NewzIntel.com

Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI China: Deaths of two Nanjing Massacre survivors leave just 28 living witnesses

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Two survivors of the Nanjing Massacre passed away on Saturday, bringing the number of living registered survivors to 28, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on Sunday.
    Yi Lanying, who died at the age of 99, had a front tooth knocked out by a Japanese officer during the massacre. She also witnessed a Japanese soldier stab to death with his bayonet a young man who had been eating breakfast, as well as a group of Japanese soldiers searching homes and abducting more than 70 young men.
    These traumatic experiences left her with deep fear that led to panic attacks, heart palpitations and tinnitus. During her life, she expressed her hope that future generations would never forget the innocent lives that were lost in the massacre.
    Tao Chengyi, who died at the age of 89, lost his father, uncle and cousin at the hands of the Japanese invaders. “After my father was killed, my mother struggled to make a living by running a small business with us children. The war destroyed my childhood,” Tao had said.
    The Nanjing Massacre occurred when Japanese troops captured the then Chinese capital on Dec. 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.
    In 2014, China’s top legislature designated Dec. 13 as a national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hong Kong-born giant pandas meet the public

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    A crowd had gathered outside Ocean Park Hong Kong three hours before opening on Sunday to see the Hong Kong-born giant panda twins in the fluffy flesh, as they turned six months old and could meet the public for the first time.
    The pair of female and male pandas were born on Aug. 15 last year to Le Le and Ying Ying, who were given as a gift by the central government to Hong Kong.
    Visitors dashed towards the exhibition venue housing the giant pandas the second the amusement park opened. As many as 500 people queued outside the venue, which prompted the park to limit the window for each visit to 5 minutes.
    The pair sparked an outpouring of love as they entered the display area in the arms of caretakers. They frolicked, scaled trees and rubbed their heads against each other, before hitting the sacks for a nap.
    The older female cub has round black patches around the eyes and has proved to be a good tree climber. The male one is chubbier and darker, marked by squarer patches around the eyes, according to Elke Wu, assistant curator of zoological operations at Ocean Park Hong Kong.
    The parents and children now live in separate areas. The mother Ying Ying has recovered her pre-maternal weight and gained greater gusto.
    “The cubs are even cuter than what I saw in videos. I’ve already picked out names for them,” said a teenager surnamed Zhou who purchased spin-off stuffed animals of the twins.
    The park will extend visiting hours gradually for the public to see the twins from the second half of this year or next year, said Paulo Pong, chairman of Ocean Park Corporation, adding that new venues and a giant panda museum are also under planning. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Northland Regional Council news briefs 17/02/25

    Source: Northland Regional Council

    Coastal Conversations
    Coastal Conversations events will be held around Whangārei district during Seaweek for coastal communities to discuss coastal issues, ask questions, connect with others, and hear from experts in coastal processes and hazards.
    There will be a mixture of formal presentations and a chance to mingle, chat, and check out displays from local groups, schools, regional and district councils, and organisations such as Civil Defence, CoastCare, Coastal Restoration Trust and Seaweek.
    Ruakākā Recreation Complex Monday 03 March, Waipū Celtic Barn Tuesday 04 March, Whananaki Beach Hall Thursday 06 March, Ngunguru Sports and Recreation Club Friday 07 March.
    Bridge extension project will close Quarry Road temporarily
    A detour will be in place for 10 weeks from Monday 3 March as Northland Regional Council begins an important bridge extension project that will close Quarry Road in Kaitāia.
    The detour will be along Donald Road. All motorists travelling to the airport will need to travel through Kaitāia and follow the detour. The detour is approximately the same distance from Kaitaia to the airport and includes 3km of gravel road on Quarry Road.
    Travellers going to the airport from the North and East coast will need to allow extra travel time to travel to Kaitāia first.
    Funding for the $1.3 million upgrade – which is part of the regional council’s wider multimillion dollar Awanui Flood Scheme upgrade – comes from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund for consented priority flood resilience projects that will protect land and assets during severe weather.
    The work will fix a ‘pinch point’ in the flood scheme and will take place in two phases. The first section of the work will allow for earthworks underneath a proposed 15-metre extension of the bridge – which will open an additional 12-metre span – and support the wider Awanui River Flood Protection Scheme.
    The extra span on the bridge will reduce the risk of flooding to surrounding houses and Awanui township
    A second section of work will involve construction of the bridge extension and associated works.
    Regional pest plan review
    Time is running out to take part in initial public feedback on how invasive plants and animals are managed in Te Taitokerau as part of a review of the Northland Regional Pest and Marine Pathway Management Plan.
    Since November last year the council has been running a period of early engagement talking to hapū, iwi, kaitiaki, pest control groups and other interested people and organisations, to help inform development of a new pest plan
    The pest plan is all about how pests can be best managed in Te Taitokerau, to protect te ao tūroa (our natural world), the wellbeing of whānau and communities, and our economy.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New Waikato Regional Renal Centre officially opens

    Source: Waikato District Health Board

    Kuini Nga wai hono i te po cuts the ribbon supported by Hon Tama Ponaki

    Te Pureoranga – Waikato Regional Renal Centre was officially opened today (Sunday 16 February) with a ceremony at Waikato Hospital, attended by representatives from Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, Members of Parliament, and the Māori Queen, Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.

    Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, alongside the Hon Tama Potaka, officially opened the facility, cutting a ribbon and unveiling a plaque.

    Local iwi Te Haa o te Whenua o Kirikiriroa, played a key role in the co-design of the new facility and gifted the name Te Pureoranga to the centre. The name reflects the purpose of the renal services: helping patients and their whānau access life-saving care, with the aspiration of achieving purification and restoration of physical and spiritual wellbeing.

    Improving health infrastructure is a priority for Health New Zealand to ensure better access to timely, quality healthcare closer to home.

    Executive Director Health NZ Reset Programme, Chris Lowry highlighted the significance of the new centre, acknowledging the contributions of those involved in its design and construction.

    “Te Pureoranga gives us a purpose-built facility for renal patients and a long-term home that brings all renal services together as the central service for the Te Manawa Taki region,” she said.

    The new facility provides 53 dialysis chairs (43 for hospital-based treatment and 10 for home-training patients). It also includes a whānau room, along with additional clinic and education spaces.

    Dr Andrew Henderson, Health NZ Medical Director for Cancer and Chronic Conditions for Waikato, expressed pride in the new centre, noting its importance to patients and staff.

    “This facility is a testament to our commitment to renal patients, who often face lifelong conditions.

    “To my knowledge this is the largest integrated renal service building in Australasia, and having all our healthcare professionals – nurses, dietitians, social workers, podiatrists, psychologists and more – under one roof will make a significant difference in providing comprehensive, coordinated care.”

    The new centre has been built to modern standards – achieving a Greenstar 5 rating and is fitted out with the latest clinical technology and equipment.

    Te Pureoranga – Waikato Regional Renal Centre opened for patients on Monday 6 January 2025.

    Currently, the renal service, located on the Waiora Waikato Hospital campus, takes care of over 900 patients across the Te Manawa Taki region.

    Te Pureoranga was the first stage of a wider building programme, which includes a new adult acute mental health inpatient facility. The old Waikato Regional Renal Centre was located on the site where the new mental health facility is being built.

    (left to right) Tumuaki Hone Thompson, Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, Charge Nurse Manager Nicky Hagan, Hon Tama Potaka

    L-R Acting Director of Cancer and Chronic Conditions Gabby Reynolds, Head of Department Renal Dr Kannaiyan Rabindranath., Michelle Sutherland, Group Director Operations Hospital and Specialist Services – Waikato Shephanie Doe, Executive Director Health NZ Reset Programme Chris Lowry, Chief of Tikanga, Hauora Māori Services Mahaki Albert, Medical Director Cancer, Chronic Conditions and Radiology Dr Andrew Henderson, Charge Nurse Manager Renal Nicky Hagan

    Te Pure Oranga – Waikato Regional Renal Centre official opening

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Hochul Speaks at the 2025 Caucus Reception

    Source: US State of New York

    Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the 2025 Caucus Reception.

    VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

    AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

    PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

    A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

    Alright. Looks like a party — something you haven’t done all weekend yet, right? Yeah, I can see the bags under your eyes. And the day is still young. So, I just cherish this event. I truly do. In fact, the entire weekend is so energizing for me. I think I’ll have gone to maybe 10 events; you’ve gone to many more. But it gives us a chance to reconnect with who we are. To think about the people who came before us and the journey that got us to where we are today. But also ask the question, “Where are we going now?”

    And where we are going now depends on the leadership we have in our state. And I want to give a special shout out, and I think she’s still here, to our Attorney General, Tish James, who has taken on the fight. There she is. We are so damn lucky at this particular moment in time, to have her courage, her defiance and her willingness to go into court and take on whatever comes our way out of Washington. So I want to give her a round of applause again. She’s an extraordinary leader.

    And who else is leading the State? Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins is here! She’s an unbelievable leader and represents the entire state with such heart and passion and a belief in lifting people up. I want to thank her for being such a great friend. We also have the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who I’ll be introducing in a few minutes. There she is. We’re going to talk about her a lot in a couple minutes. But, we also have a guy named Carl Heastie, too. I love our speaker, I don’t know if he could be here today, but there’s a common denominator. You know, Carl’s a good guy. He’s great. We love him.

    But there’s a lot of strong women out here, aren’t there? Okay, a lot of strong women who, to get up in this place and be elected in a statewide position or a major role like the Majority Leader, it takes guts. But I want to say right now is: if there was ever a moment in our state history that required guts, it is right now. And I’m proud to lead this state with incredible partners. And Latrice Walker, unbelievable weekend. Congratulations to all you’ve done here. I know Assemblymember Solages, I’ve seen her a whole lot. I know she’s coming in and out, but I want to thank my administration. I know we heard from our DOT Commissioner Dominguez. You heard from our district attorney. I mean, what a rock star Eric Gonzalez is. Also, Steven Raga, our assemblymember. Thank them. But also give it up for people like Stacey Lynch and my entire team who are here.

    Well, let’s get down to business. Hell of a week, friends. Hell of a week. Started out with the Attorney General in Washington on national television telling everybody she’s bringing charges against me because I’m standing up to uphold the laws of our state that are duly enacted by our Legislature and I’m sworn to uphold. But you’re coming after me for saying that I think that people who are here, living here, working here, contributing to our economy, should not be able to drive to work or get their kids to a doctor’s appointment? No, I am not I’m not opening up our DMV database to you, because I don’t know—

    Now, we know why they would want it. But here’s how I’m going to broaden the issue: There are a lot of good people in law enforcement. I’m not going to say there are not. But what we have right now in Washington — people from Elon Musk and DOGE getting access to our IRS records now and all this information — do you really want them to have access to the DMV so they can find out something about your 16 year old daughter who has a permit in my database? I mean, this is broader than just the immigrant community. This is a scary thought. These are state records about state people, and I have to protect them.

    And then, right around the same time, I’m getting papers from the great state of Louisiana, telling me I’m supposed to turn over an abortion provider, a courageous woman who lives right in the Hudson Valley, and turn her over to face prosecution — facing 15 years in jail. Over my dead body will you get her from me.

    And yes, I will say this: There’s a storm in Washington. It’s complicated. New York City is very complicated. But I want to tell you this: I’ve been in the elective office for 31 years, and maybe the toughest thing I had to do in that was also to raise a couple of teenagers, okay? You know what I’m saying, parents? I’m used to being the eye of the hurricane. That’s my place where I live. So we’re going to calm it all down, okay? We’re going to be okay, because you have strong leaders who know how to take it to the mat. And I’m ready to say, “Let’s get ready to rumble.” I will fight for New Yorkers with every breath of my body. So when you’re feeling under siege and you have communities that are anxious and worried, say, “Don’t worry. Our governor’s got this. She’s got this. She’s been there. She’s experienced, and she has great people around her.”

    So I just need to let everybody know we’re going to be okay. And all we have to do after a weekend like this, is call on those who came before us under tougher times. I mean, think about tiny little Harriet Tubman who, with such courage, she didn’t just come back and save her neck, she went back to Maryland countless times, freeing slaves, being hounded by bloodhounds, going through the swamps at night, trying to find her way north in the dark — touching the side of the tree, you could feel the moss grows on the north side, so she touched it, she knew where she was going.

    I read that book when I was eight years old. That’s part of who I am. Her story — I believe in people like that, and Sojourner Truth. Her voice was so critical back then. We need the Sojourner Truths of today. Where’s the Harriet Tubman of today to lead us out of darkness into light and into freedom? That’s what we have to do, everyone. And those people are in this room.

    Because someday, history is going to look at us. How do we measure up to these courageous people — the people who started the Underground Railroad and brought people through Crystal Peoples-Stokes hometown and mine, freeing people over to Canada, because otherwise they’re going to be killed or returned to slavery — that’s where we come from, right Crystal? The Underground Railroad, Mary Talbert was there. Great hero. The NAACP, guess where it started? Yes, in Buffalo, New York. The Niagara Movement. And I’m not going to brag more about Buffalo just because — but it’s also got the best football team in America. But, deal with it Eddie. Eddie, I’ve had enough crap from you. Deal with that. Alright, there you go.

    So, I say this: This is a time of celebration to get reenergized, to get fired up, to believe in our purpose here today, because that’s why God put us on earth. No other reason, no other reason we’re taking up space on this earth than to lift up the lives of others. To make this place better. And New York State will always lead the nation as we have throughout history. Don’t worry about us, or as Crystal is fond of saying, “Lift as you climb.” That’s her saying. Lift as you climb. That’s not just, “Climb for your sake of getting the power and the glory yourselves.” It’s making sure God’s power and glory is there to lift up others.

    And that’s one of the reasons I love this woman so much. She comes from the streets of Buffalo. She’s tough. I was an elected official throughout most of her career. I saw what you had to endure. The discrimination and the hatred she had to endure, even just being a woman in a position of power in Erie County when there were very few women who could step up and do this.

    She ran for Congress back in ‘96. I campaigned with her. She’s been through the trials and tribulations, but when she sets her mind to something, do not get in her way. She fought to make sure we had a legal cannabis system that dealt with social equity to give everybody a chance to overcome what they had been through.

    She fought to make sure our streets are safer, that we could heal communities that have been severed by infrastructure. Robert Moses divided the black and white community in Buffalo, and in the 1950s nobody stood up to it and they let it happen. Crystal says, “We’re bringing back our cities, we’re healing them once again, so we can reunite our black and brown communities.” So, I need to say this, as she often says, this is her motto: “God be the glory.” And I thank God. I thank God every day that he put Crystal Peoples-Stokes on our earth, in my city, in our State Legislature.

    Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Crystal Peoples-Stokes!

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Debut of Hong Kong-born giant panda twins stirs fuzzy feelings

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

    HONG KONG, Feb. 16 — A crowd had gathered outside Ocean Park Hong Kong three hours before opening on Sunday to see the Hong Kong-born giant panda twins in the fluffy flesh, as they turned six months old and could meet the public for the first time.

    The pair of female and male pandas were born on Aug. 15 last year to Le Le and Ying Ying, who were given as a gift by the central government to Hong Kong.

    Visitors dashed towards the exhibition venue housing the giant pandas the second the amusement park opened. As many as 500 people queued outside the venue, which prompted the park to limit the window for each visit to 5 minutes.

    The pair sparked an outpouring of love as they entered the display area in the arms of caretakers. They frolicked, scaled trees and rubbed their heads against each other, before hitting the sacks for a nap.

    The older female cub has round black patches around the eyes and has proved to be a good tree climber. The male one is chubbier and darker, marked by squarer patches around the eyes, according to Elke Wu, assistant curator of zoological operations at Ocean Park Hong Kong.

    The parents and children now live in separate areas. The mother Ying Ying has recovered her pre-maternal weight and gained greater gusto.

    “The cubs are even cuter than what I saw in videos. I’ve already picked out names for them,” said a teenager surnamed Zhou who purchased spin-off stuffed animals of the twins.

    The park will extend visiting hours gradually for the public to see the twins from the second half of this year or next year, said Paulo Pong, chairman of Ocean Park Corporation, adding that new venues and a giant panda museum are also under planning.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $5.5 million for health worker accommodation in Coffs Harbour

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: $5.5 million for health worker accommodation in Coffs Harbour

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Regional Health

    The Coffs Harbour community is set to benefit from new Key Worker Accommodation which will help attract, recruit and retain more healthcare workers to the region.

    The Minns Labor Government will invest $5.5 million in health worker housing in Coffs Harbour as part of the Key Health Worker Accommodation program.

    The $200.1 million program supports more than 20 projects across rural, regional and remote NSW.

    The funding will secure approximately 120 dwellings across regional NSW, which includes the building of new accommodation, refurbishment of existing living quarters and the purchase of suitable properties such as residential units.

    The four-year program will support the recruitment and retention of more than 500 health workers and their families by providing a range of accommodation options.

    The program is one of a number of investments the Minns Labor Government is making to strengthen the regional, rural and remote health workforce and builds on the success of the NSW Government’s $73.2 million investment in key health worker accommodation across five regional local health districts (Far West, Murrumbidgee, Southern NSW, Hunter New England and Western NSW).

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:

    “The Minns Labor Government is committed to investing in modern, sustainable accommodation options for key health workers who are the backbone of our regional, rural and remote communities.

    “Strengthening our regional health workforce is a key priority for our government and this $5.5 million investment in accommodation will support the attraction of key healthcare workers to Coffs Harbour.

    “The Key Health Worker Accommodation program will support the Mid North Coast Local Health District in continuing to provide high-quality health services to the community.”

    Quote attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Coffs Harbour, Cameron Murphy MLC:

    “The Mid North Coast is among the state’s fastest growing regions and demand for housing is only increasing.

    “Coffs Harbour is already a fantastic place to live and work, but the Minns Labor Government’s investment in health worker housing here will just make it that little more attractive to prospective employees and their families.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Milestone reached for Takitimu North Link Stage 1 Road of National Significance

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Construction of Takitimu North Link Stage 1, a new four lane expressway connecting Tauranga and Te Puna, has passed the halfway point, which is great news for economic growth and productivity in the western Bay of Plenty, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.  

    “This is a huge undertaking, with two thousand people having worked on the project to date and 1,500,000m3 of earthworks moved so far”, Mr Bishop says. 
    “Four of 10 bridges are already completed (Minden Road, Minden Gully off-ramp, Wairoa Road, Cambridge Road) and traffic is using the new bridges at Minden, Wairoa and Cambridge Roads. 

    “Earthwork crews have now broken under the Cambridge Road and Minden Road bridges, meaning it’s now possible for the project team to ‘drive through’ the full length of the future expressway for the first time. 

    Eight beams were installed at the Wairoa Awa (River) bridge recently, with 32 of a total of 80 beams now in place, spanning the awa and flood plains. 24 beams have been installed at the SH29/Takitimu Drive Toll Road flyover bridge this summer, with nine left to install in the next two months.  

    “At SH2/Fifteenth Avenue, crane pads are being built and piling will soon be underway to build the new bridge connection – this is the final structure to get underway on the project. 

    “In other positive news for local road users, congestion is set to improve between Fifteenth Avenue and Welcome Bay in the near future, with $10.3 million of funding confirmed by the NZTA Board for Tauranga City Council (TCC) to design extra traffic capacity between the Tauranga CBD and the growing suburbs of Welcome Bay, Hairini, Ohauiti and Maungatapu. 

    “These suburbs house 29,000 people and the local population is set to keep increasing. All these people need to cross the harbour to access services such as high schools, supermarkets and employment. 

    “This project being led by TCC will help road users get there more quickly, by adding another traffic lane to the bridge by removing the footpath from the main structure, re-locating the path to a lightweight clip-on structure and utilising a dynamic lane system – the first of its kind in the Bay of Plenty. Sections of 15th Avenue will also be widened, adding capacity as a T2 lane.  

    “It’s all about saving people travel time. By reducing congestion that extends onto the state highway, modelling shows it will save more than 750 vehicle-hours of congestion per day, which is an average of 2-3 minutes of peak travel time saving per vehicle.”

    Note to editors:

    The Takitimu North Link Stage 1 project is a Road of National Significance supporting economic growth and productivity in the western Bay of Plenty, by providing a reliable, resilient and safe expressway connection between Tauranga and Te Puna.  
    Tolling was confirmed for the project in December 2024.
    Current expected completion date is 2028.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Press conference – Apex Park, Cessnock

    Source: Australian Executive Government Ministers

    DAN REPACHOLI: G’day all. I just want to start by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. Well, we’re here today with Minister Catherine King, Mayor Dan Watton of Cessnock, and what an announcement we’ve got today for you. We’ve got $14 million going to Apex Park, an amazing amount of money coming into the Cessnock region to really uplift this park and make a beautiful space for our kids, for adults to be here. And as you can see by the pool, the pool is chockers right now today, so there’ll be kids coming and playing in this park all the time. So, really looking forward to seeing what they can do. And I just want to say thank you to the Minister for seeing the value in this project and seeing the value in our area here in Cessnock, to make sure that we continue to deliver for the Hunter. And that’s what Labor does, and that’s why Labor is here. We’re here to deliver for the Hunter, and we will continue to do that as well. So, I’ll pass over to the Minister very shortly, then we’ll pass over to Dan as well. But this project only came about because of Cessnock City Council. They put this project forward to us so to see if they can get funding through a few different channels. So, we worked hard, we pushed extremely hard to make sure that we can get what we need for this project, and it’s going to be a $14 million project. And I can’t wait to see this get up and going. So, thank you all. Thank you to the Minister. Thank you to the Mayor and to council for all the work they’ve done on this. Now, I’ll pass to the Minister. 

    CATHERINE KING: Beautiful. Thanks very much. Catherine King, I’m the Federal Minister for infrastructure. And I’m here, of course, with the magnificent two Dan’s – Dan Repacholi, the Labor Member for Hunter, and Dan Watton, the Mayor of Cessnock. This is a great announcement for Cessnock today. The regional Precincts and Partnership Program that this funding is coming out of, I cannot think of a better example of what we are trying to do with this program than Apex Park. The regional Precincts and Partnerships Program is trying to take under-utilised areas of central business districts, towns, communities, larger centres, and reinvigorate them so that community can use them. And you can look around us here. Apex Park, you’ve got the sign and the gateway up there, 1930’s, honouring a former Mayor, this park really was put together for the community, is now really not a very well utilised space. The $14 million that the Albanese Labor Government is announcing today, budgeted part of the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, is going to see this space transformed. You will see more amenity for the local community – barbecue spaces, shade, seating, spaces, better parking, a kiosk which might provide the opportunity for a small cafe here. Really rewilding this magnificent- the creek that is here that has been concreted over for long peaks- a period of time. Rewilding it, trying to get, attract wildlife back into the area, but making it a beautiful place that is the gateway and part of the CBD. As I said, can I congratulate the Mayor, but also the staff at the city. As I said, we have been looking for projects that really take the CBD’s and those under-utilised areas that need repurposing, and lifting them up so you’re actually seeing the way in which your space is used in a city differently. The idea for the program actually came when Dan took me to Muswellbrook and showed me what had been done in the community of Muswellbrook. And that really is the catalyst for the idea of the regional Precincts and Partnerships Program. The Hunter was the catalyst for this program, and now it’s very much here in Cessnock, the beneficiary of this program – $14 million announced here today. I might hand over to the mayor to say a few words and then happy to take questions. 

    CESSNOCK MAYOR DAN WATTON: Well, absolutely excited to be here this morning. It’s fantastic news. I want to thank the Honourable Catherine King for coming up to Cessnock to make this announcement, and of course, our local Member, our Federal Member, Dan Repacholi. There’s been so much work go into this behind the scenes so, firstly, I want to acknowledge that, and thank Dan Repacholi for his hard work behind the scenes for advocating for this project. Absolutely fantastic work. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears going into this, so I want to thank Dan for that. Also, really want to thank Council staff and I hope I don’t get in trouble for naming and shaming one particular staff member in particular, but Tony Chadwick worked really hard behind the scenes on this. So, I just want to really acknowledge Tony for his hard work. He had a vision for this. I believe there was a very slim chance of getting this grant, but combined with Dan’s hard work and working collaboratively with Council, that’s what it’s all about. We want to work together to get the best outcome for our community, and what an outcome we’re getting today. Fantastic – $14 million to revamp this area, the gateway to the Hunter as Catherine just mentioned before. Fantastic opportunity. We’re going to see this whole thing revitalised – parking, EV parking, disabled toilets. We’re going to see sandstone, it’s going to look beautiful – lighting, the whole thing. So, we welcome this. On behalf of Cessnock City Council, welcome this funding and thank you so much. 

    CATHERINE KING: Happy to take questions. Who would you like? 

    JOURNALIST: Either one. 

    JOURNALIST: Maybe one for Mayor Dan first? 

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah, let’s go. 

    JOURNALIST: Just some of the nitty gritty. Obviously, this been something that you’ve been working towards for quite a while. Do you have, at this point, a sort of a timeline of when you’re hoping to have it completed by? 

    DAN WATTON: A timeline? Well, I guess we’ll get the funding. So, at the moment, we’re going through a master plan review, so we’re hoping that all ties up well with their CBD master plan. So we’re looking at finishing that by this year, end of this year, so hopefully we can break some ground following 2026. 

    JOURNALIST: And obviously, how important is it in Cessnock to have these kind of third spaces for people where they can just come and just be, rather than having to pay to be somewhere, especially in a cost of living crisis? 

    DAN WATTON: Huge. Yeah, absolutely huge to have three free things like this to do. So go into a park, close to the pool as well, which runs at a very good cost as well. So having amenities like this available to our community to come to sit around, to relax, have some lunch, is fantastic. So yeah, if you don’t want to pay money. You can come and park your car. And great for tourists as well – you know, we’ve got wine country just down the road, so they can come up, park their car, have a swim and explore a bit of Cessnock as well. 

    JOURNALIST: I’m not sure if this is a question for Dan or the Minister – just clarification, is this only if Labor is re-elected? 

    CATHERINE KING: No, this is actually a budgeted program as part of the normal funding. We’re getting on with the business of government. I know there is an election not too far away. You’ll hear us making election commitments. This is a budgeted, locked in program. It will- the funding will be delivered via the New South Wales State Government to the local council to do the delivery of the project, which is a good way of doing things. We’re used to doing that together. And it’s really- this will be delivered, absolutely – of course, unless Peter Dutton gets elected and decides to cut things. And we’ve heard already that he’s planning to do that; I’ll be very disappointed if he cuts something like this. 

    JOURNALIST: I only have one [indistinct], Minister … we’ve seen this morning that it’s possible that you could travel from Newcastle to Sydney within an hour on the high-speed rail. 

    CATHERINE KING: Yep. So the business case for high-speed rail is now being delivered to government. And it is under the assessment of Infrastructure Australia. Be in no doubt, the Albanese Labor Government is very serious about the delivery of high-speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney, and high speed rail will be a game changer for this region. What it will deliver is- but first, of course, it is about jobs. Jobs in construction, jobs in helping people getting to the CBD of Sydney and a rail project. But it is also about getting high quality, high paid jobs out of Sydney into the Hunter. Absolutely what it is about – getting those jobs out of Sydney, because we know people want to come and live in this area. We know through the delivery of the Housing Support Program which has delivered, I think, about $22 million here in Cessnock to unlock 900 new homes. We know people want to come and live here, but they also have to be able to work here as well. And so, high speed rail provides that opportunity, that if you do have a job in the city, in Sydney, you can actually live and work here and get into the CBD. We’ll make some announcements about what the next steps of the project are, but be in no doubt, Labor is very serious about delivering high speed rail between Sydney and Newcastle, and also some stops along the way at Central Coast. 

    JOURNALIST: What would it mean for Newcastle and Hunter residents to be able to travel to Sydney that quickly? 

    CATHERINE KING: What it will mean- so one of the things that I have had the opportunity to go and have a look at is High Speed Rail Two over in the UK, which is transforming Birmingham, a really important city centre, and what [indistinct] has actually seen. So the travel times are important – so being able to get from Birmingham into London really quickly, being able to get from Newcastle into Sydney is really important. It means you can work, you can live here in the Hunter and then you can get into town in that really quick time frame. It means why would you drive your car? Like, you wouldn’t. You’d just – you’d save a massive savings on petrol, parking costs, toll – all the toll costs. You would use the train- absolutely be a game changer. But the thing that High Speed Rail Two has been – has done for Birmingham, and why I’ve been at pains to make sure that the High Speed Rail Authority opened an office in Newcastle, and people can go in to that office and have a look at what high speed rail will do, is you have seen major banks that had their headquarters in London moved to Birmingham. All of those jobs allowing people to live in Birmingham and surrounds and have those high paid, high quality jobs in the region. And that is really what high speed rail delivers. It’s not just about faster rail, it’s about growing the economy of Newcastle and the Hunter. The jobs that will be in construction, again, on High Speed Rail Two – I met people who had come off- had come out of mining, had come out of a hairdressing salon, had- was doing environmental approvals on High Speed Rail Two – huge jobs, great opportunities for people in construction, but then- and also in train manufacture, all of those jobs. So this is a really big economic development opportunity for Newcastle and the Hunter, and we’re very excited to be part of it. We’ll have more to say about the next stages of delivery now that the business case has been delivered to government. This is a long term project. You won’t see shovels in the ground tomorrow, but this is a long term project that requires a serious long term government that wants to invest in infrastructure in the Hunter, and that’s what the Albanese Labor Government is. 

    DAN REPACHOLI: Can I just add something to that if I can please? 

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah, you can- yeah. 

    DAN REPACHOLI: As you can see, we’ve just had our $14 million upgrade to this park that we’ve promised that we’re going to do. And we’re the gateway to Paradise here in the Hunter. We really are. We have the beautiful wine country just there. Within five minutes we’re in a vineyard, so we have so much to offer this place. We are- between us here at the Cessnock LGA and Maitland LGA, we’re the two fastest growing LGAs in New South Wales. So we know people want to come here. We know people want to experience this beautiful place, and that’s why we’re also helping and putting funding into projects like this. We’re looking into the high speed rail to make sure that we can give people what they need and what they want, to make sure they can have the best of both worlds and have a really good paying job in the city, and then live in amazing, beautiful place like here in the Hunter. So we’re making sure we’re doing that along the way, and we’ll continue to work with council, continue to work with our ministers to keep pushing these things so that the Hunter does not get left behind, because we are here to keep growing the Hunter and to keep pushing to get more and more residents here, and more businesses to come and enjoy this beautiful part of the world. 

    CATHERINE KING: Lovely. 

    JOURNALIST: Thank you guys. 

    CATHERINE KING: Thank you, you’re welcome.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Weather News – A Muggy and Wet Week – humidity is back! – MetService

    Source: MetService

    Covering period of Monday 17th -Thursday 20th February – ‘Warm and moist’ is the name of the game this week with a swath of tropical air over Aotearoa New Zealand. Rain, associated with a low-pressure system from the north, continues to fall on the North Island today (Monday). The Coromandel Peninsula to the Kaimai Range, and Gisborne/Tairāwhiti north of Tolaga Bay are under Orange Heavy Rain Warnings until 8 and 9pm respectively today.  

    MetService Meteorologist Katie Hillyer says, “We’ve already seen 200mm of rainfall recorded at the Pinnacles on the Coromandel Peninsula over the last 24 hours, which, even given the exposure of this mountainous station, is very impressive.” MetService expects a further 70-90mm of rain to fall in those areas today.

    High humidity will be felt across the North Island too. “Warm humid air with plenty of cloud cover acts like an insulative blanket, meaning warmer nights and uncomfortable sleeps this week,” says Hillyer. The poster child of this effect being Rotorua, who only saw a 2°C difference between their maximum yesterday and their minimum this morning. Honourable mentions to Whanganui and Hawkes Bay, where temperatures are set to crack 30°C over the next couple of days – a distinct change to the cool summer they’ve experienced in the east thus far.  

    Overnight, the main action switches from northeastern areas of the North Island to the South Island with rain associated with an approaching low-pressure system from the Tasman Sea. The Ranges of the Tasman District have been upgraded to an Orange Warning, with 80-100mm expected to fall between 9pm tonight and 7am tomorrow. A Heavy Rain Watch is also in place for the Richmond and Bryant Ranges. Rain will spread into eastern parts of the South Island tomorrow morning, soaking some of those dry soils.  

    “Thunderstorms could also be on the cards Tuesday afternoon and evening for Canterbury down to Southland, as well as Westland through to Buller,” warns Hillyer. Periods of rain will continue across much of the country through to Thursday, with today and Tuesday being the most active days.  

    “Cloudy and wet will be the real descriptors for much of the country until Thursday and into Friday, when a ridge of high pressure starts trying to push out that humidity and bring in some fresher air,” says Hillyer.  

    Please keep up to date with the most current information from MetService at http://www.metservice.com/national/home

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $15.7 million in additional funding to combat family violence in Tasmania

    Source: Australian Ministers for Social Services

    Joint with:

    The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
    Minister for Social Services 
    Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme
    Member for Kingston
     

    The Hon Jo Palmer MLC 
    Minister for Education
    Minister for Disability Services
    Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence

    The Albanese Labor Government is partnering with the Tasmanian Liberal Government to provide additional funding for frontline services under a renewed five-year National Partnership Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses (FDSV National Partnership).

    Working collaboratively to end gender-based violence, the renewed National Partnership will see the Tasmanian and Federal Government’s equally contribute to invest $15.7 for critical Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence programs in Tasmania from July 2025.

    This brings the total allocation of Commonwealth National Partnership funding to $23.4 million for Tasmania since 2022.

    Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth, said the renewed partnership demonstrates the strong commitment the Commonwealth and state and territory governments have to ending gender-based violence in Australia. 

    “By working together at a state and federal level, we are taking significant strides to make Australia safe for all women and children,” Minister Rishworth said.

    “The renewed National Partnership provides longer term funding guarantees for Tasmanian family, domestic and sexual violence services, resulting in victim-survivors receiving ongoing access to supports needed to build a life free from violence.

    “Added assistance on the frontlines of the fight against family, domestic and sexual violence will not only improve lives, but save them.”

    Across all jurisdictions, the National Partnership will deliver $700 million in new, matched investments from the Commonwealth and states and territories, supporting frontline FDSV services, including specialist services for women and children exposed to FDSV, and men’s behaviour change programs.

    Tasmanian Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence, Jo Palmer, said the additional funding is an important step forward in meeting the needs of victim-survivors across Tasmania. 

    “We are committed to working side by side with the Australian Government to end family, domestic and sexual violence in Tasmania and to ensure our State gets the support it needs over the coming years,” Minister Palmer said. 

    “All Tasmanians should not only feel safe in their communities and their homes, they should be safe, and this additional investment will help ensure essential services and programs can be delivered across the State.”

    The Tasmanian Government investment is in addition to its $100 million commitment to implement measures through Tasmania’s Third Family and Sexual Violence Action 2022-2027: Survivors at the Centre. 

    More information on the FDSV National Partnership Agreement is available on the Federal Financial Relations website.

    If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence, you can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit www.1800respect.org.au for online chat and video call services:

    • Available 24/7: Call, text or online chat
    • Mon-Fri, 9am – midnight AEST (except national public holidays): Video call (no appointment needed) 

    If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au

    Feeling worried or no good? Connect with 13YARN Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporters on 13 92 76, available 24/7 from any mobile or pay phone, or visit www.13yarn.org.au No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CENTCOM Forces Kill Senior Operative of Al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din

    Source: United States Central Command (CENTCOM)

    Feb. 16, 2025
    Release Number 20250216-01
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    TAMPA, Fla. – On Feb. 15, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

    The airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.

    “We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,“ said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over two million extra NHS appointments delivered early as trusts handed £40 million to go further and faster

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early.

    • Pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments hit early with over 100,000 more treatments, tests and scans for patients each week
    • Waiting lists falls by almost 160,000 since government took office, as extra appointments delivered for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests
    • Comes as an additional £40 million set to be handed to trusts that deliver biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists
    • Marks major step towards delivering Plan for Change milestone of hitting 18-week treatment target by the end of this Parliament

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early. 

    The Prime Minister has welcomed new figures published by NHS England [today] which reveal that between July and November last year, the NHS delivered almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period the previous year – delivering on the government’s mission to fix the NHS as part of the Plan for Change. 

    The new data confirms the government reached the target seven months earlier than promised – with 100,000 more treatments, tests, and scans for patients each week, and more than half a million extra diagnostic tests delivered.

    It follows figures published last week which showed the waiting list has been cut by almost 160,000 since the government took office, compared to a rise of almost 33,000 over the same period the previous year. 

    It means thousands of patients have received vital operations, scans, treatments, and consultations earlier than planned, helping them get back on with their lives and back to work sooner.

    The extra 2 million appointments – delivered in part by extra evening and weekend working – are underpinned by the government’s ambitious wider reform agenda, including our plan to expand opening hours at Community Diagnostic Centres across the country, 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

    The government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future starts with tackling waiting lists, and hitting this milestone is a crucial step towards treating 92% of elective care patients within 18 weeks of referral by the end of this Parliament – delivering a core commitment in the Plan for Change.  

    While there is more to do, today’s milestone also clears the path to bring forward wider NHS reforms through the government’s Elective Reform Plan – announced by the Prime Minister last month – which will cut waiting times and improve patient experience by getting people seen more quickly, closer to home. 

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 

     “Two million extra NHS appointments and a waiting list on its way down – we’re delivering on our promise to fix the NHS and make sure people get the care they need, when they need it. 

    “This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the cancer patients who for too long were left wondering when they’ll finally start getting their life-saving treatment. It’s about the millions of people who’ve put their lives and livelihoods on hold – waiting in pain and uncertainty as they wait for a diagnosis.

    “We said we’d turn this around and that’s exactly what we’re doing – this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times.

    “But we’re not complacent and we know the job isn’t done. We’re determined to go further and faster to deliver more appointments, faster treatment, and a National Health Service that the British public deserve as part of our Plan for Change.” 

    Since entering office, the government has hit the ground running to fix the broken health service we inherited by tackling the waiting lists, and building an NHS fit for the future. 

    This includes ending NHS strikes so staff are on the front line instead of the picket line this winter, vaccinating more people against flu than this time last year and putting immediate investment into our health system through £1.8 billion to fund extra elective care appointments as part of record £26 billion extra NHS funding secured at the October Budget.   

    Building on this, the government has announced an extra £40 million funding pot for trusts who make the biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists. The funding will be available for hospitals from next year to spend on capital projects such as new equipment or repairs to their estate which can deliver faster access to treatment and improve conditions for patients. 

    Further details on the scope and allocation of the funding package will be set out in due course, but examples of the innovations that trusts will be able to benefit from include investment into new tech such as surgical robots and AI scanners to modernise the NHS and help patients get diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

    The funding could also go towards completing hospital ward maintenance – expediting the transformation of ageing NHS estates and giving patients newer, safer environments in which to receive care. 

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    “We have wasted no time in getting to work to cut NHS waiting times and end the agony of millions of patients suffering uncertainty and pain.

    “Because we ended the strikes, invested in the NHS, and rolled out reformed ways of working, we are finally putting the NHS on the road to recovery.

    “We promised change, and we’ve delivered, providing the two million extra appointments we pledged in just our first five months – a promise made, and a promise kept. The result is around 160,000 fewer patients on waiting lists today than in July.

    “That was just the first step. Through our Plan for Change, we are opening new surgical hubs, Community Diagnostics Centres at evenings and weekends, and using private sector capacity to cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.”

    Amanda Pritchard NHS chief executive said: 

    “Thanks to the hard work of staff and embracing the latest innovations in care, we treated hundreds of thousands more patients last year and delivered a record number of tests and checks, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row.

    “There is much more to do to slash waiting times for patients, but the Elective Care Reform Plan will allow us to build on this incredible progress as we boost capacity and drive efficiency while also improving the experience of patients.”

    The Elective Reform Plan will drive forward action to meet the 18-week target through the necessary reforms to overhaul the system, support staff, cut waste and put patients first – creating millions more appointments in the process. As part of this, the government is creating thousands more appointments through greater access to Community Diagnostic Centres and 17 new or expanded surgical hubs.  

    The Community Diagnostic Centres will be opened 12 hours a day, seven days a week wherever possible so that people can access a broader range of more appointments closer to home in their neighbourhoods. These will increase the availability of same-day tests and consultations so that patients don’t have to wait for weeks in between different stages of care.  

    The surgical hubs will be also created within existing hospitals by June and three others expanded, with more expected in coming years supported by the £1.5 billion investment confirmed at the Autumn budget.  

    These will bring together the necessary expertise, best practice, and tech under one roof to focus on delivering the most common, less complex procedures. The new hubs will be ring-fenced from winter pressures and will cut waiting times for standard surgeries, in turn freeing up beds in acute wards needed for more complex cases. 

    Other elements of the plan include freeing up around 1 million more appointments every year by removing non-essential follow-ups, publishing a new deal with the independent sector to increase capacity, revolutionising the NHS app to give patients greater choice and control over their treatment and preventing unnecessary referrals by incentivising GPs to work with hospital doctors to get specialist advice. 

    The government has also launched a nationwide consultation on the 10 Year Health Plan to build an NHS fit for the future and secured an extra £2 billion to upgrade NHS technology and £1 billion to deal with the massive NHS maintenance backlog. 

    As part of a drive towards prevention, NHS England have also launched its first-ever awareness campaign today to support more women to attend potentially lifesaving breast screening. The campaign, supported by leading charity Breast Cancer Now, launches today with a new advert across TV, on demand and radio to highlight the benefits of screening in detecting cancer at the earliest opportunity. 

    Last year alone, NHS breast screening services detected cancers in 18,942 women across England, which otherwise may not have been diagnosed or treated until a later stage, and the most comprehensive review to date found around 1,300 deaths are prevented each year by the breast screening programme.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Press release: Over two million extra NHS appointments delivered early as trusts handed £40 million to go further and faster

    Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early.

    • Pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments hit early with over 100,000 more treatments, tests and scans for patients each week
    • Waiting lists falls by almost 160,000 since government took office, as extra appointments delivered for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests
    • Comes as an additional £40 million set to be handed to trusts that deliver biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists
    • Marks major step towards delivering Plan for Change milestone of hitting 18-week treatment target by the end of this Parliament

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early. 

    The Prime Minister has welcomed new figures published by NHS England [today] which reveal that between July and November last year, the NHS delivered almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period the previous year – delivering on the government’s mission to fix the NHS as part of the Plan for Change. 

    The new data confirms the government reached the target seven months earlier than promised – with 100,000 more treatments, tests, and scans for patients each week, and more than half a million extra diagnostic tests delivered.

    It follows figures published last week which showed the waiting list has been cut by almost 160,000 since the government took office, compared to a rise of almost 33,000 over the same period the previous year. 

    It means thousands of patients have received vital operations, scans, treatments, and consultations earlier than planned, helping them get back on with their lives and back to work sooner.

    The extra 2 million appointments – delivered in part by extra evening and weekend working – are underpinned by the government’s ambitious wider reform agenda, including our plan to expand opening hours at Community Diagnostic Centres across the country, 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

    The government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future starts with tackling waiting lists, and hitting this milestone is a crucial step towards treating 92% of elective care patients within 18 weeks of referral by the end of this Parliament – delivering a core commitment in the Plan for Change.  

    While there is more to do, today’s milestone also clears the path to bring forward wider NHS reforms through the government’s Elective Reform Plan – announced by the Prime Minister last month – which will cut waiting times and improve patient experience by getting people seen more quickly, closer to home. 

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 

     “Two million extra NHS appointments and a waiting list on its way down – we’re delivering on our promise to fix the NHS and make sure people get the care they need, when they need it. 

    “This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the cancer patients who for too long were left wondering when they’ll finally start getting their life-saving treatment. It’s about the millions of people who’ve put their lives and livelihoods on hold – waiting in pain and uncertainty as they wait for a diagnosis.

    “We said we’d turn this around and that’s exactly what we’re doing – this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times.

    “But we’re not complacent and we know the job isn’t done. We’re determined to go further and faster to deliver more appointments, faster treatment, and a National Health Service that the British public deserve as part of our Plan for Change.” 

    Since entering office, the government has hit the ground running to fix the broken health service we inherited by tackling the waiting lists, and building an NHS fit for the future. 

    This includes ending NHS strikes so staff are on the front line instead of the picket line this winter, vaccinating more people against flu than this time last year and putting immediate investment into our health system through £1.8 billion to fund extra elective care appointments as part of record £26 billion extra NHS funding secured at the October Budget.   

    Building on this, the government has announced an extra £40 million funding pot for trusts who make the biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists. The funding will be available for hospitals from next year to spend on capital projects such as new equipment or repairs to their estate which can deliver faster access to treatment and improve conditions for patients. 

    Further details on the scope and allocation of the funding package will be set out in due course, but examples of the innovations that trusts will be able to benefit from include investment into new tech such as surgical robots and AI scanners to modernise the NHS and help patients get diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

    The funding could also go towards completing hospital ward maintenance – expediting the transformation of ageing NHS estates and giving patients newer, safer environments in which to receive care. 

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    “We have wasted no time in getting to work to cut NHS waiting times and end the agony of millions of patients suffering uncertainty and pain.

    “Because we ended the strikes, invested in the NHS, and rolled out reformed ways of working, we are finally putting the NHS on the road to recovery.

    “We promised change, and we’ve delivered, providing the two million extra appointments we pledged in just our first five months – a promise made, and a promise kept. The result is around 160,000 fewer patients on waiting lists today than in July.

    “That was just the first step. Through our Plan for Change, we are opening new surgical hubs, Community Diagnostics Centres at evenings and weekends, and using private sector capacity to cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.”

    Amanda Pritchard NHS chief executive said: 

    “Thanks to the hard work of staff and embracing the latest innovations in care, we treated hundreds of thousands more patients last year and delivered a record number of tests and checks, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row.

    “There is much more to do to slash waiting times for patients, but the Elective Care Reform Plan will allow us to build on this incredible progress as we boost capacity and drive efficiency while also improving the experience of patients.”

    The Elective Reform Plan will drive forward action to meet the 18-week target through the necessary reforms to overhaul the system, support staff, cut waste and put patients first – creating millions more appointments in the process. As part of this, the government is creating thousands more appointments through greater access to Community Diagnostic Centres and 17 new or expanded surgical hubs.  

    The Community Diagnostic Centres will be opened 12 hours a day, seven days a week wherever possible so that people can access a broader range of more appointments closer to home in their neighbourhoods. These will increase the availability of same-day tests and consultations so that patients don’t have to wait for weeks in between different stages of care.  

    The surgical hubs will be also created within existing hospitals by June and three others expanded, with more expected in coming years supported by the £1.5 billion investment confirmed at the Autumn budget.  

    These will bring together the necessary expertise, best practice, and tech under one roof to focus on delivering the most common, less complex procedures. The new hubs will be ring-fenced from winter pressures and will cut waiting times for standard surgeries, in turn freeing up beds in acute wards needed for more complex cases. 

    Other elements of the plan include freeing up around 1 million more appointments every year by removing non-essential follow-ups, publishing a new deal with the independent sector to increase capacity, revolutionising the NHS app to give patients greater choice and control over their treatment and preventing unnecessary referrals by incentivising GPs to work with hospital doctors to get specialist advice. 

    The government has also launched a nationwide consultation on the 10 Year Health Plan to build an NHS fit for the future and secured an extra £2 billion to upgrade NHS technology and £1 billion to deal with the massive NHS maintenance backlog. 

    As part of a drive towards prevention, NHS England have also launched its first-ever awareness campaign today to support more women to attend potentially lifesaving breast screening. The campaign, supported by leading charity Breast Cancer Now, launches today with a new advert across TV, on demand and radio to highlight the benefits of screening in detecting cancer at the earliest opportunity. 

    Last year alone, NHS breast screening services detected cancers in 18,942 women across England, which otherwise may not have been diagnosed or treated until a later stage, and the most comprehensive review to date found around 1,300 deaths are prevented each year by the breast screening programme.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Canberra light rail steams ahead

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    Canberra’s light rail is one step closer to reaching Woden, with construction beginning today on the Stage 2A extension. 

    Stage 2A of the Canberra Light Rail involves extending the existing rail network from Civic to Commonwealth Park to improve transport connections as the capital grows. 

    Canberra is one of Australia’s fastest growing cities with the population predicted to approach 750,000 by mid-century.

    This $577 million joint investment by the Albanese and Barr Labor Governments will prevent future congestion and provide greater ease of movement through our capital.  

    The project includes the construction of 1.7 kilometres of new rail line from Alinga Street to Commonwealth Park, a new bridge over Parkes Way, and three new stations for City Edinburgh Avenue, City South and Commonwealth Park. 

    Once complete, the new rail connection will unlock housing and commercial opportunities and bring Canberra’s CBD closer to the lake.

    Construction is due to be complete in 2027. Light rail services will connect Gungahlin and North Canberra to City West, the ANU, New Acton, Commonwealth Park and Lake Burley Griffin. 

    The Stage 2A project is expected to create 1000 jobs and shape the way visitors and locals move around the city. 

    Quotes attributable to Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:

    “Light rail is future-proofing Canberra with a modern public transport system, connecting residential areas with employment precincts, and recreation and lifestyle hubs.

    “This is about more than just transport, it’s about reshaping the way people move around Canberra and unlocking the growth of our nation’s capital.

    “It’s one of a number of significant projects we’re investing in to build Australia’s future, from the cities to the suburbs.”

    Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Finance and Senator for the ACT Katy Gallagher:

    “When I was ACT Chief Minister, I saw the potential that light rail had to transform and connect our city and that’s why we started this project.

    “Stage one of light rail has proven popular and has transformed the City to Gungahlin corridor and I am excited to see the next stage of this project getting underway to extend the tracks south of the lake.

    “Only Labor delivers investments in city-changing projects like this one that build Canberra, create jobs and grow our local economy.”

    Quotes attributable to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr:

    “Light rail is a long-term asset for Canberra.

    “It will service our city for decades to come.

    “I’m pleased to see construction on Light Rail to Commonwealth Park in the heart of our city, connecting to the future Acton Waterfront, more homes and better commercial precincts in an underused part of our CBD.

    “This is the next stage of a long-term plan to make the Canberra we love, even better.”

    Quotes attributable to ACT Minister for Transport Chris Steel:

    “Light rail has proven the benefits of mass transit in Canberra.

    “This next stage is critical to building out the network and delivering better public transport to the rest of the city.

    “Stage 2A is part of our wider vision of building a north-south light rail line to Woden, integrated with electric buses to our suburbs.

    “The extension of the light rail network will also support more housing, so that more people can choose to live in well-located areas close to public transport and access to services.”

    Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Canberra Alicia Payne MP: 

    “Canberra’s light rail is one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in our city’s history, and this next stage will make it even easier for people to get around. 

    “With construction now underway on Stage 2A, we are bringing light rail closer to the lake, unlocking new opportunities for housing and businesses, and ensuring our growing city has the modern, sustainable transport it needs.

    “This project is about making Canberra an even better place to live, work, and visit—now and for future generations.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Tech – Gen Q4 Threat Report: 321 Threats Blocked Per Second as Social Media Becomes a Playground for Scammers

    Source: Botica Butler Raudon for Gen

    Social media, AI and human trust led to a record-breaking year of  
    advanced scams and personal data loss

    AUCKLAND, 17 February 2024 – Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader in consumer Cyber Safety with a family of brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner, today released its Q4/2024 Gen Threat Report. The report reveals a surge in online threats to close out a record-breaking 2024, with 2.55 billion cyberthreats blocked in October to December – equalling 321 threats every second. The risk ratio of encountering threats reached 27.7 percent in Q4, with social engineering attacks comprising 86 percent of all blocked threats, demonstrating the advanced psychological tactics used by cybercriminals today.  

    “We’re continuing to see scam-related threats becoming far more dangerous as they hide, sometimes in plain sight, throughout every aspect of our digital life,” said Siggi Stefnisson, Cyber Safety CTO at Gen. “This quarter we saw them prey on people’s emotions, such as the need to shop on budget during the holidays, the desire to find love during the end of the year, the hope for change during government elections and more. And, unfortunately, this is resulting in people continuing to lose money and control over their personal information. In 2025 we only expect these risks to increase as the rise of AI-powered systems and devices will mark the next frontier for cybercrime.”

    The Dark Side of Social Media
    Scam-related attacks continue to demonstrate global reach and adaptability. Phishing attacks rose by 14 percent in Q4 of 2024, with many exploiting platforms for creating websites like Wix and spoofing brands such as Apple iCloud with fake invoice scams. Meanwhile, malvertising remained a leading method of driving scams and malware delivery, comprising 41 percent of all blocked attacks for the quarter.  

    Social media platforms remained one of the prime grounds for scams and cybercrime at the end of 2024. Facebook stands out, accounting for a staggering 56 percent of total identified threats. YouTube trails behind at 24 percent, followed by X with 10 percent and Reddit and Instagram both accounting for 3 percent of all social media threats. When it comes to messaging platforms, despite WhatsApp’s larger user base, Telegram experiences six times more threats due to scammers utilising the platform’s additional privacy features to make their crimes harder to track by authorities.  

    The ways that scammers are using social media vary with such different people and use cases for the platforms. Gen found that the main ways people were scammed across social media were:  

    • Deceptive online ads (Malvertising) (27%): These deceptive ads spread malicious software onto the device being used or redirected people to malicious websites that can do the same. 
    • Fake e-shops (23%): People are lured by fraudulent online stores, also exposing personal and financial data. 
    • Phishing (18%): Scams aimed at stealing sensitive information like credit card numbers or passwords. 

    Social media is quickly turning into a playground for scammers to leverage platform algorithms, AI, and personalised interactions to scale their attacks faster and more effectively than ever before. Read the full analysis on social media threats in our latest blog.

    Year-End Spike in Financial Scams
    October to December marked the year’s most active quarter for financial scams, with mobile phones serving as a primary attack vector. Leading this trend were:

    • The largest deepfake crypto scam: The infamous CryptoCore group, known for hijacking YouTube accounts to promote their crypto scam campaigns, capitalised on the US Presidential Election. The group used deepfake videos featuring figures like Elon Musk to steal over $7 million from its victims. This marked the largest attack of its kind.  
    • Mobile banking trojans: New mobile bankers, phone applications designed to steal banking information, launched in Q4 of 2024. This included DroidBot which used remote access capabilities to go after banking details and crypto wallets. Another was ToxicPanda that disguised itself as Visa, dating apps and Chrome. The well-known BankBot banker saw infections rise by 236 percent compared to Q3 of 2024. 
    • Spyware and SpyLoans: Malicious apps promising quick money with high interest rates and predatory repayment schedules, also surged this quarter. Once installed, these apps request access to SMS messages, photos and other sensitive information, allowing them to spy on the victim. After a few weeks, the victim faces extortion and threats of their private data being published unless they pay to the cybercriminals. A new spyware strain disguised as a body mass index (BMI) calculator spread via the Amazon App Store, a novel distribution tactic reflecting the rising number of official Android app stores. 

    Personal Data – The New Gold
    Personal data loss continued to pose a high risk of identity theft and loss of privacy for consumers. Scam-Yourself Attacks, such as ClickFix and FakeCaptcha, grew rapidly. In Q4, Gen blocked attacks targeting 4.2 million individuals, a 130 percent increase from the previous quarter. These campaigns use psychological manipulation to deceive people into copying and executing malicious code, potentially leading to financial fraud, account takeovers or malware infections.  

    To help people stay protected from this threat and keep their data safe, Gen introduced a Clipboard Protection feature across the Norton, Avast and AVG brands that blocks clipboard-based threats before they can execute.  

    For the third consecutive quarter, ransomware continued its alarming upward trend, with a notable 50 percent increase in Q4. This highlights an escalating threat for both organisations and individuals globally.  

    To read the full Q4/2024 Gen Threat Report, visit: https://www.gendigital.com/blog/insights/reports/threat-report-q4-2024

    About Gen   
    Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its trusted Cyber Safety brands, Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner. The Gen family of consumer brands is rooted in providing safety for the first digital generations. Now, Gen empowers people to live their digital lives safely, privately, and confidently today and for generations to come. Gen brings award-winning products and services in cybersecurity, online privacy and identity protection to nearly 500 million users in more than 150 countries. Learn more at GenDigital.com. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Central Barangaroo gets the tick of approval

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Lands and Property, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces

    Barangaroo has reached its next major milestone with the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces granting approval of the modification request for Central Barangaroo.

    This decision follows more than a decade of inaction and indecision from the former Government which left this site stuck in limbo.

    The planning determination means that the central Barangaroo proposal can proceed subject to conditions.

    This development is the final piece of Barangaroo to proceed, enabling the transformation of a once neglected and inaccessible part of the city into a dynamic cultural, residential, business and retail hub.

    The development will comprise a mix of residential and retail including restaurants and bars, a hotel and community facilities.  It allows for the area to become a destination in its own right on the Sydney Harbour foreshore due to its proximity to the new Barangaroo Metro.

    The approval requires high standards of quality and sustainability, in line with the rest of Barangaroo, with a focus on water efficiency, carbon neutrality, and zero waste.

    At least 50% of public open space will be maintained, a key principle of the original proposal.

    The modification also delivers an extra 800 square metres of community floor space and two new public plazas. It also establishes view corridors along the northern and southern plazas.

    On the nearby Central Barangaroo foreshore there are also separate plans for a new 1.8-hectare waterfront public park for recreation, events and entertainment, currently known as Harbour Park.

    When assessing the proposal, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) carefully assessed the historic view impacts of the proposal, particularly between Observatory Hill and Sydney Harbour. Conditions on the project include incorporating the Heritage Impact Statement into the consent.

    It also included a condition being imposed requiring the height of the northern part of the block facing Nawi Cove to be reduced from 8 storeys down to 5 storeys. This provides continued connection to the water view from Observatory Hill.

    In addition, the measures outlined in the Heritage Impact Assessment together with design guidelines will support a design within the building envelope which will further minimise impacts on historic views.

    The planning approval enables the proponent to undertake detailed design work, which will include community consultation.

    For more information visit: Central Barangaroo | Barangaroo

    Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

    “The renewal of the strategically important Barangaroo site has always been about providing greater access to Sydney’s harbour foreshore. It will create jobs and homes, enhance our cultural facilities, civic spaces and parkland, and create diverse experiences and destinations – all easily accessible by public transport.

    “Detailed design work can now proceed on this prominent space under consent conditions to support design excellence to respect the surrounding area.

    “This approval considers Barangaroo’s prominent position and is respectful of the contribution of the area to Sydney’s development and future.”

    Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

    “Under the former Government this project was stuck in planning purgatory for over a decade, and this site had been a blight on the harbour for many years before that.

    “This is a fantastic outcome. Now that planning approval has been granted, we can get on with the job of delivering the final piece of the Barangaroo puzzle.

    “With the Barangaroo Metro station now open, the Pier Pavilion and the Cutaway nearing completion, Barangaroo Reserve, Marrinawi and Nawi Cove open, it will be fantastic to see the full vision for Barangaroo finally realised for locals and visitors to enjoy.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Forces Strike ISIS-Somalia

    Source: United States AFRICOM

    In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against ISIS-Somalia in Northeast Somalia on Feb. 16, 2025.

    The command’s initial assessment is that the strike killed two ISIS terrorists and no civilians were harmed.

    U.S. Africa Command will continue to assess the results of this operation and provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.

    Degrading ISIS and other terrorist organizations’ ability to plot and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our partners, and civilians remains central to U.S. Africa Command’s mission.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu joint statements to the press

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joint statements to the press in Jerusalem, Israel, on February 16, 2025.

    Transcript: https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-and-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu/
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    X: https://x.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5M6LOM2a3s

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘I feel constant anxiety’: how caring for a seriously unwell pet can lead to stress and burnout

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide

    Ground Picture/Shutterstock

    Living with a pet brings many benefits, including constant presence, love and support. Pet ownership is also linked with a lower long-term risk of early death.

    Most of us would do anything for our pets if they become unwell. But just as caring for a human loved one can come at great personal cost, a growing body of research shows that’s also true for many pet owners looking after a seriously ill pet.

    This stress is often known as “caregiver burden”.

    Most of us would do anything for our pets if they become unwell.
    Haletska Olha/Shutterstock

    Stress, depression, burnout and anxiety

    One 2017 study looked at how people with healthy pets fared compared to those caring for pets with serious diseases.

    It found many of those looking after seriously ill animals felt they didn’t have enough time for themselves due to the time they had to spend with their pet.

    Compared to owners of healthy pets, those caring for unwell pets experienced:

    greater burden, stress and symptoms of depression/anxiety, as well as poorer quality of life.

    Our 2023 research into experiences of people looking after older dogs showed similarly concerning results.

    We surveyed people with dogs eight years or older. Some of these dogs were living with canine cognitive dysfunction, a form of dementia similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people.

    Out of the 637 respondents to our survey, 16% had a high burden of care likely to be associated with negative psychological, physical and financial outcomes.

    One respondent told us:

    My partner and I cannot leave him home alone for long at all […] I worry about [my pet’s] quality of life. I feel my partner is really struggling with [my pet’s] deterioration and when the time comes for euthanasia I know it will be me forcing the issue. I feel constant anxiety about this decision looming.

    A higher burden of care was associated with the dog having more severe canine cognitive dysfunction, pet owners who were aged between 25 and 44 years, and those who lived alone.

    This makes sense, because people who live alone don’t have another person to support or help them. The most difficult dog behaviours people reported were night-time disturbances and barking.

    Burden of care in other situations

    Any significant pet disease or disability is likely to be associated with stress in their caregivers.

    Even behavioural problems in dogs, such as aggression or separation-related disorder, have been associated with clinically significant strain in more than 68% of people.

    Most of the research has been done in dogs, but owners of ill cats also have a higher burden, although it appears less than owners of an ill dog.

    We previously showed that a third of owners of cats with epilepsy are likely to be experiencing high levels of carer stress or strain.

    These problems were worse in owners who did not feel supported by their vet. For example, they may feel they’re being rushed through appointments, or that their concerns are being dismissed.

    Pet owners more likely to feel this caregiver stress included those who were younger than 55, and those whose cat had uncontrolled seizures.

    Strong emotions and complex needs

    The burden of caring for an unwell pet is not well recognised, even by vets.

    People suffering this kind of carer stress are likely to require more time in consultations at the vet’s office, visit more frequently, and become angry and emotional.

    From a vet’s perspective, clients with such strong emotions and complex needs can be challenging.

    People suffering a high burden of care are likely to require more time in consultations at the vet.
    Beach Creatives/Shutterstock

    How can you get help?

    If you or somebody you know is struggling with caring for a seriously ill pet, find a vet you trust and feel comfortable with. If you can tell them what you are struggling with, the vet may be able to provide some support.

    Call on your village! Ask friends and family for help to provide you with respite. We often do it when we first bring a new puppy or kitten home, but don’t think it’s OK to ask for help when they’re sick or ageing and need more care.

    Know that it’s OK to sometimes feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or even resentful towards your pet. It doesn’t mean you don’t love them. It means providing this level of care is hard.

    Being a carer is hard work.
    Soloviova Liudmyla/Shutterstock

    Despite the hardships, many caregivers find comfort in their deep connection to their pets. One of our respondents in the senior dog study wrote:

    every moment I have with her now is a blessing. She has given me so much over the last ten years; it’s time to pay back now.

    Pets also give meaning to our lives. In our study of cats with epilepsy, one person wrote:

    I think that most of the people are not aware of the benefits of living with the cat with special needs.

    Supporting the human-animal bond means supporting both humans and animals. We’re all better off when we recognise and support people struggling with caring for their pets.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

    Susan Hazel has received funding from the Waltham Foundation and is affiliated with the Dog and Cat Management Board of South Australia, and the RSPCA South Australia.

    Tracey Taylor receives funding from the Waltham Foundation.

    – ref. ‘I feel constant anxiety’: how caring for a seriously unwell pet can lead to stress and burnout – https://theconversation.com/i-feel-constant-anxiety-how-caring-for-a-seriously-unwell-pet-can-lead-to-stress-and-burnout-247329

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NDIS reforms aim to make the scheme fairer. But we’ve found the groups struggling to gain access

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Disney, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne

    Edwin Tan/Getty Images

    When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established in 2013, one of its driving aims was to make disability services and support systems fairer.

    However, our new research shows significant inequalities remain, with some groups finding it much harder than others to be deemed eligible and access a funding plan.

    Recent NDIS reforms in part aim to address inequity, and to manage costs.

    So, what can we do to ensure these reforms don’t further embed existing inequalities? Here’s what we found.

    Inequalities in scheme access

    To receive funding from the NDIS, participants are required to demonstrate their eligibility.

    We wanted to explore whether decisions about eligibility were leading to inequalities in who could access and use NDIS funding.

    Our study looked at the individual NDIS applications of 485,676 people aged seven or older, made between 2016 and 2022, to see if they were deemed eligible.

    We then compared differences in eligibility rates between groups, considering:

    • age (applicants 55 or older versus those under 55)
    • gender (women and girls versus other applicants)
    • socioeconomic disadvantage (those from the poorest 30% of areas versus all other areas).

    Who is deemed ineligible?

    We found some groups are more likely to be rejected from the scheme than others: women and girls, people aged 55 and over, and those who live in disadvantaged areas.

    Within these groups, eligibility rates also vary.

    For example, people with intellectual disability, autism, and brain injury or stroke were very likely to be deemed eligible, regardless of their age, gender or socioeconomic disadvantage (900 or more were accepted per 1,000 applicants).

    However, people with physical disability and psychosocial disability (disabilities that can arise from a mental health issue, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia) were significantly more likely to be rejected.

    This was true across groups, but particularly evident among women and girls.

    We compared eligibility rates within every 1,000 applications made by women and girls versus men and boys.

    Among those who had physical disability, 145 more women and girls were rejected, compared to men and boys.

    Among those with psychosocial disability, 83 more applications were deemed ineligible for every 1,000 applications made by women, compared to men.

    Age was also a factor. Older Australians with a physical disability had 235 fewer approvals per 1,000 applications than those with physical disability under 55.

    Older Australians were more likely to be found ineligible.
    Christina RasoBoluda/Shutterstock

    What about once they’re eligible?

    Inequalities are more pronounced among those trying to prove eligibility for the scheme.

    Once accepted into the NDIS, our research found women and girls, and people living in poorer areas, received similar amounts of funding as men and boys, and those living in better-off areas.

    This budget is based on what the participant wants to achieve in everyday life and their support needs relating to their disabilities.

    However once people receive and are using plans, we then see some differences in how much these people are able to spend. This relates to factors such as the availability of services in an area or whether culturally safe supports are available.

    We found that women with psychosocial disability spent more than men with similar sized budgets.

    This result could reflect that women with psychosocial disability on the NDIS have higher support needs than men.

    It could be that it is harder for women to get onto the scheme in the first place, so those who are deemed eligible have more significant disability than men.

    But we need more research to unpack this further.

    Why do we see these inequalities?

    In the early days of the NDIS, to help fast-track applications, the National Disability Insurance Agency (which runs the NDIS) specified a list of diagnoses closely related to disability.

    Known as list A conditions, people with these diagnoses are automatically eligible for the NDIS.

    Disabilities likely to be associated with a list A diagnosis include level 2 or 3 autism (requiring substantial or very substantial support) and intellectual disability.

    However some people who could have permanent and significant disability, may have a diagnosis not on list A, such as Down syndrome and motor neurone disease. They must provide a broader range of evidence on the impact of their disability to be eligible.

    If they face other challenges – such as socioeconomic disadvantage – it may be harder for them to collect this evidence. For example, they may not be able to afford private health care that would help support their application.

    This might explain why people who do not have a list A diagnosis are less likely to prove their eligibility for the scheme.

    Where next for the scheme?

    Following recommendations from an independent review into the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Agency is currently making changes to how it assesses eligibility.

    One of the changes suggested is removing list A classifications altogether.

    Instead, the agency will use a suite of functional assessment tools. These are still in the process of being designed, but they are one way to assess a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks and identify the level of support they require.

    This approach aims to assess more objectively and fairly how much someone is impacted by their disability.

    However, there are longstanding critiques of these tools. These include concerns they are not safe for minority groups, such as those with a culturally or linguistically diverse background, LGBTQIA+ people, and First Nations applicants.

    Our new research demonstrates how and why some inequalities arise. We should put this understanding front-and-centre in any changes to the NDIS.

    Most importantly, we should make sure reforms are co-designed with a broad range of different groups, to ensure we don’t perpetuate old inequalities or introduce new ones.

    George has conducted commissioned work for the Australian Department of Social Services (NDIS service use), the Victorian Department of Families Fairness and Housing (inequalities in NDIS service use), and the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (NDIS service use in regional and remote Queensland).

    Alexandra Devine receives funding from the NHMRC.

    Anne Kavanagh receives funding from the ARC, NHMRC, MRFF, MS Australia and the Australian government.

    Helen Dickinson receives funding from ARC, NHMRC and Department of Social Services.

    Yi Yang has conducted commissioned work for the Australian Department of Social Services (inequalities in NDIS service use), the Victorian Department of Families Fairness and Housing (inequalities in NDIS service use), and the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (inequalities in NDIS service use in regional and remote Queensland).

    – ref. NDIS reforms aim to make the scheme fairer. But we’ve found the groups struggling to gain access – https://theconversation.com/ndis-reforms-aim-to-make-the-scheme-fairer-but-weve-found-the-groups-struggling-to-gain-access-248562

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In Afghanistan, families are forced to sell children to survive. Trump’s USAID cuts will be devastating

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University

    The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a serious blow to the soft power of the United States and disastrous for many poor countries where it helps provide humanitarian, health and educational services.

    One country whose citizens will bear the brunt of it is Afghanistan, under the misogynistic and draconian rule of the Taliban.

    According to United Nations reports, more than half of Afghanistan’s estimated 40 million population is dependent on international handouts for their survival. Most of the remaining barely earn enough to exist.

    USAID has played a critical part in alleviating the suffering of Afhghans since the hasty retreat of the US and its allies from the country and the return of the Taliban to power in mid-2021.

    Since then, the United States has been the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, amounting to US$3.71 billion (A$5.8 billion), channelled through UN agencies and other international organisations. USAID has been responsible for delivering a large proportion of it.

    The effects are already being felt. A major midwifery program has closed, while “secret schools” for girls and the American University of Afghanistan has suspended classes.

    US aid, along with help from other donors, has also been critical in keeping mass starvation at bay.

    Aid propping up the Taliban

    Indeed, not all the aid has directly been delivered to the needy. The Taliban have creamed off a portion of it in the process of permitting and supervising its delivery.

    As widely reported, the group has indirectly received some US$40 million (A$63 million) a week of donor funds. The United Nations says it’s unavoidable that some money makes its way to Afghanistan’s central bank, which is under the control of the Taliban.

    This aid money, together with US$7 billion (A$11 billion) worth of light and heavy arms left behind by the US and its allies, has been crucial in enabling the Taliban to enforce its extremist rule, despite lacking domestic and international legitimacy.

    US President Donald Trump’s objection to the flow of any American aid to the Taliban is well placed. He has criticised the Biden administration for its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and failure to curtail the indirect benefits of American aid to the group.

    He has called for an end to American money going to the Taliban and for the return of US military equipment from the group. He has even floated the idea of retaking the strategically important Bagram air base outside Kabul, which he claims is now under Chinese influence.

    Further, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who both served in Afghanistan, have vowed to continue to fight terrorism around the world. Waltz believes terrorist groups are regrouping in Afghanistan under the Taliban and the Pentagon may need to send US troops back there.

    A halt to any aid that can advantage the Taliban is absolutely imperative. Countering the group is vital to combating violent extremism and terrorism.

    Afghans still desperately need aid

    However, this effort needs to be managed in ways that do not deprive the needy people of Afghanistan.

    Afghanistan’s economy, industries, reconstruction projects and work opportunities have virtually collapsed, while many schools have been closed or transformed into religious institutions.

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that in the last three years, Afghanistan’s economy has contracted by 27%, with staggeringly high unemployment and inflation.

    Living conditions are so bad that some families are selling their children in order to feed the rest of the family.

    No section of the society is in more desperate need than girls and women, who have been stripped of all their basic rights to education, work and public life. They are not even allowed to speak in public or pray outside the four walls of their homes. As put by actor Meryl Streep, a cat has more freedom than women in Afghanistan.

    This has caused a mental health crisis among women in Afghanistan, with rising numbers of suicides.

    What can be done?

    The disembowelling of USAID will have far-reaching consequences for the people of Afghanistan.

    If the Trump administration wants to achieve its anti-Taliban objectives, it needs a two-pronged policy approach:

    • identify new ways to continue humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan in ways that don’t benefit the Taliban

    • increase pressure on the Taliban by strictly enforcing international sanctions and maintaining its isolation on the international stage.

    The suspension of American aid has already resulted in a devaluation of the Afghani currency. This has prompted the Taliban to impose severe restrictions on the transfer of dollars out of the country.

    Some analysts predict that if the economy continues to worsen, it will impact the Taliban’s ability to govern.

    In turn, this could strengthen civil and armed opposition groups – including the women’s Purple Saturday movement, which stands for a free and legitimately governed Afghanistan. These groups have increasingly become active in different parts of the country.

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

    – ref. In Afghanistan, families are forced to sell children to survive. Trump’s USAID cuts will be devastating – https://theconversation.com/in-afghanistan-families-are-forced-to-sell-children-to-survive-trumps-usaid-cuts-will-be-devastating-249713

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Unrest in Bangladesh is revealing the bias at the heart of Google’s search engine

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abdul Aziz, Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University

    Google’s search engine handles the vast majority of online searches worldwide. By one estimate, it fields 6.3 million queries every second.

    Because of the search engine’s enormous scale, its outputs can have outsized effects. And, while Google’s search results are shaped by ostensibly neutral rules and processes, research has shown these algorithms often produce biased results.

    This problem of algorithmic bias is again being highlighted by recent escalating tensions between India and Bangladesh and cases of violence against Bangladeshi citizens in India and violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. A pro-Indian misinformation and disinformation campaign is exploiting this algorithmic bias to further its agenda – an agenda that has been described as Islamophobic and alarmist.

    This kind of misinformation has been implicated in several riots and violent incidents in Bangladesh.

    All of this serves as an important reminder of the power Google’s search engine has in shaping public perceptions of any event – and its vulnerability to being exploited. It’s also an important reminder to anyone who uses Google’s search engine to engage critically with the results it dishes up, rather than accepting them at face value.

    What is algorithmic bias?

    The algorithms that power Google’s search engine are trained on massive amounts of data. This data is gathered by computer bots which crawl billions of pages on the Internet and automatically analyse their content and quality. This information is stored in a large database, which Google’s search engine relies on to serve up relevant results whenever it receives a query.

    But this process doesn’t capture every website on the Internet. It is also governed by predetermined rules about what is high quality and what is low quality, and reflects existing biases in data. For example, even though only 16% of the world’s population speaks English, it accounts for 55% of all written content online.

    This means the reality of life on the ground in non-English speaking countries is often not reflected in Google search results. This is especially true for those countries located in the Global South.

    This lack of representation perpetuates real-world biases. It can also hinder a nuanced public understanding of global issues.

    What’s happening between Bangladesh and India?

    Relations between Muslim-majority Bangladesh and neighbouring India, which is currently led by the Hindu nationalist BJP government, have deteriorated recently.

    In August last year, youth-led anti-government protests erupted in Bangladesh.

    These protests resulted in the downfall of prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s long-lasting autocratic regime, which had been supported by the Indian government.

    An interim government filled the void. But certain Indian media outlets have leveraged sensitive issues such as Hindu minority rights to undermine its legitimacy.

    In November, Bangladeshi authorities arrested Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on sedition charges over allegations he had disrespected the Bangladeshi flag. This triggered violent clashes between his supporters and police. These clashes resulted in the death of a Muslim lawyer.

    Hindu activists also attacked a Bangladeshi consulate in India.

    There have also been verified instances of mob violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. However, the Bangladeshi government claims these incidents are politically motivated rather than communal attacks.

    The unrest intensified earlier this month, with thousands of protestors destroying the family home of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

    Boosting a disinformation campaign

    A disinformation campaign based in India has exaggerated some cases of religious violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

    This campaign has been boosted by Google’s algorithmic bias.

    For example, an analysis by the Tech Global Institute of Google search results about Chinmoy Krishna Das’s arrest between November 25 and December 20 last year found a “consistent pattern of bias”.

    Specifically, Indian news outlets – including Hindu ultranationalist news outlets – “disproportionately” dominated the top search results. This overshadowed

    factual reporting from credible Bangladeshi media outlets […] despite the search originating from within Bangladesh, the country where the incident originally occurred.

    This bias was also evident in search queries coming from overseas. For example, roughly 90% of the top results about Chinmoy Krishna Das were from Indian outlets when searched from Australia and the United States. Bangladeshi news outlets featured on the thirteenth and fourteenth pages of results.

    Indian news outlets – unlike their Bangladeshi counterparts – produce a substantial amount of content in English. They also employ more advanced search engine optimisation – or SEO – techniques, such as using effective keywords and sensationalist headlines. This gives them an advantage in Google search results compared to their Bangladeshi counterparts.

    Another investigation by Bangladeshi fact-checking outlet Rumor Scanner in December 2024 found 72% of social media accounts spreading fake and misinformation are located in India.

    The Conversation asked Google a series of questions about its search engine. It did not receive a response.

    An illustrative case of a global problem

    Bangladesh is an illustrative case of the global problem of algorithmic bias. It highlights how search engines can be exploited to promote disinformation and misinformation and powerfully shape people’s perceptions about what’s happening in the world.

    It also highlights how everybody should think critically about the information they find online about the current situation in Bangladesh. Or about any news event, for that matter.

    The case also reinforces the urgent need for policymakers, tech companies and governments to work together to effectively address algorithmic bias. This is especially urgent in the Global South, where marginal voices remain silenced.

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

    – ref. Unrest in Bangladesh is revealing the bias at the heart of Google’s search engine – https://theconversation.com/unrest-in-bangladesh-is-revealing-the-bias-at-the-heart-of-googles-search-engine-249131

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Warren, Gillibrand, Smith, and Schumer Demand Trump & Elon Halt Cuts to HUD Workforce, Press for Answers on HUD’s Capacity to Meet Critical Functions & Deliver Essential Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Senators warn major staffing cuts will decimate HUD’s ability to deliver basic services, staffing cuts cannot be easily reversed and will worsen ongoing national housing crisis

    Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led a letter—alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)—demanding that U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner halt any further staff cuts at the agency, noting that additional staffing reductions would further exacerbate the housing crisis and would likely prevent HUD from being able to meet critical functions like supporting disaster recovery efforts.  

    “We are deeply alarmed and troubled by reports that you terminated hundreds of probationary employees on Friday and are planning to cut the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) workforce by 50 percent or nearly 4,300 staff,” wrote the Senators. “Initial reports suggest no program office would be spared, with staffing cuts ranging from 10 percent to 84 percent. Some of the most drastic reductions impact areas that support highly vulnerable people, including seniors, homeless veterans and families, and people with disabilities, and provide billions of dollars to cities and counties across the country. Without sufficient staff to run these programs, community and economic development projects, disaster recovery efforts, and housing development across the country will be delayed and could come to a grinding halt.”

    The Senators went on to note that building existing staffing levels at HUD took years of excruciating and incremental progress in order to meet basic and critical functions of the agency, “Between 2012-2019, HUD’s staffing levels fell by over 20 percent. During that time, independent audits from the HUD Office of Inspector General and U.S. Government Accountability Office repeatedly pointed to capacity gaps across HUD. This includes not having enough staff to support communities devastated by disasters, not having enough staff to meet HUD’s legal obligations under the Fair Housing Act, and not having enough staff to process applications that would allow for more housing to be built faster.[1] Congress has worked to address these inadequacies inch by inch through the annual Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. As a result, at the start of your tenure as Secretary, HUD’s staffing capacity was near its 2012 levels with a dedicated workforce ready to advance HUD’s mission. So much of that hard-fought progress has been wiped away in less than three weeks, and between the deferred resignation program and termination of probationary employees, overall staffing levels will be cut by 13 percent at HUD.”

    “President Trump’s reckless threats of blanket tariffs on friendly nations could drive up housing costs, deter new development, and slow rebuilding efforts in disaster-impacted communities. Freezing already obligated funds, cancelling necessary program contracts, and hastily gutting HUD’s workforce will inevitably lead to costly delays, and many housing projects will fall apart completely, only making our current housing crisis worse. We urge you to immediately stop any additional cuts to HUD’s workforce,” emphasized the Senators in their letter to Turner.

    The Senators went on to demand that Secretary Turner provide answers regarding HUD’s existing capacity, its justification for recent terminations, whether any plans were put in place to ensure continuity of critical services HUD provides following seemingly indiscriminate mass layoffs, and more.

    The full letter can be read HERE and below.

    Dear Secretary Turner:

    We are deeply alarmed and troubled by reports that you terminated hundreds of probationary employees on Friday and are planning to cut the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) workforce by 50 percent or nearly 4,300 staff.Initial reports suggest no program office would be spared, with staffing cuts ranging from 10 percent to 84 percent. Some of the most drastic reductions impact areas that support highly vulnerable people, including seniors, homeless veterans and families, and people with disabilities, and provide billions of dollars to cities and counties across the country. Without sufficient staff to run these programs, community and economic development projects, disaster recovery efforts, and housing development across the country will be delayed and could come to a grinding halt.

    Between 2012-2019, HUD’s staffing levels fell by over 20 percent. During that time, independent audits from the HUD Office of Inspector General and U.S. Government Accountability Office repeatedly pointed to capacity gaps across HUD. This includes not having enough staff to support communities devastated by disasters, not having enough staff to meet HUD’s legal obligations under the Fair Housing Act, and not having enough staff to process applications that would allow for more housing to be built faster.[2] Congress has worked to address these inadequacies inch by inch through the annual Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. As a result, at the start of your tenure as Secretary, HUD’s staffing capacity was near its 2012 levels with a dedicated workforce ready to advance HUD’s mission. So much of that hard-fought progress has been wiped away in less than three weeks, and between the deferred resignation program and termination of probationary employees, overall staffing levels will be cut by 13 percent at HUD. 

    Upon your confirmation, you spoke of the “opportunity to restore HUD to its core mission of supporting strong and sustainable communities and quality, affordable homes — serving our nation’s most vulnerable”.[3] In your address to HUD’s workforce on February 6, you highlighted the many challenges facing HUD and communities: a housing affordability crisis, homelessness,

    and disaster recovery efforts.[4] On his very first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to pursue actions to “lower the cost of housing and expand housing supply”.[5] We could not agree with you more that we need to focus on addressing all of these challenges head on, but nearly every action this Administration has taken to date on housing are completely counter to these goals. President Trump’s reckless threats of blanket tariffs on friendly nations could drive up housing costs, deter new development, and slow rebuilding efforts in disaster-impacted communities.[6] Freezing already obligated funds, cancelling necessary program contracts, and hastily gutting HUD’s workforce will inevitably lead to costly delays, and many housing projects will fall apart completely, only making our current housing crisis worse.

    We urge you to immediately stop any additional cuts to HUD’s workforce. We also request that the Department respond to the following by no later than Friday, February 21.

    1. How many probationary employees were terminated – by office, division, and branch?
    2. What factors did HUD consider in determining which probationary employees would and would not be terminated on February 14?
    3. Were there any exceptions for offices that already lack sufficient capacity to address HUD’s legal obligations, statutory mandates, and for the purposes of public safety, law enforcement, and security?
    4. What steps did the Department take to ensure the continuity of programs for families and communities prior to terminating hundreds of employees?
    5. What role did you personally play in directing and reviewing employee lists vis-à-vis the DOGE team and vis-à-vis the political appointees leading each office component?
    6. How much notice was provided to terminated employees?
    7. If terminations were conducted under 5 C.F.R. § 315.804, what justification was provided to employees as the reason for their termination? 
    8. Consistent with the staffing review you are conducting in response to the February 11 executive order, please provide HUD’s comprehensive list of the functions performed by each office that are mandated by statute or related to public safety and law enforcement, as well as the current number of staff associated with those functions.[7]
    9. For the employees who have accepted the deferred resignation offer, what is the estimated cost to taxpayers to pay those employees for not working through the end of the year?
    10. The Committees on Appropriations intentionally funds each HUD program office separately to support program execution and fulfillment of HUD’s mission. How are the costs of the deferred resignations and planned reductions in force “necessary expenses” and consistent with appropriation law?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Paul Buchanan: Trump 2.0 and the limits of over-reach

    COMMENTARY: By Paul G Buchanan

    Here is a scenario, but first a broad brush-painted historical parallel.

    Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the Nazi pogroms unfolded in the late 1930s.

    But Hitler never intended to confine himself to Germany and decided to attack his neighbours simultaneously, on multiple fronts East, West, North and South.

    This came against the advice of his generals, who believed that his imperialistic war-mongering should happen sequentially and that Germany should not fight the USSR until it had conquered Europe first, replenished with pillaged resources, and then reorganised its forces for the move East. They also advised that Germany should also avoid tangling with the US, which had pro-Nazi sympathisers in high places (like Charles Lindbergh) and was leaning towards neutrality in spite of FDR’s support for the UK.

    Hitler ignored the advice and attacked in every direction, got bogged down in the Soviet winter, drew in the US in by attacking US shipping ferrying supplies to the UK, and wound up stretching his forces in North Africa, the entire Eastern front into Ukraine and the North Mediterranean states, the Scandinavian Peninsula and the UK itself.

    In other words, he bit off too much in one chew and wound up paying the price for his over-reach.

    Hitler did what he did because he could, thanks in part to the 1933 Enabling Law that superseded all other German laws and allowed him carte blanche to pursue his delusions. That proved to be his undoing because his ambition was not matched by his strategic acumen and resources when confronted by an armed alliance of adversaries.

    A version of this in US?
    A version of this may be what is unfolding in the US. Using the cover of broad Executive Powers, Musk, Trump and their minions are throwing everything at the kitchen wall in order to see what sticks.

    They are breaking domestic and international norms and conventions pursuant to the neo-reactionary “disruptor” and “chaos” theories propelling the US techno-authoritarian Right. They want to dismantle the US federal State, including the systems of checks and balances embodied in the three branches of government, subordinating all policy to the dictates of an uber-powerful Executive Branch.

    In this view the Legislature and Judiciary serve as rubber stamp legitimating devices for Executive rule. Many of those in the Musk-lead DOGE teams are subscribers to this ideology.

    At the same time the new oligarchs want to re-make the International order as well as interfere in the domestic politics of other liberal democracies. Musk openly campaigns for the German far-Right AfD in this year’s elections, he and Trump both celebrate neo-fascists like Viktor Urban in Hungry and Javier Milei in Argentina.

    Trump utters delusional desires to “make” Canada the 51st State, forcibly regain control of the Panama Canal, annex Greenland, turn Gaza into a breach resort complex and eliminate international institutions like the World Trade Organisation and even NATO if it does not do what he says.

    He imposes sanctions on the International Criminal Court, slaps sanctions on South Africa for land take-overs and because it took a case of genocide against Israel in the ICC, doubles down on his support for Netanyahu’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians and is poised to sell-out Ukraine by using the threat of an aid cut-off to force the Ukrainians to cede sovereignty to Russia over all of their territory east of the Donbas River (and Crimea).

    He even unilaterally renames the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in a teenaged display of symbolic posturing that ignores the fact that renaming the Gulf has no standing in international law and “America” is a term that refers to the North, Central and South land masses of the Western Hemisphere — i.e., it is not exclusive to or propriety of the United States.

    Dismantling the globalised trade system
    Trump wants to dismantle the globalised system of trade by using tariffs as a weapon as well as leverage, “punishing” nations for non-trade as well as trade issues because of their perceived dependence on the US market. This is evident in the tariffs (briefly) imposed on Canada, Mexico and Colombia over issues of immigration and re-patriation of US deportees.

    In other words, Trump 2.0 is about redoing the World Order in his preferred image, doing everything more or less at once. It is as if Trump, Musk and their Project 2025 foot soldiers believe in a reinterpreted version of “shock and awe:” the audacity and speed of the multipronged attack on everything will cause opponents to be paralysed by the move and therefore will be unable to resist it.

    That includes extending cultural wars by taking over the Kennedy Center for the Arts (a global institution) because he does not like the type of “culture” (read: African American) that is presented there and he wants to replace the Center’s repertoire with more “appropriate” (read: Anglo-Saxon) offerings. The assault on the liberal institutional order (at home and abroad), in other words, is holistic and universal in nature.

    Trump’s advisers are even talking about ignoring court orders barring some of their actions, setting up a constitutional crisis scenario that they believe they will win in the current Supreme Court.

    I am sure that Musk/Trump can get away with a fair few of these disruptions, but I am not certain that they can get away with all of them. They may have more success on the domestic rather than the international front given the power dynamics in each arena. In any event they do not seem to have thought much about the ripple effect responses to their moves, specifically the blowback that might ensue.

    This is where the Nazi analogy applies. It could be that Musk and Trump have also bitten more than they can chew. They may have Project 2025 as their road map, but even maps do not always get the weather right, or accurately predict the mood of locals encountered along the way to wherever one proposes to go. That could well be–and it is my hope that it is–the cause of their undoing.

    Overreach, egos, hubris and the unexpected detours around and obstacles presented by foreign and domestic actors just might upset their best laid plans.

    Dotage is on daily public display
    That brings up another possibility. Trump’s remarks in recent weeks are descending into senescence and caducity. His dotage is on daily public display. Only his medications have changed. He is more subdued than during the campaign but no less mad. He leaves the ranting and raving to Musk, who only truly listens to the fairies in his ear.

    But it is possible that there are ghost whisperers in Trump’s ear as well (Stephen Miller, perhaps), who deliberately plant preposterous ideas in his feeble head and egg him on to pursue them. In the measure that he does so and begins to approach the red-line of obvious derangement, then perhaps the stage is being set from within by Musk and other oligarchs for a 25th Amendment move to unseat him in favour of JD Vance, a far more dangerous member of the techbro puppet masters’ cabal.

    Remember that most of Trump’s cabinet are billionaires and millionaires and only Cabinet can invoke the 25th Amendment.

    Vance has incentive to support this play because Trump (foolishly, IMO) has publicly stated that he does not see Vance as his successor and may even run for a third term. That is not want the techbro overlords wanted to hear, so they may have to move against Trump sooner rather than later if they want to impose their oligarchical vision on the US and world.

    An impeachment would be futile given Congress’s make-up and Trump’s two-time wins over his Congressional opponents. A third try is a non-starter and would take too long anyway. Short of death (that has been suggested) the 25th Amendment is the only way to remove him.

    It is at that point that I hope that things will start to unravel for them. It is hard to say what the MAGA-dominated Congress will do if laws are flouted on a wholesale basis and constituents begin to complain about the negative impact of DOGE cost-cutting on federal programmes. But one thing is certain, chaos begets chaos (because chaos is not synonymous with techbro libertarians’ dreams of anarchy) and disruption for disruption’s sake may not result in an improved socio-economic and political order.

    Those are some of the “unknown unknowns” that the neo-con Donald Rumsfeld used to talk about.

    In other words, vamos a ver–we shall see.

    Dr Paul G Buchanan is the director of 36th-Parallel Assessments, a geopolitical and strategic analysis consultancy. This article is republished from Kiwipolitico with the permission of the author.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 16 February 2025 Departmental update World leaders gather to reduce road deaths, boost road safety

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Leaders, ministers and officials from over 100 countries are set to advance commitments and actions to strengthen road safety worldwide at the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road safety that will be hosted by the Kingdom Morocco and the World Health Organization (WHO] in Marrakech this week.

    Leaders are set to endorse the ‘Marrakech Declaration on Global Road Safety’ which urges countries to make road safety a political priority and boost actions to achieve the goal of halving global road deaths by 2030 as set out in the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

    Road crashes kill nearly 1.2 million people each year, which is more than two deaths every minute. Road crashes cost most countries around 3 to 5 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) and transport accounts for around a quarter of the world’s harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

    “Road safety is a priority for people, planet and prosperity. It underpins individual opportunity and sustainable development globally. The Marrakech Declaration calls for a step-change in efforts to reduce road deaths and ensure safe and sustainable mobility for everyone. No road deaths are ever acceptable, or necessary, and we must double-down on our efforts to apply proven solutions,” said Mr Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister of Transport and Logistics for the Kingdom of Morocco. 

    The Marrakech Declaration calls on governments to implement all recommendations set out in the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, including strengthening laws, safety regulations and coordination across government. The Global Plan calls for more cross-border knowledge-sharing, technical support, technology transfer and research into emerging technologies, as well as efforts to make walking, cycling and public transport more accessible for everyone.

    “Road deaths are preventable and making roads safe for everyone is within our reach. We know what to do, and this conference marks a clear call to urgent action. Leaders are making new commitments and advancing actions to save more lives but much more still needs to be done,” said Dr Etienne Krug, WHO Director of the Department for the Social Determinants of Health.

    The latest WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety (2023) shows that road deaths fell slightly to 1.19 million per year in 2021, which was a 5% reduction in fatalities since 2010. More than half of all UN Member States reported a decline in deaths over this period and 10 of these countries managed to halve deaths in the last 10 years, showing that a 50% reduction in a decade is possible. 35 of these countries reduced the number of deaths by between 30 and 50% between 2010 and 2021.

    The Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety takes place in Marrakech, Morocco on 18-20 February, with the theme of “Commit to Life”. Around 2500 delegates, including ministers, heads of national road safety agencies, government representatives, parliamentarians and experts from the United Nations, civil society, business and academia are attending.

    Focus areas for the conference include road safety governance, emerging trends in mobility, financing, working with the private sector, road traffic injury data, connections with other health, transport, environment and development agendas, and as the first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety to be held on the African continent, a focus on Africa.

    WHO is hosting and participating in a series of events at the conference, including a meeting of the Global Network of Heads of National Road Safety Agencies in partnership with the World Bank, and sessions on road safety governance, data, legislation and enforcement and strategic communications.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Has finance for green industry had an impact in Africa? What’s happened in 41 countries over 20 years

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Nara Monkam, Associate Professor of Public Economics, Chair in Municipal Finance within the Department of Economics, and Head of the Public Policy Hub at the University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria

    The African continent finds itself in a predicament. Advanced economies in the rest of the world developed through industrialisation: their economies transformed from mainly agricultural to industrial. This involved burning fossil fuels like coal, generating greenhouse gas emissions that caused global warming.

    African economies have trailed behind industrially. They’re now industrialising at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuels and towards solar power, wind energy and hydropower.

    Africa has 60% of the world’s best solar resources but only 1% of the world’s installed solar power systems. Despite renewable energy capacity nearly doubling in the last decade, only 2% of global investments in renewable energy went to Africa.

    Green industrialisation could be the answer: achieving long-term economic growth and industrial development that does not harm the environment. But in most African countries, renewable energy is more expensive than fossil fuels, which are readily available in many parts of the continent. Africa is also one of the world’s poorest regions and cannot easily afford green technologies.

    So a key issue in economic development is how to stimulate green industrial productivity. Green finance (funding from banks and investors specifically for environmentally friendly projects) can fund green innovations. These include renewable energy technologies, energy-efficient building designs, or electric vehicles.

    Read more: Africa doesn’t have a choice between economic growth and protecting the environment: how they can go hand in hand

    I am an economist who worked with a team of researchers to study the impact of green finance on industrialisation in Africa. We also wanted to find out if green innovation influenced the effect that green finance has on industrialisation. (This was measured in this study as the total industrial value added as a percentage of gross domestic product.)

    For example, switching to renewable energy like solar power reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps mitigate climate change. But the high costs of renewable energy equipment could harm industrial growth.

    The research analysed macroeconomic and energy, green finance and industrialisation statistics from 41 African countries between 2000 and 2020.

    Our research found that green finance offers funding opportunities for clean and innovative technologies and creating new jobs in green sectors. However, the potential of green financing to drive industrialisation through green innovation (such as renewable energy projects) is not being realised.

    Read more: How green innovation could be the key to growth for the UK’s rural businesses

    This is because renewable energy comes with high costs. There also are not enough skilled people available to run green projects. There’s a lack of proper roads, connectivity or transmission lines to connect renewable energy to the main grid. The basic conditions for industrial growth through renewable energy are not in place.

    Governments in Africa should find ways to make green innovation work. This will mean that society can enjoy the benefit of new environmentally friendly projects.

    How to make green innovation work

    African governments should focus on increasing people’s access to renewable energy projects. For this to happen, they need to put more funding and effort into developing renewable energy infrastructure. Renewable energy technologies must be available and affordable.

    Education and capacity building is needed, particularly in rural communities. For example, community-owned solar microgrid projects provide people with the skills needed to manage and look after renewable energy systems.

    Governments will need to subsidise local manufacturing of renewable energy components. When these are produced locally, this can help harness the potential of green innovation for industrialisation and also create jobs.

    Countries must co-operate regionally on green innovation. This means sharing best practices, pooling resources, and making coordinated efforts towards green industrialisation.

    Our research found that it would be useful to set up regional centres of excellence for renewable energy research and development. Regional alliances are also needed, so that countries can work together to negotiate better terms for green finance. This could enhance Africa’s journey towards the kind of green industrialisation that is cost effective and sustainable over time.

    What needs to happen next

    These steps would boost the impact of green finance on industrialisation in Africa:

    • more climate finance, including finance from the private sector

    • environmental taxation – a policy tool to limit activities, goods or services that have negative environmental impacts

    • reform of multilateral development agencies to make it easier for African countries to access to climate funds

    • development bank funding tailored to the needs of African countries. Nations that invest in renewable energy manufacturing should get tax breaks and other incentives. Green bonds that only fund renewable energy projects should be issued to attract private investors

    • vocational training and higher education programmes that focus on training people in green technologies must get government funding.

    Africa has a huge problem with trying to build some resilience to the effects of climate change, such as floods and drought. Economic development is also a challenge on the continent. Both could be addressed by green industrialisation. With the right investments in green finance, innovation and infrastructure, the continent can unlock sustainable growth, reduce poverty and help curb climate change.

    – Has finance for green industry had an impact in Africa? What’s happened in 41 countries over 20 years
    – https://theconversation.com/has-finance-for-green-industry-had-an-impact-in-africa-whats-happened-in-41-countries-over-20-years-244567

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Fourth industrial revolution in South Africa: inequality stands in the way of true progress

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Zama Mthombeni, Senior lecturer, University of Pretoria

    In his 2019 State of the Nation address, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he was creating a commission on the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

    The term refers to the integration of advanced digital technologies like AI and robotics, as well as automation, into various economic and social domains. The first (1760s to early 1800s), second (1870s to early 1900s) and third (1950s to late 20th century) industrial revolutions were mechanical and electronic in nature. The 4IR is characterised by the fusion of physical, digital and biological systems. It is fundamentally reshaping industries, work and societies.

    Ramaphosa acknowledged at the time that the 4IR “may lead to job losses”. However, he added, it would also “create many new opportunities”:

    Through this transformation, we can build the South Africa we want, ensuring inclusive and shared growth for all.

    Six years on, the commission’s work has yielded some results. It’s led to the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Institute and the creation of AI hubs in key sectors like healthcare and mining.

    But how do ordinary South Africans view the 4IR? Globally, research has shown that there’s a stark divide in how people view the promises and perils of modern technological advancements. The wealthy, armed with access to education and resources, see opportunity. Marginalised groups, particularly those in lower-income brackets, are left fearing job losses and economic exclusion. Historical and cultural anxieties around technology also play a role in people’s perceptions.

    I’m a researcher whose work explores, among other things, the intersection of technology, policy and governance. I am especially interested in the 4IR in a South African context and recently co-authored a study with development studies scholar Oliver Mtapuri to examine the role of social class on people’s views of technological change.

    We found that wealthier South Africans, particularly those in urban areas, were more optimistic about automation, artificial intelligence and other emerging 4IR technologies than those in lower-income and rural communities. Racial disparities were evident, too. White South Africans were 2.5 times more likely to report feeling comfortable with technological change than Black South Africans.

    These findings can help policymakers understand how best to push for a 4IR in South Africa that doesn’t deepen existing inequalities. This will require inclusive digital policies and expanded access to technology and training. Here South Africa could learn from countries like Germany and Finland.

    Germany is working nationwide to equip workers with the skills needed for an increasingly digital economy. Finland, meanwhile, has focused on active labour market policies. It combines digital training programmes with progressive social welfare measures to support workers transitioning between industries. Both countries have also expanded social protections by extending unemployment benefits and offering financial support for retraining. They’ve also ensured that gig and platform workers have access to social security.

    Marginalised groups left behind

    Our data was drawn from the South African Social Attitudes Survey. It’s a nationally representative survey of 2,736 adults (16 and older). We conducted a secondary analysis of the data. The focus was on questions in the survey about technological change, fears of job displacement and access to digital tools. This, alongside an analysis of demographic data in the survey, allowed us to examine class, race and geographic disparities in perceptions of automation, AI and digital transformation.

    Read more: South Africans are upbeat about new technologies, but worried about jobs

    Some of the key findings were:

    • 56% of South Africans believed that 4IR technologies would lead to job losses rather than job creation. Lower-income groups expressed the highest levels of concern.

    • Unemployment was a key determinant of 4IR scepticism: 63% of unemployed respondents felt threatened by automation, compared to 41% of those currently employed.

    • Only 29% of respondents from rural areas reported having regular access to the internet. The figure was 74% among urban respondents.

    There are structural and historical barriers to lower-income South Africans’ economic mobility, access to quality education and participation in the digital economy.

    Apartheid-era policies entrenched economic disparities. These still show in unequal access to education and infrastructure.

    Today, rural areas lack reliable internet connections. (About 31.18% of South Africa’s population live in rural areas.) This makes it nearly impossible for people to benefit from or contribute to the digital economy.

    Many industries at the forefront of automation, such as manufacturing and agriculture, are those with the highest number of low-skilled workers. Research by the International Labour Organisation emphasises that vulnerable workers all over the world often lack the skills needed in new job markets. This reinforces workers’ fears that technology will replace them.

    Closing the gap: policy solutions

    It will take bold, inclusive policies to address these inequalities.

    The South African government must do more to increase access to technology. It already subsidises internet costs especially to schools. It has also expanded broadband networks into some under-served areas. And it offers free digital skills programmes. The problem is that these efforts are piecemeal. A more cohesive national strategy is needed.

    Read more: The Fourth Industrial Revolution: a seductive idea requiring critical engagement

    Policies must also be developed with those who have been excluded from technological progress. This will allow them to participate fully in the digital economy – and, perhaps, come to understand and trust technology a bit more.

    In practice, this could mean expanding initiatives like the National Digital and Future Skills strategy, which aims to equip citizens with the necessary skills to participate in the digital economy. This focuses on developing digital skills across various sectors and communities, ensuring inclusivity and broad participation.

    Additionally, policies could support township-based digital innovation hubs such as the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct. It provides training, incubation and resources to entrepreneurs from marginalised communities, enabling them to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

    Industries have a role to play, too. Singapore’s Skills Future initiative provides citizens with resources to adapt to changing job markets. This is a good example of government and industry working together. Closer to home, Rwanda’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) brings together “government, industry, civil society and academia to co-design, test and refine policy frameworks and governance protocols that maximise the benefits of new technologies”.

    The 4IR has the potential to transform South Africa. But this will only happen if its benefits are shared equitably among all citizens. Innovation must be re-imagined not as a tool to consolidate wealth and privilege but as a means of creating a more inclusive society.

    – Fourth industrial revolution in South Africa: inequality stands in the way of true progress
    – https://theconversation.com/fourth-industrial-revolution-in-south-africa-inequality-stands-in-the-way-of-true-progress-248475

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: government nabs Coalition policy on foreigners buying houses, Dutton eyes action on insurance companies

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    With the unembarrassed audacity parties show as an election nears, the government has stolen the opposition’s policy to ban foreign investors buying established homes.

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Housing Minister Clare O’Neil have announced foreigners won’t be able to purchase established homes from April 1 for at least two years, with a review to determine whether the ban should be extended.

    When the opposition announced its policy last year, Labor was dismissive, pointing out the numbers were minuscule. But the idea is popular with the public and the government is anxious to neutralise it.

    The turnabout comes immediately ahead of the Reserve Bank’s’s two-day meeting starting Monday, with expectations high that on Tuesday the bank may finally start moving rates down.

    A rate cut would increase speculation Anthony Albanese will opt for an April rather than a May election. That would mean cancelling the March 25 budget.

    With the election fast approaching and polls suggesting a high prospect of a minority government, attention has turned to how crossbenchers would react in the event of a hung parliament.

    Much conjecture is around the “teals” who occupy former Liberal seats but are more progressive than the current Liberal party.

    Opposition leader Peter Dutton said on Sunday: “It would be unusual that if we were able to achieve 72 [a majority is 76] and we were a number of seats ahead of the Labor Party, that there wouldn’t be a guarantee of supply and confidence from the crossbench.

    “But some of them will only ever support the Labor Party. I think if they’re into transparency and honesty, they should be transparent and honest with the public before the election about if you vote for Kate Chaney, are you going to get Anthony Albanese or will she support a Coalition government in a minority situation?”

    Chaney, one of the teals, holds the Western Australian seat of Curtin, which the Liberals believe is a chance for them.

    In their statement about foreign investors, Chalmers and O’Neil said the government would also “crack down” on foreign land banking.

    The ministers admitted these latest initiatives were small but said they were an important part of the government’s broad housing policy,

    “Until now, foreign investors have generally been barred from buying existing property except in limited circumstances, such as when they come to live here for work or study,” they said.

    Under the new arrangements, “foreign investors (including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies) will no longer be able to purchase an established dwelling in Australia while the ban is in place unless an exception applies.”

    On landbanking, the ministers said foreign investors are presently subject to developmental conditions requiring they put vacant land to use within a reasonable time.

    “The Government is focused on making sure these rules are complied with and identifying any investors who are acquiring vacant land, not developing it while prices rise and then selling it for a profit.”

    The Australian Taxation Office and Treasury will be funded for an audit program and to improve compliance.

    Dutton hints at action against insurance companies that ‘rip off’ people

    While Labor sought to shore up its credentials on housing, Dutton was venturing further down the interventionist road, hinting a Coalition government might use divestiture against recalcitrant insurance companies.

    The Coalition has already courted controversy with its threat supermarkets could face divestiture.

    Dutton is now looking more widely, after being concerned about how people in areas recently devastated by fires or floods often haven’t insurance because they can’t afford the increasingly high premiums.

    Asked on Sky whether the Coalition would reduce the cost of insurance, Dutton said, “We need to make sure that we’re not being ripped off by insurance companies.

    “As we’ve done with the supermarkets, where we have threatened divestment if consumers are being ripped off, similarly, in the insurance market, we will intervene to make sure that consumers get a fair go because at the moment people are paying too much for their insurance and what’s resulting is that people aren’t taking out insurance. […] People just simply can’t afford to insure the car or their home at the moment.”

    In a wideranging interview, Dutton cast doubt on whether the opposition would support any extension of government relief on power bills.

    “If it’s going to be inflationary and it’s going to keep interest rates higher for longer and it’s going to keep grocery prices higher for longer and it’s going to keep electricity prices higher for longer, then no.”

    (The relief the government has already provided put downward pressure on inflation.)

    The opposition leader criticised the government for not putting enough effort into its handling of the Trump administration.

    “Every minister should have been cycling through Washington. I’m not aware that other ministers have been to Washington since Penny Wong was there for the inauguration,” he said.

    “If they have, that’s great. But the prime minister probably should have been on a plane to the US, as we’ve seen with other world leaders and there should have been greater engagement with the president earlier on.”

    Dutton apparently forgot the visit made by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who was the first defence minister to meet new defence secretary Pete Hegseth.

    Reminded of the Marles visit, he immediately criticised him. “Richard Marles is a nice guy, but he’s batting fairly significantly down the list in terms of the government’s key hitters.”

    Dutton said Trump had to be seen in a different light to other presidents.

    “Donald Trump is different to any of his predecessors, certainly in the modern age. If you look at his background, he’s a businessman, he does deals, he brings parties together, he swaps contracts. That’s been his background, and it’s not a background, probably, that’s been shared by too many of his predecessors. So, I don’t think you’re taking everything he says literally.”

    Dutton left his options open when asked whether he would replace Kevin Rudd as ambassador to the United States.

    “We have to have an ambassador who is in our country’s best interests. Kevin, obviously, is an accomplished person as prime minister of our country and if he’s the best person for the job, then he should stay in the job.

    “If it turns out that he’s had no access to the White House and no real influence in relation to this [tariff] issue or whatever the next issue might be, then you would have to reassess his position. But at the moment, we’re being told that he’s effective in his advocacy in the administration. I suppose time will tell.

    “My instinct would be to leave him in the job. But […] if there are insurmountable problems that he has, or that the administration has with him, then that would make it very difficult.”

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

    – ref. View from The Hill: government nabs Coalition policy on foreigners buying houses, Dutton eyes action on insurance companies – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-government-nabs-coalition-policy-on-foreigners-buying-houses-dutton-eyes-action-on-insurance-companies-250023

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Has finance for green industry had an impact in Africa? What’s happened in 41 countries over 20 years

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Nara Monkam, Associate Professor of Public Economics, Chair in Municipal Finance within the Department of Economics, and Head of the Public Policy Hub at the University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria

    The African continent finds itself in a predicament. Advanced economies in the rest of the world developed through industrialisation: their economies transformed from mainly agricultural to industrial. This involved burning fossil fuels like coal, generating greenhouse gas emissions that caused global warming.

    African economies have trailed behind industrially. They’re now industrialising at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuels and towards solar power, wind energy and hydropower.

    Africa has 60% of the world’s best solar resources but only 1% of the world’s installed solar power systems. Despite renewable energy capacity nearly doubling in the last decade, only 2% of global investments in renewable energy went to Africa.

    Green industrialisation could be the answer: achieving long-term economic growth and industrial development that does not harm the environment. But in most African countries, renewable energy is more expensive than fossil fuels, which are readily available in many parts of the continent. Africa is also one of the world’s poorest regions and cannot easily afford green technologies.

    So a key issue in economic development is how to stimulate green industrial productivity. Green finance (funding from banks and investors specifically for environmentally friendly projects) can fund green innovations. These include renewable energy technologies, energy-efficient building designs, or electric vehicles.



    Read more:
    Africa doesn’t have a choice between economic growth and protecting the environment: how they can go hand in hand

    I am an economist who worked with a team of researchers to study the impact of green finance on industrialisation in Africa. We also wanted to find out if green innovation influenced the effect that green finance has on industrialisation. (This was measured in this study as the total industrial value added as a percentage of gross domestic product.)

    For example, switching to renewable energy like solar power reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps mitigate climate change. But the high costs of renewable energy equipment could harm industrial growth.

    The research analysed macroeconomic and energy, green finance and industrialisation statistics from 41 African countries between 2000 and 2020.

    Our research found that green finance offers funding opportunities for clean and innovative technologies and creating new jobs in green sectors. However, the potential of green financing to drive industrialisation through green innovation (such as renewable energy projects) is not being realised.



    Read more:
    How green innovation could be the key to growth for the UK’s rural businesses

    This is because renewable energy comes with high costs. There also are not enough skilled people available to run green projects. There’s a lack of proper roads, connectivity or transmission lines to connect renewable energy to the main grid. The basic conditions for industrial growth through renewable energy are not in place.

    Governments in Africa should find ways to make green innovation work. This will mean that society can enjoy the benefit of new environmentally friendly projects.

    How to make green innovation work

    African governments should focus on increasing people’s access to renewable energy projects. For this to happen, they need to put more funding and effort into developing renewable energy infrastructure. Renewable energy technologies must be available and affordable.

    Education and capacity building is needed, particularly in rural communities. For example, community-owned solar microgrid projects provide people with the skills needed to manage and look after renewable energy systems.

    Governments will need to subsidise local manufacturing of renewable energy components. When these are produced locally, this can help harness the potential of green innovation for industrialisation and also create jobs.

    Countries must co-operate regionally on green innovation. This means sharing best practices, pooling resources, and making coordinated efforts towards green industrialisation.

    Our research found that it would be useful to set up regional centres of excellence for renewable energy research and development. Regional alliances are also needed, so that countries can work together to negotiate better terms for green finance. This could enhance Africa’s journey towards the kind of green industrialisation that is cost effective and sustainable over time.

    What needs to happen next

    These steps would boost the impact of green finance on industrialisation in Africa:

    • more climate finance, including finance from the private sector

    • environmental taxation – a policy tool to limit activities, goods or services that have negative environmental impacts

    • reform of multilateral development agencies to make it easier for African countries to access to climate funds

    • development bank funding tailored to the needs of African countries. Nations that invest in renewable energy manufacturing should get tax breaks and other incentives. Green bonds that only fund renewable energy projects should be issued to attract private investors

    • vocational training and higher education programmes that focus on training people in green technologies must get government funding.

    Africa has a huge problem with trying to build some resilience to the effects of climate change, such as floods and drought. Economic development is also a challenge on the continent. Both could be addressed by green industrialisation. With the right investments in green finance, innovation and infrastructure, the continent can unlock sustainable growth, reduce poverty and help curb climate change.

    Nara Monkam receives funding from the University of Pretoria.

    – ref. Has finance for green industry had an impact in Africa? What’s happened in 41 countries over 20 years – https://theconversation.com/has-finance-for-green-industry-had-an-impact-in-africa-whats-happened-in-41-countries-over-20-years-244567

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –