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  • MIL-Evening Report: How Marvel’s Fantastic Four discovered the human in the superhuman

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By J. Andrew Deman, Professor of English, University of Waterloo

    The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the second cinematic reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, and there’s a lot riding on this film.

    While cinema-goers have responded enthusiastically to many of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the history of the Fantastic Four on the silver screen is less heralded.

    All the previous Fantastic Four films have been “commercial and critical failures,” with the 2015 film being an infamous box office bomb.

    Yet in comics history, the Fantastic Four have been up to the challenge of driving a popular media enterprise forward — something that the film producers and Marvel fans alike are both now hoping for.

    ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ trailer.

    In the 1960s — the era in which Fantastic Four: First Steps, is notably set — the comics presented a new class of superhero.

    From their 1961 debut, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/the Invisible Girl, Johnny Storm/the Human Torch and Ben Grimm/the Thing were celebrities who rented office space in a Manhattan highrise and found themselves variously beloved and reviled by both the public and the government.

    Cover of ‘The Fantastic Four’ No. 1, 1961.
    (Marvel)

    The team also rejected secret identities. Until the third issue of their series, they even eschewed superhero costumes (in part because of a restriction imposed by the owner of Marvel’s then-distributor, DC Comics).

    Pushed representational boundaries

    The Fantastic Four comics of the 1960s also pushed boundaries in a number of significant ways. They featured the first pair of married superheroes (Reed and Sue wed in 1965) and the first superhero pregnancy (Sue gave birth to her son Franklin in 1968).

    In 1966, Fantastic Four No. 52 introduced the Black Panther, who is widely recognized as the first high-profile Black superhero.



    Read more:
    *Black Panther* roars. Are we listening?

    And though not canonical until 2002, it has been suggested by scholars that Ben Grimm was always envisioned as a Jewish superhero by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, offering another milestone in representation (at least for those readers attuned to the character’s Jewish coding).

    These milestones emphasize a dedicated concern for the human aspects of superheroes.

    A family with relatable issues

    Set amid fittingly fantastic science-fiction landscapes inspired by Space Age optimism was a story about a family who “fought among themselves, sometimes over petty jealousies and insults,” in the words of Christopher Pizzino, an American scholar of contemporary literature, film and television.

    This approach of building character dynamics out of internal conflict proved deeply influential.

    Famed comics writer Grant Morrison argues that through the example of Fantastic Four, “the Marvel superhero was born: a hero who tussled not only with monsters and mad scientists but also with relatable personal issues.”

    In his bestselling book All the Marvels, comics critic and historian Douglas Wolk concurs that the “first hundred issues of Fantastic Four are Marvel’s Bible and manual,” establishing the style, theme, genre and approach of the company’s comics for decades to come.

    Marvel’s universe continued to expand following the Fantastic Four debut.
    (Marvel)

    Defining personal conflicts

    In contrast to moral paragons such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (all published by rival DC Comics), each member of Marvel’s Fantastic Four had defining personal conflicts.

    Reed Richards, the team’s patriarch, was a world-altering genius who often fell victim to his own hubristic ambition.

    Two years before American feminist author Betty Friedan identified “the problem that has no name” in The Feminine Mystique (that post-war suburban housewives faced social expectations of being fully fulfilled as wives and mothers, the Fantastic Four gave audiences Sue Storm, with the superpower to render herself — and others — invisible at will.

    Storm, according to scholar Ramzi Fawaz, “made the concept of women’s social invisibility an object of visual critique by making invisible bodies and objects conspicuous on the comic book page.”

    Her younger brother, Johnny Storm, a playboy and showboat, had a lot of growing up to do, a journey that was frustrated by his flashy powers.

    Ben Grimm, Reed’s college roommate turned best friend turned rock monster, oscillated between childlike rage and world-weary depression, his rocky hide granting him super-strength and invulnerability while burdening him with social isolation.

    While none of us are likely to acquire superpowers through exposure to cosmic rays like the Four, we’ve all dealt with anxiety and grief like these heroes.

    Origin of the Marvel universe

    The world of the Fantastic Four didn’t just feel unusually human. It also felt unusually lived in, partly because the Fantastic Four comics of the 1960s weren’t just the origin of the Marvel style of storytelling — they were also the origin of the Marvel universe.

    Fantastic Four began and became the model for Marvel’s shared continuity universe, in which dozens of superheroes passed in and out of each other’s stories and occasionally intersected long enough for whole crossover story arcs and events. For a time, Marvel’s superheroes even aged alongside their readers, with teenage characters like Johnny Storm graduating high school and enrolling in college.

    Previous superhero comics hadn’t embraced this shared continuity in a meaningful way, tending to prioritize discrete stories that had no effect on future tales. But Fantastic Four pitched what comics scholar Charles Hatfield calls “intertitle continuity,” which quickly became “Marvel’s main selling tool.”

    Case in point, the Fantastic Four shared the cover of 1963’s Amazing Spider-Man No. 1, helping sell the newly created wall-crawler to their adoring readers.

    Voluminous, chaotic universe

    The 1965 wedding of Reed and Sue in Fantastic Four Annual No. 3 showcased how quickly the Marvel comics universe became vibrantly voluminous and charmingly chaotic.

    This event featured at least 19 superheroes fighting 28 supervillains and foregrounded the Fantastic Four’s symbolic mother and father as the progenitors of an extended super-family.

    It also featured a cameo by the Fantastic Four’s creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, previously introduced in 1963’s Fantastic Four No. 10 as the official creators of imaginary adventures starring the “real” Fantastic Four, further blurring the boundary between fiction and reality.

    Decades later, this sprawling comics universe would become a sprawling cinematic universe. This informs the pressure facing the latest Fantastic Four adaptation.

    Phase 6 of universe

    Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the start of what Marvel calls “Phase Six” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began in 2008 with the first Marvel Studios film, Iron Man.

    Essentially, Fantastic Four: First Steps is meant to launch a new cluster of shared universe stories, just as Fantastic Four No. 1 did for Marvel Comics in the 1960s.

    This cluster will culminate in the release of Avengers: Secret Wars in December 2027. Will Marvel’s first family deliver?

    This article is co-authored by Anna Peppard, an independent scholar and editor of ‘Supersex: Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero.’

    J. Andrew Deman 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. How Marvel’s Fantastic Four discovered the human in the superhuman – https://theconversation.com/how-marvels-fantastic-four-discovered-the-human-in-the-superhuman-260883

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Manchester Day music-filled bonanza strikes a chord with crowd of thousands

    Source: City of Manchester

    Thousands turned out this weekend for Manchester’s favourite day of the year that saw a fantastic programme of free family fun to help celebrate the city’s homegrown musical talent and this year’s big summer of live music in the city.

    More than fifty thousand people took to the streets during the day for the annual celebration of the city which once again did not disappoint. 

    Inspired by what is proving to be a sensational summer of music in Manchester, they enjoyed pop-up performances, astounding acrobatics, and banging beats throughout the city’s streets and squares as the whole city came together for Manchester Day 2025.

    The council worked with outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank on a programme for the day that was full of surprises and lots of free fun all with a musical twist.

    The day kicked off with a mini parade at 12 noon from St Peter’s Square, that made its way along Deansgate and on to the Cathedral.  

    Led by two fantastical creatures, and with over 400 participants, including live bands, dancing birds, plenty of drummers, and Manchester’s very own Queen Bee, as well as some of Manchester’s many community groups dancing and performing their way along the route in a riot of colour and sound, it was a clear crowd-pleaser.

    Sparks flew as the world’s largest dhol drum rolled into town, opening up to reveal amazing dancers and drummers, whilst award-winning dance company Levantes were dressed to impress with their ‘High Tea with a Twist’ performance in the middle of the crowds on New Cathedral Street.

    From daring acrobatics with hula hoops and fire, to West End show tunes, juggling drummers, a hip-hop wrestling ring, a pair of the muddiest footballers ever seen, plus two musical cats in a giant birdcage with a larger-than-life canary, the day was full of non-stop surprises.

    A majestic lion, cheeky gorilla, baby orangutan in a basket, giant seagulls, and a host of marvellous bees and butterflies also wandered the streets, entertaining the crowds.

    The day also included back-stage tours of Manchester Opera House, and a host of free have-a-go activities for youngsters of all ages to join in with – from circus skills, drumming workshops and ukulele introduction sessions, to music-themed craft activities and ever popular sports pop-ups.

    The day was brought to a spectacular finish with a show-stopping finale collaboration between English National Opera and Walk the Plank that saw a massed choir of 100 community choir members and football fans, accompanied by members of the Chorus of ENO, and student singers from the Royal Northern College of Music, singing their hearts out as internationally acclaimed soprano and BRIT nominee Camilla Kerslake sailed into Cathedral Gardens in a magnificent silver gondola, to perform the ‘Queen of the Night aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, alongside award-winning baritone Marcus Farnsworth singing the ‘Toreador’ from Bizet’s Carmen.

    The stunning performance had everyone in the crowd clapping and cheering for more as it ended in a burst of coloured smoke and red and blue confetti filled the air, raining down onto the cheering crowds below.

    Councillor Pat Karney, Chair of Manchester Day, said: “The whole of Manchester was a sea of smiling faces and sheer joy as over fifty thousand people came together to celebrate our special city.

    “It was all about the Manchester magic. The sort of magic that unites people and pulls crowds together in appreciation of the sheer joy and vibrancy of our richly diverse city.

    “It was just magical seeing the faces of all the children and tiny tots completely wowed by the parade and all the fabulous street entertainment.

    “Manchester is the only UK city that has its own celebration day. And that’s because we love our city so much and want to show it off to the world.  There is nowhere else on this planet that I’d rather live.”

    Manchester Day 2025 was sponsored by Manchester Airport Group, with activations across the city on the day by Red Bull, Capri Beach Club, Shaken Udder, Just My Look, Manchester Originals, and The Cut & Craft.  The event was also backed by Redgate and Department, and partners Great Northern Warehouse and The Opera House, as well as through long-standing partnerships with Biffa and Manchester Evening News.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Update: Investigations continue into Shooting at Munno Para West

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man has died after a shooting incident at Munno Para West.

    Just after 11pm on Saturday 26 July, police were called to a house on Stebonheath Road after reports of a disturbance.

    A struggle has occurred between two men at the house after one of the men made threats with a firearm.

    Patrols arrived and found a 53-year-old Taperoo man dead from a gunshot wound, believed to be from a gun in his possession.

    The gun was recovered nearby.

    A 31-year-old man from the house is assisting police with their enquiries.

    As a result of ongoing investigations into the incident police today, Sunday 27 July have arrested two women and a man in relation to a report of a disturbance which occurred on the evening of Saturday 26 July at a hotel on Main North Road, Smithfield.

    This disturbance is believed to be linked to the Munno Para West incident.

    A 21-year-old woman from Blakeview was arrested and charged with affray and act likely to cause harm, a 22-year-old woman from Munno Para West and a 31-year-old man from Campbelltown were both arrested and charged with affray.

    The group have all been served a three-month liquor licence barring order, excluding them from the hotel.

    They have been bailed to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on the 9 September.

    The trio are continuing to assist police with their enquiries, and it is believed all parties are known to each other.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – WA continues its streak as Australia’s strongest economic performer: CommSec State of the States – CBA

    Source: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)

    Strong retail and business investment keep WA on top, while anticipated rate cuts could eventually support a lift in performance for NSW and Victoria.

    Western Australia has once again claimed the top spot in the latest CommSec State of the States report, leading the nation’s economic performance rankings for a fourth consecutive quarter.

    South Australia also began 2025 with a bang, climbing from fourth to second, driven by solid gains across several key indicators.

    The State of the States report determines which Australian state or territory economy is performing best by tracking eight key economic indicators and comparing the latest observation with decade averages (or the “normal”).

    “Western Australia led across several economic measures, taking first place in retail trade, housing finance, and business investment. Meanwhile South Australia ranks first on two indicators – construction work and dwelling starts,” Chief CommSec Economist Ryan Felsman said.

    “Overall, the economic performance of Australia’s states and territories is being supported by a combination of slowing inflation, falling interest rates, rising real wages, robust government spending and a solid labour market.

    “But economic growth has moderated, held back by slowing public investment, population growth and household spending. The future path will depend on the resiliency of the job market, further interest rate cuts and US President Donald Trump’s trade policies.”

    In the July 2025 edition of the State of the States:

    Western Australia leads the national performance rankings for the fourth successive report. The state is ranked first on three of the eight economic indicators – retail trade, housing finance and equipment spending.

    South Australia has jumped to second from fourth after a strong start to 2025, with a pickup in consumer spending and business investment. South Australia now leads other economies on dwelling starts and construction work done, lifting from second spot in the previous quarter.

    Queensland stays third, ranking second on relative unemployment and housing finance, but consumer activity in the southeast of the state was disrupted in the March quarter by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

    Victoria dropped from second to fourth place. The state is in third spot on four indicators but is held back by weakness in relative unemployment. Victoria stays in second spot for retail spending with it being 10 per cent above its ‘normal’ levels or the decade average.

    Tasmania is steady in fifth place – ranking first on relative unemployment, with the trend jobless rate at a record low 3.8 per cent in June. But the state is held back by relative population growth, which is at the weakest level in nearly a decade.

    New South Wales slips back to sixth from equal fifth position due to a delayed transition from public to private sector led growth, while the ACT joins NSW in sixth, ranking first on relative economic growth, constrained by more modest public demand and weak business investment

    The Northern Territory stays in eighth place despite strength in relative population growth. The decade-average method of assessing economic performance disadvantages the Top End given significant LNG construction over 2012–18 inflated a range of economic indicators. That said, the Territory has lifted its economic performance in the past 12 months.

    Annual growth rates

    The State of the States report also compares the annual growth rates across the eight major indicators, enabling comparisons in terms of more recent economic momentum. This quarter’s report revealed:

    • The commodities and tourism-focused state of Western Australia continues to outperform the rest of the nation, also ranking first on four of the eight key economic indicators. Population growth is particularly strong.
    • South Australia is the big improver, also jumping to second from fourth spot, supported by a pick-up in consumer spending, business investment and construction activity.
    • The Northern Territory lifts from fifth to third due to robust growth in business investment and construction activity.
    • Queensland slips to fourth from second following a fall in coal and agricultural exports caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
    • Victoria dips from third to fifth despite above-average net overseas migration, supporting household spending.
    • New South Wales joins Victoria in fifth, up from sixth, with Sydney’s heavily mortgaged households benefiting from interest rate cuts.
    • The ACT (seventh) and Tasmania (eighth) are both being held back by weakness in private sector investment.

    About the CommSec State of the States Report

    The July 2025 edition of the State of the States report uses the most recent economic data available. While population growth data relates to the December quarter of 2024, other data – such as unemployment – is much timelier, covering the month of June 2025, with the majority of the other indicators using March quarter of 2025 figures.

    CommSec, the self-directed broking arm of Australia’s largest bank, assesses the performance of each state and territory on a quarterly basis using eight key indicators. Those indicators include economic growth, retail spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements.

    Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) uses long-term averages to determine the level of “normal” interest rates, CommSec compares the key indicators to decade averages; that is, against “normal” performance.

    CommSec also compares annual growth rates for eight key indicators for all states and territories, in addition to Australia as a whole, enabling a comparison of economic momentum.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Education – Family Tradition: Son Joins Mum’s Path in Civil Engineering at Whitireia and WelTec

    Source: Whitireia and WelTec

    Young Wellingtonian Sean Hoffman is forging his own path in civil engineering, inspired by the journey of his mother, Michelle-herself a graduate of the New Zealand Diploma of Engineering (Civil) at Whitireia and WelTec. Their story is a testament to the power of family influence, hands-on learning, and the exceptional support provided by the Whitireia and WelTec teaching staff.
    Michelle and Sean share more than a surname; both found their passion outside the classroom, preferring hands-on activities over textbooks from an early age. Their natural inclination for building and creating led them to careers in engineering.
    Michelle’s journey began after she left school at year 12, completed a Diploma in Business, and spent several years as a stay-at-home mum before stepping into the world of civil engineering through an administrative role.
    “Once the kids went to school and I had a bit of extra time, I decided to go back to work and got a receptionist role,” Michelle recalls. “I didn’t know much about the company or the industry initially, but I gradually progressed through different roles from reception to contract administrator and was learning more and more. It was at that point that I decided to upskill and found the New Zealand Diploma of Engineering (Civil) at Whitireia and WelTec.”
    Balancing full-time work and part-time study, Michelle is now a qualified project manager. “I’m now working as a project manager and am really loving the variety. It means that I can be in the office or out on the site depending on what work needs to be done. It’s the best of both worlds,” Michelle says.
    Sean, inspired by his mother’s determination and success, is now in his first year of the same diploma. Having worked with civil contracting companies since he was young, Sean initially resisted the idea of following in his mother’s footsteps, even spending a year at university in Otago. But the pull of Civil Engineering-and Michelle’s gentle encouragement-proved too strong to ignore.
    “Mum says she always saw that I had the right kind of brain for Civil Engineering but I kind of pushed against the idea of going into the industry and decided to get out of Wellington and went to University in Otago for a year. I guess Mum was right though, and after that year I came back and decided to study Civil Engineering at Whitireia and WelTec and I am really enjoying it,” Sean admits. “The close-knit learning environments and supportive teaching staff have made a huge difference for my learning.”
    He’s now thriving at Whitireia and WelTec, relishing the opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world projects during his weekend job. “I have been working for different civil engineering firms on week

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Cultural values shape tourists’ view of eco-friendly B&Bs

    Source:

    28 July 2025

    The demand for ‘greener’ bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation is gaining traction worldwide, but operators should heed cultural differences when marketing their sustainable facilities, according to a new international study.

    Led by Hong Kong Shue Yan University and the University of South Australia, the survey of 800 people from 37 countries examined how cultural values, age and education levels influenced tourists’ acceptance of environmentally sustainable features in B&Bs.

    Previous global studies have indicated that many tourists are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly accommodation, but this is the first time that researchers have focused specifically on cultural attitudes towards B&B sustainable practices.

    The study focused on five categories of sustainable facilities: water treatment systems (rainwater harvesting systems, greywater); greenery systems (sky gardens and vertical green walls); sanitation (hand sanitiser and air purification units); ventilation (natural air or air conditioning); and eco-friendly facilities (LED lights, organic composting bins).

    Tourists from rules-based, autocratic and hierarchical countries such as China, India and Malaysia expressed the strongest support for all types of green features in B&Bs. Deemed ‘high-power distance’ cultures, citizens of these countries were more likely to use energy-saving products and choose natural ventilation over air conditioning, the survey revealed.

    University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers Dr Li Meng and Professor Simon Beecham, who co-authored the study published in Consumer Behaviour in Tourism and Hospitality, say other cultural dimensions were less clear cut.

    “Western cultures such as Australia, the United Kingdom and United States, appreciated rooftop gardens and vertical green walls, but these features were not strong factors in whether they chose a bed and breakfast,” according to the UniSA researchers.

    Tourists from risk-averse cultures such as Japan, France and Greece were less likely to embrace B&Bs with natural ventilation, preferring to control their environment with air conditioning, the researchers say.

    Highly-educated travellers rated sanitation and eco-friendly features more favourably, and younger tourists placed greater value on green systems than older people.

    “These findings challenge assumptions that all green tourists are alike,” says lead author Professor Rita Yi Man Li from Hong Kong Shue Yan University.

    “Many accommodation providers want to operate more sustainably, but few have considered how cultural values affect guest preferences,” Prof Li says.

    “This research shows that guests from different cultural backgrounds respond differently to the same green features. Understanding these nuances can help B&B owners tailor their sustainability investments more effectively depending on their most important tourism markets.”

    Dr Meng says younger guests may be drawn to visible features like rooftop gardens, while more educated visitors may look for practical elements like composting, LED lighting, or air purification systems.

    The researchers say that governments also have a role to play in supporting the development of sustainable B&Bs.

    By offering incentives, investing in sustainable infrastructure, and developing policies such as easing travel restrictions and visa policies, governments can help expand the international customer base for eco-friendly B&Bs, the study recommended.

    ‘Does culture really matter? A cross-cultural study of demand for B&B sustainable facilities’ is published in Consumer Behaviour in Tourism and Hospitality. DOI: 10.1108/CBTH-04-2024-0135. The study involved a cross-disciplinary team of researchers with expertise in economics, real estate, literature and environmental science.

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

    UniSA researcher contact: Professor Simon Beecham E: simon.beecham@unisa.edu.au
    Hong Kong Shue Yan University researcher contact: Professor Rita Li E: ymli@hksyu.edu

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer Opening Remarks During Full Committee Markup of Fiscal Year 2026 National Security and Department of State Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), delivered opening remarks at the House Appropriations Full Committee Markup of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Agencies Bill. Below is a transcript of his remarks:
     

    “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. There are many ways to sound retreat. Silence is one of them. Failure to articulate the principles of democracy and defense. Failing to fund properly the defense of democracy here and around the world. The chairman of this subcommittee and I have voted almost exactly alike over a long period of time, ensuring that we opposed communist dictatorship in a little island not too far from our shores.

    “Some of you perhaps saw my statement the day after we bombed Iran’s nuclear capacity in support of that action. I fully subscribe to the remarks of the Subcommittee Chairman in articulating the deficiencies of this bill, in articulating, in sounding a clear trumpet again here and around the world of America’s willingness to stand against dictators, despots, and war criminals. I also will take no second spot in my defense of Israel. And I thank the gentleman for – and the gentlelady for assuring that our intent to defend Israel and oppose those who want to kill Jews.

    “A few months ago, when DOGE eliminated [the] Near Eastern Regional Democracy Fund – which supported pro-democracy Iranian activists – the Ayatollah’s regime celebrated. An Iranian newspaper affiliated with Khomeini’s government praised the decision, writing, and I quote, ‘Trump, who was expected to undermine Iran, has instead disrupted the opposition.’ I think perhaps they’ve changed their views as a result of the Administration’s action in Iran just a few days ago. China was similarly elated when the Trump Administration gutted Voice of America early this year. Reacting to that news, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper said, ‘How truly gratifying.’ He said that China was thrilled to see the program and, I quote, ‘crumble from within, scattering like a flock of startled birds.’ The reaction was similar in Russia, where the head of one of Vladimir Putin’s state media agencies said, and again, I quote, ‘Today is a holiday for me and my colleagues.’ These are Russian colleagues. ‘This is an awesome decision by Trump.’ ‘We couldn’t shut them down,’ the spokesman continued, ‘unfortunately, but America did so itself.’ The axis of aggression will have the same reaction to this bill.

    “Russia, China, Iran, and others are already working to fill in the vacuum the bill would help create on the global stage. China, Russia, and other adversaries are pouring money into foreign initiatives to expand their influence around the world. They’re training more diplomats and analysts. They are forging closer economic ties with developing nations, as the Chair Lady [Frankel] said. Investing in diplomacy and foreign aid is not simply the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do. It builds goodwill toward the United States. It helps stop humanitarian crises that would otherwise put additional strain on our broken immigration system. It helps stop the spread of dangerous diseases from HIV to Ebola to Covid. Crucially, investing in these programs enhances our national security without endangering our military service members.
     
    “I echo what Marco Rubio said in 2017: ‘Foreign aid is not charity. We must make sure it is well spent, but it is less than 1% of our budget and critical to our national security.’ That was the Secretary of State who said that in 2017. How sad to see him rationalize disinvestment, contradicting his own words. In just the past few weeks, we’ve seen the Administration purge over 1,300 employees from the State Department, allegedly to improve efficiency and perhaps because our foreign challenges have become less complicated. I had two separate constituents who were dismissed. They’re concerned that the purge will undermine the State Department’s ability to process American passports.

    “I will yield, and I would hope somebody would yield to me to continue my statement.”

    (Rep. Jim Clyburn yields for Mr. Hoyer to continue his remarks.)

    “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Alford is one of my better friends on the Republican side. I respect him. I respect his remarks, and we are pleased, as the gentleman observed, that PEPFAR has been saved. It was saved from DOGE, it was saved from the Trump Administration. And yes, we support that effort, and we applaud the Chairman of the Subcommittee for doing that. However, when the gentleman talks about limited resources, there are limited resources. I care a great deal about the debt. We need to deal with $37 trillion of debt or my great grandchildren are going to be in real trouble. My grandchildren are going to be in trouble. Maybe my children won’t be in so much trouble. But we need to deal with that debt.

    “But a Republican former vice president who was governor of our state once said: ‘The cost of failure far exceeds the price of progress.’ That was Spiro Agnew. The cost of failure exceeds the price of progress. On your side, you made a determination. You were going to raise our debt by $5 trillion. Some people who had never voted to raise debt before voted to raise the debt by $5 trillion, and then you spent that additional debt, giving $3.4 trillion to some of the wealthiest people in America. Now, there were some who were not so wealthy [who] also got some small relief. So yes, this bill does some good things, but it is silent, and I think one of the biggest challenges to which John Kennedy was speaking, that, ‘we will pay any price, bear any burden to defend freedom here and around the world.’

    “And we have a dictator, despot, anti-democrat – with a small ‘d’ – attacking a democratic country, an ally of ours. We have had 12 votes on supporting Ukraine. There’s not a single Democrat [that] voted against Ukraine in those, and the overwhelming majority of Republicans voted for these 12 votes. An average of 79% of us in the Congress of the United States supported defending and helping Ukraine defend itself. Yet, as I understand it, there’s not a single word in this national security bill about Ukraine. I think the gentleman from Illinois has an amendment that may deal tangentially with Ukraine, but this bill is essentially silent. That’s what I mean about sounding retreat.

    “Now, we won’t know the full scope of the damage of this bill for a long time to come. I hope it’s a long time. It maybe sooner. We talk about China. We talk about Taiwan and supporting that $500 million. I guarantee you the message we send to China if Ukraine loses will be louder than anything this bill says. Many of those forced out of [the Department of State] were intelligence analysts specializing in Russia and China. Others focused on counterterrorism, on stopping drug trafficking. Some were tasked with ensuring America’s energy dominance. Maintaining America’s security and influence around the world is not a partisan issue. It has not been for me a single day I’ve been in this institution. I supported almost all of Ronald Reagan’s buildup, and I think it led directly to the ability of Gorbachev to look his industrial complex in the eye and say, ‘We can’t compete with America.’

    “We ought to put this legislation aside and act on the bipartisan consensus that I believe still exists on these priorities. I pray it still exists. If America retreats, our adversaries will inevitably advance. Are there some good things in this bill? There are. But they are woefully inadequate in so many other ways. I urge the defeat of this bill and yield back the balance of my time.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer Statement on the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today to recognize the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):

    “When President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law thirty-five years ago today, we took one of the greatest steps in our nation’s history toward expanding the ‘the blessings of liberty’ promised to all Americans under the Constitution. It opened doors, both literally and figuratively, for millions of people living with disabilities, enabling them to live with greater dignity, independence, equality, and opportunity. Crucially, it changed the hearts and minds of the American people. The ADA sought to alleviate the stigma and prejudice against those with disabilities.

    “I was proud to serve as the lead House sponsor of the ADA. That historic legislation was only possible because of bipartisan cooperation in the Congress and grassroots advocacy throughout the country. Later, we built on that civil rights progress with the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.

    “At a time of division and gridlock, and an Administration undermining access to health care for millions, this anniversary ought to remind us of what we can achieve through cooperation. Today, many people with disabilities still face discrimination in health care, housing, employment, and other crucial aspects of American life. We have a duty to support with them not simply for their sake but for the sake of that age-old American promise that ‘all men are created equal.’ Let us make it so.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Barnaby Joyce wants Australia to abandon net zero – but his 4 central claims don’t stack up

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Vines, Post-doctoral researcher, Green Lab, Monash University

    One-time Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce sought to dominate the first sitting week of the current federal parliament by proposing a divisive plan to reverse Australia’s net zero emissions target.

    The campaign, backed by fellow former Nationals leader Michael McCormack, aims to repeal what Joyce calls Australia’s “lunatic crusade” of net zero by 2050. It comes as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley convenes a working group to set a way forward on climate and energy policy following the Coalition’s historic election defeat.

    Meanwhile, the Albanese government is considering Australia’s next round of emissions reduction targets. And scientists warn just three years remain for the world to keep global warming below the vital 1.5°C threshold.

    If Australia is to take meaningful climate action, federal parliament must engage with the facts honestly and without distortion. So let’s take a closer look at whether Joyce and McCormack’s latest claims withstand scrutiny.

    Claim 1: Australia’s net zero policy will not address climate change

    Joyce describes as “perverse” the notion that Australia’s net zero goal can meaningfully help address global climate change.

    This claim is not backed by science.

    Every tonne of greenhouse gas emissions adds to global warming. What’s more, Joyce’s claim ignores the near-universal agreement of nations signed up to the Paris Agreement – including Australia – to pursue efforts (including domestic measures) to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

    It’s true that collective national efforts to curb warming have so far been insufficient. But that doesn’t mean they should be abandoned.

    Claim 2: Global support for net zero is waning

    McCormack claims there is a growing global shift against net zero, and Joyce describes it as “a peculiar minority position”.

    This statement is not backed by evidence.

    In fact, the number of countries, cities, businesses and other institutions pledging to get to net-zero is growing.

    In the United States, President Donald Trump has dismantled climate policy, damaging that nation’s progress towards net zero. But many US states have retained the target, and global climate action will continue regardless of Trump’s actions.

    A landmark court ruling this week is likely to further strengthen global pressure for nations to ramp up emissions reduction. The advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice observed countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change – including by regulating the fossil fuel industry.

    As others have noted, Australia must now reconsider its stance on approving new fossil fuel projects – including those geared to export markets.

    the International Court of Justice said countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change.
    JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

    Claims 3: the net zero goal is a security threat

    Joyce claims a net zero policy agenda is “treacherous” for Australia’s security and will “inflame our incapacity” to contend with geopolitical threats.

    But evidence suggests the opposite is true. There is a significant link between climate change and certain types of military conflicts.

    Research predicts the Australian Defence Force will become involved in more wars as the climate crisis escalates, and respond to more frequent climate-related disasters inside our borders.

    Claim 4: net zero is bad for regional Australia

    Both Joyce and McCormack say the net zero target and associated renewable energy rollout is devastating regional Australia. The Institute of Public Affairs, a prominent right-wing think tank, this week launched a documentary making similar claims.

    Joyce cited division in rural communities over renewable energy. In reality, there is significant support in regional Australia for such technology. A poll last year by Farmers for Climate Action found 70% of regional Australians in renewable energy zones support the development of renewable energy projects on local farmland.

    Joyce also pointed to “the removal of agricultural land from production” to support his stance. However, analysis shows very little farmland is required for the clean energy transition.

    What’s more, the cost of inaction is high. Climate change is disproportionately affecting cost of living for regional households – for example, due to higher insurance premiums.

    Joyce also appears deaf to the myriad regional voices calling for stronger climate action.

    The Mackay Conservation Group, for example, is challenging Whitehaven’s Winchester South coal mine in Queensland’s Land Court. Similarly, an environment group based in the NSW Hunter Valley this week successfully appealed the expansion of MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant coal mine.

    Only facts can stop a new wave of climate wars

    Clearly, the efforts of Joyce and McCormack to undermine Australia’s net zero goal are not backed by evidence.

    The Coalition must heed the facts – not backbench pressure – as it weighs its climate and energy policy. Only then can Australia avoid reigniting the divisive climate wars that stalled progress and positioned Australia as a global laggard.

    Likewise, the Albanese government must not be distracted from the climate action task. Australia’s next round of climate targets should be based on the best available science, and make a meaningful, credible contribution to the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

    Ella Vines 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. Barnaby Joyce wants Australia to abandon net zero – but his 4 central claims don’t stack up – https://theconversation.com/barnaby-joyce-wants-australia-to-abandon-net-zero-but-his-4-central-claims-dont-stack-up-261837

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘We pose no threat – our aim is to break the siege’: Tan Safi on joining the Handala Gaza flotilla

    No New Zealanders were on board the Handala in the latest arrest and abductions of Freedom Flotilla crew on humanitarian siege-busting missions to Gaza. However, two Australians were and one talks to The New Arab just before the attack on Saturday.

    INTERVIEW: By Sebastian Shehadi

    The Handala, a 1968 Norwegian trawler repurposed by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail for Gaza from southern Italy on July 20, carrying around 21 people and a cargo of food, medical kits, baby formula, water desalination units and more.

    The ship is named after the iconic Palestinian cartoon figure, Handala, who symbolises Palestinian identity, resilience and the ongoing struggle against displacement and occupation.

    Just hours before departure, the crew uncovered deliberate sabotage: a rope tightly bound around the propeller and a sulfuric acid swap mistaken for water, leading to chemical burns in two people.

    Despite this alarming start, the mission continued, echoing the defiance of past flotilla efforts such as the interception of the Madleen in June and the Israeli drone strike on the Conscience in May.

    However, contact with the vessel was reported lost on July 24, with coalition officials warning that communications have been jammed and drones have been seen near the ship, raising concerns about interception or further hostile action.

    The mission resumed following the brief two-hour communications blackout. “Connection has now been re-established. ‘Handala’ is continuing its mission and is currently less than 349 nautical miles from Gaza,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced on Telegram on July 25.

    Then on Saturday, the Israeli military attacked the ship and violently detained and “abducted” the entire crew and issued a statement saying they were “safe” and on their way to Israel.

    The New Arab spoke to one of Handala’s crew, Lebanese-Australian filmmaker, human rights activist and journalist Tan Safi, before the arrest to find out more about the mission and why she chose to be on board this mission:

    The New Arab: How’s the mood on the ship at the moment?
     Tan Safi: The morale of everyone at the moment is high, as everyone is happy to be here. Of course, different emotions come up, and we talk them out, but as a collective, we’re all looking out for one another. Everyone is very caring and kind.

    We are a group of 21 people from 10 different countries. We have a very proud grandmother, as well as MPs, nurses, a human rights lawyer, a comedian, an actor, human rights activists and more. We’re from many different walks of life, and we pose absolutely no threat to anyone.

    We’re simply trying to challenge something illegal. Like previous Freedom Flotilla actions, we will be sailing through international waters into Palestinian territorial waters.

    Australian Handala crew member Tan Safi . . . “Back in 2010, we sent a flotilla that was caught in a deadly raid. The Israelis came in a helicopter, boarded the ship and killed nine people instantaneously, while another person died from a coma years later.” Image: FFC

    How are you preparing for the very real threat of Israeli violence?
     Back in 2010, we sent a flotilla that was caught in a deadly raid. The Israelis came in a helicopter, boarded the ship and killed nine people instantaneously, while another person died from a coma years later.

    So we know very well that Israel poses a real threat.

    More importantly, we’ve seen what they’re capable of over the last two years. The most horrific things imaginable. Israeli soldiers are committing endless crimes against Gazan children, and then going into the homes of the Palestinians they’ve murdered and taking selfies in women’s lingerie. We know what they’re capable of.

    Any interception of our vessel would violate international maritime law. The ICJ [International Court of Justice] itself ordered Israel not to interfere with any delivery of international aid. Of course, we know that Israel gets to exist in this world by hopping over international law, without any accountability, without any real sanctions.

    In terms of processing, what might happen to me? I’ve had to do it time and time again whenever I’ve joined FFC missions over the last two years. I’ve had to say goodbye to my friends and family, but also try to keep them reassured.

    Sometimes I feel like I’m lying, to be honest. I tell them that “everything will be okay”. But it’s psychologically impossible to explain.

    Are you worried that Handala is less protected than the last ship, Madleen, which had the global media attention (and protection) of having Greta Thunberg on board?

    A Gaza Freedom Flotilla Instagram poster. Image: Instagram/@loremresists

    No matter how many Instagram followers you have, your life is just as important as the next person’s. We have people on this boat who have Instagram. We have people who do.

    The lives of all these people are as valuable as everyone else’s. I would just try to focus on the fact that we’re all human beings, just as every Palestinian in Gaza is. I’m more worried that Israel’s violence will expand until it’s too late, and people wish that they had done more. The time is now.

    What is your message to global or Australian leaders?
     I’m Lebanese, but I grew up in so-called Australia, a country that has such a dark history. What our politicians forget is that so-called Australia was not theirs to begin with. Australia was, and will always be, Aboriginal land. They can try to hide their dark truths, just like Israel used to as well. But the truth will become exposed in time.

    To this day, Aboriginal people are abused and discriminated against by the state. My message to Australia’s leadership is: how can you watch tens of thousands of men, women and children being slaughtered and still be enabling Israel’s siege and genocide?

    The Australian embassy in Israel sent me a message urging me to “please reconsider your decision to join a humanitarian aid trip to Gaza”. If they’re so concerned about the two Australians on this boat, I would urge them to be more concerned with the millions of Palestinians who are suffering daily.

    The Palestinian cartoon character Handala . . . reimagined with deliberate starvation by the Israeli military forces. Image: X/@RimaHas

    Can you tell us more about daily life and organisation on the ship?
     We all put our hands up to volunteer for various tasks throughout the day. Some of us are more skilled in certain areas than others. For example, we have someone here from France who is a nurse, and they’re helping anyone who is feeling sick.

    We have the proud grandmother, Vigdis from Norway, who loves to cook. And then someone will put their hand up to do the dishes. No one is too good to clean the toilets.

    We’re all helping out to keep this ship organised. We also do shifts, helping out with the crew when needed. No one is sitting around. And if someone is, it’s because it’s really hot or the seas are rough.

    What do you hope Handala will achieve, beyond potentially breaking the siege?
     I hope this action will encourage all forms of solidarity and, more importantly, inspire direct action. I know that protests and non-direct actions serve a purpose, but we have talked and talked and talked at length. I don’t know how people are finding the strength.

    Sometimes when I’m asked to talk at events, I just don’t know what to say, because if you need me to explain this, maybe you will never understand.

    But what we clearly need to do is disrupt the financial flow that enables and fuels this genocide. The BDS movement is huge. People used to look down on it and question its efficacy. But now we’re able to quantify that it’s actually affecting real, big business.

    I’ve always been advocating for that and asking people to be aware of the companies they consume from, such as Unilever, Nestle and Coke. This is having a real impact on these companies that are profiteering from unethical practices to begin with, that extends far beyond the genocide in Gaza.

    Direct action could also involve blockading shipments of weapons from ports and docks, as seen in Greece. It’s amazing to see more countries step up. However, we often see a lot of lip service as well. It takes everyday people to actually stand up and say: “I’m able-bodied. I’m sick to my stomach. I’m gonna listen to my instinct and explore other options”.

    If protesting is not working, explore other options. If there is no direct action group, create one. All it takes is one person to begin.

    Are there any final or other messages you’d like to convey?
     The Handala ship is the 37th boat from the FFC to travel to Gaza. There are thousands of people behind each of these journeys who make these voyages happen.

    The FFC has existed for as many years as Israel’s siege on Gaza has. The FFC exists only because of Israel’s illegal siege.

    We are people from around the world who are united in our shared consciousness and care for Palestine. We pose no threat. I’m looking at a bunch of toys and baby formula. We have as much food as we can carry, but our main goal is to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza because you need to fix a problem at the root of the cause.

    Sebastian Shehadi is a freelance journalist and a contributing writer at the New Statesman. This article was first published by The New Arab. Follow Shehadi on X: @seblebanon

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Reducing councils’ ridiculous use of road cones

    Source: New Zealand Government

    As part of the Government’s drive to cut down on excessive use of road cones – and reducing the eye-watering cost of temporary traffic management – councils will soon be forced to use a commonsense approach to risk assessment before receiving government funding, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.

    “New Zealanders have become increasingly irritated by the too-frequently over-the-top use of road cones and costly temporary traffic management around roadworks,” Mr Bishop says.

    “This approach causes drivers unnecessary delays, creates congestion and wastes taxpayers’ money. The previous government spent a whopping $786 million of taxpayers’ money on temporary traffic management in just three years.

    “We campaigned on bringing some much-needed common sense to the use of road cones, and we’re making good progress.

    “NZTA, which builds and maintains our state highway network, has worked with its project contractors to apply pragmatism and critical thinking to the way they use road cones and other temporary traffic management measures.

    “Since we’ve formed Government, the percentage of project costs spent on temporary traffic management has reduced from 15.8 per cent of maintenance costs down to 8.8 per cent, and from 6.0 per cent of the cost of capital projects, down to just 2.3 per cent.

    “This means fewer disruptions for drivers, and less taxpayer money wasted.

    “NZTA has achieved these results by requiring its contractors on state highway projects to shift away from an overly prescriptive Code of Practice which specifies in detail the exact spacing required between road cones, among many other requirements. 

    “They have instead moved to a far more pragmatic guide which allows contractors to use their experience and common sense to keep everyone safe on a worksite, rather than specifying road cone use down to the centimetre.

    “Local roads are owned and maintained by councils. Many of them still use the very prescriptive Code of Practice, which is why we still see ridiculous temporary traffic management measures on local streets, such as quiet cul-de-sacs covered in road cones because of minor work on a footpath.

    “This over-the-top traffic management by councils is costing ratepayers money. The Government has got its own house in order by significantly cutting its temporary traffic management costs on state highways. Some councils are also making good efforts in this area – but now all councils will be required to get on board.

    “The Government funds local council transport projects to the tune of over $1 billion per year through the National Land Transport Fund, which is administered by NZTA. 

    “I am pleased to announce that in future, the NZTA Board will require councils to apply the more pragmatic New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management to their local roadworks contracts before approving government funding for those projects.

    “By requiring local councils to adopt a risk-based approach, we’ll see more sensible use of temporary traffic management on local roads, keeping road workers and others safe, at a more reasonable cost to ratepayers.

    “I’m pleased to see common sense making a return to our roads.”

    Notes to Editor:

    In New Zealand, NZTA and local councils are the primary road controlling authorities. NZTA is responsible for state highways, while local councils manage local roads.
    By 20 December 2025, councils will need to have a plan in place for applying the New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management to their contracts. By 1 July 2026, they must apply it to all new contracts, and by 1 July 2027, the guide must be incorporated into all existing contracts.
    Councils will have to report their uptake of the guide to NZTA on a quarterly basis, while NZTA will continue to report monthly on its own temporary traffic management activities.
    More information about the new guidance (the New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management) is on the NZTA website: https://nzta.govt.nz/roads-and-rail/new-zealand-guide-to-temporary-traffic-management

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN warns of ‘catastrophic hunger’ in Gaza as Israel announces humanitarian pauses

    Source: United Nations 2

    But as starvation tightens its grip and “children are dying before our eyes,” UN officials and aid workers warn that the measures fall far short of the much-needed ceasefire and unfettered aid access that could help stem the spiralling humanitarian catastrophe.

    “Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said on X. “In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window.”

    In a statement later issued later by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, which Mr. Fletcher heads up, he added that some movement restrictions appear to have been eased today, with initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads were collected.

    “This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis. Across the UN agencies and humanitarian community, we are mobilized to save as many lives as we can, he said, but called for “sustained action, and fast”, including quicker clearances for convoys going to the crossing and dispatching into Gaza.

    “Ultimately of course we don’t just need a pause – we need a permanent ceasefire,” stated Mr. Fletcher, who emphasized: “The world is calling for this lifesaving aid to get through. We won’t stop working for that.”

    Also reacting via X, UNICEF said: “This is an opportunity to begin to reverse this catastrophe and save lives.”

    According to the agency, since the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in March, children have been trapped in a nightmare and deprived of the basics to survive.

    “The entire population of over two million people in Gaza is severely food insecure. One out of every three people has not eaten for days, and 80 per cent of all reported deaths by starvation are children,” the agency continued.

    UNICEF emphasized that while it has never stopped delivering, “we can do a lot more if additional designated humanitarian corridors are created to facilitate the movement of our convoys – as well as commercial trucks, which are essential.”

    ‘A lifeline – if upheld and expanded’

    The UN World Food Programme (WFP) also welcomed Israel’s announcement and its intent to open designated corridors for aid convoys in Gaza, “where hunger has reached catastrophic levels.”

    With nearly half a million people facing famine-like conditions and a third of the population going days without food, WFP said in a press statement that the measures could offer a lifeline – if upheld and expanded.

    Despite recent deliveries, including 350 truckloads last week, aid workers continue to face extreme risks and logistical hurdles. WFP said it has enough food stockpiled or en route to feed Gaza’s 2.1 million residents for three months, but without a ceasefire and consistent access, the scale of need far outpaces current efforts.

    “An agreed ceasefire is the only way to reach everyone,” the agency stressed, calling for predictable and safe conditions to prevent further loss of life.

    ‘An entirely preventable crisis’

    At the same time, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned that malnutrition in Gaza is spiralling out of control, with a sharp rise in deaths – most of them in July – marking what it calls a “dangerous trajectory.”

    Of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded this year, 63 occurred this month alone, including 24 children under five. Many died before reaching medical care, their bodies showing signs of severe wasting.

    “This crisis is entirely preventable,” WHO said in a press release, citing the deliberate obstruction of aid for the mounting toll.

    Children are bearing the brunt. Over 5,000 children have already been treated for malnutrition in July, many with the most life-threatening form. But Gaza’s four specialized treatment centers are overwhelmed, running low on fuel and supplies, and staffed by exhausted health workers.

    “The health system is on the brink,” WHO warned, as disease spreads rapidly through communities with no clean water or sanitation.

    The crisis is also devastating pregnant and breastfeeding women, over 40 per cent of whom are now severely malnourished. And it’s not just hunger that’s killing people—it’s the desperate search for food, according to WHO.

    Since late May, more than 1,000 people have been killed and over 7,000 injured while trying to access aid. WHO is calling for an immediate ceasefire and a sustained surge of diverse, nutritious food and medical supplies.

    “This flow must remain consistent and unhindered,” the agency said, urging protection for civilians, health workers, and humanitarian operations.

    ‘The world will judge this conference’

    Looking ahead to the High-Level Conference on Palestine set to open on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a strong call for immediate action to end Israel’s unlawful occupation and the ongoing devastation in Gaza.

    “Countries that fail to use their leverage may be complicit in international crimes,” Volker Türk warned in a statement, urging governments to seize the moment for concrete measures that pressure Israel to halt the carnage and recommit to a two-state solution.

    The UN rights chief described Gaza as a “dystopian landscape of deadly attacks and total destruction,” where children are starving and families are being killed in their search for food. The militarized aid distribution system, supported by the US and Israel, is failing to meet the scale of need.

    “We can never forget that more than 300 of our own colleagues have been killed,” he added.

    Moreover, in the occupied West Bank, violence by Israeli forces and settlers continues unabated, with homes demolished and water supplies cut off.

    Mr. Türk reiterated condemnation of the 7 October attacks by Hamas but emphasized that the scale of suffering inflicted on Palestinians since then cannot be justified.

    Calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and detainees, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid, he concluded:

    “The people of the world will judge this Conference on what it delivers.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Want to save yourself from super scams and dodgy financial advice? Ask these questions

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angelique Nadia Sweetman McInnes, Academic in Financial Planning, CQUniversity Australia

    Is there anything you can do to protect your superannuation from dodgy providers or questionable financial advice? And if someone rings you out of the blue and tempts you with a better return on your savings – what should you do?

    Around 12,000 Australians with A$1.2 billion in retirement savings have been caught up in three collapsed or frozen funds: First Guardian, Shield and Australian Fiduciaries.

    People have described being cold-called or seeing ads on social media, suggesting they could earn more by leaving their current super fund. Several financial advisers linked to these funds have now been banned for giving “inappropriate advice” to clients, containing “false and misleading statements”.

    As a former financial adviser and now researcher, here are the questions I wish more people asked to screen out scammers and dodgy financial advisers faster – and places to seek help if you need it.

    What do I do if someone calls with an unexpected sales pitch?

    The first thing you need to know is that in Australia we have anti-hawking legislation. This prohibits people making cold calls or unsolicited face-to-face approaches for financial products, such as superannuation.

    If you get a phone call like that, the official advice is now to hang up immediately. If they persist, you could say:

    I didn’t request this cold call. Did you know you’re breaking the law and I can report you?

    They will probably put the phone down! They know they’re not doing the right thing. If they keep talking, hang up.

    Block their number. Tell a family member if you need help. If you’ve shared personal information, call your super fund or bank.

    I’m thinking of switching super funds. What should I ask first?

    Whether you’re talking to a super fund or a financial adviser, my first three questions would be about their fees, what’s known as “the 4Ps” – philosophy, people, process and performance – and risk profile.

    What are the fees?

    Don’t just look at a super fund’s returns: look closely at their fees.

    Your super fund statement will disclose how much administration, insurance premiums, transactions, buy/sell spread and investment fees and costs are being deducted.

    High fees charged by a trustee eat up your super balance over time. If a fund earns 7% annually and charges fees of 0.63% annually, then your actual return is only 6.37%.

    Is the fund a good match on “the 4 Ps”?

    Go to the provider’s website to understand whether the fund’s philosophy reflect your core beliefs about investing and risk.

    Learn about the reputations of the people behind the fund who lead and invest your money.

    Find out what process they use to select and manage investments. Finally, consider how well and consistently the fund has performed over the past five to ten years.

    What’s the risk profile?

    Super funds classify investment options into risk profiles (such as conservative, balanced or growth) to provide you with investments to match your risk tolerance and age.

    You can find a fund’s risk profile on the fund’s website under investment options, in the product disclosure statement and target market determination.

    How can I compare my super fund?

    Want to check if your retirement savings are in an underperforming fund? For the past few years, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has called out MySuper funds that aren’t performing to standard.

    Compare funds with the Australian Tax Office’s YourSuper Comparison Tool.

    How I can find out if a financial adviser’s been in trouble?

    On advisers, you can investigate their reputation or past complaints at:

    If you’re comfortable using OpenAI, such as ChatGPT or CoPilot, you can try searching with the following prompts.

    • “Can you find any complaints or disciplinary actions against (name of adviser/fund)?”
    • “What is the public reputation of (adviser/fund) in financial forums or news?”
    • “Has (adviser/fund) been mentioned in any ASIC enforceable actions, bans or media reports?”

    More action promised, but not yet delivered

    There are echoes in what’s allegedly happened with First Guardian and Shield of Storm Financial’s collapse in 2009, which also hit thousands of people.

    There are bad apples in every industry. Whether it’s in finance or medicine, it’s often colleagues who know who the dodgy operators are. Then it’s a question of whether anyone does anything about it.

    In the case of First Guardian and Shield, other financial advisers helped raise the alarm – unfortunately several years before the corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, acted.

    The commission says they’re now working with the federal government on more “reform options”. But that won’t help the thousands of people currently without access to their retirement savings, uncertain how much of those funds they’ll recover.

    You can seek free counselling and advice from the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007); Mob Strong Debt Helpline (1800 808 488) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; or the Consumer Action Law Centre.

    Disclaimer: this is general information only and not to be taken as financial advice.

    Angelique Nadia Sweetman McInnes received funding from the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand and Central Queensland University. She is presently on a panel in her academic capacity assisting the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA) review and update their Professional Standards. She is also a council member of the FAAA Financial Planning Education Council. Angelique was an authorised representative (practicing financial adviser) from 2009 to 2012.

    – ref. Want to save yourself from super scams and dodgy financial advice? Ask these questions – https://theconversation.com/want-to-save-yourself-from-super-scams-and-dodgy-financial-advice-ask-these-questions-261756

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: As post-election talks drag on, what will Hobart’s proposed stadium actually cost Tasmanians?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Madden, Emeritus Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University

    In the wake of last week’s Tasmanian election that delivered another hung parliament, the new government will need to shore up crossbench support. One of the issues to be negotiated will be support for the new stadium due to be constructed next to Hobart’s historic docks. It won’t be an easy task given the bulk of likely crossbenchers are strongly opposed.

    Whatever the political wrangling, it’s important this takes place in the light of the actual economics of the proposed stadium.

    Building the 23,000 seat stadium is a condition of the state’s licence for an AFL team.

    What the studies show

    Fortunately, there have been several studies of the proposed waterfront stadium that attempt to evaluate its net social and economic benefits to the Tasmanian community. While estimates vary between the studies, they all indicate the benefits from the stadium are likely to be substantially below its cost.

    The state government has downplayed the negative net-benefit estimates from these studies, citing positive impacts on the economy and employment. But the independent cost-benefit analysis undertaken by KPMG in 2024 already includes an assessment of the positive benefits for businesses and workers.

    The whole point of a social cost-benefit analysis is to evaluate the entire effects on the welfare of the population of its reference region (Tasmania).

    But does the cost-benefit analysis tell the whole story? In its consolidated report released last month, KPMG refers to unquantifiable intangible benefits not captured by its analysis.

    Some of the benefits are ‘intangible’

    On purely tangible economic criteria, as KPMG recognises, stadiums rarely have benefits that exceed costs. The justification for building stadiums is that the net economic cost is spent to acquire intangible benefits, such as national pride and social cohesion.

    But on my reading, KPMG has already included estimates for the main intangible benefits. Indeed, there is research suggesting one of the intangible benefits that KPMG includes – health benefits – is tenuous. It would seem unlikely there are other significant unaccounted intangible benefits from the stadium.

    In January, a further cost-benefit report was released. This report, by independent economist Nicholas Gruen, says KPMG overestimates benefits and underestimates costs.

    Gruen performs his own cost-benefit analysis and finds the benefits to Tasmanians are likely to be less than half of what it costs them.

    Beijing’s National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, could provide a lesson for Hobart.
    Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images

    There are reasons for paying attention to pessimistic findings. The University of Oxford’s Bent Flyvbjerg and his colleague, Dirk Bester, have recently highlighted the dangers of optimism bias in cost-benefit analyses of public projects. They find unambiguous statistical evidence that projections of costs and benefits are consistently inaccurate and biased towards overoptimism.

    If Gruen’s estimates are correct, the new stadium will come at a considerable cost to Tasmanians. There may be winners and losers. But Gruen’s results imply the Hobart stadium may come at a cost to the welfare of the average Tasmanian household of about A$3,300.

    Indeed, it may turn out to be more. Recently, there has been a $190 million, or almost 25%, increase in estimated construction costs. That takes the total to $945 million, up from the most recent estimate of $755 million. The original costing was $715 million.

    And it’s worse when viewed from a Tasmanian government perspective. That’s because the AFL, as is common with major sporting bodies, has ensured a contract in which all cost overruns are the responsibility of the state government.

    Overall, the state government has committed to contribute $375 million and will be responsible on current estimates to find a further $315 million. The federal government will contribute $240 million and the AFL just $15 million.

    Cost blowouts are very common

    My recent literature review shows venues built for mega sporting events under urgent timelines and rigid specifications tend to have particularly large cost overruns.

    While the budget for the Hobart stadium contains a significant amount for contingencies, cost overruns can be huge – for Olympic venues 172% on average. While the stadium is unlikely to see overruns of this magnitude, the downside risks imposed by current AFL requirement to build the stadium are considerable.

    Can Tasmania draw a lesson from the Beijing National (Bird’s Nest Stadium), built for the 2008 Olympics, where it was decided to save costs by abandoning the planned retractable roof?

    Gruen finds that not including the fixed, translucent roof would reduce the net social cost to Tasmanians by about 10%. And it would help lower risk exposure, and may substantially improve the aesthetics.

    Hobart winter nights are only about one degree colder than Melbourne, so the necessity for a roof for AFL games is questionable, and it poses problems for test cricket. Against this, not having a roof might make it a less appealing venue for concerts.

    Of course, not having a new stadium at all, but still having a Tasmanian AFL team, might represent the best outcome for the state. But standing up to the AFL comes at the risk of Tasmania not entering the AFL.

    In the case of mega events, the history of negotiations between sporting organisations and potential host cities, however, is that cities most unwilling to jeopardise their chances of selection, end up with the worst deal. Sports economists refer to this as the “winner’s curse”.

    John Madden does not receive income from any organisation that might benefit from this article. John has been a fan of Tasmanian sports teams since the 1950s.

    – ref. As post-election talks drag on, what will Hobart’s proposed stadium actually cost Tasmanians? – https://theconversation.com/as-post-election-talks-drag-on-what-will-hobarts-proposed-stadium-actually-cost-tasmanians-261666

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Barnaby Joyce wants Australia to abandon net zero – but his 5 central claims don’t stack up

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Vines, Post-doctoral researcher, Green Lab, Monash University

    One-time Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce sought to dominate the first sitting week of the current federal parliament by proposing a divisive plan to reverse Australia’s net zero emissions target.

    The campaign, backed by fellow former Nationals leader Michael McCormack, aims to repeal what Joyce calls Australia’s “lunatic crusade” of net zero by 2050. It comes as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley convenes a working group to set a way forward on climate and energy policy following the Coalition’s historic election defeat.

    Meanwhile, the Albanese government is considering Australia’s next round of emissions reduction targets. And scientists warn just three years remain for the world to keep global warming below the vital 1.5°C threshold.

    If Australia is to take meaningful climate action, federal parliament must engage with the facts honestly and without distortion. So let’s take a closer look at whether Joyce and McCormack’s latest claims withstand scrutiny.

    Claim 1: Australia’s net zero policy will not address climate change

    Joyce describes as “perverse” the notion that Australia’s net zero goal can meaningfully help address global climate change.

    This claim is not backed by science.

    Every tonne of greenhouse gas emissions adds to global warming. What’s more, Joyce’s claim ignores the near-universal agreement of nations signed up to the Paris Agreement – including Australia – to pursue efforts (including domestic measures) to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

    It’s true that collective national efforts to curb warming have so far been insufficient. But that doesn’t mean they should be abandoned.

    Claim 2: Global support for net zero is waning

    McCormack claims there is a growing global shift against net zero, and Joyce describes it as “a peculiar minority position”.

    This statement is not backed by evidence.

    In fact, the number of countries, cities, businesses and other institutions pledging to get to net-zero is growing.

    In the United States, President Donald Trump has dismantled climate policy, damaging that nation’s progress towards net zero. But many US states have retained the target, and global climate action will continue regardless of Trump’s actions.

    A landmark court ruling this week is likely to further strengthen global pressure for nations to ramp up emissions reduction. The advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice observed countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change – including by regulating the fossil fuel industry.

    As others have noted, Australia must now reconsider its stance on approving new fossil fuel projects – including those geared to export markets.

    the International Court of Justice said countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change.
    JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

    Claims 3: the net zero goal is a security threat

    Joyce claims a net zero policy agenda is “treacherous” for Australia’s security and will “inflame our incapacity” to contend with geopolitical threats.

    But evidence suggests the opposite is true. There is a significant link between climate change and certain types of military conflicts.

    Research predicts the Australian Defence Force will become involved in more wars as the climate crisis escalates, and respond to more frequent climate-related disasters inside our borders.

    Claim 4: net zero is bad for regional Australia

    Both Joyce and McCormack say the net zero target and associated renewable energy rollout is devastating regional Australia. The Institute of Public Affairs, a prominent right-wing think tank, this week launched a documentary making similar claims.

    Joyce cited division in rural communities over renewable energy. In reality, there is significant support in regional Australia for such technology. A poll last year by Farmers for Climate Action found 70% of regional Australians in renewable energy zones support the development of renewable energy projects on local farmland.

    Joyce also pointed to “the removal of agricultural land from production” to support his stance. However, analysis shows very little farmland is required for the clean energy transition.

    What’s more, the cost of inaction is high. Climate change is disproportionately affecting cost of living for regional households – for example, due to higher insurance premiums.

    Joyce also appears deaf to the myriad regional voices calling for stronger climate action.

    The Mackay Conservation Group, for example, is challenging Whitehaven’s Winchester South coal mine in Queensland’s Land Court. Similarly, an environment group based in the NSW Hunter Valley this week successfully appealed the expansion of MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant coal mine.

    Only facts can stop a new wave of climate wars

    Clearly, the efforts of Joyce and McCormack to undermine Australia’s net zero goal are not backed by evidence.

    The Coalition must heed the facts – not backbench pressure – as it weighs its climate and energy policy. Only then can Australia avoid reigniting the divisive climate wars that stalled progress and positioned Australia as a global laggard.

    Likewise, the Albanese government must not be distracted from the climate action task. Australia’s next round of climate targets should be based on the best available science, and make a meaningful, credible contribution to the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

    Ella Vines 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. Barnaby Joyce wants Australia to abandon net zero – but his 5 central claims don’t stack up – https://theconversation.com/barnaby-joyce-wants-australia-to-abandon-net-zero-but-his-5-central-claims-dont-stack-up-261837

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Critics claim gender clinics are seeing an excess of trans boys. But new data suggest otherwise

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ken Pang, Senior Principal Research Fellow and Group Leader, Transgender Health Research Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

    Gender clinics provide multidisciplinary care that helps trans people to explore and affirm their gender identity.

    The number of adolescents referred to gender clinics has increased worldwide in recent years, especially among those who were assigned female at birth.

    This has prompted claims that “social contagion” is driving young people – and in particular, teenagers who were assigned female at birth – to identify as trans and seek medical care.

    But this notion isn’t supported by robust evidence, and our latest research directly challenges this idea.

    Backlash against gender care

    Despite its lack of evidence, the social contagion theory has been used by critics to help fuel an international backlash against adolescent gender care.

    In the United States, more than half of all states have enacted laws or policies limiting access to gender care for those under 18 years.

    In the United Kingdom, laws now prohibit transgender young people under 18 from starting puberty blockers.

    Evidence has now emerged of the adverse consequences of these laws in both the US and UK. This includes sharp declines in mental health and increased suicide attempts among transgender young people.

    Despite this evidence, the Queensland government in Australia recently halted access to puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones to new patients aged under 18.

    This decision was made even though a 2024 independent evaluation found that gender care in Queensland is safe and evidence-based and recommended that service capacity be increased.

    Trans people seek gender care at different stages of their lives

    Our recently published study examined gender clinic referrals across the entire lifespan.

    We used data from publicly funded gender clinics in Melbourne and Amsterdam across a three-year period between 2016 and 2019. The Amsterdam and Melbourne services received 2,044 and 1,903 referrals respectively.

    We found remarkably similar results in both countries. The majority of adolescent referrals (around 70%) were for trans boys and non-binary people assigned female at birth. However, among adults, this observation was flipped, with the majority of adult referrals being for individuals assigned male at birth.

    Specifically, 55% of referrals of those aged in their 20s were for individuals assigned male at birth. This grew every subsequent decade, reaching around 80% for those in their 50s and beyond.

    What do these findings mean?

    Previous surveys from Sweden, Belgium and the United States indicate the proportion of people assigned male and female at birth who are transgender is roughly equal.

    Assuming these two groups share a similar desire to access gender clinics, you would expect the number of referrals to be around the same over the course of a lifetime.

    Our new findings are consistent with this expectation but the likelihood of referral to gender clinics seems to be influenced by both the sex a person was assigned at birth, as well as their age. While those assigned female at birth are more likely seek referral as adolescents, those assigned male “catch up” in later years.

    So rather than an over-representation of those assigned female at birth, adolescent referral patterns most likely reflect an under-representation of assigned males.

    Why is this happening?

    Trans misogyny is a unique type of discrimination trans girls and women face. It combines transphobia, the hatred for and discrimination against trans people, with misogyny, the prejudice and contempt towards women.

    The impact of trans misogyny is far-reaching. During adolescence, trans girls experience higher rates of bullying and victimisation than trans boys and cisgender peers.

    During adulthood, trans women remain at high risk of abuse and violence. They are also more likely to encounter housing discrimination, homelessness, unemployment and poverty than the general population.

    Faced with such daunting prospects, it seems much harder for trans girls to reveal their gender identity as adolescents at an already uncertain time of their lives.

    But as trans girls progress into adulthood, we suspect an intrinsic desire to express their gendered sense of self eventually tips the balance in favour of “coming out”. As a result, we see more trans women seeking gender care in their 20s, 30s and beyond.

    These new findings suggest we need to do more to support trans adolescents. Rather than being driven by the fear of “social contagion”, we must instead recognise and address the challenges trans adolescents, and specifically trans girls and women, face.

    This article was co-authored by Freya Kahn, a paediatrician working on research projects at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

    Ken Pang receives research funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and the Medical Research Future Fund. He is a member of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the editorial board of the journal, Transgender Health.

    Anja Ravine has paid membership of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health.

    – ref. Critics claim gender clinics are seeing an excess of trans boys. But new data suggest otherwise – https://theconversation.com/critics-claim-gender-clinics-are-seeing-an-excess-of-trans-boys-but-new-data-suggest-otherwise-257817

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Smeaton’s Tower to sparkle for Lionesses win

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Tonight (Sunday 27 July), Plymouth City Council will be lighting Smeaton’s Tower gold, to celebrate the Lionesses spectacular win in the UEFA Women’s Euro final against Spain.

    Reacting to the win, Councillor Sue Dann, Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Sport and Leisure, said:

    “What a phenomenal moment for England and for the future of women’s sport. The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation, not just with their skill and determination, but with their unshakable belief in what’s possible. This victory is more than a trophy, it’s a turning point.

    “Here in Plymouth, we’re already seeing the ripple effects of this incredible momentum. With Brickfields set to become the new home of Argyle Women, we’re investing in the future of the women’s game right on our doorstep. It’s a bold step that reflects the growing passion for women’s football in our city and our commitment to giving it the platform it deserves.

    “The Lionesses have inspired a generation and now it’s our job to make sure that inspiration turns into opportunity. From school pitches to stadiums, we want every girl in Plymouth to know that the game is theirs to play, and the dream is theirs to chase.

    “England is proud. Plymouth is proud. And today, we celebrate not just a win — but a future that’s brighter, bolder, and more equal than ever before.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Designs unveiled for Newcastle green energy precinct

    Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

    The final concept designs have been unveiled for the Port of Newcastle’s Clean Energy Precinct, which will establish the Hunter region as an industry leader in Australia’s transformation to net-zero.    

    Community members, prospective commercial partners and international investors attended a virtual-reality walk-through of the site today, where the future design of the precinct was brought to life.The Clean Energy Precinct will be located on a disused 220-hectare site on Kooragang Island, just north of Newcastle’s CBD and straddling the south channel of the Hunter River.

    With a $100 million investment from the Australian Government committed in the 22/23 Federal Budget, the Port of Newcastle site will be transformed into a burgeoning industrial hub enabling the production, storage, distribution and export of clean energy products, including green hydrogen and ammonia. The precinct will integrate clean energy production and storage with the Hunter’s Hydrogen Hub gateway projects, the New South Wales Renewable Energy Zones, and offshore wind developments – making it a vital cog in our net zero future.

    The Port of Newcastle has been progressing Front-End Engineering and Design and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) studies, backed by community consultation and industry engagement, and today’s release of designs allow the public and potential commercial partners to visualise the planned layout of the precinct infrastructure. 

    The precinct infrastructure includes electrical and water services, production facilities, storage, vehicle access, and pipelines for distribution and export.

    The EIS will be released publicly later this year, and construction of the precinct is expected to break ground in 2027. 

    For progress updates on the Clean Energy Precinct, visit the Port of Newcastle’s website. 

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

    “Australia’s largest coal port is diversifying its offering and preparing to accommodate new and growing industries on the shores of the Hunter River. 

    “Newcastle has always been one of the most productive industrial centres in Australia, and we’re ensuring its legacy continues with the Clean Energy Precinct. 

    “It’s crucial that we develop the infrastructure now to be prepared for Australia’s energy future, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here on Kooragang Island.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen:

    “The Hunter has been an industrial and economic powerhouse for decades, making the Port of Newcastle an ideal location for a Clean Energy Precinct that can support decarbonisation of heavy industry and connect Australia’s renewable resources to the world.

    “The Albanese Labor Government is supporting industrial regions like the Hunter to take advantage of the economic and job opportunities that come with reliable renewable energy.”

    Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon:

    “The Clean Energy Precinct will be the jewel in the crown of Newcastle’s future. 

    “It will create thousands of secure and well-paid jobs for Novocastrians, and stimulate the economy of the CBD and surrounds thanks to its central location.

    “Being here today to see the plans first hand fills me with excitement for what the future holds for our city, it’s people, and the greater Hunter region.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ABC South East NSW Breakfast with Eddie Williams

    Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

    EDDIE WILLIAMS, HOST: Roads, rates, and rubbish, and childcare, disaster recovery, community transport, school holiday programs, even a laundromat. The role of local government has been changing and evolving over the years. It’s been growing. And a new report has found councils across the state are having to foot the bill for one and a half billion dollars in services each year, that they say should be funded by the state and federal governments. This report commissioned by Local Government New South Wales shows councils state-wide are absorbing more so-called cost shifting from the other levels of government, with that cost shifting up by around 10 per cent over the past few years.

    Kristy McBain is the Minister for Local Government, and the Member for Eden-Monaro. Good morning.

    KRISTY MCBAIN, MINISTERREGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES: Good morning.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: You’ve seen this as a mayor, and now as the federal minister. How much have you seen the role of local councils change?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: I think local councils have substantially changed over the last number of years. I mean, in the last 10 or 15 years I think councils now play a critical role in that emergency response and recovery phase, which, you know, had not typically been the bailiwick of local councils. And I’ve seen that from a community level, and now as the Minister for Emergency Services, the role that councils play in response and recovery is absolutely critical for communities.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: So are they the best placed level of government for that sort of a role?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Yeah, clearly. I mean, they’ve got a local workforce and, you know, they have elected officials from that local area with, you know, that inside knowledge that the other levels of government just don’t have from that hyper-localised perspective. So it’s really important that there is a really strong partnership with local councils to be able to assist in times of emergency.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: Is that partnership there and particularly is the funding there for local councils to play these roles?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Yeah, that’s right. So obviously, you know, we rely heavily on councils in response and recovery, but, you know, that funding is there to assist them, whether it’s the immediate $1 million after a disaster is cleared to assist with clean-up, or whether it’s the ongoing disaster recovery funding arrangements where councils go and assess their infrastructure and then we work with the state government to ensure that funding can be made to- to be handed to councils to ensure that infrastructure can be repaired and replaced.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: What about the more day-to-day community services, things like childcare, aged care, disability care, the other sorts of programs that you see like community transport? Should that be part of the local government purview?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Well, I guess it’s up to every local council to prioritise the services that they’re providing in community. We’ve seen over recent times a number of councils pull out of aged care services in particular and hand those onto not-for-profits or to the market because it is a difficult sector to be operating in. In regards to childcare services, a lot of our councils are providing childcare services because there are no market operators that can do that in those areas, but there are obviously a range of funding buckets for childcare services in particular.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: Yeah, are the funding buckets all kind of working? You know, things like competitive grants are by definition competitive and some councils miss out. Where do things go from here to make sure councils have the money to deliver all this?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Well, I guess when we’re looking at competitive grants, we’re usually looking at new or upgraded infrastructure. So councils have got, you know, their own work to do in terms of understanding what their service and delivery plan is going to look like over any four-year term, what maintenance needs to be done on particular assets, and it’s up to them whether they apply for those grants to upgrade or have new assets in their community.

    We have worked really closely with local councils in particular for a range of the funding options that are available through the federal government. We’re doubling Roads to Recovery, which is an automatic allocation to all of the 537 local council areas across the country to allow them to have more maintenance on local roads. And then we’ve got a range of competitive programs, including the Housing Support Program which is all about that enabling infrastructure to get more housing developments underway.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: What about Financial Assistance Grants? This is something a lot of local government groups talk about. Is the government willing to increase those?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Financial Assistance Grants is over $3 billion every year. This year’s $3.4 billion is allocated across the country to councils. We have brought forward over $1.7 billion in Financial Assistance Grants, which was paid to councils before the end of the financial year, to assist with a range of service delivery for local councils. There’s long been calls to increase that, but we also don’t want to replace the requirement of the states to do their part in this as well, and a lot of that cost shifting we’re talking about is coming from the state government requirements. And we want to make sure that there is enough money for weeds maintenance for local councils. We want to make sure that there is a range of funding opportunities that also come from the state, because it’s a requirement of all three levels of government to be working together.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: All three levels working together? Are you all getting into the same room to try to sort this out?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Look, I chair the Local Government Ministers’ Forum, and we’ve had some broad agreement on some of the things that need to be addressed, including a simple national accounting standard for local governments. It’s different across the jurisdictions. And a national approach to how councils actually, I guess, grade their assets and when they maintain them so that when grants are being applied for, we’re really comparing apples and apples across the country.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: There is a federal inquiry into local government sustainability that’s been underway. Is the Government willing to take some meaningful action, potentially look at some reforms, depending on what that inquiry recommends?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Yeah, well, it’s the first local government inquiry in over two decades. And when we look back 20 years ago, the iPhone wasn’t invented and Silverchair was still a band at the top of the chart. So it’s really important, I think, that the inquiry completes its work. We’ll reconstitute that committee so it can finalise the report. But clearly the reason we’ve done that is so that we can get a really good understanding of where the system needs to improve and how we can make that work.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: You’re hearing from Kristy McBain, the Minister for Local Government and Emergency Management and the Member for Eden-Monaro. On another issue, the NSW Health-funded Goulburn Urgent Care Service has come to an end, attracting and retaining healthcare staff to the regions being one of the challenges cited there. How confident are you that a federally funded Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Bega will open this year and will stay viable?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Yeah, well, the closure of the Urgent Care Service in Goulburn was a very disappointing outcome for the community, and one I’ve been working to try to prevent. I’ve been advocating with the NSW Government for it to remain open. It was a well-utilised service, but ultimately the service’s contract was negotiated by the NSW Government, and the state needs to work on their model. But the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have been a real game-changer across our health sector. In Queanbeyan alone, we’ve had more than 12,000 free presentations since it opened last year, which I think is a real testament to how much this was needed. And anecdotally, we’ve heard from a range of people that utilise the Queanbeyan Hospital, and they’ve said that it’s taken significant pressure off the hospital, which is fantastic.

    We’re providing $644 million to establish another 50 Urgent Care Clinics across the country, including in the Bega Valley. The provider will be negotiated through an independent process by the Primary Health Network, and we’re really confident that it will run effectively like it does in a range of other regional areas across the country.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: When will that open?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: It will go through that independent process which is being commissioned at this point in time, and I don’t have an exact date on when that’s due to finish. But as soon as I’ve got some more info, I will be out there sharing it with the community.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: And the way that will work, the way that relationship and provider comes about, is that something that will be ongoing into the long term, or a sort of year-to-year contract? How do you expect that to look?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Yeah, well the contracts are negotiated and dealt with through the Primary Health Network. It’s run at arm’s length from the federal government because we’ve got Primary Health Networks that cover every corner of Australia, and they do their job in making sure that we’ve got providers that can work within the community, and the Urgent Care Clinics are staffed effectively for our communities.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: Kristy McBain, I appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Great to be with you.

    EDDIE WILLIAMS: The Member for Eden-Monaro, Minister for Local Government and Emergency Management, Kristy McBain.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Q&A – Queensland Media Club

    Source: Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority

    Queensland Media Club Speeches and Q&A here: https://youtu.be/f2DeHcivspg?si=guNHL0f1ZCkMWhwz

     

    JOURNALIST: It’s been 100 days since the Government’s 100-day review. When can Queenslanders expect to see tangible shovels in the ground, concrete rising in Victoria Park? Because as you’ve touched on in your speech, we don’t have a lot of time.

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Well, yes, you’re right, [Journalist], we don’t. And that’s why today we’ve- [Indistinct] have authorised now to start a little preliminary work. So all the geotechnical work that’s got to take place, the soil testing that’s got to take place, is going to be starting from, I would suspect, next week you can start seeing some work. I wouldn’t say the excavators are going to be there next week, but certainly all the prelim work has to take place in terms of the soil testing. Now, that has to happen because each of them have to work out the best location for Victoria Park once they do the testing of the park.

    JOURNALIST: One thing you mentioned in your speech but didn’t touch too deeply on was Brisbane Arena. It sounds like we’re not going to get Brisbane Arena before 2032; can you make a guarantee that we will?

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Oh, we absolutely will get there before 2032. The Gabba will come down in 20- after 2032, but the Brisbane Arena, we are actually- so the document that I just came back from the United States to be part of Brisbane’s next iconic destination which is the Brisbane Arena. We’ve had over 2,200 expressions of interest put in through the website already on that. We are talking to the market at the moment about the Go Print site and then the secondary site which is the Gabba location, about whether it should be combined or two separate sites, depending on what the private sector want to do. But we absolutely will partner with private sector. We will go to procurement on the Brisbane Arena by the end of this year. So I would suspect in the next couple of months my Department, Department of Infrastructure and Planning, will actually formally go and procure them to build the arena. And then next year will be the planning, and I suspect you’ll start seeing it being built from end of next year and into 2027, and it will be built absolutely before 2032. 

    JOURNALIST: You mentioned in your speech too you’d like to see more transport investment from the Federal Government. Minister King, are you open to that? How much money will Queensland provide? Perhaps we can just get our GST back. 

    [Laughter]

    CATHERINE KING: I knew someone would mention that, I just wondered if that would happen. Already the Commonwealth is investing, I think it’s over $27 billion in transport infrastructure here in Queensland. I think in the equivalent states, it’s- I think you’re the highest amount. Every other state is less than that, believe me. So that is the first thing I’m saying. I think also, there are issues around capacity. We can only build so much at any one time. Our priority has absolutely been Bruce Highway. You saw us come in January with the Prime Minister, acknowledge that that is an unfinished piece of business for all of us, and we’re very determined to get that done. That being said, we’re already investing over $12 billion in [Indistinct] infrastructure. We will look at new requests that come through, and they come from every state and territory pretty regularly, I can say. They come through for Queensland in our normal budget processes. We don’t have a budget yet until next year, but really, we’ve been very determined to make sure, you know, we put planning money in, we put planning work in, we get a good idea about what the costs are and then we progress from there. And I’m sure Queensland will do what every other state does and ask for its share of funding. 

    JOURNALIST: Might I come to the working media table for the first question? Is there a microphone here to [Indistinct]…?

    CATHERINE KING: I think we’ve stolen them. We’ve got three up here now. 

    JOURNALIST: Deputy Premier, Fraser Barton from the Australian Associated Press. I asked you when the delivery plan was announced in March about workers and construction and how we’re going to get all these workers. How has the government progressed that? Is- are we still going to quote ransack New South Wales and Victoria for people? And where will all of these workers live given housing shortages in the state?

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Well thank you, great question. I don’t think I used the word ransacked. I said beg, borrow and steal. And now that I’ve signed the deal with the Federal Minister, I guess I can trash Victoria because, who would- do you want to live in Victoria or Queensland? So, interestingly, yesterday I had the Infrastructure Partnerships- I had a meeting with Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, and we talked about the very issue about the workforce and where they’re going to come from. It’s going to be mixed. It’s going to be home-grown talent with the apprenticeships and traineeships coming through the system. It’s going to be new businesses coming into Queensland. It will be looking to New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and getting businesses to relocate to Queensland. Unashamedly, we need to do that. It’s going to be looking at migration, the school migration sector. So that’s how we’ll get the workforce. The second question I always get about the workforce is where are you going to house them? Well, 20,000 in Logan, because I’ve just given the Mayor 135 million, but that 135 million is- pales in- is insignificant compared to the rest that I’m about to announce over the next two weeks, which is the Residential Activation Fund. And that’s a catalytic infrastructure fund designed to help councils get the infrastructure to build the houses. So Mayor Raven at Logan, he said in the media last week that the Logan Council would stop approving buildings if they didn’t have the new wastewater treatment plant. So the $135 million the state are co-contributing with the Council will allow that wastewater treatment facility to be put in place, opening, unlocking 20,000 homes. 

    Now that $2 billion infrastructure fund is happening all around Queensland, and over 50 per cent of that is going to be in regional Queensland. So we’ve got to make sure that we support councils to unlock the land. And as I always say, the issue of the housing crisis is supply, supply, supply. It is the biggest inhibitor at the moment for building houses in Queensland. We’ve already abolished the tax. We abolished our [Indistinct] for first homeowners buying or building their first home in Queensland, so that’s great. We’ve got a better taxation regime. We’ve increased the first home owner grant to $30,000, 15 to 30, we kept that in the budget last week, so that’s a good incentive as well. So we’ve got to build the houses, but you can’t just do it in isolation. You’ve got to look at all of it at the same time.

    JOURNALIST: Deputy Premier, Alex Brewster, ABC News. You’ve refuted reports about the infrastructure around Victoria Park Stadium this morning. When can we expect to see the detail of things like a potential train station, pedestrian bridge, and even a warm-up track around that stadium?

    JARROD BLEIJIE: You used the word refute, Alex, I used the words – I think TMR may have done some brainstorming on where they would like to see certain things and stations. Government have not made decisions on that connectivity yet. And GIICA now, as part of legislation we passed last week, a big proportion of that is transport and mobility. So, those plans now- because the legislation has been put in place, those plans now have to get out to GIICA with Department of Transport and Main Roads.

    And I’ll repeat, on the transport front, it’s the state’s responsibility, a rail between the Gold Coast and Brisbane. The way [indistinct] Sunshine Coast with a Federal Government are giving(*), 50 per cent funding in stage one of that project. So, look, it’ll happen fairly quickly now, I anticipate, that GIICA have the Victoria Park, they’ll have a CEO in a very short period of time, and they’ll be able to get on with the job and work with TMR to find the best location for Victoria Park. And that’s why you can’t put the cart before the horse, because you’ve got to do all the geo tech, which we are now doing on Victoria Park to understand where the best location for the stadium actually is, and then look at the transport hub. 

    Incidentally, I would note that if you look at Victoria Park, Centenary Pool, which is going to be the new National Aquatic Centre, and the Ekka, we just opened Exhibition Station, over at the RNA; there is three or four hubs within 15 minutes of walking already around that. If we can increase it, that’s great, but we will now get to work with the Brisbane City Council and TMR. 

    JOURNALIST: Deputy Premier, Harry Clark from Sky News. How committed are you to holding Olympics rowing on the Mighty Fitzroy in Rockhampton given resistance, including that which is coming from the International Olympics Committee?

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Very committed. It’s in our delivery plan and I spoke to the IOC. Look, I’ve got to say that the International Olympic Committee were very good with us in our discussions with that. As Minister King points out, [indistinct] alterations before. Like any of the venues, we have to go through the PVR process, the project validation process. The five projects that have already been validated, that’s what we’re going to procure on from today. But all of the minor venues obviously have to go through project validation. We did a lot of the project validation whilst the Federal Government was in caretaker mode from my department to look at the costings and all of that. 

    We believe it’s vitally important for Rocky and the kids in Rocky to have a facility, and there has been a lot of public commentary about it. But my God, if you go to Rocky, which I think I’ll be there in a couple of days, if you go to Rocky this time of year, in July, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are going to be held, the Fitzroy River is a mirror. It is the most beautiful thing, hence why they do state championships and national championships on the Mighty Fitzroy River. 

    And I respectfully said to the International Olympic Committee when they were over here, I said, if it’s okay for Rocky kids and Australian kids to row on the Mighty Fitzroy River, it’s okay for Pierre from Paris to row on the mighty Fitzroy River. And look, the IOC took that well.

    [Laughter]

    JOURNALIST: Has anyone contacted Pierre and asked him? It is the [indistinct].

    JARROD BLEIJIE: I know we did- someone was in a crowd and he did jump up and he said, I’m actually Pierre from Paris. He said, but I’m not a rower. I said, well, maybe you should be. 

    JOURNALIST: Deputy Premier, it’s serious though. The Government has been staunch. Your Sports Minister colleague said he isn’t certain Olympic rowing will be held in Rockhampton, but do you acknowledge that it is not only the Government’s decision? It’s the IOC, the International Federation. And, is there a plan b if they say it’s not good enough? 

    JARROD BLEIJIE:  Well, okay, but is the IOC paying for it? If they don’t want it in Rocky then they pay for it, but they’re not, it’s the State Government and the Federal Government. So, I’m not sure the IOC- we had put it back a little bit on the IOC, but we’ve done it very respectfully. Because we wanted the games to be about regional Queensland and we committed to the people of Rockhampton, who have a great rowing facility, and they’re going to have a better rowing facility. 

    And Minister King and I, and I hope I’m not breaching confidence, we’ve had this discussion about rowing. It’s got to go to the International Olympic Committee Rowing Federation who are actually over here in July. They’ll do all their technical assessments. But that happens with every venue. And in LA the rowing facility does not meet the International Olympic Committee requirements. It’s too short. But do you know what they did? They just said, for the LA it’ll be okay, and they signed off on it. So, they do bend the rules for other venues, including rowing in LA which does not meet the requirements for international rowing. 

    JOURNALIST: Deputy Premier, hi. Jess Bahr here from SBS World News. Just a couple of questions from NRTV. Are you consulting with Traditional Owners to reach an agreement on preserving cultural heritage at Finn Park? And do you think you’ll reach an agreement, or will you override cultural and heritage laws? 

    JARROD BLEIJIE: I think we’ll reach an agreement. Two points, observations I’ll make on that. In the legislation that we passed in Parliament last week, there were two elements to the overriding provisions. One was dealing with environment laws, heritage laws, planning laws, local government laws, and there was a complete override, but we actually did carve it up with cultural heritage provisions for First Nations Australians. So, we actually will still go through a process of consulting with First Nations about Victoria Park. 

    Now, ultimately, if an agreement can’t be reached then the laws have to override. But we actually have put a special provision pursuant to the cultural and heritage legislation that exists in Queensland at the moment, to still go through that process. And part of the deal that we’ve struck with the Federal Government, it was one of the requirements from Minister King and the Federal Government, is that consultation does take place, which we’ve committed to. And that’s in the legislation, that will go through a process through Minister Fiona Simpson’s department, as it does with existing legislation.

    We’ve also committed to Minister King and the Federal Government that community consultation, looking at the precinct plan; looking for as much green space, open space that we can retain in Victoria Park, and we’ve committed to that. So, I’m confident that we will secure support, and we’ll just go through the motions as it is. But we did carve out a particular provision in that, recognising the significance of that issue. 

    JOURNALIST: Andrew from The Guardian. This is a question for both of you. Both of you have gone through elections in the last year, in fact, one two months ago. And in no case was this plan, the Victoria Park plan, brought to the electorate? In fact, at that state level it was explicitly ruled out. Should the electorate have known about this before they voted on that? It’s a big old stadium in the middle of a suburb. Surely, the people would have liked to know that before the decision was made. 

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Well, thank you. I’ll start and, thankfully, you’ve got a question I’ll be able to build you up to divert all the questions to you. Look we were, when we announced the delivery plan, the Premier and I were pretty up front. We apologised, we said sorry. We took the position to the election of no new stadiums. We did the 100-day review and there was also the former government did the [Indistinct] review that recommended Victoria Park. We did take it to the elections about the stadiums.

    But it became apparent during the GIICA review and the 100-day review that there was just no other option, alternative. There was no time now to knock down the Gabba and rebuild the Gabba. The displacement of AFL and cricket was too great and too costly. So, we were pretty up front. I think we said in a room of a thousand people and journos, we stood up and apologised and we said we’ll cop that. It’s not the position we took to the election but it’s the position now that we think is in the best interest of all Queensland, and particularly for the 2032 Games, particularly for AFL, the Lions, the Mighty Lions, and cricket.

    So yeah, I’m not hiding behind the fact that we had a different position from the election, but I think we tried as best we could to explain ourselves and why would we change our position, and why we put in the delivery plan and accepted the recommendations from GIICA. Because if we hadn’t of, you would end up with a Government making political decisions again, and it would’ve gone around in circles, and you would not be in a room today with the Federal Minister and a State Minister, having done the deal, struck the deal to deliver the 2032 Games. You’d be talking about temporary stadiums [Indistinct] spending $2.25 billion, and no procurement process underway. 

    I think it is a different position we took to the election, but we’re pretty up front with it, we apologised. And we said to Queenslanders, this is now our job to explain why we took that position to the election, and explain why because it is now in the best interests of Queenslanders to get on and proceed and do the best that we can.

    CATHERINE KING: Thanks. I’d say, equally, from our point of view is that the delivery plan was provided and the Queensland Government’s response to that in March of this year. We wanted to take some time to look at it and to get the details about what are the costs of new venues, what does that look like. You know, publicly I’ve been very upfront about that. It’s been [Indistinct] as has the Prime Minister, that we’re really keen to see the arena. 

    It’s why we put the Commonwealth’s money there. We know the Prime Minister’s a pretty big fan of live music and we felt, from our point of view, that was good legacy. But that project has now being procured by the private sector. That is a decision the Queensland Government has made and we’ve been faced with the decision, well, given that it is no longer a Games venue and the agreement is about Games venues in terms of funding, what do we do about it? 

    And that’s why we’ve taken our time. We’ve looked at the finances. We have put conditions around the stadium. We recognise that it is a challenging issue for First Nations people, for local green space. We want to make sure that it’s got right and that it is a precinct that everybody can enjoy, and that’s why we’ve taken our time to do that and we’re making this an [indistinct] too.

    JOURNALIST: Deputy Premier, Alex Brewster again. Have you turned your mind to what you might like to see the stadium called? I know you’re a proud monarchist. Would you perhaps like to see it named after a royal name?

    [Laughter]

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Actually, thinking about that, Minister King did not put in her letter of agreement anything about how- King’s Stadium in honour of either Charles or Catherine. Thank you. Food for thought. Thank you, Alex. 

    No, look, we joked in Parliament that it would be the John Sosso Stadium. Well, some people in Queensland have a big fascination with my Director General. He just wants to get on with the job and stay out of the press. But, look, GIICA recommended it be named the Brisbane Stadium – iconic. Just travelling back from the States, all the stadiums over there are named- they do funding deals. Incidentally, all the stadiums are built by the private sector, so if there’s anyone in the room today who wants to chip in as well and help Minister King and I balance our budgets a little more and invest. Because I kept asking all the other- I went to SoFi, I went to AT&T, and I said, how did that level of investment from Government in having all these? And they said, oh no, the building heads of the sporting teams just build these things – and jeez, wow. Lions have got to put in a bit more I think, in cricket. 

    But no, we had I haven’t turned our minds to that yet. We’ll just get shovels in the ground and start building it and then we’ll work out the name of it.

    JOURNALIST: Minister King, can I just jump in there and ask you, when you were negotiating with the State Government, did the Commonwealth put to the state that rowing could be held in Penrith?

    CATHERINE KING: So, what we’ve done as part of the agreement is we’ve provisioned money for Rockhampton, but that is conditional or dependent on the federated body for rowing determining that rowing can go forward there. Obviously, we’ll await that decision, but we’ll provision money for Rockhampton for that to occur. And again, that’s the decision that the Queensland Government has done, and that’s what it wants to do. And obviously, if there’s a different decision taken, we’ll work with the Queensland Government on that. But the Deputy Premier is pretty determined that’s where rowing is going to be.

    JOURNALIST: We’ve also had the Prime Minister suggest Penrith. What’s your view?

    CATHERINE KING: Again, I think that the Prime Minister is a problem solver and I think he knows that there are some challenges with Rockhampton, but we’ll let the Rowing Federation go and have a look at those and make a decision from there. And we’ll provision money for that venture as part of the Minor Venues Program and we’ll work through the processes. And there’s a [indistinct] plan B, then that’ll be a matter for discussion with the Queensland Government. But as I said, the Deputy Premier’s pretty determined and that that’s where rowing’s going to be. We’ll let the Federation do its work.

    JOURNALIST: Mackenzie Scott here from The Australian newspaper. Obviously, you’ve looked into this $7.1 billion deal today but the Treasurer, David Janetzki, has launched his team to start privatisation of certain large infrastructure projects. How much do you expect the public- sorry, the private sector to give in a monetary sense into Games infrastructure?

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Well, we have provisioned for $7.1 billion, that’s the deal. That was the Federal Government that have got to account for that as well. So, it equates to, if you look at the 7.1 billion, it’s not 50-50. It’s nearly 50-50. We’ll call it 50-50. It’s a couple hundred million less than the Federal contributions, a couple hundred million less than our contribution. We’ve stuck to that $7.1 billion figure. 

    Now, that doesn’t include private sector investment. We’ve budgeted on a provision that that is what it’s going to take for the state and the Commonwealth to get those venues, the major venues and minor venues done. If the private sector come into the market and assist GIICA with the stadium develop, minor venues, then that’s a bonus. That’s a bonus for the Federal Government and for the State Government. Those discussions have to take place with GIICA, but that will go through the procurement process.

    So, it’s not that we’ve announced that the private sector will build Victoria Park. We haven’t announced that at all. We have budgeted the money. As I said, our budget is $5.15 billion over the next four years for Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure. So, it’s state and Commonwealth funding, and we’ve kept it at 7.1.

    Catherine and I were talking about this before we came in today, and there’s a lot of people talking to us, oh, but blowouts, blowouts, blowouts. And I said: don’t be guided by the 10 years of blowouts from previous governments in Queensland. There are businesses in Queensland and nationally that actually deliver things on time and on budget. We can’t be in that mindset that everything is just going to blow out. We’ve got to make sure we try and do it on time and on budget. And our budget is 7.1. We’ve not shifted from that. 

    JOURNALIST: Deputy Premier, Rosanna Kingsun from Seven News. Can you rule out whether there will be a new train station at the Olympic Park there as in the paper, or is that not a consideration at all? And a question for Minister King. What would you like to see the State Government and Brisbane City Council include in their new precinct plan?

    JARROD BLEIJIE: Rosie, thank you for the question. I’m not really anything in or out about the transportation. Because what we need to do is work out what will be the best public transportation system around RNA, Victoria Park, the new stadium, and also the National Aquatics Centre. So, I’m not going to rule anything in or out. I’ll be guided by the experts. They’ve got a job to do now to work out what that transportation plan looks like – new stations, no stations. So, we’ll be open to any of the suggestions that come forward, but it’s got to be in the best interest of the commuters to get people around all the venues.

    CATHERINE KING: And that’s really what we will dig for in terms of the transport and mobility plan and not just obviously how people are going to move around the venues, and obviously, the IOC and Australian Olympic Committee will also be interested in those issues.

    In terms of precinct overall, I think what you will see across the globe at the moment is that where stadiums are being built- we’re not the only country that is facing challenges of people being concerned about the cost of those, loss of green space, all of those things. And what you’re seeing- and I think there’s some really interesting examples in the US, in Queens for example. I had the incredible privilege of being able to go and have a look a couple of years ago now, at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium and what they did around there around being able to provide education opportunities for a really incredibly disadvantaged community. 

    As I said in my speech, really I’m interested in more infrastructure [indistinct], not just in sport. We can see what that legacy looks like. But really, the opportunity we have here is to really shape cities, and to shape the way people live and dream about and enjoy those cities. And really, that’s what we’re looking for in the precinct plan. Because we know, long after the Games have finished, there’s people who live in these communities and we want them to be able to utilise those facilities, utilise the green space, be able to utilise transport and love where they live. And that is challenging. 

    As I said, that we’re not the only country in the world who might be aware there’s an election in Tasmania at the moment, and the issue around that there. In the same way, as we’ve said, we’ve funded Macquarie Point Precinct. We just haven’t funded just a stadium, what the life is going to look like down in that particular part of the world. So that’s really the sort of thing we’ll be looking for from both the transport and the precincts point of view.

    MC: Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, that’s where we’ll have to leave it, but I’m sure we’ll have many more of these events in the lead up to 2032. Please join me in thanking the Deputy Premier and Minister King.

    [Applause]

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Mandai North Crematorium And Garden Of Serenity Will Commence Operations On 15 August 2025

    Source: Government of Singapore

    Singapore, 28 July 2025 – The new Mandai North Crematorium (MNC) and Garden of Serenity (GOS), operated by the National Environment Agency (NEA), will begin operations on 15 August 2025. MNC will start with four cremation services daily. Cremation services will be ramped up progressively over the coming months.

    2          The new facilities, spanning approximately 2.4 ha, have been built in anticipation of demographic changes and an ageing population in Singapore. Annual resident deaths are projected to increase from about 25,000 in 2024 to around 40,000 by 2040. The new crematorium will provide additional cremation capacity, and the GOS will provide an additional option for the inland scattering of ashes. They will enable us to continue serving the nation’s needs in the years ahead.

    Facility designed to create a healing environment for the bereaved by integrating greenery and natural lighting within the key spaces

    3          The MNC is designed to house six service halls with viewing halls, transfer halls, and 18 cremators. Currently, three service halls are equipped with nine cremators. The ash collection centre is also ready for operations. NEA will fit out the remaining halls and cremators to meet anticipated demand for cremations.

    Service hall

    4          The new cremation facility offers an innovative design and technological features to enhance operational efficiency, and provide a seamless experience for visitors [1]. Some key features include a layout where service halls and viewing halls are adjacent, reducing walking distances and improving accessibility for all users. Technology is also used to enhance the visitor experience, with automated guided vehicles for coffin transport, and a self-help system at the ash collection centre. A comprehensive process control monitoring system oversees the entire cremation and ash collection process, ensuring service reliability. 

    Layout is designed with key facilities positioned side by side on the same level or connected vertically via escalators and lifts, reducing walking distances for visitors.

    Automated guided vehicle will be used to transport a coffin from hearse drop off to the service hall

    Ash collection station with a self-help system to facilitate collection of cremated ashes

    5          The MNC has been awarded the Green Mark (Platinum) by the Building and Construction Authority for sustainability efforts in building design. The environmental features at the facility include greenery in and around the building, a green roof that reduces the heat island effect, efficient underfloor cooling systems, and adoption of low carbon concrete and sustainable building products [2] to reduce the carbon footprint of the building.

    6          The GOS, Singapore’s second inland ash scattering facility, is located next to the MNC building [3]. It adopts an open garden concept with designated lanes for walkways and ash scattering [4]. It also incorporates a stormwater detention pond designed as a natural pond. The new facility will enable us to meet increasing demands for inland ash scattering service [5].

     

    Garden of Serenity: Landscaping and greenery have been used to create a peaceful, serene garden setting, to provide a dignified and respectful environment for ash scattering

    7          NEA will continue to plan ahead to ensure sufficient government after-death facilities and services, and to provide these services in a way that allows bereaved families to come together to send off their loved ones with dignity and respect.

    ————————————————————

    [1] See Annex A for more details on the design inspiration for the facility

    [2] Certified by the Singapore Green Building Council or on the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme.

    [3] The Garden of Serenity occupies approximately 750 sqm within the new Mandai North facility.

    [4] See Annex Bfor more details on the features at Garden of Serenity.

    [5] Accumulated ash soil will periodically be transferred from the ash scattering lanes to a designated location within the Garden of Peace (located at the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery) due to limited available space at GOS, to ensure that its lanes remain available for continued use. 

     

    ~~ End ~~

    For more information, please submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Egypt: President El-Sisi Reviews Progress of Transport, Industry, and Infrastructure Projects

    Source: APO


    .

    Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Transport and Industry Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir, and Presidential Advisor for Financial Affairs Lieutenant General Ahmed El-Shazly.

    The Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shenawy, said President El-Sisi was briefed during the meeting on the implementation status of projects under the Ministry of Transport and Industry, particularly those related to the railway system. This included Al-Arish –Taba railway line and the completion of Bir El-Abd–Al-Arish railway line projects that are expected to contribute significantly to the development of the Sinai Peninsula and to the establishment of a logistical corridor linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

    The meeting also addressed updates on the development of seaports, given their pivotal role in the national development agenda. In this regard, the implementation progress of several key ports was reviewed, including Ras Sedr Port, Gargoub Port, Abu Qir Port, the Grand Port of Alexandria, the new El-Max Port, the continued development of Sokhna Port, the establishment of Taba Seaport, and ongoing development at Damietta Port.

    The meeting further covered the progress in constructing the fourth metro line in Cairo and the high-speed electric train project. Additionally, efforts to develop and enhance industrial zones in Wadi Al-Saririya and Al-Motahhara in Minya Governorate, and northern Fayoum in Fayoum Governorate, were discussed. These initiatives fall within the broader framework of promoting industrial development in Upper Egypt and creating more job opportunities for local residents, especially in labor-intensive industries such as textiles and ready-made garments.

    President El-Sisi emphasized the need to complete all projects according to their specified timelines. The President gave directives to continue efforts to accelerate the implementation of integrated developmental logistical corridors that link production areas to the developing seaports, transforming them into world-class, high-capacity hubs. This integration with Egypt’s modern transportation network including roads, highways, and railways is vital for positioning Egypt as a global center for trade and logistics.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: At least 43 civilians killed in suspected ADF rebel attack on DRC church

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    KINSHASA, July 27 (Xinhua) — At least 43 civilians were killed in an attack on a church attributed to Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Saturday night, local sources said Sunday.

    According to local media, ADF fighters attacked a Catholic church in the early hours of July 27 in Komanda, Ituri province. Most of the victims, mostly believers, were preparing for Sunday mass when the attack occurred, a local civil society leader said. Several houses were burned, and an unknown number of people remain missing.

    According to eyewitnesses, the attackers also looted a local bank and other public property before fleeing into a nearby forest.

    Since early July, ADF rebels have stepped up their attacks in Ituri province. The UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC condemned recent ADF attacks in a statement earlier this week, which have killed at least 82 civilians in both Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province.

    The Allied Democratic Forces, considered an affiliate of the extremist group Islamic State in Central Africa, is a Ugandan rebel organization that operates in eastern DRC. Since November 2021, the DRC and Ugandan armed forces have been conducting joint operations against the ADF. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Power system continues to meet winter demand

    Source: Government of South Africa

    Eskom says the power system continues to operate reliably, showing ongoing resilience in effectively meeting winter electricity demand. 

    “When occasional system constraints arise, they are effectively managed through the strategic deployment of emergency reserves during morning and evening peak periods,” the power utility said on Friday.

    Since 15 May 2025, there has been no loadshedding, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 24 July 2025. 

    With 37 days of Eskom’s Winter Outlook period still remaining, Eskom said the system remains well-positioned to maintain stability and meet demand effectively.

    “As of today [Friday], unplanned outages are at 11 695MW and the available generation capacity is 30 236MW. Tonight’s electricity demand is expected to reach 27 715MW. The current capacity is sufficient to meet both today’s demand and anticipated requirements over the weekend.

    “During the week of 18 to 24 July 2025, planned maintenance averaged 5 050MW. Over the same period, the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) ranged between 62% and 66%, with the month-to-date average further increasing to 63.11%,” Eskom said.

    To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 3 960MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 28 July 2025, and throughout the coming week.

    Between 1 April and 24 July 2025, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF), which measures the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages, decreased to 28.99%. 

    This marks a reduction of an ~0.5% compared to the previous week but remains about 2.4% higher than the 26.60% recorded during the same period last year. 

    “As of Thursday, the UCLF stood at 23.79%, consistently indicating a notable improvement in performance. The open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) load factor decreased this week, reaching 1.86%, down from the 8.6% recorded during the previous week (11 to 17 July 2025). This indicates less reliance on OCGTs,” Eskom said.

    From 1 April to 24 July 2025, diesel spend remains within the budget allocated for 1 April to 31 July 2025.

    “The Winter Outlook, published on 5 May 2025, covering the period ending 31 August 2025, remains valid. It indicates that loadshedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW. If outages rise to 15 000MW, loadshedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days and restricted to Stage 2,” Eskom said.

    The power utility has encouraged all South Africans to use electricity efficiently throughout the winter season. 

    To help manage household electricity consumption, Eskom customers are encouraged to use the Eskom Residential Calculator, a convenient tool for tracking and optimising energy usage: https://www.eskom.co.za/distribution/residential-calculator/

    Correction on diesel spend 

    Meanwhile, Eskom has corrected the diesel spend figure published in the Power Alert for the week ending 17 July 2025. 

    “We identified a discrepancy in the reported diesel amount. The actual diesel spend should have been R5.554 billion, not R5.897 billion as stated. The figure 5 897 was in fact the R/MWh and was mistakenly captured as spend instead of R/MWh. This regretfully resulted in an inadvertent overstatement of the diesel spend, which we hereby correct. Eskom continuously reviews its diesel spend and energy output figures as part of its monthly reporting and reconciliation processes,” Eskom said. –SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Debunking the theological gaslighting of Israel-supporting Imams

    Muslims, and the global community, must rally around the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights: to exist, to return home, and to live free from occupation.

    ANALYSIS: By Shadee ElMasry

    In our world today, one would be hard-pressed to find a reputable, well-known scholar or group of scholars who support Israel. Of course, the keywords here are “well-known” and “reputable”, after a “misguided” delegation of European Imams travelled to Israel to placate the Israeli occupation and sponsor the genocide of the Palestinian people.

    It is increasingly common to find these figures, Muslim apologists for Israel, who have breached the Islamic tenet of standing against injustice, laundering their authority to provide cover for Israel’s crimes against humanity against their brothers and sisters in Palestine and across the wider Arab world.

    We live in a world of shameless opportunism, where the poisoned fruit of “normalising” relations with the Israeli occupation is weighed against moral conviction and our duty to stand with the afflicted Palestinians.

    A few weeks ago, this tradeoff played out across our screens.

    The delegation’s visit, which included 15 European Imams, was led by the controversial Hassen Chalghoumi (known for supporting Nicolas Sarkozy’s burqa ban) and involved meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who has been accused of inciting genocide.

    Clearly, their consciences weren’t troubled by the catastrophic famine now gripping Gaza, a “hell on earth” where women and children are killed for scrambling to get flour, and men are killed without rhyme or reason.

    I, like many companions across mosques and online feeds, was dumbfounded by the delegation’s complicity. This visit happened at a time when we as Muslims, and the global community, must rally around the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights: to exist, to return home, and to live free from occupation, especially as they face an existential threat.

    Delegation swiftly denounced
    The delegation was swiftly denounced. Al-Azhar University stressed that they “do not represent Islam and Muslims.” Worshippers walked out of UK mosques. A Dutch Imam was suspended.

    But this isn’t just about them. We need to ask how this happened and ensure it does not repeat with us. As one scholar said, if an Imam sees the community fall into usury, then gives his Friday sermon on adultery, the Imam has betrayed his congregation.

    The same is the case with Muslim apologists for Israel.

    To understand their motives, we must examine three theological “traps” these figures use to justify their support for Israel, or at least the very least, their silence over Palestine. The first of which is the “Greater Good Trap”.

    They claim that “speaking up against Israel will result in more harm than good”. But only the Prophet Muhammad’s silence constitutes tacit approval. Their reasoning doesn’t hold up.

    A weak-willed person will always accept this reasoning because it allows them to have their proverbial cake and eat it: they gain spiritual cover for remaining silent. As we’ve seen, the scholar will say: “Yes, I can speak, but then our school will get shut down, or we’ll lose funding. For the sake of the greater good, I must remain silent.”

    Israel, I’m sure, is delighted by this self-censorship. But we should also ask how it is that so many non-scholars, non-Muslims, and non-Arabs are speaking the truth about the Gaza genocide, while Islamic scholars remain silent.

    It raises eyebrows, at the very least.

    ‘Pure theology’ trap
    The second trap is the “Pure Theology” trap. Here, the scholar says: “Sound belief is the most important thing. How can we support the Palestinians when they resort to armed conflict? Their theology is flawed. I prioritise the truth, what’s wrong with that?”

    But what they overlook is that falsehood has degrees. It is foolish to denounce one error while ignoring a greater one.

    To attack a people’s doctrinal shortcomings while staying silent on their oppression is not principled; it is a failure to understand the fiqh of priorities.

    This trap lies in misplacing truths: loudly condemning the religious mistakes of Israel’s victims while conveniently forgetting the far graver injustice of Israel itself and the violent context that brought it into being.

    The final, and most sophisticated, trap that Muslim apologists for Israel use is metaphysical: they attempt to misdirect Muslims to a higher order of spiritual thought about the Divine will.

    They ask what sounds like a noble question: “Why is Allah doing this to us? It must be because of our sins. Israel is merely a tool God is using to punish us or purify us.”

    But the catch here is that the spiritual angle often (but not always) becomes a cover for pacifism. These figures that travelled to Israel, for instance, actively promote inaction. They showed no emotion, no voice, when witnessing the oppression of their own; only when it came to their sponsors did they find something to say.

    Suffer in silence
    The idea here is to suffer in silence, to clothe disengagement in the language of spiritual endurance.

    In the end, this is precisely what Israel and its supporters want: to keep the spotlight off themselves. Any diversion, theological or otherwise, is welcome. As we know, the oppressor laughs at those who fixate on what is bad while ignoring what is worse. And that is the danger behind all three traps.

    Yet despite these efforts, something far more powerful holds. The drive within the hearts and minds of Muslims to carry the burden of the Palestinian people, to speak their truth and fight for their freedom has not been extinguished.

    It is sustained by faith, shared memory, and the belief that justice is not a slogan but a sacred duty. We ask Allah for continued guidance and protection, and the strength to continue this noble and just cause. Ameen.

    Dr Shadee Elmasry has taught at several universities in the United States. Currently, he serves as scholar in residence at the New Brunswick Islamic Center in New Jersey. He is also the founder and head of Safina Society, an institution dedicated to the cause of traditional Islamic education in the West. This article was first published by The New Arab.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How do politicians view democracy? It depends on whether they win or lose

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Valere Gaspard, Research Fellow, Leadership and Democracy Lab, Western University

    There is a heightened concern about the current state of democracy around the globe. These include worries about a decrease in freedom, the growing number of autocracies around the world and citizens’ dissatisfaction with democracy or government.

    A 2022 survey of Canadians found that one-third have little to no trust in democracy and close to half don’t feel represented by government. These concerns aren’t unique to Canada.

    A lot of public opinion research on views about democracy focuses on citizens. Surely this is understandable, since they are the ones choosing who is in power in a democratic state.

    But what do the people in power or those running for office think about democracy? Surprisingly, for all the attention we place on politicians, we don’t know much about how they regard the democratic systems they operate in.

    Why it matters

    Why should we care about what politicians think about democracy? Because politicians can influence the views of citizens, and if they’re elected, they can affect or change democratic processes from within major institutions like legislatures.

    Therefore, to understand the contemporary health of democracies across the globe, we need to factor in politicians’ satisfaction with the way democracy works.

    While there are growing concerns about the current state of democracy around the globe, new open-access research I’ve conducted has hopeful findings, at least from the perspective of politicians. The analysis covers 49 elections in 21 countries — including Canada — from 2005 to 2021.

    The results show that politicians’ democratic satisfaction in a country will be higher when:

    • Elections in their country have high electoral integrity; in other words, when elections are free and fair
    • Electoral management bodies have sufficient resources to administer elections.

    This is good news from the perspective of maintaining a healthy democracy, since the people seeking the power of elected office are more satisfied when their democratic system is working well.

    But these findings become convoluted once we consider some attributes of politicians. Specifically, politicians’ democratic satisfaction begins to vary once we consider:

    • Whether their political party formed the government (winner) or is not part of government (loser)
    • Whether they identify with the ideological left or right.

    Winning and losing

    Nobody likes to lose, so it’s natural that a winner will be more satisfied with democracy.

    Although, the view that may be surprising — or troubling — is the extent to which politicians who won tolerate low electoral integrity, at least in terms of their democratic satisfaction.

    As illustrated above, when electoral integrity is low in a country, politicians who lose will be much less satisfied with democracy than winners. When electoral integrity is high, there is no noticeable difference between politicians that won or lost.

    The difference between winners’ and losers’ democratic satisfaction is problematic, but what is most troubling is that winners’ satisfaction with democracy does not significantly change across different levels of electoral integrity.

    When it comes to citizens, previous research has shown that when electoral integrity is low, democratic satisfaction among citizens will also be low, regardless of whether their preferred politician or political party won or lost.

    Politicians therefore differ from their citizen counterpart — those who won are much more tolerant of lower electoral integrity (at least in terms of their democratic satisfaction).

    In a stable democracy with free and fair elections, this might not matter much. However, if a country begins to experience democratic decline, then these attitudes could become detrimental.

    If politicians who win are not concerned with low electoral integrity, then they might lack the incentive needed to make necessary changes to electoral processes. Those concerned about electoral processes in these kinds of circumstances may therefore need to find alternative routes or incentives to encourage change.

    Left-to-right political ideology

    While the contrast between winners and losers may be discouraging, there are more similarities between those on the ideological left and right. Electoral management bodies having sufficient resources to administer elections matters to both leftist and rightist politicians in terms of their democratic satisfaction.

    However, as shown above, having sufficient resources to administer elections matters more to politicians on the ideological right. This may surprise some readers given past claims that right-leaning groups or people might advocate for more restrictive voting processes and laws.

    For those concerned with democratic stability, it’s promising to note that politicians across the ideological spectrum will generally be more satisfied with democracy when there are more resources to administer elections.



    Read more:
    Two of the US’s biggest newspapers have refused to endorse a presidential candidate. This is how democracy dies

    Overall, politicians on average tend to be more satisfied with democracy when it is working well — specifically, when elections are free and fair, and when electoral management bodies have the capacity to administer well-run elections. This is good news given concerns surrounding the current global state of democracy.

    However, policymakers and practitioners in Canada and abroad focusing on democratic stability and elections should take note of these findings. The attitudes of politicians in democratic countries may not be concerning when everything is working as intended, but if democratic processes begin to weaken or fail, the indifference of winners towards electoral integrity could be troublesome.

    At this moment of heightened concern about the current state of democracy around the globe, researchers and practitioners alike need to better understand the attitudes and motivations of the people who lead our systems of government.

    Valere Gaspard is a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa and a Research Fellow at Western University and Trent University’s Leadership and Democracy Lab. His research is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (CGS Doctoral award). His views do not reflect those of any employer(s).

    – ref. How do politicians view democracy? It depends on whether they win or lose – https://theconversation.com/how-do-politicians-view-democracy-it-depends-on-whether-they-win-or-lose-261647

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Iranian Canadians watch the Israel-U.S. war in Iran from afar

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Fateme Ejaredar, PhD candidate in Sociology, University of Calgary, University of Calgary

    Iranian Canadians have been following the news in Iran carefully. Sadaf Vakilzadeh/Unsplash, CC BY

    The recent war waged by Israel and the United States on Iran killed at least 935 people and wounded another 5,332. There’s currently a ceasefire, but the conflict shocked the world and has had unique impacts on Iranians in the diaspora.

    Many Iranians in Canada were glued to their media feeds to stay close to Iran and their friends and families.

    Based on preliminary interviews with 30 Iranian activists in Canada, many in the diaspora have experienced what they call “survivor’s guilt.”

    The interviews are part of a PhD study conducted online or in person by one of the authors of this story, Fateme Ejaredar, and supervised by co-author Pallavi Banerjee. The information from these interviews helps to untangle the roots of political tensions and evolving solidarities in the Iranian diaspora in Canada. For this research, 30 interviews were conducted, with seven followups after the conflict began on June 13, 2025.

    A large share of the Iranian diaspora in Canada is comprised of activists who disavow the Islamic Republic. According to The New York Times, the Iranian diaspora includes “exiled leftists, nationalists, secular democrats, former prisoners, journalists, human rights advocates and artists.” This population of diasporic Iranians has been supporting progressive change in Iran.

    There are also those who oppose the Islamic Republic in support of the deposed shah, a movement currently swayed by Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah. They see the U.S. and Israel as liberators of the Iranian people. The current war resurfaced many of these tensions that continue to divide the diaspora.

    The war has left Iranian activists in the diaspora contending with contradictions about both their standing as activists while mourning the assaults on their country, both from within and outside.

    Living in between homeland and hostland

    Canada has the second largest Iranian diaspora in the world. Iran’s tumultuous political climate has kept the diaspora on edge and divided since the 1979 revolution that deposed the shahs.

    After the revolution, many left-wing and other opposition activists who resisted both the pre- and post-revolutionary regimes went into exile. Continued political repression and economic hardship later forced even more Iranians, including activists, to leave the country. Strife peaked again in 2022 during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests which deeply impacted the diaspora.

    Matin, a participant in her 30s from Alberta (all names of interviewees are pseudonyms), said:

    “I’m sad that my home is being bombed. And you don’t have the energy to argue in this situation. For a soul that’s already tired, its wounds from 2022 aren’t healed yet, it can’t go into this again. It’s a dead end.”



    Read more:
    Iranian women risk arrest: Daughters of the revolution

    Sociological research on migration and transnationalism has explained how those exiled from their homelands and living in diaspora reside in the “in-between lands.”

    This is heightened when the homeland is in a state of political disarray, producing what sociologists have called “exogenous shocks” for the diaspora.

    This is the unsettled feeling Iranians in the diaspora have been contending with for the last 45 years. They are constantly navigating life in between the homeland and hostland.

    Fragmented nationalism

    People’s fragmented sense of nationalism can shape responses to upheavals in the homeland.

    Many we spoke with struggle with their own interpretations of Iranian nationalism that clash with their disdain for the Islamic Republic. Their disdain is rooted in their own lived experiences under the regime — ranging from the loss of basic rights and freedoms, to harsh repression including imprisonment and torture for some, or simply an unfulfilled desire of living in a peaceful and free society.

    Vida, an interviewee in her 30s who lives in Saskatchewan, said even though she despised the politics of the Islamic Republic and in the past had celebrated the death of key officials like Qasem Soleimani, the recent war has invoked some conflicting feelings about the death of military leaders.

    She took pride in solidarities forged among the diaspora due to the war and interpreted it as nationalism. Vida said:

    “I never was a nationalist, and I hate nationalism. But there were moments these days that I felt proud. Seeing all the solidarity between people, seeing how they helped each other…”

    Even as the activists feel protective of their country because of the war, they also experience a deep sense of loss and guilt they have always felt in exile.

    Tensions in the diaspora

    Iran’s relationship with the West has continued to be fraught.

    The West, particularly the U.S., has leveraged Iran’s repression of women to economically disable Iran through sanctions, breaking down possibilities of diplomacy between Iran and the U.S. But feminist scholars have argued this stance has only further empowered the authoritarian and patriarchal political forces in Iran..

    Iranian activists in the diaspora contend with both resisting the Islamic Republic’s role in oppression of Iranians in Iran and the American role in marginalizing Iranians in Iran.

    The ‘Iran of our dreams’

    The in-between spaces are precarious and unpredictable. But they also bring new possibilities and in this case, as many interviewees have indicated, acts of resistance from afar.

    This can be further activated in moments of upheaval. And those living in the in-between spaces can often form new alliances and solidarities.

    For many activist Iranians, the resistance in Palestine has been a source of inspiration since before the revolution of 1979. Many participants in this study mentioned in their interviews how they have long felt solidarity with Palestinians, but they say since June 13, they have an even deeper understanding of their situation.

    Zara, in her 40s from Ontario, said she now understands more deeply how the world could be indifferent towards those critiquing the actions of Israel, saying she feels:

    “… a sense of helplessness and desperation against all that illogical violent power.”

    Despite the desolation expressed by our interviewees about the war, many activists also expressed faith in resistance for freedom and justice that allows them to envision a different future.

    Jamshid, in his 60s in British Columbia, shared his future vision of Iran. It is:

    “ … an Iran that lives in peace. There is social justice in it and no one is injured. It takes care of itself. It’s very kind, immensely kind… Maybe one day it will happen and we’re not here to see it.”

    Pallavi Banerjee receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

    Fateme Ejaredar 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. Iranian Canadians watch the Israel-U.S. war in Iran from afar – https://theconversation.com/iranian-canadians-watch-the-israel-u-s-war-in-iran-from-afar-259866

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How Marvel’s Fantastic Four discovered the human in the superhuman

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By J. Andrew Deman, Professor of English, University of Waterloo

    The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the second cinematic reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, and there’s a lot riding on this film.

    While cinema-goers have responded enthusiastically to many of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the history of the Fantastic Four on the silver screen is less heralded.

    All the previous Fantastic Four films have been “commercial and critical failures,” with the 2015 film being an infamous box office bomb.

    Yet in comics history, the Fantastic Four have been up to the challenge of driving a popular media enterprise forward — something that the film producers and Marvel fans alike are both now hoping for.

    ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ trailer.

    In the 1960s — the era in which Fantastic Four: First Steps, is notably set — the comics presented a new class of superhero.

    From their 1961 debut, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/the Invisible Girl, Johnny Storm/the Human Torch and Ben Grimm/the Thing were celebrities who rented office space in a Manhattan highrise and found themselves variously beloved and reviled by both the public and the government.

    Cover of ‘The Fantastic Four’ No. 1, 1961.
    (Marvel)

    The team also rejected secret identities. Until the third issue of their series, they even eschewed superhero costumes (in part because of a restriction imposed by the owner of Marvel’s then-distributor, DC Comics).

    Pushed representational boundaries

    The Fantastic Four comics of the 1960s also pushed boundaries in a number of significant ways. They featured the first pair of married superheroes (Reed and Sue wed in 1965) and the first superhero pregnancy (Sue gave birth to her son Franklin in 1968).

    In 1966, Fantastic Four No. 52 introduced the Black Panther, who is widely recognized as the first high-profile Black superhero.



    Read more:
    *Black Panther* roars. Are we listening?

    And though not canonical until 2002, it has been suggested by scholars that Ben Grimm was always envisioned as a Jewish superhero by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, offering another milestone in representation (at least for those readers attuned to the character’s Jewish coding).

    These milestones emphasize a dedicated concern for the human aspects of superheroes.

    A family with relatable issues

    Set amid fittingly fantastic science-fiction landscapes inspired by Space Age optimism was a story about a family who “fought among themselves, sometimes over petty jealousies and insults,” in the words of Christopher Pizzino, an American scholar of contemporary literature, film and television.

    This approach of building character dynamics out of internal conflict proved deeply influential.

    Famed comics writer Grant Morrison argues that through the example of Fantastic Four, “the Marvel superhero was born: a hero who tussled not only with monsters and mad scientists but also with relatable personal issues.”

    In his bestselling book All the Marvels, comics critic and historian Douglas Wolk concurs that the “first hundred issues of Fantastic Four are Marvel’s Bible and manual,” establishing the style, theme, genre and approach of the company’s comics for decades to come.

    Marvel’s universe continued to expand following the Fantastic Four debut.
    (Marvel)

    Defining personal conflicts

    In contrast to moral paragons such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (all published by rival DC Comics), each member of Marvel’s Fantastic Four had defining personal conflicts.

    Reed Richards, the team’s patriarch, was a world-altering genius who often fell victim to his own hubristic ambition.

    Two years before American feminist author Betty Friedan identified “the problem that has no name” in The Feminine Mystique (that post-war suburban housewives faced social expectations of being fully fulfilled as wives and mothers, the Fantastic Four gave audiences Sue Storm, with the superpower to render herself — and others — invisible at will.

    Storm, according to scholar Ramzi Fawaz, “made the concept of women’s social invisibility an object of visual critique by making invisible bodies and objects conspicuous on the comic book page.”

    Her younger brother, Johnny Storm, a playboy and showboat, had a lot of growing up to do, a journey that was frustrated by his flashy powers.

    Ben Grimm, Reed’s college roommate turned best friend turned rock monster, oscillated between childlike rage and world-weary depression, his rocky hide granting him super-strength and invulnerability while burdening him with social isolation.

    While none of us are likely to acquire superpowers through exposure to cosmic rays like the Four, we’ve all dealt with anxiety and grief like these heroes.

    Origin of the Marvel universe

    The world of the Fantastic Four didn’t just feel unusually human. It also felt unusually lived in, partly because the Fantastic Four comics of the 1960s weren’t just the origin of the Marvel style of storytelling — they were also the origin of the Marvel universe.

    Fantastic Four began and became the model for Marvel’s shared continuity universe, in which dozens of superheroes passed in and out of each other’s stories and occasionally intersected long enough for whole crossover story arcs and events. For a time, Marvel’s superheroes even aged alongside their readers, with teenage characters like Johnny Storm graduating high school and enrolling in college.

    Previous superhero comics hadn’t embraced this shared continuity in a meaningful way, tending to prioritize discrete stories that had no effect on future tales. But Fantastic Four pitched what comics scholar Charles Hatfield calls “intertitle continuity,” which quickly became “Marvel’s main selling tool.”

    Case in point, the Fantastic Four shared the cover of 1963’s Amazing Spider-Man No. 1, helping sell the newly created wall-crawler to their adoring readers.

    Voluminous, chaotic universe

    The 1965 wedding of Reed and Sue in Fantastic Four Annual No. 3 showcased how quickly the Marvel comics universe became vibrantly voluminous and charmingly chaotic.

    This event featured at least 19 superheroes fighting 28 supervillains and foregrounded the Fantastic Four’s symbolic mother and father as the progenitors of an extended super-family.

    It also featured a cameo by the Fantastic Four’s creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, previously introduced in 1963’s Fantastic Four No. 10 as the official creators of imaginary adventures starring the “real” Fantastic Four, further blurring the boundary between fiction and reality.

    Decades later, this sprawling comics universe would become a sprawling cinematic universe. This informs the pressure facing the latest Fantastic Four adaptation.

    Phase 6 of universe

    Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the start of what Marvel calls “Phase Six” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began in 2008 with the first Marvel Studios film, Iron Man.

    Essentially, Fantastic Four: First Steps is meant to launch a new cluster of shared universe stories, just as Fantastic Four No. 1 did for Marvel Comics in the 1960s.

    This cluster will culminate in the release of Avengers: Secret Wars in December 2027. Will Marvel’s first family deliver?

    This article is co-authored by Anna Peppard, an independent scholar and editor of ‘Supersex: Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero.’

    J. Andrew Deman 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. How Marvel’s Fantastic Four discovered the human in the superhuman – https://theconversation.com/how-marvels-fantastic-four-discovered-the-human-in-the-superhuman-260883

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: UN chief, Trump call for ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday called on Cambodia and Thailand to agree on a ceasefire.

    A. Guterres called on both sides to immediately cease hostilities and resolve all contentious issues through dialogue, seeking to find a lasting solution to the conflict, according to a statement from the UN chief’s deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

    “The UN Secretary-General condemns the tragic and unnecessary loss of life, injuries to civilians, and the destruction of homes and infrastructure on both sides,” said F. Hack. According to him, A. Guterres “remains ready to assist in any efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict.”

    Trump said on Saturday on Truth Social that he had held talks with the Prime Minister of Cambodia and the acting Prime Minister of Thailand to urge them to immediately cease-fire. He said both Cambodia and Thailand have expressed their readiness for immediate peace and a cease-fire.

    Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Sunday reaffirmed readiness for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” between the armed forces of Cambodia and Thailand after a phone call with Donald Trump.

    The Thai side also responded to Trump’s call on Sunday, saying that the country agreed in principle to a ceasefire, but would like to see sincere intentions from Cambodia.

    Gunfire continued along the border between the two countries early Sunday morning, Thailand’s National Broadcasting Service reported, citing military sources. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Fresh-cut roses from Northwest China greenhouses reach Central Asian markets

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    LANZHOU, July 27 (Xinhua) — The delivery time of fresh-cut roses from greenhouses in Linxia City, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Gansu Province, to consumers’ flower vases in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is the shortest possible time – 48 hours from the moment the fragrant produce is “harvested.” In recent years, fresh-cut roses from northwest China have continued to expand their geographic reach from the Chinese market to overseas markets.

    Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, with an average altitude of 2,000 meters, has become a high-quality rose growing area due to its abundant sunshine and dry climate.

    In the smart greenhouses at the farm of Inun International Flower Port (hereinafter referred to as Inun) in Linxia, roses bloom all year round. This was made possible by modern technological equipment, including automatic ventilation and temperature control systems, a system with water and fertilizer integration technology for irrigation, and disinfection, which contributes to stable and efficient flower cultivation throughout the year.

    Currently, this company grows 10 varieties of roses with a color palette of 8 different shades. The daily production volume reaches 180 thousand pieces, and the annual production volume of flower products exceeds 60 million pieces. These freshly cut roses are supplied both to major cities in China and abroad.

    Gansu Hauzhizhou Economic and Trade Co., Ltd. /”Flower Kingdom”/ is engaged in the sale of freshly cut roses grown on the above-mentioned farm. According to Li Zetian, deputy general manager of Hauzhizhou, the rose products from the company’s Yinong farm are of high quality. In particular, these roses last a long time in a vase, remaining fresh for 3-5 days longer than ordinary flowers. Such quality makes “Linxia roses” competitive in the international market.

    “During the market research as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, we found that there is a sharp increase in demand for Chinese flowers in Kazakhstan. This opens up broad prospects for cooperation,” said Li Zetian. According to him, the company has sources of stable supplies of fresh flowers and can effectively use the advantages of Almaty in the areas of customs clearance efficiency, warehousing management and regional logistics network.

    According to the latest data from Huazhizhou, over 1.5 million fresh-cut roses were exported to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries in the first half of this year.

    According to Li Zetian, the company has already formed a preliminary customer base, and in the second ten days of July this year, an overseas warehouse was established in Almaty in cooperation with Kazakhstani partners. In addition, the company is also gradually promoting the establishment of a branch in Almaty in order to cover not only the countries of Central Asia, but also to expand the sales market for its products by entering the market of Russia and other Eastern European countries. The sales model of “direct deliveries from the Chinese base and distribution through an overseas warehouse” allows “roses from Linxia” to be delivered directly to overseas consumers.

    According to Long Shangyi, an official with the Linxia City Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, local agricultural departments regularly provide enterprises with technical advice on growing flowers and plants. “We hope that cross-border cooperation will become a platform for deepening the exchange between Chinese flower culture and the horticultural experience of Central Asian countries,” he emphasized. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –