NewzIntel.com

Category: United States of America

  • EU ready to hit US with 21-billion-euro tariff list, Italy foreign minister says

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The European Union has already prepared a list of tariffs worth 21 billion euros ($24.52 billion) on U.S. goods if the two countries fail to reach a trade deal, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a newspaper interview on Monday.

    President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the EU starting on Aug. 1, after weeks of negotiations with major U.S. trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive deal.

    Tajani also told daily Il Messaggero that to help the euro zone economy the European Central Bank should consider a new “quantitative easing” bond-buying-programme, and more interest rate cuts.

    The European Union said on Sunday it would extend its suspension of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs until early August and continue to press for a negotiated settlement.

    Tajani said the 21-billion-euro package of tariffs the EU has already prepared could be followed by a second set if a deal with the U.S proves impossible. He added, however, that he was confident that progress could be made in negotiations.

    “Tariffs hurt every one, starting with the United States,” he said. “If stock markets fall that puts at risk the pensions and the savings of the Americans.”

    He said the goal should be “zero tariffs” and an open market among Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe.

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday he would work intensively with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to resolve the escalating trade war with the United States.

    (Reuters)

  • EU ready to hit US with 21-billion-euro tariff list, Italy foreign minister says

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The European Union has already prepared a list of tariffs worth 21 billion euros ($24.52 billion) on U.S. goods if the two countries fail to reach a trade deal, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a newspaper interview on Monday.

    President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the EU starting on Aug. 1, after weeks of negotiations with major U.S. trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive deal.

    Tajani also told daily Il Messaggero that to help the euro zone economy the European Central Bank should consider a new “quantitative easing” bond-buying-programme, and more interest rate cuts.

    The European Union said on Sunday it would extend its suspension of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs until early August and continue to press for a negotiated settlement.

    Tajani said the 21-billion-euro package of tariffs the EU has already prepared could be followed by a second set if a deal with the U.S proves impossible. He added, however, that he was confident that progress could be made in negotiations.

    “Tariffs hurt every one, starting with the United States,” he said. “If stock markets fall that puts at risk the pensions and the savings of the Americans.”

    He said the goal should be “zero tariffs” and an open market among Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe.

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday he would work intensively with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to resolve the escalating trade war with the United States.

    (Reuters)

  • Trump demands more concessions as EU holds off on US tariff countermeasures

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The European Union said on Sunday it would extend its suspension of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs until early August and continue to press for a negotiated settlement as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration demanded more concessions from trading partners.

    Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 30% tariff on most imports from the EU and Mexico from August 1, adding to similar warnings for other countries and leaving them less than three weeks to hammer out framework deals that could lower the threatened tariff rate.

    White House Economic Adviser Kevin Hassett said on Sunday that countries’ trade deal offers so far have not satisfied Trump and “the tariffs are real” without improvements.

    “The president thinks that deals need to be better,” Hassett told ABC’s This Week program. “And to basically put a line in the sand, he sent these letters out to folks, and we’ll see how it works out.”

    Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU’s executive Commission which handles trade policy for the 27 member states, said the bloc would maintain its two-track approach: keep talking and prepare retaliatory measures.

    “We have always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution. This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now,” von der Leyen told a press conference, adding that the bloc would extend its halt on countermeasures until August.

    Von der Leyen’s decision to resist immediate retaliatory measures points to the European Commission’s desire to avoid a spiralling tit-for-tat escalation in the trade war while there remains a chance of negotiating an improved outcome.

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday said he was “really committed” to finding a trade solution with the U.S., telling German public broadcaster ARD that he will work intensively on this with von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron over the next two and a half weeks.

    Asked about the impact of a 30% U.S. tariff on Germany, Merz said: “If that were to happen, we would have to postpone large parts of our economic policy efforts because it would interfere with everything and hit the German export industry to the core.”

    TEST OF UNITY

    The latest salvo from Trump and the question of how to respond may test the unity of member states, with France appearing to take a tougher line than Germany, the bloc’s industrial powerhouse whose economy leans heavily on exports.

    Macron said the Commission needed more than ever to “assert the Union’s determination to defend European interests resolutely”, and that retaliation might need to include so-called anti-coercion instruments.

    German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Sunday the EU should be ready to take firm action if talks failed.

    “If a fair negotiated solution does not succeed, then we must take decisive countermeasures to protect jobs and companies in Europe,” Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, also vice chancellor in the ruling coalition, told Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

    While the EU has held back from retaliating against the U.S. in the months since Trump hit the bloc with tariffs, it has readied two packages that could hit a combined 93 billion euros of U.S. goods.

    A first package, in response to U.S. levies of 50% on imported steel and aluminium that would hit 21 billion euros in U.S. goods, was suspended in April for 90 days to allow time for negotiations. The suspension had been due to expire on Monday before the extension was announced.

    A second package in retaliation against Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs has been in the works since May and was set to target 72 billion euros of U.S. goods. These measures have not been made public and the final list requires approval by member states.

    ANTI-COERCION INSTRUMENT

    Von der Leyen said on Sunday that the use of the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument was not yet on the table.

    The instrument allows the bloc to retaliate against third countries that put economic pressure on EU members to change their policies.

    “The (anti-coercion) instrument is created for extraordinary situations, we are not there yet,” she said.

    Possible retaliatory steps could include restricting EU market access to goods and services, and other economic measures related to areas including foreign direct investment, financial markets and export controls.

    In a sign of the EU’s desire to strike deals with more trading partners at a time of deepening uncertainty in trans-Atlantic relations, von der Leyen said a political agreement had been reached to advance an EU-Indonesia trade deal.

    France’s cheese producers warned of the damaging consequences of a 30% tariff for the local dairy industry, which exports nearly half its produce, including to the United States.

    “It’s a new environment we will have to get used to – I don’t think this is temporary,” Francois Xavier Huard, CEO of dairy association FNIL, told Reuters.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-Evening Report: Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    Andy. LIU/Shutterstock

    The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies.

    Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly worked to help ensure the US remains the principal security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific.

    Australia’s track record speaks for itself. Yet additional demands are being placed that rankle.

    The Pentagon wants to know how Australia – and other allies such as Japan – would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

    Making these demands – which are being sought as part of the review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement – is both unjustified and unreasonable.

    ‘100 years of mateship’

    Since federation in 1901, Australians have found themselves alongside US counterparts in almost all the major conflicts of the 20th century and beyond.

    It is this shared experience that led former Ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, to coin the term “100 years of mateship”.

    The pinnacle of the security relationship is the ANZUS Treaty which is a loosely worded document barely 800 words long.

    However, it is important to remember AUKUS is just that – a technical agreement, albeit premised on the century-spanning trusted collaboration across the full spectrum of national security ties.

    Goldilocks solution

    More recently, the US administration has made demands of allies, including Australia, the likes of which have not been seen in living memory.

    This spans not just tariffs, but also increased defence spending. American policymakers appear oblivious or unconcerned about the blowback they are generating.

    It is this context which makes the US demands for a broad-ranging and largely open-ended commitment over the defence of Taiwan, in advance of any conflict, so extraordinary and unhelpful.

    Under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby who wants a clear sense of how Australia would act in a potential war over Taiwan.
    Supplied by US Department of Defence, CC BY

    Australia has long had a fear of abandonment. Ever since the searing experience of the fall of Singapore in 1942, officials have been eager to burnish ties with US counterparts. Conversely, there has always been a strong element in the community that has feared entrapment in yet another US-led war in Asia.

    The experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, let alone Afghanistan and Iraq, left many guarded about the efficacy of hitching the wagon to US-led military campaigns.

    In essence, though, Australian policymakers have long sought the Goldilocks solution: not too enthusiastic to trigger entrapment and not too lukewarm to trigger abandonment.

    No guarantees

    Now Australia, Japan and others face a surprising new push by American officials for a commitment to a hypothetical conflict, under open-ended circumstances.

    The irony is that American demands for a commitment fly in the face of the loosely worded ANZUS alliance – which stipulates an agreement to consult, but little more than that.

    The AUKUS agreement includes no such guarantees either. The overt and confronting nature of Washington’s demands means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese effectively has no option but to push back:

    We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action […] we want peace and security in our region.

    Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was adamant Australia would not be committing forces ahead of any “hypothetical” conflict:

    The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day.

    A further irony is Australia, like Japan, is already hugely invested in its US military relationship, particularly through its military technology.

    The purchase of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance, was meant to help enable the generation of interoperable forces, yet no such demand has been made when it comes to an advance commitment over their use in support of US ambitions.

    So why invoke AUKUS in such a way?

    Evidently, the way the US is trying to stand over Japan and Australia is harmful to its own interests. Such adversarial and unduly transactional behaviour could provoke a popular backlash in Australia and elsewhere.

    The government has rightly rebuffed the calls saying it would be up to the government of the day to make such a decision. It is likely this will not be well received by the Trump administration. The PM is right though, to say it’s hypothetical and not worthy of a public endorsement.

    Strategic ambiguity

    Yet a further irony is that this is mostly a moot point.

    The key benefit of alliance collaboration is already in place – and that relates to the efforts to deter China from ever acting on its desire to change the status quo in the first place.

    As former PM and now ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd explained in his book, The Avoidable War, geo-political disaster is still avoidable, particularly if the US and China can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through managed strategic competition.

    This strategic ambiguity is meant to complicate a potential adversary’s military planners and political decision makers’ thought processes over the advantages and disadvantages of going to war.

    China already knows a clash over Taiwan would mean US allies like Japan and Australia would find it virtually impossible to avoid being entangled. The strategic ambiguity can be maintained ad infinitum, so long as an outright invasion is averted.

    And the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan? I remain sanguine that conflict can be avoided.

    But to do so would involve clear and compelling messaging: both through diplomatic channels and through the demonstration of robust military capabilities that war would be too costly.

    John Blaxland received funding (2015–2018) from the US DoD Minerva Research Initiative.

    – ref. Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan – https://theconversation.com/washingtons-war-demands-australia-right-to-refuse-committing-to-a-hypothetical-conflict-with-china-over-taiwan-261076

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • Trump says US will send Patriot missiles to Ukraine

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, saying they are necessary to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin “talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening.”

    Trump did not give a number of Patriots he plans to send to Ukraine, but he said the United States would be reimbursed for their cost by the European Union.The U.S. president has grown increasingly disenchanted with Putin because the Russian leader has resisted Trump’s attempts to negotiate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked for more defensive capabilities to fend off a daily barrage of missile and drone attacks from Russia.

    “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening. But there’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington.

    “We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100% for that, and that’s the way we want it,” Trump said.

    He plans to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss Ukraine and other issues this week.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Panasonic launches The Barikan as new series of pro hair clippers to take on the global market

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Panasonic launches The Barikan as new series of pro hair clippers to take on the global market

    Osaka, Japan, July 14, 2025 – Panasonic Corporation (https://holdings.panasonic/global/) today announced that its Living Appliances and Solutions Company (Panasonic) has launched The Barikan as its newest series of professional clippers for hair and beauty practitioners to accelerate its development of a global market. The professional T-shaped trimmer ER-XT70 emphasizing superior cutting performance and ease-of use will be released in September in Japan and Europe as the first model of the series.
    Panasonic’s involvement in professional hair clippers began 40 years ago, making use of its advanced technological capabilities refined through the development of electric shavers. Women hairdressers in particular highly appreciate Panasonic’s hair clippers for their quality and usability as tools for professionals, especially key features such as their lightness, ease of use, and precision cutting, allowing the brand to gain a top share in Japan and Europe (Germany, France, and Italy).
    In recent years barbers have built up their influence and presence with the widespread acceptance of fade hairstyles for men in which the hair tapers down from the top of the head and is clipped short on the sides and nape. Panasonic has intensified its product development and marketing activities for barbers in response to this. The company provides simply the best tools that support barbers to thrive and fully express themselves while staying in tune with barber culture. Panasonic is opening up new demand for barbers beyond Japan and Europe in places like the United States and Asia, expanding sales in the global market.
    These efforts seek to create a fusion of Japanese barber culture with those of other countries and build up collaborations with other industries, aiming to create new value for barbers. One such initiative is to train barbers in Ghana in cooperation with Mr. Brothers Cut Club, a Japanese barber shop that is redefining the timeless charm of classic American barber culture in a contemporary style and taking it worldwide. Panasonic has also signed ambassador agreements with the respective leading barbers of the original trend-setter, the United States, of Europe with its diverse sophisticated barber cultures in each country, and of Japan, the country where The Barikan was developed. Promotion content created in these three regions will be released worldwide.
    Panasonic intends to expand The Barikan series over the next three years to make it the globally recognized number one brand for barbers.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI China: DPRK condemns US-Japan-S. Korea joint drill

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

    The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) denounced a joint drill by the United States, Japan and South Korea on Sunday, calling such trilateral military maneuver “main danger factors heightening the level of military tension on the Korean Peninsula and in its vicinity.”

    On Friday, the United States, Japan and South Korea “waged a provocative tripartite joint air drill by mobilizing various kinds of combat bombers including the strategic bomber ‘B-52H’ in the sky over the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity,” said the KCNA, citing a statement by the chief of the Policy Office of the Ministry of National Defence.

    The military alliances between the United States and Japan and between the United States and South Korea “have completely changed into a nuclear-based triangular military alliance,” and the tripartite military cooperation being promoted in all spheres heralds the fact that “the long-running instability and tension on the Korean Peninsula can lead to an unpredictable phase of military confrontation at any moment,” the statement added.

    It is the DPRK’s sovereign right to take countermeasures against provocative military actions, such as the moves to strengthen the multilateral military alliance threatening the security of the region. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump says US to supply Patriot missiles to Ukraine

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

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine to help bolster the country’s defenses against Russian attacks.

    Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump explained that the European Union would purchase the missiles from the United States and then deliver them to Ukraine.

    “We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 percent for that, and that’s the way we want it,” Trump said, without specifying the number of Patriot systems to be provided.

    The president also said that he plans to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the coming week to discuss Ukraine and other urgent matters. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump says US to supply Patriot missiles to Ukraine

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

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine to help bolster the country’s defenses against Russian attacks.

    Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump explained that the European Union would purchase the missiles from the United States and then deliver them to Ukraine.

    “We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 percent for that, and that’s the way we want it,” Trump said, without specifying the number of Patriot systems to be provided.

    The president also said that he plans to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the coming week to discuss Ukraine and other urgent matters. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How much salt is OK in drinking water? Without limits, Australia’s health gap widens in remote and regional areas

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Juliette Crowther, Researcher in Food Policy, George Institute for Global Health

    Andrew Merry/Getty

    Most Australians consume far too much sodium, mostly in the form of salt (sodium chloride) in the food they eat.

    The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends no more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium a day, roughly one teaspoon of salt.

    Yet the average Australian consumes nearly twice that.

    In some regional and remote communities, salty drinking water is quietly adding to this problem – yet sodium levels in tap water are often overlooked.

    Our new research reviewed 197 countries and shows when drinking water standards for sodium exist, they’re usually based on taste, not health.

    Most follow guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) which, in its global campaign to lower sodium intake, has focused on diet but largely ignored drinking water.

    Salty water is an overlooked health risk

    Excess sodium is a major risk factor for high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and stroke. These are leading causes of death and disability across the world.

    In 2013, these health risks led the WHO to set a global target to reduce sodium intake by 30% by 2025. The WHO has since extended this to 2030, due to slow progress.

    Public health efforts to reduce sodium (salt) have focused mainly on food, not drinking water. This is because most tap water contains low sodium levels (usually below 20mg per litre).

    But some natural water sources contain excessively high sodium. In Australia, this mainly affects remote and rural communities.

    Evidence suggests it’s a growing issue, compounded by climate change, rising sea levels, more frequent storms, prolonged droughts, and human activities, including over extraction of groundwater and agricultural runoff.

    What does the WHO say about water?

    The WHO’s recommended threshold for sodium in water – no more than 200mg/L – is based on how water tastes (palatability), not what is safe for health.

    Worryingly, the WHO recommendations about drinking water are based on an outdated 2003 report that found evidence linking sodium with high blood pressure was lacking.

    Convincing evidence has since confirmed that higher sodium intake is directly related to increased blood pressure.

    The WHO updated its dietary guidelines for sodium in 2012 to reflect these health risks. But water guidelines have not changed.

    What our new research shows

    Our new research, published in recent weeks, reviewed guidelines for sodium in drinking water in 197 countries.

    It found 20% of countries – home to 30% of the world’s population – have no sodium limit in drinking water.

    Among the 132 countries that do, most (92%) follow WHO guidelines.

    Our research found only 12 countries cited health reasons for setting sodium limits, and just two of these set stricter limits than WHO guidelines.

    This means across the world, most drinking standards for sodium continue to be guided by taste, not health.

    Palatability is highly subjective. Just as some people enjoy salty chips and others find them overpowering, sensitivity to sodium in water varies.

    In contrast, the health risks of too much salt are clear.

    What do Australia’s guidelines say?

    Australia’s drinking water guidelines include a non-mandatory sodium limit of 180mg/L, also based on taste.

    But this is still too high to protect health.

    Drinking two litres of water at this concentration in one day would mean having 360mg of sodium – almost one-fifth of the recommended maximum. This is equivalent to eating a large bag of sea-salt popcorn.

    While the guidelines do recommend that people with high blood pressure drink water with less than 20mg/L sodium, there is no clear plan for how this can be achieved equitably, especially when the alternative is expensive bottled water.

    Water inequity in Walgett

    The consequences of this policy gap are stark in places such as Walgett, a remote town in north-western New South Wales with a high Aboriginal population (almost 50%).

    In 2018, when the local river ran dry, the town switched to bore water. Residents immediately noticed the water was slimy and undrinkable.

    Local Aboriginal community controlled organisations asked researchers from the University of New South Wales to test the water. This revealed sodium levels over 300mg/L.

    In 2020, the New South Wales government eventually installed a desalination plant, but due to issues managing waste, it was decommissioned a few months later.

    Today, Walgett still lacks a long-term solution to provide drinking water with low levels of sodium.

    Water inequality is health inequality

    Walgett isn’t an isolated case. Many inland and remote towns, often with high Aboriginal populations, rely on rivers and bore water increasingly affected by drought and agricultural overuse.

    This inequity in access to safe drinking water worsens the health gap.

    Indigenous Australians already face higher rates of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease – all worsened by excess sodium.

    In places such as Walgett, where some people report spending as much as A$50 a week on bottled water, families are forced to choose between safe hydration and essentials such as food or medicine.

    Without mandatory health-based limits, these communities have no way to compel authorities to make their water safe.

    Safe drinking water is a human right

    In 2023, the European Union mandated legally binding drinking water standards in all member states.

    Although still based on the outdated 200mg/L taste threshold, this legal framework gives communities a basis to advocate for safer water – something Australia currently lacks.

    A sodium limit closer to the United States Environmental Protection Agency guideline of 30–60mg/L would better align with health advice.

    Without enforceable, health-based limits, Australia risks falling behind on its commitments to the sodium reduction targets and sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.

    No one should have to fight for safe drinking water. If we want to protect our most vulnerable communities, water policy must catch up with science and public health priorities.

    We would like to thank all of the authors of the paper, and the Yuwaya Ngarra-li, a community-led partnership between the Dharriwaa Elders Groups in Walgett and the University of New South Wales.

    This research was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council. The George Institute’s Food Policy Group is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Population Salt Reduction. Juliette Crowther has no other conflicts of interest to declare.

    Jacqui Webster receives salary funding from a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant (#2018015) and DFAT. Jacqui Webster is Chief Investigator on the NHMRC Ideas grant (#2003862) that this research is funded through.

    – ref. How much salt is OK in drinking water? Without limits, Australia’s health gap widens in remote and regional areas – https://theconversation.com/how-much-salt-is-ok-in-drinking-water-without-limits-australias-health-gap-widens-in-remote-and-regional-areas-260496

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Case Completes Second Weeklong District Walk Story This Year

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

    (HONOLULU, HI) — U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-First District) devoted most of his July 7-11th week home from Congress to five days of walking communities across his district, talking with constituents he met along the way at their homes, workplaces and other areas.

    In his second weeklong district “Walk Story” this year, Case walked the communities of Pālolo, Kaimukī , Mo’ili’ili, Kalihi, Salt Lake, Āliamanu, Foster Village, Moanalua, Hālawa and ‘Aiea, talking with hundreds of residents wherever he found them.

    Case kicked off his Walk Stories while back home the week of April 21st of this year, when over another five day stretch he walked parts of Kalama Valley, Niu Valley, ‘Āina Haina, Wai‘alae, Nui Valley, McCully, Pearlridge, Waimalu, Pearl City, Pacific Palisades, Mililani Mauka, Waipio Acres, Waipahu, ‘Ewa Beach, ‘Ewa Villages, Kalaeloa and Kapolei.

    “I’ve always been committed to staying as close to my constituents as possible in different ways that work best for them”, said Case, who over his decade-plus in the U.S. House has hosted hundreds of live, in-person Talk Story community meetings throughout his districts as well as virtual meetings, including six in-person and one virtual Talk Story earlier this year.

    “But as this 119th Congress (2025-2027) and the second Trump administration got underway this year and the polarization and noise of anger and division on Capitol Hill and across the country reached new highs, I felt I needed to strengthen my direct connection to all of the residents of Hawaii’s First Congressional District, especially those that do not regularly engage their government or me, by reaching out and talking story in different ways when I’m home. 

    “For me, these two full weeks now of Walk Story have been incredibly valuable because I’ve been able to talk personally with a highly diverse and representative part of my constituency just going about their lives and expressing their views and concerns for our country, Hawai‘i, family, workplaces and communities.

    “After each of my Walk Story weeks, I’ve returned to Capitol Hill with a sense strong connection back home and direction for the issues I must focus on and directions I must take.

    “As for what I heard in my most recent Walk Story, like April’s, it’s no surprise that the cost of living remains a universal concern. But is not just the actual costs; it’s the uncertainty of where the costs are going that makes it so difficult to plan and adjust.

    “Closely related, most remain concerned about the direction of our country, especially under the Trump administration. What was different from my April Walk Story, though, was that more folks who had voted for President Trump were undecided to unsupportive about many of his administration’s initiatives, on both foreign and domestic policy, and there was far more concern for preservation of the rule of law. Many regardless of how they voted were especially concerned at the recent reconciliation budget law and its effects on their own families and communities.

    “Another major area of concern was our small businesses, which is virtually all of our businesses in Hawai‘i.

    “I walked into dozens and dozens of small businesses of all kinds, from eateries to vehicle repair shops, florists, financial institutions, travel agencies, insurers, remodelers, contractors, engineers, food distributors, jewelers and on and on, talking with their owners, managers and employees about their businesses and what concerned them.

    “Virtually all expressed uncertainty about their own situations, especially given the administration’s ongoing trade and tariff wars on imports from other countries which is resulting in increasing prices to their customers.

    “Although I wasn’t surprised at the big picture of what I heard from my constituents, to have it all validated with real-world stories of personal views and impacts from across the political, economic and social spectrum was deeply valuable to my responsibility to represent all of my district in addressing the major challenges we all face.

    “I’m already looking forward to my next Walk Story on one of my upcoming times home, to add again to my many other efforts to stay strongly connected with my constituents to listen to their views and concerns and answer their questions.”

    As part of his ongoing efforts, Case is also hosting another live districtwide Tele-Talk Story on Tuesday, July 29th, 6PM to 7:30PM Hawai‘i time. Details on how constituents can join and provide questions are at case.house.gov.

    Attached are samples of pictures from Case’s July Walk Story (pictures courtesy of Congressman Ed Case)

                                                                                                                                      ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 14, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 14, 2025.

    Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kinda Alsamara, Lecturer in the School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland The end of the oppressive Assad regime in Syria in late 2024 has been broadly welcomed on the global stage – underscored by the fact the United States and European Union have now

    Music is at the forefront of AI disruption, but NZ artists still have few protections
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dave Carter, Associate Professor, School of Music and Screen Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Getty Images Was the recent Velvet Sundown phenomenon a great music and media hoax, a sign of things to come, or just another example of what’s already happening ? In

    Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University You’re standing at your front door, facing a five kilometre commute to work. But you don’t have your car, and there’s no bus route. You can walk for an hour – or jump on your bicycle and arrive in

    ‘You become a target’: research shows why many people who experience racism don’t report it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mario Peucker, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University The way racism manifests itself may have changed over time, but it remains a persistent problem in Australia. The 2024 Reconciliation Barometer found a significant increase in racism against First

    Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University d3sign/Getty Alcohol has many negative effects on our health, some of which may surprise you. These include short-term impacts such as waking up with a pounding head or anxiety, to long-term effects including

    What’s happened to Australia’s green hydrogen dream? Here are 5 reasons the industry has floundered
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute An official from German energy supplier Eon with Fortescue founder Andrew Forrest after inking a deal in 2022 to supply green hydrogen from Australia to Germany. Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images As the world looks for

    Soaring house prices may be locking people into marriages, new research shows
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Whelan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney GAS-photo/Shutterstock House prices continued to rise across Australia in June, recent data shows. Nationally, prices have risen about 38% in the past five years. Higher housing prices are simply one contributor, albeit a very important one, to the

    Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA These days when you see people exercising, they’re usually also listening to music, whether they’re at the gym, or out jogging on the street. It makes sense, as studies have

    The Bradbury Group features Palestinian journalist Yousef Aljamal, Middle East report and political panel
    Asia Pacific Report In the new weekly political podcast, The Bradbury Group, last night presenter Martyn Bradbury talked with visiting Palestinian journalist Dr Yousef Aljamal. They assess the current situation in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and what New Zealand should be doing. As Bradbury, publisher of The Daily Blog, notes, “Fourth Estate public broadcasting

    Author David Robie tells of outrage over sinking of the Rainbow Warrior 40 years ago
    RNZ News Nights Tomorrow marks 40 years since the bombing and sinking of the Rainbow Warrior — a moment that changed the course of New Zealand’s history and reshaped how we saw ourselves on the world stage. Two French agents planted two explosives on the ship, then just before midnight, explosions ripped through the hull

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 14, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 14, 2025.

    Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kinda Alsamara, Lecturer in the School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland The end of the oppressive Assad regime in Syria in late 2024 has been broadly welcomed on the global stage – underscored by the fact the United States and European Union have now

    Music is at the forefront of AI disruption, but NZ artists still have few protections
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dave Carter, Associate Professor, School of Music and Screen Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Getty Images Was the recent Velvet Sundown phenomenon a great music and media hoax, a sign of things to come, or just another example of what’s already happening ? In

    Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University You’re standing at your front door, facing a five kilometre commute to work. But you don’t have your car, and there’s no bus route. You can walk for an hour – or jump on your bicycle and arrive in

    ‘You become a target’: research shows why many people who experience racism don’t report it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mario Peucker, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University The way racism manifests itself may have changed over time, but it remains a persistent problem in Australia. The 2024 Reconciliation Barometer found a significant increase in racism against First

    Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University d3sign/Getty Alcohol has many negative effects on our health, some of which may surprise you. These include short-term impacts such as waking up with a pounding head or anxiety, to long-term effects including

    What’s happened to Australia’s green hydrogen dream? Here are 5 reasons the industry has floundered
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute An official from German energy supplier Eon with Fortescue founder Andrew Forrest after inking a deal in 2022 to supply green hydrogen from Australia to Germany. Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images As the world looks for

    Soaring house prices may be locking people into marriages, new research shows
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Whelan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney GAS-photo/Shutterstock House prices continued to rise across Australia in June, recent data shows. Nationally, prices have risen about 38% in the past five years. Higher housing prices are simply one contributor, albeit a very important one, to the

    Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA These days when you see people exercising, they’re usually also listening to music, whether they’re at the gym, or out jogging on the street. It makes sense, as studies have

    The Bradbury Group features Palestinian journalist Yousef Aljamal, Middle East report and political panel
    Asia Pacific Report In the new weekly political podcast, The Bradbury Group, last night presenter Martyn Bradbury talked with visiting Palestinian journalist Dr Yousef Aljamal. They assess the current situation in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and what New Zealand should be doing. As Bradbury, publisher of The Daily Blog, notes, “Fourth Estate public broadcasting

    Author David Robie tells of outrage over sinking of the Rainbow Warrior 40 years ago
    RNZ News Nights Tomorrow marks 40 years since the bombing and sinking of the Rainbow Warrior — a moment that changed the course of New Zealand’s history and reshaped how we saw ourselves on the world stage. Two French agents planted two explosives on the ship, then just before midnight, explosions ripped through the hull

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    Andy. LIU/Shutterstock

    The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies.

    Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly worked to help ensure the US remains the principal security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific.

    Australia’s track record speaks for itself. Yet additional demands are being placed that rankle.

    The Pentagon wants to know how Australia – and other allies such as Japan – would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

    Making these demands – which are being sought as part of the review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement – is both unjustified and unreasonable.

    ‘100 years of mateship’

    Since federation in 1901, Australians have found themselves alongside US counterparts in almost all the major conflicts of the 20th century and beyond.

    It is this shared experience that led former Ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, to coin the term “100 years of mateship”.

    The pinnacle of the security relationship is the ANZUS Treaty which is a loosely worded document barely 800 words long.

    However, it is important to remember AUKUS is just that – a technical agreement, albeit premised on the century-spanning trusted collaboration across the full spectrum of national security ties.

    Goldilocks solution

    More recently, the US administration has made demands of allies, including Australia, the likes of which have not been seen in living memory.

    This spans not just tariffs, but also increased defence spending. American policymakers appear oblivious or unconcerned about the blowback they are generating.

    It is this context which makes the US demands for a broad-ranging and largely open-ended commitment over the defence of Taiwan, in advance of any conflict, so extraordinary and unhelpful.

    Under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby who wants a clear sense of how Australia would act in a potential war over Taiwan.
    Supplied by US Department of Defence, CC BY

    Australia has long had a fear of abandonment. Ever since the searing experience of the fall of Singapore in 1942, officials have been eager to burnish ties with US counterparts. Conversely, there has always been a strong element in the community that has feared entrapment in yet another US-led war in Asia.

    The experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, let alone Afghanistan and Iraq, left many guarded about the efficacy of hitching the wagon to US-led military campaigns.

    In essence, though, Australian policymakers have long sought the Goldilocks solution: not too enthusiastic to trigger entrapment and not too lukewarm to trigger abandonment.

    No guarantees

    Now Australia, Japan and others face a surprising new push by American officials for a commitment to a hypothetical conflict, under open-ended circumstances.

    The irony is that American demands for a commitment fly in the face of the loosely worded ANZUS alliance – which stipulates an agreement to consult, but little more than that.

    The AUKUS agreement includes no such guarantees either. The overt and confronting nature of Washington’s demands means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese effectively has no option but to push back:

    We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action […] we want peace and security in our region.

    Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was adamant Australia would not be committing forces ahead of any “hypothetical” conflict:

    The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day.

    A further irony is Australia, like Japan, is already hugely invested in its US military relationship, particularly through its military technology.

    The purchase of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance, was meant to help enable the generation of interoperable forces, yet no such demand has been made when it comes to an advance commitment over their use in support of US ambitions.

    So why invoke AUKUS in such a way?

    Evidently, the way the US is trying to stand over Japan and Australia is harmful to its own interests. Such adversarial and unduly transactional behaviour could provoke a popular backlash in Australia and elsewhere.

    The government has rightly rebuffed the calls saying it would be up to the government of the day to make such a decision. It is likely this will not be well received by the Trump administration. The PM is right though, to say it’s hypothetical and not worthy of a public endorsement.

    Strategic ambiguity

    Yet a further irony is that this is mostly a moot point.

    The key benefit of alliance collaboration is already in place – and that relates to the efforts to deter China from ever acting on its desire to change the status quo in the first place.

    As former PM and now ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd explained in his book, The Avoidable War, geo-political disaster is still avoidable, particularly if the US and China can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through managed strategic competition.

    This strategic ambiguity is meant to complicate a potential adversary’s military planners and political decision makers’ thought processes over the advantages and disadvantages of going to war.

    China already knows a clash over Taiwan would mean US allies like Japan and Australia would find it virtually impossible to avoid being entangled. The strategic ambiguity can be maintained ad infinitum, so long as an outright invasion is averted.

    And the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan? I remain sanguine that conflict can be avoided.

    But to do so would involve clear and compelling messaging: both through diplomatic channels and through the demonstration of robust military capabilities that war would be too costly.

    John Blaxland received funding (2015–2018) from the US DoD Minerva Research Initiative.

    – ref. Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan – https://theconversation.com/washingtons-war-demands-australia-right-to-refuse-being-dragged-into-a-potential-conflict-with-china-over-taiwan-261076

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    Andy. LIU/Shutterstock

    The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies.

    Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly worked to help ensure the US remains the principal security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific.

    Australia’s track record speaks for itself. Yet additional demands are being placed that rankle.

    The Pentagon wants to know how Australia – and other allies such as Japan – would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

    Making these demands – which are being sought as part of the review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement – is both unjustified and unreasonable.

    ‘100 years of mateship’

    Since federation in 1901, Australians have found themselves alongside US counterparts in almost all the major conflicts of the 20th century and beyond.

    It is this shared experience that led former Ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, to coin the term “100 years of mateship”.

    The pinnacle of the security relationship is the ANZUS Treaty which is a loosely worded document barely 800 words long.

    However, it is important to remember AUKUS is just that – a technical agreement, albeit premised on the century-spanning trusted collaboration across the full spectrum of national security ties.

    Goldilocks solution

    More recently, the US administration has made demands of allies, including Australia, the likes of which have not been seen in living memory.

    This spans not just tariffs, but also increased defence spending. American policymakers appear oblivious or unconcerned about the blowback they are generating.

    It is this context which makes the US demands for a broad-ranging and largely open-ended commitment over the defence of Taiwan, in advance of any conflict, so extraordinary and unhelpful.

    Under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby who wants a clear sense of how Australia would act in a potential war over Taiwan.
    Supplied by US Department of Defence, CC BY

    Australia has long had a fear of abandonment. Ever since the searing experience of the fall of Singapore in 1942, officials have been eager to burnish ties with US counterparts. Conversely, there has always been a strong element in the community that has feared entrapment in yet another US-led war in Asia.

    The experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, let alone Afghanistan and Iraq, left many guarded about the efficacy of hitching the wagon to US-led military campaigns.

    In essence, though, Australian policymakers have long sought the Goldilocks solution: not too enthusiastic to trigger entrapment and not too lukewarm to trigger abandonment.

    No guarantees

    Now Australia, Japan and others face a surprising new push by American officials for a commitment to a hypothetical conflict, under open-ended circumstances.

    The irony is that American demands for a commitment fly in the face of the loosely worded ANZUS alliance – which stipulates an agreement to consult, but little more than that.

    The AUKUS agreement includes no such guarantees either. The overt and confronting nature of Washington’s demands means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese effectively has no option but to push back:

    We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action […] we want peace and security in our region.

    Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was adamant Australia would not be committing forces ahead of any “hypothetical” conflict:

    The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day.

    A further irony is Australia, like Japan, is already hugely invested in its US military relationship, particularly through its military technology.

    The purchase of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance, was meant to help enable the generation of interoperable forces, yet no such demand has been made when it comes to an advance commitment over their use in support of US ambitions.

    So why invoke AUKUS in such a way?

    Evidently, the way the US is trying to stand over Japan and Australia is harmful to its own interests. Such adversarial and unduly transactional behaviour could provoke a popular backlash in Australia and elsewhere.

    The government has rightly rebuffed the calls saying it would be up to the government of the day to make such a decision. It is likely this will not be well received by the Trump administration. The PM is right though, to say it’s hypothetical and not worthy of a public endorsement.

    Strategic ambiguity

    Yet a further irony is that this is mostly a moot point.

    The key benefit of alliance collaboration is already in place – and that relates to the efforts to deter China from ever acting on its desire to change the status quo in the first place.

    As former PM and now ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd explained in his book, The Avoidable War, geo-political disaster is still avoidable, particularly if the US and China can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through managed strategic competition.

    This strategic ambiguity is meant to complicate a potential adversary’s military planners and political decision makers’ thought processes over the advantages and disadvantages of going to war.

    China already knows a clash over Taiwan would mean US allies like Japan and Australia would find it virtually impossible to avoid being entangled. The strategic ambiguity can be maintained ad infinitum, so long as an outright invasion is averted.

    And the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan? I remain sanguine that conflict can be avoided.

    But to do so would involve clear and compelling messaging: both through diplomatic channels and through the demonstration of robust military capabilities that war would be too costly.

    John Blaxland received funding (2015–2018) from the US DoD Minerva Research Initiative.

    – ref. Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan – https://theconversation.com/washingtons-war-demands-australia-right-to-refuse-being-dragged-into-a-potential-conflict-with-china-over-taiwan-261076

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Equipment manufacturers driving trade growth

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

    A drone photo shows the shipbuilding site of the subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp Ltd in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on March 20. [Photo/Xinhua]

    In early July, a shipyard along the Yangtze River in Jiangyin, East China’s Jiangsu province, was humming with the sounds of welding and hammering.

    In one berth, work on an oil tanker was nearing completion, while a hospital ship was undergoing a major retrofit. A little distance away, dry docks were operating at full throttle.

    CSSC Chengxi Shipyard Co, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, saw its export value surge by more than 28 percent year-on-year in the first five months. With orders lined up through 2028 and a growing appetite for high-tech vessels, this shipyard is powering full steam ahead.

    “We are steering toward transformation,” said Yang Haibo, the shipyard’s assistant president. “Take the 41,800-ton self-unloading vessel we built last year; its value hit $96 million, triple that of a conventional bulk carrier. We just secured an overseas order to build a 44,000-ton self-discharger in May.”

    As global demand shifts, Yang said Chinese shipyards are embracing greener and smarter solutions to remain competitive, including ramping up investment in next-generation shipbuilding technologies.

    Much like China’s new energy vehicle, industrial robot and energy storage sectors, the shipbuilding industry exemplifies how domestic manufacturers are adopting innovation and green development to rise above the challenges posed by unilateralism and geoeconomic fragmentation.

    In the process, they are playing a vital role in supporting the country’s foreign trade and industrial upgrade.

    As a high value-added sector, the equipment manufacturing industry has become a key driver of China’s export restructuring.

    The country’s exports of equipment manufacturing products amounted to 6.22 trillion yuan ($853.3 billion) between January and May, up 9.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 58.3 percent of the country’s total exports, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

    Meanwhile, China’s exports of electric vehicles grew by 19 percent year-on-year, construction machinery by 10.7 percent, ships by 18.9 percent and industrial robots by an impressive 55.4 percent.

    Equipment manufacturing accounted for 73 percent of China’s export growth in the first five months, with the contribution rising to 76.9 percent in May alone, providing strong support for the steady growth of foreign trade, said Lyu Daliang, director-general of the administration’s department of statistics and analysis.

    The ongoing upgrade of China’s equipment manufacturing industry is not only fueling the growth of domestic manufacturers, but also delivering energy-efficient, high-tech and competitively priced products to its trading partners, said Chen Jianwei, a researcher at the University of International Business and Economics’ Academy of China Open Economy Studies in Beijing.

    This progress is accelerating the digital and green advancement of developed economies, while also supporting industrialization and urbanization in many developing and emerging markets, contributing to more balanced global development and long-term sustainability, said Chen.

    Among the key drivers of this momentum, industrial robots have rapidly become a standout export category. These multijoint robotic arms and other advanced robotic systems are widely used in sectors such as automotives, electronics, chemicals and consumer goods.

    As China’s production capabilities in this field continue to advance, a growing number of industrial robots are being exported to markets such as Thailand, Germany, the United States and the United Arab Emirates — underscoring the global appeal of the nation’s smart manufacturing solutions.

    At AgileX Robotics, a robotic arm manufacturer in Dongguan, Guangdong province, workers were busy packing robotic arms in late June. This batch of products, designed for data collection, plays a key role in the development and training of humanoid robots, and has gained strong traction in overseas markets.

    “We really can’t ship fast enough and demand is overwhelming. Our exports this year are expected to rise by 70 to 80 percent compared with 2024,” said Chen Peng, the company’s marketing director.

    Chen said that orders from overseas research institutions, particularly in the artificial intelligence field, are growing the fastest. These clients often require rapid delivery due to time-sensitive needs.

    This growth is not merely the success of a single robot manufacturer. Rather, it reflects a broader trend in Dongguan.

    The city’s exports of industrial robots, including industrial robotic arms, handling and welding robots, and robots with other functions, exceeded 190 million yuan during the January-May period, representing a year-on-year increase of 116.4 percent, data from Huangpu Customs showed.

    From an industrial chain perspective, China’s industrial robot sector has seen significant advancements over the past decade, especially in core components such as reducers, servo motors, controllers and control units, said Lei Lei, deputy secretary-general of the robotics branch of the Beijing-based China Machinery Industry Federation.

    Lei said Chinese industrial robot manufacturers are evolving their export models as they expand globally. This shift is already playing out among many companies in the sector.

    Xu Hongchun, vice-president of Suzhou JiBOT Technology Co, a Suzhou, Jiangsu province-based manufacturer of collaborative robotic arms and mobile robot platforms, said the company has already shifted toward providing customized end-to-end solutions for overseas factories and warehouses.

    “Our material handling robots are primarily used in the new energy and electronic semiconductor sectors,” said Xu. “Currently, more than 70 percent of our exports in this category include solution-based packages.”

    The Chinese company achieves this by integrating data from various robots into a centralized control system. A smart dispatching platform enables real-time coordination, allowing multiple robots to operate efficiently across different zones and meet the specific needs of its foreign clients.

    While industrial robots and intelligent automation are shifting manufacturing and logistics, traditional heavy industries are also embracing innovation and seizing more market opportunities across the world.

    In sectors such as mining and construction, Chinese companies are combining durable engineering with localization strategies to meet the needs of emerging markets.

    Sany Heavy Equipment Co, a mining and construction machinery manufacturer based in Shenyang, Liaoning province, has been actively expanding its presence in the African market. Its wide-body dump trucks, electric-powered dumpers and engineering excavators are widely used in countries including South Africa, Ghana, Angola and Zambia.

    “Africa is rich in mineral resources and has significant demand for mining machinery. Our mining equipment is built to withstand harsh operating conditions and is well-suited for the complex terrains found in mining areas,” said Sun Bo, head of the company’s sales unit.

    Sun said that Sany Heavy Equipment Co’s mining dump trucks have significantly improved operational efficiency and earned high praise from clients in countries such as Eritrea and Mozambique in recent years.

    The company’s exports amounted to 1.44 billion yuan in the first half, while its exports to Africa surged 230 percent year-on-year to 330 million yuan, the latest data from Shenyang Customs showed.

    Experts said the continued rise of China’s equipment manufacturing exports reflects both industrial progress and the country’s deeper integration into global supply chains.

    Zhao Ping, head of the academy of the Beijing-based China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that China is no longer just a source of affordable goods. It is increasingly a provider of complex, high-value equipment that meets the needs of developed and emerging markets alike.

    Zhao said that the combination of strong research and development capabilities, digitalized manufacturing processes and mature supply chains has enabled Chinese manufacturers to evolve from volume-driven to value-driven exports.

    “This transformation not only enhances China’s competitiveness, but also contributes to global industrial development and technological diffusion,” said Ji Xuehong, a professor at the School of Economics and Management at Beijing-based North China University of Technology.

    In the face of a complex and volatile external environment, China will steadfastly expand its high-standard opening-up and address the uncertainty of drastic changes in the external environment with the certainty of its own high-quality development, said Xiao Lu, deputy director-general of the department of foreign trade at the Ministry of Commerce.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kinda Alsamara, Lecturer in the School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland

    The end of the oppressive Assad regime in Syria in late 2024 has been broadly welcomed on the global stage – underscored by the fact the United States and European Union have now lifted sanctions against the country.

    However, women have been marginalised by Syria’s new leadership. That’s a problem for Syrian women, of course, but it also puts at risk prospects for sustainable peace in Syria.

    A growing body of research, including our own, shows a direct correlation between gender equality and peace.

    Syria now stands at a crossroads. Will it ensure women’s meaningful participation and follow a path to peace? Or will things head in the other direction?

    This is more urgent than ever. Failure to grapple with women’s rights in Syria risks plunging the nation further into extremist violence.

    Women excluded both before and after Assad’s rule

    After decades in power, the harsh Assad regime was overthrown late last year by rebels led by Sunni Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

    But women – who were marginalised politically and economically under Assad – continue to be systematically excluded from decision-making in the new government.

    This is even though women played an essential role in the Syrian revolution. They organised protests and advocated for rights (often at great personal risk).

    They endured sacrifices such as imprisonment, torture, disappearance and displacement.

    Yet, only one woman was appointed to Syria’s immediate post-Assad caretaker government. She didn’t get a ministerial title.

    The caretaker government spokesman reportedly suggested women’s “biological and physiological nature” makes them unsuitable for certain government roles.

    Reports allege the man initially appointed as Syria’s new minister of justice previously oversaw executions of women accused of being sex workers.

    Some Syrian activists are concerned Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will enforce a gendered and conservative interpretation of Islamic law, which prevailed in its previous stronghold of Idlib (a city in northwestern Syria).

    Limited roles for women

    A key moment came when the new Syrian government held a “national dialogue conference” earlier this year. This conference was to establish a forward-looking “political identity” for Syria.

    Of the seven-member conference preparatory committee, only two were women.

    There was no representation on the preparatory committee from several of Syria’s diverse communities, including Kurdish, Alawite and Druze groups.

    Most members had strong ties with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or other Islamist factions.

    About 200 of the 1,000 delegates at the conference were women. However, their input in legislative and security committees was minimal.

    Only one of 18 conference recommendations referred (in a limited way) to women.

    Following the national dialogue conference, new Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa signed into force a constitutional declaration that set a five-year transition period and established the interim government.

    Senior figures in the new government described the declaration as guaranteeing women’s political and economic rights.

    Yet only one of Syria’s 23 ministers is a woman: Hind Kabawat, appointed as minister of social affairs and labour. This “soft” portfolio is commonly associated with gendered expectations around care and welfare.

    Key ministries were allocated to al-Sharaa’s all-male long-time comrades from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s base in Idlib.

    Change is possible

    A just and sustainable peace requires proactive measures to integrate women into leadership roles in Syria.

    Change is possible. For example, constitutional mandates could guarantee minimum representation for women in ministerial leadership and judicial positions, which would better reflect the diversity of Syrian society.

    Independent mechanisms could be established to investigate and address gender-based injustices. This would need to provide accountability for past abuses and protect women’s rights under the post-Assad system.

    As we have previously noted, there cannot be a “collective forgetting” of crimes Syrian women experienced in the past.

    Economic empowerment initiatives would also help foster women’s financial independence and participation in public life.

    Public awareness campaigns could also highlight women’s contributions to the revolution and their essential role in nation-building.

    Syria at a crossroads

    With the recent lifting of sanctions by the US and EU, and ongoing regional instability globally, Syria stands at a crossroads.

    The G7 Summit in May 2025 emphasised the global community’s renewed focus on women’s participation in peace processes.

    Influential middle-power countries can play a key role by reviewing sanctions and tying humanitarian aid to the promotion of human rights, gender inclusion and pluralistic governance.

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

    – ref. Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins – https://theconversation.com/women-played-key-roles-in-syrias-revolution-now-theyve-been-pushed-to-the-margins-257358

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    Andy. LIU/Shutterstock

    The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies.

    Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly worked to help ensure the US remains the principal security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific.

    Australia’s track record speaks for itself. Yet additional demands are being placed that rankle.

    The Pentagon wants to know how Australia – and other allies such as Japan – would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

    Making these demands – which are being sought as part of the review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement – is both unjustified and unreasonable.

    ‘100 years of mateship’

    Since federation in 1901, Australians have found themselves alongside US counterparts in almost all the major conflicts of the 20th century and beyond.

    It is this shared experience that led former Ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, to coin the term “100 years of mateship”.

    The pinnacle of the security relationship is the ANZUS Treaty which is a loosely worded document barely 800 words long.

    However, it is important to remember AUKUS is just that – a technical agreement, albeit premised on the century-spanning trusted collaboration across the full spectrum of national security ties.

    Goldilocks solution

    More recently, the US administration has made demands of allies, including Australia, the likes of which have not been seen in living memory.

    This spans not just tariffs, but also increased defence spending. American policymakers appear oblivious or unconcerned about the blowback they are generating.

    It is this context which makes the US demands for a broad-ranging and largely open-ended commitment over the defence of Taiwan, in advance of any conflict, so extraordinary and unhelpful.

    Under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby who wants a clear sense of how Australia would act in a potential war over Taiwan.
    Supplied by US Department of Defence, CC BY

    Australia has long had a fear of abandonment. Ever since the searing experience of the fall of Singapore in 1942, officials have been eager to burnish ties with US counterparts. Conversely, there has always been a strong element in the community that has feared entrapment in yet another US-led war in Asia.

    The experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, let alone Afghanistan and Iraq, left many guarded about the efficacy of hitching the wagon to US-led military campaigns.

    In essence, though, Australian policymakers have long sought the Goldilocks solution: not too enthusiastic to trigger entrapment and not too lukewarm to trigger abandonment.

    No guarantees

    Now Australia, Japan and others face a surprising new push by American officials for a commitment to a hypothetical conflict, under open-ended circumstances.

    The irony is that American demands for a commitment fly in the face of the loosely worded ANZUS alliance – which stipulates an agreement to consult, but little more than that.

    The AUKUS agreement includes no such guarantees either. The overt and confronting nature of Washington’s demands means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese effectively has no option but to push back:

    We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action […] we want peace and security in our region.

    Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was adamant Australia would not be committing forces ahead of any “hypothetical” conflict:

    The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day.

    A further irony is Australia, like Japan, is already hugely invested in its US military relationship, particularly through its military technology.

    The purchase of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance, was meant to help enable the generation of interoperable forces, yet no such demand has been made when it comes to an advance commitment over their use in support of US ambitions.

    So why invoke AUKUS in such a way?

    Evidently, the way the US is trying to stand over Japan and Australia is harmful to its own interests. Such adversarial and unduly transactional behaviour could provoke a popular backlash in Australia and elsewhere.

    The government has rightly rebuffed the calls saying it would be up to the government of the day to make such a decision. It is likely this will not be well received by the Trump administration. The PM is right though, to say it’s hypothetical and not worthy of a public endorsement.

    Strategic ambiguity

    Yet a further irony is that this is mostly a moot point.

    The key benefit of alliance collaboration is already in place – and that relates to the efforts to deter China from ever acting on its desire to change the status quo in the first place.

    As former PM and now ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd explained in his book, The Avoidable War, geo-political disaster is still avoidable, particularly if the US and China can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through managed strategic competition.

    This strategic ambiguity is meant to complicate a potential adversary’s military planners and political decision makers’ thought processes over the advantages and disadvantages of going to war.

    China already knows a clash over Taiwan would mean US allies like Japan and Australia would find it virtually impossible to avoid being entangled. The strategic ambiguity can be maintained ad infinitum, so long as an outright invasion is averted.

    And the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan? I remain sanguine that conflict can be avoided.

    But to do so would involve clear and compelling messaging: both through diplomatic channels and through the demonstration of robust military capabilities that war would be too costly.

    John Blaxland received funding (2015–2018) from the US DoD Minerva Research Initiative.

    – ref. Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan – https://theconversation.com/washingtons-war-demands-australia-risks-being-dragged-into-a-conflict-with-china-over-taiwan-261076

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Commodore, Maritime Component Commander, New Zealand Defence Force Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 2, 2025 [Image 2 of 3]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    SINGAPORE (July 2, 2025) Commodore Shane Arndell, Maritime Component Commander, New Zealand Defence Force, signs a guest book during a scheduled visit to Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73, July 2, 2025. COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed maritime forces, along with regional Allies and partners, to sustain Western Pacific operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 07.01.2025
    Date Posted: 07.08.2025 00:44
    Photo ID: 9167913
    VIRIN: 250702-N-ED646-7060
    Resolution: 7131×4754
    Size: 5.82 MB
    Location: SG
    Web Views: 13
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    This work, Commodore, Maritime Component Commander, New Zealand Defence Force Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 2, 2025 [Image 3 of 3], by PO2 Moises Sandoval, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

    GALLERY

    MORE LIKE THIS

    CONTROLLED VOCABULARY KEYWORDS

    TAGS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Commodore, Maritime Component Commander, New Zealand Defence Force Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 2, 2025 [Image 2 of 3]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    SINGAPORE (July 2, 2025) Commodore Shane Arndell, Maritime Component Commander, New Zealand Defence Force, signs a guest book during a scheduled visit to Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73, July 2, 2025. COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed maritime forces, along with regional Allies and partners, to sustain Western Pacific operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 07.01.2025
    Date Posted: 07.08.2025 00:44
    Photo ID: 9167913
    VIRIN: 250702-N-ED646-7060
    Resolution: 7131×4754
    Size: 5.82 MB
    Location: SG
    Web Views: 13
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    This work, Commodore, Maritime Component Commander, New Zealand Defence Force Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 2, 2025 [Image 3 of 3], by PO2 Moises Sandoval, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

    GALLERY

    MORE LIKE THIS

    CONTROLLED VOCABULARY KEYWORDS

    TAGS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Royal Thai Navy Vice Admiral Benjapon Rusakul Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 10, 2025 [Image 1 of 4]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    SINGAPORE (July 10, 2025) Rear Adm. Todd Cimicata, left, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF-73), greets Vice Adm. Benjapon Rusakul, Director General Naval Supply Department, Royal Thai Navy, during a scheduled visit to Sembawang Naval Installation, July 10, 2025. COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed maritime forces, along with regional Allies and partners, to sustain Western Pacific operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings/Released)

    Date Taken: 07.10.2025
    Date Posted: 07.13.2025 22:03
    Photo ID: 9177782
    VIRIN: 250710-N-YV347-1050
    Resolution: 5823×3882
    Size: 11 MB
    Location: SEMBAWANG PORT, SG
    Web Views: 1
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    This work, Royal Thai Navy Vice Admiral Benjapon Rusakul Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 10, 2025 [Image 4 of 4], by PO2 Jordan Jennings, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

    GALLERY

    MORE LIKE THIS

    CONTROLLED VOCABULARY KEYWORDS

    TAGS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Royal Thai Navy Vice Admiral Benjapon Rusakul Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 10, 2025 [Image 1 of 4]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    SINGAPORE (July 10, 2025) Rear Adm. Todd Cimicata, left, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF-73), greets Vice Adm. Benjapon Rusakul, Director General Naval Supply Department, Royal Thai Navy, during a scheduled visit to Sembawang Naval Installation, July 10, 2025. COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed maritime forces, along with regional Allies and partners, to sustain Western Pacific operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings/Released)

    Date Taken: 07.10.2025
    Date Posted: 07.13.2025 22:03
    Photo ID: 9177782
    VIRIN: 250710-N-YV347-1050
    Resolution: 5823×3882
    Size: 11 MB
    Location: SEMBAWANG PORT, SG
    Web Views: 1
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    This work, Royal Thai Navy Vice Admiral Benjapon Rusakul Visits COMLOG WESTPAC, July 10, 2025 [Image 4 of 4], by PO2 Jordan Jennings, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

    GALLERY

    MORE LIKE THIS

    CONTROLLED VOCABULARY KEYWORDS

    TAGS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 130 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Hatim Sharif, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio

    A Kerrville, Texas, resident watches the flooded Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn/Getty Images

    Texas Hill Country is known for its landscapes, where shallow rivers wind among hills and through rugged valleys. That geography also makes it one of the deadliest places in the U.S. for flash flooding.

    In the early hours of July 4, 2025, a flash flood swept through an area of Hill Country dotted with summer camps and small towns about 70 miles northwest of San Antonio. More than 130 people died in the flooding. The majority of them were in Kerr County, including more than two dozen girls and counselors at one summer camp, Camp Mystic. Dozens more people were still unaccounted for a week later.

    The flooding began with a heavy downpour, with more than 10 inches of rain in some areas, that sent water sheeting off the hillsides and into creeks. The creeks poured into the Guadalupe River.

    A river gauge at Hunt, Texas, near Camp Mystic, showed how quickly the river flooded: Around 3 a.m. on July 4, the Guadalupe River was rising about 1 foot every 5 minutes at the gauge, National Weather Service data shows. By 4:30 a.m., it had risen more than 20 feet. As the water moved downstream, it reached Kerrville, where the river rose even faster.

    Flood expert Hatim Sharif, a hydrologist and civil engineer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, explains what makes this part of the country, known as Flash Flood Alley, so dangerous.

    What makes Hill Country so prone to flooding?

    Texas as a whole leads the nation in flood deaths, and by a wide margin. A colleague and I analyzed data from 1959 to 2019 and found 1,069 people had died in flooding in Texas over those six decades. The next highest total was in Louisiana, with 693.

    Many of those flood deaths have been in Hill County. It’s part of an area known as Flash Flood Alley, a crescent of land that curves from near Dallas down to San Antonio and then westward.

    The hills are steep, and the water moves quickly when it floods. This is a semi-arid area with soils that don’t soak up much water, so the water sheets off quickly and the shallow creeks can rise fast.

    When those creeks converge on a river, they can create a surge of water that wipes out homes and washes away cars and, unfortunately, anyone in its path.

    Hill Country has seen some devastating flash floods. In 1987, heavy rain in western Kerr County quickly flooded the Guadalupe River, triggering a flash flood similar to the one in 2025. Ten teenagers being evacuated from a camp died in the rushing water.

    San Antonio, at the eastern edge of Hill Country, was hit with a flash flood on June 12, 2025, that killed 13 people whose cars were swept away by high water from a fast-flooding creek near an interstate ramp in the early morning.

    Why does the region get such strong downpours?

    One reason Hill Country gets powerful downpours is the Balcones Escarpment.

    The escarpment is a line of cliffs and steep hills created by a geologic fault. When warm air from the Gulf rushes up the escarpment, it condenses and can dump a lot of moisture. That water flows down the hills quickly, from many different directions, filling streams and rivers below.

    As temperature rise, the warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing the downpour and flood risk.

    A tour of the Guadalupe River and its flood risk.

    The same effect can contribute to flash flooding in San Antonio, where the large amount of paved land and lack of updated drainage to control runoff adds to the risk.

    What can be done to improve flash flood safety?

    First, it’s important for people to understand why flash flooding happens and just how fast the water can rise and flow. In many arid areas, dry or shallow creeks can quickly fill up with fast-moving water and become deadly. So people should be aware of the risks and pay attention to the weather.

    Improving flood forecasting, with more detailed models of the physics and water velocity at different locations, can also help.

    Probabilistic forecasting, for example, can provide a range of rainfall scenarios, enabling authorities to prepare for worst-case scenarios. A scientific framework linking rainfall forecasts to the local impacts, such as streamflow, flood depth and water velocity, could also help decision-makers implement timely evacuations or road closures.

    Education is particularly essential for drivers. One to two feet of moving water can wash away a car. People may think their trucks and SUVs can go through anything, but fast-moving water can flip a truck and carry it away.

    Officials can also do more to barricade roads when the flood risk is high to prevent people from driving into harm’s way. We found that 58% of the flood deaths in Texas over the past six decades involved vehicles. The storm on June 12 in San Antonio was an example. It was early morning, and drivers had poor visibility. The cars were hit by fast-rising floodwater from an adjacent creek.

    This article, originally published July 5, 2025, has been updated with the death toll rising.

    Hatim Sharif 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. Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 130 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding – https://theconversation.com/why-texas-hill-country-where-a-devastating-flood-killed-more-than-130-people-is-one-of-the-deadliest-places-in-the-us-for-flash-flooding-260555

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: One month after Israeli surprise attack, Iranians stay vigilant

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

    This photo taken on June 29, 2025 shows the destruction at Evin Prison after the Israeli airstrike in Tehran, Iran. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Precisely one month ago, in the wee hours of June 13, Israel launched major surprise airstrikes on several areas in Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

    One month after the attack, which triggered a 12-day war between the two countries, Iranian experts and politicians maintain that although it is unlikely that Israel would launch another attack against Iran soon, Tehran should enhance its readiness for any scenario that may unfold.

    Speaking in a recent televised interview, Ali Larijani, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned that “it is possible that Israel … would decide to come back,” stressing that Iran should always be ready.

    In a recent interview with the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, an Iranian expert on West Asia issues and secretary-general of the Green Party, warned against any negligence, noting, “We should always be ready to defend the country and maintain our preparedness to confront the foe.”

    He highlighted the necessity to strengthen the country’s passive defense in the face of surprise operations by Israel and the United States, saying the war, in which Iran was engaged, was a hybrid one featuring the employment of offensive, cyber, security, military, economic and sanction systems by Israel and the United States as well as the U.S. NATO allies.

    Kanani Moghaddam highlighted the importance of ensuring Iran’s intelligence and anti-espionage agencies are well-equipped and focused on countering the “enemy.”

    He also stressed the necessity of establishing an independent intelligence and security organization dedicated to addressing threats from Israel.

    Iran’s deterrence power should be so tremendous that it makes Israel believe any “aggression” against the country would cost it heavily, he added.

    In another interview with ILNA, Ali-Asghar Zargar, an international relations expert, said that while the current ceasefire between Iran and Israel could be sustainable, Iran should take swift actions to strengthen its air defense and military might.

    Iranian lawmaker and former foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, also told the official news agency IRNA in a recent interview that “all of us, especially the Iranian armed forces, should be ready for a likely Israeli attack.”

    Iran’s military figures have been warning that should Israel seek to violate the ceasefire, Iran’s response would be “crushing.”

    In remarks to Defa Press, a news outlet affiliated with the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, spokesman of the Iranian armed forces Abolfazl Shekarchi said the country’s response to a likely Israeli attack would be “firm, serious, crushing, effective and regret-inducing,” emphasizing that the Iranian armed forces’ preparedness was at a high level. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Songshan Lake: A microcosm of China’s innovation ecosystem

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

    A staff member operates robot to climb stairs at a robot base in Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Songshan Lake, nestled in south China’s Guangdong Province, buzzes with youthful energy as tomorrow’s tech leaders weave through roads once scented by lychees.

    Just two decades ago, this thriving innovation hub was a quiet orchard. Today, it blossoms with ideas instead of fruit.

    Covering 103 square kilometers, this high-tech zone hosts over 17,000 market entities. Among them are seven national-level manufacturing champion enterprises and 770 national high-tech enterprises, each playing a part in the rise of new-generation industries technology — from connected vehicles and robotics to intelligent equipment manufacturing, biomedicine and the frontiers of new materials and energy.

    Fueling this rapid enterprise growth is Songshan Lake’s innovation ecosystem. It houses six universities and 18 provincial-level new R&D institutions. It is also home to several key scientific facilities, including China Spallation Neutron Source and the under-construction Advanced Attosecond Laser Infrastructure.

    The journey of ePropulsion, a company co-founded by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) graduate Pan Zongliang and his three classmates, exemplifies this ecosystem.

    In 2012, spotting significant potential in marine new energy, they formed a startup team dedicated to marine electric propulsion R&D. By 2014, they had developed a prototype for their first electric outboard motor. However, turning that breakthrough into a market-ready product was not easy sailing — industrialization turned out to be a formidable voyage.

    Luckily, HKUST professor Li Zexiang founded the XbotPark robotics base within Songshan Lake also in 2014, and Li recommended and helped ePropulsion’s five-member team relocate their company to Songshan Lake.

    “As a marine new energy company, we needed a water area for product testing,” explained Pan, ePropulsion’s co-founder and COO. The Songshan Lake administrative committee provided the team a crucial asset: a dedicated water testing dock. “It was tremendous support,” Pan recalled.

    Beyond policy backing, Songshan Lake’s strategic location allows XbotPark companies to leverage the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s supply chain advantages.

    “Teams here often say, ‘If you can imagine it, you can build it’,” said director of the XbotPark robotics base. “Good ideas can typically find suppliers for implementation within half an hour.”

    Today, ePropulsion operates a manufacturing plant in Dongguan City, where Songshan Lake is located, with its products — ranging from 500W to 1000kW electric outboards, pod drives, inboard systems, and matching battery and control systems — sold globally.

    “Our main market is Europe and the United States, and our small and medium-sized electric outboards ranked first globally in shipments last year,” Pan noted. “Domestic market share is also rising with China’s expanding new energy vessel sector.”

    Their green propulsion systems now power boats in events like the SailGP and America’s Cup, as well as scenic waters across China, including Wuhan’s East Lake, Hangzhou’s West Lake, and Guilin’s Li River.

    According to XbotPark, it has incubated over 80 robotics and smart hardware startups, of which six are unicorns, boasting an over 80 percent survival rate. Its top companies have a cumulative valuation of 10 billion U.S. dollars.

    An intelligent underwater robot is tested at a provincial institute of intelligent robotics in Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province, June 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Nearby at the Guangdong Intelligent Robotics Institute (GIRI), another industrial park at Songshan Lake, a bright yellow robot maneuvers in a testing pool, surfacing and diving with fish-like agility. This intelligent underwater inspection robot, developed by BlueDiveBot, performs comprehensive, blind-spot-free surveys.

    “Underwater robots can handle equipment maintenance, debris removal, water quality monitoring, and emergency response, overcoming human limitations and safety risks,” explained Hu Gangyi, general manager of BlueDiveBot.

    Incubated by the GIRI and founded in 2023, BlueDiveBot has established a collaborative innovation platform integrating industry, academia, research, and application for advanced underwater equipment. It has mastered a series of cutting-edge technologies in unmanned underwater intelligent systems, some being domestic firsts.

    “The well-developed industrial chain in Dongguan and surrounding areas accelerates our R&D commercialization,” Hu said. “We rapidly achieved production capacity and significant market sales growth.”

    Since its establishment in August 2015, GIRI has focused its R&D and commercialization efforts on core robotics components like high-power lasers, sensors, and machine vision, alongside core products including industrial robots, high-end intelligent equipment, unmanned autonomous systems, and industrial big data.

    GIRI vice president Zhou Xiaoxiao likens prototype technology to “an unripe green apple,” which needs refinement to turn into “a mature red apple” that can then serve a whole chain of products, such as apple jam and apple juice.

    Further empowering innovation, the Songshan Lake high-tech zone partnered with Huawei Cloud to build a developer village in April 2022. It addresses enterprise digitalization needs through deep integration and collaborative innovation among different developer organizations, fostering digital innovation and industrial upgrading. Currently, 29 companies have settled there.

    “The Songshan Lake high-tech zone has deployed frontier basic research,” concluded Wang Qianqian, deputy director of the Songshan Lake Science, Technology and Innovation Bureau. “Based on fundamental research results, we are forging a complete innovation chain from pioneering research to commercialization and industrial development.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor of Education, Health and Behavior Studies, University of North Dakota

    In Kerrville, Texas, Leighton Sterling watches the rushing floodwaters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn via Getty Images News

    The devastating losses from the historic flooding in Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, are still coming into grim focus, with 121 deaths confirmed and more than 100 still missing as of July 10.

    As emergency responders focus on clearing debris and searching for victims, a less visible and slower disaster has been unfolding: the need for ongoing mental health support long after headlines fade.

    This phase is no less critical than restoring power or rebuilding bridges. Disasters destabilize emotional well-being, leaving distress, prolonged recovery and long-term impacts in their wake long after the event is over.

    Without sustained emotional support, people and communities face heightened risks of prolonged trauma and stalled recovery.

    As an educator and practitioner focused on disability and rehabilitation, I explore the intersection of disaster recovery and the impact of disasters on mental health. Both my research and that of others underscore the vital importance of support systems that not only help people cope in the immediate aftermath of a disaster but also facilitate long-term healing over the months and years that follow – especially for vulnerable populations like children, older adults and people with disabilities.

    The emotional toll of disasters

    Natural disasters disrupt routines, displace families and challenge people’s sense of control and security. In the immediate aftermath, survivors often experience shock, grief, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Often these symptoms may evolve into chronic stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or a combination of these conditions.

    A 2022 study found that Texans who experienced two or more disasters within a five-year span had significantly poorer mental health, as reflected by lower scores on standardized psychological assessments, which highlights the cumulative toll repeated disasters can have on mental well-being.

    After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, nearly a third of survivors continued to experience poor mental health years later.

    And reports following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 revealed surging rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, especially in areas where services remained unavailable for extended periods of time.

    There are actionable ways to make a difference in the recovery process.

    Strained recovery systems

    Disaster response understandably focuses on immediate needs like rescue operations, providing post-disaster housing and repairing damaged infrastructure. In addition, short-term mental health supports such as mobile health clinics are often provided in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

    However, although emergency services are deployed quickly after a disaster, long-term mental health support is often delayed or under-resourced, leaving many people without continued care during the recovery period, especially in remote or rural communities, exposing deep structural gaps in how recovery systems are designed.

    One year after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas in 2017, more than 90% of Gulf Coast residents reported ongoing stress related to housing instability, financial hardship or displacement. Yet less than 10% of people stated that they or someone in their household had used mental health services following the disaster.

    Hurricane Helene in 2024 similarly tested the resilience of rural mental health networks in western North Carolina. The storm damaged roads and bridges, schools and even local clinics.

    This prompted a news organization, North Carolina Health News, to warn of rising “trauma, stress and isolation” among residents as providers scrambled to offer free counseling despite legal barriers stemming from licensing requirements to provide counseling across state borders. State health officials activated community crisis centers and helplines, while mobile mental health teams were dispatched from Tennessee to help those impacted by the disaster. However, state representatives stressed that without long-term investment, these critical supports risk being one-off responses.

    These events serve as a powerful reminder that while roads and buildings can often be restored quickly, emotional recovery is a slower, more complex process. Truly rebuilding requires treating mental health with the same urgency as physical infrastructure. This requires investing in strong mental health recovery systems, supporting local clinics, sustaining provider networks and integrating emotional care into recovery plans from the start.

    In Hunt, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to volunteers and community members during a news conference on July 8, 2025.
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images News

    Finding mental health support following a disaster

    Lessons learned from previous disasters and an abundance of research show how sustained mental health supports can help people recover and build resilience.

    These six lessons are particularly helpful for finding needed mental health support following a disaster:

    • If you’re feeling overwhelmed after a disaster, you’re not alone, and help is available. Free and confidential support is offered through resources like the Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746), which connects you to trained counselors 24/7.

    • Many communities offer local mental health crisis lines or walk-in centers that remain active well after the disaster passes. Check your county or state health department’s website for updated listings and information.

    • Even if physical offices are closed, many clinics now offer virtual counseling or can connect you with therapists and medication refills remotely. If you’ve seen someone before, ask if they’re still available by phone or video.

    • After major disasters, states often deploy mobile health clinics that include mental health services to shelters, churches or schools. These temporary services are free and open to the public.

    • If someone you care about is struggling, help them connect with resources in the community. Share hotline numbers, offer to help make an appointment or just let them know it’s OK to ask for support. Many people don’t realize that help is available, or they think it’s only for more “serious” problems. It’s not.

    • Mental health support doesn’t always arrive right away. Keep an eye on local news, school updates or health department alerts for new services that may become available in the weeks or months after a disaster.

    Disasters don’t just damage buildings; they disrupt lives in lasting ways.

    While emotional recovery takes time, support is available. Staying informed and sharing resources with others can help ensure that the road to recovery isn’t traveled alone.

    Lee Ann Rawlins Williams 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. When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery – https://theconversation.com/when-disasters-fall-out-of-the-public-eye-survivors-continue-to-suffer-a-rehabilitation-professional-explains-how-sustained-mental-health-support-is-critical-to-recovery-260781

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor of Education, Health and Behavior Studies, University of North Dakota

    In Kerrville, Texas, Leighton Sterling watches the rushing floodwaters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn via Getty Images News

    The devastating losses from the historic flooding in Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, are still coming into grim focus, with 121 deaths confirmed and more than 100 still missing as of July 10.

    As emergency responders focus on clearing debris and searching for victims, a less visible and slower disaster has been unfolding: the need for ongoing mental health support long after headlines fade.

    This phase is no less critical than restoring power or rebuilding bridges. Disasters destabilize emotional well-being, leaving distress, prolonged recovery and long-term impacts in their wake long after the event is over.

    Without sustained emotional support, people and communities face heightened risks of prolonged trauma and stalled recovery.

    As an educator and practitioner focused on disability and rehabilitation, I explore the intersection of disaster recovery and the impact of disasters on mental health. Both my research and that of others underscore the vital importance of support systems that not only help people cope in the immediate aftermath of a disaster but also facilitate long-term healing over the months and years that follow – especially for vulnerable populations like children, older adults and people with disabilities.

    The emotional toll of disasters

    Natural disasters disrupt routines, displace families and challenge people’s sense of control and security. In the immediate aftermath, survivors often experience shock, grief, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Often these symptoms may evolve into chronic stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or a combination of these conditions.

    A 2022 study found that Texans who experienced two or more disasters within a five-year span had significantly poorer mental health, as reflected by lower scores on standardized psychological assessments, which highlights the cumulative toll repeated disasters can have on mental well-being.

    After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, nearly a third of survivors continued to experience poor mental health years later.

    And reports following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 revealed surging rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, especially in areas where services remained unavailable for extended periods of time.

    There are actionable ways to make a difference in the recovery process.

    Strained recovery systems

    Disaster response understandably focuses on immediate needs like rescue operations, providing post-disaster housing and repairing damaged infrastructure. In addition, short-term mental health supports such as mobile health clinics are often provided in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

    However, although emergency services are deployed quickly after a disaster, long-term mental health support is often delayed or under-resourced, leaving many people without continued care during the recovery period, especially in remote or rural communities, exposing deep structural gaps in how recovery systems are designed.

    One year after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas in 2017, more than 90% of Gulf Coast residents reported ongoing stress related to housing instability, financial hardship or displacement. Yet less than 10% of people stated that they or someone in their household had used mental health services following the disaster.

    Hurricane Helene in 2024 similarly tested the resilience of rural mental health networks in western North Carolina. The storm damaged roads and bridges, schools and even local clinics.

    This prompted a news organization, North Carolina Health News, to warn of rising “trauma, stress and isolation” among residents as providers scrambled to offer free counseling despite legal barriers stemming from licensing requirements to provide counseling across state borders. State health officials activated community crisis centers and helplines, while mobile mental health teams were dispatched from Tennessee to help those impacted by the disaster. However, state representatives stressed that without long-term investment, these critical supports risk being one-off responses.

    These events serve as a powerful reminder that while roads and buildings can often be restored quickly, emotional recovery is a slower, more complex process. Truly rebuilding requires treating mental health with the same urgency as physical infrastructure. This requires investing in strong mental health recovery systems, supporting local clinics, sustaining provider networks and integrating emotional care into recovery plans from the start.

    In Hunt, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to volunteers and community members during a news conference on July 8, 2025.
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images News

    Finding mental health support following a disaster

    Lessons learned from previous disasters and an abundance of research show how sustained mental health supports can help people recover and build resilience.

    These six lessons are particularly helpful for finding needed mental health support following a disaster:

    • If you’re feeling overwhelmed after a disaster, you’re not alone, and help is available. Free and confidential support is offered through resources like the Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746), which connects you to trained counselors 24/7.

    • Many communities offer local mental health crisis lines or walk-in centers that remain active well after the disaster passes. Check your county or state health department’s website for updated listings and information.

    • Even if physical offices are closed, many clinics now offer virtual counseling or can connect you with therapists and medication refills remotely. If you’ve seen someone before, ask if they’re still available by phone or video.

    • After major disasters, states often deploy mobile health clinics that include mental health services to shelters, churches or schools. These temporary services are free and open to the public.

    • If someone you care about is struggling, help them connect with resources in the community. Share hotline numbers, offer to help make an appointment or just let them know it’s OK to ask for support. Many people don’t realize that help is available, or they think it’s only for more “serious” problems. It’s not.

    • Mental health support doesn’t always arrive right away. Keep an eye on local news, school updates or health department alerts for new services that may become available in the weeks or months after a disaster.

    Disasters don’t just damage buildings; they disrupt lives in lasting ways.

    While emotional recovery takes time, support is available. Staying informed and sharing resources with others can help ensure that the road to recovery isn’t traveled alone.

    Lee Ann Rawlins Williams 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. When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery – https://theconversation.com/when-disasters-fall-out-of-the-public-eye-survivors-continue-to-suffer-a-rehabilitation-professional-explains-how-sustained-mental-health-support-is-critical-to-recovery-260781

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Tragedy in Butler, Pennsylvania

    Source: US Whitehouse

    One year ago today, at 6:11 pm—eight minutes after taking the stage on the grounds of Butler Farms to address thousands of Americans gathered at a campaign rally—rifle fire broke out, and an assassin’s bullet came within a quarter inch of ending my life and silencing our movement to restore American greatness.  Yet, by the hand of providence and the grace of Almighty God, my life was spared.  As we commemorate one year since the harrowing events of July 13, 2024, we reaffirm that the American spirit has and will always triumph over forces of evil and destruction.

    Those who carry scars from that July evening defended our Republic during one of our Nation’s darkest hours—running to the injured amid chaos and uncertainty to provide comfort and lifesaving care.  Doctors and first responders rushed to help the wounded, rallygoers guided their fellow citizens to safety, and patriots raised their fists in the air in an outpouring of support and national pride.  These men and women arrived at the rally grounds as ordinary Americans, but left as heroes.  They represent the very best of our Nation, and we are forever indebted for their kindness and compassion.

    However, one name stands above all for selfless service and ultimate sacrifice on that fateful day.  The world will never forget the tragic loss of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter, veteran, and devoted husband and father.  When gunfire erupted, Corey did not hesitate to protect his wife and two daughters.  He died a hero, and we are eternally grateful for his inspiring love, valor, and faithfulness.

    It remains my firm conviction that God alone saved me that day for a righteous purpose: to restore our beloved Republic to greatness and to rescue our Nation from those who seek its ruin.  One year after the attempt on my life in Butler, our country is in the midst of a new Golden Age.  History will remember the would-be assassin for his cowardice and failure, but the magnificent legacy of the heroes of July 13, 2024, will forever be etched upon the heart of our Nation.  Today, we pay tribute to their spirit of love, unity, and resilience—and we proclaim with one voice the epic battle cry that has reverberated all across the world: “Fight, fight, fight!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: SUNDAY SHOWS: Trump Administration is Putting Americans First

    Source: US Whitehouse

    This morning, officials joined the Sunday shows to discuss the historic steps the Trump Administration is taking to ensure the safety and security of the American people — including the government-wide response to the devastating Texas flooding, unprecedented action to secure the homeland, and protecting our national security through supply chain resiliency.

    Here’s what you missed:

    Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem

    • “Within just an hour or two after the flooding, we had resources from the Department of Homeland Security there helping those individuals in Texas … This is the fastest, I believe, in years, maybe decades, that FEMA has been deployed to help individuals in this type of a situation.” Watch
    • “This is what I think is really unfortunate is that we have a situation where so many individuals are playing politics with what happened to Texas.” Watch
    • “This week, we’ve got murderers off the street, rapists, child pedophiles. If you look at that marijuana grow facility that we recently just did an operation on, over 319 individuals were brought into custody — and 14 unaccompanied children.” Watch

    Border Czar Tom Homan

    • “If you’re in the country legally, you shouldn’t fear ICE — but what you should fear is the criminal aliens walking the communities in sanctuary cities.” Watch
    • “You didn’t see [Democrats] complaining about, under the Biden Administration, people being held in a Border Patrol parking lot surrounded by a fence in the sweltering heat. Not a word. You didn’t a word about half a million children being trafficked into the country and them not being able to locate 300,000 … They ignored four years of open borders, historic migrant death, historic Americans dying from fentanyl, historic numbers of women and children being sex trafficked, historic number of people on the terrorist watchlist coming across the border. Silence.” Watch

    National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett

    • “Tariff revenue over the next ten years — which will help reduce the deficit and secure our entitlement programs — it’s $3 trillion, and consumers haven’t seen that.” Watch
    • “We’re trying to put America First … This is about America getting itself ready for the Golden Age by getting our house in order, by getting our tariff and trade policy and tax policy exactly where it needs to be for a Golden Age.” Watch
    • “If there is a time of war, we need to have the metals that we need to produce American weapons, and copper is a key component in many American weapons. As we look forward to the threats that America faces, the President decided that we have plenty of copper in the U.S., but not enough copper production — and that’s why he has taken this strong step.” Watch

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN-backed labour standards at risk as tariff uncertainty grows

    Source: United Nations 2

    Threatened or actual tariff increases are largely focused on taxing imports into the United States and will make the products made by factories outside the country more expensive – a situation which may drive down demand.

    The ILO’s Better Work programme, a partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has supported garment factories, many of which export their products to the United States.

    The ILO’s Sara Park explained to UN News what could happen next.

    Sara Park: Better Work currently operates in the garment, textile and footwear sector in 13 countries around the world.

    It was set up 24 years ago in Cambodia to monitor the working conditions in garment factories and since then has focused on improvement and capacity building of factories and our constituencies in the sector, for example occupational safety and health.

    There are other elements that support the sector to promote social dialogue, safe and decent work which includes fair wages and working hours. The programme has also helped build productivity in those sectors.

    UN News: How is the ILO involved?

    Sara Park: The ILO is a tripartite organization, so we work with governments, employers, the unions who represent workers, usually Ministries of Labour, but also with ministries of trade or commerce because the programme focuses on exports.

    © Better Work/Aron Simeneh

    A worker at a factory in Ethiopia carries out an inspection on fire safety equipment.

    But what maybe makes us different from other projects is that we have a very close collaboration with major brands from the US, UK, Europe and Japan to promote responsible business practices.

    UN News: How successful has this programme been?

    Sara Park: Our studies show that at the factory level we’ve made significant impact, for example by increasing wages and supporting gender-equality related issues, women’s empowerment and women getting more supervisory roles.

    Over the quarter of a century of its existence, Better Work has lifted millions of people out of poverty and reduced the environmental impact of the apparel sector by creating decent work in sustainable enterprises.

    It’s still hard for unions as freedom of association remains a big challenge.

    © ILO/Aaron Santos

    A woman works at a Better Work-affiliated factory in Viet Nam.

    If you’re trying to develop a whole industry and make it competitive, it takes years if not decades; however, we have seen improvements in the factories where we work.

    Better Work-enrolled factories have also reported an increase in orders from buyers.

    UN News: So, this is good for business as well?

    Sara Park: This is good for business, and productivity in individual factories. Governments also tell us that the programme supports confidence and thus growth of the industry as a whole in participating countries.

    © Better Work/Marcel Crozet

    Garment employees work on a production line of an exporting clothing plant in Jordan.

    UN News: How has Better Work been affected by recent global changes in development funding?

    Sara Park: As we know from recent developments, the US Government has cut funding and that has affected our programmes in Haiti and Jordan, which were almost fully funded by the US. The other countries have not been affected, as we are lucky to have very diverse funding.

    UN News: Why is the ILO’s ongoing support needed once the relationship between factory and the buyer is set up?

    Sara Park: The buyers, which are often well-known companies, require a sustainable way of monitoring working conditions to ensure they are in compliance with international labour standards; this is important to eliminate risk from the buyers’ perspective.

    The Better Work programme supports improvements in factories, by conducting assessments, advisory and learning sessions and helps all parties to better understand compliance with the standards. It also works with governments, workers and employers to build capacity.

    © Better Work/Feri Latief

    Workers take their lunch break at a garment factory in Indonesia.

    UN News: Currently there is widespread uncertainty about tariffs, the taxing of imported goods particularly into the United States. How is the garment sector impacted?

    Sara Park: At the moment, we don’t know what the impact will be. Governments are monitoring the situation. Employers and, of course, the unions are worried.

    It is extremely challenging for factories as uncertainty means they cannot plan even for the short term, as they don’t know what orders they will have. They are also concerned about paying workers.

    Better Work-enrolled factories are providing primarily jobs in the formal sector; if they close, then those jobs may move to the informal sector where workers have fewer protections.

    In countries like Jordan for example, migrants make up the majority of the workforce in the garment industry, most of them come from South and Southeast Asia.

    UN News: How is this uncertainty impacting investment in the global garment industry?

    Sara Park: During periods of crisis or uncertainty, investment generally pauses. One concern is that factories stop investing in improving working conditions, which could affect occupational safety and health.

    For example, heat stress is a serious issue. Recently, in Pakistan temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius so action needs to be taken to protect workers. This may not happen if investment dries up.

    UN News: What would you say to a garment worker who was worried about his or her job?

    Sara Park: We understand this is a worry for many workers. Yet the work of the ILO is continuing to ensure that workers are protected and the ILO remains in those countries and is committed to improving conditions for all workers across different sectors.

    We will continue to promote social dialogue because that’s how improvements can be made at factory, sectoral and national level.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –