NewzIntel.com

Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI Russia: What business plans have RUDN economics students developed for Russian companies?

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Analysis of target markets, conclusion of a contract with a sanction clause, development of logistics for deliveries to Latin American countries. These are just some of the points from the business plans prepared for Russian companies by students of the Faculty of Economics and the Law Institute of RUDN. But first things first.

    Through the sieve of selection

    At RUDN, students have the opportunity to study in a project-based master’s program. This model of education assumes that students unite in teams and jointly develop a project (their final qualification work) for real customers – they can be both domestic and foreign companies. The projects that will be discussed were prepared by students of the Faculty of Economics and the Law Institute of RUDN. The Moscow Export Center helps the university find customer companies for them.

    “After the selection, we introduce the students to each other and simultaneously send a request to colleagues at the Moscow Export Center asking them to involve Russian and foreign companies in the implementation of the projects. The MEC provides us with a list of interested enterprises with their brief description and the desired request: what product or service the company produces, where it wants to export them. We pass all this on to the students, after which teams are formed taking into account the students’ wishes. The master’s students begin working, and once a month we gather them to check what stage the projects are at. To help the students complete the assigned tasks, we conduct master classes from teachers and invited experts,” says Maria Maslova, a RUDN University graduate and head of the educational programs department of the educational and acceleration programs department of the ANO “MEC”.

    A fresh look at business

    In the spring, teams have a pre-defense of their projects in front of company representatives, where they receive feedback and learn about problematic areas that need to be corrected. The final defense of the diploma work is held according to the schedule of the state final certification.

    “Business is interested in a fresh look at promising markets for their products. Companies essentially order a “consulting study” from us. They want to enter certain markets where they are not yet represented. RUDN economics students analyze these markets, calculate the financial component, develop marketing strategies for entry and promotion, and draw a conclusion about the profitability of the project. And students of the Law Institute analyze the entire legal component of entering foreign markets, prepare a draft foreign trade contract, and analyze the specifics of the legal system of the selected country,” says Maria Maslova, a RUDN graduate and head of the educational programs department of the educational and acceleration programs department of the ANO “MEC”.

    Focus on Latin America

    One of the projects that RUDN University master’s students worked on last academic year concerned the entry of the Leber company into the Latin American market. It produces children’s playgrounds.

    “Our research revealed special features of the target markets, in particular, a high proportion of young people: children under 14 years old make up about 25-30% of the population. This indicates a huge potential for the company to enter the markets of these countries. In addition, an absolute plus for business development in the chosen direction is the established sea routes from the port of St. Petersburg to the ports of Latin American countries. However, there were obstacles here, because due to sanctions, there is a ban on the movement of Russian ships through the waters of unfriendly countries. To solve the problem, we suggested that Leber use the services of experienced forwarding companies based in the target markets,” Mekhriddin Nuraliyev, a graduate of the Faculty of Economics of RUDN University.

    According to Mehriddin, the most difficult part to develop was the financial part of the business plan. After all, without launching sales in the markets of Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, it is very difficult to forecast the profitability of the activity and calculate the income and expense estimate for 3-5 years ahead.

    “But we coped with this task and received high praise for our business plan from Leber representatives. The company praised the team’s professionalism and the depth of the research conducted,” says Mekhriddin Nuraliyev, a graduate of the RUDN University Faculty of Economics.

    Sanctions and the Middle East

    The second project was developed by RUDN students for the Mesoformula company, a Russian manufacturer of innovative products for aesthetic medicine and professional cosmetology. The company wants to enter the Saudi Arabian market.

    “We proposed the “corridor-2030” strategy – a consistent entry into the Saudi Arabian market through halal certification, registration with the SFDA and cooperation with a distributor in Jeddah. Together with my colleagues, we also thought out a financial model and built a legal and logistical “framework” for the project so that every figure and every condition worked in the same rhythm. At the same time, I managed to apply my skills as a lawyer, political scientist and GR specialist. I developed a protective sanction clause, assessed geopolitical risks and, having organized a consultative meeting with Saudi experts through the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, received prompt feedback. Thus, we significantly accelerated the negotiations and opened the necessary doors to the Middle East,” – Rodion Lobanovsky, a graduate of the RUDN Law Institute.

    Mesoformula has approved the students’ project, and its pilot launch is confirmed for 2026.

    “I am very glad that it was possible to implement cooperation between Russian companies and my home university. We worked together for almost a year, and are very pleased with the result. The resulting projects really contain many points that the companies paid attention to, including in terms of the specifics of interaction between Russian business and the selected markets. We hope for further cooperation,” – Maria Maslova, Head of the Educational Programs Department of the Educational and Acceleration Programs Department of ANO “MEC”.

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese troops join flood relief operations

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

    The Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the People’s Armed Police Force and local militias have deployed troops to join disaster relief efforts in China’s flood-stricken areas.

    Recently, persistent heavy rainfall has battered eastern, northern and northeastern China, triggering floods and geological disasters that have resulted in significant casualties and property damage.

    The Beijing Corps of the People’s Armed Police Force dispatched over 2,000 officers and soldiers to assist with disaster relief operations, evacuating more than 4,100 residents and delivering over 3,000 boxes of relief supplies by Tuesday noon. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Two Maslin Beach men in court over drug trafficking

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Two men were arrested for drug trafficking after police searched a Maslin Beach home on Saturday.

    Southern District CIB detectives searched the Maslin Beach property on Saturday 26 July and allegedly located 7.5 litres of 1,4-Butanediol (liquid fantasy), 23 steroid vials, 81 suboxone strips, various prescription medications, cannabis products, $5550 in cash and drug equipment.

    A 35-year-old man and a 24-year-old man, both occupants of the address, were arrested and charged with trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug and other serious drug offences.

    They were refused police bail and will appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court today.

    Anyone with information about illicit drugs can report it anonymously to police via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    CO2500030688

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Early Childhood Education and Care (Strengthening Regulation of Early Education) Bill 2025

    Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

    Mr Speaker, in the last few weeks Australians right across the country have been shocked and sickened by the news in Victoria.

    A person arrested and charged with multiple heinous offences against children.

    Offences allegedly committed in child care centres.

    The mums and dads of thousands of children are now dealing with the fear that their children could be hurt or are sick, and the trauma of getting them tested.

    This is a live investigation and the matter remains before the courts.

    But I have been pretty blunt in the last few weeks.

    People have been arrested and convicted for offences like those alleged before.

    And governments of different colours, State and Federal have taken action.

    But not enough.

    And not fast enough.

    That’s the truth.

    We have to do everything that we can to ensure the safety of our children when they walk – or when they are carried – through the doors of an early childhood education and care service.

    At centres across the country big and small. But not just there. In family day care, and in-home care and at outside school hours care.

    And this Bill is part of that.

    In short, it will give us the power to cut off funding to child care centres that aren’t up to scratch when it comes to safety and quality.

    Services that don’t meet the standard when it comes to safety and quality, or where they are in breach of the law or are acting in a way that puts the safety of children at risk.

    This power will apply to all forms of early education and care that are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy.

    Centre-based day care.

    Family Day Care. 

    In Home Care. 

    And Outside School Hours care too.

    Funding is the big weapon that the Australian Government has to wield here.

    Australian taxpayers are the biggest funders of child care centres.

    We do that through the Child Care Subsidy.

    $16 billion dollars a year.

    Centres can’t operate without it.

    It covers about 70 per cent of the average cost of running a centre.

    It pays for things like wages and rent and electricity.

    This legislation gives us the power to suspend or cancel that funding if a centre is not meeting the quality, safety and other compliance requirements that are put in place by our national system of early childhood regulation. 

    This is how that system works.

    The Education and Care Services National Law sets the standards we expect child care centres to meet. 

    State Government Regulators are responsible for rating centres and enforcing the standards.

    Most centres meet the standards now, but not all.

    If State Regulators think there is a real and imminent threat to safety they can shut a centre on the spot.

    And they do.

    Sometimes though they will identify problems in centres that can and need to be fixed.

    And sometimes those problems remain unfixed.

    That’s where this legislation comes in.

    The real purpose of this legislation isn’t to shut centres down but to raise standards up.

    To make sure that the safety and quality in child care centres is what parents expect and what our children deserve.

    This is how it will work.

    It will give the Secretary of my Department the power to take into account a provider’s quality, safety and compliance history when considering whether a provider should be approved to administer the Child Care Subsidy, or whether they should continue to be approved, or if they should be approved to operate a new service.

    That has never been part of the Child Care Subsidy system since it started in 2018. It will be now.

    This change will tie a centre’s eligibility to administer the Child Care Subsidy directly to their record on quality, safety and compliance.

    And it will allow the Secretary of my Department to cut off access to the Child Care Subsidy where standards are not being met.

    That might mean cutting funding to an existing provider or service, or denying a provider the ability to expand until they have met the required standards.

    Under these changes, the Secretary of my Department will be able to impose conditions on a provider’s approval, or to move immediately to a process to suspend or cancel that approval on the basis of safety and quality concerns.

    Where conditions are imposed, a provider must meet those conditions within a specified timeframe if they want to maintain their approval.

    This could include a condition that the provider comply with directions from their state regulator. It might require them to follow a quality improvement plan or hire a quality and safety expert to help them lift their standards.

    As I said a moment ago, the Secretary of my Department can also move immediately to a process to suspend or cancel a provider on the basis of quality and safety concerns. That involves issuing a formal notice to the provider requiring a response within 28 days.

    If the provider doesn’t give a good explanation in that period, the Secretary of my Department can cancel or suspend their approval.

    It’s a process that permits providers an opportunity to engage with my Department where they have a genuine commitment to improve.

    These powers will be used in close collaboration with states and territories, backing in their core role and responsibility regulating quality and safety. 

    It means the Commonwealth can use the power of the Child Care Subsidy funding to lift the standards of providers not doing the right thing – and ensure those that aren’t up to scratch don’t get access to Commonwealth funding.

    This Bill also expands the Commonwealth’s powers to publish information about providers that are sanctioned for non-compliance.

    The Secretary of my Department already has the power to publicise actions such as suspending or cancelling a provider’s approval for the Child Care Subsidy. 

    The information is available in the Enforcement Action Register on the Department’s website, along with other information such as how the department issues infringement notices and imposes conditions on approvals.

    This Bill expands that power to include the power to publicise when a provider is refused approval for a new service. 

    It also gives the Secretary of my Department the power to publish other compliance action taken against providers, such as when conditions are applied – including the details of those conditions.

    Or where an infringement notice has been issued, including the details of the notice, such as the alleged contravention and the fine amount.

    Conditions and infringements are very important, because they point to specific things a provider must fix to stay eligible for the Child Care Subsidy. 

    Parents should know when a centre their child attends, or one they are thinking of using, is subject to a condition or has received an infringement.

    When this legislation is passed, the Secretary of my Department will expand the breadth of the Enforcement Action Register to include those things I have just outlined. 

    I have asked the Secretary of my Department to ensure the Enforcement Action Register provides parents and other organisations with as much information as possible, given the circumstances of each matter.

    Providing more detailed information on compliance actions and refusals of new services is important to ensure parents have the information that they need to make one of the most important decisions in their child’s early years. 

    About who they want to put their trust in to care for their child.

    It will also ensure transparency for company directors and board members, who may not be directly responsible for the day-to-day management of the provider, but who play an important role in ensuring their organisations are taking the steps needed to keep children safe in early childhood education and care.

    The Bill also gives the Commonwealth’s authorised officers more powers to do their job. It allows them to perform spot-checks and to enter premises without consent during operating hours to detect non-compliance across the sector.

    It means that the Commonwealth’s officers don’t need to get a warrant or other pre-authorisation to inspect a centre, an outside schools hours care service, or family day care service.

    These Commonwealth powers largely mirror arrangements that are already in place for state and territory regulators of early child and education care under the National Law and Regulations.

    The primary purpose of these compliance officers is to monitor compliance with the family assistance law. This is a serious issue in early education and care.

    Over the last three years, this Government has allocated $221 million dollars in additional funding to detect and prevent Child Care Subsidy fraud, and this has helped claw back around $318 million dollars for the taxpayer. 

    These new powers add to this.

    If while the compliance officers are there, they identify safety and quality concerns, they will also be able to share that information with State Government regulators to take action.

    A person who does not co-operate with an authorised person seeking access commits a criminal offence – and is liable to a civil penalty.

    The Bill also includes a number of other integrity measures.

    It will allow the Secretary of my Department to delegate the power to apply for a monitoring warrant to an appropriately qualified Executive Level officer. 

    Monitoring warrants are an effective tool in conducting Child Care Subsidy fraud and compliance investigations. These changes will streamline processes allowing warrants to be requested and issued more quickly.

    The Bill also makes amendments to allow the Secretary of my Department to delegate their existing power to appoint an appropriately qualified and experienced expert to conduct audits of large child care providers.

    This power is expanded to allow delegation to a Senior Executive Service employee. This will further streamline the process for appointing auditors, an important tool in ensuring integrity and compliance in the sector.

    The Bill also makes important changes to how gap fees are collected from families who use Family Day Care and In Home Care.

    The Bill makes an amendment to require all Family Day Care and In Home Care Providers to collect Child Care Subsidy gap fees directly from families. This will reduce the administrative burden on individual educators so they can focus on providing education and care to children. It will also improve transparency and integrity of Child Care Subsidy funding.

    Mr Speaker, the purpose of this Bill is not to shut child care centres down.

    It’s to raise standards up.

    This is not about leaving parents stranded without care for their children because of fixable or minor short-comings at their service.

    But this legislation is also not an idle threat.

    Services, be they are centre-based day care, or family day care, or in-home care, or outside school hours care, know what they have to do to consistently meet national quality standards.

    Providers that can improve their services to meet the standard will get the chance to do that.

    Services that don’t, can’t, or won’t will lose their access to funding.

    I think that’s fair. And I think most Australian parents will too.

    Mr Speaker, this Bill also isn’t the only thing we have to do to improve safety in child care centres.

    There is a lot more.

    After Ashley Paul Griffith was arrested and charged in Queensland with multiple child sex offences, Education Ministers across the country commissioned the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority – ACECQA – to conduct a Child Safety Review.

    Education Ministers have agreed in principle to the key recommendations of that review. 

    Some have been implemented. But there is more work that needs to be done.

    That includes establishing a National Educator Register to help track workers from centre to centre. And from state to state.

    It also means mandatory child safety training to support the 99.9 per cent of educators who care for our children every single day and do a fantastic job, to help them to recognise the people in their centres who are up to no good. 

    After 4 Corners exposed appalling examples of abuse and neglect on 17 March this year, the New South Wales Government commissioned Chris Wheeler, a former Deputy New South Wales Ombudsman, to undertake an independent review of the New South Wales Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority. 

    That Review recommends increasing penalties on services for offences that are largely factual or procedural, and for which prosecution is currently the only avenue available. 

    It also recommends services be required to display their compliance history alongside their quality ratings to help families make informed choices about child care.

    The Wheeler Review also recommends allowing the regulator to require that a provider install CCTV when they identify a potential risk to the health and safety of children at a service, or when the service has failed to meet quality standards for an unreasonable period of time. 

    These recommendations and more will be considered by Education Ministers when we meet next month.

    The other area where serious work is needed is to improve the operation of Working with Children Checks.

    Problems here were identified a long time ago.

    The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended the Commonwealth Government facilitate a national model for Working with Children Checks.

    At the moment the systems in different states work differently.

    In some States the Working with Children Check is valid for five years. In others it’s two or three years.

    In some States only people over eighteen working with children require a Check. In others this is required from the age of fourteen or fifteen.

    Jurisdictions also differ in how they assess both criminal and non-conviction information, as well as patterns of behaviour.

    There are also issues with getting real time updates to Working with Children Checks and information sharing between jurisdictions. 

    This system isn’t run by Education Ministers. In some States it is run by the Attorney General. In others it is Ministers with responsibility for Child Protection, Human Services, or Families and Communities.

    Next month the Commonwealth Attorney General will also bring her state and territory counterparts together to address these serious issues.

    Mr Speaker, there is no more serious work than this.

    I want to thank my friend and colleague, Senator Jess Walsh, the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth, for her leadership on quality and safety in early learning and her work in bringing this Bill to the Parliament. 

    And I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Minister for Education, Jonno Duniam, and the Assistant Minister, Zoe Mckenzie, and their teams for the serious and professional and bipartisan way they have engaged with us on this legislation.

    To make sure we get it right.

    It’s what mums and dads across the country want of us. And expect of us.

    They are not interested in excuses.

    They expect action.

    They expect all levels of Government to work together and the people that run child care services to join us in this work as well.

    We all know, no party, no government, State or Federal, has done everything we need to do here.

    That’s obvious.

    But I think everyone here is determined to do what needs to be done to rebuild confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in.

    A system that more than a million mums and dads rely on to care for and to educate the most important people in their world – their children.

    This legislation is an important part of that.

    It’s not everything.

    The truth is this work will never end.

    But this is an important step.

    And I commend this Bill to the House.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrests – Robbery – Katherine

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested two youths in relation to a robbery that occurred in Katherine on Friday.

    Around 7:20am, three male youths allegedly followed a 90-year-old man from Railway Terrace to Katherine Terrace, where one of the youths grabbed the victim’s keys from his pocket. All three fled the scene on foot back towards Railway Terrace.

    Witnesses flagged down nearby police who arrested two male youths aged 13 and 14 nearby.

    The victim was assessed and did not require medical attention.

    Investigations remain ongoing to identify and locate the outstanding offender.

    Police urge anyone with information to contact police on 131 444. Please quote reference NTP2500074944. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rose Nakayi, Senior Lecturer of Law, Makerere University

    Populism is rife in various African countries. This political ideology responds to and takes advantage of a situation where a large section of people feels exploited, marginalised or disempowered. It sets up “the people” against “the other”. It promises solidarity with the excluded by addressing their grievances. Populism targets broad social groups, operating across ethnicity and class.

    But how does populism fare when it informs state interventions to address long-standing societal issues under capitalism? Do populist state measures – especially when launched by a politically powerful leader – deliver improvements for the stated beneficiaries?

    As academics who have researched populism for years, we were interested in the implementation and outcomes of such policies and programmes. To answer these questions, we analysed a populist intervention by President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda to address rampant land conflicts. In 2013 he set out to halt land evictions.

    What good came of this? Did it help the poor?

    We analysed land laws, court cases, government statements and media reports and found that, for the most part, the intervention offered short-term relief. Some people returned to the land, but the underlying land conflict was unresolved.

    This created problems that continue to be felt today, including land disputes and land tenure insecurity. The intervention also increased the involvement of the president and his agents personally in providing justice.

    It didn’t make pro-poor structural changes to address the root of the problem.

    Yet, the intervention had several political benefits:

    • it enhanced the political legitimacy of the president and state

    • it offered a politically useful response to a land-related crisis and conflict

    • it addressed broader criticisms over injustice and poverty by sections of the public and opposition leaders, some of whom (like Robert Kyagulanyi) also relied on populist rhetoric.

    The promise to deal with land evictions “once and for all” has yet to be realised over a decade later. During Heroes Day celebrations on 9 June 2024, Museveni’s speech repeated his promise to stop evictions.

    Such promises of getting a grip on and ending evictions via decisive state actions, including proposed new legal guidelines, were also made more recently, for example during Heroes Day 2025. This indicates that evictions – and state responses to them – remain a top issue on the political agenda ahead of Uganda’s 2026 election.

    Persistent evictions

    Evictions were rampant in the 2010s, especially in central Uganda’s Buganda region. They were driven by increased demand for land amid a growing population and legal reforms that seemed to protect tenants over landlords. Some landlords, desperate to free their land of tenants, were carrying out the evictions themselves.

    The president condemned the evictions, but they continued. Soon, the number of evictees was in the thousands.

    In response, Museveni set up a land committee within the presidency. He announced at a press conference in early 2013 that:

    all evictions are halted. There will be no more evictions, especially in the rural areas. All evictions involving peasants are halted.

    The dynamics of populism-in-practice

    Museveni’s attempts to personally deal with evictions illustrate a continued power shift in Uganda, from institutions to the president’s executive units.

    Despite its shortcomings, such as case backlogs, the judicial system offers an opportunity to present cases in a more neutral environment. It also allows parties to appeal decisions. This way, higher courts can correct errors where necessary.

    The presidential land committee, we found, tended to be biased in favour of tenants, paying less attention to the landlords’ cases.

    The president’s intervention wasn’t adequate to address the immediate causes and effects of the evictions, nor the root causes.

    Those included land tenure insecurities. Due to legal reforms, land-rich landlords were unable to get rent at market value from tenants. Neither could they evict them lawfully where rent was in arrears.

    In some cases, legal options such as land sales between landlords and tenants were applied. This was often to the detriment of tenants, especially where there was no neutral actor to oversee negotiations.

    Land reforms need to be institutionalised and funded to deliver the intended outcomes. Otherwise, unlawful sales and evictions become a quick option for landlords.

    Museveni’s populist initiative also unleashed new problems for beneficiaries. Some secured land occupancy in the interim but lived in fear of a relapse of conflict. Mistrust and scarred interpersonal relationships hampered cohesion in some communities. Disputes over land put political actors who would ideally be working together to restore calm at loggerheads.

    Populism as power

    The creation of populist presidential units has become routine in Uganda. More recently, Museveni created a unit to protect investors, which has resolved some investment-related land disputes. Another one was established to fight corruption. Both units remain very active.

    Our research finds that the government needs these units and interventions for a number of reasons. It uses them to govern the country’s conflict-ridden economy and society. They allow the government to assemble a politically useful response to crises and to address some on-the-ground problems. They make the state look concerned and responsive to people’s needs. And they allow ruling party political actors to increase their popularity locally.

    Museveni and his ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, therefore, benefit from a key aspect of populism. It allows the merging of disparate, competing and contradictory views, interests and demands of members of various societal classes and groups into a significantly simplified and uniform narrative that (potentially) speaks to all. This could mean: end corruption, end evictions, wealth for all, and so on.

    A general election is due in early 2026. The steps Museveni has taken on evictions, and the units set up to fight corruption or protect investors, need to be seen with this political context in mind.

    Museveni has put protecting people from evictions high on his government’s agenda. Speaking to party members in August 2024, he emphasised

    the importance of adhering to the mass line, which prioritises the needs and rights of the masses over those of the elite.

    In our view, this pre-election narrative signifies the continued political and social relevance of populism in today’s Uganda. This could result in heightened populist state activity in the run-up to and after the election.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems? – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-land-eviction-crisis-do-populist-state-measures-actually-fix-problems-260512

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This claim is not backed by science.

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

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

    Claim 2: Global support for net zero is waning

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

    This statement is not backed by evidence.

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

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

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

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

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

    Claims 3: the net zero goal is a security threat

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

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

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

    Claim 4: net zero is bad for regional Australia

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Only facts can stop a new wave of climate wars

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

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

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

    INTERVIEW: By Sebastian Shehadi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Search for driver after business and cars rammed

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Police are looking for a driver after he allegedly drove into a Campbelltown cafe and a police car at Prospect last night.

    Police were called to a cafe on Newton Road, Campbelltown about 8pm on Sunday 27 July by reports of a collision.

    A woman had been sheltering inside the cafe during an altercation with the driver of a silver Holden sedan.  It will be alleged that he reversed into the front of the cafe causing damage to the windows.

    Luckily, no one was standing near the windows inside the cafe at the time and there were no injuries.

    The man drove off.

    The 35-year-old Plympton Park woman was wanted for other matters and arrested.  She did not apply for bail and will face court today.  It is believed the pair are known to each other and this was not a random incident.

    A Dog Operations patrol spotted the Holden sedan on Main North Road, Prospect about 8.45pm and followed it into the car park of a fast-food restaurant.

    The driver then allegedly rammed the Dog Operations patrol vehicle and crashed into a Ford Ranger parked in the car park.

    The Holden drove off and was abandoned in John Street, Prospect.  The driver ran off and despite a search of the suburb, he has not yet been located.  The Holden was seized by police and is suspected of being stolen.

    A police officer sustained an injury to his hand, believed to have occurred while smashing the window of the Holden Commodore in an attempt to stop the vehicle in the car park at Prospect.

    Inquiries are continuing to locate the suspect.

    Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    What are the fees?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    What’s the risk profile?

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

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

    How can I compare my super fund?

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

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

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

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

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

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

    More action promised, but not yet delivered

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This claim is not backed by science.

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

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

    Claim 2: Global support for net zero is waning

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

    This statement is not backed by evidence.

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

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

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

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

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

    Claims 3: the net zero goal is a security threat

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

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

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

    Claim 4: net zero is bad for regional Australia

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Only facts can stop a new wave of climate wars

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ghost of Robodebt – Federal Court rules billions of dollars in welfare debts must be recalculated

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney

    A recent landmark court decision could have significant ramifications for several million social security recipients.

    The ruling means the federal government will need to recalculate more than A$4 billion in debts owed to the Department of Social Services, which administers Centrelink.

    Some of the debts – which occurred due to overpayment of benefits – stretch back decades.

    Reminiscent of Robodebt, the problem occurred because an unlawful method – income apportionment – was used to calculate the money Centrelink claimed it was owed.

    The judgement

    From the early 1990s until 2020, more than 5.3 million welfare debts were calculated using income apportionment.

    In the test case Chaplin v Secretary, Department of Social Services, the full Federal Court approved a method proposed by the government to recalculate the debts.

    The court was not asked whether the debts were unlawful – a point the department had already conceded – but whether its remedy was legally sound. In a two-judge majority, the court ruled it generally was.

    Following the judgement, the department swiftly resumed debt recovery, which had been paused in 2023, pending the legal decision. It said in a statement:

    now there is certainty to the legal position, assessments will recommence in line with the court’s decision.

    The scale of the problem

    The unlawful debts are worth $4.31 billion in total, and affect almost three million Australians. About 91% of these debts – $3.93 billion – has already been repaid to Centrelink.

    Another 170,000 debts – totalling $347 million – remain outstanding.

    All the debts – either repaid or still owing – must be recalculated using the revised method approved by the court.

    According to the government, the median debt is $330 and has been owed for 19 years, on average.

    But the judgement does not compel the government to actually recover the money. Some media reports suggest a waiver is being considered.

    For its part, the government says it will “evaluate” the court decision and develop a “suitable response”.

    What is income apportionment?

    An internal anti-fraud policy meant Centrelink was obliged to calculate a person’s income when it was “earned” rather than “received”.

    This led to the use of income apportionment – essentially an educated guess about a person’s fortnightly earnings when their pay cycle didn’t align with their income reporting period.

    This process, which typically produced overpayments to recipients, spread income outside an instalment period, which was contrary to the applicable law. It also attributed earnings to a person for days and fortnights they hadn’t worked.

    Income apportionment was discontinued in 2020. Three years later, the Commonwealth ombudsman found the method was unlawful.

    Is this different to Robodebt?

    While Social Services has sought to distinguish income apportionment from Robodebt, the two methods of calculating debt are comparable.

    Both attributed a person’s daily income beyond the timeframe permitted by law.

    But there are differences in source and scale.

    Where apportionment was personalised by using individual customer payslips, Robodebt used Australian Tax Office records to raise debts en masse.

    Significantly, while the ombudsman said the department’s understanding of the law relating to apportionment was “incorrect”, it was also “genuinely held”.

    On the other hand, the infamous Robodebt scheme was designed to ramp up debt clawbacks. Claims of misfeasance in public office continue to be litigated.

    Other troubling overlaps remain.

    Many individuals affected by apportionment debts raised after 2015 will be the same people served with Robodebt notices.

    Evidentiary burden

    A troubling aspect of the test case was the suggestion by the majority judges – citing High Court precedent –
    that the evidentiary burden could shift to the welfare recipient when overpayments are believed to occur through “wrongdoing”.

    This could force an individual to disprove their alleged debt if a decision-maker concluded the recipient had accidentally under-reported – as occurred in the test case – and a lack of evidence made it difficult for the government to prove its allegation.

    The finding arguably runs counter to the Robodebt Royal Commission’s observation that most welfare recipients lack the power to disprove a debt because their historical records are unavailable.

    The dissenting judge in the case rejected the government’s proposed recalculation method, finding it “not proper” for recovery action to be taken without probative evidence.

    He said the majority decision meant Centrelink could reassess debts in the future after evidence had been lost, and recipients would be powerless to disprove them.

    Expensive fix

    The administrative burden of reassessing these unlawful debts is immense.

    Late last year, a team of 150 public servants, each costing $117,400 per annum, was assigned to rectify income apportionment.

    Their internal sampling revealed 64% of people issued debt bills were overcharged, 29% were undercharged, while 4% are owed a total refund.

    The remediation process has been chaotic.

    In the year following the ombudsman’s report, recipients lodged 531 appeals and made 530 complaints, highlighting the human impact of income apportionment.

    But in a five-month period, a mere 83 cases have been finalised.

    Controversially, Social Services offered to process debts on request, contrary to a provisional finding of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which dismissed the method being used by the department.

    Political choice

    While the Federal Court has seemingly given the government a legal victory, the ultimate outcome will be costly – especially if the debts are waived.

    The court ruling requires recipients be afforded “procedural fairness”, meaning resource-intensive investigations will need to be undertaken into the millions of cases yet to be reviewed.

    The final price tag is yet unknown. In the 2025–26 budget, income apportionment was recorded as a “contingent liability – unquantifiable”.

    Almost all of the outstanding debts would have already been resolved if the government had implemented the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendation that welfare overpayments should not be pursued if they are more than six years old.

    The court’s decision also fails to address the 159 Australians believed to have been criminally prosecuted over unlawful debts since 2018. These people – and likely many more before that year – may have been convicted on defective evidence.

    The response to these issues will be a test for the government.

    Has it learned the lessons of previous egregious mistakes, or will it allow the ghost of Robodebt to continue to haunt our welfare system?

    Christopher Rudge 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. The ghost of Robodebt – Federal Court rules billions of dollars in welfare debts must be recalculated – https://theconversation.com/the-ghost-of-robodebt-federal-court-rules-billions-of-dollars-in-welfare-debts-must-be-recalculated-261543

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong movies showcased at 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong movies showcased at 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal  
         Speaking before the world premiere of “Good Game” on July 27 (Montreal time), the Acting Director of the Toronto ETO, Mr Gavin Yeung, highlighted the efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in supporting the development of Hong Kong’s film industry and strengthening Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between East and West for international cultural exchanges.
     
    “The HKSAR Government actively finances the production of small-to-medium budget films, provides funding support for the industry professionals to participate in international film festivals, and subsidises training programmes to nurture young directors and film talent,” said Mr Yeung.
     
         He added that Hong Kong’s film industry has been globally recognised. “Hong Kong boasts a rich pool of creative talent and is one of Asia’s leading filmmaking hubs. Over the past decade, our films and filmmakers have received numerous prestigious international awards,” he noted.
     
    Also present at the screening was the writer and actor of “Good Game”, Ken Law, who introduced the film before the screening and engaged with the audience during a post-screening Q&A session.
     
    The other Hong Kong films featured at the Festival are: “Stuntman”, “A Chinese Ghost Story III”, “The Battle Wizard” and “Bullet in the Head”.
    Issued at HKT 3:54

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: ICE Lodges Arrest Detainer for Illegal Alien Who Killed Two Teens While Intoxicated in Sanctuary Jurisdiction of Wisconsin

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Criminal illegal alien from Honduras driving while intoxicated killed 18-year-old girl and 19-year-old boy in car wreck in Dane County, WI

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer against a criminal illegal alien responsible for driving while intoxicated and causing a fatal car wreck that killed two American teens, an 18-year-old girl and 19-year-old boy in Dane County, Wisconsin.  

    According to local reports, on July 20, 2025, Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila—a criminal illegal alien from Honduras—struck a vehicle while driving the wrong direction on a highway, killing 18-year-old Hallie Helgeson at the scene. Martinez-Avila also gravely injured 19-year-old Brady Heiling who died from his injuries on July 25, 2025.

    Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila has been charged with two counts of felony vehicular homicide and impaired driving by Wisconsin law enforcement. ICE lodged an arrest detainer for this illegal alien’s arrest and removal from the country.

    Dane County, where the crash took place, has historically not honored ICE detainers due to sanctuary jurisdiction policies.  

    “Hallie Helgeson and Brady Heiling had their whole lives ahead of them—and they would still be alive today if it weren’t for Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila—a criminal illegal alien from Honduras. Martinez-Avila recklessly drove the wrong way on a highway while intoxicated and killed these two teens,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “ICE has lodged an arrest detainer to remove this public safety threat from the U.S. Unfortunately, this sanctuary jurisdiction has a history of not honoring ICE arrest detainers often leading to the release of murderers and other heinous criminals. Under Secretary Noem, these precious victims will not be forgotten, and we will fight for justice.” 

    DHS law enforcement is protecting American communities every day from another senseless tragedy like this taking place in another town, to another family. Victims of illegal alien crime may receive support from the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office by contacting 1-855-488-6423. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Police intensify probe on Basotho military training claims

    Source: Government of South Africa

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) has intensified its operations into the investigation of allegations that Basotho nationals are undergoing militarily training on South African farms, as part of a growing land reclamation campaign.

    This was revealed during a Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting, where National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola met with all nine provincial commissioners to discuss crime combatting efforts in the country.

    The BOC is the highest decision-making body of the SAPS inclusive of all Provincial Commissioners, Divisional Commissioners and the Acting National Head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks.

    “During the meeting, General Fannie Masemola highlighted his satisfaction that organised crime syndicates in the country are being dismantled, dislodged, displaced and arrested,” the SAPS said in a statement on Saturday.

    The comments, initially made by the Lesotho Police Chief, Advocate Borotho Matsoso, were high on the agenda. A preliminary report from the SAPS Crime Intelligence Division was discussed, confirming that intelligence structures have highlighted their operations to investigate allegations made and where necessary, track down and takedown such illegal activities.

    The DPCI’s Crimes Against the State (CATS) unit has also been roped in to investigate. Various searches have been undertaken by CATS at various identified farms, and no such evidence has been found to date.

    “Further to this, the National Commissioner has reached out to the Lesotho Police Chief, where the two commissioners discussed the allegations made by Advocate Matsoso. Both commissioners agreed that both law enforcement agencies intelligence structures are on the ground to investigate the existence of such camps.

    “General Masemola assures all people living in South Africa that the safety and security of the people of SA is of paramount importance, and anyone who is found to be in the country committing illegal acts will face the full might of the law. To this effect, intelligence structures and operatives are on the ground to establish facts,” the SAPS said. 

    The SAPS has urged South Africans not to panic or worry as police from both countries remain on high alert. –SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Counterfeit goods worth R156m seized

    Source: Government of South Africa

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) has seized counterfeit and illicit goods worth more than R156 million during operations in Pretoria, Mbombela and Limpopo.

    In the past three weeks, the integrated team executed search-and-seizure warrants in terms of the Counterfeit Goods Act 37 of 1997, as well as the Customs and Excise Act at targeted shops in Marabastad, Mokopane, Mbombela, Bela Bela, Mookghopong, and Modimolle.

    “During these takedowns, the team seized more than 23 000 items imitating high-end designer brands that include clothing, shoes, bags, caps, and watches as well as counterfeit jewellery, sunglasses, perfumes, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

    “Also amongst the seized items are sports apparel that bears the Springboks trademark and other well-known brands. These counterfeit items were seized outside Mbombela stadium and Loftus stadium respectively during recent Springbok rugby games against visiting countries. The team also confiscated illicit cigarettes valued at over R50 000,” SAPS said in a statement on Saturday.

    The operations were led by the National Counterfeit and Illicit Goods unit, with support from Public Order Policing (POP), the South African Revenue Services (SARS) Customs and Enforcement team, counterfeit depot officials, brand protectors, and private security personnel.

    “SAPS remains committed to eradicate the illegal trade in counterfeit goods in an effort to protect consumers, support legitimate businesses, and ensure the integrity of South Africa’s economy.

    “The Counterfeit Goods Act aims to combat the trade in counterfeit goods by protecting trademarks, copyrights, and certain mark owners from the unlawful use of their intellectual property on goods and preventing such counterfeit goods from entering the market,” the SAPS said. –SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Govt condemns foreign officials

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it strongly opposes and disapproves of smears by government officials and politicians from the US, Canada and Australia, and by anti-China organisations, regarding its lawful acts to pursue individuals wanted in connection with national security offences who have absconded from Hong Kong.

    Nineteen people suspected of involvement in a subversive organisation named the “Hong Kong Parliament”, in breach of Article 22 of the National Security Law (HKNSL), have been put on the city’s wanted list.

    In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government explained that the HKNSL is applicable to Hong Kong permanent residents, and to incorporated or unincorporated bodies set up in Hong Kong, if such residents or bodies commit offences under the HKNSL outside the Hong Kong SAR. Additionally, it said, the HKNSL is applicable where offences under it are committed elsewhere against the Hong Kong SAR by individuals who are not Hong Kong permanent residents.

    The Hong Kong SAR Government stressed that the Hong Kong Police Force therefore has a responsibility to pursue, in accordance with the law, people suspected of committing offences under the HKNSL outside of Hong Kong. Acts smearing Hong Kong’s work to safeguard national security are hypocritical and irresponsible, and will not win any public support, it added.

    The statement iterated that both the HKNSL and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance clearly stipulate that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong SAR, but clarified that the Hong Kong SAR Government will not condone criminal acts, and will not give up pursuing them those who commit them.

    Emphasising that absconders should not think that they can evade criminal liability by absconding from Hong Kong, the Hong Kong SAR Government also remarked that no country or organisation should harbour criminals or try to exonerate absconders.

    Any attempt by foreign countries or external forces to undermine Hong Kong’s situation will be doomed to fail, the Hong Kong SAR Government added, reiterating that it will continue to discharge its duty in safeguarding national security unwaveringly.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: PRASA welcomes developments in tender corruption case

    Source: Government of South Africa

    Sunday, July 27, 2025

    The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has welcomed developments in the investigation into allegations of corruption involving multi-billion-rand tenders for train signalling equipment.

    On Wednesday, 23 July 2025, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) presented a search warrant at PRASA’s Braamfontein offices to obtain various information and electronic devices, as part of its ongoing investigation.

    In a statement issued on Friday, PRASA reaffirmed its support for the investigation, emphasising its commitment to transparency and accountability.

    “The agency has nothing to hide and stands ready to provide complete cooperation to law enforcement authorities,” PRASA said.

    The agency said it had initiated an independent forensic investigation after receiving a submission from a whistleblower. 

    “Documents and information related to this matter were secured through this proactive forensic investigation. This demonstrates PRASA’s commitment to acting on information received via its whistleblower process. This independent report has been handed to the shareholder.

    “This information was readily available for sharing with the law enforcement authorities. PRASA remains committed to its mandate of providing safe, reliable, and efficient rail services to the South African public.”

    The agency said it will continue to implement robust governance measures and maintain the highest standards of accountability while fully supporting all legitimate investigative processes.

    PRASA will provide further updates as appropriate, while respecting the integrity of the ongoing investigation. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • Aim is to make India a sporting superpower, says PM Modi in ‘Mann Ki Baat’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday shared his vision for making India a sporting superpower and praised the Indian contingent for winning nearly 600 medals at the recent World Police and Fire Games.

    In the 124th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said that the government’s ‘Khelo Bharat Niti 2025’ has been widely appreciated.

    “The goal of this policy is clear — to make India a sporting superpower,” he said, adding that startups related to sports, whether in sports management or manufacturing, will be supported in every possible way.

    The PM said the policy gives special attention to villages, the underprivileged, and daughters. “Schools and colleges will now make sports a part of everyday life,” he said.

    “Imagine how much strength the mission of self-reliance would gain when the youth of the country play with self-made rackets, bats, and balls. Friends, sports create team spirit. This is the path to fitness, self-confidence, and building a strong India. So, play a lot and blossom a lot,” he added.

    Speaking about the biennial World Police and Fire Games, which concluded on July 6 in Birmingham, Alabama, PM Modi said India’s uniformed heroes are making headlines not just through their service, but also in sports.

    “This time, the tournament was held in America, and India created history. We won close to 600 medals and ranked among the top three out of 71 countries. The hard work of our uniformed personnel, who serve the country day and night, has paid off. These friends of ours are now raising the tricolour in the sports arena as well. I congratulate all the players and the coaching team,” he said.

    The Prime Minister also tested the listeners’ knowledge by asking, “Do you know which is the biggest sporting event after the Olympics? The answer is — the World Police and Fire Games… a sports tournament between policemen, firefighters, and security personnel from all over the world.”

    He added, “By the way, it will also interest you to know that in 2029, these games will be held in India. Players from across the world will come to our country. We will showcase India’s hospitality and introduce them to our sports culture.”

    The government plans to host the event in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Ekta Nagar.

    —IANS

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Call for witnesses – Assault – Tennant Creek

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force are calling for information in relation to an alleged assault that occurred in Tennant Creek early this morning.

    Around 1am, emergency services received reports that a woman, aged in her 40’s, was allegedly physically assaulted in the vicinity of Maloney Street by and unknown man, who then also attempted to indecently assault her.

    The woman received minor injuries and was conveyed to the Tennant Creek Hospital for assessment.

    Investigators have canvassed all available CCTV and are now requesting the publics assistance.

    Police are urging anyone who was in the vicinity of Maloney Street around 1am on Sunday 27 July 2025, or who has information about this matter to contact 131 444 and quote reference NTP2500075470.

    Anonymous reports can also be made through CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Six killed, 29 injured in Hindu temple stampede in northern India

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    NEW DELHI, July 27 (Xinhua) — At least six people were killed and 29 others injured in a stampede at a Hindu temple in India’s northern Uttarakhand state on Sunday, local police said.

    The incident took place at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar district, located 53 km south of Uttarakhand’s capital Dehradun.

    One of the devotees apparently received an electric shock on the stairs located 100 meters from the temple, causing panic among others, said local police spokesman Pramendra Singh Dobal. He said an investigation into the incident was underway.

    Police and the National Emergency Response Force have been dispatched to the scene to carry out rescue operations. The injured have been taken to hospitals.

    According to police, a huge crowd had gathered at the temple before the incident. As a result, the death toll is likely to rise.

    Haridwar is one of the major pilgrimage centres in Hinduism. –0–

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rose Nakayi, Senior Lecturer of Law, Makerere University

    Populism is rife in various African countries. This political ideology responds to and takes advantage of a situation where a large section of people feels exploited, marginalised or disempowered. It sets up “the people” against “the other”. It promises solidarity with the excluded by addressing their grievances. Populism targets broad social groups, operating across ethnicity and class.

    But how does populism fare when it informs state interventions to address long-standing societal issues under capitalism? Do populist state measures – especially when launched by a politically powerful leader – deliver improvements for the stated beneficiaries?

    As academics who have researched populism for years, we were interested in the implementation and outcomes of such policies and programmes. To answer these questions, we analysed a populist intervention by President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda to address rampant land conflicts. In 2013 he set out to halt land evictions.

    What good came of this? Did it help the poor?

    We analysed land laws, court cases, government statements and media reports and found that, for the most part, the intervention offered short-term relief. Some people returned to the land, but the underlying land conflict was unresolved.

    This created problems that continue to be felt today, including land disputes and land tenure insecurity. The intervention also increased the involvement of the president and his agents personally in providing justice.

    It didn’t make pro-poor structural changes to address the root of the problem.

    Yet, the intervention had several political benefits:

    • it enhanced the political legitimacy of the president and state

    • it offered a politically useful response to a land-related crisis and conflict

    • it addressed broader criticisms over injustice and poverty by sections of the public and opposition leaders, some of whom (like Robert Kyagulanyi) also relied on populist rhetoric.

    The promise to deal with land evictions “once and for all” has yet to be realised over a decade later. During Heroes Day celebrations on 9 June 2024, Museveni’s speech repeated his promise to stop evictions.

    Such promises of getting a grip on and ending evictions via decisive state actions, including proposed new legal guidelines, were also made more recently, for example during Heroes Day 2025. This indicates that evictions – and state responses to them – remain a top issue on the political agenda ahead of Uganda’s 2026 election.

    Persistent evictions

    Evictions were rampant in the 2010s, especially in central Uganda’s Buganda region. They were driven by increased demand for land amid a growing population and legal reforms that seemed to protect tenants over landlords. Some landlords, desperate to free their land of tenants, were carrying out the evictions themselves.

    The president condemned the evictions, but they continued. Soon, the number of evictees was in the thousands.

    In response, Museveni set up a land committee within the presidency. He announced at a press conference in early 2013 that:

    all evictions are halted. There will be no more evictions, especially in the rural areas. All evictions involving peasants are halted.

    The dynamics of populism-in-practice

    Museveni’s attempts to personally deal with evictions illustrate a continued power shift in Uganda, from institutions to the president’s executive units.

    Despite its shortcomings, such as case backlogs, the judicial system offers an opportunity to present cases in a more neutral environment. It also allows parties to appeal decisions. This way, higher courts can correct errors where necessary.

    The presidential land committee, we found, tended to be biased in favour of tenants, paying less attention to the landlords’ cases.

    The president’s intervention wasn’t adequate to address the immediate causes and effects of the evictions, nor the root causes.

    Those included land tenure insecurities. Due to legal reforms, land-rich landlords were unable to get rent at market value from tenants. Neither could they evict them lawfully where rent was in arrears.

    In some cases, legal options such as land sales between landlords and tenants were applied. This was often to the detriment of tenants, especially where there was no neutral actor to oversee negotiations.

    Land reforms need to be institutionalised and funded to deliver the intended outcomes. Otherwise, unlawful sales and evictions become a quick option for landlords.

    Museveni’s populist initiative also unleashed new problems for beneficiaries. Some secured land occupancy in the interim but lived in fear of a relapse of conflict. Mistrust and scarred interpersonal relationships hampered cohesion in some communities. Disputes over land put political actors who would ideally be working together to restore calm at loggerheads.

    Populism as power

    The creation of populist presidential units has become routine in Uganda. More recently, Museveni created a unit to protect investors, which has resolved some investment-related land disputes. Another one was established to fight corruption. Both units remain very active.

    Our research finds that the government needs these units and interventions for a number of reasons. It uses them to govern the country’s conflict-ridden economy and society. They allow the government to assemble a politically useful response to crises and to address some on-the-ground problems. They make the state look concerned and responsive to people’s needs. And they allow ruling party political actors to increase their popularity locally.

    Museveni and his ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, therefore, benefit from a key aspect of populism. It allows the merging of disparate, competing and contradictory views, interests and demands of members of various societal classes and groups into a significantly simplified and uniform narrative that (potentially) speaks to all. This could mean: end corruption, end evictions, wealth for all, and so on.

    A general election is due in early 2026. The steps Museveni has taken on evictions, and the units set up to fight corruption or protect investors, need to be seen with this political context in mind.

    Museveni has put protecting people from evictions high on his government’s agenda. Speaking to party members in August 2024, he emphasised

    the importance of adhering to the mass line, which prioritises the needs and rights of the masses over those of the elite.

    In our view, this pre-election narrative signifies the continued political and social relevance of populism in today’s Uganda. This could result in heightened populist state activity in the run-up to and after the election.

    – Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?
    – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-land-eviction-crisis-do-populist-state-measures-actually-fix-problems-260512

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Rose Nakayi, Senior Lecturer of Law, Makerere University

    Populism is rife in various African countries. This political ideology responds to and takes advantage of a situation where a large section of people feels exploited, marginalised or disempowered. It sets up “the people” against “the other”. It promises solidarity with the excluded by addressing their grievances. Populism targets broad social groups, operating across ethnicity and class.

    But how does populism fare when it informs state interventions to address long-standing societal issues under capitalism? Do populist state measures – especially when launched by a politically powerful leader – deliver improvements for the stated beneficiaries?

    As academics who have researched populism for years, we were interested in the implementation and outcomes of such policies and programmes. To answer these questions, we analysed a populist intervention by President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda to address rampant land conflicts. In 2013 he set out to halt land evictions.

    What good came of this? Did it help the poor?

    We analysed land laws, court cases, government statements and media reports and found that, for the most part, the intervention offered short-term relief. Some people returned to the land, but the underlying land conflict was unresolved.

    This created problems that continue to be felt today, including land disputes and land tenure insecurity. The intervention also increased the involvement of the president and his agents personally in providing justice.

    It didn’t make pro-poor structural changes to address the root of the problem.

    Yet, the intervention had several political benefits:

    • it enhanced the political legitimacy of the president and state

    • it offered a politically useful response to a land-related crisis and conflict

    • it addressed broader criticisms over injustice and poverty by sections of the public and opposition leaders, some of whom (like Robert Kyagulanyi) also relied on populist rhetoric.

    The promise to deal with land evictions “once and for all” has yet to be realised over a decade later. During Heroes Day celebrations on 9 June 2024, Museveni’s speech repeated his promise to stop evictions.

    Such promises of getting a grip on and ending evictions via decisive state actions, including proposed new legal guidelines, were also made more recently, for example during Heroes Day 2025. This indicates that evictions – and state responses to them – remain a top issue on the political agenda ahead of Uganda’s 2026 election.

    Persistent evictions

    Evictions were rampant in the 2010s, especially in central Uganda’s Buganda region. They were driven by increased demand for land amid a growing population and legal reforms that seemed to protect tenants over landlords. Some landlords, desperate to free their land of tenants, were carrying out the evictions themselves.

    The president condemned the evictions, but they continued. Soon, the number of evictees was in the thousands.

    In response, Museveni set up a land committee within the presidency. He announced at a press conference in early 2013 that:

    all evictions are halted. There will be no more evictions, especially in the rural areas. All evictions involving peasants are halted.

    The dynamics of populism-in-practice

    Museveni’s attempts to personally deal with evictions illustrate a continued power shift in Uganda, from institutions to the president’s executive units.

    Despite its shortcomings, such as case backlogs, the judicial system offers an opportunity to present cases in a more neutral environment. It also allows parties to appeal decisions. This way, higher courts can correct errors where necessary.

    The presidential land committee, we found, tended to be biased in favour of tenants, paying less attention to the landlords’ cases.

    The president’s intervention wasn’t adequate to address the immediate causes and effects of the evictions, nor the root causes.

    Those included land tenure insecurities. Due to legal reforms, land-rich landlords were unable to get rent at market value from tenants. Neither could they evict them lawfully where rent was in arrears.

    In some cases, legal options such as land sales between landlords and tenants were applied. This was often to the detriment of tenants, especially where there was no neutral actor to oversee negotiations.

    Land reforms need to be institutionalised and funded to deliver the intended outcomes. Otherwise, unlawful sales and evictions become a quick option for landlords.

    Museveni’s populist initiative also unleashed new problems for beneficiaries. Some secured land occupancy in the interim but lived in fear of a relapse of conflict. Mistrust and scarred interpersonal relationships hampered cohesion in some communities. Disputes over land put political actors who would ideally be working together to restore calm at loggerheads.

    Populism as power

    The creation of populist presidential units has become routine in Uganda. More recently, Museveni created a unit to protect investors, which has resolved some investment-related land disputes. Another one was established to fight corruption. Both units remain very active.

    Our research finds that the government needs these units and interventions for a number of reasons. It uses them to govern the country’s conflict-ridden economy and society. They allow the government to assemble a politically useful response to crises and to address some on-the-ground problems. They make the state look concerned and responsive to people’s needs. And they allow ruling party political actors to increase their popularity locally.

    Museveni and his ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, therefore, benefit from a key aspect of populism. It allows the merging of disparate, competing and contradictory views, interests and demands of members of various societal classes and groups into a significantly simplified and uniform narrative that (potentially) speaks to all. This could mean: end corruption, end evictions, wealth for all, and so on.

    A general election is due in early 2026. The steps Museveni has taken on evictions, and the units set up to fight corruption or protect investors, need to be seen with this political context in mind.

    Museveni has put protecting people from evictions high on his government’s agenda. Speaking to party members in August 2024, he emphasised

    the importance of adhering to the mass line, which prioritises the needs and rights of the masses over those of the elite.

    In our view, this pre-election narrative signifies the continued political and social relevance of populism in today’s Uganda. This could result in heightened populist state activity in the run-up to and after the election.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems? – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-land-eviction-crisis-do-populist-state-measures-actually-fix-problems-260512

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sanctioning Senior Members of Longstanding Hizballah Financial Institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH)

    Source: United States Department of State (2)

    Tammy Bruce, Department Spokesperson

    Sanctioning Senior Members of Longstanding Hizballah Financial Institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH)

    Press Statement

    July 3, 2025

    Today, the United States sanctioned seven senior officials and one entity linked to Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH), a Hizballah-controlled financial institution.  These officials, through their management roles, have facilitated Hizballah’s evasion of sanctions, enabling AQAH to conduct millions of dollars in transactions through “shadow” accounts.

    In addition, the Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of Hizballah financial mechanisms.  Individuals with useful information should contact RFJ via Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at +1-202-702-7843. They could be eligible for a reward and relocation.

    The United States remains committed to supporting Lebanon by disrupting schemes that empower Hizballah’s destabilizing influence.  We will continue to employ all available tools to ensure that this terrorist group no longer poses a threat to the Lebanese people and the region.

    Today’s action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, which targets terrorist groups and their supporters.  The Department of State previously designated Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. More information regarding today’s designations can be found in Treasury’s press release.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fourteenth Meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group Focused on Countering Hizballah’s Terrorist and Illicit Activities

    Source: United States Department of State (2)

    Office of the Spokesperson

    Fourteenth Meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group Focused on Countering Hizballah’s Terrorist and Illicit Activities

    Media Note

    July 10, 2025

    The United States Department of State, United States Department of Justice, and Europol convened the fourteenth meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) on countering Hizballah’s terrorist and illicit activities on July 9-10. Law enforcement, prosecutors, and financial practitioners from approximately 30 governments from across the Middle East, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America participated in this session.

    The LECG took stock of Hizballah’s global terrorist and lethal plotting capabilities, in light of the significant blows the organization has taken over the past year. LECG participants assessed that Hizballah remains a dangerous organization, determined to maintain its overseas footprint, with the ability to strike with little to no warning against targets around the world. LECG members also discussed Hizballah’s shaky financial state and agreed that Hizballah may seek to increase its fundraising and procurement activities in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and other locales. Participants highlighted recent actions that governments have taken to counter Hizballah’s financial mechanisms and criminal schemes, as well as its international terrorist operations.

    Officials from the U.S. Department of Treasury and National Counterterrorism Center also participated in this meeting. The LECG was established by the United States and Europol in 2014 as a global forum to improve international coordination with governments from around the world to counter Hizballah’s terrorist and other illicit activities.

    For further information, please contact CTPublicAffairs@state.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: United States Disrupts North Korea Revenue Generation, Offering Rewards of Up to $15 Million

    Source: United States Department of State (2)

    Office of the Spokesperson

    United States Disrupts North Korea Revenue Generation, Offering Rewards of Up to $15 Million

    Media Note

    July 24, 2025

    Today, the Departments of State, Justice, and the Treasury are executing coordinated, decisive actions to keep Americans safe from North Korea’s malicious and illicit revenue generation schemes. The Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) is offering rewards totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions, in any country, of North Korean nationals Sim Hyon-sop and six co-conspirators involved in these schemes.

    North Korea’s revenue generation schemes—which include cryptocurrency theft, illicit information technology (IT) work, trafficking in counterfeit goods, oil smuggling, and other transnational criminal activities—often target U.S. companies and U.S. citizens to raise funds for North Korea’s dangerous and unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs, which threaten the U.S. homeland and stand in contravention of UN and U.S. sanctions. In many cases, these ballistic missiles have been unlawfully transferred to Russia, where they have been used to strike Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv.

    Today’s actions illustrate the U.S. government’s commitment to mitigating such threats posed by North Korea to protect U.S. companies, the U.S. financial system, and American citizens. The United States will not stand idly by while North Korea profits from criminal activity to fund its destabilizing actions.

    Sim Hyon-Sop and six co-conspirators were charged for their role in illicit activities to buy and sell tobacco from North Korea to gain access to U.S. dollars. The Department of State’s reward offers include an increase of up to $7 million for Sim Hyon-Sop, up to $3 million each for Myong Chol-Min and Kim Se-Un, and up to $500,000 each for Kim Yong-Bok, Kim Chol-Min, a/k/a “Jack,” Ri Tong-Min, a/k/a “Elvis,” and Ri Won-Ho.

    Sim Hyon-Sop and some of his co-conspirators—including Kim Se-Un—have also been involved in illicit IT worker schemes. North Korea dispatches thousands of IT workers abroad to orchestrate fraudulent IT work, often from Russia and China. Today, the Department of the Treasury is designating Korea Sobaeksu Trading Company, which has previously deployed IT workers to Vietnam, and three North Korean nationals, including Kim Se Un, Myong Chol Min, and Jo Kyong Hun, who have been involved in illicit revenue generation schemes. North Korea’s overseas networks provide it with access to technology, illicit finance networks, and facilitators to support its revenue generation to fund UN and U.S. sanctioned entities including the Munitions Industry Department and Ministry of Atomic Energy and Industry. The Department of State continues to engage foreign countries that support North Korean IT workers in order to prevent the targeting of Americans by North Korean revenue generation schemes.

    In addition, Christina Marie Chapman, an American citizen, will be sentenced today in the District of Columbia for her role in a North Korean IT worker scheme that defrauded more than 300 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 corporations. North Korean IT workers specifically target remote jobs with U.S. companies due to the high salaries, which they remit back to North Korea to fund the unlawful production of WMD and ballistic missiles.

    Today’s individual reward offers are authorized by the Secretary under the TOCRP, which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational crime globally and bring fugitives to justice. If you have information, please send tips to the FBI via phone/text/WhatsApp at +1-480-695-1388. If you are located outside of the United States, you can also visit the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. If you are in the United States, you can also contact the local FBI field office.

    THE IDENTITIES OF ANYONE PROVIDING TIPS WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. Per 22 U.S.C. section 2708(f), government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards if information is provided in the performance of official duties.

    Separately, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) national security program has a standing reward offer of up to $5 million for information that leads to the disruption of financial mechanisms of persons engaged in certain activities that support the North Korean government and its sanctions evasion. Rewards can be paid for actionable information regarding IT worker schemes, money laundering, cyber activity, and other illicit activities that support WMD proliferation and missile development. More information on RFJ’s North Korea reward offers is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE attends district forum

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Chief Executive John Lee today led 21 principal officials in attending the 2025 Policy Address District Forum to gather views and suggestions form members of the community ahead of the current-term Government’s fourth Policy Address.

     

    Held at Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School (Hung Hom Bay), the forum was attended by about 120 people from different backgrounds.

     

    The two-hour forum consisted of two sessions. In the first, the Chief Executive and principal officials listened to the views of members of the public. Matters raised straddled land and housing; transport; innovation and technology; financial services; culture and sports; education; youth issues, poverty alleviation; healthcare; and social welfare.

     

    In the second session, community participants, divided into four groups, focused on “pursuing development and economic growth” and “improving people’s livelihood and building our future together” as they engaged in extensive exchanges with the Chief Executive and the officials. Mr Lee also held discussions in turn with each of the groups and listened to their views.

     

    He said: “There are issues that members of the public care deeply about, so I attach great importance to district consultations.

     

    “These views will let me have a better grasp on formulating policies and allocation of resources when I prepare the Policy Address.”

     

    Principal Officials attending today’s event included Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki; Financial Secretary Paul Chan; Secretary for Justice Paul Lam; Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing; Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong; Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan; Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang; Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui; Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung; Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan; Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau; Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau; Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn; Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho; Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung; Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong; Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak; Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun; Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan; Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law; and Acting Secretary for Education Sze Chun-fai.

     

    The Government said it will continue to gather input from a wide variety of organisations and individuals over the coming month through consultation sessions and district visits. Members of the public can also give their views via the Policy Address website, social media platforms, hotlines, email, fax and post.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gaza condemns Israeli ‘piracy’ over storming of Handala aid ship

    Asia Pacific Report

    The Gaza Government Media Office has condemned “in the strongest terms” Israel’s storming of the Handala aid ship, calling it an act of “maritime piracy”, reports Al Jazeera.

    “This blatant aggression represents a flagrant violation of international law and maritime navigation rules,” the office said in a statement.

    “It reaffirms once again that the [illegal Israeli] occupation acts as a thuggish force outside the law, targeting every humanitarian initiative seeking to rescue more than 2.4 million besieged and starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

    The office also called on the international community, including the United Nations and rights groups, “to take an urgent and firm stance against this aggression and to work to secure international protection for the convoys”.

    Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement today that the Israeli navy had intercepted the Gaza-bound Handala, and it was now heading towards Israel.

    “The Israeli navy has stopped the vessel Navarn from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza,” said the statement, using the aid ship’s original name.

    “The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,” it added. “All passengers are safe.”

    Freedom Flotilla slams ‘abductions’
    A statement by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel military of “abducting” the 21 crew members of the Handala, saying the ship had been “violently intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza.

    “At 23:43 EEST Palestine time, the Occupation cut the cameras on board Handala and we have lost all communication with our ship.

    “The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized.

    “The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law.”

    The Handala carried a shipment of critical humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, including baby formula, diapers, food, and medicine, the statement said.

    “All cargo was non-military, civilian, and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel’s illegal blockade.”

    The Handala carried 21 civilians representing 12 countries, including parliamentarians, lawyers, journalists, labour organisers, environmentalists, and other human rights defenders.

    Seized crew members, journalists
    The seized crew includes:

    United States: Christian Smalls — Amazon Labor Union founder; Huwaida Arraf — Human rights attorney (Palestine/US); Jacob Berger — Jewish-American activist; Bob Suberi — Jewish US war veteran; Braedon Peluso — sailor and direct action activist; Dr Frank Romano — International lawyer and actor (France/US).

    France: Emma Fourreau — MEP and activist (France/Sweden); Gabrielle Cathala — Parliamentarian and former humanitarian worker; Justine Kempf — nurse, Médecins du Monde; Ange Sahuquet — engineer and human rights activist.

    Italy: Antonio Mazzeo — teacher, peace researcher, journalist; Antonio “Tony” La Picirella — climate and social justice organiser.

    Spain: Santiago González Vallejo — economist and activist; Sergio Toribio — engineer and environmentalist.

    Australia: Robert Martin — human rights activist; Tania “Tan” Safi — Journalist and organiser of Lebanese descent.

    Norway: Vigdis Bjorvand — 70-year-old lifelong justice activist.

    United Kingdom/France: Chloé Fiona Ludden — former UN staff and scientist.

    Tunisia: Hatem Aouini — Trade unionist and internationalist activist.

    The two journalists on board:

    Morocco: Mohamed El Bakkali — senior journalist with Al Jazeera (based in Paris).

    Iraq/United States: Waad Al Musa — cameraman and field reporter with Al Jazeera.

    The attack on Handala is the third violent act by Israeli forces against Freedom Flotilla missions this year alone, said the statement.

    “It follows the drone bombing of the civilian aid ship Conscience in European waters in May, which injured four people and disabled the vessel, and the illegal seizure of the Madleen in June, where Israeli forces abducted 12 civilians, including a Member of the European Parliament.

    “Shortly before their abduction, the Handala‘s crew affirmed that they would be hunger-striking if detained by Israeli forces and not accepting any food from the Israeli Occupation Forces.”

    Israeli officials have ignored the International Court of Justice’s binding orders that require the facilitation of humanitarian access to Gaza.

    The continued attacks on peaceful civilian missions represent a grave violation of international law, said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

    Kia Ora Gaza support for Handala
    In Auckland, Kia Ora Gaza spokesperson Roger Fowler, who is recovering from cancer treatment, said in a statement:

    “Kia Ora Gaza is a longtime member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and supports the current Handala civil mission to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza and end Israel’s campaign to wipe out the Palestinian population.

    “All governments must urgently take strong effective action to stop the genocide and occupation and end all complicity with Israel. There are no Kiwis on the Handala which was intercepted under an enforced communications blackout today.”

    Activists on board the Handala aid ship before leaving Italy’s Gallipoli Port on July 20, 2025. Image: Valeria Ferraro/Anadolu

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump’s ceasefire call

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Cambodia and Thailand each said the other had launched artillery attacks across contested border areas early on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of both countries had agreed to work on a ceasefire.

    Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, mainly civilians. More than 130,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the two countries.

    Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points, including in Phnom Kmoach, which borders Thailand’s coastal Trat province. The ministry’s spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at temple complexes.

    The Thai army said Cambodia had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, early on Sunday. The governor of Surin told Reuters artillery shells had been fired into the province, damaging a house and killing some livestock.

    In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling early on Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on.

    “If there is a ceasefire, things will be better,” Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan told Reuters. “It’s great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace.”

    TRUMP SPEAKS TO BOTH LEADERS

    Trump said on Saturday that he had spoken with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and they had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end fighting that began on Thursday. Bangkok and Phnom Penh each say the other side started the hostilities.

    “Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,” Trump wrote on social media. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet endorsed the call for the fighting to stop.

    “I made it clear to Honourable President Donald Trump that Cambodia agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces,” Hun Manet posted on Facebook, noting he had also agreed to Malaysia’s earlier ceasefire proposal.

    Thailand’s response was more qualified, as it had been with the proposal from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, saying Cambodia needed to do more before talks could begin.

    “I thanked President Trump for his concern and expressed that Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place. However, Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side,” acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Facebook.

    The countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand’s fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.

    Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes.

    Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths.

    Cambodia said in June it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court’s jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.

    -REUTERS

  • Plays vital role in security apparatus: PM Modi on CRPF’s 87th Raising Day

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended heartfelt greetings to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on its 87th Raising Day, praising the force for its crucial contributions to the nation’s security.

    Acknowledging the CRPF’s unwavering role in safeguarding the country, PM Modi took to X and wrote, “Raising Day wishes to all CRPF personnel. This force has played a vital role in our security apparatus, especially in challenging aspects relating to internal security.”

    The Prime Minister further lauded the dedication and valour of the force, stating, “CRPF personnel have made a mark for their duty, courage and steadfast commitment in the most testing of situations. Their contribution in overcoming humanitarian challenges is also commendable.”

    The CRPF began its journey on July 27, 1939, as the Crown Representative Police. It was officially renamed the Central Reserve Police Force on December 28, 1949, following the enactment of the Central Reserve Police Force Act.

    This transformation marked a new identity for the force as a central armed police unit under the jurisdiction of the Government of India.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah also extended his greetings to CRPF personnel on the occasion.
    In a post on X, he said, “Heartfelt greetings to all CRPF personnel on their Raising Day. Your selfless sacrifices have been the backbone of our nation’s security, and your unwavering courage to end Naxalism is truly commendable.”

    “Time and again, you’ve stood fearlessly on the frontlines, standing tall against every adversity with fearless resolve. A proud salute to the martyrs of CRPF, your legacy of valour continues to inspire the nation,” HM Shah added.

    The CRPF, in its official message, paid tribute to its personnel and their families.
    “On 27th July, we celebrate 86 glorious years of bold courage, supreme sacrifice, and resolute commitment — deeply inscribed in the legacy of the nation’s security and service,” the force said in a post on X.

    The inception of the CRPF was significantly influenced by the Madras Resolution passed by the All India Congress Committee in 1936, which underlined the need for a robust internal security mechanism.

    This vision took shape under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the then Home Minister, who emphasised the necessity of a strong and adaptable force to meet the evolving security demands of independent India.

    Notably, the CRPF remains the only paramilitary force in India with six all-women battalions. The first of these, the 88 (M) Battalion, was established in 1986 and is headquartered in Delhi. These battalions reflect the force’s commitment to inclusivity and the evolving role of women in India’s security forces.

    IANS