Category: housing

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Check it out: Auckland Council Libraries trial board game lending

Source: Auckland Council

Auckland Council Libraries have announced a new offering – board games lending, giving Aucklanders the opportunity to borrow popular tabletop games like Catan and Ticket To Ride: Europe to ramp up their game night.

Launched as a trial across 10 library branches, the board game lending programme gives Aucklanders the opportunity to connect, play and learn together, with modern strategy games that appeal to a wide range of adults.

Councillor Julie Fairey, deputy chair of the Community Committee, says the new initiative shows how libraries are evolving to meet our community’s changing needs.

“Our libraries are so much more than just books – they’re places for fun and connection, and they are always looking for new ways to serve Aucklanders,” says Councillor Fairey.

“My whānau loves board games and we will definitely be accessing this new collection now available through our public libraries. Often these games are quite expensive to buy and this is a way people can play a wide range of games and find new favourites to enjoy.”

The popular titles, which include games such as Exploding Kittens and Wingspan are available for borrowing by any library card holder aged 18+ for a two-week loan.

While the games are on display at 10 sites, customers can place holds, collect and return the board games from any of our 56 libraries across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Auckland Council’s Head of Library and Learning Services, Catherine Leonard, says the new offering is an exciting way to welcome more Aucklanders into libraries.

“International trends show board games are booming, especially among 20–30-year-olds – a group we don’t see as often in our libraries,” says Ms Leonard.

“Board games are a fantastic tool for learning, collaboration and fun – but above all, they bring people together. We’d love to see more Aucklanders heading into our libraries and taking home a sought-after title to level up their next game night.”

This initiative aligns with the Belonging and Participation aspect of the Auckland Plan by increasing educational achievement, lifelong learning and training.

As with books, there are no late fees for board games, and borrowers won’t be charged for the occasional missing piece — but if a game is returned unplayable, a replacement fee will apply.

The trial will run for 12 months with a view to rolling it out to more libraries and adding more board games in the future.

To find out more about the board game collection and reserve a game, go to Auckland Council Libraries website.

Love this initiative and want the best for Auckland’s future? Stand for council in Auckland’s Local Elections 2025. Nominations open 4 July 2025 and close 1 August 2025, midday. If you’d like to learn more about what’s involved in standing, visit Vote Auckland.

Available board games:

7 Wonders: Duel
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Catan
Codenames: Pictures
Exploding Kittens
Root
Ticket to Ride: Europ
The Resistance: Avalo
Tokaido
Wingspan (Oceania Expansion)

Participating libraries:

North/West Region

Glenfield Library

East Coast Bays Library

Waitākere Central |
Te Kōpua

Central/East Region

Central City Library

Mt Albert Library

Onehunga Library

Botany Library

South Region

Māngere Bridge Library

Manurewa Library

Papatoetoe Library

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025

Trump aims to exceed first term’s weapons sales to Taiwan, officials say

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

The United States plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taipei to a level exceeding President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the democratic island, according to two U.S. officials.

If U.S. arms sales to Taiwan do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to the island. It would also add new friction to the tense U.S.-China relationship.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they expect U.S. approvals for weapons sales to Taipei over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of the officials saying arms sales notifications to Taiwan could “easily exceed” that earlier period.

They also said the United States is pressing members of Taiwan’s opposition parties not to oppose the government’s efforts to increase defense spending to 3% of the island’s budget.

The first Trump administration approved sales of approximately $18.3 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan, compared with around $8.4 billion during Joe Biden’s term, according to Reuters calculations.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei.

Even so, many in Taiwan, which China claims as its own, worry that Trump may not be as committed to the island as past U.S. presidents.

On the election campaign trail, Trump suggested Taiwan should pay to be protected and also accused the island of stealing American semiconductor business, causing alarm in Taipei.

China has vowed to “reunify” with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

The U.S. officials said administration officials and Trump himself were committed to “enhancing hard deterrence” for Taiwan.

“That’s where the president is. That’s where all of us are,” one U.S. official said, adding that they were working closely with Taiwan on an arms procurement package to be rolled out when Taiwan secured domestic funding.

Taiwan’s Presidential Office told Reuters the government is determined to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and pointed to its proposals to increase defense spending.

“Taiwan aims to enhance military deterrence while continuing to deepen its security cooperation with the United States,” Presidential Office spokesperson Wen Lii said.

Taiwan’s defense ministry declined to comment on any new arms sales, but reiterated previous remarks by the island’s defense minister, Wellington Koo, about the importance of “solidarity and cooperation of democratic allies.”

-Reuters

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Keith Rankin Analysis – Who, neither politician nor monarch, executed 100,000 civilians in a single night?
Analysis by Keith Rankin.

Who, neither politician nor monarch, executed 100,000 civilians in a single night?

Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Answer: Curtis LeMay, American Air Force General, in the wee hours of 10 March 1945. While authorised by his immediate superior, this firebombing of Tokyo was a decentralised military operation which received subsequent popular approval. It was called ‘Operation Meetinghouse’. While Japanese civilians were aware that they had become a collateral target to the encroaching American military machine, these victims had no prior idea of the murderous danger they faced that night.

Le May went on to execute at least another 120,000 Japanese civilians in the next five months and five days; from 10 March until 15 August. The method of execution was to burn people alive. LeMay’s inflammatory instrument was napalm. The politicians approved, but did not fully comprehend. They had been softened up by bureaucratic-speak, and they did not see burning people on their TV screens.

(In that August there was an additional couplet of mass executions; nuclear executions. This parallel military operation was not under the command of LeMay, but used the same airfields and the same B29 aircraft type. Contrary to impressions given that the atomic bomb was planned for Germany, pilot Paul Tibbets was chosen in 1944, and was doing test manoeuvres from Cuba at the end of that year. And there were five cities LeMay had been asked not to firebomb, and did not bomb, knowing that these were ‘reserved’ targets. An additional 120,000 people were summarily executed by the untested ‘Little Boy’ [Hiroshima] and the New Mexico tested ‘Fat Man’ [plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki], with thousands more suffering lingering executions. These bombings – rubber-stamped by President Truman – were arranged by technocrats and military bureaucrats. The American authorities were preparing to give a repeat larger dose when more ‘Fat Men’ would become available towards the end of 1945.)

In the middle centuries of the last millennium, one particularly appalling form of execution was to burn ‘heretics’ and ‘witches’ at the stake. These executions peaked in the sixteenth century. The most renowned perpetrator was Bloody Mary, Queen of England during the 1550s. Her tally, those burned while she was queen, was about 500 people. Unlike the citizens of Tokyo, most of Queen Mary’s victims had options, albeit unsatisfactory options, to escape their fates. We think of such executions-by-fire as the epitome of terror. (And we note that some Holocaust victims, in places such as Belarus, were burned in wooden buildings locked by their Nazi executioners.)

It is 200 kilometres from Auckland to Tauranga via SH2. (For an international example, try Dover to Cambridge.) Just imagine 20,000 stakes, faggots at the ready, 10 metres apart, all the way along the highway between those two cities. Now imagine a family being burned at each of those 20,000 stakes. That is, in essence, what General Curtis LeMay achieved in one spring night, in central Tokyo. (And, as we have noted, he was only warming up. His total civilian kill count was ‘limited’ because putative victims, now forewarned, were more able to take measures to save their lives though not their homes. He firebombed literally hundreds of Japanese cities.)

Did we remember this event in March this year, its 80th anniversary? No. This literal holocaust was barely remembered, even in Japan. Indeed, in the 1960s, political leaders in the new Japan presented him in 1964 with a prestigious accolade for his supposed sine qua non role in making the new Japan possible.

1945 was not Lemay’s first participation in megadeath; not his first rodeo. He earned his stripes in the European ‘bombing theatre’ in 1942 and 1943, where he took on board the ‘atrocities may be more effective’ approach of the British RAF. He also operated out of Bengal in 1944, during the Bengal famine which resulted from food being diverted away from millions of Bengali civilians to facilitate war objectives, in an earlier attempt to bomb Japan via India and China. In addition to starving Indians – a somewhat wretched people, in LeMay’s view – the American military was willing to sustain huge American losses, eg flying over the Himalayas, for minimal military success. A mitigating factor for LeMay, then, was that he was implementing other people’s plans. On 10 March 1945, Operation Meetinghouse was his scheme.

Why?

What was the purpose of this mass execution, this collective punishment of civilians who happened to live in a country that was losing a war?

Japanese civilians were neither fascists nor communists nor anti-semites nor anti-hamites nor anyone else ‘deserving’ of immolation. Their government was however guilty of good old-fashioned imperialism, and the usual atrocities that come with conquests of other people’s lands.

There were two officially-stated arguments used to justify these executions. One was that, as civilian victims of such suffering, they, demoralised, might somehow convince their political masters to end the war sooner. The second justification was that the civilian victims were either workers in factories producing military goods, or were involved in ‘cottage industries’ which contributed to the production of military goods; this really amounts to some kind of ‘revenge’ justification masked as ‘normal warfare’. And this second justification is uncannily like the ‘Hamas’ argument used at present by the Israeli government to justify executions of civilians in Gaza.

The American bombing culture in Europe had been more reserved than that of the British. The Americans, including LeMay, witnessed the British firebombing of German cities during 1942 to 1944 – especially in the west of Germany where Nazi support was the least – which had conspicuously failed to create conditions facilitating popular revolution in Germany. Dead people tended to be passive, and survivors tended to channel their despair towards the perpetrators of their anguish. Indeed, among victimised communities, murderous bombing campaigns generally reinforced propaganda perpetuated by the victims’ governments. Further, despite calling their tactic ‘morale bombing’, the British already knew that the morale narrative was false, having been able to closely evaluate the morale effects of comparatively small amounts of German bombing in 1940 upon British civilians.

Overall, it comes across that the main reason for the executions was some kind of ‘impunity’; they did it because they could. The more they failed to bring the war to an end, the more they persevered in doing the executions that hadn’t achieved their stated goals. Just one more city. And then another. And another.

The impunity argument was augmented by the ‘scientific’ rationalisations. Applied scientists developing ever more efficient methods of execution would never be satisfied unless they could see the success of their own apparatus ‘in the field’.

Sky-executions this century: Iraq from 2003, Afghanistan, and Gaza from 2023

In the last decade (or so) of the twentieth century, most people believed that humans – except perhaps a few terrorists (who indeed perpetrated a sky-execution in 2001) – could never repeat such atrocities upon civilians. Then we saw, in 2003, based on false claims about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ held by Saddam Hussein, executions similar to those of WW2 were perpetrated upon the civilians of Iraq. And a huge bunker bomb – the Mother of All Bombs “the most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever used” – was dropped on a village in eastern Afghanistan in 2017. (A comment to this recent Al Jazeera news clip says: “Americans tested their weapons on innocent civilians’ villages”. And see BBC: The Mother of All Bombs: How badly did it hurt IS in Afghanistan? 27 April 2017.)

These executions were seen to be a mix of ‘revenge’ and ‘impunity’, although once again cloaked as being part of a higher purpose; in this case the higher purpose being the export of western-style ‘Democracy’. We saw in Iraq that the main consequence of western sky-executions – the ‘shock and awe’ bombing campaign – was the formation of terror-group ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on for twenty years before the eventual humiliation of the United States in Afghanistan in 2021.

Since 2023 in Gaza we have seen a constant stream of airborne executions of civilians; mostly people who by fate were born into that occupied or encircled ghetto; a piece of real estate, densely populated by the descendants of refugees, coveted by the descendants of comparatively recent European colonisers making bizarre historical claims of entitlement.

The young people of this world were shocked to see that their political leaders were indifferent, and that many were actually prompting these executions; executions by explosion and fire. Admittedly the scale of what is happening in Gaza is much less than the scale of Curtis LeMay’s murderous firebombs. But otherwise it is much the same. Our elders, some of whom protested against the Vietnam War, by and large couldn’t care less.

This indifference is facilitated by the fact that the victims’ fates are simply too graphic to show on television. There is no lack of footage; it’s just too horrible. But now, there is footage that’s less horrible – though still very horrible – of emaciated starving children. I don’t think that those western elites who were indifferent to the live burnings are really any less indifferent to the starvations perpetrated, not by Jews, but by the state of Israel. But the elites are sensitive to the impact of detrimental optics on their ability to garner political support from non-elites.

G-Hats and B-hats

It must be hard for young people to explain why there is so much indifference among their elders, especially their elite elders, towards the sky-executions that appear on daily news feeds (though commonly at about 6:25pm – after two sets of advertisements – on the nightly six o’clock news).

My explanation is this. We put hats (ie labels) on various groups of people. Especially ‘Goody’ and ‘Baddy’ hats. Hats labelled G (for good or for God), and hats labelled B (for bad, or evil). Sometimes there is a D-hat; western liberal ‘Democracy’, the imperialism we most see today.

Following westerners’ contrition for The Holocaust, the first people in line to be awarded G hats were the Jewish citizens of the newly created state of Israel. We gave out many G and B hats to various other people of course. And, of course, just about every identity group issues themselves with G-hats, reserving B-hats for distinct others.

One of the problems with the human brain is that it reacts badly to contradiction. Neural pathways short-circuit when we see people with G-hats doing B (bad) – often very bad – things. Most observers will resolve the contradiction in favour of the hat rather than in favour of the observed action. So, if a G-hatted person or institution sky-executes some people, then we rationalise this dissonance by ignoring the action or by presuming that the victims must have been B (effectively converting a grotesque action into a good action). We expect our societal leaders to rise above these forms of neural conflict.

Through this kind of dissonance, we both excuse the bad actions of the Good, and fail to acknowledge the good actions of the Bad. (An example of the latter is that, in many contexts, colonisers and their descendants are given B-hats by the descendants of the colonised; and any genuine achievements which may have arisen from a colonised setting are devalued, deamplified, or disregarded.)

On the matter of cognitive dissonance, for which my hat explanation is an example, see Social Atrophy on the Rise,France24 26 May 20125, featuring Sarah Stein Lubrano, author of Don’t Talk about Politics (published this month). She says: “When people are given new information or new arguments about something about which they already hold beliefs – especially strong beliefs – they experience cognitive dissonance, they feel discomfort between the contradiction between new ideas and existing ideas and this often causes them to re-entrench, to double-down on their existing ideas.”

Conclusion

Some things are so horrible – including inflammatory executions – we cannot compute them. That’s no excuse to repeat them.

————-

On Curtis LeMay, my three main sources have been:
- Richard Overy (2025), Rain of Ruin
- Malcolm Gladwell (2021), The Bomber Mafia
- James Scott (2022), Black Snow
*******

Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: What is mantle cell lymphoma? Magda Szubanski’s ‘rare and fast-moving’ cancer, explained

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John (Eddie) La Marca, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)

Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

Beloved Australian actor, Magda Szubanski, has revealed she’s been diagnosed with a “very rare, very aggressive, very serious” blood cancer called mantle cell lymphoma.

In a post on social media on Thursday, Szubanski said she would be starting treatment in a few weeks for the stage 4 cancer, which she called “one of the nasty ones, unfortunately”.

So, what is mantle cell lymphoma? And how is it treated?

What is mantle cell lymphoma?

There are more than 100 subtypes of blood cancers, but they are commonly divided into one of two groups. These are based on where they originate: leukaemias develop in the bone marrow, and lymphomas develop in the lymphatic system.

Lymphomas develop from white blood cells (lymphocytes), which circulate in the blood and lymphatic system and help fight infection.

You may not have heard of the lymphatic system, but it plays a key role in your immune response.

The lymphatic circulatory system is responsible for transporting fluids (lymph) around your body. Lymph comes from blood plasma, and helps remove waste from your tissues.

As part of the lymphatic system, tissues like the spleen and thymus help produce many of the immune cells you use to fight infections.

These cells are then housed in specialised organs called lymph nodes – small pea-sized glands located throughout your body.

The lymphatic system plays a key role in your body’s immune response.
Clash_Gene/Shutterstock

Lymph nodes are kind of like the “war room” of your immune system.

Your body contains hundreds of lymph nodes, and each contains millions of lymphocytes. These include the T and B cells – the main fighting cells in adaptive immunity.

If B cells in an area of the lymph node known as the “mantle zone” become cancerous, it is called mantle cell lymphoma.

How rare is it?

In 2020, there were 330 cases of mantle cell lymphoma diagnosed in Australia, accounting for a small fraction (5%) of lymphoma cases.

Overall, lymphomas account for around one in twenty new cancer diagnoses. This makes mantle cell lymphoma quite rare.

Mantle cell lymphoma is about three times more common in men than in women, and mostly affects people over the age of 60.

Is there a cure?

Unfortunately, mantle cell lymphoma is largely considered incurable with the therapies currently available.

Like many cancers, mantle cell lymphoma can vary in how quickly it develops and its severity.

As Szubanski’s cancer has been described as “fast-moving” and is already stage 4, it appears that it is a more serious case.

Stage 4 is the most advanced stage – meaning the cancer has spread (metastasised) to other tissues.

Treatment at this stage can be more complicated than when the cancer is caught earlier. But treatment can still help people go on to live for many years.

What does treatment involve?

In her social media post, Szubanski said she will be receiving “one of the best treatments available (the Nordic protocol)”.

This is one of the most common treatments for an aggressive lymphoma.

The main component is “R-CHOP” – a combination therapy. It involves a mixture of different drugs, including chemotherapy, to attack the cancer from multiple angles at the same time.

Different strengths of the drugs can be used (the maximum strength is sometimes called R-maxi-CHOP).

A stem cell transplantation may also be included in the regimen.

How effective this treatment is will depend on many different factors, including the type and stage of the lymphoma.

The aim is to kill as many cancer cells as possible, and therefore extend a patient’s life for as long as possible.

Therapy also focuses on providing a high quality-of-life for patients.

How is it diagnosed?

Szubanski’s mantle cell lymphoma was detected during a breast cancer screen where, she says, “they found my lymph nodes were up”.

Imaging techniques, such as a mammogram or MRI, may detect tell-tale signs of lymphoma, such as swollen lymph nodes.

However a biopsy – a small sample of tissue from the affected area – would then be required to confirm the presence of cancer cells and identify what type.

Blood cancer symptoms can be vague, but it’s good to know what to look for.

As well as swollen lymph nodes, symptoms of lymphoma include nausea, tiredness, loss of appetite, fevers, gastrointestinal issues, unexplained weight loss, and night sweats.

If you have any concerns, you should consult a doctor.

John (Eddie) La Marca receives funding from Cancer Council Victoria. He is affiliated with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Sarah Diepstraten receives funding from Cure Cancer Australia and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity.

– ref. What is mantle cell lymphoma? Magda Szubanski’s ‘rare and fast-moving’ cancer, explained – https://theconversation.com/what-is-mantle-cell-lymphoma-magda-szubanskis-rare-and-fast-moving-cancer-explained-257821

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Speech: Meg O’Neill Address to the 2025 Australian Energy Producers Conference & Exhibition – Australian Energy Producers

Source: Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association

Headline: Speech: Meg O’Neill Address to the 2025 Australian Energy Producers Conference & Exhibition – Australian Energy Producers

Thank you, Samantha, for that kind introduction.

Welcome everyone to the 2025 Australian Energy Producers Conference!

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Jagera and Turrbal people as the traditional custodians of the land upon which we are meeting today.

Thank you also to Shannon Ruska for that wonderful Welcome to Country.

It was a fantastic way to open our conference and mark the start of National Reconciliation Week.

Looking around at this room, it is great to see such strong support for our industry.

Thank you to each and every one of you for the effort you have made to be here.

It’s really valuable for us to come together and share knowledge and debate ideas, with the aim of constantly improving how we work, and how we can chart a brighter future for our industry and the nation in the years to come.

We’ve already had some thoughtful speeches this morning.

Thank you Sam for your dedication to promoting the great work of our members.

And Minister King, thank you for your reflections and your strong advocacy for our industry.

We look forward to continuing to work with you.

I would also like to acknowledge that Senator Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Resources is here.

Senator Chisolm, thank you for your attendance.

Later this morning we’ll hear from former Australian Treasurer and Ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey and the Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Energy David Janetzki.

I am very much looking forward to hearing their perspectives on the economic and energy challenges facing Australia, and nations around the world.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Albanese Government on its election victory.

Campaigning for office is not for the faint of heart. It takes passion, discipline and a belief in the idea that Australia can be better. I admire the commitment and endurance of those who run in modern-day elections.

One vital pathway to building a brighter future for Australia is to ensure that we and our regional partners have the energy we need to build prosperity and succeed in the energy transition.

So, I would also like to thank the Government for its clear acknowledgement of the critical role that gas plays in the Australian economy and in the nation’s trading relationships.

The vital importance of gas has also been emphasised by the Liberals and Nationals, and we appreciate this bipartisan support.

The Government’s Future Gas Strategy, led by Minister King, makes a powerful and compelling case for the role of gas in supporting the quality of life in Australia, and in providing energy security in our region.

We thank the Minister for her leadership and vision in laying out this roadmap for Australia’s gas endowment.

The opportunity now is to take real actions that deliver the Government’s Future Gas Strategy.

And Minister King, you have our industry’s support in working together with all stakeholders to achieve this for the long-term.

Celebration of the year’s success

One of my favourite things about this conference is the chance to celebrate our industry’s success in helping meet Australia’s energy needs, and in delivering strong economic outcomes at local, state and national levels.

I think it’s fitting we are here in Brisbane, because this year marks 10 years since the Queensland LNG industry began operating.

It’s hard to imagine the Australian industry without our Queensland operators and I think we should celebrate this achievement with a round of applause.

From the vast offshore fields of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Victoria – to the rich onshore basins of Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales – and to the emerging basins such as the Perth Basin and the Beetaloo – Australia’s oil and gas industry stands as a powerhouse of innovation and economic strength.

By exploring, developing and producing these resources, we play a critical role in providing the energy needed in Australia and the Asian region.

But we cannot take this for granted.

Reflection on Australia’s energy edge

For decades, Australia’s vast energy resources have provided a major competitive advantage for the nation’s economy.

In particular, safe, affordable and reliable domestic gas has helped underpin the success of many Australian businesses, especially in mining and manufacturing.

While the LNG industry has made a significant contribution to Australia’s prosperity through taxes and royalties, skilled jobs, community support and economic development.

KPMG analysis commissioned by AEP found the gas industry contributed 105 billion dollars to Australia’s gross domestic product and supported 215,000 ongoing jobs across the economy in 2021-22.

This is in addition to taxes and royalties paid to Australian governments, which in 2023‑24 totalled an estimated 17.1 billion dollars.

But our energy edge is at risk.

This is evidenced by forecasts of looming supply shortfalls on both the east and west coasts and weakened investor confidence in investing in new supply.

AEP has this week released a Wood Mackenzie report that analysed Australia as an investment destination.

The study involved data analysis and a survey of CEOs of AEP member companies.

It makes for sobering reading, confirming what many in this room already know.

Certainty around Australia’s energy and climate policies, environmental regulation and timely approvals is critical to driving investment.

95 per cent of respondents said they have had investments directly impacted by a change in government policy or regulation.

Of these investments, a fifth did not proceed or were relocated outside of Australia, and almost half were significantly delayed.

Learning from experiences in prior years, we have an opportunity now to create the foundations for the next wave of energy investment in Australia.

We must continue to make the most of our natural resources and our ingenuity, so that we keep jobs and revenue in Australia.

Implications

What is also at stake is the nation’s ability to compete on the global stage for the industries of the future.

These include artificial intelligence, data centres, critical minerals manufacturing and no doubt sectors we haven’t even imagined yet. All of which depend on reliable and affordable power.

The recent blackouts in Spain and Portugal are a forceful reminder of the consequences of losing reliable supplies of energy, upon which we rely for our daily lives and jobs.

While the causes of the blackouts are still being investigated, what we can see with certainty is that these events reinforce the need to focus on energy security and energy affordability, as well as – and not instead of – emissions reduction.

All three matter.

When we lose sight of any one of these, all three are at risk.

I am encouraged by evidence – including the Government’s Future Gas Strategy – that policymakers are increasingly willing to recognise and speak up for the critical importance of natural gas, including as the stabilising partner to higher levels of renewables and as a lower emissions source of power than coal.

I welcome more government policy decisions to reflect the strategy in practice.

And I think it is time that the opponents of our industry face up to the fact that they are making the energy transition harder and more risky by slowing down investment and trying to take practical options off the table.

If Australia loses its energy edge, we also lose opportunities to contribute to decarbonisation at home and abroad.

As we know, when used to generate electricity, gas typically produces half the life cycle emissions of coal.

Coal demand in the Asia Pacific continues to grow and drive up global emissions.

This underlines why Australia must maximise opportunities to supply LNG to Asian customers who want to reduce their reliance on coal through a combination of gas and renewables.

Furthermore, the opportunity to service growing demand for natural gas is one that Australia’s competitor nations will seize, if Australia is not able to take the opportunities before it.

For example – we have seen significant pro-energy investment policy changes in the USA with the change in administration, and I am eager to hear Joe Hockey’s take on this.

But no one doubts where the US stands on developing its natural resources – the President has declared an Energy Emergency, and prioritised development of the US’s energy resources – both for domestic use and for customers abroad.

And there is genuine urgency to tackle permitting reform and make energy investment easier.

Our offer and our ask

All of us in this room recognise the enormous opportunity that Australia has to help meet essential energy needs – and the necessity of doing so responsibly.

Australian Energy Producers’ message to policymakers here in Australia, is that we will play our part in supplying affordable, reliable energy to customers, while also tackling climate change.

We are committed to doing this through innovation and collaboration.

We are designing and operating out emissions from our assets, implementing CCS, and diversifying into new lower-carbon commodities and technologies.

As a proof point – Australia now has two of the world’s largest CCS projects, with the Gorgon project having sequestered over 11 million tons of CO2 since it commenced operations, and the Moomba CCS project starting up last year.

Something else we’re committed to is ensuring the public discussion about energy policy includes balance and facts.

Through AEP’s advocacy, we are calling out misinformation and disinformation campaigns that seek to downplay our sector’s significant economic and tax contribution, and the essential role of gas in achieving decarbonisation goals.

We appreciate government efforts to help build community understanding of the role of gas and foster support for what we deliver.

It’s vital that people hear the facts about gas and understand its importance to their lives, the Australian economy and decarbonising Asia.

By equipping people with knowledge about energy production, consumption and role in the energy transition, we make it harder for our opponents to spread misinformation, and easier to have the respectful policy debates that can lead to better industry and environmental outcomes.

With a new federal parliament elected, it is an opportunity to finally cut red and green tape, to simplify and streamline Australia’s approvals system.

Cutting red and green tape will promote innovation, and enable businesses to thrive.

And it will create more jobs for Australians.

Streamlining approvals will also drive the productivity growth Australia needs to remain competitive in an increasingly protectionist world.

And in news hot off the press, it was a huge relief last week to see the Native Title Tribunal clear a path for Santos’s much-needed Narrabri gas development to go ahead.

As an industry, we look forward to working with new Environment Minister Murray Watt as he takes on the critical role of ensuring energy development in Australia is conducted responsibly and sustainably.

We acknowledge that Minister Watt is working through the process to take a decision on the North West Shelf extension and we look forward to an outcome.

We all recognise that energy development must meet rigorous environmental standards and maintain the confidence of the community.

The Government’s Future Gas Strategy is a clear roadmap for policy reform to ensure that these objectives are met as the nation’s resources are responsibly developed.

This includes implementing clear and unambiguous offshore consultation rules.

Regulatory loopholes are in no-one’s interests.

The industry fully supports consulting with impacted traditional owners and other stakeholders – but the rules for consultation must be clear to provide predictable outcomes for all parties.

It is also essential that exploration resume in earnest in Australia.

This starts with regular offshore acreage licensing rounds, and clear regulations around the well-proven and safe technology of seismic surveys.

We must get exploration going now to ensure the energy future of the 2030’s and 2040’s is secure.

Conclusion

In closing, Australia has the key ingredients to sustain its energy edge for decades to come.

We have been gifted natural resource potential like few other nations.

We have the talented, capable and motivated workforce we need to unlock the potential.

We have a long track record of supporting downstream domestic industries and providing feedstock and energy to build Australia’s prosperity.

We also have proximity to the world’s fastest growing energy markets, who are looking for secure, reliable supplies to power their own development.

We have the opportunity now to build on the decades of success – unlocking new resources, powering a bright future, and doing so responsibly.

There will be headwinds, but we have the resilience and the vision as an industry to ensure that Australia’s energy edge delivers for every Australian, for decades to come.

Thank you everyone, I wish you a great conference.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Israel Accepts Proposal for Temporary Ceasefire in Gaza – US

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

WASHINGTON, May 29 (Xinhua) — Israel has accepted and signed a 60-day ceasefire proposal in Gaza, the White House said Thursday.

White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt confirmed at a press briefing that US Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff and US President Donald Trump “presented Hamas with a ceasefire proposal that Israel supported.”

“Israel signed this proposal before it was sent to Hamas. I can also confirm that these discussions are ongoing and we hope that a ceasefire will be reached in Gaza so that we can bring all the hostages home,” Leavitt said.

“I will not comment further as we are in the midst of events now,” she added.

An Israeli official and a U.S. source familiar with the situation confirmed that the proposed deal includes not only a 60-day cease-fire but also plans to free 10 living hostages and hand over the remains of 18 dead hostages, CBS News reported.

Hamas said on Thursday that its leadership had received a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza from S. Witkoff through intermediaries and was studying it.

“The Hamas leadership has received the new proposal from S. Witkoff from the mediators and is studying it responsibly so that it serves the interests of our people, eases the situation and ensures a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said in a brief statement. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: New Christchurch health accommodation will provide for those in need

Source: New Zealand Government

The Bone Marrow Cancer Trust’s new Rānui Apartments will ensure patients and families travelling to Christchurch for cancer treatment, heart surgeries, and other complex needs will have a home-away-from-home for their recuperation, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“Today I was pleased to join the Prime Minister to officially open the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust’s new Rānui Apartments. These 54 new apartments will accommodate more Kiwis and their families travelling to Christchurch Hospital for life-changing treatments,” Mr Brown says.

The 54 apartments across two buildings will add to the existing 26 apartments available at Rānui House. The new facilities offered include one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as studio rooms, to meet different patients’ and families’ needs.

“Travelling for life-changing treatment and surgery can be daunting. These new facilities will remove that burden by providing free accommodation and wrap-around services for eligible travelling patients and their families, located just 500 metres from the Christchurch Hospital.

“The opening of the Rānui Apartments makes the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust the largest provider of patient accommodation in the South Island. It is the only provider that serves patients and families irrespective of their age or treatment type.

“When a patient undergoes life-changing treatment, there are repercussions for the entire family. These accommodation facilities will make specialist healthcare more accessible for people in the South Island by ensuring patients and their families have support close to Christchurch Hospital.

“I would like to thank the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust for their vision, dedication, and fundraising efforts that have made this project possible,” Mr Brown says.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 30, 2025

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 30, 2025.

French politicians in New Caledonia to stir the political melting pot
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French national politicians have been in New Caledonia as the territory’s future remains undecided. Leaders from both right-wing Les Républicains (LR) and Rassemblement National (RN), — vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy and Marine Le Pen respectively — have been in the French Pacific territory this week. They expressed

Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology What goes up must come down, and earlier this week yet another of SpaceX’s Starships, the biggest and most powerful type of rocket ever built, came back down to Earth in spectacular fashion. In the

Tracking crime from the cradle: why some people keep breaking the law while most of us never do
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ayda Kuluk, PhD Candidate in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University Alena Lom/Shutterstock A major Australian study tracking more than 80,000 Queenslanders from birth to adulthood reveals stark differences between men and women in patterns of criminal behaviour. These patterns offer insights into effective crime prevention strategies.

Most of Australia’s conservation efforts ignore climate risks – here are 3 fixes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Fei Chung, PhD Candidate in Environmental Policy, The University of Queensland Imagine replanting various native species only to have them die because the area is too hot or too dry. Or reconnecting woodland habitat only to lose large tracts to bushfire. Well, our new research suggests

Earth’s seasonal rhythms are changing, putting species and ecosystems at risk
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Hernández Carrasco, PhD Candidate in Ecology, University of Canterbury Shutterstock/Colin Stephenson Seasonality shapes much of life on Earth. Most species, including humans, have synchronised their own rhythms with those of Earth’s seasons. Plant growth cycles, the migration of billions of animals, and even aspects of human

Google is going ‘all in’ on AI. It’s part of a troubling trend in big tech
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University Google recently unveiled the next phase of its artificial intelligence (AI) journey: “AI mode”. This new feature will soon be released as a new option to users of Google’s search engine in the United States, with no

People with disability are dying from cancers we can actually prevent, our study shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Yang, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, Melbourne Disability Institute, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne Chona Kasinger/Disabled and Here, CC BY-SA People with disability are missing out on screening programs that could help detect cancer early, and after diagnosis, are less likely

Researchers created a chatbot to help teach a university law class – but the AI kept messing up
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Armin Alimardani, Senior Lecturer in Law and Emerging Technologies, University of Wollongong Mikhail Nilov/ Pexels , CC BY “AI tutors” have been hyped as a way to revolutionise education. The idea is generative artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) could adapt to any teaching style set by

NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Booth, Associate Professor of Human Geography, University of Tasmania Once again, large parts of New South Wales have been devastated by floods. It’s estimated 10,000 homes and businesses may have been damaged or destroyed and the Insurance Council of Australia reports more than 6,000 insurance claims

Talk to Me was a rollercoaster, but the Philippou brothers’ Bring Her Back will trap you in a house of horrors
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Associate Professor in Media, RMIT University A24 They may have only made two feature films so far, but Danny and Michael Philippou are already being hailed as Australia’s premiere horror auteurs. Their 2023 debut Talk To Me sparked a bidding war between distributors upon its

Grattan on Friday: Trump, tariffs and the Middle East are looming challenges for Albanese
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australia these days receives invitations to big-league international conferences. And so Anthony Albanese will be off soon to the G7 meeting in Alberta, Canada, on June 15-17. For the prime minister, what’s most important about this trip is not so

Radical legal step towards ending impunity for Israel over killing Gaza journalists
Pacific Media Watch Journalists have been targeted, detained and tortured by the Israeli military in Gaza — and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has now taken a new approach towards bringing justice these crimes. The Paris-based global media freedom NGO has submitted multiple formal requests to the International Criminal Court (ICC) asking that Palestinian journalists who

New Australian data shows most of us have PFAS in our blood. How worried should we be?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian A. Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University New Africa/Shutterstock The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has this week released new data which tells us about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Australians’ bodies. The data comes from concentrations measured in

Labor gains Senate seats in Victoria and Queensland, and surges to a national 55.6–44.4 two-party margin
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Buttons have been pressed to electronically distribute preferences for the Senate in Victoria, the ACT, Queensland and Western Australia. Labor gained a seat from the Liberals in

Influencer Andrew Tate is charged with a raft of sex crimes. His followers will see him as the victim
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Roberts, Professor of Education and Social Justice, Monash University British prosecutors have this week charged social media influencer Andrew Tate with a string of serious sexual offences, including rape and human trafficking, alleged to have been committed in the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2015. This

How the North West Shelf expansion risks further damage to Murujuga’s 50,000-year-old rock art
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Smith, Professor of Archaeology (World Rock Art), School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Yesterday, new environment minister Murray Watt approved an extension for the North West Shelf liquefied natural gas project. The gas plant at Karratha, Western Australia, will run until 2070. This

UNESCO expresses ‘utmost concern’ at the state of the Great Barrier Reef
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon C. Day, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has again raised grave fears for the future of the Great Barrier Reef, highlighting the problems of water pollution, climate change and unsustainable fishing. The committee this week

Trump’s global trade plans are in disarray, after a US court ruling on ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Stone, Credit Union SA Chair of Economics, University of South Australia A US court has blocked the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs that US President Donald Trump imposed on imported goods from around 90 nations. This puts implementation of Trump’s current trade policy in disarray. The Court

30 years ago Australia confronted its Stolen Generation past – then the Howard government blew it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Maree Payne, Senior Research Fellow, Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney May 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the national inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Conducted by the Human Rights and

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Free trivia spots to try in Canberra
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
- Canberra has lots of venues that offer weekly trivia.
- This story lists over 15 Canberra venues that host trivia.
Looking for a fun and free way to catch up with mates? Trivia nights are the perfect answer.

Whether you’re a pop-culture junkie, history buff or you just want a laugh, trivia is a great way to spend time with family or friends and not break the bank.

There are many Canberra venues that offer free trivia. We’ve rounded up over 15 great spots to try across the city, from Monday to Thursday.

MONDAY

Hopscotch, Braddon

Enjoy two hours of fun-filled trivia every Monday and Wednesday at 7pm.

Monday’s trivia is hosted by Fame Trivia, and Wednesday’s by Quiz Meisters.

The Pedlar, Campbell

Compete for prizes at The Pedlar’s trivia, every Monday at 7pm.

PJs in the City, Canberra City

Grab your work mates and head from the office to the pub for some Monday night trivia.

There are prizes to win, great food to eat and lots of fun to be had.

TUESDAY

The Lighthouse Pub, Belconnen

Lighthouse offers general trivia every Tuesday night. Register at 7pm for 7:30pm start.

Both winners and those who come second last get a prize. There will also be drink giveaways during the game.

The Durham Castle Arms, Kingston

Flex your mental muscles at the Durham’s trivia, hosted every Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7:30pm.

Keep an eye out for a themed night. They recently hosted a ‘Simpsons’ trivia.

The Hellenic Club, Woden

Enjoy trivia every Tuesday at 7pm at the Woden club.

There’s food and beverage prizes, and the chance to play for a cash jackpot.

The Old Canberra Inn, Lyneham

Head down to one of Canberra’s oldest pubs for a bit of IQ Trivia.

Trivia is on every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30pm.

Verity Lane Market, Canberra City

Enjoy Fame Trivia every Tuesday night at Verity Lane, from 6pm-8pm.

Have a laugh, eat some great food and win some prizes!

WEDNESDAY

3rd Space, Hackett

Italian and Trivia? Yes please.

Every Wednesday from 7pm enjoy a two-hour quiz at 3rd Space featuring on-screen videos and interactive live games.

The Alby, Woden

Southsiders can enjoy trivia every Wednesday at 7pm at The Alby.

There will be prizes, giveaways and great food.

To All My Friends, Cook

This cosy pub at Cook shops offers trivia every Wednesday night at 7pm.

Tables book up fast so book a table for you and your mates in advance.

The Duxton, O’Connor

Enjoy trivia every Wednesday at The Duxton. Arrive at 6;30pm for a 7pm start.

Food and drinks are available to enjoy while you play.

Bookings are essential. Reserve a table.

The Hellenic Club, Canberra City

Put your brain to the test at Hellenic Club in the city every Wednesday at 7pm.

There’s food and beverage prizes, and the chance to play for a cash jackpot.

THURSDAY

Casey Jones Pub, Gungahlin

Test your knowledge at Casey Jones’ trivia every Thursday night at 7pm.

There will be great prizes to win.

Gang Gang, Downer

Enjoy wonderful woodfired pizzas and trivia at Gang Gang, every Thursday night at 7pm.

This trivia covers everything from pop culture, politics, geography, musical clues, movie clues, and more!

Mooseheads, Canberra City

Larry from Fame Trivia hosts Mooseheads’ trivia every Thursday night.

Challenge your knowledge and win awesome prizes.

Although these dates and times were correct at the time of publishing, please ensure you always check with the venue for up-to-date information and timeframes.

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MIL OSI News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: UNESCO intangible cultural heritage: Qiang New Year Festival

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

Editor’s note: The Qiang New Year Festival is a traditional celebration of the Qiang people, one of China’s oldest ethnic groups, often described as a “living fossil” in the evolutionary history of the Chinese nation.

Southwest China’s Sichuan province is home to the country’s only Qiang ethnic enclave, where approximately 300,000 Qiang people primarily reside in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, and Beichuan Qiang autonomous county in Mianyang city.

Every year, on the first day of the 10th lunar month, the Qiang people celebrate their most significant traditional festival — the Qiang New Year. Centered around themes of worshiping heaven and expressing gratitude, they hold ceremonies during the festival to honor the gods, drive away evil, express gratitude for the harvest, and pray for blessings.

The Qiang people are renowned for their talent in singing and dancing, exemplified by the Salang dance, a distinctive circle dance whose name means “sing and dance” in the Qiang language.

In 2009, the Qiang New Year Festival was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. In 2024, UNESCO inscribed the festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recognition highlights the significance of the festival in preserving the cultural traditions, social bonds and spiritual beliefs of the Qiang people.

The Qiang New Year Festival, with a history that stretches back centuries, is deeply rooted in the agricultural and pastoral traditions of the Qiang people. Signaling renewal and hope for the coming year, it is both a cultural and social event, involving elaborate ceremonies that seek to ensure prosperity, health and harmony within the Qiang community.

The festival’s origins are closely tied to the agricultural calendar, particularly the importance of seasonal cycles in the Qiang way of life. Traditionally, the Qiang people practiced farming and animal husbandry in the rugged, high-altitude regions of Sichuan, and their spiritual beliefs were deeply intertwined with nature. Their New Year Festival is a time to honor the spirits of the ancestors, the earth and the natural elements, while also celebrating the community’s resilience and unity.

Participants engage in prayers at the rituals of the Qiang New Year Festival, hoping for bountiful harvests, good fortune and protection of their herds. The festival includes a variety of traditional activities, such as sacrificial rites, communal feasts, and performances of traditional Qiang music and dance, most notably the Qiang dance, which is often accompanied by the unique sound of bamboo instruments.

In addition to these cultural elements, the festival is an important occasion for socializing. It fosters unity within the Qiang community, strengthening family and clan ties, and allows younger generations to learn and participate in the traditions of their elders.

In recent decades, the festival has faced pressures from migration, changing lifestyles and the loss of traditional customs among younger generations. However, concerted efforts by local communities, cultural institutions and government agencies have helped revitalize and protect this important cultural practice.

Local authorities in Sichuan province have actively worked to preserve the festival by promoting it as a cultural tourism event, which has brought attention and resources to the celebration. In addition, the establishment of cultural heritage programs, including the training of cultural bearers and the documentation of traditional practices, has helped ensure the survival of the festival’s rituals.

The festival is increasingly recognized as an important part of China’s diverse cultural heritage, and its significance extends beyond the Qiang people themselves. The Qiang New Year Festival has been showcased in cultural exchange programs, and efforts to engage younger generations in the preservation of traditional practices are ongoing.

UNESCO’s recognition of the Qiang New Year Festival emphasized its role as a vital cultural expression of the Qiang people and its importance in maintaining the community’s traditional values, social cohesion and spiritual beliefs. UNESCO praised the festival for its diversity of rituals, ceremonies and performances, highlighting the way it fosters a deep connection to nature and the ancestors.

The organization also noted the importance of preserving the festival for future generations. UNESCO emphasized the need for education, intergenerational transmission, and community participation to sustain the festival amid modern influences. Furthermore, UNESCO’s designation highlighted the role of the Qiang New Year Festival in promoting intercultural understanding, as it offers a glimpse into the unique cultural traditions of one of China’s many ethnic minority groups.

Discover more treasures from China on UNESCO’s ICH list:

• 2024: Spring Festival

• 2022: Traditional tea processing

• 2020: Wangchuan ceremony, taijiquan

• 2018: Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa

• 2016: Twenty-four solar terms

• 2013: Abacus-based Zhusuan

• 2012: Training plan for Fujian puppetry performers

• 2011: Shadow puppetry, Yimakan storytelling

• 2010: Peking opera, acupuncture and moxibustion, wooden movable-type printing, watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks, Meshrep

• 2009: Yueju opera, Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble, traditional handicrafts of making Xuan paper, traditional firing techniques of Longquan celadon, Tibetan opera, sericulture and silk craftsmanship, Regong arts, Nanyin, Khoomei, Mazu belief and customs, Dragon Boat Festival, Manas, Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade, Xinjiang Uygur Muqam art, Hua’er, China engraved block printing technique, Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures, Chinese paper-cut, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese seal engraving, Grand song of Dong ethnic group, Traditional Li textile techniques, Traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges, Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group, Gesar epic tradition

• 2008: Kunqu opera, Guqin, Urtiin Duu

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China expands visa-free access for Latin America to boost trade ties

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

For the first time since 2017, Peruvian national Marcel Sanchez Lopez is preparing to return to China, this time, unburdened by the once-cumbersome entry procedures.

“Even as a CEO of a big company, I used to feel that going to China was like facing a sea of troubles,” said Marcel Sanchez, who leads a major energy firm with longstanding ties to Chinese gas equipment supplier Tianjin Sinogas Repower Energy Co., Ltd. “Now that it’s visa-free, I’m bringing my family for both business and sightseeing.”

Starting June 1, 2025, citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay will be allowed to enter China without a visa for up to 30 days for business, tourism, cultural exchange, or transit. The policy, which will run on a trial basis until May 31, 2026, was announced recently by the Chinese foreign ministry.

Unveiled at the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing earlier this month, this policy aligns with China’s broader initiative to extend visa exemptions and foster friendly exchanges with more Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC countries).

For Chinese companies with trade ties in the region, the measure is viewed as a long-awaited step toward meaningful cooperation. “It solves a real bottleneck in our business operations,” said Ryan Yang, general manager of Sinogas, a Tianjin-based energy technology firm exporting to Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Brazil. “Clients can now come for factory inspections, product demos, and training sessions without weeks or months of visa delays.”

Marcel Sanchez, whose company began working with Sinogas eight years ago, said visa constraints often hindered cooperation. “In the past, we had to skip business trips and just rely on remote support from our Chinese partner. Now we can do face-to-face collaboration again, and that’s where real progress happens,” he added.

China’s continued expansion of its visa-free policy and efforts to facilitate entries send a clear signal of the country’s commitment to high-standard opening up, according to Yu Haibo, an associate professor specializing in tourism management at Tianjin-based Nankai University.

These measures demonstrate China’s resolve and efforts to promote a more dynamic, inclusive and resilient form of economic globalization, Yu noted.

Trade between China and LAC nations has doubled over the past decade, reaching 518.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Chinese products, including its signature electric vehicles, are exported extensively to LAC countries, while goods originating from the region also enjoy popularity in China. Notably, Chilean cherries and Argentine beef have become regular staples in the diets of Chinese households.

Sun Yanfeng, a researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noted that Latin American countries are eager to boost exports through their economic and trade ties with China. The visa-free policy, he added, will greatly facilitate visits by Latin American entrepreneurs, especially those from small and medium-sized enterprises, by simplifying travel procedures.

Tianjin Free Trade Service Co., Ltd., a major service provider for thousands of small and medium-sized exporters, has business development teams preparing for more inbound visits. “This policy will bring Latin American partners to our doorstep,” said Du Chen, a manager at the company. “Without the visa hurdles, people are more willing to come, to see, and to trust.”

Elizabeth Milagros Alvarado Taco, a Peruvian graduate student majoring in international business at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, said the visa-free policy will accelerate business activities, making it easier for Latin American entrepreneurs and businessmen to come to China for negotiations, factory visits, or trade fairs.

“It can also facilitate the rotation of international teams, improve coordination of multinational projects, and reduce costs and processing time. Overall, this convenience will promote bilateral investment and corporate cooperation,” she said.

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia unlock new investment channels at capital markets forum

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

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) and Saudi Tadawul Group jointly hosted the second “Hong Kong-Saudi Capital Markets Forum” in Hong Kong on Thursday, bringing together industry leaders to explore the evolving landscape and opportunities in Asian, Middle Eastern, and global capital markets.

The two-day forum, themed “Powering Connections,” featured in-depth discussions on cross-regional investment prospects, followed by a series of business-matching sessions. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, the event facilitated over 600 scheduled meetings between enterprises and investors from both markets.

Additionally, the “Premia BOCHK Saudi Arabia Government Sukuk ETF” was officially launched during the forum.

Paul Chan, financial secretary of the HKSAR government, said that the Middle East is home to many high-quality enterprises, and the HKSAR will further strengthen ties with the region by sharing Hong Kong’s expertise in connectivity mechanisms with the Chinese mainland.

“Beyond stocks and ETFs, there is vast potential for collaboration in infrastructure and professional services,” he said, adding that the Linked Exchange Rate System remains effective and will not be altered.

Bonnie Chan, chief executive officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, said that the forum underscored the growing synergy, capital flow potential, and mutual investment opportunities between the Middle East, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

“As a ‘super connector,’ HKEX is committed to enhancing financial infrastructure and advancing partnerships to offer Asian investors greater access to Gulf markets and foster two-way capital flows between Asia and the Middle East,” she said.

Representatives from Saudi Arabia said that the Saudi capital market serves as a vital bridge between East and West, renowned for its depth, resilience, and openness to global investors. They reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to market expansion, strengthening international linkages, and driving sustainable development.

The forum attracted over 500 participants, including financial leaders, regulators, investors, and corporate representatives from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and beyond.

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: From AI tracks to robotic coaches, China propels sports into sci-fi future

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

As dusk settles over a bustling sports park in Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province, runners weave along a glowing track embedded with infrared sensors. With every stride, a ribbon of intelligent LED lights flares ahead, tracing a luminous path through the night, like something out of science fiction.

“Night runs used to be a bit risky when the paths were dim,” said local resident Zhou Qian. “Now the track lights the way and can even sync with my phone to show my heart rate, speed and calories burned. It’s safer and a lot more fun.”

The park is Wuxi’s first AI-powered urban sports facility, a pioneering blend of the Internet of Things, big data and fitness-for-all initiatives, which is transforming public spaces into futuristic playgrounds accessible to all ages.

Within the park’s AI-monitored long jump zone, digital screens can instantly display leap distances and motion analysis. Smart fitness facilities for sit-ups and parallel bars connect seamlessly with mobile devices, enabling users to archive achievements, share snapshots and even challenge friends to virtual contests.

As China accelerates toward becoming a sporting powerhouse, the infrastructure supporting everyday exercise has proliferated apace, and the facilities are increasingly turning intelligent, drawing in a new generation of tech-savvy fitness enthusiasts.

FUTURISTIC FITNESS

China has ushered in large-scale, high-tech athletic applications, as the country unveiled a list of 100 flagship smart sports projects for 2024 this March, spanning AI posture correction systems, tactical football analytics and VR-based fitness programs.

The trend reached a milestone in April when Beijing hosted the world’s first half-marathon run jointly contested by humans and humanoid robots, offering an intriguing glimpse of future sporting landscapes. The capital also plans to stage the inaugural humanoid robot sports games later this year.

AI-driven human-machine collaborations are bearing fruit. In scenic spots like Mount Tai, elderly hikers now strap on exoskeleton robots that resemble trekking poles. The smart devices can bear bursts of 200 kg and adjust assistance dynamically, reducing exertion by up to 50 percent and allowing seniors to conquer even steep peaks with newfound ease.

Meanwhile, wearable tech like smartwatches and fitness bands, once novelties, have become indispensable companions for Chinese exercise enthusiasts to track health metrics and workout efficiency.

The government’s initiatives, like the national fitness plan, underscore the country’s commitment to smart sports, aiming to spawn a wealth of new products, business models and innovation. Industry reports predict that China’s smart fitness sector could reach 82 billion yuan (11.3 billion U.S. dollars) by 2025.

Tech firms are racing to carve out their niche, as many have integrated large AI models such as DeepSeek into smart treadmills, offering tailored training plans based on personal metrics. “My AI fitness coach’s plans are spot on, blending cardio and strength training perfectly,” said Liu Xiaopeng, a frequent gym-goer.

“And with VR integration, I can work out in virtual arenas. Exercising has never been so engaging,” Liu added. “I love kickboxing, but real sparring is risky and hard to find a partner. VR combat feels authentic and safe.”

AI is also reshaping physical education. At a middle school in Jiangsu’s Nanjing, an AI playground system captures data on sprints, long jumps and rope-skipping, correcting students’ technique and tailoring training plans. Coupled with wristbands that monitor heart rate and other indicators, these innovations are also alert to potential safety risks.

“Exercise feels so cool now,” said Wu Jun, an eighth grader at the school. “And the facility is available all day, so we can practice whenever we want to track our progress.”

EMPOWERING COMPETITIVE SPORTS

Beyond mass fitness, AI is also transforming elite athletics. From talent scouting and training to equipment, refereeing and rehabilitation, technology is rewriting the playbook.

In its Olympic AI Agenda, the International Olympic Committee hailed the potential of AI to foster fairness, excellence, unity and a richer Olympic experience, accelerating the transformation of global sports.

The most conspicuous impact of sports tech could be in officiating. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Chinese-made footballs, embedded with chips and motion sensors, worked in tandem with body-tracking systems, helping referees make instant, accurate calls on handballs and offsides.

And on the assembly line at a Wuxi-based sports tech firm, AI referee robots — armed with high speed cameras and pressure sensors — have undergone thousands of test runs, demonstrating split-second precision in sports like fencing and taekwondo.

China’s national diving team now trains with a “3D + AI” system that captures every movement mid-air. The system analyzes posture and entry angles in real time, feeding coaches data-driven evaluations to fine-tune performances.

The national archery squad has embraced AI-assisted ranges. Cameras and motion-capture systems record over 10,000 data points per arrow. “These insights help coaches refine each athlete’s technique down to the smallest detail,” said data analyst Xiu Yu.

According to Chen Xiaoping, a sports science researcher at the General Administration of Sport of China, AI-led data analysis is now central to personalized training regimens, allowing coaches to efficiently monitor training duration, intensity, performance and recovery.

“The overall elevation of scientific training is crucial to improving performances,” Chen said, adding that the contest in elite sports today is as much about tech prowess as athletic skill.

Even more futuristic scenarios are also materializing. A robotics firm in Jiangsu has developed a humanoid robot capable of fluid Tai Chi sequences — a harbinger of robot training partners to come.

“Robot trainers can be available around the clock,” said Ruan Qiang, a technical expert at SoftStone Tianqing Robotics. “They can precisely correct muscle dynamics, and even recognize fatigue through micro-expression analysis to tailor training in real time.”

“We’ll gradually see more cutting-edge technologies and methods permeate athlete training,” Chen said, noting that these innovations will also soon filter down to everyday fitness, making workouts safer, smarter and more effective for all.

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Tatyana Golikova and Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva opened the exhibition “Light between the Worlds”

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Tatyana Golikova and Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva opened the exhibition “Light between the Worlds”

May 29, 2025

Tatyana Golikova and Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva opened the exhibition “Light between the Worlds”

May 29, 2025

Tatyana Golikova and Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva opened the exhibition “Light between the Worlds”

May 29, 2025

Previous news Next news

Tatyana Golikova and Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva opened the exhibition “Light between the Worlds”

Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Tatyana Golikova and Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva opened the exhibition “Light between the Worlds” at the State Historical and Art Museum “New Jerusalem” in the Moscow Region. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Marat Khusnullin, Assistant to the President of Russia Vladimir Medinsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Russia Botirjon Asadov also took part in the opening of the exhibition.

“The significance of the exhibition lies in its major contribution to understanding the artistic heritage of the 20th century. This was a time when art tried to understand the social transformations that were taking place in society. The works of modernism from the 1920s and 1930s are presented here, and each of them is a diverse language and philosophy of that time. All the works carry something new, lift the curtain on something that we may not have known,” noted Tatyana Golikova. “The value of the exhibition is that it was born thanks to the cooperation between the New Jerusalem Museum and the I.V. Savitsky Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. This is not just a diplomatic step in the cultural sphere, this is our strategic cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.”

The New Jerusalem Museum, together with the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan, presents a large-scale exhibition project, Light Between Worlds, dedicated to the little-studied layer of Soviet, Uzbek and Russian modernism of the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibition includes more than 160 paintings and graphic works by 40 artists, including Alexander Volkov, Solomon Nikritin, Alexander Shevchenko, Kliment Redko and others, from the collections of the New Jerusalem Museum and the I.V. Savitsky Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

“Today we are proud to present masterpieces from the unique collection of the Nukus Museum, which houses one of the largest collections of Russian avant-garde in the world. 80 works of painting and graphics arrived from our country, from the “Louvre in the Desert”, which became home to the creative works of many Russian artists thanks to the mission of Igor Savitsky. I would like to separately emphasize the importance of this exhibition in the context of the expanding cultural dialogue between Uzbekistan and Russia. Today, our countries are actively developing cooperation, including in the fields of culture, education, creative economy and heritage preservation. We implement joint projects, support creativity, and strengthen the infrastructure for cultural initiatives. Such exhibitions become points of contact, living bridges between our peoples. Especially when it is a common history,” Saida Mirziyoyeva emphasized.

The exhibition is conceived as a meeting of two major museum collections of 20th-century art. The previous inter-museum project of a similar scale with the participation of the Savitsky Museum, built on the comparison of two collections, took place in 1989, when the book “Avant-garde, stopped in its tracks” was published together with the Russian Museum.

The exhibition “Light Between Worlds” at the New Jerusalem Museum will allow us to take a fresh look at the artistic process of the 1920s and 1930s, in all its complexity and diversity.

“After viewing the exhibition, there are many positive emotions. Such a profound idea, such wonderful works that inspire. And I want to say thank you for this idea and wonderful organization. This is a good cultural bridge that strengthens the ties between our country and Uzbekistan. I want to wish this exhibition that as many people as possible visit it, get inspired, so that joint work continues in other cities of Russia and Uzbekistan,” said Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

The collections of the New Jerusalem Museum and the I.V. Savitsky Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan have in common that to this day their place in “museum construction” and the contents of their collections remain unexplored. Both collections were formed in conditions when many works of art remained outside the official cultural field. Therefore, a separate emphasis of the exhibition is the history of “museum construction”.

“I was lucky to attend the opening of a similar exhibition at the Pushkin Museum seven or eight years ago – the state museum from Nukus and Pushkin. I know firsthand what the attendance was, how many surprised visitors there were. And of course, after that exhibition, there were many more friends of Uzbek culture. I am sure that after this wonderful exhibition, which we were lucky to open now, there will be even more friends of Uzbekistan, because we are connected by centuries-old historical ties that are based on neighborhood, respect for each other, love for a common culture, a common heritage. And now another wonderful cultural bridge, as was said, connects our countries. And let there be as many of these bridges, these ties as possible,” emphasized Vladimir Medinsky, Aide to the President of Russia.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: French politicians in New Caledonia to stir the political melting pot

By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk

French national politicians have been in New Caledonia as the territory’s future remains undecided.

Leaders from both right-wing Les Républicains (LR) and Rassemblement National (RN), — vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy and Marine Le Pen respectively — have been in the French Pacific territory this week.

They expressed their views about New Caledonia’s political, economic and social status one year after riots broke out in May 2024.

Since then, latest attempts to hold political talks between all stakeholders and France have been met with fluctuating responses, but the latest round of discussions earlier this month ended in a stalemate.

This was because hardline pro-France parties regarded the project of “sovereignty with France” offered by French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls was not acceptable. They consider that three self-determination referendums held in 2018, 2020 and 2021 rejected independence.

However, the last referendum, in December 2021, was largely boycotted by the pro-independence movement and its followers due to indigenous Kanak cultural concerns around the covid-19 pandemic.

The pro-France camp is accusing Valls of siding with the pro-independence FLNKS bloc and other more moderate parties such as PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and UPM (Union Progressiste en Mélanésie), who want independence from France.

Transferring key powers
Valls is considering transferring key French powers to New Caledonia, introducing a double French/New Caledonian citizenship, and an international standing.

The pro-France camp is adamant that this ignores the three no referendum votes.

Speaking to a crowd of several hundred supporters in Nouméa on Tuesday evening, Bellamy said he now favoured going ahead with modifying conditions of eligibility for voters at local provincial elections.

The same attempts to change the locked local electoral roll — which is restricted to people residing in New Caledonia from before November 1998 — was widely perceived as the main cause for the May 2024 riots, which left 14 dead.

Bellamy said giving in to violence that erupted last year was out of the question because it was “an attempt to topple a democratic process”.

Les Républicains, to which the Rassemblement-LR local party is affiliated, is one of the major parties in the French Parliament.

Its newly-elected president Bruno Retailleau is the Minister for Home Affairs in French President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition government.

Nouméa Accord ‘now over’
Bellamy told a crowd of supporters in Nouméa that in his view the decolonisation process prescribed by the 1998 Nouméa Accord “is now over”.

“New Caledonians have democratically decided, three times, that they belong to France. And this should be respected,” he told a crowd during a political rally.

In Nouméa, Bellamy said if the three referendum results were ignored as part of a future political agreement, then LR could go as far as pulling out of the French government.

Marine Le Pen, this week also expressed her views on New Caledonia’s situation, saying instead of focusing on the territory’s institutional future, the priority should be placed on its economy, which is still reeling from the devastation caused during the 2024 riots.

The efforts included diversifying the economy.

A Paris court convicted Le Pen and two dozen (RN) party members of embezzling European Union funds last month, and imposed a sentence that will prevent her from standing in France’s 2027 presidential election unless she can get the ruling overturned within 18 months.

The high-profile visits to New Caledonia from mainland French leaders come within two years of France’s scheduled presidential elections.

And it looks like New Caledonia could become a significant issue in the pre-poll debates and campaign.

LFI (La France Insoumise), a major party in the French Parliament, and its caucus leader Mathilde Panot also visited New Caledonia from May 9-17, this time mainly focusing on supporting the pro-independence camp’s views.

Macron invites all parties for fresh talks in Paris
On Tuesday, May 27, the French President’s office issued a brief statement indicating that it had decided to convene “all stakeholders” for fresh talks in Paris in mid-June.

The talks would aim at “clarifying” New Caledonia’s economic, political and institutional situation with a view to reaching “a shared agreement”.

Depending on New Caledonia’s often opposing political camps, Macron’s announcement is perceived either as a dismissal of Valls’ approach or a mere continuation of the overseas minister’s efforts, but at a higher level.

New Caledonia’s pro-France parties are adamant that Macron’s proposal is entirely new and that it signifies Valls’ approach has been disavowed at the highest level.

Valls himself wrote to New Caledonia’s political stakeholders last weekend, insisting on the need to pursue talks through a so-called “follow-up committee”.

It is not clear whether the “follow-up committee” format is what Macron has in mind.

But at the weekend, Valls made statements on several French national media outlets, stressing that he was still the one in charge of New Caledonia’s case.

“The one who is taking care of New Caledonia’s case, at the request of French Prime Minister François Bayrou, that’s me and no one else,” Valls told French national news channel LCI on May 25.

“I’m not being disavowed by anyone.”

Local parties still willing to talk
Most parties have since reacted swiftly to Macron’s call, saying they were ready to take part in further discussions.

Rassemblement-LR leader Virginie Ruffenach said this was “necessary to clarify the French state’s position”.

She said the clarification was needed, since Valls, during his last visit, “offered an independence solution that goes way beyond what the pro-independence camp was even asking”.

Local pro-France figure and New Caledonia’s elected MP at the French National Assembly, Nicolas Metzdorf, met Macron in Paris last Friday.

He said at the time that an “initiative” from the French president was to be expected.

Pro-independence bloc FLNKS said Valls’ proposal was now “the foundation stone”.

Spokesman Dominique Fochi said the invitation was scheduled to be discussed at a special FLNKS convention this weekend.

Valls’ ‘independence-association’ solution worries other French territories
Because of the signals it sends, New Caledonia’s proposed political future plans are also causing concern in other French overseas territories, including their elected MPs in Paris.

In the French Senate on Wednesday, French Polynesia’s MP Lana Tetuanui, who is pro-France, asked during question time for French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to explain what France was doing in the Pacific region in the face of growing influence from major powers such as China.

She told the minister she still had doubts, “unless of course France is considering sinking its own aircraft carrier ships named New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna”.

French president Emmanuel Macron has been on a southeast Asian tour this week to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore, where he will be the keynote speaker of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.

He delivers his speech today to mark the opening of the 22nd edition of the Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence summit.

The event brings together defence ministers, military leaders and senior defence officials, as well as business leaders and security experts, from across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and beyond to discuss critical security and geopolitical challenges.

More specifically on the Pacific region, Macron also said one of France’s future challenges included speeding up efforts to “build a new strategy in New Caledonia and French Polynesia”.

As part of Macron’s Indo-Pacific doctrine, developed since 2017, France earlier this year deployed significant forces in the region, including its naval and air strike group and its only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.

The multinational exercise, called Clémenceau 25, involved joint exercises with allied forces from Australia, Japan and the United States.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Gebrüder Weiss expands into Thailand

Source: Gebrüder Weiss

Logistics company continues to expand its network in South-East Asia / 20-strong team in Bangkok organizes air and sea freight transportation

Bangkok / Lauterach, May 30, 2025. Gebrüder Weiss is set to open a new country organization in Thailand on June 1, 2025. The international transport and logistics company is strengthening its market presence in Southeast Asia and expanding its network in one of the world’s most economically dynamic regions.

“The new country organization allows us to close a strategic gap and create direct connections to central Asia-Pacific markets for our customers,” says Lothar Thoma, Managing Director Air & Sea at Gebrüder Weiss. “Thailand is an important export location with strong trade links to the USA, China, Japan, Australia, and Singapore – markets where we are also represented with locations of our own.”

In 2024, Thailand posted export volumes worth around 300 billion US dollars, up five percent on the previous year. Industrial goods account for the majority of outbound trade (86 percent), with key categories including electronics, vehicles, machinery, and food.

The team of 20 employees in Bangkok provides international air and sea freight transportation, customs handling, and national and cross-border land transport services. “Our employees have many years of experience in international transport management. In the medium term, we are aiming to expand our services in Thailand to include warehouse logistics, with a particular focus on the automotive and high-tech sectors,” says Cristian Predan, Area Manager South-East Asia at Gebrüder Weiss.

With its entry into the Thai market, Gebrüder Weiss now has an active presence in nine countries across the East and South-East Asia region and Oceania. These include Australia, Greater China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. The regional network now spans 35 locations with around 800 employees.

Team Thailand

Port of Laem Chabang

Lothar Thoma

Cristian Predan

GW locations Asia

GW locations Oceania

About Gebrüder Weiss

Gebrüder Weiss Holding AG, based in Lauterach, Austria, is a globally operative full-service logistics provider with about 8,600 employees at 180 company-owned locations. The company generated revenues of 2.71 billion euros in 2024. Its portfolio encompasses transport and logistics solutions, digital services, and supply chain management. The twin strengths of digital and physical competence enable Gebrüder Weiss to respond swiftly and flexibly to customers’ needs. The family-run organization – with a history going back more than half a millennium – has implemented a wide variety of environmental, economic, and social initiatives. Today, it is also considered a pioneer in sustainable business practices. www.gw-world.com

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Tracking crime from the cradle: why some people keep breaking the law while most of us never do
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ayda Kuluk, PhD Candidate in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University

Alena Lom/Shutterstock

A major Australian study tracking more than 80,000 Queenslanders from birth to adulthood reveals stark differences between men and women in patterns of criminal behaviour.

These patterns offer insights into effective crime prevention strategies.

Our findings point to a clear takeaway: most people will never seriously come into contact with the criminal justice system. But for the small proportion who do, their paths into crime are shaped early and differently for men and women.

That means crime prevention efforts need to start earlier and be tailored to the experiences of those most at risk.

A rare opportunity

Our research followed more than 83,000 people born in Queensland in 1983 and 1984, and linked their early life records with official police data to understand who offended and how their patterns changed over time.

Few studies worldwide have followed such a large population from childhood through to early adulthood.

This gave us a unique opportunity to examine not just if people committed crime but when, how often and the types and seriousness of their offences.

Most people don’t offend but some do – repeatedly

The clearest finding was also the most reassuring: the vast majority of people never commit serious offences.

That means efforts to prevent crime can be more precisely targeted, ensuring interventions focus on a smaller, high-risk group rather than the general population.

Non-offending was most prevalent, but five distinct offending groups for both men and women were identified.

Among men, these ranged from those who rarely offended to a small group that started early and continued into adulthood, and another that mostly offended during adolescence but later stopped.

In contrast, most women fell into the low or non-offending groups. Only a small proportion followed a pattern of serious or repeat offending.

These trajectories were categorised as follows:

Women:
- non-offending: 79.9%
- adolescent-limited low: 8.5%
- adult-onset low: 8.6%
- early adult-onset escalating: 1.3%
- early onset young adult peak: 1.4%
- chronic early adult peak: 0.4%
Men:
- non-offending: 54.4%
- low: 31.0%
- early adult-onset low: 6.5%
- early onset young adult peak: 4.8%
- chronic adolescent-onset: 2.2%
- chronic early adult peak: 1.1%
Among the women who did offend, there were notable differences compared to men – not just in frequency but in the types of offences, how often they had contact with police and their experience with youth detention.

Patterns differ by sex

For boys and young men, those in the persistent offending group had earlier and more frequent contact with police, were more likely to face serious charges and often experienced youth detention.

For girls and young women, fewer entered the system overall but those with repeat contact showed distinct patterns: their offences tended to differ from those of men, with a greater focus on property-related crimes as well as drug and traffic violations, rather than the more frequent violent crimes seen among young men.

While they were less likely to be detained, their level of system contact was higher than that of most men in the low offending group.

These differences suggest sex shapes not just the likelihood of offending, but the nature of offending and how people interact with the justice system.

One-size-fits-all crime prevention won’t work

Our findings suggest a nuanced approach to crime prevention – one that recognises both the gendered nature of offending and the early life experiences that shape it.

For boys and young men, this could mean early identification of behavioural issues, stronger support in schools and support to create stable, safe home environments.

For girls and young women, more effective interventions might involve trauma-informed care (an approach that acknowledges past trauma and prioritises safety, trust and empowerment), along with tailored mental health support and services focused on recovery.

These gender-sensitive approaches are not just about being fair, they’re about being effective and equitable. When we better understand the roots of offending behaviour, we can design policies that reduce it.

Why early intervention matters

It’s easy to think of crime as something that starts with a police report or a court appearance. But the conditions for offending, or avoiding it, are often set much earlier.

Here are two real-life examples.

What if we saw a child’s aggression at school not as “bad behaviour” but as a red flag for family violence at home? What if a teenage girl’s shoplifting was a symptom of trauma or mental illness?

This research reinforces the value of early, targeted intervention.

That doesn’t just mean more programs, it means smarter programs, ones that focus resources on those most at risk in ways that match their lived experience.

Our study is one of the most comprehensive of its kind in Australia. It confirms that while most people never offend, a small group follow early, distinct pathways into crime.

Recognising these patterns gives us a powerful opportunity: to design earlier and more targeted prevention. That means fewer people in the justice system and healthier, safer communities for everyone.

If we want to stop crime before it starts, we need to start early, and we need to pay attention to the very different paths children may be on.

Ayda Kuluk 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. Tracking crime from the cradle: why some people keep breaking the law while most of us never do – https://theconversation.com/tracking-crime-from-the-cradle-why-some-people-keep-breaking-the-law-while-most-of-us-never-do-257130
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

What goes up must come down, and earlier this week yet another of SpaceX’s Starships, the biggest and most powerful type of rocket ever built, came back down to Earth in spectacular fashion. In the sky above the Indian Ocean, it exploded.

This was the ninth test flight for the rocket, and the third catastrophic failure in a row, just this year.

Is this what we should expect from the very ship some are counting on to take humans further than we’ve ever been in the solar system? Or does this failure point to deeper concerns within the broader program?

A decade of development

The Starship program from Elon Musk’s space technology company, SpaceX, has been in development for more than a decade now and has undergone many iterations in its overall design and goals.

The Starship concept is based upon the SpaceX Raptor engines to be used in a multistage system. In a multistage rocket system, there are often two or three separate blocks with their own engine and fuel reserves. These are particularly important for leaving Earth’s orbit and travelling to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

With Starship, the key factor is the ability to land and reuse vast amounts of the rocket stages again and again. The company’s Falcon 9 vehicles, which used this model, were fantastically successful.

Initial tests of Starship began in 2018 with two low-altitude flights showing early success. Subsequent flights have faced numerous challenges with now four complete failures, two partial failures and three successes overall.

Just two days ago, during the latest failed attempt, I watched alongside over 200 other space industry experts at the Australian Space Summit in Sydney. Broadcast live on a giant screen, the launch generated an excited buzz – which soon turned to reserved murmurs.

Of course, designing and launching rockets is hard, and failures are to be expected. However, a third catastrophic failure within six months demands a pause for reflection.

On this particular test flight, as Starship positioned itself for atmospheric re-entry, one of its 13 engines failed to ignite. Shortly after, a booster appeared to explode, leading to a complete loss of control. The rocket ultimately broke apart over the Indian Ocean, which tonnes of debris will now call home.

Polluting Earth in pursuit of space

We don’t know the exact financial cost of each test flight. But Musk has previously said it is about US$50–100 million.

The exact environmental cost of the Starship program – and its repeated failures – is even harder to quantify.

For example, a failed test flight in 2023 left the town of Port Isabel, Texas, which is located beside the launch site, shaking and covered in a thick cloud of dirt. Debris from the exploded rocket smashed cars. Residents told the New York Times they were terrified. They also had to clean up the mess from the flight.

Then, in September 2024, SpaceX was fined by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for 14 separate incidents since 2022 where the launch facilities discharged polluted water into Texas waterways. Musk denied these claims.

That same month, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a fine of US$633,009 in civil penalties should be issued to SpaceX. This was on the grounds of using an unapproved launch control room and other violations during 2023. Musk denied these claims too and threatened to countersue the FAA for “regulatory overreach”.

It’s unclear if this suit was ever filed.

Two other failed launches in January and March this year also rained rocket debris over the Caribbean, and disrupted hundreds of commercial flights, including 80 which needed to be diverted and more than 400 requiring delayed takeoff to ensure they were entering safe air space.

Success of different space programs

Until last year, the FAA allowed SpaceX to try up to five Starship launches a year. This month, the figure was increased to 25.

A lot can go wrong during a launch of a vehicle to space. And there is a long way to go until we can properly judge whether Starship successfully meets its mission goals.

We can, however, look at past programs to understand typical success rates seen across different rocketry programs.

The Saturn V rocket, the workhorse of the Apollo era, had a total of 13 launches, with only one partial failure. It underwent three full ground tests before flight.

SpaceX’s own Falcon 9 rocket, has had more than 478 successful launches, only two in flight failures, one partial failure and one pre-flight destruction.

The Antares rocket, by Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman) launched a total of 18 times, with one failure.

The Soyuz rocket, originally a Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed in the 1960s, launched a total of 32 times, with two failures.

No sign of caution

Of course, we can’t fairly compare all other rockets with the Starship. Its goals are certainly novel as a reusable heavy-class rocket.

But this latest failure does raise some questions. Will the Starship program ever see success – and if so when? And what are the limits of our tolerance as a society to the pollution of Earth in the pursuit of the goal to space?

For a rocketry program that’s moving so fast, developing novel and complex technology, and experiencing several repeated failures, many people might expect caution from now on. Musk, however, has other plans.

Shortly after the most recent Starship failure, he announced on X (formerly Twitter, that the next test flights would occur at a faster pace: one every three to four weeks.

Sara Webb 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. Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure – https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-promises-more-risky-launches-after-sixth-starship-failure-257726

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pallone Delivers Millions in Relief to Low-income Sandy Survivors Caught Up in Red Tape

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

NJ 6th District Congressman’s Years-Long Effort Culminates in State Launch of New Program

New Brunswick, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced that New Jersey has officially launched a new policy implementing the clawback relief he fought for and secured for Superstorm Sandy survivors. After years of Pallone’s advocacy, the State of New Jersey will now begin outreach to eligible homeowners who may no longer be required to repay disaster assistance that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been seeking recoupment on for years.

These recoupment efforts known as clawbacks have blindsided homeowners because many New Jersey residents owed tens of thousands of dollars through no fault of their own after applying for loans and benefits through various federal programs at the recommendation of the government. Preliminary assessments show that more than 400 New Jersey households are expected to collectively receive more than $16 million in relief from this recoupment waiver. Pallone encouraged the State to distribute relief as broadly as possible and to avoid placing new financial burdens on residents who have already been through so much.

“After years of pushing for fairness, today we are finally delivering financial relief for many Sandy survivors,” said Pallone. “The official launch of this program means hundreds of families will no longer have to bear the burden of having to repay the disaster aid they used to rebuild in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Thanks to our advocacy, they can now – after many years – finally close this dark chapter and put this bureaucratic nightmare behind them.”

Pallone has fought tirelessly to ensure Sandy-impacted families are not burdened with repaying federal disaster aid. In 2022, Pallone secured an indefinite legislative extension of recoupment efforts for debt owed to the federal government that was included in the Omnibus Fiscal Year 2023 package but did not absolve homeowners of the funds owed.

In January, the Biden Administration agreed to Pallone’s request to provide relief to low- and moderate-income survivors, as well as those who have faced extreme hardship – including foreclosure, bankruptcy, or lost loved ones after receiving federal disaster aid. Eligible households facing extreme hardship may receive full forgiveness, while eligible low- and moderate-income households may receive up to $27,000 in forgiveness for federal assistance previously subject to repayment.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has already notified 278 applicants that their recoupment has been forgiven in full, totaling over $13 million collectively. The agency will continue reaching out to residents eligible for partial forgiveness over the coming weeks and months. No additional action is required at this time for eligible households, but affected New Jersey residents can visit DCA’s website to learn more about the policy.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pallone Marks Jewish American Heritage Month with Resolution Honoring Jewish War Veterans

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

Washington, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ 06) today introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives honoring the 129th anniversary of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America. The resolution was introduced during Jewish American Heritage Month and recognizes the group’s historic role in fighting antisemitism, preserving Jewish military history, and advocating for the rights and recognition of all veterans.

Founded in 1896 by Jewish Civil War veterans who came together to reject false claims that Jews had not served their country, the Jewish War Veterans is the oldest active veterans service organization in the nation. The resolution commends the group for more than a century of service, including its leadership in protesting Nazi Germany in the 1930s, helping establish the National Museum of American Jewish Military History, and continuing to support military families and educate the public about the Holocaust.

“Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to lift up the stories of service and sacrifice that are too often overlooked,” Pallone said. “The Jewish War Veterans have defended this country in every major conflict and returned home to defend the truth about that service. This resolution ensures Congress recognizes the generations of leadership they have provided and the work they are still doing today.”

The resolution affirms the importance of the Jewish War Veterans’ mission to preserve history, promote justice and equality, and combat antisemitism in all its forms. It also calls on Congress to continue supporting the organization’s work.

Read Pallone’s full resolution here.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: After Capital Jewish Museum Shooting, Reed & Whitehouse Seek Additional Funds to Protect Nonprofits and Places of Worship from Violence & Hate Crimes
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

WASHINGTON, DC — In an effort to enhance public safety and deter violence targeted towards specific religious communities, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators in urging Senate Appropriations Committee leaders to provide $500 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) in 2026.

NSGP funds are administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and competitively awarded to applicants to help non-profits and faith-based entities enhance their security infrastructure, training, and systems. The federal NSGP funds can be used for things such as purchasing and installing locks, video cameras, and bulletproof glass, or hiring off-duty police officers as security personnel.

Reed and Whitehouse say that NSGP funds have become a critical security tool for churches, synagogues, and temples in Rhode Island to guard against targeted hate crimes and antisemitism.

Following the murder of two Israeli Embassy employees outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, Reed and Whitehouse joined with 31 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter asking appropriators to significantly boost NSGP funding from $274.5 million last year to $500 million in fiscal year 2026 to help ensure the safety and security of Jewish institutions and other vulnerable non-profits and houses of worship nationwide.

“The threat of violence is unfortunately increasing at places of worship across our country at alarming rates,” the 33 U.S. Senators wrote. “There has been an increase in hoax bomb and active shooter threats against houses of worship to interrupt services and intimidate the worshipers. There has also been an increase in antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents across the country following the October 7 attack in Israel.”

The Trump administration had proposed cuts to non-emergency grant programs at DHS.

The letter also notes that last year, only 43 percent of grant applications were approved, even with additional funding available through the national security supplemental bill. Nationwide, applicants requested a total of nearly $1 billion in funding.

“Unfortunately, it is easy to see that the need for the NSGP is quickly outpacing the funding,” the letter notes.

Citing the February 2024 arson attack on Shiloh Gospel Temple, a predominantly Black church in North Providence, the 33 U.S. Senators wrote:“Today’s threat environment provides a compelling public interest in preventing attacks that would disrupt the vital health, human, social, cultural, religious, and other humanitarian services provided by at-risk faith-based and nonprofit institutions. Such threats terrorize the lives and well-being of millions of Americans who operate, utilize, live, and work in their communities.”

In addition to Reed and Whitehouse, the bipartisan letter was signed by U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), joined by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Tina Smith (D-MN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ed Markey (D-MA).

Full text of the letter follows:

Dear Chair Collins, Vice Chair Murray, Chair Britt, and Ranking Member Murphy:

Thank you for your strong support for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).

As you draft the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) Homeland Security (HLS) Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you provide $500,000,000 in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program under section 2009 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 609a), of which $250,000,000 is for eligible recipients located in high-risk urban areas that receive funding under section 2003 of such Act and $250,000,000 is for eligible recipients that are located outside such areas.

Together, these programs provide critical security resources to at-risk faith- based and nonprofit institutions located in urban, suburban, and rural communities. In addition to ensuring that the NSGP is funded at robust levels, we also urge the committee to advocate for and maintain separate line items for this program. The NSGP is used by nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship and other faith-based organizations, at risk of terrorist attacks to provide funding for physical security enhancements as well as emergency preparedness training.

The NSGP also works to enhance the engagement and cooperation between community groups, state and; local homeland security organizations, and emergency management agencies to be better; prepared for, prevent, and respond to acts of terrorism. This preparation and investment is critical to our national security and part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) comprehensive measures to strengthen the safety of our communities. DHS recognizes the risk of extremist-motivated violence as a danger to national security and has warned that violence against nonprofits and faith-based institutions is likely to continue.

The threat of violence is unfortunately increasing at places of worship across our country at alarming rates. There has been an increase in hoax bomb and active shooter threats against houses of worship to interrupt services and intimidate the worshipers. There has also been an increase in antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents across the country following the October 7 attack in Israel. In the year since October 7, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States, an over 200 percent increase over the year before and the highest number recorded in a single year since ADL started tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.

Nationwide, there have been countless acts of violence against religious communities, including these specific incidents that underscore the importance and complexity of protecting our religious communities from violence and extremism:
- On January 3, 2024, a Newark, New Jersey, an Imam was shot and killed outside of his mosque.
- On January 30, 2024, a man opened fire at a San Francisco Catholic Church.
- On February 11, 2024, a man set fire to Shiloh Gospel Temple, a predominantly Black church in North Providence, Rhode Island.
- On February 11, 2024, a woman forced her way inside a Texas Christian megachurch and opened fire.
- On February 17, 2024, police in Broward County, Florida, arrested a man for beating a 69-year-old Rabbi who was walking home from synagogue on Shabbat.
- On April 9, 2024, an Idaho teenager was arrested the day before his planned violent attack on local churches.
- On May 25, 2024, a man was struck in a hit and run in front of a mosque in; Minnesota.
- On July 22, 2024, St. Leo’s Church in Hartford, Arkansas, was vandalized, and racial slurs were graffitied on the building.
- On August 12, 2024, a young man was stabbed near a synagogue in New York City.
- On December 17 and 18, over 400 Jewish Institutions across the country were targeted with false bomb threats and swatting calls.
These events highlight the ever-increasing need for the NSGP. Unfortunately, it is easy to see that the need for the NSGP is quickly outpacing the funding. In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY2024), FEMA received 7,584 grant applications for the NSGP, over 2,300 more than the previous year. These applicants requested $978 million in federal funding, while NSGP received $274.5 million in annual FY24 appropriations. Even with the additional NSGP funding provided by the National Security Supplemental Act for FY2024, FEMA could only fund 43 percent of all grant applicants. This left most of the applicants without the funding they needed to provide security to their at-risk institution.

Today’s threat environment provides a compelling public interest in preventing attacks that; would disrupt the vital health, human, social, cultural, religious, and other humanitarian services provided by at-risk faith-based and nonprofit institutions. Such threats terrorize the lives and well-being of millions of Americans who operate, utilize, live, and work in their communities. Accordingly, we respectfully urge you to strengthen the NSGP by properly funding the program at $500 million in FY2026, and we remain sincerely grateful for your past support of this critical program. Thank you for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,
MIL OSI USA News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Murray Meets with WA State Emergency Management Leaders, Hears How Trump’s Attacks on FEMA Threaten Emergency Response Ahead of Wildfire Season

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

ICYMI: Senators Murray, Merkley, WA & Oregon Fire Officials Lay Out How Trump is Putting Wildfire Preparedness & Response at Risk

***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL FROM EVENT HERE***

***AUDIO HERE***

Sultan, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion with emergency management leaders in Washington state to hear about the impacts of the Trump administration’s attacks on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies, and how these changes are already affecting communities around the state as they respond and prepare for disasters. As climate change continues to increase the severity and unpredictability of natural disasters like wildfires, communities across Washington State need to be able to rely on help from the federal government to both respond to disasters and to prepare for them—but the Trump administration’s reckless and chaotic policy changes are putting that work in jeopardy. Joining Senator Murray for the roundtable were: Lucia Schmit, Emergency Management Director at Snohomish County; Julie de Losada, Chief of Emergency Management at Skagit County; Angel Cortez, Emergency Preparedness Manager at Tulalip Tribes; Hannah Cleverly, Washington State Emergency Management Association Secretary and Deputy Director at Grays Harbor County Emergency Management; Sharon Wallace, Deputy Director of the Washington State Emergency Management Division; Chandra Fox, Deputy Director at Spokane County Emergency Management; and Tony Miller, Director of Emergency Management at Yakima County.

“I am incredibly grateful for all the work our emergency responders do to protect our families—whether it’s floods, tsunamis, wildfires, or mudslides—and I was glad to have the opportunity to hear from emergency management leaders today about the importance of planning and preparing for natural disasters before they strike,” said Senator Murray. “Unfortunately, we have a new administration that doesn’t understand that—and doesn’t seem to care if their policies put people in danger. Trump and his DHS Secretary want to eliminate FEMA completely. They are doing all they can to leave us less prepared by proposing to slash FEMA’s budget, pushing out thousands of employees, freezing funds that were already allocated, and cancelling BRIC grants and other critical programs. It is sending our communities reeling and creating painful and unnecessary chaos for disaster response efforts in Washington state and across the country. States rely on federal support, both to respond to disasters and prepare for them, and the Trump administration’s reckless policy changes have already put years of emergency management preparation work, and lives, at risk. I will keep shining a spotlight on how Trump’s senseless decisions to destroy our emergency management system are threatening the safety of our families and communities.”

Under the Trump Administration, FEMA has undergone significant cuts to staff and funding reductions, leading to worries about the agency’s ability to respond and address disasters effectively. The Trump Administration has proposed to cut FEMA’s budget in the coming fiscal year, pushed out approximately 2,000 full-time staff, from terminations and employees participating in the deferred resignation program, roughly one-third of the total staff employed at the end of 2024, frozen over $100 billion in previously awarded FEMA grants and disaster assistance, and canceled the Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supports states, local and territorial governments, and Tribal Nations as they work to reduce their hazard risk. BRIC has invested over $5 billion in projects nationwide, reducing harm from floods, wildfires, and more. Senator Murray recently led a letter with Senators Van Hollen, Tillis, and Murkowski urging Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson to reinstate the BRIC grant program—in Washington state, over $200 million in BRIC funding across 67 applications was impacted.

“All disasters begin and end at the local level. This has always been true. But one of the things that makes this nation strong is how we all come together to help during the hard times,” said Lucia Schmit, Snohomish County Emergency Management Director. “When the slide buried the Steelhead Haven neighborhood and Highway 530 near Oso in 2014, killing 43, responders from over 120 organizations—including from other counties and states—waded into the mud. We were all able to work together because of the critical role the federal government plays in supporting a common emergency management system. To hazard that partnership courts disaster.”

“I want to thank Senator Murray for her leadership at the federal level to ensure we are prepared for and can respond to emergencies of all types,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said. “Our county is no stranger to emergencies like landslide, floods, or fires. We live in a remarkably beautiful place, and that comes with the responsibility to limit risks and respond to needs in communities near powerful rivers, active volcanoes, and expansive forests. The federal government has been a key partner in that work, but proposed changes threaten to fracture that partnership. In the long run, I would expect reduced support for planning, mitigation, and recovery to cost our nation more, both in dollars and human suffering.”

“Skagit County is facing increasingly complex threats such as coastal and riverine flooding, encroaching wildfires, and the potential for the Cascadian earthquake. We already have the frameworks in place to address these challenges with FEMA, but effective emergency management is only possible if federal agencies fulfill their obligation to being a reliable and enduring partner to local emergency responders. The federal government must not abandon communities during times of crisis, and we call on them to adhere to their responsibility to support local jurisdictions in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery,” said Julie de Losada, Skagit County Emergency Management Chief.

“Tribes being a sovereign nation, each individually unique, comes with its own sets of challenges. The uncertainty of FEMA potentially being dismantled and pulling up critical funding leaves tribes in a position that makes it harder to implement mitigation strategies, plans, response and to recover in the event or prior to a disaster happening. Tribes also face a historical challenge with their local and state governments that you and I are both aware of,” said Angel Cortez, Emergency Preparedness Manager at Tulalip Tribes. “The reality of today is we need FEMA, and FEMA needs us. We need our states and local partners, and they need us too. None of us will be able to go through a major disaster alone. For disasters are not restricted to borders, political ideologies, or economic status.”

“Whether you call it FEMA reform, change, restructuring, or transformation—what matters is that it’s thoughtful, strategic, incremental, and grounded in the real needs of our communities,” said Sharon Wallace, Deputy Director of Washington’s Emergency Management Division.

“Effective and sustainable resilience in the face of wildland fire requires cooperation and collaboration across all levels of government. We need to have engaged federal partners supporting our efforts in Public Education, Fuels Reduction, and Incident Management, as well as Response and Recovery,” said Chandra Fox, Deputy Director at Spokane County Emergency Management. “The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program provides essential funding to Fire Agencies and community partners, directly supporting fuels reduction and home hardening efforts at the local level. Without this funding opportunity, these efforts would be severely curtailed, limiting their effectiveness and reach.”

Senator Murray is a leading voice pushing back against the Trump administration’s attacks on FEMA and other federal agencies, including NOAA and the U.S. Forest Service, that support disaster preparedness and response in Washington state and across the country. At a budget hearing, Senator Murray grilled Secretary Kristi Noem on the Department of Homeland Security’s sweeping funding freeze, including FEMA disaster relief and public safety grants, and its plans to weaken FEMA and recent denials of disaster declarations. Last week, Senator Murray led Washington state’s entire congressional delegation in a letter President Donald Trump urging him to reconsider the denial of Washington state’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration as a result of the devastating windstorms, heavy rainfall, flooding, and mudslides caused by a bomb cyclone that struck Washington state in November 2024. Murray previously led the entire delegation in a letter urging President Biden to grant the request for a Major Disaster Declaration in January.

Earlier this month, Senator Murray held a press conference with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and wildfire officials in Washington state and Oregon to sound the alarm on how the Trump administration’s funding freezes and punishing cuts to the workforce at the U.S. Forest Service and other key agencies are seriously undermining wildfire preparedness and response in Washington state and Oregon and putting communities at risk. Senator Murray is working to secure critical investments in wildfire suppression and mitigation—and in our firefighters. Last year, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she secured nearly $22 million in funding for wildfire risk reduction projects across Washington state as part of the USFS Wildfire Crisis Strategy. In the Interior and Environment appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024, she worked to include essential investments in wildfire preparedness and suppression. And in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, she secured $25 million in funding for wildfire mitigation projects across Washington state.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: In Everett, Murray Holds Roundtable on Trump Putting $16.7 Million for Snohomish County Homelessness Prevention At Risk, Hears from Affected Organizations—Vows to Fight Housing Budget Cuts

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL FROM EVENT HERE***

***AUDIO HERE***

Everett, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion on the Trump administration’s senseless decision to jeopardize Continuum of Care (CoC) grant funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—which helps communities address homelessness—by placing new, potentially unlawful conditions on the grant funding. Joining Senator Murray for the roundtable were: Snohomish County Human Services Director Mary Jane Brell-Vujovic; Joe Alonzo, CEO of Cocoon House; Kathryn Opina, Interim CEO of Housing Hope; Mary Anne Dillon, Vice President of Permanent Housing for the YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish; Becky Megard, Chief Operations Officer of Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County; and Theresa Jones, a single mother of three whose family has benefitted from Housing Hope’s programs and who is now working toward obtaining her associate’s degree in Family and Social Services.

Local governments and non-profits across the country that had qualified for the federal CoC grant programs were informed in March that this year’s funding would require recipients to comply with vaguely worded executive orders that Trump signed in the opening weeks of his second term, specifically related to immigration status, abortion and reproductive care, “gender ideology,” and DEI programs. Snohomish County had already been allocated $16.7 million in CoC grant funding this year—only to be told their receipt of that funding is conditional on meeting the requirements of the president’s various executive orders. CoC grant funding goes toward 23 programs that offer housing and supportive services for homeless individuals and families in Snohomish County. Snohomish County anticipates that its partner agencies—who provide rapid rehousing and rental assistance, as well as specific services for young adults, people with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence—would also not be able to sign off on the administration’s new conditions.

Snohomish County is one of eight original plaintiffs in a King County-led coalition of local governments across the country who are suing the Trump administration over the potential loss of funding. The lawsuit was filed on May 2^nd. Pierce County also joined the City and County of San Francisco, Santa Clara County, New York City, Boston, and Columbus (Ohio) in filing the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Sound Transit, the Port of Seattle, and at least 20 other local governments across the country have since joined the lawsuit, which also challenges similar conditions in U.S. Department of Transportation grant agreements. On May 8^th, District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) preventing the Trump Administration from imposing these conditions on CoC funds or withholding CoC funds based on the conditions, and on May 23 she extended that TRO to June 4.

“Continuum of Care grant funding helps local organizations provide really important services for people experiencing homelessness—these are proven, effective investments that actually save communities money in the long run. But Trump is ripping away funding to prevent homelessness at the same time that he’s pushing Republicans to pass new, deficit-busting tax breaks for billionaires,” said Senator Murray. “Affordable housing and homelessness is a crisis and President Trump is making it a lot worse—from pushing out staff across HUD who work with groups like everyone here to keep programs running and get grants we pass out the door, freezing funding across the government, and turning federal funds meant to help people into a tool for his own partisan goals with outrageous, illegal restrictions that cut providers off from funds. President Trump hasn’t put out his full budget yet, but when it comes to housing, I’ve seen enough—he would kick millions out onto the street and make the homelessness and affordable housing crisis so much worse. Trump can write a budget, but Congress can tear it up—and we will as long as I have anything to say about it. I’ll keep fighting back in Congress to protect our investments in preventing homelessness when we write our funding bills and highlight the stories of organizations like the ones we heard from today.”

President Trump’s “skinny budget” proposal for Fiscal Year 2026 would slash funding for HUD by almost 50 percent—a staggering cut that would decimate the HUD housing assistance programs, making millions of Americans vulnerable to homelessness. Trump’s budget proposes to convert all rental assistance programs into a formula-based “State Rental Assistance Block Grant” and reduce total funding by $26.7 billion, or a 42 percent cut. His budget also proposes to consolidate the CoC Program with the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program within the formula-based Emergency Solutions Grant and to time-limit assistance to two years, all while reducing overall funding by $532 million, or 12 percent. In addition, President Trump’s budget proposes to eliminate or reduce numerous HUD programs, including eliminating major formula programs communities rely upon to develop new affordable housing and for community development activities. The President’s full budget request has not yet been released. As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray plays a key role in negotiating annual funding for HUD through the appropriations process.

“Snohomish County has created one of the most successful Continuum of Care networks in the nation, and the federal support is essential to save lives and reduce human suffering,” said Snohomish County Department of Human Services Director Mary Jane Brell Vujovic. “There are no additional resources at the local or state level to make up for the federal funding, and the lives of people literally hang in the balance.”

“If the most vulnerable members of our community—domestic violence victims, people with disabilities, unhoused youth and veterans—cannot receive basic life-saving support from the federal government, they will suffer and possibly die,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “The programs funded by the Continuum of Care are some of the most powerful tools to keep people off the streets and safe. We are very grateful for Senator Murray’s compassionate advocacy for these fundamental responsibilities of the federal government.”

“Our housing program is a critical component of the safety net for survivors of domestic violence. It not only provides immediate refuge but also a foundation for long-term stability, recovery, and self-sufficiency. Without this vital support, families are at risk of cycling back into danger or falling into homelessness. Continued federal investment ensures that our shelter system remains responsive, accessible, and equipped to break the cycle of violence—one safe home at a time,” said Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County Chief Operational Officer Becky Megard.

“The young people we serve don’t care about political power struggles, nor do they have interest in having their identities erased. They want the opportunity to find a stable and supportive housing environment, to gain skills, and to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. In this situation, they unfortunately stand to lose the most,” said Joe Alonzo, CEO of Cocoon House. “Loss of CoC funds will have immediate and ripple impacts on homeless youth and young adults in Snohomish County. Without CoC funding or a viable replacement option, nearly 200 young people will experience loss of housing and vital supports. These funds are critical for the operation of programs and services that were designed to address their unique situations.”

“In Snohomish County, HUD Continuum of Care funds are the backbone of our homelessness response system. These funds are absolutely essential for providing services to individual families and ensuring that our system functions effectively,” said Kathryn Opina, Interim CEO of Housing Hope. “Without this funding, we will see a significant increase in homelessness, particularly for families with children and other vulnerable populations. Housing Hope thanks Senator Murray for fighting for this critical funding.”

“The women and families YWCA serves matter. Cutting funding only creates more barriers for those we serve, and these threats have the potential to be devastating. Even in the face of these challenges, it’s important that we continue to provide the services our community relies on,” said Mary Anne Dillon, Vice President of Permanent Housing at the YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish.

“Housing Hope has been active in my life since 2020, so five years now,” said Theresa Jones, a 45-year-old single mother of three. “They were a godsend; they came into my life 2 months before everything shut down for COVID. At the time they came into life I was living in a motel room with my 3 daughters… And I was working two jobs, so it was ultimately up to my 16-year-old, with an autoimmune disease, to raise my younger two just so I could work to keep some sort of roof over our head and some sort of food. And every time I tried to get assistance, I was told I didn’t qualify or I made too much money, all because I didn’t check the right boxes. And so by the time Housing Hope came into my life, my kids were not going to school regularly because of mental and physical health reasons, with us being homeless. My physical health was getting worse… [Housing Hope] immediately got us into a family shelter. That way I could back off from working enough to help raise my family and to see what steps we needed to do next. They got me into a transitional housing unit, which I am still there, and it is a very big blessing. Because of having the safe and stable housing that I can afford, without having to struggle, I have been able to get myself and my children the mental health they need. We are now better physically than we have been in a long time, because I’m able to keep up with our physical issues as they come up instead of having to postpone them because I can’t afford to take off of work… Now I’m a full-time college student going to get my associate’s degree in Family and Social Services because that’s where I feel I can have the most impact.”

Senator Murray has consistently worked to address Washington state’s housing crisis and has secured major federal investments to help families keep a roof over their heads. Throughout the pandemic, Senator Murray—then Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee—played a major role in writing federal COVID-19 relief legislation that secured major support for people facing housing insecurity, championing sizable investments in rental assistance and other programs that collectively resulted in the largest eviction prevention effort in American history. In the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding bill Murray negotiated and passed as Appropriations Chair, Murray secured billions for HUD as well as millions of dollars in Congressionally Directed Spending for affordable housing projects throughout Washington state.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: NZCTU release detailed Budget 2025 analysis

Source: NZCTU

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today released a report with detailed analysis of Budget 2025. It covers the major decisions made at this Budget, and how they might affect workers.

“This Budget is funded above all by the gutting of the pay equity system, the halving of the government’s contribution to people’s Kiwisaver accounts, and other cuts that will disproportionality impact women, welfare recipients, and working households,” said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.

“None of the choices the government has made were inevitable. The government could have funded its spending initiatives by raising new taxes on the wealthiest New Zealanders. It could have not decided to give billions away to those who already have much, while cutting services for those with real and pressing needs.

“Budget 2025 also leaves New Zealand’s most significant structural challenges unaddressed. There is no meaningful movement on closing the infrastructure deficit; no solution to our health workforce shortage; no willingness to reduce child poverty or to address the housing crisis; and absolutely zero investment made in decarbonisation and climate adaptation.

“The coalition government continues to kick the can down the road on the most pressing challenges we face, all while making life steadily more difficult for New Zealanders who have the least,” said Renney.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Summer EBT for school-aged children returns for second year
Source: US State of Oregon

regon Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) is a food benefits program that helps shrink the hunger gap when children are on summer break and don’t have easy access to healthy meals at school. Summer EBT provides $120 per eligible child to buy food.

This is the second year of Oregon’s Summer EBT program. On May 22, 2025, about 336,000 children got the benefit on an Oregon EBT card. Families should check their EBT card balance at www.ebtedge.com to confirm receipt.

Families who didn’t automatically get Summer EBT on May 22, 2025 should check program requirements before applying. Families can check requirements at sebt.oregon.gov or by contacting the Summer EBT Call Center at 833-673-7328. The Call Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., PDT. Apply online in English and Spanish or with a paper application in multiple languages at sebt.oregon.gov.

“When school doors close for the summer, the need for regular, healthy meals doesn’t disappear. Last year, the summer EBT program bridged a critical gap for thousands of Oregon families, helping to replace those essential 10 meals per child, per week, that they receive when school is in session,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). “We are proud to continue this partnership with ODHS to not only feed children, but to nurture their potential during crucial developmental months. Our continued commitment ensures that summer can be a season of growth and opportunity for all children, regardless of their economic circumstances.”

In 2024, about 362,000 children participated and received $43 million in Summer EBT food benefits their families spent in their local grocery stores, farmers markets, and other places.

“Summer EBT is one more way we can prevent kids from going hungry when school is out. Summer EBT is an evidence-based program proven to reduce child hunger and support healthier diets,” said Fariborz Pakseresht, ODHS Director. “Child hunger can have lasting impacts on health and academic achievement. Getting every eligible child connected to Summer EBT will help Oregon’s children thrive year-round and as they grow up.”

Who is eligible for Summer EBT food benefits?

Families can find details about Summer EBT at sebt.oregon.gov.

Your school-age child may be automatically eligible if:
- Your family received Summer EBT benefits through an approved application in 2024.
- Your family gets SNAP, TANF or Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) and meets income rules.
- Your child gets free or reduced-price school meals and meets income rules.
- Your child is in foster care, in migrant education, in a qualified Head Start, experiencing homelessness, or part of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).
Children who are automatically eligible received Summer EBT on May 22, 2025.

Your school-age child may be eligible by application if:
- Your family meets the federal income requirements for free or reduced-price meals at school, and
- Your child attends a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP).
Families must apply by Sept. 3, 2025.

Receiving Summer EBT does not impact participation in other summer meal programs.

Summer EBT benefits are not considered in a public charge test and are available to children regardless of immigration status.

How will families receive Summer EBT food benefits?

The benefits will be placed on an Oregon EBT card and can be used at most grocery stores, farmers markets, and more.

Families that need a new card should call 855-328-6715, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PDT).

Families that think their children may be eligible and didn’t get benefits on May 22 must apply by September 3. If approved, they will receive an Oregon EBT card by mail.

Stolen Summer EBT benefits can’t be replaced.

You can protect your Oregon EBT card and benefits from electronic theft by following a few simple tips.

Where can families get more information?

To learn more, or to apply, visit sebt.oregon.gov.

Call the Oregon Summer EBT Call Center at 1-833-673-7328 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PDT) on weekdays. All relay calls accepted.

More about Summer EBT

Summer EBT became a permanent program for states and certain Indian Tribal Organizations through the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Most states began providing Summer EBT in June 2024. Oregon’s participation was made possible through an investment from the Oregon State Legislature of $12 million. That investment will draw $83 million in federal funding to Oregon, mostly in the form of food benefits families will spend in their communities.

Additional resources to help meet basic needs

MIL OSI USA News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Weslaco

Source: United States Small Business Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of a SBA Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Hidalgo County to assist small businesses, private nonprofit (PNP) organizations and residents who sustained economic losses and physical damage from severe storms and flooding occurring March 26‑28.

Beginning Friday, May 30, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Center in Weslaco to answer questions and assist with the disaster loan application process. No appointment is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Those who prefer to schedule an in-person appointment in advance can do so at appointment.sba.gov.

The center’s hours of operation are as follows:

HIDALGO COUNTY
Business Recovery Center
Valley Metro Transit Center
Boardroom
510 S. Pleasantview Dr.
Weslaco, TX 78596

Opens at 12 p.m. Friday, May 30

Mondays – Fridays, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The following BRC location is open and continues to serve survivors:

CAMERON COUNTY
Business Recovery Center
Harlingen Chamber of Commerce
311 E. Tyler Ave.
Harlingen, TX 78550

Mondays – Thursdays, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Fridays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

“SBA’s Business Recovery Centers have consistently proven their value to business owners following a disaster,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “Business owners can visit these centers to meet face‑to‑face with specialists who will guide them through the disaster loan application process and connect them with resources to support their recovery.”

Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for nonprofits, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The deadline to apply for physical damage applications is July 21, 2025. The deadline to apply for economic injury applications is Feb. 23, 2026.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SBA Opens Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Florissant

Source: United States Small Business Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) in St. Louis County to assist small businesses, private nonprofit (PNP) organizations and residents affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and wildfires occurring March 14-15.

Beginning Friday, May 30, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Florissant to answer questions and assist with the disaster loan application process. No appointment is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Those who prefer to schedule an in-person appointment in advance can do so at appointment.sba.gov.

The center’s hours of operation are as follows:

ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
St. Louis County Library
Florissant Valley Branch
Quiet Room
195 South New Florissant Rd.
Florissant, MO 63031

Opens at 1 p.m. Friday, May 30

Mondays – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Fridays – Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

“When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers perform an important role by assisting small businesses and their communities,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the U.S. Small Business Administration. “At these centers, our SBA specialists help business owners and residents apply for disaster loans and learn about the full range of programs available to support their recovery.”

Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for nonprofits, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is July 21, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 23, 2026.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 2025 Int’l Humanoid Robot Skills Competition held in Shanghai

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

2025 Int’l Humanoid Robot Skills Competition held in Shanghai

Updated: May 30, 2025 07:44 Xinhua

Robots “play” a football match during the 2025 International Humanoid Robot Skills Competition held at Zhangjiang Science Hall in Shanghai, east China, May 29, 2025. The 2025 International Humanoid Robot Skills Competition was launched in Shanghai on Thursday, focusing on industrial, household and commercial scenarios. Over 60 global teams competed in robot applications and core technology innovation. [Photo/Xinhua]

A robot competes in the All-Terrain Dynamic Challenge during the 2025 International Humanoid Robot Skills Competition held at Zhangjiang Science Hall in Shanghai, east China, May 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China issues guideline to improve market-based allocation of resources, environmental factors

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

China has recently unveiled a guideline aimed at improving the system for market-based allocation of resources and environmental factors, amid the country’s efforts to speed up the overall green transition of economic and social development.

The guideline is jointly issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council.

The guideline outlines measures to deepen reforms in the trading of resources and environmental factors, including improving quota allocation systems, expanding the scope of tradable elements, strengthening trading mechanisms, and enhancing foundational capacities.

By 2027, China aims to establish basically sound trading systems for carbon emission rights and water use rights, while further refining mechanisms for the trading of pollutant discharge rights, per the guideline.

By then, the market-based energy-saving mechanism will be further improved, and the trading of resource and environmental factors will become more active, supported by a better price formation mechanism, according to the guideline.

Despite resource scarcity and limited environmental capacity — China’s fundamental conditions — the country has made significant strides in addressing these constraints through market-based mechanisms, according to an official of the National Development and Reform Commission.

China has established a national carbon market, a voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reduction market and a water right trade exchange, while also piloting various local trading schemes to promote the market-based allocation of resources and environmental factors.

The new guideline is expected to help direct the orderly flows of resources and environmental factors toward green and low-carbon development, and to support the cultivation of new quality productive forces, the official said.

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s global trade plans are in disarray, amid legal appeals to a US court ruling on ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Susan Stone, Credit Union SA Chair of Economics, University of South Australia

Earlier this week, a US court blocked the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs that US President Donald Trump imposed on imported goods from around 90 nations.

On Wednesday (US time), the Court of International Trade ruled the emergency authority Trump used to impose the tariffs could not override the role of Congress, which has the right to regulate commerce with other countries.

The following day, however, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington paused the trade court’s ruling, temporarily reinstating Trump’s tariffs. The earlier court ruling, and the fresh uncertainty prompted by the appeal have left the implementation of Trump’s trade policy in disarray.

Even though it has been paused, the trade court’s ruling calls into question trade negotiations underway with more than 18 different nations, which are trying to lower these tariffs. Do these countries continue to negotiate or do they wait for the judicial process to play out?

The Trump administration still has other mechanisms through which it can impose tariffs, but these have limits on the amount that can be imposed, or entail processes which can take months or years. This undermines Trump’s preferred method of negotiation: throwing out large threats and backing down once a concession is reached.

Emergency powers were a step too far

The lawsuits were filed by US importers of foreign products and some US states, challenging Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.

The lawsuits argued the national emergencies cited in imposing the tariffs – the trade deficit and the fentanyl crisis – were not an emergency and not directly addressed by the tariff remedy. The court agreed, and said by imposing tariffs Trump had overstepped his authority.

The ruling said the executive orders used were “declared to be invalid as contrary to law”.

The act states the president is entitled to take economic action in the face of “an unusual and extraordinary threat”. It’s mainly been used to impose sanctions on terrorist groups or freeze assets from Russia. There’s nothing in the act that refers to tariffs.

The decision means all the reciprocal tariffs – including the 10% tariffs on most countries, the 50% tariffs Trump was talking about putting on the EU, and some of the Chinese tariffs – are ruled by the court to be illegal.

The ruling was based on two separate lawsuits. One was brought by a group of small businesses that argued tariffs materially hurt their business. The other was brought by 12 individual states, arguing the tariffs would materially impact their ability to provide public goods.

Some industry tariffs will remain in place

The ruling does not apply to tariffs applied under Section 201, known as safeguard tariffs. They are intended to protect industries from imports allegedly being sold in the US market at unfair prices or through unfair means. Tariffs on solar panels and washing machines were brought under this regulation.

Also excluded are Section 232 tariffs, which are applied for national security reasons. Those are the steel and aluminium tariffs, the automobile and auto parts tariffs. Trump has declared all those as national security issues, so those tariffs will remain.

Most of the tariffs against China are also excluded under Section 301. Those are put in place for unfair trade practices, such as intellectual property theft or forced technology transfer. They are meant to pressure countries to change their policies.

Other trade investigations are still underway

In addition, there are current investigations related to copper and the pharmaceuticals sector, which will continue. These investigations are part of a more traditional trade process and may lead to future tariffs, including on Australia.

The Trump administration is still weighing possible sector-specific tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
Planar/Shutterstock

Now for the appeals

Following the subsequent reinstatement of tariffs, we now have to wait for the appeals process to play out. This may take some time. The plaintiffs have until June 5 to respond, and the Trump administration has until June 9.

In the meantime, there are at least five other legal challenges to tariffs pending in the courts.

If the appeals court provides a ruling the Trump administration or opponents don’t like, they can appeal to the Supreme Court.

Alternatively, the White House could direct customs officials to ignore the court and continue to collect tariffs.

The Trump administration has ignored court orders in the past, particularly on immigration rulings.

The administration is unlikely to lie down on this. In addition to its appeal process, officials complained about “unelected judges” and “judicial overreach” and may contest the whole process. The only thing that continues to be a certainty is that uncertainty will drive global markets for the foreseeable future.

Susan Stone 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. Trump’s global trade plans are in disarray, amid legal appeals to a US court ruling on ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs – https://theconversation.com/trumps-global-trade-plans-are-in-disarray-amid-legal-appeals-to-a-us-court-ruling-on-liberation-day-tariffs-257812

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 30, 2025

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