provide information on addressing agricultural or rural needs not covered by standard programs offered by FEMA or the state, and offer opportunities for farmers, ranchers, nursery owners, vineyards, honeybee growers and fish producers to meet with agricultural officials to learn about assistance available. The centers have specifically trained representatives of FEMA; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; North Carolina Department of Commerce; North Carolina Department of Agriculture; U.S. Small Business Administration; local Farm Service Agency officials; and other government agencies to assist agricultural workers with their recovery needs.  Please bring evidence of ownership, or photos of damaged or lost tools and equipment, along with estimated replacement costs to expedite your application. Learn more here: Help for Self-Employed.  Jan. 27 – McDowell County                                     McDowell Technical Community College Universal Manufacturing Center634 College DriveMarion, NC 28752Jan. 28 – Henderson County Dana Community Center2879 Upward RdFlat Rock, NC 28731 Jan. 30 – Buncombe County Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community CollegeIvy Building9 Genevieve CircleAsheville, NC 28801Jan. 31 – Watauga County Watauga Agricultural Conference Center(Winter Farmer’s Market)252 Poplar Grove RoadBoone, NC 28607
    joseph.arbid
    Thu, 01/23/2025 – 23:21

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Hagerty Voices his Strong Support for Pete Hegseth, Blasts Democrats and Left-Wing Media for Smear Campaign Stalling Nomination

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    Hegseth should be confirmed immediately, but Democrats have chosen to put partisan politics over national security
    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today spoke on the Senate floor strongly supporting Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense. He also blasted Senate Democrats for putting partisan, political games over national security.
    Mr. Hegseth needs to be confirmed immediately to begin implementing President Trump’s peace through strength agenda. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have chosen to engage in political theater, delaying Pete’s critical confirmation.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*
    Remarks as prepared for delivery:
    Thank you, Mr. President.
    I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of my constituent and friend, Pete Hegseth, to be Secretary of Defense. 
    Last week, during his four-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing, America saw exactly why President Trump nominated Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Pete is a patriotic, smart, and energetic leader. His priority is our warfighters, and having their backs, by focusing the Department on lethality and competence—rather than extraneous political and social issues. He is the type of leader that can inspire, recruit and retain the best talent. 
    Despite Pete’s qualifications, the mainstream media—desperate to derail President Trump and his nominees—has gone after his character by airing false and unsubstantiated allegations. 
    Take for example the article published Tuesday by The New York Times.
    Despite the salacious and misleading headline, buried beneath 13 paragraphs of slanderous allegations, the Times disclaims the entire story with a direct quote from the supposed victim herself denying the allegations against Pete, saying: “There was no physical abuse in my marriage.”
    Take a moment to think about this. 
    The New York Times intentionally ran with the salacious and debunked account buried the truth and distorted  the lead simply to undermine President Trump and his nominee. 
    The New York Times is not alone, unfortunately; NBC News, The Hill, Politico, and even the Associated Press all chose to run the salacious, false headline instead of the facts.
    Unfortunately, I’m not surprised.
    This is the type of misleading—and often unequivocally false—reporting we’ve learned to expect from the left-leaning media.
    The American people remember that The New York Times is the same publication that denied and suppressed the Hunter Biden Laptop story leading up to the 2020 election. It’s the same paper that endorsed Joe Biden for President in 2020, and it’s the same outlet that endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024.
    The American people are sick and tired of the deception stemming from the alliance between Democrats and the so-called “mainstream media.” 
    This is yet another example of a story published, with an aim to do harm, despite evidence to the contrary. It’s why media has lost much of its credibility with the American people who see this article for what it is—a desperate last-minute attempt to generate controversy where none exists.
    Pete Hegseth is someone who is going to fix the Pentagon and deliver on President Trump’s vision of peace through strength. He is exactly the type of leader the Pentagon needs in the face of an increasingly complex and escalating security situation around the world.
    So, while I am disappointed, I am not surprised at this eleventh hour attempt by the media to raise debunked and completely discredited falsehoods simply with an aim to derail a confirmation.  I urge my colleagues to see through the noise and evaluate Pete’s nomination based on the merits—which is why I plan to vote to confirm Mr. Hegseth.
    I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: CFA volunteer and educator awarded AFSM medal

    Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

    CFA firefighter Lisa Hicks was recognised in today’s Australia Day Honours, receiving an Australian Fire Service Medal for her 49 years of dedicated service to CFA and her community. 

    Lisa Hicks has been a dedicated member of CFA for almost 50 years. During this time, she has served in a range of roles in Narre Warren North and Pakenham Upper brigades and supporting roles in Cardinia Group.   

    She is currently the secretary and community safety coordinator of Pakenham Upper brigade and group community safety coordinator and is employed full-time as a brigade administrative support officer (BASO). She has supported incident control centres (ICC) and incident management teams for 30 years as a public information officer and is an endorsed crew leader and is still operational. 

    “When I’m in an ICC, I know what the firefighters are facing and that helps me to understand what they need to make informed decisions. And as a crew leader, I see it through the eyes of a firefighter on the ground and know what I need from an ICC,” Lisa said.   

    Lisa also delivered the Fire Safe Kids Program to local schools and kindergartens for the past 20 years and is involved in a working group to update the program.

    “Fire Safe Kids has been an amazing journey,” Lisa said. “Although each class is different, the children are like sponges absorbing the information. When you deliver the information in a fun way, they learn better. I recently worked with all the schools in Cardinia and asked the kids to do a home fire safety plan and make sure they have working smoke detectors.”

    She was instrumental in establishing and maintaining the Cardinia Group compressed air breathing apparatus refilling station. She supervised the build and testing of the facility, development of documentation and the training of all refilling operators.   

    In her role as a BASO she has supported brigades across the Cardinia Group to recruit new members over many years. She has a strong understanding of the operational and non-operational requirements of brigades.  

    As a dedicated firefighter for almost 50 years, Lisa has made a significant contribution on the frontline of many major fires, including the 1983 Ash Wednesday fire at Upper Beaconsfield. When the fire started in Belgrave South, she responded on Narre Warren North brigade’s tanker and was on one of the first trucks on scene. Despite having only just married Steve Hicks, captain of Narre Warren North, she spent the next fortnight working long hours on opposite shifts to her husband. She fought through all stages of this major fire, including the response, containment, blacking out, patrolling, and supporting the local community, brigade, family, and friends. 

    “As we headed to Belgrave South, the column of smoke just kept growing – it looked bad. None of us had experienced anything like it before. It seemed to change direction at will,” Lisa said.  

    “It was a hot, windy day and nothing was going to stop the fire. We couldn’t hold it, so we were sent further along to try to get ahead of it. Unfortunately, that was impossible so we just did what we could, wherever we could. We never stopped fighting until late that night when we changed crews. 

    “Through the heartache of the loss of fellow firefighters, we took comfort that this was a turning point for CFA to make sure it was never repeated. We now have crew protection, diesel pumps, better radio communication, strike teams and incident control centres.” 

    Another catastrophic fire, the Bunyip Ridge fire, ripped through the Cardinia Group area in February 2009 following a lightning strike three days earlier. In the lead-up to the fire, Lisa supported key district pre-planning meetings and activities to prepare for the extreme weather.  She ensured the Pakenham ICC was fully operational and Cardinia Group brigades were fully stocked and prepared. Over the next few weeks, Lisa worked continuously, undertaking fire brigade activities wearing her two hats – that of a CFA employee and CFA volunteer. Perhaps the most important support she gave was offering a friendly face and focusing on the wellbeing of our brigade leaders and volunteers.  

    On 1 March 2019, multiple lightning strikes started fires across the Bunyip State Park and Gembrook areas. Over the next five days, four fires combined to form one large blaze with the Bunyip fires burning until the end of the month. Through March, Lisa was in high demand by her brigades and the Cardinia Group. She was constantly picking up and dropping off replacement turnout gear, maps, incident action plans, water, foam, and countless other items to brigades and the divisional command point.  

    Lisa’s husband Steve received an AFSM last year. 

    “It’s amazing that both Steve and I have now received this award. To be nominated for an AFSM was an honour, and I’m even more honoured to receive one,” Lisa said. 

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Owner of San Diego Surrogacy Consulting Businesses Admits to Stealing Client Funds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Lillian Arielle Markowitz, former owner of three San Diego-based surrogacy consulting businesses, pleaded guilty in federal court today to fraud charges, admitting that she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in client funds from escrow accounts set up to pay for surrogacy-related services.

    According to her plea agreement, Markowitz admitted that she owned three businesses — My Donor Cycle, Surrogacy Beyond Borders, and Expecting Surrogacy — through which she marketed herself as a surrogacy consultant to those seeking to realize their dreams of becoming surrogate parents. Beginning around 2018, when Markowitz and her businesses began to experience financial distress, she devised a scheme to steal money from her surrogacy clients by, among other things, submitting fraudulent requests to the escrow company where her clients’ funds were maintained.

    Markowitz admitted to submitting four fraudulent escrow disbursement requests from the escrow accounts of two couples. One included what Markowitz knew to be a forged client signature, and each one resulted in her obtaining a check from the escrow company without the knowledge or consent of her clients.

    In addition, Markowitz admitted that beginning in January 2019 and continuing through May 2021, she defrauded nine additional clients by falsely promising their funds would be deposited into an escrow account and that they would be accessed only to pay for expenses related to their respective surrogacy journey. In fact, Markowitz deposited these clients’ funds into a business checking account and immediately accessed those funds to cover general business expenses, expenses related to other clients’ surrogacy journeys, and her personal expenses. As a condition of her plea, Markowitz has agreed to make restitution of at least $389,142.00 to her former clients.

    “The path to parenthood through surrogacy can be fraught with emotional and financial challenges,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This defendant selfishly exploited vulnerable clients who were striving to fulfill their dream of becoming parents.”

    “Instead of aiding her hopeful clients on their path to parenthood, the defendant took advantage of their vulnerability, betrayed their trust, and stole their money,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “FBI will continue to investigate these unique fraud schemes to protect the public against those who employ empty promises and prey upon vulnerable individuals.”

    Markowitz is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., by District Judge Todd W. Robinson.

    If you believe that you may be a victim in this case, please contact the FBI San Diego field office at (858) 320-1800.

    This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark W. Pletcher.

    DEFENDANT                                                           Case Number 24-CR-0904-TWR

    Lillian Arielle Markowitz (aka Lillian Frost)             Age: 40                                   Portland, OR

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Federal Bureau of Investigation         

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Capito Votes Yes on Zeldin to be EPA Administrator, Nomination Passes EPW Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    [embedded content]

    To watch Chairman Capito’s opening statement, click here or the image above.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today voted to advance the nomination of Lee Zeldin to be the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zeldin’s nomination was favorably reported by the EPW Committee with a bipartisan vote of 11-8, and now heads to the full U.S. Senate for consideration.

    Below is the opening statement of Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as delivered.

    “Last week we heard from Congressman Zeldin on his plans for the Agency and his views on the EPA’s role in protecting public health and the environment, and how the Agency’s actions intersect with our economy.

    “Congressman Zeldin, I think, was an excellent witness. He described his intent to take a collaborative approach both as Administrator, and demonstrated also through his work with Congress, and this Committee, and all its members to address the pressing issues of environmental needs that our nation faces in this moment.

    “In particular, I deeply appreciated Congressman Zeldin’s efforts to meet with all members of the Committee prior to his hearing and his commitment to work with all of us to address the issues we have raised that impact our constituents, states, and our country.

    “If he said it once, he said it probably a dozen times that transparency is going to be one of the hallmarks of his service.

    “I believe he is well qualified for the position of Administrator and will be an excellent addition to the President’s Cabinet.

    “His past experience as the Congressman representing New York’s 1st Congressional District gives him a unique understanding of how Congress makes laws, oversees the Executive Branch, and what is expected when it gives a mandate to federal agencies. 

    “As a Representative from a northeastern state and a district with a diverse set of political views, he understands what it means to build consensus to achieve durable results.

    “He also has the necessary experience and integrity as a veteran of the war of terrorism, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army reserve, an attorney, and a former Congressman to implement the President’s agenda at the Agency pursuant to congressionally provided authority. 

    “Finally, I was very pleased during his testimony to see how he intends to run the Agency in line with the laws that Congress has passed, with the goal of prioritizing EPA’s actions on the core responsibilities of the Agency that are essential to protecting health and our land, air, and water.

    “As we have seen over the past 25 years, the policies of the EPA can have a significant impact on not just the environment, but our economy.

    “The EPA should support policies and set rules that improve the environment while allowing innovators to grow the economy and protecting the pocketbook of American families. I believe that’s a win-win.

    “Unfortunately, too often the EPA has strayed from its mission, instead smothered small businesses and communities, I can speak from experience – my state of West Virginia, with red tape and forced higher costs on our constituents, a lose-lose. 

    “My home state of West Virginia, as I stated, has felt the negative impacts of EPA’s regulatory overreach in [recent] years, devastating portions of the State’s economy and putting my constituents out of work.

    “Congressman Zeldin has shown that he understands the importance of striking the right balance to improve the lives of Americans across the country and to protect the environment, while also uplifting communities and cities across the nation.

    “I urge our colleagues to support Congressman Zeldin’s nomination so we can get the EPA back to the basics of improving the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land that we use.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Shaheen Raises National Security Concerns with Nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense, Announces She Will Vote Against His Confirmation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), took to the Senate floor to outline her concerns for our national security ahead of the possible confirmation of Pete Hegseth as the next U.S. Secretary of Defense. Specifically, Shaheen addressed Hegseth’s inconsistencies on various foreign policy issues, including respect for the norms of armed conflict, support for our alliances like NATO and Putin’s war on Ukraine. At the conclusion of her remarks, Senator Shaheen announced she will vote against the Secretary of Defense nominee—the first time she’s done so since joining the U.S. Senate. You can watch the Senator’s full remarks here.

    Key quotes from Senator Shaheen:

    • “The almost three million men and women who serve our nation in uniform deserve a Secretary of Defense who will not needlessly throw them in harm’s way or seek to divide them with partisan politics.”
    • “Just as America’s national security interests are not to be trifled with, neither is our commitment to defending democracy and the international world order. And any inconsistency in our commitment to support our allies and partners, to support democracy around the world, to support the international world order is going to be seen and exploited by our adversaries.”
    • “And again, I think it’s very important that we stand by our ally Ukraine, because of the message it sends not just to the Russians and Vladimir Putin, but because of the message it sends to Xi in China, to the Iranians, to the North Koreans, to anyone who is an adversary of the United States. If they think we’re going to walk away from our allies, they’re going to do everything they can to divide us.”
    • “He [Mr. Hegseth] has a documented history of supporting individuals who have violated military and international law by committing war crimes […] I don’t think we can afford to entrust the safety and success of our men and women in uniform to a man who would himself disregard the laws of armed conflict and leave American credibility and moral authority in tatters on the world stage.”  
    • “I am very concerned that Mr. Hegseth lacks the consistency and the moral clarity to lead the most combat-credible military in the world […] Our men and women in uniform deserve better. And therefore, the first time since I was elected to represent the people of New Hampshire in the United States Senate, I plan to vote against this nominee for Secretary of Defense.”   

    Remarks as delivered can be found below:

    Mr. President, I come to the floor today to address some of my concerns about the qualifications of the President’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, Mr. Pete Hegseth. 

    Like many of my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, I left Mr. Hegseth’s hearing last week with a number of unanswered questions and some real concerns about his qualifications and abilities to serve in the role of Secretary of Defense. 

    Now, every single nominee for Secretary of Defense—from both Democrat and Republican administrations—have met with me and other members from both sides of the aisle on the committee before their confirmation hearings.  

    And I voted for every one of those nominees from both Democrat and Republican administrations: Secretaries Panetta, Hagel, Carter, Mattis, Esper and Austin.  

    I didn’t always agree with their views or their policies, but I felt that they had the qualifications and the temperament to be Secretary of Defense, so I supported their confirmations. 

    But Mr. Hegseth chose not to meet with me or any other Senate Democrats, except the Ranking Member, Jack Reed. And he broke with strong, longstanding tradition to ensure that our work on national security remains free from partisanship.

    And I think that’s the important point: we are stronger as Senators, as Congress, as a nation if we are acting together.

    The Committee unfortunately was not afforded the opportunity to ask a number of rounds of questions, and so there were a number of questions about his views, particularly regarding foreign policy and military policy that we did not get an answer to.

    I’ve become the Ranking Member on the Foreign Relations Committee, and so I’m very concerned about the role of the United States in the world.

    I think the American people expect transparency regarding Mr. Hegseth’s ability to stand by our allies and partners, to uphold international agreements, to abide by rules of engagement and the bottom line—support the men and women in the military in a way that not only keeps us safe, but protects them as well.

    The almost three million men and women who serve our nation in uniform deserve a Secretary of Defense who will not needlessly throw them in harm’s way or seek to divide them with partisan politics. 

    So, I’d like to address a few issues now that we were not able to get to at the hearing, because we were not able to ask more than one round of questions. And I want to start with the role alliances and that our allies and partners play in our own national security.

    I believe – and we’ve seen it many times since the start of this nation – that we are stronger and safer when we lead together with our allies. 

    And we’re fortunate, because we have strong allies and partners. We don’t see that coming from Vladimir Putin, from Xi in China, we don’t see it from the North Koreans or the Iranians, but the United States has strong allies who can stand with us.

    The most important security agreement we’ve had, I think any time in our nation’s history, is NATO.

    It is a critical, indispensable part of our national security, and yet, the President’s nominee for Secretary of Defense wrote in his book, American Crusade, that NATO is quote “a relic” and quote that it “should be scrapped.”

    Now since his nomination, Mr. Hegseth has tried to walk back his opposition to one of our key international alliances, to NATO. 

    In advance policy questions for the Committee, he calls NATO a quote, “vital U.S. interest” in defending Europe and American interests from Russia and Vladimir Putin. 

    This sudden reversal is welcome, because I think it’s very important that our Secretary of Defense understand how critical NATO is, and that it’s stronger now than it was any time since it was formed, probably. We now have 32 members of NATO.

    But Mr. Hegseth’s 11th hour conversion to understanding the importance of our allies and partners raises questions about what he really believes.

    We asked on our questions for the record about NATO, and we didn’t get much of a response.

    Now, if I had had the opportunity, I would have brought up Ukraine and Mr. Hegseth’s head-spinning contradictions on this matter.

    Just as America’s national security interests are not to be trifled with, neither is our commitment to defending democracy and the international world order. 

    And any inconsistency in our commitment to support our allies and partners, to support democracy around the world, to support the international world order, that is going to be seen and exploited by our adversaries. 

    So again, I’m puzzled about how we should think about Mr. Hegseth’s contradictory positions on a variety of national security and foreign policy issues.

    For example, he was critical of the Biden administration—as have many of us on both sides of the aisle been in this chamber—for not moving fast enough to aid Ukraine. But then question the wisdom of sending any U.S. assistance to Ukraine at all. 

    In 2022, Mr. Hegseth called Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and called for faster U.S. aid to Ukraine. Now, he says the idea of Russia launching a nuclear war is “over-inflated” and plays down the severity of the conflict as merely Putin’s “give-me-my-shit-back war.”

    Well, I don’t think that our NATO allies, those in the Baltics and Poland and Eastern Europe, think Vladmir Putin’s nuclear ambitions are “over inflated.”

    They know the threat he poses to their countries and the world.

    And to be flippant about the threat of nuclear war, I think is beneath the office of the Secretary of Defense, who will have to engage with those partners on a regular basis. 

    Now, I agree with President Trump that the American people want to see a resolution to this years-long war. I’m sure that’s true of the Ukrainians as well.

    But Mr. Hegseth has not, either in his hearing nor in response to the questions that we submitted to him for the record, expanded on what the Department of Defense’s role should be with respect to Ukraine, even though we have already invested $66 billion in military assistance.

    And again, I think it’s very important that we stand by our ally Ukraine, because of the message it sends not just to the Russians and Vladimir Putin, but because of the message it sends to Xi in China, to the Iranians, to the North Koreans, to anyone who is an adversary of the United States.

    If they think we’re going to walk away from our allies, they’re going to do everything they can to divide us.

    Now, on Afghanistan, Mr. Hegseth has also been inconsistent on his views of the President’s foreign policy.

    Actually, he’s been inconsistent in general on the President’s foreign policies.

    In the lead up to the 2016 election, Mr. Hegseth was highly critical of then-candidate Trump’s foreign policy stances, particularly on Iraq and Afghanistan. 

    Mr. Hegseth called Mr. Trump, who was a candidate at the time, and I quote “all bluster, very little substance” and again quoting, “an armchair tough guy.” 

    He criticized then-candidate Trump in 2015 for advocating for the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, but then he took the criticism back. 

    He sharply criticized the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, as did I, but he’s failed to publicly comment on President Trump’s 2020 deal with the Taliban, which is what set the date certain for withdrawal in 2021 that then the Biden administration was actually tied to.

    Now, I agree. I agree that that withdrawal was not what I wanted to see. I didn’t support it.

    But they were terms that President Trump, in his first term, set with the Taliban. 

    Terms that I thought gave away the store to the Taliban. Because there were no concessions from them, on what we were to get from the United States. The Government of Afghanistan was not at the table and now we’re seeing the fallout from that.  

    And I know that no one is watching for gaps in U.S. national security policy more closely than President Xi and the People’s Republic of China. 

    Now Mr. Hegseth identifies China as our peer competitor, something that I think all of us on the Armed Services Committee and probably everyone this chamber agree with.

    But if Mr. Hegseth is so concerned about China, then he should realize that nothing will encourage President Xi’s aggression more than seeing America abandon our allies and partners. 

    Mr. Hegseth sees China’s ambitions as, quote, “a fait accompli,” and yet, he does not seem to recognize that his own inconsistencies on all these foreign policy positions could contribute to this.

    A question I would like Mr. Hegseth to attempt to answer is: What message would it send to our adversaries if the U.S. ceases its support not just for Ukraine, but for the international rules and norms that underpin the global order?

    Now, I’m also concerned about that with respect to the conduct of conflict. In his book “The War on Warriors,” Mr. Hegseth argued, and again I’m quoting, “our boys should not fight by rules written by dignified men in mahogany rooms eighty years ago. America should fight by its own rules.”  

    Well, the rules that he’s talking about are the Geneva Conventions—which established bare minimum protections against violence, torture and inhumane treatments.

    And they don’t just protect those people we’re fighting on the battlefield, they protect American soldiers.

    During his hearing, he even doubled down to say, quote, “restrictive rules of engagement” have “made it more difficult to defeat our enemies,” and that it would be his priority, quote, “that lawyers aren’t getting in the way.”

    Unfortunately—and dangerously—this appears to be the few issues that Mr. Hegseth is consistent on. 

    He has a documented history of supporting individuals who have violated military and international law by committing war crimes.  

    These are individuals who were turned in not by our enemies, but by members of their own units who were convicted of crimes by military juries. Individuals for whom Mr. Hegseth lobbied to get pardons.  

    I don’t think we can afford to entrust the safety and success of our men and women in uniform to a man who would himself disregard the laws of armed conflict and leave American credibility and moral authority in tatters on the world stage.  

    Now, while embracing officers convicted of war crimes, Mr. Hegseth has stated it is his intent to review all general officers currently serving in the Department of Defense. 

    And when asked if he would remove the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mr. Hegseth responded, on the record, that, quote, “all senior officers will be reviewed.”

    So, let’s just think about what that means – subjecting our general officers, in our military that is not politicized, to a political litmus test is not only unprecedented, it is dangerous. 

    It will convey to the American public that their leadership is political. 

    One of the most important roles of the Secretary of Defense is to seek out and consider open, honest and direct military advice from the senior officers in charge of our forces.  

    I don’t know how Mr. Hegseth expects to receive open and honest advice from his commanders when he is advocating for a purge of anyone who disagrees with him. 

      

    And I am also deeply troubled by the idea that Mr. Hegseth would act as a “yes man” himself, putting his own personal political interests above the wellbeing of our military men and women.

    At Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, when asked what he would do if he received orders from President Trump that he knew to be illegal or unconstitutional, Mr. Hegseth wouldn’t give a straight answer. All he could do was deny that President Trump was capable of giving an illegal order.

    And just for the record, to be clear: in his first term, President Trump did give an illegal order that then-Secretary Esper refused to follow. 

    And for that, Secretary Esper was fired by the President. 

    So, Mr. President, I am very concerned that Mr. Hegseth lacks the consistency and the moral clarity to lead the most combat-credible military in the world. 

    And I’m very disappointed that this body would put a nominee on the floor without the due process of advise-and-consent that the position of the Secretary of Defense deserves. 

    Our men and women in uniform deserve better. 

    And therefore, the first time since I was elected to represent the people of New Hampshire in the United States Senate, I plan to vote against this nominee for Secretary of Defense.  

    Thank you, I yield the floor.

    As the second-ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Shaheen is instrumental in helping to accomplish top national security objectives and enhancing New Hampshire’s role in support of America’s national defense. A member of the Committee since 2011, Shaheen has voted to confirm multiple nominees from both parties under multiple administrations. During his confirmation hearing, Shaheen questioned Hegseth about his support for women service members and the Shaheen-led Women, Peace and Security law. The bipartisan Women, Peace and Security Act, was signed into law by President Donald Trump, which Shaheen leads with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), was signed into law in 2017 and requires the U.S. Government to strengthen the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and peace negotiations. 

    Senator Shaheen is the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and also serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs and Defense. In 2018, Shaheen re-established the bipartisan U.S. Senate NATO Observer Group with U.S. Senator Tillis (R-NC). Senator Shaheen believes that a strong and active United States is fundamental to securing our national interests at home and abroad. She also believes that U.S. global leadership is directly tied to the strength of our ideals, our alliances and our diplomacy, and she is constantly working to ensure our national security policies reflect our broader democratic values. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – Native oyster and other shellfish recovery rests with robust reef restoration – Flinders

    Source: Flinders University

    When you slurp an exotic Pacific oyster or throw fresh seafood on the BBQ this weekend, spare a thought for our local shellfish reefs – most of which have been destroyed or forgotten.

    Coastal management and reef restoration has never been more important with shellfish reefs among the most impacted coastal ecosystems, warn Flinders University marine biology experts.

    “As we approach the middle of the United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, shellfish ecosystems have suffered enormous declines worldwide, including losses of up to 85% of oyster reefs, and South Australia is no exception,” says Brad Martin, from the College of Science and Engineering, in a new article in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management.

    The new research, led by Flinders PhD candidate Brad Martin, trawled through historical and archival records tracking centuries of South Australia’s shellfish management, reviving new information on past reef ecosystems and management practices.

    “This research offers a multi-species approach to guide shellfish reef restoration today,” says Mr Martin.

    “Successful conservation requires robust knowledge of ecosystem characteristics and the environmental stressors, to inform better coastal management, restoration targets and important community and other stakeholder support. Efforts to restore shellfish reefs have increased due to growing awareness of their loss and ecological importance.”

    Flinders researchers analysed data from the state’s libraries, archives and newspaper articles that described South Australia’s flat oyster (Ostrea angasi), razor clam (Pinna bicolor), and hammer oyster (Malleus meridianus) reefs.

    Oysters are classified as filter feeders that remove plankton and other organic particles from marine systems. As a result, shellfish reef losses have had significant outcomes for documented marine life and negative socio-economic impacts to coastal fisheries and communities.

    More than 140 shellfish reef locations were identified, which covered about 2630 square kilometres of the state’s coastal waters – including approximately 887 sq km of former native oyster reefs, and temperate coral oyster reefs. Most of these shellfish reefs no longer exist today.

    Commercial wild oyster harvesting commenced in the 1840s, and more than 43 million oysters were consumed by the 1910s, based on historic shipping and landing records. The high demand and potential declines motivated South Australia’s earliest fisheries legislation (in 1853) and marine restoration efforts, including fishery closures (est. 1875), shellfish translocation (est. 1887), and marine reserves (est. 1912).

    “We found successful, large-scale oyster reef restoration historically occurred in Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island in the 1910s, and community awareness of the impacts of shellfish reef loss to local fisheries and other marine life including snapper and whiting. These provide important case studies for future restoration efforts.”

    Community research and restoration efforts in SA include the Port River shellfish reef restoration with OzFish Unlimited, Flinders University Citizen Science Reef on Kangaroo Island and the Coffin Bay citizen science oyster reef project, which supports production of the native oyster and razorfish for future generations.

    The public is also encouraged to report records of existing shellfish ecosystems via citizen science programs such as iNaturalist or the Atlas of Living Australia.

    The historical records indicate that shellfish reefs, of multiple ecosystem-forming bivalves, ultimately diminished over the past 200 years or so due to cumulative impacts of destructive benthic fishing practices, changes in marine resource management and environmental stressors, such as droughts, runaway predation and disease, despite multiple legislative and restoration attempts to reverse the declines.

    “Past records indicate that razor clams or ‘razorfish’ (Pinna bicolor) were foundational to establishing multi-species shellfish reefs in South Australia by providing natural settlement surfaces for oysters,” adds Mr Martin.

    “While razor clams and hammer oyster ecosystems can still be found today, the data demonstrates that these ecosystems are understudied and diminished. Future studies may unlock additional restoration opportunities to revive South Australia’s native shellfish.”

    Flinders marine biologist Dr Ryan Baring, a senior author on the paper, says: “There is a bias towards commercially popular species compared to the distribution and conservation status of our ‘less loved’ shellfish ecosystems, particularly razor clams, hammer oysters and native mussels, which co-occur in these reefs.

    “By reconstructing past shellfish reef distributions and socio-cultural connections, this review identifies evidence-based opportunities and key knowledge gaps to guide future research and management efforts,” says Dr Baring.

    The article, ‘Reviving shellfish reef socio-ecological histories for modern management and restoration’ (2025) by Brad Martin, Charlie Huveneers, Simon Reeves (The Nature Conservancy Australia) and Ryan Baring has been published in Ocean and Coastal Management (Elsevier) DOI: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107540.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Google should increase uptake of its Workspace platform with free AI, says GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Google should increase uptake of its Workspace platform with free AI, says GlobalData

    Posted in Technology

    Google has elevated its Workspace platform by offering AI capabilities for free to subscribers of Workspace Business and Enterprise plans. Previously, plan subscribers could purchase an add-on of AI features ranging from $20 to $30 per user per month. The list of capabilities includes the Gemini assistant within Google Workspace apps; the Gemini standalone app; and the NotebookLM Plus research assistant. The free AI offering should help Google increase the uptake of the platform says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    Gregg Willsky, Principal Analyst, Enterprise Technology & Services at GlobalData, comments: “Google has significantly enhanced the value proposition for Workspace. Despite a nominal increase of $2 per user per month in the cost of the plans, the overall price tag has been substantially lowered while providing an inventory of meaningful AI features.”

    The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for AI. Rivals have been aligned in stuffing their team collaboration platforms full of AI features but have diverged when it comes to affixing a price tag to those features. Two paths have been taken – either charging an extra monthly per-user fee or including features as part of established subscriptions at no additional cost.

    Willsky continues: “So, the question becomes, should AI features cost extra or not? There is no easy answer and not necessarily a right or wrong one. Given the great expense of delivering AI features, it may be unsustainable to offer them for free. On the other hand, it is possible that the allure of receiving AI capabilities at no cost has spurred adoption of those platforms to such a degree that the extra subscription revenue more than makes up for the added expense.”

    Unfortunately, it’s not clear if hard data exists to support either scenario. What is clear is that AI is quickly being woven into the fabric of society. Soon, AI features will be regarded as ‘standard issue’ on team collaboration platforms and no longer worthy of commanding a premium. However, the costs incurred in providing them will remain.

    Willsky concludes: “Google’s announcement mirrors the most likely scenario – additional fees for AI will evaporate only to be baked into a higher platform subscription price. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Keep your family safe when posting back-to-school photos

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    As thousands of children prepare to head back to school, Police are urging parents to be diligent with their privacy settings before posting photos and videos online.

    The start of the school year is often memorable, and many people like to mark the occasion by sharing images of their children on social media in school uniform and in front of either their home or school.

    Unfortunately, sometimes these images unintentionally share more than just a picture of a happy child – they can share personal details that might put information about you and your family in the wrong hands.

    While Police understand the importance of these milestones, parents and caregivers should remain cautious about the information that images posted on social media present and who can gain access to them.

    While it’s rare for NZ Police to receive reports about children being located through information shared online in photos or videos, we know from our international counterparts that it does happen.

    A few simple tips can protect your and your children’s privacy on social media:

    • Check there are no identifying features such as school uniforms and logos, school buildings or signs, and street signs. This applies if you are taking photos at home as well. If this is unavoidable, parents can edit and blur school logos and signs.
    • Research and understand app settings, including privacy settings. Turning off location settings or setting profiles to private/friends only.
    • Keeping your child’s personal information – including full name and age and what year they’re starting – private.
    • Report any inappropriate or suspicious behaviour online.

    Be proactive with online safety to keep your child and their information safe as they head into a new school year.

    ENDS

    Where to report cases if you think your privacy has been breached?

    NEW ZEALAND POLICE

    • 105 (non-emergency)
    • 111 (Emergency)

    NETSAFE

    • Text ‘Netsafe’ to 4282
    • Email: help@netsafe.org.nz
    • Call toll free on 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723)
    • Online report form at netsafe.org.nz/report
    • Helpline open from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm on weekends.

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – Hospitalisation spike likely during back-to-school period

    Source: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation

    A spike in asthma-related hospitalisations is expected as children flock through school gates for the start of a new year.
    The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is encouraging everyone to be aware of the symptoms of an asthma attack and how to respond, with hospitalisations from attacks at their highest during week 3 of Term 1.
    Symptoms of an asthma attack are a worsening cough, persistent wheezing, shortness of breath and/or feeling tight in the chest.
    Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says the back-to-school period is always a vulnerable time for the one in eight Kiwi children with asthma.
    “The ‘back-to-school effect’ is greater than the ‘winter effect’ when it comes to children’s respiratory disease with the risk of hospitalisation two and a half times higher on the peak day in the third week of term 1 than on the first day of term.”
    International studies have shown that various factors are associated with the increase, including a change of environment and exposure to different allergens, changes in emotions such as stress or anxiety, and exposure to more viruses from being around more people, Ms Harding says.
    To keep children safe through the return-to-school period, parents and caregivers should ensure that their child has an Asthma Action Plan, which is shared with their school and their teacher, Ms Harding says.
    “Make sure your child is taking their preventer medication as prescribed and bringing their reliever inhaler to school, and check that it’s not empty or out of date.”
    Asthma is a common illness in New Zealand, affecting one in eight children and one in eight adults. About 96 people die from asthma each year – that’s nearly two people per week.
    In addition, one-third of all respiratory-related hospital admissions are children and it is estimated that more than 360,000 school days are lost each year due to asthma-related symptoms in children.
    For most children, going back to school is an exciting time, Ms Harding says.
    “But unfortunately, for many, this period can lead to severe reactions – putting children at risk.
    “That’s why investing in educating children about asthma is a huge focus for us,” she says. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Storm recovery operation continues

    Source: Scottish Government

    Considerable progress made but impacts continue.

    Considerable progress has been made to restore services following Storm Éowyn but some impacts are set to continue, a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) chaired by the First Minister has heard.

    Extensive work by utility companies, national agencies and local authorities has continued at pace over the weekend to respond to the significant damage caused by the storm.

    More than 265,000 customers have had their electricity restored since Friday, with the road, ferry and aviation networks resuming a near normal service.

    The scale, extent and severity of the storm has made the recovery operation a significant challenge, with issues remaining on the power and rail networks.

    There are around 16,000 properties without electricity, with utility companies continuing to provide support to affected customers.

    The rail network is recovering from multiple, major issues particularly in the Central Belt. Network Rail are working to repair the damage, with lines opening when safe to do so, enabling ScotRail to run services as soon as they are able.

    While most schools are expected to reopen following the weekend, damage to some buildings will mean at least 20 will remain closed until repairs are made.

    First Minister John Swinney said:  

    “I want to thank those working in the public, private and third sector who continue to work tirelessly in difficult conditions to get Scotland fully back on its feet following this extremely serious storm.

    “I also appreciate the continued patience of the public while this work continues, and encourage them to take extra care and look out for each other, particularly those who are supporting vulnerable neighbours and family members.

    “The severity of the damage caused by this major event has had a considerable impact across a wide area of the country. While every effort has been made over the weekend to fully restore services, unfortunately it is clear some disruption can continue to be expected.

    “Utility companies are doing all they can to return power to the remaining affected properties as soon as possible. They continue to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.

    “Network Rail has been dealing with more than 500 incidents, including significant treefall, and some routes are still affected, particularly in the Central Belt. I understand that every possible resource is being used to ensure services are up and running as soon as possible.

    “I would therefore urge rail commuters to plan their journeys ahead. The latest information can be found on Network Rail and ScotRail social media accounts and websites.

    “While most schools will reopen, a small number are expected to be closed so buildings can be made safe. I expect Local Authorities to be giving advance warning to parents, pupils and staff, where this is necessary.”

    Background 

    SGoRR was attended by Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Justice and Home Affairs Secretary Angela Contance, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Rural Affairs and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs Culture Angus Robertson and Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie. They were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and resilience partners.

    The latest Met Office weather warnings are available on the Met Office website. 

    Flood alerts are issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and can be viewed on their website. 

    Advice on preparing for severe weather can be found on the Ready Scotland website.

    Follow Traffic Scotland for the most up-to-date information on the trunk roads throughout the warning periods, via their website, social media channels and radio broadcasts. Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online. 

    To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations call the SP Networks national Freephone number 105. More information on what to do during a storm can also be found on the SP Energy Website.

    During a power cut firefighters can be called to fires started by candles or portable heaters. For advice on how to stay safe during a power cut visit the Scottish Fire and Rescue Website.   

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Weatherford Announces Contract Awards with Kuwait Oil Company and NOC in Qatar

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, Nov. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ: WFRD) (“Weatherford” or the “Company”) today announced two contracts in the Middle East, with Kuwait Oil Company (“KOC”) and a National Oil Company (“NOC”) in Qatar.

    KOC awarded Weatherford a Managed Pressure Drilling (“MPD”) services contract, focusing on improving operational efficiency, enhancing safety, accelerating well-delivery timelines, and reducing costs by deploying Weatherford’s innovative Victus™ Intelligent MPD system. Known for its automation and precision, Victus™ enables safer and faster drilling by providing precise pressure control and real-time data integration to optimize well conditions in complex drilling environments. This advanced technology is set to support KOC’s goals for enhanced safety, speed, and cost efficiency in well delivery.

    In addition, Weatherford has secured a five-year contract with an NOC in Qatar to provide fishing and drilling tools, with a five-year extension option. This contract highlights Weatherford’s commitment to supporting the NOC’s operational resilience by offering advanced fishing and drilling solutions. These tools, combined with Weatherford’s technical expertise, will assist the operator in overcoming challenging fishing scenarios, ensuring continuity and efficiency in their drilling operations.

    Girish Saligram, President and Chief Executive Officer of Weatherford, commented, “Weatherford is honored to partner with both KOC and an NOC in Qatar. These agreements underscore our commitment to delivering cutting-edge technologies and dependable service, reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in the Middle East and supporting regional operators in achieving their enhanced safety, efficiency, and resilience goals.”

    About Weatherford

    Weatherford delivers innovative energy services that integrate proven technologies with advanced digitalization to create sustainable offerings for maximized value and return on investment. Our world-class experts partner with customers to optimize their resources and realize the full potential of their assets. Operators choose us for strategic solutions that add efficiency, flexibility, and responsibility to any energy operation. The Company conducts business in approximately 75 countries and has approximately 19,000 team members representing more than 110 nationalities and 330 operating locations. Visit weatherford.com for more information and connect with us on social media.

    For Media:
    Kelley Hughes
    Corporate Communications
    Media@weatherford.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $5 million in latest round of recreational fishing grants now open 

    Source: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries

    6 Nov 2024

    The Minns Labor Government today opened the next round of Recreational Fishing Trust Grants, with $5 million available for fishing clubs, community groups and other organisations to run projects which improve and promote recreational fishing in their local area.

    For the first time, applicants in this round will be able to access the $2 million recreational fishing small infrastructure grants program announced by the NSW Government in August.

    This program will make it easier for local fishing clubs, community groups and other organisations to apply for funding for projects such as fishing platforms, fish cleaning tables, fishing access tracks, kayak launching platforms and other fishing facilities.

    Applicants are encouraged to contact dedicated Department staff to discuss their ideas and for assistance in applying your small infrastructure grants.

    As well as small infrastructure, funding is also available to promote participation in the sport and the mental health and well-being benefits of fishing, such as for free fishing events, fishing workshops, come and try fishing days, fishing for therapy initiatives, and the development of educational material to promote sustainable and responsible fishing practices.

    Grants are available for both large projects valued at more than $10,000 in funding and small projects involving less than $10,000.

    Applications will be open for the next six weeks, until 18 December 2024.

    Following the recent review of the Recreational Fishing Trust, the NSW Government will continue to provide greater support to the NSW recreational fishing community by:

    • Strengthening communications with all fishers and organisations to encourage them to apply for grants to improve fishing in their local areas.
    • Providing more support for applicants to discuss ideas for projects and assist with developing their applications through the dedicated Recreational Fishing Trust grants assistance phoneline.
    • Making the grant application process clearer and simpler, so groups have the best opportunity to receive funding, including streamlining the application form.

    This round of funding follows the recent announcements of some $20 million in grants and program funding from the Recreational Fishing Trust to enhance recreational fishing across the State.

    Funding guidelines and the new online application form are available here or you can email recreational.fishingtrust@dpird.nsw.gov.au or call the dedicated Recreational Fishing Trust phoneline on 02 4424 7428.

    Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

    “We want to make fishing accessible, enjoyable and safe for everyone.

    “By streamlining the grant application process, we aim to provide every fishing group with a greater chance to secure funding for projects that improve the fishing experience in their local communities.

    “The $2 million infrastructure grants program will ensure more of the licence fees collected from recreational fishers are invested back into the infrastructure we know fishers want, such as fishing platforms, fish cleaning tables and other fishing facilities.

    “This is an excellent example of how funds generated by the NSW Recreational Fishing Licence Fee are reinvested into projects that directly support the recreational fishing community.

    “If you have an idea on how to improve your local fishing spot or make fishing even better for your local community, I encourage you to contact our dedicated DPIRD staff to discuss your ideas.”

    MEDIA: Michael Salmon | Minister Moriarty | 0417 495 018

    Images of completed infrastructure projects available here

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: US presidential election holds high stakes for Pacific relations

    PMN Pacific Mornings

    With Election Day for one of the most consequential United States presidential races in recent history underway, Pasifika communities on both sides of the Pacific Ocean are considering how a new administration could impact US-Pacific relations.

    Roy Tongilava, a public policy professional and Pacific community advocate in the United States, hopes to see improved US-Pacific relations under either a Harris or Trump administration.

    “I’m not an expert in foreign affairs, but my hope would be that either a presidency under Harris or under Trump would continue to build those relations, to build those investments, to really help not only combat climate change but also to really aid in the Pacific development, which is inherently connected to what I believe is the Pacific Islander American experience,” he said.

    Pacific commentators Roy Tongilava (left) and Christian Malietoa-Brown . . . interviewed by Pacific Media Network’s Pacific Mornings programme. Image: PMN

    New Zealand political commentator and former chair of the National Party’s Pacific Blues group, Christian Malietoa-Brown, is backing Donald Trump in the presidential race.

    He says the Pacific is caught in a “tug-of-war” between major powers like the US and China, with Australia playing an increasingly significant role.

    “For me, I think in terms of long-term investment, Trump likes to prevent war by showing strength . . .  I think they [the US] will strategically put some investments here just because they don’t want China running around too much in this area for defence reasons.

    “Under the Biden administration, we saw record investment down this way in the Pacific region, obviously to try and push away China’s influence in the region,” Malietoa-Brown says.

    Picking a big player
    “So you have China, you have America, you have Russia, you have India that’s coming up big,” Malietoa-Brown said.

    “And if I had to pick a big player to be in charge of the world, I would pretty much stick to America as it is right now, because that’s the devil we know, rather than someone else that we don’t know. And that’s probably purely a selfish thing.”

    Tongilava agrees that the Joe Biden administration has been positive for the Pacific region in terms of investment.

    “The Biden administration has pumped record investment into the Pacific to a number of things, infrastructure, education, all of that. Ultimately, though, to try and cool off and push away China’s advances towards this region.

    “We’ve seen Vice-President Harris during her time as Vicep-President really commit to climate change as well as building relations within the Pacific region,” he said.

    Education concerns
     For Tongilava, who is part of the South Pacific Islander Organization (SPIO), a nonpartisan non-profit organisation that champions education and workforce development for Pacific youth, this election has serious implications for youth.

    “Our mission is laser focused on enhancing college access, college retention, and degree completion for Native Hawai’ian and Pacific Islander students throughout our college systems,” Tongilava said.

    “A lot of our work has focused on expanding educational opportunity and workforce development for young Pacific Islander students.

    “In terms of education, I think it is crucial that Pacific Islanders turn out today in support of the policies specifically that may hinder or create opportunity for their families and for their communities,” Tongilava said.

    He said it was crucial that Pacific Islanders vote in support of the specific policies that might hinder or create opportunities for their families and their communities.

    Tongilava is concerned about Trump’s proposal to dismantle the US Department of Education, noting that such a move would disproportionately harm communities like the Pacific Islanders, who often rely on federal support for educational programmes.

    “This raises additional questions around what role does the federal government play within our school systems here within states and at the local level. For many Pacific Islander Americans, we live in under-resourced communities,” Tongilava said.

    Republished from Pacific Media Network with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Taikonauts to conduct in-orbit experiments on fruit flies

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    The newly launched Shenzhou-19 taikonauts have embarked on their six-month journey aboard China’s space station. Their packed schedule includes 86 sci-tech experiments, with a particularly intriguing one – the fruit fly research, aimed at studying the growth and behaviors of these insects at a distance of 400 km above Earth.
    The fruit fly is one of the model species frequently used in genetic experiments. It is small, measuring only 3 to 4 mm in length, and has a short life cycle with fast reproduction capabilities, enabling it to produce a large number of offspring within a short period, according to Zhang Wei, a researcher involved in the selection of in-orbit scientific experiments, at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
    “The genes of fruit flies share many similarities with those of humans, so the study can help with understanding human genetic diseases and provide insights into how humans adapt to space environments,” Zhang said in a recent interview.
    He also noted that future space research plans will involve conducting experiments on mice, which are more complex life forms compared to fruit flies.
    “We have planned to send mice to space for breeding on an animal platform. And some lab mice in space may be brought back to Earth for further study, which will focus on their nerves, bones, muscles and immunity,” the researcher added.
    This is the first time that China has taken the small insects into space, and the aim of the study seems to be exploring the deeper universe.
    According to scientists, Earth provides a magnetic field as a basic guarantee for our daily lives, but Mars does not possess similar strong magnetic protection and the moon has none at all. Understanding how the human body responds to such an environment remains a major challenge in space exploration.
    “So we have to conduct relevant research in advance, creating a sub-magnetic environment and observing how the fruit flies develop, grow and behave,” Zhang said.
    China launched the Shenzhou-19 (Magical Ship) crewed spaceship on Oct. 30, sending three taikonauts, two male and one female, to its orbiting space station Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) for a half-year stay. The trio in mid-November will witness the arrival of Tianzhou-8 (Sky Ship) cargo craft, which will send up supplies and experiment payloads, including the sub-magnetic facility with fruit flies, according to the researcher.
    The previous Shenzhou-18 crew during their six-month mission also performed numerous experiments inside the national space lab, and one task was creating an “aquarium” and raising four zebra fish and four grams of goldfish algae in zero gravity, a breakthrough in the field of raising vertebrates in space.
    Not only the taikonauts found joy in the space “aquarium,” but it also paved the way for their future counterparts to enjoy nutritious fish from their own in-orbit harvests.
    According to scientists, the water, fish eggs and other experimental samples obtained through the space “aquarium” have been brought back to Earth with the crew on Monday. These samples will provide valuable data for scientists to study vertebrate lives.
    Besides life science experiments, the orbiting taikonauts will carry out research on materials, including rare earth soft magnetic materials, blade materials for gas turbines and special functional crystals. These findings will provide insights for developing advanced instruments on Earth.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $678 million boost for Australian exports to UAE

    Source: Minister for Trade

    Today Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) finalised the much-awaited elevation of our trade relationship with the signing of our Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

    To mark this important event, I was joined by the Minister for Foreign Trade, His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Canberra, to officially sign our new trade agreement. 

    Alongside the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, we also signed an Investment Agreement and five Investment Memoranda of Understanding. 

    Our deal delivers for Australian farmers, producers, manufacturers, services providers, exporters and Australian workers, giving them unprecedented access and preferential treatment when they do business with the UAE.   

    The UAE is already Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East with over $9.9 billion in two-way trade and $20.7 billion in two-way investment in 2023. This new trade and investment package will strengthen these relationships and provide a platform for growth in critical sectors of our economy.

    The trade agreement will eliminate tariffs on over 99 per cent of Australia’s exports to the UAE, making this the most liberalising trade agreement the UAE has signed to date. 

    Independent modelling estimates a potential annual increase in Australian goods exports to the UAE of around $678 million. 

    The agreement will create greater certainty for Australian services providers in over 120 sectors such as professional services, financial services and education wanting to do business in the UAE, who will benefit from clearer transparency in the way the industry is regulated.

    This agreement will also strengthen cooperation for Australia and the UAE to address shared environmental challenges, including commitments to work together on transitioning to net zero, addressing climate change, promoting the circular economy, reducing pollution, improving air quality, and preventing overfishing and illegal wildlife trade. 

    Investment provisions will provide a framework to support an increase in two-way investment. Importantly, the Australian Government’s right to regulate is protected, which means an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism is not included in the package of outcomes.

    Additional commitments for anti-corruption and transparency, digital trade and skilled labour mobility, as well as outcomes on intellectual property will mean Australian enterprises of all sizes can confidently do business with the UAE. The package also includes cooperation and exchange of information to advance women’s economic empowerment in trade and investment. 

    Importantly, for the first time in our history, this agreement also includes a standalone chapter covering First Nations trade. The chapter will give First Nations businesses seeking to export their goods to the UAE preferential market access which will result in meaningful new commercial opportunities for First Nations businesses. 

    Details on the full package and independent modelling as well as key benefits to Australia are published on the DFAT website.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Tariffs axed for Aussie farmers exporting to the UAE

    Source: Minister for Trade

    The signing of the Australia – United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) paves the way for the elimination of tariffs on Australia’s key agricultural exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and solidifies both countries’ intent to drive investment in the sector.

    This trade agreement builds on the Albanese Labor Government’s trade wins for Australian farmers, creating new opportunities for exporters to diversify and expand their markets.

    The deal eliminates tariffs on over 99 per cent of Australia’s exports to the UAE, including on key products like meat, dairy, grains and oilseeds, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, horticulture and honey.

    Australian farmers and producers will benefit from an estimated $50 million annually in tariff savings alone.

    Canola seeds are Australia’s largest agriculture export to the UAE, topping $741 million in 2023; and our red meat exports to the UAE were worth over $480 million in 2023.  Australian exporters of these products will receive duty-free access from day one of the deal coming into force.

    The deal establishes modern, flexible and trade-facilitating outcomes with the UAE on rules of origin and commitments for customs procedures. These conditions, combined with the removal of tariffs, create commercially significant benefits for Australian exporters.

    Significantly, the deal contains Australia’s first standalone chapter on sustainable agriculture and food systems. 

    This recognises agriculture’s essential role in ensuring food security and driving climate resilience, emissions reductions and other environmental outcomes, while also ensuring that sustainability measures are not applied with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach or create barriers to trade.  

    The trade and investment package includes an MOU for cooperation in Food and Agriculture investment.   

    Details of the outcomes, including independent modelling and key benefits to agricultural businesses and Australia more broadly are published on the DFAT website: Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell:

    “The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to open up new opportunities for our exporters, farmers, producers and businesses to diversify their markets.

    “The UAE is an important export market for Australian products – it’s our largest market in the Middle East, with two-way trade valued at $9.9 billion in 2023. The UAE also acts a distribution hub for the Gulf region.

    “This is a great deal for Australian farmers and producers – over 99 percent of Australian products will enter the UAE tariff free.

    “This deal means more than just numbers. Every product we export to the world translates to thousands of Australian jobs.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins MP: 

    “The Australia-UAE FTA is an excellent outcome for the Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector, saving industry $50 million a year.

    “It further enhances market access and diversification opportunities for our producers to an extremely lucrative market, not only in the UAE but across the whole of the Middle East as the UAE is an important trading hub for the region.

    “I am proud to say that it is the first FTA to contain a standalone chapter on sustainable agriculture and food systems, recognising agriculture’s essential role in ensuring food security, driving climate resilience, emissions reductions and other environmental outcomes. It also ensures that sustainability measures are not applied with a “one-size fits all approach” and do not create barriers to trade for our world class agricultural exports.

    “In 2023-24, Australia exported over 70 per cent of its agricultural, fisheries and forestry production to 169 markets globally – the most diversified trade has ever been.  This is thanks to our Government.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Are these tiny insects the world’s most bone-idle bugs?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By James Gilbert, Lecturer in Zoology, University of Hull

    Dunatothrips family: two mums, two yellow babies, and, very unusually, a dad (smaller). James Gilbert, CC BY

    At less than 3mm long, you may not think Dunatothrips aneurae seem like much. And – as I have shown in a new study – you’d be absolutely right. That’s because these may be the world’s laziest insects.

    Dunatothrips live in the remote Australian outback where they bother nobody. They almost never leave their near-invisible miniature nests, built on Acacia trees from silk they extrude from their bottom. No known predators bother with Dunatothrips and their biggest threat is drying out in the heat if their nest is damaged. Pacifist vegetarians, they feed harmlessly on the plant surface, with no discernible effect on it.

    No bigger than the hyphen on your page, they belong to the thrips, which you may know as thunderbugs owing to a myth that they come out during thunderstorms. Almost everyone gets their name wrong (one thrips is a thrips, not a thrip). Some species make a nuisance of themselves as tomato pests. But for the Dunatothrips I investigated, that sounds a bit much too much like effort.

    I spent a few summers studying the social lives of these tiny insects, trying to understand their unusual habit of sometimes living alone and sometimes in groups with their sisters. I was puzzled to discover that some group members appear to do nothing. Not helping out, not breeding, nothing. Few animal societies are known where group members help no one, not even themselves.

    If the silk nest was damaged, I found, usually only one or two females inside stepped up to repair it. The remaining group members didn’t do anything. The responders’ repair efforts helped everybody, so the laggards enjoyed the benefits without raising a minuscule finger.

    I set out to investigate what these “lazy” thrips were doing. Were they like queen bees, specialising in producing eggs while others acted as workers? Other social insects have this arrangement, including many other Australian thrips.

    But no: when I dissected helpers and non-helpers I found it was the helpers
    that tended to be the ones carrying eggs.

    Maybe they were a reserve workforce, helping when others were lost, as in
    some bird societies like carrion crows. But when first responders were removed, their nestmates remained just as unhelpful as before.

    The author on a thrips collecting foray.
    James Gilbert, CC BY

    I wondered whether they were biding their time, waiting for a chance to breed later, as paper wasps do. I removed all group members except for a lazy one, gifting it a nest of its very own. They declined this opportunity as well, producing few or no eggs and taking up to five times as long to repair the nest as a helpful thrips put in the same situation.

    If the lazy non-helpers don’t even help themselves, doesn’t that make them an evolutionary paradox? Not really: while behaviour only evolves if it furthers individuals’ fitness, evolution tends to work on averages. Within a species, individuals are all different, and some are inevitably of poorer quality than others. They may carry mutations, inherit unfortunate gene combinations, experience poor environments, or all of the above. Perhaps they were jostled to the edge of the leaf as a kid.

    If life gives you lemons

    Animals in this situation will commonly make the best of a bad job. A poor quality thrips can lay only a few eggs, and can only contribute a few strands of silk to repairing a nest. She can’t build the nest she would need to raise offspring on her own. So her best option is to hang around in a group where her young can grow alongside those of others.

    It’s still a mystery why nestmates of these wastrels don’t kick them out. But it may involve their being unusually chilled out in the face of any provocation, even by dangerous intruders like their cousins Akainothrips, a new species I discovered with my colleagues. The resident Dunatothrips just stand aside.

    This pacifism may be related to how risky nestbuilding is. At any moment, out there on a leaf surface, you might fall, be blown out of the nest, or dry out in the outback sun. Given that you might die at any moment, it pays you to tolerate the presence of others who can carry on your nestbuilding work and help keep everyone’s babies alive.

    A simple evolutionary way to achieve this is to drop all aggression towards anyone, including intruders of different species. Some spiders have done this and form cooperative nurseries involving different spider species. For our lucky waster thrips, this means they get a free pass to stay in the group.

    It is also possible these bone-idle bugs may actually be helping, just in subtle ways. For example, Dunatothrips nests have rubbish dumps, so they might help by taking out the trash. In many social insects, including some thrips, workers can act as medics. Even just breathing inside the nest may raise humidity and help the group survive – cockroaches form groups at low humidity for just this reason.

    So, while non-helper Dunatothrips may be among the world’s least motivated insects, they are certainly not the least interesting. The evolutionary persistence of these laggards is helping us understand how different kinds of societies evolve.

    James Gilbert currently receives funding from UKRI (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council). This study was funded by a Marie Curie Fellowship (2011-2014) under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme.

    – ref. Are these tiny insects the world’s most bone-idle bugs? – https://theconversation.com/are-these-tiny-insects-the-worlds-most-bone-idle-bugs-242454

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The extreme floods which devastated Spain are hitting more often. Is Australia ready for the next one?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Conrad Wasko, ARC DECRA Fellow in Hydrology, University of Sydney

    Spain is still reeling from recent floods in the Valencia region. In some areas, a year’s worth of rain fell in a single day. Sudden torrents raced through towns and cities. Over 200 people are dead. Rapid analysis suggests daily rainfall extremes in this region and season have become twice as common over the last 75 years and become 12% more intense.

    The World Meteorological Organisation has pointed out that climate change is steadily increasing the risk of extreme floods like these. Warmer air can hold more water vapour, about 7% more per degree Celsius of warming. More moisture generally leads to more intense rainfall, and therefore more extreme floods.

    The physics of how temperature influences the atmosphere’s capacity to hold moisture has been known for close to 200 years. But we’ve learned something worrying more recently. When water vapour condenses to form rain droplets, it releases heat which can fuel stronger convection and boost updrafts of air currents in storms. This means the intensity of extreme rainfall could increase not just 7% per degree of warming, but over twice that rate.

    Last week, CSIRO and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology released their biennial report on the State of the Climate, which found “heavy short-term rainfall events are becoming more intense”. Australia, the report states, has already warmed 1.5°C since national records began in 1910. In recent years, extreme rains have triggered devastating floods in New South Wales and Queensland.

    The question now is – are we prepared for these more damaging floods? This year, Australia updated the climate change section of Australia’s flood design guidance. But while this will help ensure that future infrastructure is better able to weather extreme floods, our current bridges, roads and stormwater drains have not been built to weather these increases in extreme rainfall. Similarly, our flood planning levels – used to determine where houses, offices, hospitals and so forth can be built – have generally not factored in the reality of the threat.

    More floods and more extreme

    Many of us would have learned about the water cycle in school. Water evaporates from seas and lakes before falling as rain and filling lakes and rivers, which eventually makes it back to the sea.

    Unfortunately, climate change is making this cycle more intense, as detailed in a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. Rain is more likely to fall in intense short-duration bursts which are more likely to trigger floods.

    This year alone, we have seen disastrous and deadly floods from extreme storms across the Americas, Asia and Europe. Scientific analysis has showed these floods were more severe due to human-caused climate change.

    Australia is not immune. The devastating northern New South Wales floods of 2022 took 24 lives and ravaged towns such as Lismore. These floods are the most expensive natural disaster to date in Australia, costing A$5.65 billion in damages.

    How do you prepare for worse floods?

    When urban planners set flood planning levels, or engineers begin designing a new bridge or rail line, they have to take floods into account. To do so, they will inevitably reach for the local bible, Australia’s flood design guidance.

    Before 2024, this document allowed for a 5% increase in rainfall intensity per degree of global warming, and generally applied it only to infrastructure intended for a very long lifespan. This clashed with most scientific studies on the topic both globally and in Australia, which showed much greater increases, and that these increases are already being witnessed.

    To provide better flood guidance, we and our colleagues undertook a comprehensive review of over 300 scientific papers covering climate change in Australia and extreme rainfall.

    The review proved we had been underestimating the threat of extreme rains and subsequent floods. Rain events over a 24-hour period leading to flooding are likely to increase at 8% per degree of warming, not 5%. Hourly rainfall extremes are likely increasing even faster, at 15% per degree.

    Worse, these are just the central estimates. The wide range of plausible values suggests some rain events could eclipse these. For daily or longer extreme rains, the range is 2–15%. For hourly or shorter periods, that figure is 7–28% for hourly or shorter duration.

    Over the month of February in 2022, the Lismore region had about 600–800 mm of rain – much more than a normal February, which might see closer to 150 mm on average. These floods took place with just 1.1°C of warming since the pre-industrial period. On our current path, it’s possible the world could warm another 1.5°C or more by the end of this century. If this happens, these rainfall totals could be substantially higher and more likely to cause even worse flood impacts.

    These new figures have now been included in the August update of Australia’s flood design guidance. This is good news. It means future decisions on infrastructure and planning can now be well informed by the latest science on how climate change influences flood risk.

    Over time, this will ensure essential infrastructure can be built to endure worse floods. It will affect the design and construction of everything from local stormwater drains to levees, bridges, culverts and dam spillways.

    Preparing for extreme floods is complex. Pictured: water spilling out from a manhole during Spain’s floods.
    Fernando Astasio Avila/Shutterstock

    Local councils can use it to set the height of floor levels for property development. State and federal decision-makers can use it in planning for responses to flood emergencies.

    Does it mean we can avoid disastrous floods like those in Spain and Lismore? Yes and no. We now have the knowledge and tools to adapt to the increased risk levels already arriving. Yet implementing this will be challenging. In many cases, it will require retrofitting or redesigning existing infrastructure to withstand more intense flooding.

    Climate change is no longer something we can file under “problem for the future”. It’s here already. The flood risks we face today are already substantially worse than 25 years ago, and will continue to worsen. We must accelerate how we plan for extreme, rapid rainfall creating catastrophic floods like those in Spain.

    Conrad Wasko receives funding from The University of Sydney and the Australian Research Council. Conrad has previously received funding from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

    Andrew Dowdy receives funding from University of Melbourne, including through the Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and the Melbourne Energy Institute.

    Seth Westra is a Professor of Hydrology and Climate Risk at the University of Adelaide, Director of Research for the One Basin Cooperative Research Centre, and Chair of the Systems Cooperative. Seth receives funding from state and federal governments support decision making under hydrological or climatic uncertainty.

    – ref. The extreme floods which devastated Spain are hitting more often. Is Australia ready for the next one? – https://theconversation.com/the-extreme-floods-which-devastated-spain-are-hitting-more-often-is-australia-ready-for-the-next-one-242686

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Historical reconstructions, creative master classes and more: what awaits guests of the Moskino cinema park this weekend

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    This weekend, visitors to the Moskino Cinema Park will be able to travel to the lands of Red Rus’ in the 11th century and witness the bloody struggle for territories bordering the Polish Principality. On November 9 and 10, reenactors will recreate events related to the campaigns of Yaroslav the Wise. Thematic excursions, exhibitions and historical master classes have also been prepared for guests. Live music will also be playing in the cinema park all weekend.

    Entrance to events on November 9 and 10 by tickets. You can buy and pay for them only online, cash payment is not provided. In case of visiting only the cinema, purchasing a ticket to enter the Moskino cinema park is not required. Parking in a personal car when visiting the cinema park is free.

    See historical battles and master ancient crafts

    These days, the Moskino cinema park will become the arena of events from 1030–1031. The border towns of Przemysl and Cherven, first annexed after the Baptism of Rus during the reign of Vladimir the Saint, had been the subject of a dispute between the neighbors since the 10th century. It was these lands that Yaroslav’s brother Svyatopolk the Accursed gave to the Polish king in exchange for troops to help in the struggle for power over Rus. Prince Yaroslav the Wise put an end to his brother’s claims and recaptured the territories on the border with Poland.

    Guests of the Moskino cinema park will see military shows and professional productions dedicated to the events of those years. At 11:00 and 16:00 viewers will see the drill training of squads dressed in authentic costumes of warriors of those times.

    At the Cathedral Square site at 12:00 you can cheer for the participants of the squad tournament, and at 14:00 you can listen to a lecture on “Clothing of the inhabitants of Rus”. At 17:30 you can see the battle of the troops of Yaroslav the Wise and the army of the Polish king Boleslav I. About 80 people will take part in the detailed reconstruction.

    At 15:00 in the culinary lecture hall, everyone will be shown how to prepare dishes according to old and traditional recipes. Among them are meat and bean soups, homemade cheese, smoked brisket, onion jam, as well as juicy chicken on the fire, pork ribs smoked in a cauldron and hearty pork roast.

    These days, the cinema park will organize three excursion routes at once through several exhibitions. The first exhibition will show unique costumes from the 9th–11th centuries, the second will demonstrate various military equipment from the 11th century. During a visit to the third exhibition, guests will learn the most interesting details related to the life of Rus’ in the 11th century. The excursions last 20 minutes and will take place in turns throughout the day — from 10:00 to 18:00. The meeting place is the stele near the display cases with historical exhibits.

    At the master classes, participants will be offered to try themselves in the role of a blacksmith and candle maker, master the technique of printing on fabric, the basics of calligraphy and carpet weaving, learn the basics of wood and soapstone carving, and also take part in the production of beads and amulet dolls, practice minting coins and soap making. Guests will learn how jewelers worked without microscopes and bright lighting, how armor was created, visit a warrior school and military training classes, and visit a gunsmith and tanner.

    And military equipment from the 20th century can be seen in the parking lot in front of the Vadim Zadorozhny Museum of Equipment. The exhibition “Behind the Ribbon” presents airborne and infantry armored vehicles, support vehicles such as the BMD-1, BTR-60, BTR-70, Ural-375, GAZ-66, BTR-60 and others.

    Get creative and go on a film trip

    On 25 sites of the cinema park, all comers will find active games and other events. For example, you can shoot a bow, fight on tyambars and manually start a fire. Guests will also be offered to play board games “Tavley”, “Mill”, “Fox and Geese”, “Daldosa”.

    You can also take a fascinating journey through your favorite films. For example, the Uyezdny Gorod site will host the premiere of a staged shoot based on Mikhail Kozakov’s famous film Pokrovskie Vorota. Guests will be able to play their favorite characters: Velyurov, Kostik, Margarita, or Khobotov. The shoot will take place from 10:00 to 18:00.

    The Pitersky Bar venue will turn into the legendary Three Minnows tavern from the Buratino fairy tale. Guests will act out a scene fragment together with the fox Alice and the cat Basilio. You can take a souvenir photo dressed as the fairytale character.

    At the Moscow in the 1940s site, you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the post-war capital, try on the image of the heroes of that time and take photos.

    In the educational center of the Moskino cinema park, young Muscovites will take part in master classes. Thus, at the string art master class, children, under the guidance of experienced craftsmen, will create works of art by forming images from threads. And at another, they will make a movie clapperboard, a device used for sound synchronization during filming. Children will be taught how to depict emotions using face painting and oil paint at a master class on face painting with special paints. Participation in the master classes is paid.

    On the first floor of the educational center you can also buy a ticket for a walking tour. Starting at 11:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:00.

    Children are welcome in the Fairytale Park. In the castle, they will learn teamwork when moving cubes from one sector to another, and will demonstrate their accuracy in the Ring Toss. And at the Snake Catcher station, children will have a fun game with a rope and islands. In addition, children will take part in the Horseman relay race with a toy horse and sword, the Spinner game, and in balls.

    Become a star and watch a movie

    All visitors to the Media Academy of the film park will be able to unleash their creative potential this coming weekend. There will be classes on acting, where they will teach how to create memorable images, tell the secrets of stage speech, plasticity and movement, and also introduce various acting techniques.

    Guests are also welcome to a dance master class, where participants will be able to create their own style of movement to music. And in the “Sing Like in the Movies!” classes, vocal teachers will teach you how to control your breathing, help you understand how to work with the diaphragm and make your voice beautiful and expressive. Entrance is paid.

    Musical groups will perform at the Gonzaga Theatre. They will play pieces on ancient instruments such as the duduk and the bugle. In addition, viewers will be able to learn all the secrets of sword fights and understand how the knights fought in the legendary Soviet film The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe, the box office leader of 1983.

    At the Moskino Kinopark cinema, adults will be able to watch the drama Love of the Soviet Union, which tells about the fates of people in the 1930s, and the film Time to Live, starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. For fans of family films, the program includes a new film, The Return of Kesha the Parrot. Guests will also enjoy fairy-tale adventures in the new fantasy Tinderbox, filmed in Karelia and in the reserves of the Novgorod Region. Tickets can be purchased on the website.

    Weekend at the Moskino Cinema Park

    Immerse yourself in the world of cinema, try yourself in various creative directions and simply enjoy free time with family and friends – this is the unique opportunity that the Moskino cinema park offers its guests.

    The Moskino Cinema Park, which is part of the Moscow Cinema Cluster, is part of Sergei Sobyanin’s Moscow — City of Cinema project. The first stage of its development has already been completed: 18 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities have been built. Among them are the sets of Moscow Center, Moscow in the 1940s, Vitebsk Station, Yurovo Airport, Cathedral Square, Deaf Village, County Town, Cowboy Town, St. Petersburg Bar and other sites.

    The capital’s film cluster also includes the Maxim Gorky Film Studio (sites on Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdaisky Proezd), the Moskino cinema chain, the Moskino film factory, the Moskino film commission, and the Moskino film platform.

    The President of Russia and the Mayor of Moscow ceremoniously opened the Moskino cinema parkFrom Ancient Rus’ to Our Time: Which Sites of the Moskino Cinema Park Can You Immerse Yourself in Different ErasVitebsk railway station, Cathedral square and the plane cabin. Exploring the Moskino cinema park

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/146236073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Aviva Canada encourages municipalities to apply for funding for Level 2 EV charging stations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Nov. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aviva Canada is pleased to announce it has opened the application period for the third year of its Charged for Change program. With installations in 15 municipalities already completed or underway, this year’s funding will support public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure projects in even more communities that currently lack sufficient access.

    Presented in partnership with Earth Day Canada, Aviva’s $3M Charged for Change program allows municipalities and Indigenous communities to apply for funding to install Level 2 electric vehicle chargers for their residents and visitors. Municipalities across Canada can submit applications via the Charged for Change homepage until February 20, 2025.

    “We are thrilled to open applications for the third year of our Charged for Change program and are looking forward to helping even more Canadian communities install public EV infrastructure for their residents. We know that a lack of publicly available EV charging infrastructure can be a barrier to EV adoption and want to support Canadians, particularly those in communities with little to no access, in making the switch to an EV,” said Aviva Canada’s Chief Public Affairs, Marketing and Communications Officer, Pascal Dessureault.

    In its first year, the Charged for Change program funded Level 2 charging stations for seven Ontario municipalities and is expected to deliver 37 charging heads across 16 sites in the Town of Pelham, Township of Selwyn, The County of Prince Edward, Town of Thessalon, Municipality of East Ferris, Township of Manitouwadge, and Township of Essa. As of September 15, this year, the charging stations installed in these communities have delivered 2,600 charging sessions and 8,300 charging hours.

    The program expanded across Canada in its second year, where eight municipalities received funding; Town of Okotoks, AB, Town of Grand Bay-Westfield, NB, Municipality of Lakeshore, ON, Municipalité des Hautes-Terres, NB, Municipalité de Chertsey, QC, Village de Bois-Joli, NB, Communauté rurale de Kedgwick, NB, and Ville régionale de Cap-Acadie, NB. Those projects are either underway or completed and in use.

    “We know that access to public charging infrastructure is a key deciding factor for consumers considering the purchase of an EV. We also know that there is a disparity between levels of infrastructure in larger, urban centres versus smaller, often rural communities. Charged for Change hopes to level that playing field so that Canadians who want to make the climate-conscious decision to switch to an EV feel confident that it can meet their needs,” said Valérie Mallamo, Executive Director, Earth Day Canada.

    Aviva’s partnership with Earth Day Canada supports municipalities in working with utility suppliers directly to install the charging station infrastructure in selected communities. Communities across Canada are encouraged to apply for year three funding now via the Charged for Change homepage.

    To help more Canadians transition to EVs, Aviva’s EV insurance solution offers customers up to 10 per cent off their premium when they insure an EV.1

    Testimonials from year one Charged for Change recipient municipalities:

    Municipality of East Ferris:
    “The installation of charging stations provided by the Charged for Change Program allowed the Municipality of East Ferris to install our first public EV charging stations in the community. It also allowed us to start the transition of our vehicle fleet to electric vehicles with the purchase of our first EV municipal vehicle taking place in early 2024. We are fortunate to have been selected for the program and the infrastructure that we installed will have lasting impacts on municipal operations for years to come.” – Greg Kirton, Director of Community Services, Municipality of East Ferris

    Town of Thessalon:
    “Our first EV station users stopped in on their road trip from Whistler, British Columbia. They told us that they would have by-passed Thessalon if it weren’t for these charging stations. Since they were able to charge their vehicle in Thessalon they stayed at local accommodations and spent time exploring other town amenities.” – Lindsay MacFarlane, Deputy Clerk, Town of Thessalon

    The County of Prince Edward:
    “Working with Earth Day Canada and Aviva on this project helped me gain an understanding of the world of electric vehicles and helped me come to the conclusion that yes, EV ownership in a rural community is very possible! After doing a test drive with Plug n Drive at our inauguration event and speaking firsthand to EV drivers and suppliers of EV charging equipment through this project, I felt really confident in my choice to make my next car an EV. I ditched the ICE and signed a leased an EV this spring. I wouldn’t have felt so sure of my decision without the experience working with Earth Day Canada and Aviva.” – Julianne Snepts, Programs Supervisor, The County of Prince Edward

    About Aviva Canada

    Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, lifestyle, and business insurance to 2.4 million customers. As a subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, Aviva Canada has more than 4,000 employees focused on creating a sustainable future for our people, our customers, our communities and our planet. In 2021, Aviva plc announced Aviva’s global ambition to become a net zero carbon emissions company by 2040.

    For more information, visit aviva.ca or Aviva Canada’s blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

    *Note: Media may arrange interviews by contacting:

    Media Contact: Kelsie Ludlow, Communications Specialist, Aviva
    Email: kelsie.ludlow@aviva.com
    Tel: 437-331-7209

    1 Terms and conditions apply. Please visit www.aviva.ca for more details.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DLNR News Release-Weeklong Kaua’i Art Exhibit Celebrates Native Birds and Forests, Nov. 2, 2024

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DLNR News Release-Weeklong Kaua’i Art Exhibit Celebrates Native Birds and Forests, Nov. 2, 2024

    Posted on Nov 2, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    DAWN CHANG
    CHAIR

    NEWS RELEASE

      

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Nov. 2, 2024

    WEEKLONG ART EXHIBIT CELEBRATES KAUA‘I FOREST BIRDS

     

    (LĪHUʻE, KAUA‘I) – “Wings and Woodlands: A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests,” is the latest Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele event, a year-long celebration of these jewels of Hawai‘i’s forests.

    Kaua‘i is home to eight species of forest birds, six of which are endemic to the island, meaning they are found nowhere else on the planet. Four of those species are endangered or threatened. Unfortunately, due to the impacts of mosquito-born avian malaria, several of these honeycreepers are on the verge of extinction, or in the case of the ‘akikiki, already “functionally extinct.”

    All this week, the Wings and Woodlands art exhibit is showing at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists (KSA) Gallery at Kukui Grove Center. The free exhibit features paintings and photographs contributed by artists from around Hawai‘i, as well as from New York and California.

    “We are closing out the Year of the Forest Birds by hosting this wonderful art exhibit. First and foremost, we are trying to celebrate our birds. We are trying to celebrate their beauty and when you look at all the beautiful art pieces here, you can see that they are inspiring,” said Dr. Julia Diegmann of the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) during a Friday night opening of the exhibit.

    Diegmann said she is particularly thrilled with the amount of student produced artwork in the exhibit. In addition to open hours at the KSA Gallery through Friday, Nov. 8, there are showings of a recently released documentary on Hawaiian forest birds, and workshops on painting, native plants and learning mele.

    The KFBRP has been in existence for 21 years and most people who are or have worked to help save forest birds can rattle their names off, like Diegmann did on Friday.

    “We have ‘akeke‘e, ‘i‘iwi, puaiohi, ‘apapane, ‘anianiau, Kaua‘i ‘elepaio, Kaua‘i ‘amakihi, and ‘akikiki,” Diegmann listed. The ‘akikiki is the species now considered functionally extinct in the mountains of Kaua‘i. Many of the events this year have focused on capturing the individual stories of each and every bird.

    Justin Hite estimates he spent 1,000 nights over the course of eight years camping in the bird’s habitat as the field coordinator for KFBRP. He is now a planner with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). Hite told exhibit guests the story of  , a female and one of only two ‘akikiki believed to be still alive in the wild. The second bird is a juvenile.

    “I watched the forest empty out of ‘akikiki. I watched them all disappear. When I first got here, the valley (where Pakele lives) was fully occupied with ‘akikiki everywhere,” Hite remarked.

    He added, “I just really want to acknowledge the two of them as the ones that are going to move forward with us and a really important role for a lot of us is having hope and working really hard and believing that what we’re doing is helping and kind of keeping us going forward.”

    Diegmann is particularly appreciative of the artists, young and old, who contributed their works and the many volunteers who spent all day Friday setting up the exhibit.

    “I want people to come here and to enjoy the beautiful art and to learn about the different species that we have here on Kaua‘i,” she said.

    Efforts to control mosquitoes, which have moved into the higher elevations where honeycreepers live, are focused on Kaua‘i and Maui. Many birds have been caught and moved into bird conservation centers with the hope, that once avian malaria is under control, there are large enough breeding populations to return the songs of the Hawai‘i forest birds to their rightful homes.

    # # #

     

    RESOURCES

    (All images and video courtesy: DLNR)

    HD video – “Wings and Woodlands: A Tribute to Native Birds and Forest” (web feature):

    HD video – Kaua‘i forest bird art exhibit (Nov. 1, 2024):

    (Shot sheet/transcriptions attached)

    Photographs – Kaua‘i forest bird art exhibit (Nov. 1, 2024):

    Learn more about Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele:

    Learn more about Kaua‘i’s forest birds:

     

    Media Contact:

    Dan Dennison

    Communications Director

    808-587-0396

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health Research – Kiwi prostate cancer survivors wrestling with ED following treatment: new findings

    Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand (PCFNZ)

    PCFNZ launching ‘Life After Treatment’ educational roadshow supporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s prostate cancer community.

    Kiwis treated for our nation’s most commonly diagnosed male cancer – prostate cancer, – report experiencing a confidence-robbing, stigmatised treatment side-effect, erectile dysfunction (ED), according to Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand (PCFNZ) survey findings released today.

    Nine in 10 (93 per cent) survey respondents reported developing ED after treatment; 36 per cent felt “robbed of confidence”; while 28 per cent experienced “moderate compromise” to their mental health.

    PCFNZ’s release of the new survey findings today coincides with the first of six, free, PCFNZ public information evenings for prostate cancer survivors, and their families, kicking off in Tauranga this evening.

    Featuring leading Urologists and health professional speakers, the PCFNZ ‘Prostate Cancer – Life After Treatment’ roadshow will tour Tauranga, Palmerston North, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington between November 5 – 14, 2024. Running between 7:00-8:30pm, each event will canvass the potential side-effects of prostate cancer treatment, and treatment options available to help manage, and aid recovery.

    According to PCFNZ Chief Executive Officer, Peter Dickens, for the more than 4,000 New Zealand men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, treatment can disrupt urinary, bowel and sexual function.

    “Findings from our PCFNZ ‘Life After Treatment’ survey complements data from the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry (PCOR-NZ), which reported sexual function as the most compromised patient outcome associated with prostate cancer treatment – 38 per cent of patients reported moderate to substantial ‘bother’, compared to bother with urinary function (10 per cent) and bowel function (5 per cent).

    “Our survey aimed to glean insights from patients treated for prostate cancer, on the physical, mental, emotional and relationship challenges they have faced,” said Mr Dickens.

    “Numerous prostate cancer survivors experience distressing sexual and urinary difficulties following surgery, which compromise their mental health and wellbeing, and intimate relationships.

    “Many men report their quality of life to be severely, or moderately affected by ED following prostate cancer treatment,” Mr Dickens said.

    “Similarly, urinary incontinence (UI) can also significantly impair a man’s quality of life following prostate cancer treatment.”

    ED is a common, yet under-diagnosed and under-treated men’s health condition 4, affecting one in every three New Zealand men aged 40-70 years.

    “Almost 7 in 10 respondents (69 per cent) to our survey reported they were experiencing ED very frequently (at least once a week), while nearly 8 in 10 respondents (78 per cent) have experienced UI, with 45 per cent describing their symptoms as either ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’,”5 said Mr Dickens.

    “Concerningly, more than two in five (42 per cent) of the prostate cancer survivors who participated in our survey reported they were neither informed, nor adequately educated on the possibility of developing ED after prostate cancer treatment.

    “We are therefore, encouraging men and their families nation-wide, to attend our ‘Prostate Cancer: Life After Treatment’ public information evenings, to learn about, and discuss management and treatment options with leading experts in the field,” Mr Dickens said.

    Urologist and Clinical Director of Urology, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury, and Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Otago, Mr Giovanni Losco, Christchurch, said ED is an outcome of prostate cancer surgery for many men. While the cancer may be effectively treated, those who fail to seek help may face future challenges with erectile function.

    “ED can lead to feelings of shame and frustration, may compromise mental health, and even taint a man’s view of himself as being ‘complete or whole’.

    “Almost half (47 per cent) of the Life After Treatment survey respondents reported living with ED following prostate cancer treatment had ‘severely affected’ their sex drive, while 37 per cent were left feeling ‘moderately frustrated’, and 36 per cent ‘lacking confidence’,”5 Mr Losco said.

    “Living with ED can further compromise men’s work, friend, and intimate relationships, with 40 per cent of the survey respondents claiming the condition, post-prostate cancer treatment, had led to a ‘severe loss of intimacy’ with their partner.

    ”According to the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) President, Professor Helen O’Connell, AO, men who have experienced, or are at risk of developing prostate cancer, need to know effective treatment is available for ED.

    “As USANZ President, I want men to know that we recognise ED and UI as important health problems.

    “Once men have both overcome, and recovered from prostate cancer surgery, I urge them to be proactive in understanding how to both prevent, and recover from ED and UI,” said Prof O’Connell.

    “Importantly, a significant cause of ED is a history of prostate cancer and its treatment.

    “Should ED persist, don’t suffer in silence. Talk to your Urologist about your treatment options, because outside treatment for prostate cancer, there are other risk factors for developing ED,” Prof O’Connell said.

    “While it may take a little bit of courage, there are potential rewards for your relationship, mental health, partner, and your partnership in addressing the underlying causes of, and accessing effective treatment for both ED and UI.”

    Semi-retiree, father-to-two, and grandfather-to-three (with another on the way), Mike, 73, Tauranga, was diagnosed with ED and UI in 2016, following prostate cancer surgery. Although his UI improved within a few months, unfortunately Mike continued to grapple with the longer-term surgical side-effect, ED.

    “Prostate cancer itself was a really big thing, but then I was forced to contend with additional changes to my body following the surgery.

    “With UI, I set myself a goal to improve my symptoms, so I could stop using [incontinence] pads as quickly as possible,” Mike said.

    “I followed up with my surgeon, visited a physio, did pelvic floor exercises, and had a nurse call in every week. I managed my UI well and recovered within two-to-three months.

    “However, managing ED proved a much more protracted, complex journey, for which my main challenge was managing my compromised mental health,” said Mike.

    “As a man, I felt a loss. When you’re in a relationship, intimacy is vital, and I feared losing that special bond.

    Today Mike has an important, but poignant message for other Kiwi men (prostate cancer survivors or otherwise) living with ED.

    “Be proactive, and take the conversation lead with your family doctor.”

    About the survey

    PCFNZ conducted an online anonymous survey open to the public that attracted responses from 123 New Zealand men aged 45+ years between October 8 – 21, 2024. The ‘Prostate Cancer – Life After Treatment’ survey strove to glean insights from prostate cancer survivors about their experience of ED and UI following prostate cancer treatment.

    About Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ (PCFNZ)

    Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ provides vital support, education and information to patients, their families and whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as reducing the impact of prostate cancer through raising awareness, funding NZ-based research and advocating for improved standards of care.

    PCFNZ is Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading male cancer charity. Our vision is to significantly reduce and ultimately end suffering from prostate and testicular cancer. We achieve this by providing support and education to the thousands of men and their families, those caring for them, and health professionals; advocating on their behalf for improved health outcomes; and investing in research that raises the understanding of the cancers, the effects on men, their families and our communities.

    To learn more about prostate cancer, ED and UI, head to prostate.org.nz or call the PCFNZ Information Service on 0800 66 0800.

    To register for a PCFNZ ‘Prostate Cancer – L ife A fter T reatment’ event in your area, visit: here: https://events.humanitix.com/host/5f32085d0b469c000a3ffbc6?c=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawGGlWxleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWKKJ2xhC7Xiku3-bGYvvx0BHkL9FY8156qyYYohxCx_BU-YakRuTIKU7Q_aem_twWLMR2tV8tsJYweP_TdJg

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Labrador Letter – Voting Integrity Victory in Virginia

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Dear Friends,
    Last week, I joined 26 other states in filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging it to allow Virginia to continue removing non-citizens from its voter rolls. The Biden-Harris Department of Justice sued Virginia to halt this process, insisting that non-citizens remain on the rolls through the upcoming presidential election. Unfortunately, a lower court initially sided with the Administration, temporarily stopping Virginia’s efforts to maintain accurate voter lists.
    I’m pleased to share that, just 24 hours after our brief was filed, the Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s attempts to interfere. This decision allows Virginia to immediately resume its work to ensure that only eligible citizens are listed on its voter rolls. This is a critical win for election integrity.
    This victory reinforces our commitment to fair and transparent elections, safeguarding the voice of each eligible voter. Allowing non-citizens on voter rolls undermines confidence in our election process, and it’s alarming that the Biden-Harris Administration would legally challenge the removal of ineligible voters. Coupled with their lack of action at the southern border—where over 13 million people have crossed illegally—their resistance to basic election integrity raises serious questions.
    When the government fails to protect the integrity of our elections, it erodes public confidence in the entire system. Voting is one of our most fundamental rights in a democratic republic—a powerful act of self-determination. Ensuring that elections are fair, transparent, and free of outside interference is essential to maintaining that right.
    In Idaho, I have consistently fought to keep non-citizens off our voter rolls and to hold organizations accountable when they misrepresent themselves or their issues to voters. While this victory in Virginia is significant, the fight to protect our Republic and ensure election integrity continues across every city and state in our nation.
    As your Attorney General, I remain committed to preserving the integrity of our elections and the trust in our democratic processes. The foundation of our Republic deserves nothing less.
    Best regards,
    Not yet subscribed to the Labrador Letter?  Click HERE to get our weekly newsletter and updates.  Miss an issue?  Labrador Letters are archived on the Attorney General website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Northland News – Critically endangered Northland lake plant voted NZ’s favourite plant 2024

    Source: Northland Regional Council

    A tiny and very rare Northland lake plant, Trithuria inconspicua, has been voted ‘New Zealand’s Favourite Plant’ in a national poll.
    The online vote was run by the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) to find the native plant best-loved by New Zealanders.
    Trithuria only grows in Te Taitokerau’s dune lakes and is found nowhere else in the world.
    Tiny in stature, Trithuria packs a mighty punch in age – the latest scientific research has revealed this little plant to be in the oldest flowering plant lineage.
    Trithuria is in a plant family that has been around for over a hundred million years, so it is a ‘living fossil’.
    The plant certainly lives up to its name of ‘inconspicua’. At only 55 millimetres tall, it grows partially buried in the sands of the lake floor, so you are more likely to feel it beneath your feet than see it. It has fans of fine, hair-like leaves in which it hides tiny flowers that look like miniature waterlilies.
    Northland Regional Council (NRC) works in partnership with mana whenua, landowners and the Department of Conservation (DOC) to protect dune lakes and is delighted to celebrate Trithuria’s success.
    “It’s so exciting that a Northland aquatic plant has won, and that people know and love this remarkable little plant,” the council’s Biodiversity Manager Lisa Forester says.
    Kaumātua Ric Pārore, speaking on behalf of Te Kuihi hapū, one of the mana whenua of Kai Iwi Lakes, says they’re thrilled to see Trithuria recognised, but also sad the plant has become so rare.
    “It’s important that everyone who visits or uses our lakes is careful to look after them so this plant can thrive.”
    Unfortunately, the future for Trithuria is uncertain.
    It is listed as ‘Threatened-Nationally Critical’, the highest threat category. Plant populations were previously found in 13 dune lakes north of Poutō, but since 1998 these have declined to viable populations in only five lakes.
    Trithuria needs clean sand and water to survive and is effectively a ‘canary in the coalmine’ as far as water quality is concerned. It is threatened by deteriorating water quality due to nutrient enrichment, pest weed and pest fish impacts and recreational pressures.
    Three of the lakes where Trithuria grows are public lakes where people like to swim or boat, which puts the plant at extra risk from being trampled or from accidental pest introductions.
    Northland Regional Council, in conjunction with mana whenua, DOC and landowners, is currently running eradication programmes for hornwort and oxygen weeds in several high value dune lakes.
    Councillor Jack Craw, who chairs the council’s Biosecurity and Biodiversity Working Party, says Te Taitokerau’s dune lakes are one of our outstanding ecosystems and are globally rare.
    “Trithuria is a wonderful example of why these lakes are so special and its recognition as plant of the year is a reminder to us all of the importance of caring for our dune lakes.”
    Councillor Craw says dune lakes and their biodiversity face many threats, including the risk of introduced pests like the invasive gold clam, which is now present in the Waikato River area.
    “If this got into our lakes it would be disastrous and would almost certainly lead to the extinction of Trithuria in those lakes.”
    He says Northlanders can help prevent the spread of aquatic pests by following ‘Check Clean Dry’ procedures when visiting the lakes.
    If you do see Trithuria, the NRC urges you not to pick it, dig it up or trample it…just leave it undisturbed. (It is very difficult to grow and will not survive in an aquarium or home pond.)
    For more information on this special plant visit: www.nrc.govt.nz/trithuria

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police acknowledge sentencing and continue to appeal for victims to come forward

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Police acknowledge the recent sentencing of Oliver Kiesanowski, who was convicted last month in the Christchurch District Court on charges relating to sextortion against 8 identified, and 9 unidentified victims. Police believe there could be more victims who have not come forward and encourage any who have not contacted Police to make a report.

    Mr Kiesanowski was found guilty on charges which relate to activity where he posed online as a woman named Rebecca, and connected with several young male victims in the Christchurch area over the period 2017 to 2023.

    He obtained explicit images from those victims and used them to blackmail them to force them to send further explicit images. 

    The offender was sentenced to five years imprisonment and has been placed on the child sex offenders’ register.

    Acting Detective Sergeant Michael Hawke of Canterbury CIB says he is pleased to see justice done for these victims.

    “This offender subjected his victims to protracted periods of living with stress and fear that their online activity would be revealed to their friends and family, not to mention routinely forcing them to create explicit material they did not want to.

    “We hope that if there is anyone who was not identified through our investigation who has been out there living in fear, that they can now feel safe in the knowledge that this offender will be behind bars for years to come.”

    Acting Detective Sergeant Hawke says anyone who wants to disclose offending of this nature to Police can be assured they will be heard and treated with respect.

    “We know that unfortunately some of these victims don’t want to talk about what has happened to them as they are embarrassed or ashamed about getting drawn in.

    “But we want you to know – we know how insidious this type of offending is and how easily victims can become trapped.

    “Anyone who wants to make a report to us about this kind of offending will be treated with dignity.”

    HOW TO SPOT THIS TYPE OF OFFENDING:

    • Meeting on one app, then being encouraged to continue a conversation on a different platform could be an indicator.
    • Inconsistencies with a profile or language, and there might be signs that English is a second language.
    • Introduction of sexualised conversations.
    • The other person may say that their webcam or microphone not working for video calls/chats, so they could be avoiding giving their true identity.

    ADVICE FOR VICTIMS:

    • Avoid sending any more images or videos – even if they are threatening you.
    • Remember – once you have complied with their demands there is nothing preventing them targeting you again.
    • Save all the online chat, immediately take screenshots. This is important for making a report to the police, we need all the evidence that you can gather.
    • Block the profile.
    • Report the content to the platform (e.g. Facebook, Snapchat, PornHub) it is on and request the content is removed
    • Make a report to Police (via 105) or Netsafe to find out what other options are available to you.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Gaming the news: How interactive journalism is changing how we tell stories to the next gen

    Source: University of South Australia

    05 November 2024

    The Ramping Rush game.

    Journalists have long used newspapers, radio, television, magazines and, more recently, the internet to entertain and inform the public on the stories that matter most. But what if there’s a richer, more compelling and interactive way to share and address real world issues?

    A University of South Australia academic is exploring how video games are being developed in journalism as a more interactive way to engage younger audiences and tell impactful stories.

    Dr Ben Stubbs, a senior lecturer in journalism and creative writing at UniSA, has created a news game – Ramping Rush: Ambulance Rescue – to explore one of South Australia’s most important health issues: ambulance ramping.  

    The game was led by UniSA’s Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE) and developed by computer science and media and literature students from around the world as part of a virtual internship.

    Ramping Rush: Ambulance Rescue is a free and online single-player game that aims to demonstrate the impact of ramping – an issue that has given rise to countless media reports in recent years as the state’s hospital system strains under pressure. Ramping occurs when ambulances are made to queue outside overcrowded hospital emergency departments, leaving patients with a prolonged wait upon arrival.

    In the game, the player steps into the shoes of a busy paramedic, racing against time to rescue patients while dealing with long hospital waits and ramping delays.

    The aim is for the player to make snap decisions and save as many lives as possible before getting stuck in traffic or being held up at clogged emergency departments. However, the player soon learns that it’s impossible to save the patients and ‘win’ the game as the ramping situation is too dire.

    By demonstrating the challenges of ramping through a gaming scenario, the team hopes to capture the attention of younger audiences, particularly school students, who are less likely to engage in traditional media.

    Dr Stubbs, an experienced journalist who has written for publications including The New York Times, The Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald, says the video game was created to engage younger audiences with important and current community issues.

    “Interactive news games are another way for people to think about real world issues in a fun and engaging way,” he says.

    “We know that people have been moving away from traditional news for a long time now and how people are consuming news is constantly changing.

    “Video games are just another way to think about the potential of alternative journalism when traditional forms might only reach certain audiences.”

    Last year saw the biggest increase in the number of Australians playing video games, from 67% (17 million) in 2021 to 81%  (21 million) in 2023. Nearly 95% of Australian households have a device for playing video games while 91% of parents play with their children to connect as a family.

    Meanwhile, the journalism landscape has experienced significant change in recent decades, with traditional reporting formats like newspapers in decline. In Australia only 18% of people still read newspapers, with online news now attracting the majority of audiences.

    “Shifting attitudes towards news consumption is driving demand for new outlets such as games,” Dr Stubbs says.

    “News video games are not entirely new to journalism. For example, after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a game was created to help people understand the complexities of modern warfare.

    “Similarly, ABC created The Amazon Race’ in 2019 to showcase the realities of working in a pressure-cooker environment such as Amazon’s Melbourne warehouse.”

    UniSA has recently added a module all about news games to the Innovations in Visual Journalism course which will be part of the online Bachelor of Journalism program in 2025.

    “I think there’s great potential with news games,” Dr Stubbs says. “In our research we found games on everything from the Syrian civil war, remembrance around the Madrid train bombings, identifying fake news, games on the realities of living with a low income, managing a sweatshop factory, pirate fishing, distracted driving and managing COVID misinformation.

    “Creating new and timely additions to the video news portfolio is an important step in remaining connected to the next generation.”

    Ambulance Rush: Ramping Rescue is available to play on itch.io.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview: Dr Ben Stubbs, Senior Lecturer, UniSA E: Ben.Stubbs@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Melissa Keogh, UniSA Media M: +61 403 659 154 E: Melissa.Keogh@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Take two with Andrew – November

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    Andrew Arps, team leader for water and land in North Canterbury, introduces his new monthly column: ‘Take two with Andrew’. This month, he discusses the pest plants broom and nasella tussock and offers tips for keeping effluent out of waterways.

    Kia ora

    You may be aware that we’ve recently undergone a few staff changes, including within our Kaikōura office.

    As the new team leader of water and land for North Canterbury, I wanted to introduce myself in the first of what will be regular columns from me.

    The aim is to ensure that we stay connected with the community – and to keep you across some of the topical issues that our team is working on.

    Water and land North Canterbury team leader Andrew Arps

    ‘Tis the season for flowering pests

    With spring well and truly upon us, it won’t come as a surprise that the war on unwanted plants is ramping up.

    Broom

    Broom is one of the pests that are now highly visible in both rural and urban parts of Kaikōura, thanks to its distinctive yellow flowers.

    This pesky shrub outcompetes native vegetation and reduces pasture productivity.

    Rural land occupiers are required to control broom within 10 metres of their property boundary, and those in the Hill and High Country Zone also need to control broom that covers 50 metres or less.

    Nassella tussock

    It’s also the flowering season for nassella tussock – and a great opportunity to spot any plants that may have been missed during your initial control (it’s a landowner’s responsibility to control nassella tussock).

    This invasive grass has drooping, purplish flowerheads that are visible from October to December, and it’s spreading across Waitaha/Canterbury.

    For more information about pest plants and what to do if you spot one, visit the ‘pest search’ section of our website –

    ecan.govt.nz/pestsearch

    Nassella tussock is now flowering and easy to spot

    Keeping effluent out of waterways

    In recent weeks, our staff have attended several cases of non-compliant effluent spread, resulting in seepage into drains or waterways.

    When done right, applying effluent directly to land is a good and safe way to repurpose this waste as a nutrient source for soils. Done badly, it can be devastating to the environment – harming fish and other aquatic life, and turbo-charging weed growth.

    The Kaikōura Flats area is particularly vulnerable to runoff, as it’s surrounded by drains.

    If you are applying effluent on your land, effluent management must be covered in your Farm Environment Plan.

    Other key tips include:

    • ensure effluent stays at least 20 metres away from waterways and drains
    • check weather conditions beforehand to avoid discharge during or shortly after rainfall
    • stay within the capabilities of your soil, and the conditions of your consent.

    We can advise you on how to do it right. Remember, breaking the rules could result in prosecution, including fines of tens of thousands of dollars.

    Our Farmers’ hub page has more information about effluent spread and how to do it safely – or call our offices on 0800 324 636 and ask for Pete Bradshaw, one of our land management advisors in Kaikōura. Pete is happy to chat with you directly and answer any questions you may have.

    ‘Til next month,

    Andrew

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fijian journalists embrace multimedia landscape for the digital age

    By Catrin Gardiner, Queensland University of Technology

    In the middle of the Pacific, Fiji journalists are transforming their practice, as newsrooms around Suva are requiring journalists to become multimedia creators, shaping stories for the digital age.

    A wave of multimedia journalists is surfacing in Fijian journalism culture, fostered during university education, and transitioning seamlessly into the professional field for junior journalists.

    University of the South Pacific’s technical editor and digital communication officer Eliki Drugunalevu believes that multimedia journalism is on the rise for two reasons.

    “The first is the fact that your phone is pretty much your newsroom on the go.”

    With the right guidance and training in using mobile phone apps, “you can pretty much film your story from anywhere”, he says.

    The second reason is that reliance on social media platforms gives “rise to mobile journalism and becoming a multimedia journalist”.

    Drugunalevu says changes to university journalism curriculum are not “evolving fast enough” with the industry.

    Need for ‘parallel learning’
    “There needs to be parallel learning between what the industry is going through and what the students are being taught.”

    Mobile journalism is growing increasingly around the world. In Fiji this is particularly evident, with large newsrooms entertaining the concept of a single reporter taking on multiple roles.

    Fijian Media Association’s vice-president and Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley says one example of the changing landscape is that the Times is now providing all its journalists with mobile phones.

    “While there is still a photography department, things are slowly moving towards multimedia journalists.”

    Wesley says when no photographers are available to cover a story with a reporter, the journalists create their own images with their mobile phones.

    Journalists working in the Fiji Times newsroom, which is among the last few remaining news organisations in Fiji to have a dedicated photography department. Image: Catrin Gardiner, Queensland University of Technology

    The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) also encourages journalists to take part in all types of media including, online, radio, and television, even advertising for multimedia journalists. This highlights the global shift of replacing two-person teams in newsrooms.

    Nevertheless, the transition to multimedia journalists is not as positive as commonly thought. Complaints against multimedia journalism come from journalists who receive additional tasks, leading to an increase in workload.

    FBC advertises for multimedia journalists, reflecting the new standard in newsrooms. Image: FBC TV/Facebook/QUT

    Preference for print
    Former print journalist turned multimedia journalist at FBC, Litia Cava says she prefers focusing on just print.

    She worked a lot less when she was just working in a newspaper, she says.

    “When I worked for the paper, I would start at one,” she says. “But here I start working when I walk in.”

    Executives at major Fijian news companies, such as Fiji TV’s director of news, current affairs and sports, Felix Chaudhary, also complain about the lack of equipment in their newsrooms to support this wave of multimedia journalism.

    “The biggest challenge is the lack of equipment and training,” Chaudhary says.

    Fiji TV is doing everything it can to catch up to world standards and provide journalists with the best equipment and training to prepare them for the transition from traditional to multimedia journalism.

    “We receive a lot of assistance from PACMAS and Internews,” Chaudhary says. “However, we are constantly looking for more training opportunities. The world is already moving towards that, and we just have to follow suit or get left behind.”

    More confidence
    Fortunately for young Fijian journalists, Islands Business managing editor Samantha Magick says a lot of younger journalists are more confident to go out and produce and write their own stories.

    “It’s the education now,” she says. “All the journalists coming through are multimedia, so not as challenging for them.”

    University of South Pacific student journalist Brittany Louise says the practical learning of all the different media in her journalism course will be beneficial for her future.

    “I think that’s a major plus,” she says. “You already have some sort of skills so it helps you with whatever different equipment it may be.”

    Catrin Gardiner was a student journalist from the Queensland University of Technology who travelled to Fiji with the support of the Australian government’s New Colombo Plan Mobility Programme. This article is published in a partnership of QUT with Asia Pacific Report, Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) and The University of the South Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: US still faces systemic issues in maternal care despite access to advanced medical technology, says GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    US still faces systemic issues in maternal care despite access to advanced medical technology, says GlobalData

    Posted in Medical Devices

    Women’s health, specifically maternal care, is a medical device sector that has seen significant growth in recent years. However, there are still several challenges associated with the sector, especially in the US. The US ranks worse than any other developed nation in cases of maternal mortality, despite having access to the most advanced medical technology, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    Toronto’s Medtech Conference 2024, held from October 15–17, hosted a panel discussion with industry experts on the topic of maternal health and the challenges facing the industry in the US. These include a lack of access to caregivers across the country, even in major metropolitan areas such as Washington, DC, hospital closures, and low funding. Additionally, experts highlighted that women in America still suffer from low access to maternal health medical technologies that could improve their health outcomes.

    American women face obstacles to care such as low income, difficulty taking time off work, and location, all of which can impact their ability to access quality maternal care. Additionally, the US has a lower level of health awareness than other countries, especially regarding maternal health. All these factors have led to care being more reactive than proactive for mothers. The experts present at these panels agreed that maternal care should be significantly more patient-centered than it currently is.

    David Beauchamp, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Maternal care is an incredibly important part of modern healthcare. Unfortunately, the US lags behind other developed countries in terms of the standard of care. A major problem in the US is the lack of patient-centered care and a focus on reactive instead of proactive care. Experts at the Medtech Conference have identified several problems with the existing options for care in the US and have suggested that focusing on the patient during maternal care could solve or improve many of these problems.”

    GlobalData’s databases tracks 399 products within the reproductive and maternal health sector that are currently available on the market. A further 43 are in various stages of development globally. These devices have seen significant success in addressing demand for treatments for conditions such as postpartum hemorrhage and other complications relating to delivery.  However, the market is significantly smaller than other medical device markets, likely due to the factors listed above and the general lack of funding.

    Beauchamp concludes: “Maternal care is an incredibly important part of women’s health, and ensuring that women have access to this kind of care is vital to reduce maternal mortality. If the problems mentioned above are solved, it is possible the US will see a significant decrease in maternal mortality and an improved standard of care for mothers.”

    MIL OSI Economics –