NewzIntel.com

Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Tougher child safety rules to help keep children safer in early education

    Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

    Stronger, mandatory child safety measures have been signed off by every Australian Education Minister to strengthen child safety in early childhood education and care services.

    This forms part of the significant progress that has already been made since the release of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework.

    In July 2024, a new National Code and Guidelines were released that recommended only service-issued devices can be used when photographing and filming children.

    From 1 September 2025, further key changes include:

    • Mandatory 24 hour reporting of any allegations, complaints or incidents of physical or sexual abuse – down from the current 7 day window
    • A ban on vapes in all early education and care services
    • Stronger protections around digital technology use, with services required to have clear policies on taking photos and videos of children, parent consent, CCTV practice and using service-issued devices.

    Child safety will also be explicitly embedded into the National Quality Standard from 1 January 2026.

    ACECQA will issue new guidance and resource materials to support the early education sector implement these changes.

    These changes are in addition to the further reforms flagged by the Albanese Labor Government in March this year to crack down on unscrupulous early childhood education and care providers and strengthen integrity across the care economy.

    These include measures to:

    • Prevent providers who persistently fail to meet minimum standards and repetitively breach the National Law from opening new Child Care Subsidy approved services.
    • Take compliance action against existing providers with egregious and continued breaches, including the option to cut off access to Child Care Subsidy funding where appropriate.
    • Strengthen powers to deal with providers that pose an integrity risk.

    Education Ministers will meet next week to consider additional actions to strengthen child safety in education and care services.

    Quotes attributed to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

    “The safety and protection of children in early childhood education is our highest priority.

    “Australia has a very good system of early childhood education and care, but more can be done to make sure safety guidance and measures are fit-for-purpose.

    “That’s why Education Ministers are acting on this key recommendation to make sure the right rules are in place to keep our children safe while they are in early education and care.”

    Quotes attributed to Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Jess Walsh:

    “Children’s health and safety is paramount at early childhood centres, and these changes will help to ensure that we continue to provide that assurance.

    “The Australian Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that children have a positive, rewarding and safe early education experience to get the best possible start in life.”

    Quotes attributed to ACT Minister for Education and Early Childhood Yvette Berry:

    “The safety and wellbeing of children in early childhood education is our highest priority.  Access to quality early childhood education sets children up for lifelong learning and success.

    “Valuing children and investing in their learning and development requires us also to value and invest in the early childhood workforce.

    “I look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the Commonwealth, to strengthen the National Quality Framework.”

    Quotes attributed to Victorian Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn:

    “The safety and wellbeing of children is our highest priority – and here in Victoria we work every day to make sure they are safe, supported and ready to thrive.

    “We welcome these new changes, and we’ll continue to work with the Commonwealth, states and territories to review and improve safety for all children.”

    Quotes attributed to acting NSW Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos:

    “These measures are an important first step. While we work with our colleagues on a national approach, the national law allows states to cater to their own needs.

    “NSW welcomes these measures and looks forward to providing additional measures in response to our most recent review.”

    Quotes attributed to Queensland Minister for Education and the Arts John-Paul Langbroek:

    “We must all be persistent in our efforts to strengthen safety measures at childhood education and care services.

    “These changes are a step in the right direction, and I welcome this national approach which will ensure Queensland kids are better protected while providing consistency across all states and territories.”

    Quotes attributed to Northern Territory Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Early Education Jo Hersey:

    “The Northern Territory Government welcomes the Child Safety Review, particularly its focus on strengthening supervision and improving the physical environment to keep children safe.

    “As part of our commitment to addressing the root causes of crime, we recognise that safeguarding children is fundamental to long-term community safety.”

    Quotes attributed to Western Australia Minister for Education; Early Childhood Sabine Winton:

    “The Cook Labor Government is committed to ensuring the safety of children who attend early childhood education and care services in Western Australia.

    “I know there are incredible early learning centres and early childhood educators that help children learn and thrive each and every day.

    “I look forward to working alongside the Albanese Labor Government to further strengthen child safety in early childhood education services, to ensure children have the best possible start to life.”

    Quotes attributed to South Australian Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer:

    “I’m pleased to see all states and territories working together to strengthen the regulations around education and care services to ensure children are safe no matter where the live. 

    “The Malinauskas Labor Government recently provided an extra $7 million to the Education Standards Board to increase and improve regulatory services. This has seen a 63 per cent increase on the previous year in the number of service visits.

    “I look forward to meeting with my colleagues next week to discuss in more detail how we can ensure we as state and federal governments are doing everything we can to provide safe and secure environments for our youngest Australians.”

    For more information

    NQF changes information sheet

    Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Decades on from the Royal Commission, why are Indigenous people still dying in custody?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney

    Rose Marinelli/Shutterstock

    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died.

    The recent deaths in custody of two Indigenous men in the Northern Territory have provoked a deeply confronting question – will it ever end?

    About 597 First Nations people have died in custody sine the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

    This year alone, 12 Indigenous people have died – 31% of total custodial deaths.

    The raw numbers are a tragic indictment of government failure to implement in full the Commission’s 339 recommendations.

    We are potentially further away from resolving this crisis than we were 34 years ago.

    Recent deaths

    Kumanjayi White was a vulnerable young Warlpiri man with a disability under a guardianship order. He stopped breathing while being restrained by police in an Alice Springs supermarket on May 27. His family is calling for all CCTV and body camera footage to be released.

    Days later a 68-year-old Aboriginal Elder from Wadeye was taken to the Palmerston Watchhouse after being detained for apparent intoxication at Darwin airport. He was later transferred to a hospital where he died.

    Alice Springs protest over the death of Kumanjayi White.

    Both were under the care and protection of the state when they died. The royal commission revealed “so many” deaths had occurred in similar circumstances and urged change. It found there was:

    little appreciation of, and less dedication to, the duty of care owed by custodial authorities and their officers to persons in care.

    Seemingly, care and protection were the last things Kumanjayi White and the Wadeye Elder were afforded by NT police.

    Preventable deaths

    The royal commission investigated 99 Aboriginal deaths in custody between 1980 and 1989. If all of its recommendations had been fully implemented, lives may have been saved.

    For instance, recommendation 127 called for “protocols for the care and management” of Aboriginal people in custody, especially those suffering from physical or mental illness. This may have informed a more appropriate and therapeutic response to White and prevented his death.

    Recommendation 80 provided for “non-custodial facilities for the care and treatment of intoxicated persons”. Such facilities may have staved off the trauma the Elder faced when he was detained, and the adverse impact it had on his health.

    More broadly, a lack of independent oversight has compromised accountability. Recommendations 29-31 would have given the coroner, and an assisting lawyer, “the power to direct police” in their investigations:

    It must never again be the case that a death in custody, of Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal persons, will not lead to rigorous and accountable investigations.

    Yet, the Northern Territory police has rejected pleas by White’s family for an independent investigation.

    Another audit?

    Northern Territory Labor MP Marion Scrymgour is calling on the Albanese government to order a full audit of the royal commission recommendations.

    She says Indigenous people are being completely ostracised and victimised:

    People are dying. The federal government, I think, needs to show leadership.

    It is unlikely another audit will cure the failures by the government to act on the recommendations.

    Instead, a new standing body should be established to ensure they are all fully implemented. It should be led by First Nations people and involve families whose loved ones have died in custody in recognition of their lived expertise.

    In 2023, independent Senator Lidia Thorpe moved a motion for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner to assume responsibility for the implementation of the recommendations. While the government expressed support for this motion, there has been no progress.

    Another mechanism for change would be for governments to report back on recommendations made by coroners in relation to deaths in custody. Almost 600 inquests have issued a large repository of recommendations, many of which have been shelved.

    Leadership lacking?

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently conceded no government has “done well enough” to reduce Aboriginal deaths in custody. But he has rejected calls for an intervention in the Northern Territory justice system:

    I need to be convinced that people in Canberra know better than people in the Northern Territory about how to deal with these issues.

    Albanese is ignoring the essence of what is driving deaths in custody.

    Reflecting on the 25-year anniversary of the royal commission in 2016, criminology professor Chris Cunneen wrote that Australia had become much less compassionate and more ready to blame individuals for their alleged failings:

    Nowhere is this more clear than in our desire for punishment. A harsh criminal justice system – in particular, more prisons and people behind bars – has apparently become a hallmark of good government.

    There are too many First Nations deaths in custody because there are too many First Nations people in custody in the first place.

    At the time of the royal commission, 14% of the prison population was First Nations. Today, it’s 36%, even though Indigenous people make up just 3.8% of Australia’s overall population.

    Governments across the country have expanded law and order practices, police forces and prisons in the name of community safety.

    This includes a recent $1.5 billion public order plan to expand policing in the Northern Territory. Such agendas impose a distinct lack of safety on First Nations people, who bear the brunt of such policies. It also instils a message that social issues can only be addressed by punitive and coercive responses.

    The royal commission showed us there is another way: self-determination and stamping out opportunities for racist and violent policing. First Nations families have campaigned for these issues for decades.

    How many more Indigenous deaths in custody does there have to be before we listen?

    Thalia Anthony receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Eddie is an Independent Representative on the Justice Policy Partnership under the Closing the Gap Agreement.

    – ref. Decades on from the Royal Commission, why are Indigenous people still dying in custody? – https://theconversation.com/decades-on-from-the-royal-commission-why-are-indigenous-people-still-dying-in-custody-258568

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

    Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images

    At the end of a week when President Donald Trump sent Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests, Americans across the country turned out in huge numbers to protest Trump’s attempts to expand his power. In rallies on June 14, 2025, organized under the banner “No Kings,” millions of protesters decried Trump’s immigration roundups, cuts to government programs and what many described as his growing authoritarianism.

    The protests were largely peaceful, with relatively few incidents of violence.

    Protests and the interactions between protesters and government authorities have a long history in the United States. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights movement, LBGTQ Stonewall uprising, the Tea Party movement and Black Lives Matter, public protest has been a crucial aspect of efforts to advance or protect the rights of citizens.

    But protests can also have other effects.

    In the last few months, large numbers of anti-Trump protesters have come out in the streets across the U.S., on occasions like the April 5 Hands Off protests against safety net budget cuts and government downsizing. Many of those protesters assert they are protecting American democracy.

    The Trump administration has decried these protesters and the concept of protest more generally, with the president recently calling protesters “troublemakers, agitators, insurrectionists.” A few days before the June 14 military parade in Washington, President Donald Trump said of potential protesters: “this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”

    Trump’s current reaction is reminiscent of his harsh condemnation of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. In 2022, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that Trump had asked about shooting protesters participating in demonstrations after the 2020 shooting of George Floyd.

    As co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium, which compiles information on each day’s protests in the U.S., I understand that protests sometimes can advance the goals of the protest movement. They also can shape the goals and behavior of federal or state governments and their leaders.

    Opportunity for expressing or suppressing democracy

    Protests are an expression of democracy, bolstered by the right to free speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    At the same time, clamping down on protests is one way to rebut challenges to government policies and power.

    For a president intent on the further centralization of executive power, or even establishing a dictatorship, protest suppression provides multiple opportunities and pitfalls.

    Widespread, well-attended demonstrations can represent a mass movement in favor of democracy or other issues as well as serve as an opportunity to expand participation even further. Large events often lead to significant press coverage and plenty of social media posting. The protests may heighten protesters’ emotional connection to the movement and increase fundraising and membership numbers of sponsoring organizations.

    Though it is not an ironclad law, research shows that when at least 3.5% of the total population is involved in a demonstration, protesters usually prevail over their governments. That included the Chilean movement in the 1980s that toppled longtime dictator Augusto Pinochet. Chileans used not only massive demonstrations but also a wide array of creative tactics like a coordinated slowdown of driving and walking, neighbors banging pots outside homes simultaneously, and singing together.

    Protests are rarely only about protesting. Organizers usually seek to involve participants in many other activities, whether that is contacting their elected officials, writing letters to the editor, registering to vote or running a food drive to help vulnerable populations.

    In this way of thinking, participation in a major street protest like No Kings is a gateway into deeper activism.

    Risks and opportunities

    Of course, protest leaders cannot control everyone in or adjacent to the movement.

    Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.

    In one prominent example from Los Angeles, someone set several self-driving cars on fire. Other Los Angeles examples included some protesters’ throwing things like water bottles at officers or engaging in vandalism. Police officers also use coercive measures such as firing chemical irritants and pepper balls at protesters.

    When leaders want to concentrate executive power and establish an autocracy, where they rule with absolute power, protests against those moves could lead to a mass rejection of the leader’s plans. That is what national protest groups like 50501 and Indivisible are hoping for and why they aimed to turn out millions of people at the No Kings protests on June 14.

    But while the Trump administration faces risks from protests, it also may see opportunities.

    Misrepresenting and quashing dissent

    Protests can serve as a justification for a nascent autocrat to further undermine democratic practices and institutions.

    Take the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles protesting the Trump administration’s immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

    Autocrats seek to politicize independent institutions like the armed forces. The Los Angeles protests offered the opportunity for that. Trump sent troops from the California National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to contain the protests. That domestic deployment of the military is rare but not unheard of in U.S. history.

    And the deployment was ordered against the backdrop of the president’s partisan June 10 speech at a U.S. military base in North Carolina. The military personnel in attendance cheered and applauded many of Trump’s political statements. Both the speech and audience reactions to it appeared to violate the U.S. military norm of nonpartisanship.

    This deployment of military personnel in a U.S. city also dovetails with the expansion of executive power characteristic of autocratic leaders. It is rare that presidents call up the National Guard; the Guard is traditionally under the control of the state governor.

    Yet the White House disregarded that Los Angeles’ mayor and California’s governor both objected to the deployment.

    The state sued the Trump administration over the deployment. The initial court decision sided with California officials, declaring the federal government action “illegal.” The Trump administration has appealed.

    Autocrats seek to spread disinformation. In the case of the Los Angeles protests, the Trump administration’s narrative depicted a chaotic, gang-infested city with violence everywhere. Reports on the ground refuted those characterizations. The protests, mostly peaceful, were confined to a small part of the city, about a 10-block area.

    More generally, a strong executive leader and their supporters often want to quash dissent. In the Los Angeles example, doing that has ranged from the military deployment itself to targeting journalists covering the story to arresting and charging prominent opponents like SEIU President David Huerta or shoving and handcuffing U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.

    The contrast on June 14 was striking. In Washington, D.C., Trump reviewed a parade of troops, tanks and planes, leaning into a display of American military power.

    At the same time, from rainy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to sweltering Yuma, Arizona, millions of protesters embraced their First Amendment rights to oppose the president. It perfectly illustrated the dynamic driving deep political division today: the executive concentrating power while a sizable segment of the people resist.

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

    – ref. Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/millions-rally-against-authoritarianism-while-the-white-house-portrays-protests-as-threats-a-political-scientist-explains-258963

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Man in court after Hauraki aggravated robbery

    Source: New Zealand Police

    A man is appearing in court today after an aggravated robbery at a Hauraki bar on Saturday night.

    Police were called to the North Shore bar on Lake Road after 7.30pm on 14 June.

    Detective Senior Sergeant Megan Goldie, from Waitematā Crime Squad, says a sole offender entered the bar.

    “He was allegedly carrying a weapon, and threatened a staff member working at the time,” she says.

    “The offender quickly made off with an amount of cash and took off in a stolen vehicle.”

    Sometime later, a stolen vehicle was detected travelling into central Auckland.

    Detective Senior Sergeant Goldie says the vehicle was seen in the Newton area.

    “The car was located by Auckland City staff parked on Fenton Street, and they were waiting when the offender left a nearby venue to return to his vehicle,” she says.

    “After initially being arrested over the stolen vehicle, Police located a large amount of cash on his person.

    “The staff were aware of the earlier aggravated robbery and the man was spoken to further.”

    He was transported back to the North Shore and was charged with aggravated robbery.

    The 28-year-old man is due to appear in the North Shore District Court today.

    “Police will be opposing this man’s bail when he appears in court,” Detective Senior Sergeant Goldie says.

    “It’s a pleasing result and I acknowledge the teamwork between the staff working on Saturday night.

    “While the staff member in the bar was uninjured, over the weekend we have ensured a referral to Victim Support has been made.”

    ENDS.

    Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Meet the FBI’s Newest Class of Crisis Response Canines

    Source: US FBI

    Taz and Peg are now based in the FBI’s Atlanta and Dallas field offices, respectively. That way, they can quickly deploy nationwide to the scenes of violent crimes, mass violence incidents, courtroom appearances, forensic interviews, and other sensitive scenarios to support victims.  

    While the dogs recently completed their last round of training, their journeys to public service actually started as soon as they were born into human hands at ADW’s puppy enrichment center in New Mexico.  

    ADW trainers begin exposing their puppies to unfamiliar smells, sounds, and other stimuli while some of their senses are still fully forming.

    “So, of course, they cannot see, they cannot hear until about 14 days old, but they can smell,” said ADW Lead Instructor and Trainer Aimee Brown. “They’re moving around. They feel vibrations. They have taste. And so, they’re being exposed to a wide variety of things.”  

    The puppies also learn to love people from their earliest days.  

    As they grow, the trainers keep an eye on traits that can make or break their success as service or facility dogs—such as their gait and their ability to take commands from multiple people. The trainers also look for natural areas of interest or aptitude, essentially allowing the dogs to choose their own vocational adventure.

    “They tell us through the training,” explained Jill Felice, founder, vice president, and program director at Assistance Dogs of the West. 

    The dogs’ presence in the immediate aftermath of a crisis has a scientifically proven ability to decrease the likelihood of victims’ bodies storing their experiences as long-term trauma. 

    According to Assistance Dogs of the West Vice President and Program Director Jill Felice, this is because the mere act of petting a dog causes the human body to release oxytocin—a hormone that induces calmness.  

    “What they’re finding now with the release of oxytocin,” she added, “is the faster you can get oxytocin into your brain when a traumatic event has happened, the less it stays in long-term memory and long-term trauma. And that’s one of the hardest things about crises.”

    And over the course of an investigation and judicial process, crisis response canines can help victims calm their nerves enough to share their stories with investigators and juries, alike. In turn, this helps our Justice Department partners secure convictions in violent crime and terrorism cases.  

    The dogs also help the Bureau establish rapport and build trust with victims.

    “Victims are volunteers,” explained Staci, a victim services coordinator. Staci became the Bureau’s second-ever crisis-response canine handler when she was paired with English Labrador Wally. “They don’t have to speak with us.  

    “In a lot of cases, without victims, you don’t have a case. And so, if we can implement tools to assist victims to be able to want to speak with us—to make it easier for them to speak with us—it’s a win-win, because if victims speak with us, it gives us more information to help with our investigations and hopefully holding people accountable for their victimization, which keeps our streets safer and really helps society overall.”

    In this way, these canine-handler teams are critical to the Bureau’s efforts to crush violent crime, defend the homeland, and rebuild public trust. 

    Following in unparalleled paw prints 

    The FBI’s inaugural crisis response canines, Wally and Gio, joined the Bureau in October 2015 after their ADW training.

    “Early on, the mission of the program really was to leverage the canine-human bond to mitigate stress and anxiety of victims following mass violence incidents,” said Melody, who was paired with Gio in what became one of the Bureau’s first crisis response canine teams.  

    “Soon after that, we branched out, and we started providing support to critical incidents and violent crime. So, that means Gio and Wally would assist across all threat programs in the Bureau. And that could look like court support, forensic interviews, briefings, hostage reunifications, and so on.” 

    The December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, marked their first deployment to a mass violence incident. The canines and their handlers went on to support victims in the wake of eight additional mass violence incidents—including the Pulse nightclub, Parkland, and Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shootings.  

    But they’ve also supported victims in other settings. Notably, Gio and Wally became the first two facility dogs to ever support victims in a courtroom setting. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Pending fighting in a public place and death on arrival case in Cheung Sha Wan reclassified as affray and manslaughter

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Pending fighting in a public place and death on arrival case in Cheung Sha Wan reclassified as affray and manslaughter

    Police reclassified a pending fighting in a public place and death on arrival case in Cheung Sha Wan yesterday (June 14) as affray and manslaughter.Issued at HKT 22:56

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

    Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images

    At the end of a week when President Donald Trump sent Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests, Americans across the country turned out in huge numbers to protest Trump’s attempts to expand his power. In rallies on June 14, 2025, organized under the banner “No Kings,” millions of protesters decried Trump’s immigration roundups, cuts to government programs and what many described as his growing authoritarianism.

    The protests were largely peaceful, with relatively few incidents of violence.

    Protests and the interactions between protesters and government authorities have a long history in the United States. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights movement, LBGTQ Stonewall uprising, the Tea Party movement and Black Lives Matter, public protest has been a crucial aspect of efforts to advance or protect the rights of citizens.

    But protests can also have other effects.

    In the last few months, large numbers of anti-Trump protesters have come out in the streets across the U.S., on occasions like the April 5 Hands Off protests against safety net budget cuts and government downsizing. Many of those protesters assert they are protecting American democracy.

    The Trump administration has decried these protesters and the concept of protest more generally, with the president recently calling protesters “troublemakers, agitators, insurrectionists.” A few days before the June 14 military parade in Washington, President Donald Trump said of potential protesters: “this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”

    Trump’s current reaction is reminiscent of his harsh condemnation of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. In 2022, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that Trump had asked about shooting protesters participating in demonstrations after the 2020 shooting of George Floyd.

    As co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium, which compiles information on each day’s protests in the U.S., I understand that protests sometimes can advance the goals of the protest movement. They also can shape the goals and behavior of federal or state governments and their leaders.

    Opportunity for expressing or suppressing democracy

    Protests are an expression of democracy, bolstered by the right to free speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    At the same time, clamping down on protests is one way to rebut challenges to government policies and power.

    For a president intent on the further centralization of executive power, or even establishing a dictatorship, protest suppression provides multiple opportunities and pitfalls.

    Widespread, well-attended demonstrations can represent a mass movement in favor of democracy or other issues as well as serve as an opportunity to expand participation even further. Large events often lead to significant press coverage and plenty of social media posting. The protests may heighten protesters’ emotional connection to the movement and increase fundraising and membership numbers of sponsoring organizations.

    Though it is not an ironclad law, research shows that when at least 3.5% of the total population is involved in a demonstration, protesters usually prevail over their governments. That included the Chilean movement in the 1980s that toppled longtime dictator Augusto Pinochet. Chileans used not only massive demonstrations but also a wide array of creative tactics like a coordinated slowdown of driving and walking, neighbors banging pots outside homes simultaneously, and singing together.

    Protests are rarely only about protesting. Organizers usually seek to involve participants in many other activities, whether that is contacting their elected officials, writing letters to the editor, registering to vote or running a food drive to help vulnerable populations.

    In this way of thinking, participation in a major street protest like No Kings is a gateway into deeper activism.

    Risks and opportunities

    Of course, protest leaders cannot control everyone in or adjacent to the movement.

    Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.

    In one prominent example from Los Angeles, someone set several self-driving cars on fire. Other Los Angeles examples included some protesters’ throwing things like water bottles at officers or engaging in vandalism. Police officers also use coercive measures such as firing chemical irritants and pepper balls at protesters.

    When leaders want to concentrate executive power and establish an autocracy, where they rule with absolute power, protests against those moves could lead to a mass rejection of the leader’s plans. That is what national protest groups like 50501 and Indivisible are hoping for and why they aimed to turn out millions of people at the No Kings protests on June 14.

    But while the Trump administration faces risks from protests, it also may see opportunities.

    Misrepresenting and quashing dissent

    Protests can serve as a justification for a nascent autocrat to further undermine democratic practices and institutions.

    Take the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles protesting the Trump administration’s immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

    Autocrats seek to politicize independent institutions like the armed forces. The Los Angeles protests offered the opportunity for that. Trump sent troops from the California National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to contain the protests. That domestic deployment of the military is rare but not unheard of in U.S. history.

    And the deployment was ordered against the backdrop of the president’s partisan June 10 speech at a U.S. military base in North Carolina. The military personnel in attendance cheered and applauded many of Trump’s political statements. Both the speech and audience reactions to it appeared to violate the U.S. military norm of nonpartisanship.

    This deployment of military personnel in a U.S. city also dovetails with the expansion of executive power characteristic of autocratic leaders. It is rare that presidents call up the National Guard; the Guard is traditionally under the control of the state governor.

    Yet the White House disregarded that Los Angeles’ mayor and California’s governor both objected to the deployment.

    The state sued the Trump administration over the deployment. The initial court decision sided with California officials, declaring the federal government action “illegal.” The Trump administration has appealed.

    Autocrats seek to spread disinformation. In the case of the Los Angeles protests, the Trump administration’s narrative depicted a chaotic, gang-infested city with violence everywhere. Reports on the ground refuted those characterizations. The protests, mostly peaceful, were confined to a small part of the city, about a 10-block area.

    More generally, a strong executive leader and their supporters often want to quash dissent. In the Los Angeles example, doing that has ranged from the military deployment itself to targeting journalists covering the story to arresting and charging prominent opponents like SEIU President David Huerta or shoving and handcuffing U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.

    The contrast on June 14 was striking. In Washington, D.C., Trump reviewed a parade of troops, tanks and planes, leaning into a display of American military power.

    At the same time, from rainy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to sweltering Yuma, Arizona, millions of protesters embraced their First Amendment rights to oppose the president. It perfectly illustrated the dynamic driving deep political division today: the executive concentrating power while a sizable segment of the people resist.

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

    – ref. Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/millions-rally-against-authoritarianism-while-the-white-house-portrays-protests-as-threats-a-political-scientist-explains-258963

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

    Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images

    At the end of a week when President Donald Trump sent Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests, Americans across the country turned out in huge numbers to protest Trump’s attempts to expand his power. In rallies on June 14, 2025, organized under the banner “No Kings,” millions of protesters decried Trump’s immigration roundups, cuts to government programs and what many described as his growing authoritarianism.

    The protests were largely peaceful, with relatively few incidents of violence.

    Protests and the interactions between protesters and government authorities have a long history in the United States. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights movement, LBGTQ Stonewall uprising, the Tea Party movement and Black Lives Matter, public protest has been a crucial aspect of efforts to advance or protect the rights of citizens.

    But protests can also have other effects.

    In the last few months, large numbers of anti-Trump protesters have come out in the streets across the U.S., on occasions like the April 5 Hands Off protests against safety net budget cuts and government downsizing. Many of those protesters assert they are protecting American democracy.

    The Trump administration has decried these protesters and the concept of protest more generally, with the president recently calling protesters “troublemakers, agitators, insurrectionists.” A few days before the June 14 military parade in Washington, President Donald Trump said of potential protesters: “this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”

    Trump’s current reaction is reminiscent of his harsh condemnation of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. In 2022, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that Trump had asked about shooting protesters participating in demonstrations after the 2020 shooting of George Floyd.

    As co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium, which compiles information on each day’s protests in the U.S., I understand that protests sometimes can advance the goals of the protest movement. They also can shape the goals and behavior of federal or state governments and their leaders.

    Opportunity for expressing or suppressing democracy

    Protests are an expression of democracy, bolstered by the right to free speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    At the same time, clamping down on protests is one way to rebut challenges to government policies and power.

    For a president intent on the further centralization of executive power, or even establishing a dictatorship, protest suppression provides multiple opportunities and pitfalls.

    Widespread, well-attended demonstrations can represent a mass movement in favor of democracy or other issues as well as serve as an opportunity to expand participation even further. Large events often lead to significant press coverage and plenty of social media posting. The protests may heighten protesters’ emotional connection to the movement and increase fundraising and membership numbers of sponsoring organizations.

    Though it is not an ironclad law, research shows that when at least 3.5% of the total population is involved in a demonstration, protesters usually prevail over their governments. That included the Chilean movement in the 1980s that toppled longtime dictator Augusto Pinochet. Chileans used not only massive demonstrations but also a wide array of creative tactics like a coordinated slowdown of driving and walking, neighbors banging pots outside homes simultaneously, and singing together.

    Protests are rarely only about protesting. Organizers usually seek to involve participants in many other activities, whether that is contacting their elected officials, writing letters to the editor, registering to vote or running a food drive to help vulnerable populations.

    In this way of thinking, participation in a major street protest like No Kings is a gateway into deeper activism.

    Risks and opportunities

    Of course, protest leaders cannot control everyone in or adjacent to the movement.

    Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.

    In one prominent example from Los Angeles, someone set several self-driving cars on fire. Other Los Angeles examples included some protesters’ throwing things like water bottles at officers or engaging in vandalism. Police officers also use coercive measures such as firing chemical irritants and pepper balls at protesters.

    When leaders want to concentrate executive power and establish an autocracy, where they rule with absolute power, protests against those moves could lead to a mass rejection of the leader’s plans. That is what national protest groups like 50501 and Indivisible are hoping for and why they aimed to turn out millions of people at the No Kings protests on June 14.

    But while the Trump administration faces risks from protests, it also may see opportunities.

    Misrepresenting and quashing dissent

    Protests can serve as a justification for a nascent autocrat to further undermine democratic practices and institutions.

    Take the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles protesting the Trump administration’s immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

    Autocrats seek to politicize independent institutions like the armed forces. The Los Angeles protests offered the opportunity for that. Trump sent troops from the California National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to contain the protests. That domestic deployment of the military is rare but not unheard of in U.S. history.

    And the deployment was ordered against the backdrop of the president’s partisan June 10 speech at a U.S. military base in North Carolina. The military personnel in attendance cheered and applauded many of Trump’s political statements. Both the speech and audience reactions to it appeared to violate the U.S. military norm of nonpartisanship.

    This deployment of military personnel in a U.S. city also dovetails with the expansion of executive power characteristic of autocratic leaders. It is rare that presidents call up the National Guard; the Guard is traditionally under the control of the state governor.

    Yet the White House disregarded that Los Angeles’ mayor and California’s governor both objected to the deployment.

    The state sued the Trump administration over the deployment. The initial court decision sided with California officials, declaring the federal government action “illegal.” The Trump administration has appealed.

    Autocrats seek to spread disinformation. In the case of the Los Angeles protests, the Trump administration’s narrative depicted a chaotic, gang-infested city with violence everywhere. Reports on the ground refuted those characterizations. The protests, mostly peaceful, were confined to a small part of the city, about a 10-block area.

    More generally, a strong executive leader and their supporters often want to quash dissent. In the Los Angeles example, doing that has ranged from the military deployment itself to targeting journalists covering the story to arresting and charging prominent opponents like SEIU President David Huerta or shoving and handcuffing U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.

    The contrast on June 14 was striking. In Washington, D.C., Trump reviewed a parade of troops, tanks and planes, leaning into a display of American military power.

    At the same time, from rainy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to sweltering Yuma, Arizona, millions of protesters embraced their First Amendment rights to oppose the president. It perfectly illustrated the dynamic driving deep political division today: the executive concentrating power while a sizable segment of the people resist.

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

    – ref. Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/millions-rally-against-authoritarianism-while-the-white-house-portrays-protests-as-threats-a-political-scientist-explains-258963

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Egypt: President El-Sisi Follows Up on Martyrs and Victims Fund Activities and Initiatives

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

    Download logo

    Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Martyrs and Victims Honoring Fund, Major General El-Sayed El-Ghaly, and the Fund’s Executive Director, Major General Ahmed Al-Ashaal. The fund honors the martyrs, as well as victims, missing and the injured of military and security operations and terror attacks and their families.

    Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said the President was briefed on the progress of the Fund’s activities and the services extended to beneficiaries, including the families of martyrs, victims, and those injured in military, terrorist, and security operations, in coordination with relevant state entities.

    President El-Sisi was also updated on the Fund’s upcoming initiatives. The President emphasized the need to further improve the services offered by the Fund, develop its resources, and foster its management mechanisms to strengthen its ability to respond to the needs of its beneficiaries.

    The President approved the launch of the “Egypt is with You” initiative for underage children of martyrs and victims from the Armed Forces, Police, and civilians. This initiative focuses on investing the allocated funds to ensure the highest investment return for these minor children when they reach legal age, in coordination with the Central Bank, the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, and Misr Insurance Company.

    President El-Sisi also approved the inclusion of martyrs and injured officers and other ranks from the Armed Forces in special operations, as well as civilian martyrs in the war effort during previous wars, under the umbrella of the Fund. The President stressed that Egypt will never forget the sacrifices of its loyal sons, and that fitting tributes are being offered to the martyrs and injured who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

    Furthermore, the President directed the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to take the necessary measures to determine exemption and discount rates for various scholarships from public, private, and national universities, as well as private higher institutes, for the Fund’s beneficiaries, along with the method and mechanisms for implementation.

    The President affirmed that the Egyptian people hold deep respect and appreciation for all their sons, the martyrs and those injured in military, terrorist, and security operations, who paid a heavy price for the Egyptian people to live in security and prosperity.

    – on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “WE NEED TO DEFEND OUR DEMOCRACY, UPLIFT AND CHERISH THE CONSTITUTION AND CREATE A BETTER AMERICA”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    This morning, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s The Weekend to discuss the violent attacks against Minnesota lawmakers and the need for leaders that bring America together rather than tear us apart.  

    EUGENE DANIELS: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins us now. Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for coming on. The thing that I kind of can’t get around is how we unring this bell. It feels to me, and I think to a lot of Americans, that the normalization of violence in our politics, the normalization of assassination attempts in our politics, something we haven’t seen since maybe the Civil Rights Era of the 60s, when those were happening. How do we, how can we actually unring that bell realistically?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it’s going to be imperative that everyone, across the political spectrum, demonstrate the type of leadership that actually is designed to bring people together, to lift people up and to appeal to the greater values of the American people, the things that should bind us together, patriotic Americans. We can have spirited debates, but we should never allow those spirited debates to inspire others to engage in behavior that’s unlawful. That’s going to fall on the President. It’s going to fall on the House, the Senate, governors, mayors, people all across the country because the trajectory that we are on right now, the violent culture that exists, is not sustainable.

    JONATHAN CAPEHART: And Leader Jeffries, then, is the President doing enough to lower the temperature? Are Republican leaders in the House and the Senate doing enough to lower the temperature or are they exacerbating the tensions in the country by some of the things they say and some of the things they do?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that certainly remains to be seen in terms of how the President, how my colleagues in Congress handle this moment moving forward. This should be another wake up call amongst many that have happened over the last several years, including, of course, the violent attack on the Capitol that took place on January 6. But at this particular moment in time, the President is going to have to step forward, as is the case with any President when tragedy strikes the United States of America. Now, of course, it’s complicated at this moment by the fact that there’s an ongoing manhunt. All of us should support our law enforcement officials who are engaged in a dangerous endeavor to try to apprehend this suspect, who is clearly violent and likely very disturbed. And we’re thankful for the effort that is being done—city, state and federal officials—to try to apprehend this suspect who engaged in a political assassination of Speaker Hortman. And that’s shocking. That should shock the conscience of everyone. But we also have to come together, and we’re going to need some executive branch leadership partnering with us in the Congress and the Judiciary to keep people safe. It’s not sustainable that Members of Congress, perhaps members of the Judiciary, are being threatened and targeted simply for doing their jobs.

    ELISE JORDAN: Leader Jeffries, are you going to be pushing for any additional security for your members? One of your members, Congresswoman Morrison, was on the list as a target. What has to be done in terms of concrete steps to make sure that Members of the House and also the Senate here in Washington are safe?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, this is going to require additional resources, in all likelihood, so that Members of Congress, Democrats, Republicans, people in the House, people in the Senate, you know, have the ability to actually vigilantly and vigorously represent their constituents, articulate views that are designed to advance the best interests of their constituents and not be targeted in the process. And so I expect to have a conversation with the four corners of leadership across the Congress sooner rather than later, because we’re going to need to speak in one voice on this issue. And of course, early next week, we’ll convene directly with the Sergeant at Arms and the head of the Capitol Police Department to have a conversation with House Democrats about the steps that can be immediately taken to put people in a position where they can be safe and do their jobs actively and aggressively at the same time.

    EUGENE DANIELS: Leader Jeffries, also yesterday we saw these kind of, you know, split screen moment of what was happening in this country with people taking to the streets and protesting and these ‘No Kings’ protests just while President Trump was having his military parade here. There’s a lot of energy, right? We were seeing folks in big cities, small towns and townships. I was driving to a friend’s baby shower yesterday, and I saw one woman just standing out there with a sign by herself on her street corner. How do you, as a leader, how do Democratic leaders take what seems to be an energy that folks are feeling, both Democrats, Republicans and even some Independents, and channel that into something moving forward? What does that look like?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, yes. Well, you know, it was very inspirational to see that across 50 states, you had peaceful demonstrators coming out in community, after community, after community to make a few things clear—primarily that we need to defend our democracy, uplift and cherish the Constitution and create a better America moving forward that’s less divided and more unified. There’s this principle that is an important part of who we are as a country, that we don’t have kings, we don’t have monarchs, we don’t have dictators. We’re a democracy, and in that democracy, you have three separate and co-equal branches of government. And what we need at this moment is to make sure that the legislative branch actually functions in the way that was intended: a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. And the way to do that in this current moment is that we just need a handful of Republicans to actually come to the conclusion that they don’t work for Donald Trump, they don’t work for Elon Musk, they don’t work for JD Vance, they work for the American people. Just a handful—four in the House, four in the Senate to do the right thing, to push back against the reckless Republican efforts to jam this GOP Tax Scam down the throats of the American people, the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, on top of the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history, literally ripping food out of the mouths of children, seniors and veterans. And all of it is being done to give massive tax breaks to GOP billionaire donors. That’s unacceptable. It’s an attack on the American way of life, an attack on the rule of law, an attack on democracy itself. And we need people in the Congress to step up and we need to also support the efforts of the Judiciary branch, which by and large, have been tremendous in upholding the rule of law and pushing back against this administration.

    JONATHAN CAPEHART: Leader Jeffries, as you noted a couple times in that response, you just need a handful of Republicans to step forward and do the right thing. Why won’t they step forward? Is it because they are in fear of going against this President, and what that would mean in terms of their constituents and also some of the folks who maybe might go a little too far? Or is the problem also that you actually have true believers within the Republican Party now, more true believers than the handful you need to step forward to do the right thing for the American people?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s a great question, Jonathan, and I think you have 220 Republicans in the House of Representatives. The overwhelming majority of them are true believers in terms of the far-right extremism the Trump administration is trying to jam down the throats of the American people. There are a handful who are not, but we need them to show, with respect to defending our democracy and the rule of law, what I would call Liz Cheney-like courage. And when it comes to policy issues and the extreme efforts to, you know, end Medicaid as we know it, or wipe away the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans or snatch food out of the mouths of children, we need them to show John McCain-like courage when John McCain, of course, several years ago, was the decisive vote in defeating the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. We’re going to continue to work on them every day, every week, every month until a handful of them finally decide to cross over. It’s why we’ve been having town hall meetings in our districts and in Republican districts and rallies and speeches and press conferences and hearings and being very aggressive as Democrats in trying to make sure that you have some Republicans partner with us to do the right thing on behalf of our great country.

    JONATHAN CAPEHART: And that John McCain moment was iconic as he walked to the Senate Floor and did a thumbs down on the effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you very much for coming to The Weekend.

    The full interview can be watched here. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: SA completes actions to exit greylist

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has confirmed that South Africa has substantially completed all 22 recommended action items outlined in the Action Plan adopted when the country was placed on the organisation’s grey list in February 2023.

    South Africa was placed on the FATF grey list due to deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) regime.

    During its plenary session held in Strasbourg, France, the FATF made the initial determination that South Africa has substantially completed its action plan and warrants an on-site assessment. The on-site assessment will be to verify that the implementation of AML/CFT reforms has begun and is being sustained, and that the necessary political commitment remains in place to sustain implementation in the future. 

    According to the National Treasury, the completion of the Action Plan paves the way for the final step before the FATF can delist South Africa, which is an on-site visit to South Africa by the FATF Africa Joint Group (JG).

    A statement by FATF on (Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring – 13 June 2025) noted that South Africa has undertaken a range of key reforms, including demonstrating a sustained increase in investigations and prosecutions of serious and complex money laundering and the full range of [terror financing] TF activities in line with its risk profile; and updating its TF Risk Assessment to inform the implementation of a comprehensive national counter financing of terrorism strategy.

    The National Treasury emphasised that the improvements to South Africa’s AML/CFT regime are particularly important for South Africa, given the legacy of state capture, one element of which was that law enforcement and prosecuting institutions were deliberately weakened. 

    “Improvements in these domains are critical not just for getting off the greylist, but for strengthening the fight against crime and corruption, and for contributing to the integrity of the South African financial system. Exiting the FATF greylist is a significant step forward as South Africa continues to improve and strengthen its supervisory and criminal justice systems,” National Treasury said on Friday.

    The on-site visit will take place before the next FATF Plenary, and, if the outcome of the visit is positive, the FATF will delist South Africa from the greylist at its next Plenary in October 2025. Preparations for the on-site visit have commenced.

    During this visit, the JG will confirm the country’s ongoing commitment in the implementation of the country’s fight against money laundering, terror financing and other financial crimes.

    “National Treasury commends the efforts and commitment of the law enforcement entities, especially the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) of the South African Police Service, the State Security Agency, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), for the sustained increase in investigations and prosecutions of serious and complex money laundering and terror financing activities. 

    “This made it possible for South Africa to secure the upgrades of the last two remaining action items, often considered to be the most difficult, in the current reporting cycle,” National Treasury said.

    South Africa also commended Mali and Tanzania, who were delisted from greylisting by the FATF Plenary. 

    “We also congratulate Nigeria, Mozambique and Burkina Faso, who like South Africa, were deemed to have substantially completed their action plans, and for whom on-site assessments were also approved.

    “National Treasury pays tribute to the late Advocate Rodney de Kock of the NPA, who played a leading role in preparing the groundwork for South Africa to address the action items, but sadly passed away in January 2025.” 

    The South African Reserve Bank (SARC) has welcomed the confirmation by the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) that South Africa has completed all 22 of its action items.

    “This is a significant step forward – but not the time for complacency,” the SARB said on Saturday.-SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Family pays tribute as victim of Hammersmith shooting named

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    The 30-year-old who was fatally shot in an incident in Claxton Grove, Hammersmith, on Wednesday, 11 June, has been named as Northolt resident Jordan Oliver Rodney.

    In a statement, Mr Rodney’s family said: “It is with unimaginable heartbreak that we confirm the tragic loss of our beloved Jordan Olivier Rodney, who was taken from us far too soon.

    “Jordan was a man who touched the lives of everyone who knew him. He was warm, funny, and loving. Always quick with a smile or a joke that could brighten the dark day.

    “His kindness, generosity, and humour left a lasting impression on friends and family alike. Our son, brother, uncle, and friend was so much more than the circumstances of his death. He brought joy to our lives every single day, and his absence leaves a hole that can never be filled.

    “We will remember Jordie for the love he shared so freely, the laughter he inspired, and the way he made us all feel seen and valued. We ask for privacy as we grieve this devastating loss and whilst we work to come to terms with what has happened.

    “We are eternally grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this incredibly difficult time.”

    A post-mortem examination has taken place.

    A second victim, also in his 30s, has been discharged from hospital.

    Jahmel Joseph, 28 (05.12.1996), of Eaton Rise, Ealing, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of a prohibited weapon and dangerous driving.

    Joseph appeared in custody at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 14 July. He has been remanded to appear before the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 18 July.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why we still need a women’s prize for fiction

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Binhammer, Katherine, Professor of Literary History, University of Alberta

    As we make summer reading lists, some of us will turn to lists of prize winners for recommendations.

    One influential prize, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, recently celebrated its 30th award winner, The Safekeep by Dutch writer Yael van der Wouden.

    The international prize honours the best novel by a woman written in English and published in the United Kingdom. The prize, first awarded in 1996, was founded after no women writers made the 1991 Booker Prize shortlist.

    Considering that fiction by women now regularly makes the shortlists of major prizes, it seems timely to ask: do we still need a prize dedicated to women?

    We explored this question by creating a new dataset containing information on 15 British literary prizes, with demographic information for 682 shortlisted and winning authors. Our analysis of the dataset shows how there is still a ways to go before women’s writing is valued — awarded, remunerated and read — equally to men’s.

    Who wins what prizes?

    We are four research collaborators affiliated with the University of Alberta’s Orlando Project, a project that harnesses the power of digital tools and methods to provide new knowledge about feminist literary scholarship. The Orlando Project has published a searchable digital archive with original coding that focuses of women’s relationship to literary production.

    We compiled a new dataset to explore how gender, ethnicity and educational achievement impacts who wins what prizes.

    When the Women’s Prize first came on the scene in 1996, the average percentage of women winning other U.K. literary prizes actually dropped. The average only began to rise around 2003 when it steadily increased until 2012.

    Women won just eight per cent of the prizes in our dataset in 2003, whereas they won 53 per cent in 2012. But that increase plateaued in 2012, and for the next decade it held steady at a running average of 45 per cent. As well, we note no steady linear progression upwards or downwards on average, but there were highs and lows (21 per cent in 2016 followed by 64 per cent in 2017).

    Booker winners

    Some fluctuation in the winners’ genders is, of course, to be expected. But as is apparent by looking at the percentage of women winners year to year, we should not assume things will always get better.

    Other insights from our dataset suggest caution is required in assuming women’s fiction is now equally valued by the literary establishment.

    Thirty-nine per cent of Booker shortlisted writers were women, but women have only won 32 per cent of the time. The claim that we don’t need a prize for women since many recent shortlists have been dominated by women needs to be tempered with the fact that while women have made up 57 per cent of the Booker’s shortlist since 2016, only 33 per cent of winners have been women.

    Gender and genre

    While we expected some differences between genres, we were surprised by just how gendered certain genres are. Seventy-one per cent of the winners of the (now defunct) Costa Children’s Book Award were women, whereas women only constituted 21 per cent for the British Science Fiction Award and 31 per cent for the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger Award.

    Non-fiction writing — which includes history, political science, sport and current affairs — remains male-dominated: the Baillie Gifford award, which bills itself as “U.K.’s premier annual prize for non-fiction books,” has one of the higher percentages of winners who are men, at 67 per cent.

    Race and ethnicity

    Our dataset includes demographic information on race and ethnicity. It shows that amplifying women’s voices is not simultaneously connected with amplifying all women’s voices.

    The Women’s Prize may have succeeded in pushing the Booker to include more women’s fiction (from zero shortlisted when the Women’s Prize was announced in 1990, to 26 per cent when it made its first award in 1996, to 58 per cent in 2022). But the Booker marginally out-performed the Women’s Prize in relation to racialized writers over the period of our dataset (26 per cent for the former, 22 per cent for the latter).

    A recent book on white literary taste concentrates on the Women’s Prize to show how prizes in general are part of a literary eco-system that is racially biased.

    Fiction reading not as valued as used to be

    We also question what it means that women’s fiction has greater visibility at the same time when fewer and fewer people, and especially men, read fiction.

    Using Nielsen BookScan data, the Women’s Prize 2024 Impact Report points to statistics on fiction authorship and gendered readership: women published 57 per cent of the top 500 bestselling novels in 2023, but while women constitute 44 per cent of readers of the top men’s fiction, men only account for 19 per cent of readers of fiction by women.

    The fact that fewer people are reading fiction at the same time that women are winning more awards, could suggest we are witnessing a repeat of the familiar pattern in women’s history where, at the same historical moment when women achieve dominance, or increase, in a field, and it becomes “feminized,” the field as a whole loses its value or prestige. Examples are family medicine or humanities professors.

    Pattern around gender and genre

    The Orlando Project’s research on 800 years of women’s writing in Britain reveals a pattern around gender and genre when in comes to remuneration and literary prestige. Genres where women writers dominate, like children’s literature and romance, tend to be the least lucrative.

    Novels in the time of Jane Austen illustrate the point. Before Walter Scott and other male writers developed a highbrow “serious” Victorian novel over what they saw as trashy romances, women writers temporarily dominated fiction like they do today. As one of us has argued, when women writers published more novels than men did in the 1790s, novels were the literary genre that paid the least.

    There remains a gender pay equity gap in writing: British women earned 58.6 per cent of what men did in 2022, mostly because the genres they chose to write in do not garner the highest earnings.

    Rewarding women authors

    One way to answer our question of whether we still need a Women’s Prize is this: we will no longer need it when women begin to dominate prizes for prestige genres such as non-fiction; when men read as much writing by women as that by men; and when we pay authors as much as football players.

    So far, we’re not there. We therefore celebrate that in 2023, the Women’s Prize added a new award in non-fiction to address that genre’s gender disparity. The Story of a Heart by practising palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke won this year.

    We encourage readers to take all the Women’s Prize-winning and nominated books to the beach this summer.

    Binhammer, Katherine receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Kanika Batra receives funding from Fulbright Canada.

    Maryse Jayasuriya and Theo Gray 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. Why we still need a women’s prize for fiction – https://theconversation.com/why-we-still-need-a-womens-prize-for-fiction-257494

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police Commissioner’s directive on training standards welcomed

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Police Commissioner’s clear directive that standards must be upheld for training and recruitment at the Police College is necessary and meets the Government’s expectations, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell.

    “The Police Commissioner has full operational independence and that is entirely appropriate. However, as with all government departments, the Commissioner takes the lead on delivering the priorities and expectations of the Government of the day and leading the direction of the organisation, including the standards that it sets.

    “The review highlights an over-use of discretion being applied to admit people that do not meet a variety of standards to the Police College.  There is no doubt in my mind that the priorities set by the previous government around recruiting contributed to this.

    “When in Opposition I expressed my concern around the change in standards.  When coming into Government, I supported an immediate change back to a 20-week recruit course from 16 weeks, and both Casey Costello and I made our expectations clear that meeting the coalition agreement of 500 more police officers, would not come at the expense of standards. 

    “We welcome and support the swift and decisive action by the Commissioner in setting this clear directive.   We have a world-class Police force that New Zealanders can be proud of, and we are committed to maintaining that quality and public confidence.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • Jannik Sinner seeks to put disappointment of French Open defeat behind him

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    World number one Jannik Sinner wants to use the Halle Open as a chance to bounce back from sleepless nights after his agonising loss to rival Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final this month.

    In a thrilling showdown, Sinner took the first two sets and had three match points in the fourth set, but Spaniard Alcaraz persevered to grind out a 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) win in five hours and 29 minutes – the longest final at Roland Garros.

    Asked if he had thought about the championship points he failed to convert, Sinner told reporters on Saturday: “Often. It happens. I don’t know how it will look in the future.

    “I think that it is not the most important thing, but I nevertheless try to forget the negative things and see what I can do here” in Halle.

    “I think that for me to play another tournament is positive, because every match is a new beginning, and I must be mentally ready to give my all on the court. Therefore, it is great I can be here in Halle. Yes, I had already a few sleepless nights, but I think every day it gets better.”

    The 23-year-old Italian is the reigning champion at Halle and will seek to defend his crown at the tournament, which starts on Monday, as he gears up for Wimbledon, which will be held from June 30 to July 13 at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

    “The first practice session was OK. I hadn’t played since Paris, so my general feelings on the court were not so perfect,” Sinner said.

    “I think a good grass-court player can move well. The ball can bounce a bit funny because of the grass, and you have to serve intelligently.

    “But in general, it is a surface on which I took a step forward last year and we will see how it goes this year.”

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-Evening Report: Vehicle issued to Fiji assistant minister involved in fatal accident – driver’s son implicated

    By Anish Chand in Suva

    The son of a Fiji assistant minister is under investigation for allegedly driving a government vehicle without authority and causing an accident that killed two men.

    The accident took place along Bau Road, Nausori, last night.

    The vehicle involved in the accident was the official government vehicle issued for the assistant minister.

    It is alleged the 17-year-old took the vehicle without the knowledge of his father.

    Police have confirmed the incident.

    “The suspect is alleged to have taken the keys of the vehicle from his father while he slept and was driving along Bau Road, when he bumped the two victims standing on the roadside, and he fled the scene,” said the Fiji Police Force.

    “He later relayed the matter to his father who reported the matter to police.

    “The two victims in their 40s were conveyed to the Nausori Health Centre where their deaths were confirmed by medical officials.”

    Republished from The Fiji Times with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Police launch e-traffic tickets

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Police today officially launched the digitalisation of Fixed Penalty Notices, and will issue penalty tickets for illegal parking and moving traffic offences electronically from now on.

    Additionally, a thematic portal and mobile application have also been launched to facilitate vehicle owners and drivers to verify and settle their fines using electronic payment methods.

    The force will issue electronic penalty tickets (ePTs) according to the verified e-contact means (ECM) submitted by offenders to the Transport Department – SMS tickets for those who have provided a Hong Kong mobile phone number, and email tickets for those who have provided an email address.

    It will continue to issue printed paper penalty tickets to those that have not submitted their verified ECMs.

    At the initial stage of implementation, Police will adopt a “dual-track” transitional arrangement. Offenders will receive both ePTs and printed paper tickets, and they are only required to settle their fines using either one. Members of the public are encouraged to use ePTs. 

    The formats of penalty tickets have also been updated to include new payment information and methods.

    The force reminds the public that all SMS tickets are issued under the SMS sender name “#HKPF-eTT”, and a purported SMS ticket that is not sent under this sender name must be fake.

    Moreover, all SMS or email tickets do not contain any hyperlinks, and people should avoid clicking on any suspicious hyperlinks or providing any personal information.

    Lastly, the platform’s thematic portal has a domain ending with “.gov.hk”. Websites that do not end with “.gov.hk” are not government official websites.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Road Closed, SH74, Lyttelton

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Lyttelton Road Tunnel is closed following a crash this evening.

    Police were alerted to the three-vehicle crash on SH74/Tunnel Road at around 5.35pm.

    There are no reported injuries in relation to the crash.

    The tunnel is closed while emergency services are at the scene.

    Motorists are advised to take an alternate route and expect delays.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Appeal for information after hit and run, Mangakakahi

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Attributable to Senior Sergeant Roger Schreuder,

    Rotorua Police are appealing for the public’s help after a hit-and-run incident this afternoon that left a man critically injured.

    Emergency services were called to Edmund Road at around 2.15pm after a report of a crash involving a motorbike and a pedestrian.

    The motorbike then left the scene without stopping.

    The pedestrian was located with injuries and he was transported to hospital in a critical condition.

    The road remains closed while emergency services are in attendance, and traffic management is in place.

    Police are now working to identify the rider of the motorbike which struck the man.

    The motorbike travelled from Edmund Road towards Clayton Road.

    Police would like to speak with anyone who was on Edmund Road between 2pm and 2.30pm who may have witnessed the crash.

    We would also like to hear from anyone who may have dashcam or CCTV footage in the Edmund Road and Clayton Road areas.

    If you have any information about this motorbike, or its rider, we are urging you to get in touch with us.

    If you can help, please call 105 and quote reference number P062875068.

    You can also provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fatal crash – Katherine region

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force is investigating a fatal crash that occurred in the Katherine region yesterday afternoon.

    Around 3:40pm, police received reports of a single vehicle collision on the Buntine Highway, approximately 45 kilometres south of the Victoria Highway intersection.

    The 46-year-old male driver and sole vehicle occupant was pronounced deceased at the scene.

    A report will be prepared for the NT Coroner. 

    Police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25160362.

    The number of lives lost on Territory roads now stands at 19.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Water incident, Pātea

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Attribute to Detective Sergeant Chris Allemann:

    Two people have died after a boat capsized off Pātea this morning.

    Three people were aboard the boat when it got into trouble in water off Pātea, about 10.15am.

    One person was located in the water after the boat capsized. They were treated by ambulance at the scene and have been transported to hospital.

    Sadly, two people died in the incident and their bodies were recovered by 11.30am.

    Police are providing support to their next of kin.

    The cause of the capsizing will be investigated, but at this time Police are unable to provide any further details.

    Police would like to thank boaties, Coastguard South Taranaki and Coastguard Whanganui volunteers, and our emergency service colleagues for their help.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 2025–26 ACT Budget: what’s in it for Gungahlin

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    There will be new cricket nets installed at Bonner oval.

    In brief

    • The 2025–26 ACT Budget includes investment in community facilities in Gungahlin.
    • These include shop upgrades, a playground and new cricket nets.
    • This article overviews some of the facilities receiving support.

    Gungahlin residents will see improvements to a range of community facilities across the region.

    The 2025–26 ACT Budget will invest in:

    • upgraded sport and recreation facilities
    • a new playground
    • new path and footpath improvements
    • local shops revitalisation
    • early work to prepare for future infrastructure in Casey.

    These improvements will support the region’s growing population.

    A new playground

    A new playground will be built in Amaroo. It will be located at the local shops on Katherine Avenue.

    Revitalised local shops

    The Palmerston shops will receive upgrades. These will make the space safer and more accessible for the community.

    Investing in sport and recreation

    There will be new cricket nets installed at Bonner oval.

    The Gungahlin Enclosed Oval (Crinigan Circle) and Harrison oval will benefit from female-friendly changeroom upgrades. These are part of ACT-wide investment in inclusive sports facilities.

    Better paths and safer streets

    There will be a new walking and cycling path built along Victoria Street in Hall.

    Footpaths will be improved and better connected as part of an ACT-wide program.

    Lighting upgrades around the region will improve safety and visibility.

    Supporting Gungahlin’s future

    Long-term planning is underway to meet the needs of a growing Gungahlin.

    New critical infrastructure is a step closer and will ensure residents can access the things they need, close to home.

    The Budget includes investment in early work in Casey.

    This will prepare the precinct for the development of a new health centre and future infrastructure, such as potential community facilities and a new emergency services station.

    Read more like this:

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Drone tech boosts efficiency

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Government launched the first batch of low-altitude economy (LAE) Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects in March and these projects are being rolled out progressively.

    Drone drill

    Under the framework of the sandbox pilot projects, CLP Power’s drone team began a beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) pilot scheme to inspect overhead lines at a test site in Sai Wan in Sai Kung.

    CLP Power Principal Manager – Logistics & Transport Edward Chan said under the LAE Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects, the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has relaxed the existing restriction on BVLOS operations to allow a drone to fly beyond a pilot’s line of sight.

    “We submitted four inspection routes to the Government, covering overhead line facilities in some sparsely populated areas and also urban districts.

    “In April, we began the BVLOS operation in one of the pilot sites, which is in Sai Wan of Sai Kung. We carried out a test flight under different scenarios, including manual operation by remote pilots and also automated inspection of our outdoor power facilities. Although Sai Wan is relatively remote, but the signal reception during the trial was smooth.”

    Safety first

    The company has an extensive power transmission and high-voltage distribution network. Overhead lines are in particular more vulnerable to extreme weather and environmental conditions.

    In view of increasing extreme weather events, the company has stepped up drone inspections of outdoor power facilities to ensure a stable power supply.

    Mr Chan explained that most of the company’s outdoor transmission lines and towers are located in remote areas. Each team of engineering staff used to carry out inspections by patrols, covering an average of only around 5km a day, but with the use of drones, they expect a more than four-fold increase in the efficiency of inspections.

    “For emergencies and severe weather conditions, BVLOS operations are particularly crucial because a fallen tree, landslides or road blockages might prevent our engineering staff from reaching the affected area.

    “With the use of BVLOS operations, our engineering staff can operate drones from a safe location, quickly assess the equipment and components in remote areas and hazardous areas, so it can significantly improve the efficiency of maintenance work and also reduce the impact on customers.”

    Law change

    To promote the development of Hong Kong’s low-altitude economy, the Government has started work in various areas, including legislative amendments.

    CAD Operations Officer Nicole Law noted that to tap into the potential of heavier small unmanned aircraft (SUA) the Government is now working to amend the current SUA Order to add a new Category C aircraft to cover unmanned aircraft weighing more than 25kg but not more than 150kg.

    “At the same time, provisions will be introduced in the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 to facilitate the trials of various unconventional aircraft in Hong Kong, such as unmanned aircraft weighing over 150kg, so that the emerging technologies for LAE can be trialled under specified conditions, provided that aviation safety requirements are met.”

    The amendments to the Small Unmanned Aircraft Order and the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 were published in the Gazette on May 23 and the legislative amendment proposals were tabled in the Legislative Council on May 28. It is expected that both amendments will come into effect in mid-July 2025, she added.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Help prevent elder abuse

    Source: New Zealand Government

    On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Seniors Minister Casey Costello is urging older New Zealanders to safeguard their rights by establishing Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs).
    Speaking at Auckland’s first-ever Treasuring Our Seniors Expo, Ms Costello highlighted the need for older people to take proactive steps to protect themselves.
    “Establishing legal protections is an important tool to strengthen the financial position of older New Zealanders and therefore preventing what we know as Elder Abuse. 
    “This abuse is not limited to physical impacts but also arises through loss of financial control and independence.  
    “Setting up an EPA puts the power back into the hands of older people, allowing them to choose someone trustworthy to make decisions if they can’t.
    “This is essential to keeping their voices heard and their rights respected.”
    Ms Costello said elder abuse is often hidden, occurring behind closed doors and inflicted by people who are often well known and even loved by their victims. 
    “It’s a horrible crime because this means the victims of abuse can be reluctant to report the harm that’s occurring.
    “We must break this silence. Every one of us has the power to make a difference. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it. Trust your instincts and reach out.”
    Immediate, confidential support is available through the Elder Abuse Response Service helpline at 0800 32 668 65 (0800 EA NOT OK).
    ENDS
    About elder abuse
    Elder abuse is a serious issue in New Zealand. Many cases remain hidden due to fear, shame, or lack of awareness.  It is estimated that as many as three-quarters of cases go unreported.
    Abuse can impact anyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, income, or health. Risk factors include isolation, physical or mental challenges, past abuse or trauma, poverty, social exclusion, and experiencing discrimination.
    About EPAs
    An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) allows people to appoint someone they trust to make decisions about their personal care and finances if they become unable to do so themselves. 
    There are two types of EPA:

    An EPA for personal care and welfare, covering decisions related to healthcare, accommodation, and personal wellbeing.
    An EPA for Property, relating to financial matters and asset management.

    The individual chooses trusted people to act on their behalf, giving them legal authority to make specific decisions – if the individual can no longer make those decisions themself.
    A lawyer is required to set up an EPA. Options include Public Trust, a family lawyer, or Community Law. Consumer NZ and Sorted have guidance on affordable choices.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sheet Harbour — Update: Police continue to seek video of Hwy. 7 to help find Brian Warrington

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Police continue to search for 40-year-old Brian John Matthew Warrington, who was last seen on May 25 in Sheet Harbour.

    Since Warrington’s disappearance on Sunday May 25, Ground search and rescue (GSAR) teams and RCMP and GSAR remotely piloted aircraft system operators have searched the Sheet Harbour area, along the East River and on Hwy. 7 and Hwy. 224.

    Warrington, who is known to hitchhike, is described as 6-foot-0, 210 pounds. He has brown hair, brown eyes and walks with a limp. Currently, no clothing description is available.

    Investigators continue to establish a timeline of Warrington’s disappearance and are asking for the public’s assistance. If you have camera footage, including dashcam video, of Hwy. 7, in Sheet Harbour, from 4 p.m. on May 24 and 9 p.m. on May 25, please contact police.

    Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Brian Warrington is asked to contact police at 902-490-5020. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    Note: A photo of Brian Warrington is attached.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON THE 250TH BIRTHDAY OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Know Your Immigration Rights

    If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

    Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

    Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

    Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

    The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

    Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 2025–26 ACT Budget: what’s in it for Central Canberra

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Griffith shops will receive upgrades.

    In brief

    • The 2025–26 ACT Budget includes investment in community facilities in the inner north, inner south and the city.
    • These include shop and footpath upgrades.
    • This article overviews some of the facilities receiving support.

    The 2025–26 ACT Budget will support improvements to community facilities across the inner north, inner south and city.

    The investment will deliver practical improvements in the areas residents use most.

    Shop and amenity improvements

    Griffith shops will receive upgrades.

    New toilet facilities will be installed at both Red Hill and Downer shops.

    Sport and recreation upgrades

    There will be female-friendly changeroom upgrades at playing fields in Griffith, Ainslie and Reid.

    These are part of ACT-wide investment in inclusive sports facilities.

    Upgrades to community infrastructure and public spaces

    Footpaths across the region will be improved and better connected. This is part of an ACT-wide program.

    Lighting upgrades, including on City Walk, will improve safety and visibility.

    There will be stormwater upgrades at Dickson Shops.

    The Budget will also invest in concept design masterplanning to renew the City Hill park.

    More local healthcare options

    The ACT Government is investing in planning and feasibility work for the new Inner South Health Centre in Griffith.

    The facility will help meet the growing health needs of Inner South residents.

    Its delivery is part of ACT-wide investment in local community health.

    Read more like this:

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Death toll from floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape rises to 86

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    CAPE TOWN, June 14 (Xinhua) — The death toll from devastating floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province has risen to 86, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said on Saturday.

    He gave the latest figures to police and rescue workers involved in rescue operations in Umtata, the town worst hit by the disaster.

    “Unfortunately, of course, we know that many people have died and it is mentioned that the total number of victims in the province has reached 86 people. This is a great tragedy and we are all deeply saddened by what has happened,” said S. Mchunu.

    Severe weather, including heavy rain and snowfall, has wreaked havoc in parts of the Eastern Cape this week, resulting in significant loss of life and widespread damage to infrastructure.

    The floods, which began on Monday, also destroyed homes, government offices, roads, hospitals and schools, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes.

    South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the province on Friday, pledged that the government would continue to provide aid to affected communities. He also proposed declaring a national day of remembrance for those killed in the disaster. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: RAF King’s Birthday Honours 2025Kings’ Birthday Honours List 2025 – Military Division.13 Jun 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Royal Air Force

    King’s Birthday Honours List 2025 – Military Division

    PROMOTIONS IN AND APPOINTMENTS TO THE MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MOST HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH

    As Knight Commander  

    Air Marshal J.J. Stringer CBE 

    As Companion (CB)  

    Air Vice-Marshal M.W.J Chappell  

    Air Vice-Marshal A.P.T. Smith 

    PROMOTIONS IN AND APPOINTMENTS TO THE MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

    As Commanders (CBE) 

    Air Commodore I.J. Sharrocks OBE 

    Group Captain A. Burton 

    As Officers (OBE)

    Group Captain A.P. Baron 

    Group Captain P. Baroni 

    Group Captain R.L. Dixon  

    Wing Commander G.A. Lonsdale 

    Wing Commander T.C. Page 

    Wing Commander A.N. Pandya 

    As Members (MBE)

    Acting Wing Commander D.C. McCrae 

    Squadron Leader C.B.M. Emmerson 

    Squadron Leader J.R. Rushton 

    Squadron Leader T.A. Smith 

    Squadron Leader M.D. Sugden 

    Squadron Leader D.J. Taudevin 

    Squadron Leader J.K. Wilyman 

    Flight Lieutenant R.K. Mehta 

    Flight Lieutenant M.W. Norman 

    Captain R.M. St J. Sheehan (British Army) 

    Warrant Officer C. Hamilton 

    Staff Sergeant E. Oppong (British Army) 

    Sergeant G.L. Jones 

    Corporal E-J. Bangura 

    King’s Volunteer Reserves Medal

    Sergeant D.J. Tyler 

    Associate Member of The Royal Red Cross 

    Flight Sergeant (now Acting Warrant Officer) S.L. Roberts 

    King’s Birthday Honours list 2025 – Civilian Division

    PROMOTIONS IN AND APPOINTMENTS TO THE CIVILIAN DIVISION OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

    As Members (MBE) 

    Mr R.P. O’Connor  

    Reverend J.M. Pitkin 

    British Empire Medal  

    Mr J.R. McGlasson 

    MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL

    Warrant Officer M.A. Coupland 

    Warrant Officer N. Dutton 

    Master Aircrew P.A. Goss 

    Master Aircrew R.A. Jones 

    Master Aircrew T.J.M. Millar 

    Warrant Officer M. Rees-Martin MBE 

    Warrant Officer D.K. Rose 

    Master Aircrew D.V. Russell 

    Master Aircrew S.F. Severn 

    Warrant Officer S.W. Thorpe 

    Flight Sergeant (now Acting Warrant Officer) O.R. Watkins 

    Flight Sergeant R.C. Atha 

    Flight Sergeant S.J. Dutton 

    Flight Sergeant D. Farrell 

    Flight Sergeant R.E. Mauchline 

    Flight Sergeant R.M. Pugh 

    Acting Flight Sergeant C.M. Irvine 

    CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF COMMENDATIONS

    Wing Commander K.E. Ingram MBE 

    Squadron Leader (now Wing Commander) A.H. Stewart 

    Squadron Leader N.J.D. Bell 

    Flight Lieutenant A. Carter 

    Flight Lieutenant G. Feetham 

    Sergeant P.M. Taylor 

    Acting Sergeant N.T. Egan 

    Corporal G.P. Dutton 

    Corporal L.D. Evans 

    Corporal J.F. Scott 

    Acting Corporal D.J. Purves 

    Air Specialist Class 1 B. Dudgeon 

    Team Commendations 

    Air Finance Strategic Financial Planning Team 

    Department of Medicine, RAF R&S, RAF Cranwell 

    Protector Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation, RAF Waddington 

    Tactical Operations Centre Light eXperimental (TOC-X) Delivery and Innovations Team 

    27 Squadron Engineering 

    DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF & AIR AND SPACE COMMANDER COMMENDATIONS

    DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF COMMENDATIONS

    Squadron Leader E.L. Brooks 

    Squadron Leader R.J. Kemplay 

    Flight Lieutenant M.J. Wade 

    Mrs N.J. Skelton 

    Team Commendations 

    Project NEXUS – DEIMOS Team 

    Qatar Air Programme Office 2024 

    Trial CHAINMAIL 2 Team 

    R&S Select Processing Team 

    Ground Combat and Security Profession Enlisted Aviator Career Management Team 

    ANY Desk Career Management 

    AIR AND SPACE COMMANDER COMMENDATIONS

    Wing Commander T.P. Nassif 

    Squadron Leader B.P. Burton 

    Squadron Leader P.M. Dunkley 

    Squadron Leader S.E. Evans 

    Major M.G. Fairchild (US Space Force) 

    Squadron Leader E.E. Leonard 

    Squadron Leader C.J. Marsh 

    Squadron Leader L.M. Ryder 

    Squadron Leader D.A. Yule 

    Flight Lieutenant (now Acting Squadron Leader) B.L. Dzekashu 

    Lieutenant M.P. Anelli (Royal Navy) 

    Warrant Officer G. Pringle 

    Chief Petty Officer T.A. Fenwick (Royal Navy) 

    Flight Sergeant D.J. Gillam 

    Flight Sergeant G.L. Hobbs 

    Acting Flight Sergeant (now Chief Technician) J.W. Kelly 

    Sergeant (now Staff Sergeant) R. Limbu (British Army) 

    Sergeant T.A. Marley 

    Air Specialist Class 1 (now Acting Corporal) J.P.J. Eldridge 

    Air Specialist Class 1 T.D. Magill 

    Mr A.P. Bowell 

    Mrs C. Sherman 

    Team Commendations 

    RAF Pay Team, London Main Building 

    11 Group A5 

    Engineering Profession Advisor Team 

    RAF Medical Board 

    Engineering Team, Number II (Army Cooperation) Squadron, RAF Lossiemouth 

    Air Battlespace Training Centre, RAF Waddington  

    45 Squadron Mission Aircrew ISR Acoustics Team 

    RAF Coningsby Duty Fire Crew 

    Spitfire Crash Incident Officers 

    RAF Cranwell ACE Team 

    RAF Odiham Project PALES Team 

    AIR OFFICERS COMMANDING COMMENDATIONS

    AIR OFFICER COMMANDING NO. 1 GROUP COMMENDATIONS

    Lieutenant Commander P. Armstrong (Royal Navy) 

    Lieutenant Commander N.E. Baker (Royal Navy) 

    Squadron Leader D.C.D. Berris 

    Squadron Leader K.M. Hickinbotham 

    Squadron Leader S.I. Roxburgh 

    Flight Lieutenant D.A. Breslin 

    Flight Lieutenant M.R. Crosby-Jones 

    Flight Lieutenant A.M. Dale 

    Flight Lieutenant K. Jamison 

    Flight Lieutenant L.O. Matthews 

    Flight Lieutenant W.L.D. Mountfield 

    Flight Lieutenant D. Scarr 

    Flight Lieutenant R. Wallace 

    Lieutenant W.R. Sankey (Royal Navy) 

    Acting Flight Lieutenant V. Logan 

    Warrant Officer C.P. Harker 

    Flight Sergeant D.T. Best 

    Flight Sergeant J.A. Bracewell 

    Chief Petty Officer G. Parker (Royal Navy) 

    Chief Technician W.A. Byrne 

    Sergeant N.J. Lindley 

    Acting Sergeant R.G. Archer 

    Acting Sergeant J.A. Grimmer 

    Air Specialist Class 1 (Technician) T.A. Bond 

    Air Specialist Class 1 (Technician) O-J. Whitehead 

    Mr L. Maple 

    Mr S. Williams 

    Team Commendations 

    Number 54 Squadron – Protector Training Flight 

    BBMF CAw Management 

    Number 56 Squadron E-7 Wedgetail Operator Subject Matter Expert Team 

    BAE Systems Civilian Qualified Flying Instructor 

    Joint Air Delivery Test & Evaluation Unit – Engineering Section, RAF Brize Norton 

    29 Squadron Typhoon Display Team, RAF Coningsby 

    Number 14 Squadron Shadow Qualified Flying Instructors, RAF Waddington 

    A Flight, ISR Enabling Squadron, 1ISR Wing, Royal Air Force Waddington 

    Number 99 Squadron C-17 ZZ173 Air Ground Engineers, RAF Brize Norton 

    Royal Air Force Falcons 2024 Parachute Display Team, RAF Brize Norton 

    AIR OFFICER COMMANDING NO. 2 GROUP COMMENDATIONS

    Squadron Leader S.J. Jackson 

    Squadron Leader D.C. Netherton 

    Squadron Leader R.D. Scothern 

    Flight Lieutenant D. Anderson 

    Flight Lieutenant P. Crutchlow 

    Flight Lieutenant L.J. Eagle 

    Flight Lieutenant B.R. Garwood 

    Flight Lieutenant A.J. Mawdsley 

    Acting Flight Lieutenant R. Howarth 

    Flying Officer P. Shingler 

    Chief Technician A.J. Hunt 

    Flight Sergeant E.L. Dye 

    Flight Sergeant M. Eastaugh 

    Flight Sergeant M.J. Ellson 

    Flight Sergeant J.H.R. McClymont 

    Flight Sergeant G. Teague 

    Flight Sergeant N.H. White 

    Sergeant S.B. Brandt 

    Sergeant D.J. Cooper 

    Sergeant A.C. Lockwood 

    Sergeant P.R. Stockley 

    Corporal M.T. Ferguson 

    Corporal T.M. Grainger 

    Corporal G.F.E. Melling 

    Corporal C.J. Mills 

    Corporal S.A. Palmer 

    Corporal G.J. Sutton 

    Corporal R.P. Worthington 

    Acting Corporal R.P. Swatman 

    Air Specialist Class 1 (Technician) J.G. Evans 

    Air Specialist Class 1 H.C. Rhind-Tutt 

    Mr I. Aitkenhead 

    Mr A. Barber 

    Mr D. Clarke 

    Mr A. Stewart 

    Team Commendations

    Crisis Response Team 

    RAF Police Support to Operation ROMAJI 

    Royal Air Force Benson Air Traffic Control Squadron 

    Tactical Communications Wing Project LETSRIG Team 

    Air Control Essentials Course Training Team 

    144 Signals Unit Deployable Air Defence Flight and 19 Squadron Portreath Detachment 

    RAF Regiment Apprenticeship Centre 

    Medical and Dental Servicing Section 

    Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron Operation LORIEN Recovery Team 

    A Life Saving Team at RAF Waddington 

    RAF Odiham Wildlife Control Unit 

    RAF Odiham Catering Flight 

    Royal Air Force Lossiemouth Mobility Support Section 

    Royal Air Force Coningsby Armament Engineering Flt 

    RAF Leeming Police and Security Flt 

    RAF Boulmer Beacon Community Centre 

    78 Squadron Flight Safety Team 

    Project KIMBINU GRIFFIN 

    RAF Marham Force Protection Training Flight 

    Polytunnel and Wellness Area Team (Whole Force Personnel and Families) 

    RAF Marham Physical Education Flight 

    HQ 2 Group Force Generation Team 

    1 AMW HQ Plans Team 

    AIR OFFICER COMMANDING NO. 11 GROUP COMMENDATIONS

    Squadron Leader J. Ives 

    Squadron Leader G. Ivison 

    Squadron Leader M.J. Pickford 

    Squadron Leader S. Wain 

    Flight Lieutenant E.D.M. Haylock 

    Flight Lieutenant B.A. Ter Haar 

    Colour Sergeant S.C. Hopkins (British Army) 

    Air Specialist Class 1 T. Ogden 

    Air Specialist Class 1 J. Smart 

    S. Fogden 

    Team Commendation

    11 Group A7 Operational Training Centre 

    AIR OFFICER COMMANDING NO. 22 GROUP COMMENDATIONS

    Acting Major C. Reid (British Army) 

    Acting Squadron Leader J.C. Blackie  

    Acting Squadron Leader R.D. Jones  

    Flight Lieutenant J. Orrell 

    Flight Lieutenant S.S. Toomer 

    Flight Lieutenant I.A. Torrance 

    Warrant Officer 2 K.A. Feldsmann (British Army) 

    Warrant Officer 2 D. Rai (British Army) 

    Flight Sergeant T.J. Elton  

    Staff Sergeant J.L. Willis (British Army) 

    Sergeant D.S. Wilkinson 

    Mrs S. Gwilliam 

    Team Commendations

    School of Army Aeronautical Engineering Aviation Academy 

    No 1 Radio School, Cyber Security Flight 

    Number 1 Radio School, Digital Systems and Applications Flight 

    Central Flying School (Helicopters) Squadron Training Team 

    Whittle Section, Trainee Support Squadron, No 1 School of Technical Training 

    Assurance and Governance Squadron, Learning and Development Wing 

    Defence College of Technical Training HQ Finance Team 

    Hawk Syllabus Development Team 

    Headquarters Defence College of Technical Training – TDA Plans Team 

    Essex Wing Warrant Officer’s Team, Royal Air Force Air Cadets  

    CHAPLAIN-IN-CHIEF (ROYAL AIR FORCE) COMMENDATIONS

    Reverend (Squadron Leader) N. Galloway MBE 

    Mr P. Morcombe 

    COMMANDER UK SPACE COMMAND COMMENDATION

    Captain C.M. Reeds (British Army) 

    Team Commendations  

    No.1 Space Operations Squadron Training Team 

    DIRECTOR CAPABILITY AND PROGRAMMES COMMENDATIONS

    C. Young 

    DIRECTOR SUPPORT COMMENDATIONS

    Flight Sergeant C.D. Andrews 

    Mr A. Collinson 

    K. Patel  

    DIRECTOR DIGITAL COMMENDATIONS

    Flight Lieutenant R.S. Hall 

    Flight Lieutenant A.C. Metcalfe 

    Flying Officer D. Huckstepp

    DIRECTOR RESERVES COMMENDATIONS

    Flight Sergeant C.G. Smith 

    Team Commendations 

    RAuxAF100 Standard Parade Delivery Team 

    501 Sqn Operation SILK PURSE Team 

    COMMANDER JOINT AVIATION COMMAND COMMENDATIONS

    Commander Joint Aviation Command Commendations    

    Flight Lieutenant C. Rudyk-Smith 

    Flight Lieutenant M.A. Stoodley 

    Flight Sergeant N.K-C. Bargery 

    Chief Technician S.A. Grant 

    Chief Technician C.J.M. Maisey 

    Chief Technician R.N. McCarthy 

    Sergeant D.J. Dickson 

    Sergeant K.S. Potts 

    Sergeant R.S. Worker 

    Acting Sergeant J.P. Jenkins 

    Corporal D.J. White 

    Team Commendations 

    Chinook CAMO Team 

    7 Sqn R1 Detachment 

    CAE Aircrew Training Service (Puma staff) 

    VICE CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF COMMENDATIONS

    Wing Commander H.M. Parr 

    Squadron Leader J.P.J. Casson 

    COMMANDER UNITED KINGDOM STRATEGIC COMMAND COMMENDATIONS

    Wing Commander D.E. Wilson 

    Squadron Leader (now Acting Wing Commander) S. Davies 

    Squadron Leader M. Bradley 

    Squadron Leader F.A. Merino 

    Squadron Leader L.G.J. Scott 

    Sergeant (now Acting Flight Sergeant) L.P. Buttery 

    Air Specialist Class 1 (now Acting Corporal) A.R. Harvey 

    DEPUTY COMMANDER UNITED KINGDOM STRATEGIC COMMAND COMMENDATIONS

    Squadron Leader M.J. Rankine 

    Squadron Leader A.F. Xavier 

    Flight Sergeant A. Maltman 

    COMMANDER FIELD ARMY AND COMMANDER STANDING JOINT COMMAND (UK) COMMENDATIONS AND COMMANDER ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS COMMENDATIONS

    COMMANDER FIELD ARMY COMMENDATION

    Flight Lieutenant D. Graham 

    COMMANDER STANDING JOINT COMMAND (UK) COMMENDATION

    Squadron Leader R.A. Lee 

    Warrant Officer C.L. Wheeler 

    COMMANDER ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS COMMENDATIONS

    Sergeant C.A. Brown 

    Royal Air Force Operational Honours List

    APPOINTMENT TO THE MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

    As Officer (OBE)

    Group Captain H.M. Bishop  

    Distinguished Flying Cross  

    Flight Lieutenant J.A. Chadwick 

    Air Force Cross 

    Acting Squadron Leader (now Squadron Leader) J.M.G. Hawkins 

    Flight Lieutenant S.B. Watson 

    King’s Commendation for Bravery in the Air  

    Flight Lieutenant M.M.T. Howell 

    King’s Commendation for Valuable Service 

    Squadron Leader (now Wing Commander) I.D.E. Robinson 

    Squadron Leader G.R. McKay 

    Squadron Leader B.R.M. Tripp 

    Flight Sergeant J.P. Graham 

    CHIEF OF JOINT OPERATIONS, JOINT COMMANDER’S COMMENDATIONS

    Chief of joint Operations Commendation

    Squadron Leader D.G. Tipler 

    Joint Commanders Commendation  

    Wing Commander A.P. Machin 

    Lieutenant Colonel A.A.R. Townend (British Army) 

    Squadron Leader F.Y. Allery 

    Squadron Leader J. Marlowe 

    Squadron Leader E.M. Thomas 

    Flight Lieutenant B.F.J. Brook 

    Team Commendations 

    Crew of Custom46 XIII Sqn RAF 

    Op Underhill Atlas Team 

    Op Underhill Planning and Liaison Team 

    Royal Air Force Non-Operational Gallantry Award – Commendation  

    Air and Space Commander Commendation  

    Air Specialist Class 1 (Technician) J.D. Coombs-Hoar 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON SHOOTINGS IN MINNESOTA

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Know Your Immigration Rights

    If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

    Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

    Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

    Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

    The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

    Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

    MIL OSI USA News –