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  • MIL-Evening Report: Why won’t my cough go away?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David King, Senior Lecturer in General Practice, The University of Queensland

    Mladen Zivkovic/Shutterstock

    A persistent cough can be embarrassing, especially if people think you have COVID.

    Coughing frequently can also make you physically tired, interfere with sleep and trigger urinary incontinence. As a GP, I have even treated patients whose repetitive forceful coughing has caused stress fractures in their ribs.

    So, why do some coughs linger so long? Here are some of the most common causes – and signs you should get checked for something more serious.

    Why do we cough?

    The cough reflex is an important protective mechanism. Forcefully expelling air helps clear our lungs and keep them safe from irritants, infections and the risk of choking.

    Some people who have long-term conditions, such as chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis, have to cough frequently. This is because the lung’s cilia – tiny hair-like structures that move mucus, debris and germs – no longer work to clear the lungs.

    A wet or “productive” cough means coughing up a lot of mucus.

    A cough can also be dry or “unproductive”. This happens when the cough receptors in the airways, throat and upper oesophagus have become overly sensitised, triggering a cough even when there’s no mucus to clear.

    Causes of a chronic cough

    A cough is considered chronic when it lasts longer than eight weeks in adults, or four weeks in children.

    The three most common causes are:

    • post-nasal drip (where mucus drips from the back of the nose into the throat)
    • asthma
    • acid reflux from the stomach.

    These often go together. One study found 23% of people with chronic cough had two of these conditions, and 3% had all three.

    This makes sense – people prone to airway allergies are more likely to develop both asthma and hayfever (allergic rhinitis). Hayfever is probably the main cause of persistent post-nasal drip.

    Meanwhile, prolonged, vigorous coughing can also cause reflux, possibly triggering further coughing.

    Chronic cough is the primary symptom of two other conditions, although these can be more challenging to diagnose: cough-variant asthma and eosinophilic bronchitis. Both conditions inflame the airways. However, they don’t rapidly improve with ventolin (the standard clinic test to diagnose asthma).

    Allergies can cause inflammation that triggers a chronic cough.
    Kmpzzz/Shutterstock

    Coughs after respiratory infections

    Coughs can also persist long after a viral or bacterial infection. In children with colds, one systematic review found it took 25 days for more than 90% to be free of their cough.

    After an infection, cough hypersensitivity may develop thanks to inflamed airways and over-responsive cough receptors. Even minor irritants will then trigger the coughing reflex.

    The body’s response to infection makes the mucus more sticky – and more difficult for the overworked, recovering cilia to clear. Allergens in the air can also more easily penetrate the upper airway’s damaged lining.

    This can trigger an unhelpful feedback loop that slows the body’s recovery after an infection. Excessive and unhelpful coughing tends to further fatigue the recovering cilia and irritate the airway lining.

    Could I still have an infection?

    When a cough persists, a common concern is whether a secondary bacterial infection has followed the first viral infection, requiring antibiotics.

    Simply coughing up yellow or green phlegm is not enough to tell.

    To diagnose a serious chest infection, your doctor will consider the whole picture of your symptoms. For example, whether you also have shortness of breath, worsening fever or your lungs make abnormal sounds through a stethoscope.

    The possibility you have undiagnosed asthma or allergies should also be considered.



    Read more:
    Health Check: why do I have a cough and what can I do about it?

    What treats a persistent cough?

    People with a persistent cough who are otherwise healthy may request and be prescribed antibiotics. But these rarely shorten how long your cough lasts, as irritation – not infection – is the primary cause of cough.

    The most effective treatments for shifting sticky mucus from the airways are simple ones: saline nose sprays and washes, steam inhalation and medicated sore throat sprays.

    Honey has also been shown to reduce throat irritation and the need to cough.

    The effectiveness of cough syrup is less clear. As these mixtures have potential side effects, they should be used with care.

    The most effective treatments are simple ones, including steam inhalation.
    New Africa/Shutterstock

    Signs of something more serious

    Sometimes, a cough that won’t go away could be the sign of a serious condition, including lung cancer or unusual infections. Fortunately, these aren’t common.

    To rule them out, Australia’s chronic cough guidelines recommend a chest x-ray and spirometry (which tests lung volume and flow) for anyone presenting to their doctor with a chronic cough.

    You should seek prompt medical attention if, in addition to your cough, you:

    • cough up blood
    • produce a lot of phlegm
    • are very short of breath, especially when resting or at night
    • have difficulty swallowing
    • lose weight or have a fever
    • have recurring pneumonia
    • are a smoker older than 45, with a new or changed cough.

    What if there’s no clear cause?

    Very occasionally, despite thorough testing and treatment, a cough persists. This is called refractory chronic cough.

    When no cause can be identified, it’s known as unexplained chronic cough. In the past, unexplained cough may have been diagnosed as a “psychogenic” or “habit” cough, a term which has fallen from favour.

    We now understand that cough hypersensitivity makes a person cough out of proportion to the trigger, and that both the peripheral and central nervous systems play a role in this. But our understanding of the relationship between hypersensitivity and chronic cough remains incomplete.

    These are disabling conditions and should be referred to a respiratory clinic or a chronic cough specialist. Speech pathology treatments may also be effective for refractory and unexplained coughs.

    There are a class of new medications in the pipeline that block cough receptors, and seem promising for persisting, troublesome coughs.

    I was on the team that updated the chronic cough guidelines for the Lung foundation (CICADA position statement 2022). I received no payment for this work, and I’m not a member or currently associated with the Lung Foundation.

    – ref. Why won’t my cough go away? – https://theconversation.com/why-wont-my-cough-go-away-241899

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump orders Marines to Los Angeles as protests escalate over immigration raids, demonstrating the president’s power to deploy troops on US soil

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By William C. Banks, Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University

    National Guard members watch protests in Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. Luke Johnson/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    President Donald Trump ordered a contingent of about 700 Marines to Los Angeles on June 9, 2025, in response to what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described as “increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings.”

    This dramatic escalation of the military presence in Los Angeles followed Trump’s June 7 order to send about 2,000 National Guard troops into the city.

    Both measures were Trump’s response to what he called “numerous incidents of violence and disorder” by those protesting his administration’s actions rounding up and deporting immigrants in the Los Angeles area.

    State and local officials decried Trump’s actions, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom calling the move “purposefully inflammatory,” as well as “an illegal act.” California sued the Trump administration on June 9 to block its deployment of National Guard members. Other critics of Trump’s actions said the scale and character of the protests did not warrant such extreme measures.

    Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with William C. Banks, a scholar of the role of the military in domestic affairs, to understand the extent of a president’s power to send American troops to Los Angeles.

    Hundreds of protesters march in Los Angeles on June 9, 2025, demanding an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement workplace raids.
    Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Can American troops be used inside the country?

    They can, but it is an extraordinary exercise of authority to use troops domestically. It has rarely been done in the U.S. as a way of responding to a civil disturbance.

    Congress has delegated that authority of deploying American troops domestically to the president in limited circumstances. Otherwise, the only authority is exercised by governors, who have control of the National Guard.

    Why was American law set up this way?

    The U.S. was founded in response to heavy-handed English use of the military by King George to interfere with the civil liberties and rights of the colonists in the lead-up to the American Revolution. So, when the founders created the U.S. Constitution, they were very careful to insert roadblocks that would make it difficult for the government to use troops to carry out its own programs.

    The country’s framers also understood there might be occasions when it would be necessary to use the military domestically. They did a couple of things to control the exercise of military authority. One was to ensure that the commander in chief of the military was a civilian. Second, they gave the authority to call up the National Guard, what was known as the “militia” in those days, to Congress, not to the president, in order to create a separation of powers.

    Under what circumstances can the president deploy troops to an American city?

    Under the Insurrection Act, which was signed into law in 1807, a president can deploy troops during what is called an insurrection, simply meaning when all hell breaks loose. The president can decide that it is “impracticable,” according to the Insurrection Act, to enforce the laws of the U.S. in a given city, and he may call forth the military or the National Guard to help restore law and order.

    In order to invoke the Insurrection Act, the president first has to make a proclamation to those he calls the insurrectionists to cease and desist. Unless the alleged insurrectionists immediately do what the president says, the president then has the authority to deploy forces.

    Trump has repeatedly called the protesters in Los Angeles “insurrectionists,” but has also walked those remarks back and hasn’t made any kind of formal proclamation yet. When Trump ordered California’s National Guard members to deploy to Los Angeles on June 7, he did so on a narrow statutory authority to protect federal buildings, properties and personnel that were trying to enforce immigration laws.

    What is the Posse Comitatus Act and how does it apply to the current situation in Los Angeles?

    Congress passed the Posse Comitatus Act in 1878. This act’s name derives from an arcane Latin term that means “the power of the county.” This law establishes a legal presumption in the U.S. that the military, if it is deployed domestically, should not engage in law enforcement.

    This act is an important part of American law. It means that the military and National Guard are trained on this principle that they are not to engage in domestic law enforcement activities. Those are reserved for police, sheriffs and marshals. Invoking the Insurrection Act is the principal exception to this law.

    So the Insurrection Act allows the military to act as law enforcement officials?

    That’s right. By invoking the Insurrection Act the military could act as cops and have the right to arrest, investigate and detain civilians, with only the Constitution as a check on its power.

    This is not a situation that California National Guard members have trained for. They are trained to fight actual wildfires, but this is something entirely different.

    Demonstrators hold signs and fly flags, facing California National Guard members, in Los Angeles on June 9, 2024.
    Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

    Are there any legal roadblocks that could curb the president’s authority to send U.S. troops to Los Angeles?

    The short answer to this question is no.

    Can state governors or other elected officials prevent U.S. troops from being sent to their cities?

    In many ways that is the main question right now. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has said that the state doen’t need these military forces. Newsom’s June 9 lawsuit against the Trump administration argues that the authority over the National Guard is reserved for states, “unless the State requests or consents to federal control.” That has not happened in this case.

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

    – ref. Trump orders Marines to Los Angeles as protests escalate over immigration raids, demonstrating the president’s power to deploy troops on US soil – https://theconversation.com/trump-orders-marines-to-los-angeles-as-protests-escalate-over-immigration-raids-demonstrating-the-presidents-power-to-deploy-troops-on-us-soil-258527

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kustoff Op-Ed: The ‘one big, beautiful bill’ will restore the American dream

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative David Kustoff (TN-08)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN) published an op-ed in the Washington Examiner titled, “The ‘one big, beautiful bill’ will restore the American dream.” In the op-ed, Congressman Kustoff highlights the historic tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and lays out how they will jumpstart the economy. He urges the Senate to pass this bill as soon as possible.

    The ‘one big, beautiful bill’ will restore the American dream
    By: Congressman David Kustoff 

    When President Donald Trump was elected in November, he made a series of promises to the people. One of those promises was to reinvigorate our economy and create more opportunities for families, farms, and small businesses across the nation.

    Republicans in Congress have worked in lockstep with Trump to deliver on that promise. The key to jumpstarting our economy is for Congress to extend the successful provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 through a wonky legislative process known as reconciliation. Reconciliation allows lawmakers to expedite legislation and enact policy quickly. Trump has dubbed this the “one big, beautiful bill.”

    Passed in 2017, TCJA was one of the hallmarks of the first Trump administration and was the first major reform to the federal tax code in over 30 years. It lowered individual income rates, reduced the corporate tax rate, changed rules for estate and retirement planning, and minimized taxes for small businesses. Essentially, it cut taxes across the board. 

    The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ignited a red-hot economy that lit an economic fire across our nation. After its passage, businesses were expanding, and families had more money in their pockets.

    Unfortunately, if Congress does not act, many of the provisions in TCJA will expire at the end of the year. If that happens, the average family in my district of West Tennessee will face a nearly 26% tax hike. A child inheriting the family farm could pay such steep estate taxes that he is forced to sell it. And a small business owner competing with larger corporations could see her taxes nearly double.

    These are not just numbers on a chart in Washington. These provisions affect each and every one of us. If they expire, the American dream could be unachievable for many of our citizens. 

    While Democrats were spending tax dollars over the past few years like our economy was a game of Monopoly, the House Ways and Means Committee was preparing for this moment. 

    As the chief tax writing committee in Congress, we held hearings across the nation to hear directly from individuals, business owners, manufacturers, and farmers. The number one thing they told us was that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act worked, and we cannot let its important provisions expire. 

    If we want to revitalize our economy, we must ensure that workers and businesses have the support they need from our tax code. My colleagues and I took what the public told us and crafted a tax bill that benefits both businesses and workers, incentivizes innovation, and creates more opportunities from coast to coast. 

    This tax bill prioritizes pocketbooks by solidifying and increasing the doubled standard deduction, boosting the doubled child tax credit, expanding the small business deduction, and making the doubled death tax exemption permanent for family-owned farms. It even goes a step further and incorporates Trump’s priorities of no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and tax relief for seniors.  

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be the cornerstone of Trump’s “America First” agenda. I am proud that the House of Representatives did its part and passed this historic legislation to ensure families and businesses are not forced to give more of their hard-earned money to Uncle Sam. 

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is once-in-a-generation, nation-building legislation that will drive economic growth, create jobs, and prioritize American families and businesses. Time is of the essence. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this bill that will safeguard the American dream for all.
     

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Three arrests, stolen property recovered from Nelson burglaries

    Source: New Zealand Police

    A 45-year-old man has been arrested and faces charges relating to a series of burglaries and thefts from vehicles in the Richmond and Stoke areas in recent months.

    A number of search warrants were executed in the Nelson area over the last couple of weeks, where Police recovered numerous items of stolen property, as well as two firearms and both class A and class C drugs.

    A 33-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman were also arrested following one of the warrants, charged with receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of firearms and possession of drugs with intent to supply.

    We would like to thank the members of the public who reported these incidents to Police, as the information provided assisted greatly in making the arrests.

    We would also like to remind everybody to lock their vehicles and not keep any valuables inside if your vehicle is unoccupied. If you own any tools, ensure these remain out of sight and you have recorded a list of all the serial numbers, or engrave your initials into them.

    The 45-year-old man is due to appear in the Nelson District Court on 1 September, facing a number of charges including burglary and unlawfully being in an enclosed area.

    The 33-year-old man is due to reappear in the Nelson District Court on 7 July, and the 31-year-old woman will reappear in the Nelson District Court on 16 June.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Indo-Pacific command officials, FSM representatives partner on regional security, prosperity during Joint Committee Meeting

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    GUAM — U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Josh Lasky, Indo-Pacific Command senior military official for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the U.S. Ambassador to the FSM Jennifer Johnson, and FSM Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin Robert led a delegation in Guam for the semi-annual bilateral Joint Committee Meeting (JCM), June 4-5, held at the Joint Region Marianas Headquarters.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: UPDATE 2: Coast Guard responds to vessel fire offshore Adak, Alaska

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/09/2025 09:45 PM EDT

    News Release

    		  

    U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska
    Contact: 17th District Public Affairs
    Office: (907) 463-2065
    After Hours: (907) 463-2065
    17th District online newsroom

     

    06/09/2025 09:21 PM EDT

    UPDATE 2: Coast Guard responds to vessel fire offshore Adak, Alaska

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Canadian scholar delves into Chinese literature in Nanchang

    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

    In 2005, Canadian Brandon Collins-Green moved to Shanghai to join his girlfriend and live with a family who didn’t speak English. “The first few weeks [of communication] were really tough, but that’s when I fell in love with Mandarin,” he recalls. This passion for the language changed the trajectory of his life – he abandoned an exchange program in Singapore and earned a bachelor’s degree in Chinese language education from Jiamusi University. After that, after reading the famous novel “Dream of the Red Chamber,” he became fascinated with ancient Chinese literature and in 2018 entered the doctoral program at Jiangxi Normal University, where he continued his “deep immersion” in academia.

    Since 2018, Brandon has painted over 4,800 paintings inspired by ancient Chinese literature and poetry (Source: China Daily)

    The decision to live in Nanchang (Jiangxi Province) was a conscious one for the young scientist. Although the city is inferior in development to some megacities, Brandon admires its rich history and culture, as well as the atmosphere filled with energy and movement: “There is peace, safety and trust here.”

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum: President Trump is Deliberately Escalating Tensions in L.A.

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

    SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Sunday in response to President Trump’s decision to activate the California National Guard in defiance of Governor Gavin Newsom:

    “President Trump is deliberately escalating the situation in Los Angeles by calling up the National Guard without a request from Governor Newsom. This decision is downright dangerous. Secretary Hegseth’s statement implying active duty Marines could also be called up is outrageous. The active duty military has absolutely no legal role in domestic law enforcement. President Trump and Secretary Hegseth should read the Constitution and follow the law.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member McCollum: Defense Funding Bill Hurts Our Servicemembers, Undermines Military Readiness and Our Allies in Ukraine

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

    WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Republicans today released their 2026 Defense funding bill, which will be considered by the Defense subcommittee tomorrow. Instead of working with House Democrats to strengthen our national security and prioritize the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families, the bill undermines democracy at home and abroad and includes harmful and divisive policy riders that would hurt military readiness.

    For fiscal year 2026, the bill provides $831.5 billion, which is equal to current funding levels and $1.3 billion above the Administration’s fiscal year 2026 request.

    Republicans have included language directing the Department of Defense to determine $7.75 billion in cuts to amounts listed in the bill. This jeopardizes every program other than intelligence activities. If made uniformly, it would reduce everything by approximately 1 percent, which would mean cuts of almost $2 billion for troop pay, over $2 billion for troop readiness, $409 million for health programs, $5 million each for Israel and Jordan, and over $2 billion for the procurement and modernization of weapons systems. At a time when the Trump Administration is already illegally stealing from American communities by refusing to spend funds, it is unfathomable that the Appropriations Committee would allow the administration to unilaterally make nearly $8 billion in cuts to defense investments.

    The legislation:

    • Weakens Ukraine and empowers Russia by eliminating support for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
    • Undermines democracy at home and abroad by allowing disinformation and extremist views to flourish.
    • Limits women’s access to abortion by preventing service personnel from traveling to seek reproductive health care
    • Harms our military readiness with divisive provisions that undermine morale and fail to support our service personnel, by:
      • Continuing DOGE and the Administration’s cuts to vital civilian positions;
      • Attacking the LGBTQ+ community with hateful policies; and
      • Banning funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

    “It disappoints me that I’m unable to support this bill as written, and we find ourselves in this position because the Trump administration has failed to get us the information we need in time to produce a complete budget request. The nation’s defense programs require a detailed annual review. But without the President’s budget request, this committee is unable to complete its work in a thoughtful and timely manner,” Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) said. “The president proposes, Congress disposes – that’s the way our system works. There are consequences to the taxpayer and to our military’s readiness when this process is not adhered to. It is deeply unfortunate that the Trump administration has put the Committee in this position. I look forward to working with the committee to improve the bill as it goes through the process in the subcommittee, in full committee, on the floor, and in conference. Our national security and strategic defense priorities are too important to risk getting it wrong.”

    “Our allies and our adversaries are watching as House Republicans propose a Defense funding bill that will empower Russia, impair our own military readiness and national security, and put politics above our own servicemembers,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “This is not a bill meant to responsibly fund our nation’s defense and promote and protect democracy. Instead, this bill advances and acquiesces to Elon Musk’s and President Trump’s reckless purging of critical civilian personnel, their equivocation on support for Ukraine, and their relentless politicizing of our troops. It is deeply regrettable that the conflicts our military must confront abroad, the issues we must confront within the Department of Defense, and the quality of life for our servicemembers and military families are not priorities of President Trump and House Republicans.”

    A summary of House Republicans’ 2026 Defense bill is here. A fact sheet of the bill is here. The full text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fatal house fire, Trentham

    Source: New Zealand Police

    One person has died following a house fire in Upper Hutt overnight.

    Emergency services were called to the Tararua Street property, between Ross Grove and Louis Street, about 2.25am, and found the house fully ablaze.

    Sadly, one person was found deceased at the property.

    A scene guard was in place overnight and Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand investigators carried out a scene examination this morning. The cause of the fire is still to be determined, but it is not believed to be suspicious.

    At this time, no further details are available.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Kenya pledges to accelerate efforts to boost intra-African trade

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

    NAIROBI, Kenya, June 9, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Kenya is working towards fast-tracking implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to unlock opportunities for businesses in the country across the continent.

    Speaking during the Kenya IATF2025 Business Roadshow event, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, Hon. Lee Kinyanjui said the government is positioning and consolidating Kenya as a Trade, industrial and innovation hub to strategically tap into trade and investment opportunities presented by AfCFTA.

    “The solutions to Africa’s problems lie with Africans. It is essential for countries within the continent to strengthen intra-African trade.

    The IATF 2025 offers a vital platform to advance the AfCFTA agenda. With a well-educated population, abundant resources, and banks ready to finance investment, Africa has what it takes to elevate itself to the next level.,” the Cabinet Secretary said.

    The Kenya IATF2025 Business Roadshow attracted over 200 members of Kenya’s business community, including buyers, creatives, automotive sector players, policymakers and investors together with executives and officials of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and African Union Commission (AUC). It focused on exploring ways of promoting intra-African trade. The theme was Harnessing Regional and Continental Value Chains: Accelerating Africa’s Industrialisation and Global Competitiveness under the AfCFTA.

    Harnessing regional and continental value chains under the AfCFTA is crucial for Africa’s industrial growth and global competitiveness. By creating a large, integrated market, the AfCFTA encourages countries to tap into the continental market by scaling up productive capacity and add value to products, create an enabling environment, attracting investment and creating jobs. This boosts economic diversification, expand productive base, and supports Africa’s vision for sustainable and inclusive development.

    The roadshow is one of the five in the series of planned for Nairobi, Accra, Johannesburg, Lagos and Algiers ahead of the fourth edition of the biennial Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) that will be held in Algiers, Algeria from 4 – 10 September 2025 under the theme Gateway to New Opportunities. IATF is Africa’s premier trade and investment event that serves as a crucial platform for fostering economic growth, collaboration, and innovation across the continent. Over the years, the IATF has established a track record as the premier African trade and investment platform and has achieved significant milestones since it was established in 2018 as an instrument to implement the AfCFTA Agreement. Hosted by the Government of Algeria and promoted by Afreximbank, in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat, the IATF2025 event will provide businesses from Africa and beyond with a platform to showcase their goods and services and exchange trade and investment information.

    Addressing the forum, Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi said: “One of the key objectives of the IATF is to address access to trade and market information for intra-African trade to take place. For instance, as a result of a lack of information on African production and supply, countries like Tunisia, Morocco and South Africa import in excess of around US$400 million worth of leather products, mainly from Europe and South America, while countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan—which have the supply capacity to meet a substantial part of this demand—continue to export their leather products to markets in Europe and Asia.”

    “Kenya has rapidly emerged as a major force in digitalisation and innovation, both within the region and across Africa. The IATF presents a great opportunity for Kenyan Fintech companies, mobile money innovators and other technology companies to come together and showcase their ingenuity to diverse sectors on the continent. It could potentially help them scale beyond the Kenyan borders as well as attract investment to their respective businesses.” added Mr. Elmaayergi. 

    Mr Elmaayergi made a clarion call for businesses, public and private sector in Kenya to participate and showcase their goods and services in IATF2025, where more than 2,000 exhibitors, including businesses from the African continent and globally, will exchange trade, market and investment information and showcase their goods and services to over 35,000 visitors and buyers from more than 140 countries. This is projected to translate into over US$44 billion in trade and investment deals.

    IATF is a platform for boosting trade and investment in Africa. In the last three editions of IATF, over $100 billion in trade and investment deals have been closed cumulatively with over 70,000 visitors and more than 4,500 exhibitors participating.

    Some of the activities lined up for the week-long IATF2025 include a trade exhibition by countries and businesses; the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme with a dedicated exhibition and summit on fashion, music, film, arts and craft, sports, literature, gastronomy and culinary arts; a four-day Trade and Investment Forum featuring leading African and international speakers; and the Africa Automotive Show for auto manufacturers, assemblers, original equipment manufacturers and component suppliers.

    Special Days will also be held, dedicated for countries as well as public and private entities to showcase trade and investment opportunities, and tourism and cultural attractions, as well as Global Africa Day to highlight commercial and cultural ties between Africa and its diaspora, featuring a Diaspora Summit, market and exhibition, cultural and gastronomic showcase.

    Also planned is a business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) platform for matchmaking and business exchanges; the AU Youth Start-Up programme showcasing innovative ideas and prototypes; the Africa Research and Innovation Hub @ IATF targeting university students, academia and national researchers to exhibit their innovations and research projects; and the African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) to promote trade, investment, educational and cultural exchanges at the local level. The IATF Virtual platform is already live, connecting exhibitors and visitors throughout the year.

    To participate in IATF2025 please visit www.IntraAfricanTradeFair.com.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ghana’s older people feel left behind and ignored: how to care for them better

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Kweku Conduah, PhD Candidate, University of Ghana

    Ghana’s national agenda often focuses on the country’s large number of young people. In fact a less noticed demographic transformation is reshaping society: the country’s older population is growing rapidly. According to Ghana Statistical Service estimates, people aged 60 and above are projected to make up over 12% of the total population by 2050, more than doubling the 2021 estimate of 6.8%.

    And more of these older adults are ageing alone.

    That’s because of Ghana’s transition from extended to nuclear family systems, coupled with rural–urban and international migration. Traditionally, older Ghanaians aged within multi-generational households, with care provided by children and extended family. But today, migration patterns have intensified, with over 50% of the population living in urban areas, leaving many elders behind in rural communities or isolated in city slums.

    I recently conducted a study across six Ghanaian communities (urban and rural). Drawing from 52 interviews, I explored the emotional, social and economic implications of ageing alone.

    The participants in the study echoed a common theme: the erosion of intergenerational family structures, leaving the elderly socially and emotionally isolated.

    As a 73-year-old widow participant who lives in a city put it:

    My daughter is in Canada. My son lives in Kumasi, but he rarely visits. I live alone, and if I fall sick, I just wait. Sometimes, I pray someone will notice.

    Such stories are no longer anecdotal outliers. Nationally representative data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey and WHO SAGE Ghana Wave 2 also reveal an uptick in solitary living among older adults, particularly widowed women and those without formal pensions. Over 22% of older respondents in urban Ghana reported living alone, a sharp contrast to previous decades, where co-residence with adult children was the norm. Many older Ghanaians don’t have reliable caregivers.

    As a PhD candidate in population studies at the University of Ghana, I focus on health-related quality of life among older adults. This article draws from my doctoral fieldwork in urban and rural Ghana, using qualitative interviews to uncover the lived realities of ageing alone.

    The study highlights a gap in Ghana’s ageing policies: they overlook solitary elders who live without daily family support.

    The paper calls for integrated social protection for older adults living alone. That would include subsidised healthcare, community outreach services, emergency care networks, and community-based mental health interventions.

    What old people had to say

    Focus group discussions revealed that older adults struggle with emotional loneliness, financial anxiety and health system constraints. Despite the presence of pension associations, many older adults feel forgotten. Spiritual activities and reading offer moments of solace, but limited National Health Insurance Scheme coverage, rising living costs, and declining family support deepen the hardship.

    Focus groups revealed that older women were particularly vulnerable due to widowhood, land insecurity and declining support from children. Men, while respected, felt idle and underutilised. Participants spoke of finding strength in farming, faith and fellowship, but felt forgotten in national development planning.

    Ghana’s National Ageing Policy (2010) promises integrated care, but older adults, especially women, are slipping into the cracks of urban anonymity.

    Ageing here is not just biological, it is physical, psychological and economic. My broader research affirms that the majority of older adults in Ghana worked in the informal sector. They therefore have no access to formal pensions or post-retirement income security.

    Participants in my most recent research shared how they felt:

    I was a seamstress all my life. Now my eyes are failing. No pension, no money. I survive on cassava and prayer. – 66-year-old retired woman

    Ageing in Ghana is like walking into a forest — you disappear quietly. No one sees you. — 69-year-old woman

    This statement underscores the gendered experience of ageing, where women often face greater economic and emotional vulnerability due to widowhood, longer life expectancy, and social neglect.

    We are not dying yet. We want to matter again. – 70-year-old man

    We have houses, but not homes anymore. – 75-year-old man

    What next

    The implications of this neglect are staggering. According to the World Health Organization, loneliness and social isolation among the elderly are associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia, depression and premature death. In Ghana, there are added challenges of inaccessible health facilities and cultural stigma about ageing. Yet most people aren’t talking about it.

    Ghana introduced the National Ageing Policy in 2010 to promote the health, security and participation of older people in national development. But many elderly people still live without affordable healthcare, age-friendly infrastructure or a regular income.

    What Ghana needs now is not another grand policy document. It needs practical, community-rooted and state-supported action.

    Decentralised community geriatric care: Train district-level health volunteers in geriatric care, and equip them with basic tools to support older people in their homes.

    Pension and informal sector integration: Extend Ghana’s pension framework to informal sector workers.

    Public awareness campaigns: Reframe ageing in national media not as decline but as contribution, highlighting elder wisdom, resilience, and ongoing social relevance.

    Urban planning for ageing: Incorporate age-friendly elements like ramps, benches, toilets and signage into development plans.

    None of this is charity. It is a strategic investment. In 2021, Ghana spent less than 0.5% of its national health budget on elderly-specific care. That is fiscally short-sighted. Healthier, engaged older adults reduce family burdens, boost social capital, and can even contribute economically by training and mentoring others.

    In the communities I visited, I encountered grassroots interventions worth scaling up: church youth groups providing weekly food support, pensioners’ associations checking in on members, and intergenerational community storytelling sessions that rebuild emotional bonds.

    In Ghana’s Akan tradition, elders are considered living libraries. Their absence from the communal space is not just a social loss, it is a cultural erasure.

    If the elderly are neglected, anyone may wake up on the wrong side of the demographic line one day, wondering if they too will be forgotten.

    – Ghana’s older people feel left behind and ignored: how to care for them better
    – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-older-people-feel-left-behind-and-ignored-how-to-care-for-them-better-257951

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Philip Harrison, Professor School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand

    South African president Cyril Ramaphosa met senior leaders of Johannesburg and Gauteng, the province it’s located in, in March 2025 to discuss ways to arrest the steep decline in South Africa’s largest city.

    Ramaphosa announced a two-year-long presidential intervention to tackle some of the city’s most pressing issues. It is to be led by the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group with eight cross-governmental and multi-stakeholder workstreams.

    Johannesburg was established 130 years ago, where the world’s largest-ever gold deposits were discovered. It grew rapidly in the early 20th century and became the country’s economic heartland and largest population centre. Like all South African cities, it was deeply scarred by apartheid policies. People were divided by racially defined groups. Good services and a strong economy benefited a minority, and a black majority were pushed into impoverished ghettos.

    But, for about the first two decades of post-apartheid rule from 1994, Johannesburg led the country with innovation and progressive change. It pioneered the new local government system, institutional reforms, new practice on city strategy and planning, pro-poor service delivery, and modern transport infrastructure.

    Today, however, the city is in a dire state. Over the past decade, roughly coinciding with the arrival of messy coalition governance in 2016, sound political leadership, administrative stability and financial management have crumbled. Underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance has led to collapsing services. Public trust is deteriorating among increasingly frustrated communities. This was evident in local election results. It also shows up in recent data released by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory on public trust in local government.

    The local economy has stagnated. The city’s official unemployment rate of 34.3% is higher than the national average of 32.9%. Mounting joblessness and dwindling incomes have intertwined with depleted trust to knock levels of payment for property rates and service charges. In turn this has deepened the financial and service maintenance crisis.

    Corruption in many parts of the city is an endemic complicating factor.

    The presidential intervention is designed to address this complex interplay between embedded legacies and failings post-apartheid. The workstreams involving city officials and concerned stakeholders are generating ideas for priority actions. There is also a new energy in the city government, with the executive mayor and members of his mayoral committee making turnaround promises.

    This long overdue attention is heartening. But some caution is called for. While some “quick wins” are needed, there will be no easy turnaround. The best prospect is likely to be a process of recovery that will require patience and methodical attention over the long term. A city cannot be repaired in the way an automobile can. A city has a trillion moving parts and is in a constant state of makeover, as dynamics of economy, technology, demography, environment, society, politics, and more, interact and produce change.

    The question is not whether a city is fixed – it can never finally be – but rather what trajectory it is on. For Johannesburg, the question is how to exit the downward spiral and begin the process of reconstruction.

    We are a group who previously worked in the City of Johannesburg as officials, who are now academics with decades of experience observing local governance trends and dynamics, or scholars engaged in civil society coalitions or communities mobilising around the crisis. Some of us have been involved in the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group over the last few months.

    Our view is that there are four areas needing urgent but sustained attention.

    Focus areas

    The first is the need for a joint effort across national, provincial and municipal government to resolve the crisis. We are pleased that this has begun. The political leadership in the city (and of the province) failed to grasp the opportunity provided by the post-2024 election national compromises to put together a broad-based government of local unity to lead reconstruction. There is no option now but to pursue an inter-governmental initiative led by national government with the committed involvement of the other spheres.

    Only genuine collaboration will succeed.

    In this respect, the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group holds promise. But what will be needed is careful, concerted work focused first on short-term priorities. Then, over years, on key structural challenges facing the city.

    Second, the city needs civil society in all its forms to hold a careful balance between keeping up the pressure on municipal government, constantly holding it accountable to its residents, and working with government to help it solve problems. The Joburg Crisis Alliance, Jozi-my-Jozi, WaterCAN and similar initiatives are claiming well-recognised and respected voice in the affairs of the municipality.

    Johannesburg needs a city government that is open to this scrutiny, accepting the need for transparency, and open to the help that civil society can offer.

    To raise the level of accountability and collaboration, a clear programme of restoration has to be communicated openly to the public. Milestones and expenditure requirements need to be set that allow for constant monitoring. There must be open council meetings, and regular online and in-person briefings.

    Also required are new mechanisms for citizen-based monitoring. These may include trained citizen monitors reporting on service delivery. Alternatively, the establishment of a sort of “Citizen’s Council” which meets regularly to receive reports from these monitors and the city administration.

    International examples include the Bürgerrat model. This is now fully institutionalised in parts of Germany and Austria to strengthen local democracy and accountability. In this model, citizens are randomly selected to sit on a council which monitors performance of local government and provides new ideas.

    Another approach could be for civil society organisations to be invited to a Citizen’s Council that would act in support of the oversight processes of the elected Municipal Council.

    Third, there has to be a solution to unstable coalition governments. These seem to be structured to facilitate separate political fiefdoms where spoils can be divided in the allocation of portfolios. At minimum, the presidential intervention must provide for a check and balance on processes where bureaucratic appointments and budgetary allocations may serve the interests of cronyism. For example, there should be transparency and rigour in appointments to the boards of Johannesburg’s municipally owned companies.

    Regulatory reforms are required in the political arena. This should include rules for the distribution of seats on the municipal executive and the election of mayors. Between January 2023 and August 2024 a tiny minority party held the mayoralty because the larger parties could not agree on a mayoral selection or, more cynically, to ensure that the executive mayor could not call large parties to account.

    More importantly, though, there has to be a change in political culture. This is a longer-term process.

    Fourth, the problems run far deeper than what bureaucratic reorganisation can achieve.

    The longer-term project is to build a capable administration with clear political direction and oversight but insulated from personal agendas and factional battles. The administration became confused and demoralised because of the political instability over an extended period. There are, however, still many capable and committed public servants in the city bureaucracy. The focus should be on working with them to rebuild the administration, making it a place where talent and initiative are recognised and rewarded.

    Restored political leadership and a rejuvenated administration is needed for a long term process, extending far beyond the quick wins. This process will involve refurbishing the decaying network infrastructure, restoring financial stability, reestablishing social trust and returning confidence to the city’s economy.

    2025 marks 30 years since the first democratic local elections. National government is looking seriously at sweeping municipal reforms. And the next municipal election – likely to be held at the end of 2026 – is an opportunity to make a deep transformation effort. Citizens can ensure that parties contesting the election place Johannesburg’s recovery at the heart of their agenda.

    – Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse
    – https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-problems-can-be-solved-but-its-a-long-journey-to-fix-south-africas-economic-powerhouse-256013

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: A quarter of the world’s population are adolescents: major report sets out health and wellbeing trends

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alex Ezeh, Dornsife Endowed Professor of Global Health, Drexel University

    The Lancet has released its second global commission report on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Adolescents are defined as 10- to 24-year-olds. The report builds on the first one, done in 2016. The latest report presents substantial original research that supports actions it recommends to be taken across sectors as well as at global, regional, country and local level. The co-chairs of the commission, Sarah Baird, Alex Ezeh and Russell Viner, together with the youth commissioners lead, Shakira Choonara, give a guide to the report’s findings.

    What were the key findings?

    The report noted significant improvements in some aspects of adolescent health and wellbeing since the 2016 report. These include reductions in:

    • communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, particularly among female adolescents

    • the burden of disease from injuries

    • substance use, specifically tobacco and alcohol

    • teenage pregnancy.

    It also found that there had been an increase in age at first marriage and in education, especially for young women.

    Despite this progress, adolescent health and wellbeing is said to be at a tipping point. Continued progress is being undermined by rapidly escalating rates of non-communicable diseases and mental disorders, accompanied by threats from compounding and intersecting megatrends. These include climate change and environmental degradation, the growing power of commercial influences on health, rising conflict and displacement, rapid urbanisation, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    These megatrends are outpacing responses from national governments and the international community.

    What’s unique about today’s cohort of adolescents?

    Born between 2000 and 2014, this is the first cohort of humans who will live their entire life in a time when the average annual global temperature has consistently been 0.5°C or higher above pre-industrial levels.

    At roughly 2 billion adolescents, they are the largest cohort of adolescents in the history of humanity. And this number will not be surpassed as populations age and fertility rates fall in even the poorest countries.

    They are the first generation of global digital natives. They live in a world of immense resources and opportunities, with unprecedented connectedness made possible by the rapid expansion of digital technologies. This is true even in the hardest-to-reach places.

    Growing participation in secondary and tertiary education is equipping adolescents of all genders with new economic opportunities and providing pathways out of poverty.

    These opportunities, however, are not being realised for most adolescents. Increasing numbers continue to grow up in settings with limited opportunities. In addition, investments in adolescent health and wellbeing continue to lag relative to their population share or their share of the global burden of disease.

    Investments in adolescents accounted for only 2.4% of the total development assistance for health in 2016-2021. This was despite the fact that adolescents accounted for 25.2% of the global population in that period and 9.1% of the total burden of disease. We use development assistance as a measure because, while governments also invest in adolescents, it’s difficult to account for how much this is. For example, when a government supports a health facility, it serves the entire population.

    Yet, the report provides evidence to show that the return on investments in adolescent health and wellbeing is highly cost-effective and at par with investments in children.

    What’s the news for adolescents in Africa?

    The report recognises the special place of Africa in the global future of adolescents. It notes that, by the end of this century, nearly half of all adolescents will live in Africa.

    Currently, adolescents in Africa experience higher burdens of communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, at more than double the global average for both male and female adolescents. They also have a higher prevalence of anaemia, adolescent childbearing, early marriage and HIV infection. They are much less likely to complete 12 years of schooling and more likely to not be in education, employment, or training.

    Female adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest adolescent fertility rate at 99.4 births per 1,000 female adolescents aged 15-19 (the global average is 41.8). They have also experienced the slowest decline between 2016 and 2022.

    Globally, there was progress in reducing child marriage between 2016 and 2022. But in eight countries in 2022, at least one in three female adolescents aged 15–19 years was married. All but one of these eight countries were in sub-Saharan Africa. Niger (50.2%) and Mali (40.6%) had the highest proportion of married female adolescents.

    The practice of child marriage is declining in south Asia and becoming more concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. As the report notes:

    it continues because of cultural norms, fuelled by economic hardships, insurgency, conflict, ambiguous legal provisions, and lack of political will to enforce legal provisions.

    What should be Africa’s focus areas?

    Beyond adolescent sexual and reproductive health concerns in sub-Saharan Africa, obesity is increasing fastest in the region. This illustrates the vulnerability of adolescents to the power of commercial interests.

    Since 1990, obesity and overweight has increased by 89% in prevalence among adolescents aged 15–19 years in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the largest regional increase.

    The absence of data on adolescents is a problem. Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are absent in many data systems. For example, data on adolescent mental health in sub-Saharan Africa is virtually absent.

    Stronger data systems are needed to understand and track progress on the complex set of determinants of adolescent health and wellbeing.

    Another area of concern is the massive inequities within countries, often gendered or by geography. While female adolescents in Kenya are experiencing substantial declines in the burden of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, adolescent males are experiencing increasing burdens. In South Africa, years of healthy life lost to maternal disorders show more than 10-fold differences between the Western Cape and North West provinces.

    Where there’s been strong political leadership, remarkable changes have been seen. Take the case of Benin Republic. The adolescent fertility rate in the country declined from 26% in 1996 to 20% in 2018 and child marriage from 39% to 31% over the same period. Strong political leadership has also led to substantial reductions in female genital mutilation or cutting. This fell from 12% of girls in Benin in 2001 to 2% in 2011–12 among 15–19-year-old girls in Benin Republic. Political leadership also facilitated the expansion, by the national parliament in 2021, of the grounds under which women, girls, and their families could access safe and legal abortion.

    But for every country that takes positive steps to protect the health and wellbeing of adolescents, several others regress.

    The last decade has witnessed regression in several countries. In 2024, The Gambia attempted to repeal a 2015 law criminalising all acts of female genital mutilation or cutting. In 2022, Nigeria’s federal government ordered the removal of sex education from the basic education curriculum.

    What are the recommended courses of action?

    The report calls for a multisectoral approach across multiple national ministries and agencies, including the office of the head of state, and within the UN system.

    Coordination and accountability mechanisms for adolescent health and wellbeing also need to be strengthened.

    Laws and policies are needed to protect the health and rights of adolescents, reduce the impact of the commercial determinants of health, and promote healthy use of digital and social media spaces and platforms.

    Strong political leadership at local, national, and global levels is essential.

    The report also calls for prioritised investments, the creation of enabling environments to transform adolescent health and wellbeing, and the development of innovative approaches to address complex and emerging health threats.

    It calls for meaningful engagement of adolescents in policy, research, interventions and accountability mechanisms that affect them.

    Without these concerted actions, we risk failing our young people and losing out on the investments being made in childhood at this second critical period in their development.

    The current adverse international aid climate is particularly affecting adolescents as much development assistance relates to gender and sexual and reproductive health. Concerted action in addressing adolescent health and wellbeing is an urgent imperative for sub-Saharan Africa.

    – A quarter of the world’s population are adolescents: major report sets out health and wellbeing trends
    – https://theconversation.com/a-quarter-of-the-worlds-population-are-adolescents-major-report-sets-out-health-and-wellbeing-trends-257282

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese defense ministry rebukes Britain for hyping up ‘China threat’ in report

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

    A Chinese defense spokesperson on Monday rebuked Britain for hyping up the so-called “China threat” in its recent strategic defense evaluation report.

    Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media inquiry regarding the document issued by the British government.

    China adheres to the path of peaceful development and pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. It has always been a defender, builder and contributor to security in the Asia-Pacific region, said Jiang.

    He urged the British side to perceive China in a correct manner, objectively and rationally view China and its military development, and stop propagating the so-called “China threat.”

    The British side should make more practical efforts to contribute to the growth of relations between the two countries and their militaries, Jiang added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Russia to build 8 nuclear plants in Iran: atomic chief

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

    People work at the construction site of the second phase of Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Bushehr, southern Iran, on Nov. 10, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Iranian atomic chief has announced that Russia will construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran under a previously signed contract between the two countries, the official news agency IRNA reported.

    President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami made the remarks on Monday during a visit by members of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee to the AEOI headquarters in Tehran.

    Eslami stated that four of the eight planned nuclear reactors would be constructed in the southern province of Bushehr.

    He also updated lawmakers on the ongoing construction of units 2 and 3 at the existing Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, emphasizing that those units are being built by Iranian companies.

    Speaking to reporters after the parliamentary delegation’s visit, Eslami added that the AEOI has plans to triple Iran’s nuclear power generation capacity, as part of the country’s broader energy development strategy.

    Completed by Russia in May 2011, the Bushehr plant, Iran’s first and only operational nuclear power facility, has been central to the country’s civilian nuclear energy program and has long involved cooperation with Russia’s state nuclear agency, Rosatom. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: About 700 US Marines being activated to respond to protests in Los Angeles

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

    About 700 U.S. Marines have been activated to respond to the protests in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the country, U.S. Northern Command confirmed on Monday.

    The Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, based at U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, will join the National Guard troops who were activated by U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend to protect “federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area,” according to a statement released by U.S. Northern Command.

    U.S. Northern Command said the Marine infantry battalion has been placed in an alert status over the weekend.

    CNN was the first to report the news. The news outlet noted that the deployment of the full Marine battalion marks a significant escalation in Trump’s use of the military as a show of force against protesters.

    Like the National Guard troops, the Marines are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activity such as making arrests unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, which permits the president to use the military to end an insurrection or rebellion of federal power, said the report.

    Twentynine Palms is around 220 kilometers east of downtown Los Angeles.

    ABC News reported that those Marines are expected to arrive over the next 24 hours.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom responded in a post on X, saying the Marines “shouldn’t be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.”

    “This is un-American,” he added.

    Newsom’s press office said in a post on X, “From our understanding, this is moving Marines from one base to another base.”

    “At this time, the information we have is that Marines are not being deployed,” said Newsom’s press office, adding that “there is a difference between that and being mobilized.”

    “The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented – mobilizing the best in class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens,” the office noted.

    Trump took extraordinary action on Saturday by calling up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in the Los Angeles region, making rare use of federal powers and bypassing the authority of Newsom.

    About 300 National Guard troops arrived early Sunday morning in downtown Los Angeles. More than 1,000 protesters clashed and faced off with National Guard troops in the city on Sunday during the demonstrations against immigration raids that swept across California over the weekend. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Washington, D.C. in preparation for military parade

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

    The capital city of the United States is gearing up for Saturday’s military parade to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump.

    “We’re preparing for an enormous turnout,” Matt McCool of the Secret Service’s Washington Field office, was quoted on Monday by The Associated Press as saying. More than 18 miles of “anti-scale fencing” would be erected and “multiple drones” would be in the air, according to the officer. The entire District of Columbia is normally a no-fly zone for drones.

    Army officials have estimated around 200,000 attendees for the evening military parade, and McCool said he was prepared for “hundreds of thousands” of people.

    A total of 175 magnetometers would be used at security checkpoints controlling access to the daytime birthday festival and the nighttime parade. Metropolitan Police Department chief Pamela Smith predicted major impacts to traffic and advised attendees to arrive early and consider forgoing cars for the Metro.

    The military parade has been designated a National Special Security Event, similar to a presidential inauguration or state funeral. That status is reserved for events that draw large crowds and potential mass protests. It calls for an enhanced degree of high-level coordination among D.C. officials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Capitol Police and Washington’s National Guard contingent, with the Secret Service taking the lead.

    The Army birthday celebration had already been planned for months. But earlier this spring, Trump announced his intention to transform the event, which coincides with his 79th birthday, into a massive military parade complete with 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the city streets. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s foreign trade maintains resilience despite headwinds

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

    China’s foreign trade demonstrated resilience in the first five months of 2025, with total trade value rising 2.5 percent year on year, driven by the country’s efforts to optimize its trade structure and stabilize growth.

    The growth rate marked an increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to that registered in the first four months of 2025. The total value of goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms stood at 17.94 trillion yuan (about 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-May period, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC) data released Monday.

    During the first five months of 2025, China’s exports rose 7.2 percent year on year to 10.67 trillion yuan while imports fell 3.8 percent to 7.27 trillion yuan, the data showed.

    An aerial drone photo shows vehicles to be exported at Yantai Port in east China’s Shandong Province, Jan. 2, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Strong resilience

    Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC’s Department of Statistics and Analysis, said China’s goods trade has maintained “relatively strong resilience” despite external pressures, as the country’s economy has continued its recovery trend since the beginning of the year.

    “In May, China’s foreign trade continued its growth trend, with the pace of expansion accelerating notably following the high-level China-U.S. economic and trade talks (held in Geneva last month),” the official said.

    In May alone, China’s total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 2.7 percent year on year. Goods exports rose 6.3 percent year on year, while imports went down 2.1 percent, according to the data.

    “In the face of a more complex and challenging international situation, China’s foreign trade has overcome difficulties and withstood pressure, maintaining stable growth and demonstrating strong resilience,” said Wang Xuekun, head of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.

    This resilience has been underpinned by dedicated efforts to boost trade at the local level. In east China’s Jiangsu Province, the provincial government has pledged increased funding to support exporters’ participation in overseas exhibitions. Since the beginning of the year, it has helped more than 1,400 companies take part in over 120 exhibitions overseas.

    In southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, cross-border freight vehicles carrying Chinese products, such as motorbike components and agricultural machinery, can reach Vietnam in as little as two days after clearing customs in Chongqing.

    Thanks to the timeliness and flexibility of the road transport corridor, Chongqing’s cross-border freight trucks transported goods worth 5.7 billion yuan in the first five months of 2025, marking a 4.3-fold increase year on year.

    An aerial drone photo taken on May 22, 2025 shows China-Europe freight train X8489 loaded with autos, machine parts and home appliances before its departure for Duisburg, Germany, in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Structural improvements 

    Monday’s GAC data also showed continued structural improvements in China’s foreign trade. High-tech product exports performed strongly in the first five months of 2025, rising 6.1 percent year on year in U.S.-dollar term, while exports of mechanical and electrical products grew by 8.1 percent over the same period.

    In terms of trading partners, ASEAN remained China’s largest trading partner in the January-May period. During this period, trade between China and ASEAN totaled 3.02 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.1 percent.

    During the same period, China’s trade with the European Union went up 2.9 percent year on year to nearly 2.3 trillion yuan, while its trade with the United States decreased by 8.1 percent year on year to 1.72 trillion yuan, according to the data.

    Trade with Belt and Road partner countries rose 4.2 percent to 9.24 trillion yuan, and trade with African countries hit a record high, with the China-Africa trade volume increasing 12.4 percent to 963.21 billion yuan during the period.

    Wang said that against the headwinds of rising unilateralism and protectionism, China would rise to the challenges and take multiple measures to properly handle trade frictions and stabilize foreign trade.

    According to him, these measures include seizing trade opportunities by diversifying trading partners and supporting Chinese exporters in exploring the domestic market through promotional campaigns and channels such as supermarkets and e-commerce platforms to sell high-quality foreign trade products.

    Wang also emphasized the need for greater support for foreign trade enterprises, calling for enhanced government efforts to help companies secure deals through matchmaking services at major trade exhibitions, as well as increased financing support. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s passenger car sector reports steady growth in May

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

    An automatic assembly line is pictured at a smart factory of Changan Auto in Chongqing, southwest China, Jan. 9, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s passenger car sector recorded a double-digit growth in retail sales in May as the country’s policies to boost consumption continued to take effect, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said on Monday.

    Last month, retail sales of passenger cars in China grew by 13.3 percent year on year to exceed 1.93 million units, data from the CPCA shows.

    China launched a new round of its consumer goods trade-in program last year to boost spending, offering subsidies for trading in automobiles, home appliances, and home decorations. The scope of the program was further expanded earlier this year.

    In the first five months of this year, the program has driven the sale of 4.12 million new vehicles, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

    Last month, China produced nearly 1.17 million new energy passenger vehicles, with retail sales exceeding 1.02 million units, representing year-on-year increases of 30.2 percent and 28.2 percent, respectively.

    In the first five months of the year, retail sales of passenger cars exceeded 8.81 million units, increasing 9.1 percent year on year, according to the CPCA data. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US wholesale inventories tick up in April

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

    U.S. wholesale inventories ticked up in April as stockpiling occurred, just before President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs were implemented.

    Inventories increased 0.2 percent, according to data released Monday by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau.

    This came on the heels of a 0.3 rise in March.

    Year on year, inventories gained 2.3 percent in April.

    Some of this was due to a 1.3 percent increase in prescription medication stocks in April. A rise in stocks of automobiles, groceries and apparel also accounted for the rise.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Trump Participates in Invest America Roundtable

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    The White House

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: POTUS discuses the “Trump Accounts” in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiHC1mqeJKA

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP WELCOMES AMERICA’S NEWEST CITIZENS 🇺🇸🦅

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    “My fellow Americans, how exciting this is. Congratulations. Today, you receive one of the most priceless gifts ever granted by human hands. You become a citizen of the United States of America. What an honor.

    It is with great pride and wisdom in so many different ways—because you have such great wisdom—that I welcome you into our national family. No matter where you come from, you now share a home and the heritage with some of the most exceptional heroes, legends, and patriots to ever walk the face of the Earth. All of the triumphs and glories of American history now belong to you. You have it in your being. You have it, like nobody’s had it before.

    With this sacred honor comes the highest responsibility. As you know, the American way of life is unique in all the world, and as Americans, we must fiercely guard it and defend it. In this country, we believe in hard work, a merit system, and equality of opportunity. We believe in self-government, and the fair, and equal, and impartial rule of law. And we cherish our liberty and our God-given rights to free speech, free exercise of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms.

    This special American culture is now yours to preserve. Your freedoms are now yours to protect. Our entire nation is now yours to love and to help build. And we trust that you will do a fantastic job and make us very, very proud.

    Congratulations once again. God bless you, and God bless America.” –President Donald J. Trump

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Qgos3Nb-w

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: WHILE LOS ANGELES BURNS, LEFTISTS CALL IT PEACEFUL—TRUMP WILL BRING LAW & ORDER

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    While Los Angeles burns—officers ambushed, city in chaos—Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and Maxine Waters call the riots and insurrection “peaceful.” These leftists don’t care about your safety. They side with mobs.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP STANDS FOR LAW & ORDER—AND WILL CRUSH THE CHAOS.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef1l8BQzl1E

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Rubio meets with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo

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

    Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio meets with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo at the Department of State, on June 9, 2025.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

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

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

    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSTATEBPA/signup/32562

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

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Birthday Shout Out

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    Soldiers from @2ndInfantryDivision and Republic of Korea army soldiers proudly celebrate @usarmy’s 250 years of unwavering dedication, sacrifice and service to the nation at @USAGHumphreys.

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: True American Hero – Army Special Forces Capt. Gary Michael Rose (FULL VIDEO)

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    —————
    @usarmy Capt. Gary M. Rose served as a Special Forces Combat Medic in the #VietnamWar. During a 4-day mission, Capt. Rose, braving the hail of bullets, administered first aid to half of the company. Using his own body to protect the casualties from further injury, he was wounded multiple times. For his gallantry and intrepidity, he earned the #MedalofHonor.

    #military #trueamericanhero

    True American Heroes Playlist

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov
    —————
    Keep up with the Department of Defense on social media!

    Like the DoD on Facebook: http://facebook.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/DeptofDefense

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKZLAmI-yi0

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: How this hero SPARKED the Revolutionary War

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    About the U.S. Army: The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force. Interested in joining the U.S. Army? Visit:
    spr.ly/6001igl5L
    Connect with the U.S. Army online: Web:
    https://www.army.mil
    Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X:

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Shorts #Army

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4MAW7tieWw

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: U.S. Army Vehicles have arrived for Army 250 Birthday!

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    About the U.S. Army: The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force. Interested in joining the U.S. Army? Visit:
    spr.ly/6001igl5L
    Connect with the U.S. Army online: Web:
    https://www.army.mil
    Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X:

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Shorts #Army

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIWKZO7cHP8

    MIL OSI Video –