NewzIntel.com

Category: Natural Disasters

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Reconstruction of a school in Bekasovo district completed

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    In the Bekasovo district of the Troitsky administrative district, the reconstruction of the building of school No. 1391 has been completed. In addition, an additional building for 550 places was built as part of the Targeted Investment Program. This made it possible to increase the total capacity of the educational institution to 900 students. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.

    “The reconstruction of the facility took place in two stages. During the first stage, an additional building with an area of over three thousand square meters was added to the school building. The next stage of the project affected the work in the main building – there, the facade, roof and all the rooms were repaired, internal and external utility networks, flooring, doors and window units were replaced. Specialists mounted partitions, installed video surveillance systems, notification systems and energy-efficient lighting. The adjacent territory was improved: green spaces were planted, lawns were laid out, a sports area was arranged and small architectural forms were installed,” said Vladimir Efimov.

    All work is carried out taking into account modern standards in the field of education, as well as new approaches to the design, construction and operation of buildings. The construction of schools, kindergartens, clinics and other social facilities is important for observing the principles of harmonious development of the city.

    “The school has modern universal and specialized classrooms with high-tech equipment, laboratories, a hall for events, workshops, a media library, and recreation areas. Access control, fire alarm, and evacuation management systems have been installed in the building. The institution has created the necessary conditions for adults and children with disabilities,” said the head of the capital’s Department for the Development of New Territories.

    Vladimir Zhidkin.

    The construction of the additional building was monitored Committee for State Construction Supervision of the City of Moscow. As the head of the department noted Anton Slobodchikov, specialists conducted 10 on-site inspections, in which experts from the subordinate Center for Expertise in Research and Testing in Construction participated. They were engaged in instrumental quality control of the work and materials used. Based on the results of the inspections, an official document was issued on the compliance of the facility with the requirements of the design documentation.

    Earlier, Sergei Sobyanin reported that about 150 social facilities will be built in 2025–2026.

    The construction of social facilities in Moscow corresponds to the goals and initiatives of the national project “Infrastructure for life”.

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

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152020073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Booker Launches Floor Speech by Saying: “I am going to stand here until I no longer can. I am going to speak up.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) took to the Senate floor with the intention of speaking as long as he is physically capable of speaking to uplift the stories of Americans who are being harmed by the Trump Administration’s reckless actions, attempts to undermine our institutions, and disregard for the rule of law. 

    Under the rules of the Senate, Senators have the ability to speak without time limitation. 

    Booker opened his speech saying, “I rise tonight with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able… These are not normal times in our nation. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent and we all must do more to stand against them.”

    His opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, are pasted in full below.

    WATCH HERE

    A full copy of his opening remarks as prepared for delivery can be found below:

    Mr/Madame President—

    I rise tonight with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.

    I rise tonight because our nation is in crisis:

    Bedrock commitments are being broken;

    Unnecessary hardship is being borne by Americans of all backgrounds;

    Our institutions are being recklessly and unconstitutionally attacked and even shattered.

    In just 71 days, the President has inflicted harm after harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the foundations of our democracy; and any sense of common decency. 

    These are not normal times in our nation. 

    And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.

    The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent and we all must do more to stand against them.

    Generations from now will look back at this moment and have a single question — where were you?

    When our country was in crisis and when the American people were asking for our help — did we speak up?

    When the 73 million American seniors who rely on Social Security were told that from now on, there will be no one to answer when they call for help; when our seniors were afraid and worried because of the menacing of an American president, did we speak up? 

    When prices at the grocery store were skyrocketing and the stock market was plunging and Americans were hurting and looking for help – 

    and at the same time, the President of the United States was launching a trade war on our allies; 

    firing the regulators who investigate America’s biggest banks and corporations; 

    dismantling the agency that protects consumers from fraud; 

    peddling his own meme coin; 

    and doing a car commercial for the richest man in the world in front of the White House;

    When the President tried to take health care away from people with disabilities in order to pay for tax cuts for the billionaires sitting on the dais at his inauguration and in his cabinet meetings at the White House;

    When he gutted public education; slashed funding for pediatric cancer research; and fired thousands of veterans who risked their lives for this country;

    When he abandoned our allies and our international commitments at a time when floods, fires, hurricanes, and droughts are devastating communities across the country, and outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases are still a global threat. 

    When the American press was being censored; 

    when international students were being disappeared from American communities; 

    when American universities were being silenced; 

    when American law firms were being targeted; 

    when the people who attacked the police officers defending this building and American democracy on January 6th weren’t just pardoned, but were celebrated by the man in the highest office in the land;

    When Americans from across the country were all speaking up and saying:

    this is not right; 

    this is un-American;

    this is not who we are. 

    Did we speak up?

    I rise tonight because to be silent at this moment of national crisis would be a betrayal, and because at stake in this moment is nothing less than everything that makes us who we are.

    At stake right now are the most basic American principles — 

    That if you work hard your entire life and pay into Social Security, it should be there for you when you retire, and you should not have to question if those paychecks will arrive. 

    That if you serve your nation, you will be respected and taken care of – and not forced to worry that the federal employees who provide you with care will be fired, or the benefits you rely on will be denied, or that your healthcare needs won’t be met. 

    That your children will have access to a high quality public education and return home safely from school each day;

    That the people you elect to serve in government will represent you and not try to make themselves richer; 

    That everyone’s rights will be equally protected and everyone will be held equally accountable under the law; 

    Right now, all of this – things that make our country different — are under attack. Our constituents are asking us to acknowledge that this is not normal, that this is a crisis. 

    So I am going to stand here until I no longer can.

    I am going to speak up.  

    I want to start by sharing just a few of the letters I have received from my constituents in recent weeks about what is at stake right now.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Online booking for picnic spots in parks is now open

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Equipped picnic spots in Moscow parks are again available to residents and guests of the capital. They can be booked only through the Mosbilet service. This will allow city residents to plan their vacation in advance and spend time in nature as comfortably as possible. When booking online, you can choose a convenient time and place. Rental of sites is paid.

    In parks under the jurisdiction of the capital Department of Culture, all conditions for safe recreation have been created: fire-resistant barbecues, boxes for coal and sand, trash bins and information boards with safety rules have been installed. There you can enjoy nature, cook shashlik and spend time with friends and family.

    Visitors reserve one time slot equal to four hours. It cannot be extended. After the end of the paid time, vacationers must leave the barbecue area. In case of a dispute, the site administrator will help to resolve the issue.

    Where can I book a barbecue area?

    Areas with gazebos and barbecues are located in 14 parks. For example, you can book a place to relax in the Ostankino and Kuskovo and Kuzminki-Lyublino museum-reserves, in the Severnoye Tushino, Raduga, Mitino, Lianozovsky and Babushkinsky parks, as well as in the square along Olonetsky Proezd. Barbecue areas are located in the Sokolniki and Serebryany Bor parks.

    In the natural and historical park “Kuzminki-Lyublino” you can enjoy nature, walk along well-groomed paths and get acquainted with the rich history of this place. The picnic point in the park is popular among visitors. It is a landscaped area with 11 gazebos with awnings and barbecues. This place is well suited for picnics, family celebrations and friendly gatherings in the fresh air.

    The Kuskovo forest park invites barbecue lovers who do not want to go far from the city. Here you can admire the beauty of the park landscapes, and for picnic lovers there are several areas with open gazebos and a place for a barbecue. Here you can celebrate holidays surrounded by centuries-old trees or spend time with friends and family. Next to the gazebos there is all the necessary infrastructure: barbecues, tables, benches. The gazebo can accommodate four people.

    The “Field of Brides” has not only barbecue areas, but also heated houses with terraces. There are open areas with large wooden tables for eight people surrounded by century-old fir trees. There is everything you need for a full-fledged rest: toilets, parking, an entertainment area. The territory is suitable for both families and large companies. The rental price does not include barbecue accessories, dishes, food and drinks.

    The Lianozovsky Landscape Reserve is located in the Lianozovo district. The picturesque oak grove of the ancient village of Altufyevo is now part of the regional cultural heritage site Lianozovo Park. A favorite place for visitors to relax is the Lianozovsky ponds. The territory of the forest park has a developed path network, picnic areas, children’s and sports grounds. The Altufevsky Complex Reserve is located in Bibirevo and runs along the Samoteka River. In the 30-50s of the last century, there was the Lianozovsky nursery, which supplied Moscow with the necessary planting material. Now the plantings of the former nursery have grown and formed a dense forest belt – an ideal place for quiet walks away from the bustle of the city. The park has children’s and sports grounds, they were reconstructed in 2022.

    The Severnoye Tushino Park offers a break from the bustle of the city. There are two children’s and four sports grounds, a workout area, and a mother and child room.

    On April 7, the picnic season opens in the park near the Raduga ponds. In comfortable gazebos designed for 8-10 people, you can enjoy nature and communicate with loved ones in the shade of trees. The tables are spacious, there is enough space for treats and cozy get-togethers. The park is located in the Veshnyaki district, not far from the Vykhino metro station.

    The square along Olonetsky Proezd is famous for its feathered inhabitants. The pearl of the territory is a bioplateau, where swans, geese and ducks of different species live. Next to the gazebo there is a large playground, a bird corner where pheasants, peacocks, ducks, chickens and other birds live. Nearby there is a rental point for summer equipment, several food outlets and a toilet. The gazebo is equipped with benches and lighting.

    The Mitino Landscape Park is a unique natural area with flood meadows, birch groves, walking alleys and bike paths. The gazebo is located near the observation deck, which offers the most picturesque views of the park and the Mitino district. There are art objects in the form of swings, benches and a toilet.

    Renting gazebos in the Serebryany Bor park allows you to organize various outdoor events – picnics, birthdays, children’s parties, business meetings. The gazebos are located on the bank of the Moscow River, they are wooden and protected from bad weather. Guests have access to equipped barbecue areas, comfortable furniture, and stationary toilets.

    The creation, development and operation of the e-government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant services, as well as other services in electronic form, correspond to the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State” and the regional project of the city of Moscow “Digital Public Administration”.

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

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152018073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform Deployed Across T-Mobile Operations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN JOSE, Calif., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS), the leader in cloud security, collaborated with T-Mobile in late 2023 to rapidly deploy hybrid zero trust throughout its operations. In just three months, T-Mobile implemented the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ AI-powered cloud security platform, which is designed to secure access to applications and the internet, regardless of user location or device. Now, one year later, the roll-out has further secured the Un-carrier’s infrastructure against potential cyber threats and over that time, T-Mobile is retiring its traditional VPNs. By reducing the need for traditional VPNs and providing secure and direct access to applications, T-Mobile’s employees and other team members can access needed resources efficiently and effectively, whether they are in the office, at home or on the go.

    “As T-Mobile is continually focused on making enhancements to our cybersecurity approach to stay ahead of bad actors, working with Zscaler to roll out these tools is another positive step forward in that mission,” said Jeff Simon, senior vice president and chief security officer, T-Mobile. “Zscaler’s tools help us ensure that only verified and authorized users and devices can securely access the systems they need to do their job — and nothing more. This is critical to significantly reducing the risk of cyber threats.”

    Modernizing Security with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
    The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform is designed to secure access to applications and the internet, regardless of user location or device. T-Mobile’s deployment includes:

    • Secure internet access with Zscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA™) to eliminate the need for backhauling, delivering full TLS/SSL traffic inspection and zero-trust access for internet and SaaS applications.
    • Secure private access with Zscaler Private Access™ (ZPA™) to replace traditional VPNs and provide direct access to applications from any location.
    • Advanced threat detection with Zscaler Deception technology to detect and neutralize threats by using decoys and false user paths to lure bad actors away from resources.
    • Optimized User Experience with Zscaler Digital Experience™ (ZDX™) that detects and resolves issues with application connectivity and performance issues that could impact productivity.

    “The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange is a cloud native cybersecurity platform built on the concept of zero trust. Following the principle of least-privileged access, the platform establishes trust based on user identity and context — including location, device, application and content — and creates secure, direct user-to-app, app-to-app and machine-to-machine connections,” said Mike Rich, chief revenue officer and president of global sales at Zscaler. “We’re proud that Zscaler reduced T-Mobile’s use of legacy firewalls and VPNs to enhance secure and efficient access to applications and information.”

    Watch a video from Zscaler and T-Mobile here. For more on the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, visit zscaler.com.

    About Zscaler
    Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across more than 150 data centers globally, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange™ is the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform.

    Media Contact
    Natalia Wodecki
    Sr. Director, Global Integrated Communications & PR
    press@zscaler.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Sidero Labs Named a Fast Mover in Multiple 2025 GigaOm Radar Reports for Kubernetes Innovation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GOLETA, Calif., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sidero Labs, delivering solutions that reduce friction in managing Kubernetes and containerized applications, today announced it has been named a Fast Mover and Challenger in two significant industry reports: the 2025 GigaOm Radar for Managed Kubernetes and the 2025 GigaOm Radar on Kubernetes for Edge Computing. The reports provide forward-looking analysis to help enterprises evaluate solutions for deploying and scaling Kubernetes across different infrastructures. Sidero’s integrated platform, Omni, excels by connecting customers’ Kubernetes clusters at the edge, on bare metal, and in hybrid cloud environments with simple and centralized management.

    “The GigaOm Radar recognitions validate our approach to solving real-world challenges organizations face when managing Kubernetes at scale,” said Steve Francis, CEO, Sidero Labs. “As businesses deploy more compute capacity across data centers, cloud environments, and closer to data sources at the edge, they need solutions that eliminate complexity while ensuring security, compliance, and operational control. We’re focused on delivering that unified, seamless experience without compromising enterprise requirements. It’s why some of the largest businesses in the world trust Omni with their mission-critical applications.” 

    Sidero’s Omni platform delivers SaaS-simple Kubernetes deployment and management. Teams can create multi-node clusters or deploy single-node edge clusters with just a few clicks. Key capabilities of Omni evaluated in the reports include:

    • Single-pane management for bare metal, virtual machine, and cloud infrastructure;
    • Built-in security through Talos Linux that is purpose-built for Kubernetes workloads with a minimal attack surface;
    • Highly available Kubernetes API endpoints for reliable cluster operations;
    • Advanced connectivity including native dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 networking, Multus CNI support, and integrated WireGuard encryption for secure edge deployments;
    • Remote management that scales across thousands of clusters with centralized, API-driven control, ensuring secure oversight in restricted or firewalled locations;
    • Workload acceleration with support for multiple GPU drivers, DPUs, SR-IOV, and DPDK network accelerators, making it especially powerful for performance-intensive edge workloads;
    • Comprehensive support for air-gapped and data-sovereign environments.

    Speaking about GigaOm’s inclusion of Omni as a solution for Kubernetes in edge environments, Sidero Labs CTO Andrew Rynhard said, “The transition to the edge isn’t just about moving workloads around, it’s about fundamentally rethinking operational models. Our recognition in the GigaOm Radar reflects our focus on solving the automation gap that exists between centralized IT and distributed edge infrastructure. By applying immutable OS principles and API-first management, Omni is helping teams achieve the same level of DevOps maturity at the edge that they’ve come to expect in their cloud environments, while also addressing the constraints of edge computing.”

    Sidero continues to gain traction with enterprises, with its solutions now managing tens of thousands of clusters globally across retail, manufacturing, telecom, and other industries. Read the full reports here: Managed Kubernetes and Kubernetes for Edge Computing.

    About Sidero Labs

    Founded in 2019, Sidero Labs, Inc., the creator of Talos Linux and Omni, focuses on bringing simplicity and security to bare-metal and edge Kubernetes. By delivering scalable API-driven management for Kubernetes clusters in any environment, Talos Linux and Omni are making on-prem infrastructures secure by default, easier to use, and more reliable to operate. Talos Linux is a minimal, immutable, and API-managed operating system designed specifically for running Kubernetes. Omni is a SaaS platform that enables enterprise Kubernetes management across bare metal, data centers, cloud, and edge environments. Together, these tools are trusted by hundreds of companies and help manage tens of thousands of clusters worldwide. Learn more at siderolabs.com. 

    Contact
    Kyle Peterson
    kyle@clementpeterson.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why do I get headaches when I exercise, even when I drink lots of water?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia

    Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

    Getting a headache during or after exercise can be seriously frustrating – especially if you have kept hydrated to try and stop them from happening.

    But why do these headaches occur? And does keeping hydrated make any difference?

    What are exercise headaches?

    Exercise headaches (also known as “exertional headaches”) are exactly what they sound like: headaches that occur either during, or after, exercise.

    French doctor Jules Tinel first reported these headaches in the medical literature in 1932 and they’ve been a regular point of discussion since.

    Exercise headaches commonly present as a throbbing pain on both sides of the head. They most often occur after strenuous exercise – although what is considered “strenuous” can differ between people, depending on their fitness levels. They can last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days.

    Exercise headaches are thought to impact about 12% of adults, although this number varies from 1% all the way up to 26% across individual studies.

    In most circumstances, these headaches are harmless and will resolve on their own, over time. Some research suggests you will stop getting them after a few months of starting a new type of workout.

    But while they are usually harmless, they can sometimes signal an underlying condition that requires medical attention.

    What causes exercise headaches?

    Despite a good amount of research looking at exertional headaches, we don’t know their exact cause, but we do think we know why they occur.

    The leading theory suggests they are caused by changes in blood flow to the brain. During intense exercise, blood vessels in the brain dilate, increasing blood flow and pressure, leading to pain.

    Because long-term exercise improves our cardiovascular health, including our ability to dilate and constrict our blood vessels, this theory makes sense when we consider that exercise headaches tend to resolve themselves over time. This might explain why research suggests fitter people are less likely to get exercise headaches.

    People with migraines appear more likely to experience exercise headaches, which are thought to be caused by this same mechanism.

    Does heat and dehydration cause exercise headaches?

    There is evidence suggesting that exercise headaches are more likely to occur in the heat.

    Your brain cannot dissipate heat by sweating like the rest of your body can. So when it’s hot, your body has to increase blood flow to the brain to help bring down its temperature, which can increase pressure.

    Exercise headaches might not be as bad when you’re hydrated.
    ME Image/Shutterstock

    Similarly, exercise headaches also seem to get worse, and occur more often, when people are dehydrated.

    However, we are not sure why this happens. Some research has shown that dehydration results in increased strain during exercise. As such, dehydration might not necessarily cause the headache, but make it more likely to occur.

    Red flags: when to see a doctor

    Most exercise headaches resolve themselves after a few hours and result in no lasting negative effects.

    In some rare instances, they could be sign of something more serious occurring in the brain, such as a subarachnoid haemorrhage (a bleed between the brain and the tissues that cover it), reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (a spasming of blood vessels), cervical artery dissection (or tear), intracranial hypertension (pressure in the brain), or an infection.

    See a doctor to rule out anything serious if:

    • it’s your first exercise headache
    • the headache is severe and sudden (also known as a thunderclap headache)
    • it’s accompanied by other symptoms such as vision changes, confusion, or sensations of weakness
    • you experience a stiff neck, nausea, or vomiting with your headache
    • it lasts for more than 24 hours and doesn’t seem to be getting better.

    Can you prevent exercise headaches?

    There is no surefire way to prevent exercise headaches.

    But a recent review suggests that ensuring you’re adequately hydrated and gradually warm-up to your desired exercise intensity can make them less likely to occur.

    Give your body time to adapt.
    Gorgev/Shutterstock

    Beyond this, you may wish to keep your exercise intensity in a light-to moderate range for a couple of months. This will give your cardiovascular system some time to adapt before trying more strenuous exercise, hopefully reducing the likelihood of getting exercise headaches at all.

    Exercise headaches are annoying, but are generally harmless and should subside on their own over time.

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

    – ref. Why do I get headaches when I exercise, even when I drink lots of water? – https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-get-headaches-when-i-exercise-even-when-i-drink-lots-of-water-253039

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ChatGPT’s Studio Ghibli-style images show its creative power – but raise new copyright problems

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kai Riemer, Professor of Information Technology and Organisation, University of Sydney

    Social media has recently been flooded with images that looked like they belonged in a Studio Ghibli film. Selfies, family photos and even memes have been re-imagined with the soft pastel palette characteristic of the Japanese animation company founded by Hayao Miyazaki.

    This followed OpenAI’s latest update to ChatGPT. The update significantly improved ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities, allowing users to create convincing Ghibli-style images in mere seconds. It has been enormously popular – so much so, in fact, that the system crashed due to user demand.

    Generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT are best understood as “style engines”. And what we are seeing now is these systems offering users more precision and control than ever before.

    But this is also raising entirely new questions about copyright and creative ownership.

    How the new ChatGPT makes images

    Generative AI programs work by producing outputs in response to user prompts, including prompts to create an image.

    Previous generations of AI image generators used diffusion models. These models gradually refine random, noisy data into a coherent image. But the latest update to ChatGPT uses what’s known as an “autoregressive algorithm”.

    This algorithm treats images more like language, breaking them down into “tokens”. Just as ChatGPT predicts the most likely words in a sentence, it can now predict different visual elements in an image separately.

    This tokenisation enables the algorithm to better separate certain features of an image – and their relationship with words in a prompt. As a result, ChatGPT can more accurately create images from precise user prompts than previous generations of image generators. It can replace or change specific features while preserving the rest of the image, and it improves on the longstanding issue of generating correct text in images.

    A particularly powerful advantage of generating images inside a large language model is the ability to draw on all the knowledge already encoded in the system. This means users don’t need to describe every aspect of an image in painstaking detail. They can simply refer to concepts such as Studio Ghibli and the AI understands the reference.

    The recent Studio Ghibli trend began with OpenAI itself, before spreading among Silcon Valley software engineers and then even governments and politicians – including seemingly unlikely uses such as the White House creating a Ghiblified image of a crying woman being deported and the Indian government promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s narrative of a “New India”.

    Understanding AI as ‘style engines’

    Generative AI systems don’t store information in any traditional sense. Instead they encode text, facts, or image fragments as patterns – or “styles” – within their neural networks.

    Trained on vast amounts of data, AI models learn to recognise patterns at multiple levels. Lower network layers might capture basic features such as word relationships or visual textures. Higher layers encode more complex concepts or visual elements.

    This means everything – objects, properties, writing genres, professional voices – gets transformed into styles. When AI learns about Miyazaki’s work, it’s not storing actual Studio Ghibli frames (though image generators may sometimes produce close imitations of input images). Instead, it’s encoding “Ghibli-ness” as a mathematical pattern – a style that can be applied to new images.

    The same happens with bananas, cats or corporate emails. The AI learns “banana-ness”, “cat-ness” or “corporate email-ness” – patterns that define what makes something recognisably a banana, cat or a professional communication.

    The encoding and transfer of styles has for a long time been an express goal in visual AI. Now we have an image generator that achieves this with unprecedented scale and control.

    This approach unlocks remarkable creative possibilities across both text and images. If everything is a style, then these styles can be freely combined and transferred. That’s why we refer to these systems as “style engines”. Try creating an armchair in the style of a cat, or in elvish style.

    The copyright controversy: when styles become identity

    While the ability to work with styles is what makes generative AI so powerful, it’s also at the heart of growing controversy. For many artists, there’s something deeply unsettling about seeing their distinctive artistic approaches reduced to just another “style” that anyone can apply with a simple text prompt.

    Hayao Miyazaki has not publicly commented on the recent trend of people using ChatGPT to generate images in his world-famous animation style. But he has been critical of AI previously.

    All of this also raises entirely new questions about copyright and creative ownership.

    Traditionally, copyright law doesn’t protect styles – only specific expressions. You can’t copyright a music genre such as “ska” or an art movement such as “impressionism”.

    This limitation exists for good reason. If someone could monopolise an entire style, it would stifle creative expression for everyone else.

    But there’s a difference between general styles and highly distinctive ones that become almost synonymous with someone’s identity. When an AI can generate work “in the style of Greg Rutkowski” – a Polish artist whose name was reportedly used in over more than 93,000 prompts in AI image generator Stable Diffusion – it potentially threatens both his livelihood and artistic legacy.

    Some creators have already taken legal action.

    In a case filed in late 2022, three artists formed a class to sue multiple AI companies, arguing that their image generators were trained on their original works without permission, and now allow users to generate derivative works mimicking their distinctive styles.

    As technology evolves faster than the law, work is under way on new legislation to try and balance technological innovation with protecting artists’ creative identities.

    Whatever the outcome, these debates highlight the transformative nature of AI style engines – and the need to consider both their untapped creative potential and more nuanced protections of distinctive artistic styles.

    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. ChatGPT’s Studio Ghibli-style images show its creative power – but raise new copyright problems – https://theconversation.com/chatgpts-studio-ghibli-style-images-show-its-creative-power-but-raise-new-copyright-problems-253438

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Torrential rains created inland seas in outback Queensland. Soon, they will supersize Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia

    The small Queensland town of Eromanga bills itself as Australia’s town furthest from the sea. But this week, an ocean of freshwater arrived.

    Monsoon-like weather has hit the normally arid Channel Country of inland Queensland. Some towns have had two years’ worth of rain in a couple of days. These flat grazing lands now resemble an inland sea. Dozens of people have been evacuated. Others are preparing to be cut off, potentially for weeks. And graziers are reporting major livestock losses – more than 100,000 and climbing. In some areas, the flooding is worse than 1974, the wettest year on record in Australia.

    Why so much rain? Tropical, water-laden air has been brought far inland from the oceans to the north and east. This can happen under normal climate variability. But our ocean temperatures are the highest on record, which supercharges the water cycle.

    In coming weeks, this huge volume of water will wend its way through the channels and down to fill Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, the ephemeral lake which appears in the northern reaches of South Australia. It’s likely this will be a Lake Eyre for the ages.

    In the first three months of the year, deadly record-breaking floods hit northern Queensland before Cyclone Alfred tracked unusually far south and made landfall in southeast Queensland, bringing widespread winds and rains and leaving expensive repair bills. Now the rain has come inland.

    Why so much rain in arid areas?

    Some meteorologists have dubbed this event a pseudo-monsoon. That’s because the normal Australian monsoon doesn’t reach this far south – the torrential rains of the monsoonal wet season tend to fall closer to the northern coasts.

    Because the Arafura and Timor Seas to the north are unusually warm, evaporation rates have shot up. Once in the air, this water vapour makes for very humid conditions. These air masses are even more humid than normal tropical air, because they have flowed down from the equator. Many Queenslanders can vouch for the intense humidity.

    But there’s a second factor at work. At present, Australia’s climate is influenced by a positive Southern Annular Mode. This means the belt of intense westerly winds blowing across the Southern Ocean has been pushed further south, causing a ripple effect which can lead to more summer rain in Australia’s southeast, up to inland Queensland. This natural climate driver has meant easterly winds have blown uninterrupted from as far away as Fiji, carrying yet more humid air inland.

    Many inland rivers in Queensland are in major flood (red triangles) as of April 1.
    Bureau of Meteorology, CC BY

    These two streams of converging humid tropical air were driven up into the cooler heights of the atmosphere by upper and surface low pressure troughs, triggering torrential rain over wide areas of the outback

    While these humid air masses have now dumped most of their water, more rain is coming in the aftermath of the short-lived Cyclone Dianne off northwest Australia. These rains won’t be as intense but may drive more flood peaks over already saturated catchments.

    This is why it has been so wet in what is normally an exceptionally dry part of Australia.

    What is this doing to the Channel Country?

    Many Australians have never been to the remote Channel Country. It’s a striking landscape, marked by ancient, braided river channels.

    Even for an area known for drought-flood cycles, the rainfall totals are extreme. This is a very rare event.

    People who live there have to be resilient and self-sufficient. But farmers and graziers are bracing for awful losses of livestock. Livestock can drown in floodwaters, but a common fate is succumbing to pneumonia after spending too long in water. After the water moves down the channels, it will leave behind notoriously boggy and sticky mud. This can be lethal to livestock and native animals, which can find themselves unable to move.

    Where will the water go next?

    Little of these temporary inland seas will ever reach the ocean.

    Some of the rain has fallen in the catchment of the Darling River, where it will flow down and meet the Murray. The Darling is often filled by summer rains, while the Murray gets more water from autumn and winter rains. This water will eventually reach the Southern Ocean.

    But most of the rain fell further inland. The waters snaking through the channels will head south, flowing slowly along the flat ground for weeks until it crosses the South Australian border and begins to fill up Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. Here, the waters will stop, more than 300 km from the nearest ocean at Port Augusta, and fill what is normally a huge, salty depression and Australia’s lowest point, 15 metres below sea level.

    When Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills, it creates an extraordinary spectacle. Millions of brine shrimp will hatch from eggs in the dry soil. This sudden abundance will draw waterbirds in their millions, while fish carried in the floodwaters will spawn and eat the shrimp. Then there are the remarkable shield shrimps, hibernating inland crabs and salt-adapted hardyhead fish.

    It’s rare that Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills up – but when it does, life comes to the desert.
    Mandy Creighton/Shutterstock

    The rain event will send enough water to keep Lake Eyre full for many months and it usually takes up to two years for it to dry out again. We can expect to see a huge lake form – the size of a small European country. Birdwatchers and biologists will flock to the area to see the sight of a temporary sea in the desert.

    Eventually, the intense sun of the outback will evaporate every last drop of the floodwaters, leaving behind salted ground and shrimp eggs for the next big rains.

    As the climate keeps warming, we can expect to see more sudden torrential rain dumps like this one, followed by periods of rapid drying.

    Steve Turton has previously received funding from the federal government.

    – ref. Torrential rains created inland seas in outback Queensland. Soon, they will supersize Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre – https://theconversation.com/torrential-rains-created-inland-seas-in-outback-queensland-soon-they-will-supersize-kati-thanda-lake-eyre-253529

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Global warming of more than 3°C this century may wipe 40% off the world’s economy, new analysis reveals

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Neal, Senior lecturer in Economics / Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

    The damage climate change will inflict on the world’s economy is likely to have been massively underestimated, according to new research by my colleagues and I which accounts for the full global reach of extreme weather and its aftermath.

    To date, projections of how climate change will affect global gross domestic product (GDP) have broadly suggested mild to moderate harm. This in part has led to a lack of urgency in national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    However, these models often contain a fundamental flaw – they assume a national economy is affected only by weather in that country. Any impacts from weather events elsewhere, such as how flooding in one country affects the food supply to another, are not incorporated into the models.

    Our new research sought to fix this. After including the global repercussions of extreme weather into our models, the predicted harm to global GDP became far worse than previously thought – affecting the lives of people in every country on Earth.

    Weather shocks everywhere, all at once

    Global warming affects economies in many ways.

    The most obvious is damage from extreme weather. Droughts can cause poor harvests, while storms and floods can cause widespread destruction and disrupt the supply of goods. Recent research has also shown heatwaves, aggravated by climate change, have contributed to food inflation.

    Heat also makes workers less productive. It affects human health, and disease transmission, and can cause mass migration and conflict.

    Most prior research predicts that even extreme warming of 4°C will have only mild negative impacts on the global economy by the end of the century – between 7% and 23%.

    Such modelling is usually based on the effects of weather shocks in the past. However, these shocks have typically been confined to a local or regional scale, and balanced out by conditions elsewhere.

    For example, in the past, South America might have been in drought, but other parts of the world were getting good rainfall. So, South America could rely on imports of agricultural products from other countries to fill domestic shortfalls and prevent spikes in food prices.

    But future climate change will increase the risk of weather shocks occurring simultaneously across countries and more persistently over time. This will disrupt the networks producing and delivering goods, compromise trade and limit the extent to which countries can help each other.

    International trade is fundamental to the global economic production. So, our research examined how a country’s future economic growth would be influenced by weather conditions everywhere else in the world.

    What did we find?

    One thing was immediately clear: a warm year across the planet causes lower global growth.

    We corrected three leading models to account for the effects of global weather on national economies, then averaged out their results. Our analysis focused on global GDP per capita – in other words, the world’s economic output divided by its population.

    We found if the Earth warms by more than 3°C by the end of the century, the estimated harm to the global economy jumped from an average of 11% (under previous modelling assumptions) to 40% (under our modelling assumptions). This level of damage could devastate livelihoods in large parts of the world.

    Previous models have asserted economies in cold parts of the world, such as Russia and Northern Europe, will benefit from warmer global temperatures. However, we found the impact on the global economy was so large, all countries will be badly affected.

    A warm year across the planet causes lower global growth. Pictured: wilted corn crops during drought.
    wahyusyaban/Shutterstock

    Costs vs benefits

    Reducing emissions leads to short-term economic costs. These must be balanced against the long-term benefits of avoiding dangerous climate change.

    Recent economic modelling has suggested this balance would be struck by reducing emissions at a rate that allows Earth to heat by 2.7°C.

    This is close to Earth’s current warming trajectory. But it is far higher than the goals of the Paris Agreement, and global warming limits recommended by climate scientists. It is also based on the flawed assumptions discussed above.

    Under our new research, the optimal amount of global warming, balancing short-term costs with long-term benefits, is 1.7°C – a figure broadly consistent with the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious target.

    Avoiding climate change has short-term costs and long-term benefits.
    Dany Bejar/Shutterstock

    Changing course

    Our new research shows previous forecasts of how such warming will affect the global economy have been far too optimistic. It adds to other recent evidence suggesting the economic impacts of climate change has been badly underestimated.

    Clearly, Earth’s current emissions trajectory risks our future and that of our children. The sooner humanity grasps the calamities in store under severe climate change, the sooner we can change course to avoid it.

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

    – ref. Global warming of more than 3°C this century may wipe 40% off the world’s economy, new analysis reveals – https://theconversation.com/global-warming-of-more-than-3-c-this-century-may-wipe-40-off-the-worlds-economy-new-analysis-reveals-253032

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ELIZA LANE, ROBE (Grass Fire)

    Source: South Australia County Fire Service

    More posts

    Homes that have been built to withstand a bushfire, and are prepared to the highest level, may provide safety.

    You may lose power, water, phone and data connections.

    Fire crews are responding but you should not expect a firefighter at your door.

    What you should do

    • Check and follow your Bushfire Survival Plan.
    • Protect yourself from the fire’s heat – put on protective clothing.
    • Tell family or friends of your plans.

    If you are leaving

    • Leave now, don’t delay.
    • Roads may become blocked or access may change. Smoke will reduce visibility.
    • Secure your pets for travel.
    • If you become stuck in your car, park away from bushes, cover yourself, get onto the floor as the windows may break from the intense heat.

    If you are not leaving – prepare to defend

    • Identify a safe place inside, with more than one exit, before the fire arrives. Keep moving away from the heat of the fire.
    • Bring pets inside and restrain them.
    • Move flammable materials such as doormats, wheelie bins and outdoor furniture away from your house.
    • Close doors and windows to keep smoke out.
    • If you have sprinklers, turn them on to wet the areas.
    • If the building catches fire, go to an area already burnt. Check around you for anything burning.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Why do I see or smell smoke?

    Source:

    With calm autumn conditions across much of the state, communities can expect to see smoke in the air as a mix of planned burns, private burns under CFA’s permit system and agricultural burns take place over the coming weeks.

    While current conditions are ideal for burning, weather patterns may cause smoke to linger over parts of the state overnight and through to early morning on some days.

    FFMVic Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman said it is crucial fire agencies take advantage of favourable conditions when they present.  

    “Planned burning on public land is one of the tools FFMVic uses to keep Victoria safer from bushfires,” Mr Hardman said.

    “Our climate is changing and that means finding the right days for safe and effective planned burning is becoming more challenging. Autumn typically provides our crews more opportunities to conduct planned burns, as the weather is more stable, and fire behaviour tends to be manageable and predictable

    “With the current favourable weather and forest conditions, we are delivering as much planned burning as we can.

    “Reducing dry vegetation such as grass, leaves, bark, shrubs and small fallen branches means fires are less intense and slower to spread, making it more likely that firefighters can keep bushfires small and contained before they pose a risk to communities.

    “We work closely with Country Fire Authority (CFA), Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Bureau of Meteorology to keep the smoke impact from planned burns as low as possible. We make every effort to make sure favourable weather conditions reduce smoke drift into communities.

    “Victorians can register to receive notifications of upcoming planned burns at the Planned Burns Victoria website.”

    CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan is urging Victorians to understand permit requirements before conducting private burn-offs while the Fire Danger Period (FDP) remains in place across most of Victoria.

    “We are now starting to issue schedule 13 permits to farmers to burn crop stubble to kill off weeds and reduce pests, however we remind Victorians, that no burning off is to occur unless people have received permission,” Mr Heffernan said.

    “While the FDP has ended in East Gippsland, it remains in place across the rest of Victoria. It is vital that landowners check local conditions are safe and appropriate before burning off – both on the day and the days following.

    “You may see a large amount of smoke in areas where these activities take place, so we ask farmers to let their neighbours know who may be sensitive to smoke so they can take necessary precaution.

    “Any burning off activity should have enough water and resources on hand to monitor and extinguish and Triple Zero Victoria must be notified as awareness for emergency services and community members.”

    Victoria’s Chief Environmental Scientist Professor Mark Patrick Taylor said EPA understands smoke from any source, including planned burns and private burn-offs can cause health concerns.

    “Be prepared by watching for FFMVic planned burn notifications and by checking the air quality in your area through EPA’s AirWatch,” Professor Taylor said.

    “Your nose is also an excellent smoke detector. If you can smell smoke, take the necessary precautions to protect your health.”

    The Planned Burns Victoria website has details of all planned burns currently on the three-year Joint Fuel Management Program, visit  https://plannedburns.ffm.vic.gov.au/.

    To find out what can and can’t be done during fire danger period, visit https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/warnings-restrictions/fire-bans-ratings-and-restrictions/can-i-or-cant-i

    Check fire restrictions and register private burns at www.firepermits.vic.gov.au or call 1800 668 511.

    Detailed information about current air quality throughout Victoria can be found on EPA’s website.

    Visit the EPA website for tips about looking after health when there is smoke.

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Urge Attorney General Bondi to Reverse Course on Unjustified Firings of Immigration Judges

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schiff Urge Attorney General Bondi to Reverse Course on Unjustified Firings of Immigration Judges

    The unjustified firings come as immigration courts are already under immense pressure to adjudicate roughly 3.6 million backlogged cases, with further strains expected with Trump’s mass deportation agenda

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined 64 House and Senate Democrats in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to reverse the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) alarming decision to fire immigration judges even as the immigration courts currently face a staggering backlog of immigration cases. In February, EOIR abruptly fired 20 immigration judges, removed all nine Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) judges appointed during the Biden Administration, and terminated four individuals in senior EOIR leadership positions, with indications they may remove even more judges.

    “We write with great concern regarding the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) decision to fire numerous immigration judges as the immigration courts face a staggering backlog of cases and a likely influx of new cases pursuant to President Trump’s mass-deportation agenda,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers highlighted the resource gaps left by these unjustified firings, citing data exclusively provided to the Committees, writing: “The termination of the [Assistant Chief Immigration Judges] (ACIJs) left roughly 25 percent of immigration courts without appropriate or established leadership or additional judges to preside over immigration matters. The fired ACIJs oversaw 18 of the 71 immigration courts and supervised 135 of approximately 700 immigration judges and over 400 staff members.”

    The lawmakers emphasized that these judges helped supervise other immigration judges, and firing them will lessen the quality and slow down immigration case decisions amid preexisting large case backlogs. Immigration courts are under pressure to adjudicate roughly 3.6 million immigration cases, and a recent analysis found that 700 additional immigration judges would be needed to clear the case backlog by FY 2032.

    “The absence of experienced ACIJs will impact immigration court dockets, in particular by further contributing to backlogs at courts with priority dockets, such as the detained dockets, juvenile dockets, Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) dockets, and credible fear dockets,” continued the lawmakers. “The firings also will directly impact the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) docket, a purported priority of the Trump Administration, which has commenced at the San Diego and El Paso courts. The two ACIJs with the most experience managing the MPP docket were among those fired.”

    The lawmakers further underscored the lack of notice or justification provided for the firings, suggesting they were politically motivated. They noted the harmful caseload impacts of the BIA judge removals, which unlawfully reduced the size of the BIA from 28 to 15 appellate immigration judges.

    The lawmakers concluded by outlining the grave consequences of continuing to threaten the EOIR workforce and making a series of information requests.

    “Further jeopardizing the immigration courts’ ability to address the case backlog are EOIR’s efforts to reduce the overall size of the EOIR workforce,” concluded the lawmakers. “Despite the impact on adjudications and court efficiency, it appears EOIR leadership may continue to fire immigration judges. … Alarmingly, the Trump Administration also has not indicated any plans to replace the recently fired judges—a process that requires intensive training that can take upwards of one year.”

    The letter was led by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. In addition to Padilla and Schiff, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    U.S. Representatives Yassamin Ansari (D-Ill.-01), Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.-02), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio-11), Sean Casten (D-Ill.-06), Gerald Connolly (D-Va.-11), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas-30), Danny Davis (D-Ill.-07), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas-07), Jesús García (D-Ill.-04), Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.-10), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-01), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Henry Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), George Latimer (D-N.Y.-06), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.-04), James McGovern (D-Mass.-02), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.-06), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.-02), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.-01), Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.-03), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.-02), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii-02), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.-23), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43) also signed the letter.

    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress opposing President Trump’s anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric. He’s led efforts to highlight the rising challenges at immigration courts including court backlogs, due process issues, and the importance of legal representation.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Attorney General Bondi:

    We write with great concern regarding the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) decision to fire numerous immigration judges as the immigration courts face a staggering backlog of cases and a likely influx of new cases pursuant to President Trump’s mass-deportation agenda.

    On February 14, 2025, EOIR abruptly terminated 20 immigration judges via email without prior notice or stated cause, including 13 judges who had not yet been sworn in and seven of EOIR’s approximately 40 assistant chief immigration judges (ACIJs). Additionally, EOIR removed nine Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) members, all of whom were appointed during the Biden Administration. These removals followed the termination of four individuals in senior EOIR leadership positions. The termination of the ACIJs left roughly 25 percent of immigration courts without appropriate or established leadership or additional judges to preside over immigration matters. The fired ACIJs oversaw 18 of the 71 immigration courts and supervised 135 of approximately 700 immigration judges and over 400 staff members. They played key roles in ensuring immigration judges under their supervision adjudicated cases properly and efficiently. These changes will lessen the quality of immigration case decisions and the speed at which immigration cases are adjudicated.

    There have been valid criticisms in the past regarding the politicized hiring of immigration judges. Under President George W. Bush’s Administration, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales improperly considered political affiliations when selecting immigration judges. In addition, under the first Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions changed the hiring process to quickly add six new BIA members who were immigration judges with among the highest asylum denial rates in the country. There is no indication, however, that the hiring process for the recently fired immigration judges and ACIJs was politicized. The immigration judges and ACIJs had varied backgrounds and had previously worked as ICE attorneys, prosecutors, DHS officials, and members of the private immigration bar. In addition, two of the fired ACIJs are veterans; one is a disabled veteran, and the other is a combat veteran with a pending disability claim.

    The decision to terminate these experienced ACIJs is particularly baffling, given the immense pressure the immigration courts are under to adjudicate roughly 3.6 million immigration cases. A recent analysis found that 700 additional immigration judges would be needed to clear the case backlog by FY2032.11 The absence of experienced ACIJs will impact immigration court dockets, in particular by further contributing to backlogs at courts with priority dockets, such as the detained dockets, juvenile dockets, Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) dockets, and credible fear dockets. The firings also will directly impact the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) docket, a purported priority of the Trump Administration, which has commenced at the San Diego and El Paso courts. The two ACIJs with the most experience managing the MPP docket were among those fired.

    EOIR terminated the ACIJs with no warning, and in at least one case, an ACIJ received the termination email during an asylum hearing and had to abruptly depart the hearing, leaving the status of the case unclear. The termination emails did not cite any legal provision or basis for the removals, stating only that the ACIJs’ “employment was no longer in the best interest of the agency.” Like the EOIR leadership terminated shortly after President Trump took office, the ACIJs who were fired apparently had no conduct or performance issues prior to their termination.

    EOIR also forced out every BIA member appointed during the Biden Administration through threats of demotion or reduction in force notices. This occurred despite the governing regulation stating the BIA shall consist of 28 members. Reducing the size of the BIA from 28 to 15 members will have practical repercussions on the Board’s caseload and quality of decisions.

    Further jeopardizing the immigration courts’ ability to address the case backlog are EOIR’s efforts to reduce the overall size of the EOIR workforce. According to the union representing immigration judges, about 85 immigration court professionals, including 18 judges, accepted the Trump Administration’s deferred resignation offer or early retirement. Despite the impact on adjudications and court efficiency, it appears EOIR leadership may continue to fire immigration judges. Acting Director Owen recently issued a memo stating that EOIR may decline in the future to recognize restrictions for removing “inferior officers,” including the director, deputy director, all immigration judges, all appellate immigration judges, all administrative law judges, the chief administrative hearing officer, the general counsel, and the assistant director for policy. Another memo indicated that EOIR could not be “confident” that judges hired during the Biden Administration were hired in a “merit-based” and “appropriate” manner. Alarmingly, the Trump Administration also has not indicated any plans to replace the recently fired judges—a process that requires intensive training that can take upwards of one year.

    We call on you to respond to the following questions at your earliest possible convenience, and no later than April 11, 2025.

    1. Between January 20, 2025 and the date of the Department’s response to this letter, please provide the number of people in the following positions that have been dismissed, fired, reassigned, or otherwise let go, including by resignation or accepting an early retirement:

    a. Immigration judges;

    b. ACIJs;

    c. BIA members; and

    d. Immigration court staff, including legal assistants, attorneys, and administrative staff.

    2. What are the locations of the immigration courts where the departed personnel, including immigration judges, ACIJs, and immigration court staff, were located?

    3. Please provide the individual justifications, including indications of bias or impropriety, for the removal of immigration judges, ACIJs, and BIA members between January 21, 2025 and the date of the Department’s response to this letter?

    4. What is your plan to hire immigration court staff, immigration judges, and ACIJs by the end of FY 2025 and by the end of FY 2026?

    5. What is your plan to reduce the immigration court backlog? As part of that plan, have you conducted any assessment regarding how reducing immigration court staff and immigration judges will impact the backlog of cases?

    6. What is your plan to apply expedited removal to people currently in removal proceedings under section 240 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)? Have you provided any related instructions to immigration judges to block terminations of cases where the individual has demonstrated prima facie eligibility for a benefit and has an application pending for relief under the INA?

    7. How do you plan to reduce the number of BIA members through regulation?

    8. What, if any, plans do you have to convert IJs and/or ACIJs to “Special Inquiry Officers”?

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: LA Times: ‘Misguided mission’: Senators blast detaining migrants at Guantanamo

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    ICYMI: LA Times: ‘Misguided mission’: Senators blast detaining migrants at Guantanamo

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, discussed the Trump Administration’s unlawful detention of migrants at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) following his visit to the base. Last week, Padilla joined a delegation of U.S. Senators in traveling to Guantánamo Bay to conduct oversight of the ongoing Department of Defense activities to support the Department of Homeland Security in the unlawful relocation of migrants. The Senators blasted the Trump Administration for its unlawful relocation of migrants and waste of taxpayer dollars and military resources.

    In his interview, Padilla reiterated the “enormous” costs to taxpayers of the “misguided” Guantánamo Bay mission, emphasizing the Trump Administration’s lack of preparation and lack of reasoning for detaining migrants at Guantánamo Bay as opposed to within the United States. He also stressed that there is “no clear authority” for the Administration to take these unlawful actions, and underscored that many of the migrants being detained here are considered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “low-risk.”

    Padilla previously denounced Trump’s relocation of immigrants from the United States to Guantánamo Bay as unlawful and demanded answers earlier this year.

    Key Excerpts:

    • Senators who visited the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where the Trump administration has flown hundreds of migrants for deportation, on Saturday called on the Trump administration to “immediately cease this misguided mission.”
    • “After examining the migrant relocation activities at Guantánamo Bay, we are outraged by the scale and wastefulness of the Trump Administration’s misuse of our military,” the senators wrote. “It is obvious that Guantanamo Bay is a likely illegal and certainly illogical location to detain immigrants. Its use is seemingly designed to undermine due process and evade legal scrutiny.”
    • Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said his biggest takeaways were that the administration didn’t properly prepare for the operation and that the cost to taxpayers is “enormous.” “It was sort of a ready-fire-aim approach to this whole thing,” he said.
    • In an interview with The Times, Padilla said officials could not adequately explain why the migrants had to be held at Guantanamo, not some facility in the United States. …  “We asked repeatedly, you mean to tell me that across the 48 states in the continental U.S., there’s not space for [around 40 low-level detainees]?” Padilla said, adding that he has issues with Trump’s detention and deportation operation. “But even recognizing that, there’s a much more cost-effective way of doing it than this.”
    • Among the senators’ questions Friday, Padilla said, was what authorities are doing to meet the minimum standards for detention conditions, and which set of standards they are aiming to meet, such as those pertaining to the Navy or to ICE. There was no clear response, he said. “A lot of it seemed to be still very much a work in progress because this is unique, in terms of it being an ICE mission at a foreign location,” he said. “That in and of itself is extremely concerning because there’s no clear authority for anything they are doing at Guantanamo.”
    • At times, Padilla said, officials gave contradictory information. For example, he said the answer to some questions was “it depends on their conviction.” But Padilla pointed out that some detainees haven’t been convicted of anything, and are being held based on an arrest or charge.

    Full text of the article is available here and below:

    LA Times: ‘Misguided mission’: Senators blast detaining migrants at Guantanamo

    By Andrea Castillo

    • Sen. Alex Padilla, after visiting Guantanamo, said the Trump administration didn’t properly prepare for the operation and that the cost to taxpayers is “enormous.”
    • Eighty-seven migrants from primarily Latin American countries were held at the facility as of Friday, 42 of them considered “low risk.”

    Senators who visited the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the Trump administration has flown hundreds of migrants for deportation, on Saturday called on the Trump administration to “immediately cease this misguided mission.”

    The delegation of senators — four Democrats and one Independent — said they were angered that they had to fly to Cuba on Friday for answers to questions they’ve been asking administration officials for months.

    “After examining the migrant relocation activities at Guantanamo Bay, we are outraged by the scale and wastefulness of the Trump Administration’s misuse of our military,” the senators wrote. “It is obvious that Guantanamo Bay is a likely illegal and certainly illogical location to detain immigrants. Its use is seemingly designed to undermine due process and evade legal scrutiny.”

    Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said his biggest takeaways were that the administration didn’t properly prepare for the operation and that the cost to taxpayers is “enormous.”

    “It was sort of a ready-fire-aim approach to this whole thing,” he said.

    In an interview with The Times, Padilla said officials could not adequately explain why the migrants had to be held at Guantanamo, not some facility in the United States.

    The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Guantanamo is best known for holding suspected terrorists and the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, but some of the migrants held there are classified as “low-level” detainees.

    “We asked repeatedly, you mean to tell me that across the 48 states in the continental U.S., there’s not space for [around 40 low-level detainees]?” Padilla said, adding that he has issues with Trump’s detention and deportation operation. “But even recognizing that, there’s a much more cost-effective way of doing it than this.”

    Padilla traveled to Guantanamo with Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; and Sen. Angus King of Maine, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

    The delegation was led by Reed. King, an Independent, caucuses with the Democrats.

    Padilla is a member of the Judiciary Committee and chairs its immigration subcommittee.

    Upon arrival Friday, the senators were briefed by Homeland Security officials, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Navy personnel. They visited three sites: lower-level detainees, higher-level detainees and the final 15 suspected foreign terrorists held in connection to the 9/11 attacks.

    Eighty-seven migrants were held at the facility as of Friday, primarily from Latin American countries: 42 in a dormitory at the Migrant Operations Center and 45 at Camp 6, on a separate part of the base. Camp 6 is a medium-security military prison.

    On March 11, the Trump administration flew 40 migrants held at Guantanamo back to the U.S., a few days ahead of a court hearing in a pair of lawsuits challenging whether it is legal to hold detainees there for civil immigration purposes.

    A federal District Court judge in Washington, D.C., declined to block the administration from sending more migrants to Guantanamo. Afterward, the administration began sending more migrants there.

    The Trump administration has broadly portrayed migrants sent to Guantanamo as dangerous, though many had no criminal record in the U.S. Officials have claimed without evidence that some have ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

    President Trump issued an executive order in January to expand the Migrant Operations Center “to full capacity.” He suggested 30,000 migrants could be housed on the base.

    Among the senators’ questions Friday, Padilla said, was what authorities are doing to meet the minimum standards for detention conditions, and which set of standards they are aiming to meet, such as those pertaining to the Navy or to ICE. There was no clear response, he said.

    “A lot of it seemed to be still very much a work in progress because this is unique, in terms of it being an ICE mission at a foreign location,” he said. “That in and of itself is extremely concerning because there’s no clear authority for anything they are doing at Guantanamo.”

    At times, Padilla said, officials gave contradictory information. For example, he said the answer to some questions was “it depends on their conviction.” But Padilla pointed out that some detainees haven’t been convicted of anything, and are being held based on an arrest or charge.

    Padilla said officials kept using the phrase “the worst of the worst” to describe the migrants.

    “If they’re all the worst of the worst, they should all be in the high-risk or violent-offender category,” he said.

    Padilla said officials “did everything they could” to keep the visitors from speaking with detainees. He said he managed to ask a couple of detainees held in the low-level area when they had arrived, and they told him Thursday.

    Detainees have had scarce access to phone calls. Padilla said officials recognized the need and have planned for equipment to be shipped to accommodate private attorney calls. He took that as a sign of the lack of preparation.

    Padilla said he fears some detainees will be deported to their country of origin and face persecution or death because of the lack of access to counsel.

    Some of the officials expressed frustration with the continuously evolving operational instructions, Padilla said. Military personnel told him they had received short notice before being transferred to Guantanamo.

    Those moves leave critical missions short-staffed, Padilla said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Devonport woman charged with Arson

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Devonport woman charged with Arson

    Tuesday, 1 April 2025 – 2:49 pm.

    Police have charged a 39-year-old Devonport woman with multiple offences including arson in relation to a deliberately lit fire at Devonport last month. 
    Emergency services were called to the fire on the corner of William and Madden Streets about 12.30pm on 6 March. 
    Tasmania Fire Service Fire Investigators determined the fire, which destroyed a unit, was deliberately lit.
    The woman will appear in the Burnie Magistrates Court in June 2025.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese teams, local rescuers race against time in Myanmar quake relief

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Members from the China Search and Rescue Team and the Rescue Team of Ramunion jointly transfer a pregnant survivor at a quake site in Mandalay city, Myanmar, March 31, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, multiple Chinese rescue teams have arrived in the disaster-stricken areas, working with local responders around the clock to search for survivors.

    So far Chinese teams have rescued six survivors in severely-hit Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. The rescuers combed through the ruins of apartments, hotels and hospitals to find signs of life. Continuous aftershocks, power cuts, destroyed roads and communication interruptions made their rescue work even harder.

    Meanwhile, more Chinese rescue teams are heading to Myanmar, bringing in earthquake experts, structural engineers, medical personnel and canine units, as well as life detectors, demolition equipment and field hospital systems.

    According to Myanmar’s State Administration Council, by Sunday about 1,700 people have been reported killed, 3,400 injured, and 300 missing in the massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the country and its neighbors on Friday.

    Survivors rescued

    Early on Monday, the China Search and Rescue Team found a woman at a collapsed hotel in Mandalay city after more than five hours of intense work. The survivor had been trapped for nearly 60 hours and had good vital signs when rescued.

    At another site, members of China’s Blue Sky Rescue Team worked with local volunteers and recovered a survivor on Sunday.

    Satellite images showed that countless buildings were reduced to rubble in the city, located less than 20 km from the epicenter.

    In the capital Nay Pyi Taw, a 37-member rescue and medical team from China’s Yunnan Province arrived on Saturday evening with emergency supplies such as full-function life detectors, earthquake early warning systems, portable satellite phones and drones.

    The team, alongside local rescuers, rescued an elderly man trapped for nearly 40 hours under the rubble of Ottara Thiri Private Hospital after an emergency rescue operation overnight.

    On Sunday morning, Myanmar’s State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visited the hospital and expressed his appreciation to members of the Chinese rescue team for their timely assistance.

    Challenges ahead

    Mandalay’s Sky Villa is among the most severely affected structures in the city. Two apartment buildings have completely collapsed, and another 12-story building was reduced to six stories by the earthquake, burying many.

    Among the anxious onlookers was Daw Nan Mya Aye, a 65-year-old retired high school teacher. She stood with a composed yet weary expression, her hands tightly clasped in front of her.

    “Our house had 11 people. When the quake struck, I wasn’t home — I had just returned from a meditation center and was staying at my daughter’s place. My niece and nephew were also at work,” she recalled.

    As of Sunday evening, two of her family members had been pulled from the rubble. One of them was her 76-year-old sister. Her 14-year-old niece, badly injured with broken hip bones, was sent to hospital.

    “We have lost so many family members. There aren’t many of us left,” she said softly.

    At dawn on Monday, a woman was pulled out from the rubble of a condominium after hours of rescue efforts by the China Search and Rescue Team and a civilian team from RAMUNION RESCUE.

    A girl and a pregnant survivor were also pulled out at the Sky Villa quake scene soon after.

    Despite challenges like confined working areas, frequent aftershocks, residual fires and dense smoke, local and international rescuers are racing against time, hoping to save more people as the crucial 72-hour window of earthquake rescue closes.

    Hope endures

    Among the brave rescuers is 19-year-old Pyae Phyo Aung, a member of Myat Thada Rescue. Since 2016, he has dedicated himself to saving lives, but he said nothing has tested him like this disaster.

    “We are rescuing people trapped in the rubble — some with their legs pinned, some buried up to their waists, and others completely covered,” he said. “We prioritize saving the living before retrieving the dead.”

    His team alone has saved 11 people so far, he said.

    In Mandalay, more than 100 young overseas Chinese volunteers in Myanmar have started providing technical, information and logistical support such as collecting information under the guidance of the professional rescue team.

    Officials from the Myanmar rescue department also briefed the rescue team on Myanmar’s arrangements for international rescue efforts.

    Li Wenyang, a member of the China Blue Sky Rescue Team, said they plan to divide the city into several search areas to let volunteers collect information on missing persons, survivors and casualties, so as to facilitate planning and assessment for the incoming rescue forces.

    On Sunday afternoon, a chartered flight took off from Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan Province, carrying approximately 7.3 tons of relief supplies for Myanmar, including clothes, medicines, instant noodles, tents and other daily necessities. This was the second batch of provincial-level relief supplies that Yunnan has sent to Myanmar.

    On Sunday night, 118 members of the China International Search and Rescue Team arrived in Nay Pyi Taw, while on Monday morning, the first batch of emergency humanitarian earthquake relief supplies provided by the Chinese government to Myanmar departed from Beijing.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Pou Hihiri sculpture inspires hope in Muriwai

    Source: Auckland Council

    Hundreds of residents and visitors gathered in Muriwai on Sunday 23 March for the official unveiling and naming ceremony of Pou Hihiri – a new sculpture commemorating the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle.

    Designed by renowned artist Jeff Thomson in collaboration with the Muriwai community, the sculpture consists of eight columns and benches crafted from materials salvaged from Category 3 houses that were deconstructed following the devastating 2023 storms.

    “What the sculpture stands for is multifaceted, says Clare Bradley, chair of the Muriwai Community Association.

    “Using material from the deconstructed homes gives it a real connection to the event that led to their destruction.
    “It serves as a strong reminder that this has happened in our community, so the events of 13 February 2023 will not be forgotten.”

    Jeff reflected on the strong sense of community throughout the project.

    “It’s been a fascinating project, and it’s still ongoing. I’ll continue to add materials to the sculpture until the deconstruction in Muriwai is complete,” says Jeff.

    Linda Greenalgh, Group Community and Social Recovery Lead for the Recovery Office, shared how deeply the ceremony moved her.

    “The whenua is regenerating, spaces are coming back to life, and there’s a strong sense of hope and momentum.”

    Pou Hihiri is a fully self-funded public artwork, made possible through the generosity of hundreds of donors who contributed funds, artworks, products, services and time to bring this meaningful project to life.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From Rongelap to Mejatto – how Rainbow Warrior helped move nuclear refugees

    The second of a two-part series on the historic Rongelap evacuation of 300 Marshall islanders from their irradiated atoll with the help of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior crew and the return of Rainbow Warrior III 40 years later on a nuclear justice research mission. Journalist and author David Robie, who was on board, recalls the 1985 voyage.

    SPECIAL REPORT: By David Robie

    Mejatto, previously uninhabited and handed over to the people of Rongelap by their close relatives on nearby Ebadon Island, was a lot different to their own island. It was beautiful, but it was only three kilometres long and a kilometre wide, with a dry side and a dense tropical side.

    A sandspit joined it to another small, uninhabited island. Although lush, Mejatto was uncultivated and already it was apparent there could be a food problem.Out on the shallow reef, fish were plentiful.

    Shortly after the Rainbow Warrior arrived on 21 May 1985, several of the men were out wading knee-deep on the coral spearing fish for lunch.

    Islanders with their belongings on a bum bum approach the Rainbow Warrior. © David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    But even the shallowness of the reef caused a problem. It made it dangerous to bring the Warrior any closer than about three kilometres offshore — as two shipwrecks on the reef reminded us.

    The cargo of building materials and belongings had to be laboriously unloaded onto a bum bum (small boat), which had also travelled overnight with no navigational aids apart from a Marshallese “wave map’, and the Zodiacs. It took two days to unload the ship with a swell making things difficult at times.

    An 18-year-old islander fell into the sea between the bum bum and the Warrior, almost being crushed but escaping with a jammed foot.

    Fishing success on the reef
     The delayed return to Rongelap for the next load didn’t trouble Davey Edward. In fact, he was celebrating his first fishing success on the reef after almost three months of catching nothing. He finally landed not only a red snapper, but a dozen fish, including a half-metre shark!

    Edward was also a good cook and he rustled up dinner — shark montfort, snapper fillets, tuna steaks and salmon pie (made from cans of dumped American aid food salmon the islanders didn’t want).

    Returning to Rongelap, the Rainbow Warrior was confronted with a load which seemed double that taken on the first trip. Altogether, about 100 tonnes of building materials and other supplies were shipped to Mejatto. The crew packed as much as they could on deck and left for Mejatto, this time with 114 people on board. It was a rough voyage with almost everybody being seasick.

    The journalists were roped in to clean up the ship before returning to Rongelap on the third journey.

    ‘Our people see no light, only darkness’
     Researcher Dr Glenn Alcalay (now an adjunct professor of anthropology at William Paterson University), who spoke Marshallese, was a great help to me interviewing some of the islanders.

    “It’s a hard time for us now because we don’t have a lot of food here on Mejatto — like breadfruit, taro and pandanus,” said Rose Keju, who wasn’t actually at Rongelap during the fallout.

    “Our people feel extremely depressed. They see no light, only darkness. They’ve been crying a lot.

    “We’ve moved because of the poison and the health problems we face. If we have honest scientists to check Rongelap we’ll know whether we can ever return, or we’ll have to stay on Mejatto.”

    Kiosang Kios, 46, was 15 years old at the time of Castle Bravo when she was evacuated to “Kwaj”.

    “My hair fell out — about half the people’s hair fell out,” she said. “My feet ached and burned. I lost my appetite, had diarrhoea and vomited.”

    In 1957, she had her first baby and it was born without bones – “Like this paper, it was flimsy.” A so-called ‘jellyfish baby’, it lived half a day. After that, Kios had several more miscarriages and stillbirths. In 1959, she had a daughter who had problems with her legs and feet and thyroid trouble.

    Out on the reef with the bum bums, the islanders had a welcome addition — an unusual hardwood dugout canoe being used for fishing and transport. It travelled 13,000 kilometres on board the Rainbow Warrior and bore the Sandinista legend FSLN on its black-and-red hull. A gift from Bunny McDiarmid and Henk Haazen, it had been bought for $30 from a Nicaraguan fisherman while they were crewing on the Fri. (Bunny and Henk are on board Rainbow Warrior III for the research mission).

    “It has come from a small people struggling for their sovereignty against the United States and it has gone to another small people doing the same,” said Haazen.

    Animals left behind
     Before the 10-day evacuation ended, Haazen was given an outrigger canoe by the islanders. Winched on to the deck of the Warrior, it didn’t quite make a sail-in protest at Moruroa, as Haazen planned, but it has since become a familiar sight on Auckland Harbour.

    With the third load of 87 people shipped to Mejatto and one more to go, another problem emerged. What should be done about the scores of pigs and chickens on Rongelap? Pens could be built on the main deck to transport them to Mejatto but was there any fodder left for them?

    The islanders decided they weren’t going to run a risk, no matter how slight, of having contaminated animals with them. They were abandoned on Rongelap — along with three of the five outriggers.

    Building materials from the demolished homes on Rongelap dumped on the beach at arrival on Mejatto. Image: © David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    “When you get to New Zealand you’ll be asked have you been on a farm,” warned French journalist Phillipe Chatenay, who had gone there a few weeks before to prepare a Le Point article about the “Land of the Long White Cloud and Nuclear-Free Nuts”.

    “Yes, and you’ll be asked to remove your shoes. And if you don’t have shoes, you’ll be asked to remove your feet,” added first mate Martini Gotjé, who was usually barefooted.

    The last voyage on May 28 was the most fun. A smaller group of about 40 islanders was transported and there was plenty of time to get to know each other.

    Four young men questioned cook Nathalie Mestre: where did she live? Where was Switzerland? Out came an atlas. Then Mestre produced a scrapbook of Fernando Pereira’s photographs of the voyage. The questions were endless.

    They asked for a scrap of paper and a pen and wrote in English:

    “We, the people of Rongelap, love our homeland. But how can our people live in a place which is dangerous and poisonous. I mean, why didn’t those American people test Bravo in a state capital? Why? Rainbow Warrior, thank you for being so nice to us. Keep up your good work.”

    Each one wrote down their name: Balleain Anjain, Ralet Anitak, Kiash Tima and Issac Edmond. They handed the paper to Mestre and she added her name. Anitak grabbed it and wrote as well: “Nathalie Anitak”. They laughed.

    Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira and Rongelap islander Bonemej Namwe on board a bum bum boat in May 1985. Fernando was killed by French secret agents in the Rainbow Warrior bombing on 10 July 1985. Image: © David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    Fernando Pereira’s birthday
     Thursday, May 30, was Fernando Pereira’s 35th birthday. The evacuation was over and a one-day holiday was declared as we lay anchored off Mejato.

    Pereira was on the Pacific voyage almost by chance. Project coordinator Steve Sawyer had been seeking a wire machine for transmitting pictures of the campaign. He phoned Fiona Davies, then heading the Greenpeace photo office in Paris. But he wanted a machine and photographer separately.

    “No, no … I’ll get you a wire machine,” replied Davies. ‘But you’ll have to take my photographer with it.” Agreed. The deal would make a saving for the campaign budget.

    Sawyer wondered who this guy was, although Gotjé and some of the others knew him. Pereira had fled Portugal about 15 years before while he was serving as a pilot in the armed forces at a time when the country was fighting to retain colonies in Angola and Mozambique. He settled in The Netherlands, the only country which would grant him citizenship.

    After first working as a photographer for Anefo press agency, he became concerned with environmental and social issues. Eventually he joined the Amsterdam communist daily De Waarheid and was assigned to cover the activities of Greenpeace. Later he joined Greenpeace.

    Although he adopted Dutch ways, his charming Latin temperament and looks betrayed his Portuguese origins. He liked tight Italian-style clothes and fast sports cars. Pereira was always wide-eyed, happy and smiling.

    In Hawai`i, he and Sawyer hiked up to the crater at the top of Diamond Head one day. Sawyer took a snapshot of Pereira laughing — a photo later used on the front page of the New Zealand Times after his death with the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by French secret agents.

    While most of the crew were taking things quietly and the “press gang” caught up on stories, Sawyer led a mini-expedition in a Zodiac to one of the shipwrecks, the Palauan Trader. With him were Davey Edward, Henk Haazen, Paul Brown and Bunny McDiarmid.

    Clambering on board the hulk, Sawyer grabbed hold of a rust-caked railing which collapsed. He plunged 10 metres into a hold. While he lay in pain with a dislocated shoulder and severely lacerated abdomen, his crewmates smashed a hole through the side of the ship. They dragged him through pounding surf into the Zodiac and headed back to the Warrior, three kilometres away.

    “Doc” Andy Biedermann, assisted by “nurse” Chatenay, who had received basic medical training during national service in France, treated Sawyer. He took almost two weeks to recover.

    But the accident failed to completely dampen celebrations for Pereira, who was presented with a hand-painted t-shirt labelled “Rainbow Warrior Removals Inc”.

    Pereira’s birthday was the first of three which strangely coincided with events casting a tragic shadow over the Rainbow Warrior’s last voyage.

    Dr David Robie is an environmental and political journalist and author, and editor of Asia Pacific Report. He travelled on board the Rainbow Warrior for almost 11 weeks. This article is adapted from his 1986 book, Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior. A new edition is being published in July to mark the 40th anniversary of the bombing. 

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Conciliations

    Source: Privacy Commissioner

    We try to facilitate a resolution to individual privacy complaints wherever that is possible and appropriate in the circumstances of the case. There are a number of mechanisms in the Privacy Act that allow us to do this:

    • Section 77 of the Privacy Act says that at any time after receiving a complaint, and before investigating, the Commissioner may decide to use best endeavours to try to resolve a complaint and seek a reassurance from the agency concerned that the issue that led to the complaint has now been sorted.
    • Section 83 of the Privacy Act says that at any time during an investigation of a complaint (about any of the principles/rules), the Commissioner may decide to use best endeavours to secure a settlement of the complaint, and (if appropriate) a satisfactory assurance from the agency that there will not be a repetition of the action that gave rise to the complaint, or of any similar action.
    • Section 94(2) says that if the Commissioner determines a complaint (about anything other than access or charging) has substance, then the Commissioner must use best endeavours to secure a settlement of the complaint and an assurance from the agency that there will not be a repetition of the action that gave rise to the complaint, or of any similar action.
    • Section 91(3) says the same, about an access complaint. Where it is a complaint about charging, we will usually try to settle that under section 83 (if we can), but if we cannot, section 93(2) gives the Commissioner power to make a determination about the charge.

    How do we use our ‘best endeavours’?

    Usually, we do this by way of a conciliation meeting between the parties, facilitated by an OPC staff member. Conciliation is a dispute resolution process similar to mediation – the difference is that a conciliator is a subject matter expert. Where conciliation isn’t appropriate, in some cases we will act as the ‘go between’ in shuttle negotiations.

    ‘Best endeavours’ won’t look the same in every case. We have to take into account all the circumstances of the case, including the conduct and wishes of the parties and the resources of our Office, when determining what is appropriate in each case.

    We take a pragmatic approach to resolving complaints, and where a complaint is about access to personal information we would not usually conciliate, or try to resolve the matter using shuttle negotiations. This is because a complaint about access is either resolved by the granting (by the agency concerned) of access to the information requested, or by us reviewing the withheld information, and forming a view on whether the agency has a proper basis for its decision to withhold that information. Due to the secrecy obligations we have under the Privacy Act we cannot discuss withheld information and it wouldn’t usually be appropriate for the agency concerned to meet with the complainant in these circumstances, because they can’t discuss the information withheld either. However, we have conciliated complaints about access to information in some cases – for example where it appears to us the parties are at cross purposes about the scope of a request and facilitating a conversation will allow them to understand each other and the agency to respond to a request.

    If one party makes an offer to settle a complaint, we are obliged to put that offer to the other party. This does not mean that we approve or endorse the offer.

    What’s a conciliation?

    Conciliation is a form of alternative dispute resolution. It is similar to mediation, except the neutral third party has expertise in the issue in dispute. We have specially trained staff who can run this process.

    We guide the conversation and help provide some structure, but the parties decide their own outcome. We are impartial, and we can’t compel an outcome, but we can give guidance on the Privacy Act if needed. We are also able to provide information on what might happen if the matter isn’t settled in the meeting.

    What’s in it for me?

    There are many benefits of resolving your complaint though conciliation – if we are able to achieve a settlement through this process it can help the parties to be able to move forward and get some closure. It’s also an opportunity to ask the other party questions, human to human, to understand what went wrong, and what impact that has had. It is particularly useful where there is an ongoing relationship between the parties.

    How does this work in practice?

    We have information about what the process looks like, and a conciliation preparation toolkit (opens to PDF, 187KB).

    If both parties are willing to meet, we will work out who should attend and the work out the logistics. These meetings usually take place by Zoom or in person, and take two-four hours, depending on the issues to be discussed. We tailor the process to the parties and we will make reasonable adjustments if any of the parties have communication, cultural, disability or other needs. You can also have a support person or lawyer attend to support you, but you do not need one.

    To get the most out of your conciliation, you should be prepared to be open to hearing and trying to understand the other party’s perspective, speak openly about your own experience and be willing to be flexible about the outcome.

    The content of the conversation will be confidential, but our Office may take what is discussed into account when we are considering the appropriate next steps for the file.

    What does a ‘settlement’ look like?

    There’s no formula for determining what a good resolution looks like: ultimately that’s up to the parties. An explanation and a heartfelt apology can go a long way to resolving a complaint.

    Often complainants are seeking compensation, and in some cases that may be appropriate. We see all kinds of creative solutions though – that’s the beauty of getting people in the room and brainstorming to solve the problem together.

    If we are able to reach a resolution of the complaint that will be documented in a settlement agreement, and both parties will have the opportunity to seek legal advice and contribute to the wording of the agreement.

    If an agreement is reached, it will be in full and final settlement of the privacy complaint, and the matter can’t be pursued further in the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

    What happens if we don’t settle?

    If the conciliation meeting has not led to a resolution or a reasonable settlement offer, we will consider the appropriate next steps.

    If we have notified under section 77, we may decide to formally investigate the complaint and form a view on whether there has been an interference with the complainant’s privacy. Alternatively, we may decide not to further consider the complaint if we consider this is unnecessary or inappropriate, or where, in the Commissioner’s opinion, one of the grounds for decline set out in section 74 applies.

    If we are already investigating, we may make a finding about the substance of the complaint.

    In appropriate circumstances the Commissioner may also consider taking additional steps available to him under the Privacy Act. This may include taking action under our Compliance and Regulatory Action Framework, referring the matter to the Director of Human Rights Proceedings or issuing an Access Direction.

    If the agency has made a reasonable settlement offer, we will usually consider that the Commissioner’s involvement is no longer necessary. This is so even if the complainant doesn’t want to accept the offer. Our Office has limited resources, so where we consider there is a fair offer of resolution open for acceptance by the complainant, we will usually consider our further involvement is not necessary. Read an example of where this happened.

    Whatever we decide, we will let the parties know as soon as practicable. If we decide to take no further action, we will close our file, and the complainant will have the right to take their complaint to the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Apr 1, 2025 0100 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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    Apr 1, 2025 0100 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Updated: Tue Apr 1 00:51:28 UTC 2025 (Print Version |   |  )

    Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table

     Forecast Discussion

    SPC AC 010051

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0751 PM CDT Mon Mar 31 2025

    Valid 010100Z – 011200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH LATE
    EVENING ACROSS PARTS OF NERN NC…ERN VA…SERN PA…THE DELMARVA
    PENINSULA AND SRN/CNTRL NJ…

    …SUMMARY…
    Thunderstorm activity may continue to pose the risk for locally
    damaging wind gusts while overspreading the Chesapeake Bay and
    northern Mid Atlantic coast vicinity late this evening.

    …01Z Update…

    …Mid Atlantic…
    Given the modest strength of the southwesterly deep-layer mean flow
    (around 40 kt), with the loss of boundary-layer heating,
    thermodynamic profiles near/east of the pre-frontal surface trough
    across the Mid Atlantic vicinity are becoming increasingly marginal
    for convective development capable of producing damaging wind gusts.

    …Florida…
    A couple of strong thunderstorms linger near a weak surface trough
    across the east central Florida Peninsula, where mixed-layer CAPE is
    moderately large, but diminishing with the loss of daytime heating.
    Given the rather weak lower/mid-tropospheric flow and modest
    deep-layer shear, thunderstorm intensities are expected to wane
    within the next hour or two.

    …Deep South Texas…
    Another isolated strong to severe thunderstorm has developed to the
    east of Laredo near a diffuse dryline, as an initial severe storm
    near the San Antonio vicinity dissipated. However, given the
    inhibition associated with warm, dry lower/mid-tropospheric air
    present across the region, this latest cell is not expected to be
    long-lived, as boundary-layer cooling proceeds and inhibition
    increases further.

    ..Kerr.. 04/01/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

    .html”>Latest Day 2 Outlook/Today’s Outlooks/Forecast Products/Home

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Team CFA finds success at mine rescue competition

    Source:

    CFA’s Oscar 1 Emergency Response Mine Rescue Brigade has brought home a podium finish at the Victorian Mine Rescue Competition (VMRC) over the weekend (28-30 March).

    VMRC is an annual safety training exercise, which pits mine rescue and emergency response teams from Victoria and New South Wales against each other in a series of simulated emergency situations.       

    Organised by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), it also allows teams to share knowledge and experience in a challenging but fun environment. 

    Teams gathered on Friday in Heathcote to compete in eight realistic, high pressure, scenario-based challenges including firefighting, first-aid, underground search and rescue, and a ropes exercise.  

    CFA’s team Oscar 1 claimed a win in the fire exercise scenario and third place in the Breathing Apparatus exercise.  

    First Lieutenant of the team Karl Shay said the other teams put up some tough competition.  

    “It was an excellent weekend,” Karl said. “You get six months of training in just one weekend. 

    “On the Friday night our crew actually got a call-out to a job with a man stuck down a mine shaft, so it was a great chance to use our skills and assist them to safety.” 

    The firefighting exercise included one of CFA’s gas prop cars and required participants to run through the scenario of a large car fire.  

    Tom Heather, a member of the Oscar 1 team, said the weekend provided a good opportunity to train and get together with all the rescue brigades.  

    “It puts us head-to-head, but we treat it like real-life training,” Tom said.  

    “We are all bouncing off one another. You really come together as a team. 

    “I am definitely proud to be part of CFA and to show people what we can do and what we are here for.”  

    Members of Oscar 1 unit also compete with other teams including Central Victorian Mutual Aid. Oscar 1 member Darcy Mcclure-Wallace won the overall individual skills category and was part of the overall winning team, Foster Gold Mine, with other members of the Oscar 1 unit. 

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Carbon Streaming Announces Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Carbon Streaming Corporation (Cboe CA: NETZ) (OTCQB: OFSTF) (FSE: M2Q) (“Carbon Streaming” or the “Company”) today reported its financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. All figures are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated. The Company will host a live audio call at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. In addition, the Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Sam Wong to the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) effective April 1, 2025.

    Carbon Streaming Chief Executive Officer Marin Katusa stated: “In the fourth quarter of 2024, Carbon Streaming focused on its restructuring efforts and evaluating strategic alternatives while taking significant steps to reduce costs and improve financial sustainability. We successfully reduced the number of individuals receiving full-time salaries from 24 at the start of 2024 to 4 by January 2025, resulting in significant savings to ongoing operating expenses. With cost reductions complete, our priority in 2025 is to maximize value from our existing portfolio while continuing to explore all strategic options to enhance shareholder value.  More specifically, we will evaluate all potential acquisitions, divestments, corporate transactions, and strategic partnerships. While the voluntary carbon market continues to experience difficult market conditions and many economic uncertainties exist, we are committed to adapting to market conditions and ensuring the best path forward for our shareholders. With respect to the Rimba Raya, Magdalena Bay and Sustainable Community Streams, the Company remains focused on protecting our investments and preserving our rights as we will with all our investments.”

    Annual Highlights

    • Ended the year with $37.4 million in cash and no corporate debt.
    • Reduced the number of individuals receiving full-time salaries at the Company – including employees, consultants, and directors – from 24 at the start of 2024 to 8 by year-end, with a further decrease to 4 full time employees by January 2025, resulting in significant savings in ongoing operating expenses.
    • Recognized a net loss on revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements of $58.2 million (net loss on revaluation of $32.9 million in 2023). The net loss on revaluation for each period was driven by reductions in the carbon credit production and sales profiles and carbon credit pricing assumptions, and an increase to the risk-adjusted discount rate.
    • Continued the previously-announced corporate restructuring plan, which resulted in a non-recurring restructuring charge of $2.6 million.
    • Generated $1.6 million in settlements from carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (settlements of $55 thousand in 2023).
    • Operating loss of $68.3 million (operating loss of $45.0 million in 2023).
    • Recognized net loss of $67.4 million (net loss of $35.5 million in 2023).
    • Adjusted net loss was $5.2 million (adjusted net loss of $7.6 million in 2023) (see the “Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures” section of this news release).
    • Paid $8.1 million in upfront deposits for carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (paid $7.6 million in upfront deposits in 2023).

    Fourth Quarter Highlights

    • Recognized a net loss on revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements of $13.2 million (net loss on revaluation of $24.0 million in Q4 2023). The net loss on revaluation for each period was driven by reductions in the carbon credit production and sales profiles and carbon credit pricing assumptions, and an increase to the risk-adjusted discount rate.
    • Generated $0.5 million in settlements from carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (settlements of $nil in Q4 2023).
    • Operating loss of $14.9 million (operating loss of $26.8 million in Q4 2023).
    • Recognized net loss of $16.9 million (net loss of $26.1 million in Q4 2023).
    • Adjusted net loss was $0.9 million (adjusted net loss of $2.2 million in Q4 2023) (see the “Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures” section of this news release).
    • Paid $2.2 million in upfront deposits for carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (paid $2.1 million in upfront deposits in Q4 2023).

    Financial Highlights Summary

      Three months ended
    December 31, 2024    		 Three months ended
    December 31, 2023    		 Year ended December 31, 2024 Year ended December 31, 2023
    Carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements        
    Revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements $ (13,190)   $ (23,952)   $ (58,155)   $ (32,897)  
    Settlements from carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements1   513     –     1,550     55  
    Other financial highlights        
    Other operating expenses   1,760     2,691     10,340     12,035  
    Operating loss   (14,923)     (26,784)     (68,335)     (45,002)  
    Net loss   (16,932)     (26,092)     (67,369)     (35,501)  
    Loss per share (Basis and Diluted) ($/share)   (0.32)     (0.55)     (1.34)     (0.75)  
    Adjusted net loss2   (884)     (2,225)     (5,214)     (7,586)  
    Adjusted net loss per share (Basic and Diluted) ($/share)2   (0.02)     (0.05)     (0.10)     (0.16)  
    Statement of financial position        
    Cash3   37,350     51,416     37,350     51,416  
    Carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements3   9,081     60,122     9,081     60,122  
    Total assets3   48,683     117,111     48,683     117,111  
    Non-current liabilities3   112     1,083     112     1,083  
    1. Relates to the net cash proceeds generated from the Company’s carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements.
    2. “Adjusted net loss”, including per share amounts, is a non-IFRS® Accounting Standards (the “IFRS Accounting Standards”) financial performance measure that is used in this news release. This measure does not have any standardized meaning under the IFRS Accounting Standards and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For more information about this measure, why it is used by the Company, and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable measure under the IFRS Accounting Standards, see the “Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures” section of this news release.
    3. Cash, carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements, total assets and non-current liabilities are presented as at the relevant tabular reporting date.

    Portfolio Updates

    Rimba Raya Stream: On April 26, 2024, the Company announced that it was informed that PT Rimba Raya Conservation (“PT Rimba”), the local concession holder for the Rimba Raya project, had its Forest Utilization Business License (the “Concession License”) revoked by the Indonesian Government’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry (the “MOEF”). PT Rimba challenged the MOEF’s revocation of the Concession License, and in July 2024, the State Administrative Court of Jakarta (the “Court of Jakarta”) reached a decision on PT Rimba’s claim and declared that the revocation by the MOEF of the Concession License is void. The MOEF appealed the decision of the Court of Jakarta and in September 2024, the State Administrative High Court of Jakarta (the “High Court of Jakarta”) upheld the Court of Jakarta’s decision declaring that the revocation by the MOEF of the Concession License is void. The MOEF submitted an appeal of the decision of the High Court of Jakarta and as such, the decision of the High Court of Jakarta upholding that the revocation by the MOEF of the Concession License is void does not yet have permanent legal force. While the appeal process is underway, the interlocutory decision issued by the Court of Jakarta on May 16, 2024, requiring the MOEF to suspend the implementation of its decree in respect of the revocation of the Concession License, will remain in place.

    In October 2024, InfiniteEARTH Limited and its Indonesian subsidiary PT InfiniteEARTH Nusantara, the project operators of the Rimba Raya project (collectively “InfiniteEARTH”) delivered a notice of intent to abandon the project (the “RR Notice of Abandonment”). Pursuant to the RR Notice of Abandonment, InfiniteEARTH claims that a Regulation entitled Regulation of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Number 7 Year of 2023 issued on June 14, 2023 by the Indonesian Government (“Regulation No. 7 2023”), prohibits the issuance and transfer of carbon rights from PT Rimba to InfiniteEARTH. InfiniteEARTH claims that as a result of Regulation No. 7 2023, it has been unable to economically develop or continue to operate the Rimba Raya project and that this is a force majeure event under the Rimba Raya Stream. The Company has notified InfiniteEARTH that it rejects the assertion that Regulation No. 7 2023 is an event of force majeure and has commenced an arbitration seeking, among other things, an order that the RR Notice of Abandonment is invalid or void.

    In October 2024, the Company commenced an arbitration administered by the International Centre of Dispute Resolution against InfiniteEARTH in accordance with the Rimba Raya Stream; and against the shareholders of InfiniteEARTH Limited in accordance with the Strategic Alliance Agreement (the “SAA“). The arbitration has since been bifurcated into two arbitration proceedings, dealing with (i) the Rimba Raya Stream; and (ii) the SAA.

    In October 2024, the Company also issued a Notice of Action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeking declaratory relief against the principals of InfiniteEARTH Limited and their related entities, seeking to enforce its rights in relation to guarantees and non-competition agreements related to the Rimba Raya Stream and the SAA. Some of the defendants have counterclaimed. The dispute between the Company and InfiniteEARTH arises out of acts and omissions that the Company alleges are improper and in breach of the Rimba Raya Stream, the SAA and related agreements. Management of the Company believes that delivering the Notice of Arbitration and issuing the Notice of Action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice were important steps in preserving the Company’s legal and contractual rights.

    As a result of the uncertainty of the duration and outcome of the appeal process in respect of the Concession License and the ongoing legal dispute between the Company, InfiniteEARTH and the founders of InfiniteEARTH, the Company has reclassified the status of the Rimba Raya Stream to “Expired”. As at December 31, 2024, the Company has determined the fair value of the Rimba Raya Stream to be $nil.

    Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream: In the third quarter of 2024, Fundación MarVivo Mexico, A.C. and MarVivo Corporation (collectively, “MarVivo”) delivered a notice of intent to abandon the project (the “MarVivo Notice of Abandonment”). Pursuant to the MarVivo Notice of Abandonment, MarVivo claims that the failure to transfer the concession rights from the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (“SEMARNAT”), Mexico’s environment ministry, to the jurisdiction of Mexico’s National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (“CONANP”), constitutes an event of force majeure and that it is no longer economical to develop or continue to operate the project. The Company’s position is that the attempt to abandon the project constitutes a breach of the terms of the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream. The Company has notified MarVivo that it rejects the assertion that the failure to transfer the concession rights constitutes an event of force majeure and that if MarVivo abandons the project or takes steps to wind-down, this will amount to a breach of the terms of the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream. As a result of the MarVivo Notice of Abandonment and the assertions of MarVivo, the Company has determined the fair value of the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream to be $nil as at December 31, 2024. The Company reserves all rights with respect to the agreements between the parties and intends to strictly enforce its legal and contractual rights under the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream.

    Sustainable Community Stream: In the third quarter of 2024, the Company exercised its contractual rights to terminate the Sustainable Community Stream as a result of, among other things, the failure of the project operator, Will Solutions Inc., to meet its milestone related to the registration of its Ontario project and its failure to develop and implement the project in accordance with the project plan (including continued delays in project development activities and lower-than-expected project enrollments). As a result of the Sustainable Community Stream being terminated, the fair value of the Sustainable Community Stream was determined to be $nil as at December 31, 2024. The Company intends to strictly enforce its legal and contractual rights under the Sustainable Community Stream.

    Cerrado Biome Stream: At the time of project registration, the project planned to expand the project to 80,000 hectares by incorporating more land parcels, and to generate approximately 13 million carbon credits over a 30-year project life. Enrollment of additional land parcels has been slower than anticipated, primarily due to declining demand and lower pricing for REDD+ carbon credits. As a result, the expected revenue from carbon credit sales has decreased, reducing the financial incentive for landholders to transition from agricultural production to REDD+ project enrollment. Currently, the project consists of two land parcels covering approximately 11,000 hectares, expected to generate 1.2 million carbon credits over 30 years; however, the actual number of carbon credits issued will depend on the project’s ability to attract additional landholders. Revenue shortfalls have been driven by delays in the Verra verification process and price volatility for credits issued by REDD+ projects.

    Waverly Biochar Stream and Royalty: Following the accelerated payment of the final milestone payments in the second quarter of 2024, the project reached mechanical completion and first biochar production in the third quarter of 2024. However, additional technical challenges prevented continuous operation of the facility and have continued to delay full production capacity. The project is currently focused on securing additional funding to support commissioning, the initial facility audit, and the first output audit with Puro.earth. Verification was anticipated in the third quarter of 2025, with first issuance of carbon credits to follow immediately thereafter, but is now expected to be delayed.

    In 2023, the Company announced an agreement to provide Microsoft Corporation with carbon credits from the Waverly Biochar Stream of up to 10,000 carbon credits per year. Under this agreement, the Company is committed to delivering a minimum quantity of credits on specified future dates. If the Company is unable to fulfill this commitment, Microsoft Corporation may request that credits be sourced from an alternative project of their choosing.

    Community Carbon Stream: In 2024, the projects under the Community Carbon Stream issued over 1,600,000 carbon credits from the Mozambique cookstove project, the Uganda cookstove project, the Tanzania cookstove project, and the Uganda household safe water project. Additionally, the Community Carbon Stream generated $1.1 million in cash settlements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

    On May 8, 2024, the Company amended the terms of the Community Carbon Stream resulting in, among other things, revising the Company’s economic interest to provide for a tiered streaming structure which is adjusted as certain return on invested capital thresholds are achieved, and adjusting the portfolio composition and milestone payments to focus on the five strongest projects, three cookstove projects in Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda and two water purification projects in Malawi and Uganda.

    Following the May 2024 amendment, the Company anticipates that the project’s actual emission reductions will be materially lower than previously expected due to methodological changes and declining prices, which have reduced forecasted creditable unit deployments. Concerns over emissions reduction overestimation, additionality, and verification challenges have raised questions about cookstove credit quality, prompting methodological revisions as the market adapts to evolving buyer expectations. While these changes aim to enhance credibility, they have also reduced demand and driven down prices.

    Nalgonda Rice Farming Stream: In December 2024, the Company delivered a notice to Core CarbonX Pte. Ltd. and its services provider, Core CarbonX Solutions Private Limited that an event of default occurred and is continuing due to the failure of the project to reach development completion prior to June 30, 2024. While no further action has been taken at this time, the Company reserves all rights under its agreements.

    The project was registered with Verra on February 10, 2025, using the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism Methodology AMS-III.AU: Methane emission reduction by adjusted water management practice in rice cultivation in the VCS program (“AMS-III.AU”). Registration and first validation of the project was delayed when Verra temporarily inactivated AMS-III.AU as part of a broader review of validation and verification quality and began developing a revised rice-specific methodology to replace AMS-III.AU. During this review, Verra determined that certain projects identified as having quality issues with validations and/or verifications would remain on hold, but Core CarbonX’s projects, including the Nalgonda Rice Farming project, were approved for registration under AMS-III.AU.

    Verra released the new VCS Methodology VM0051 (Improved Management in Rice Production Systems v1.0) on February 27, 2025, which the project plans to transition to for the second monitoring period. However, the project has already applied the guidelines required under the VCS Methodology VM0051. At this time, it is not known how the transition to the new methodology will impact the project, if at all.

    As of December 31, 2024, approximately 32,000 landholders were enrolled in the project, covering 36,548 hectares of farmland. Enrollment remains ongoing, with a target of expanding to approximately 62,000 hectares. However, progress has been slower than expected due to registration delays, which have also postponed farmer compensation and, in turn, affected enrollment. The project was registered with Verra on February 10, 2025.

    Enfield Biochar Stream: In April 2024, Standard Biocarbon Corporation (“Standard Biocarbon”) achieved its first biochar production. However, technical challenges have delayed the commissioning process. Standard Biocarbon is working with PYREG GmbH, the engineer and builder of the PYREG Machines, to resolve these issues as it scales toward full operating capacity. The project continues to collect operational data required for a facility audit and official registration with the Puro.earth carbon credit standard. Currently, the project is on care and maintenance while seeking additional funding to support commissioning, the initial facility audit, and the first output audit.

    Azuero Reforestation Stream: On May 21, 2024, the Company, Microsoft Corporation and Rubicon Carbon Capital LLC (“Rubicon”) entered into a carbon credit streaming agreement, as amended on November 23, 2024 (the “Azuero Reforestation Stream”) with Azuero Reforestation Colectiva, S.A. (“ARC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ponterra Ltd. (“Ponterra”), for a reforestation project located on Azuero Province, Los Santos Province, Republic of Panama. Under the terms of the Azuero Reforestation Stream, ARC will deliver 13.5% of the carbon credits created by the project to the Company. Additionally, Microsoft Corporation has entered into an offtake agreement to purchase 100% of the Company’s carbon credits delivered under the terms of the Azuero Reforestation Stream through to 2040. Carbon Streaming will also act as the sole marketer of ARC’s carbon credits not already committed to the co-investors under the Azuero Reforestation Stream.

    Under the terms of the Azuero Reforestation Stream, Carbon Streaming, alongside Rubicon and Microsoft Corporation, will fund 100% of project costs over seven years. The Company agreed to make an upfront deposit of up to $7.1 million with $0.3 million paid on closing, and additional milestone payments made as the project achieves planting and sapling survival milestones, and will receive 13.5% of total credits, which is expected to be approximately 438,000 carbon credits through 2052.

    Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream: In January 2025, the Company received a Notice of Adverse Impact from Mast Reforestation SPV I, LLC (“Mast”) and the parent company of Mast, Droneseed Co. d/b/a Mast Reforestation under the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream pursuant to which, among other things, Mast advised the Company that the Sheep Creek project has experienced significantly higher than expected mortality rates and that the surviving seedlings had exhibited slower than expected growth rates. As a result, Mast indicated to the Company that it no longer expects to deliver the Company the agreed-upon 286,229 carbon removal credits, referred to as forecast mitigation units (“FMUs”) under the Climate Action Reserve’s Climate Forward program under the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream, as Mast no longer considers the existing Sheep Creek project plan and budget to be viable. The Company has formally responded to the Notice of Adverse Impact and requested that Mast respond to the Company’s significant concerns regarding, among other things, the timing of the delivery of the Notice of Adverse Impact, and the characterization of the cause of the adverse impact. The Company is continuing to evaluate all legal avenues available under the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream. As a result, the Company no longer anticipates generating cash flow from the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream and has determined its fair value to be $nil as of December 31, 2024.

    Feather River Reforestation Stream: In 2024, carbon credit market demand has generally shifted towards lower risk carbon credits. FMUs, which are designed to facilitate forward financing, inherently carry higher risk, leading to supply that has exceeded demand. FMU issuance is expected in 2025. However, given the uncertainties surrounding FMU sales, the Company has determined the fair value of the Feather River Reforestation Stream to be $nil as of December 31, 2024.

    Baccala Ranch Reforestation Stream: In March 2025, Mast delivered the Company a notice of termination of the Baccala Ranch Reforestation Stream and the Baccala Ranch project, thereby confirming it will forego any plantings. The Company had not advanced any funds for the Baccala project and the closing of the Baccala Ranch Reforestation Stream remained subject to customary closing conditions.

    Amazon Portfolio Royalty: Following a corporate reorganization, Future Carbon assigned its interests in the Yellow Ipe, ABC Norte and Gairova projects (collectively the “Ecologica Portfolio”) to Ecological Assessoria Ltda. and its affiliates (collectively “Ecologica”), and retained the Rio Madeira Project, (the “Future Carbon Portfolio”). To reflect this restructuring, the Original Amazon Royalty was replaced on April 17, 2024, by two new royalty agreements: one between the Company and Future Carbon for the Future Carbon Portfolio (the “FC Amazon Royalty”), and another between the Company and Ecologica on the Ecologica Portfolio (the “Ecologica Amazon Royalty”). Each agreement carried a purchase price of $1.5 million, maintaining the original $3.0 million investment. No additional funds were advanced by the Company as part of Future Carbon’s reorganization.

    Bonobo Peace Forest Royalty: The royalty agreement was originally intended to convert into a stream agreement upon successful validation and verification of the project. However, due to political instability in the DRC, weakened market sentiment for REDD+ projects, and a significant decline in demand for REDD+ carbon credits, Carbon Streaming decided to halt further investment. The Company currently has no plans to proceed with a stream agreement.

    The project has been seeking additional investment to support a renewed technical effort for registration under the new Verra VM0048 methodology. Given the material uncertainty surrounding fundraising for REDD+ project development, the early-stage nature of the project’s technical development, and persistent weakness in demand for REDD+ carbon credits, the Company has determined the fair value of the Bonobo Peace Forest Royalty to be $nil as at December 31, 2024.

    Strategy

    Carbon Streaming is currently focused on maximizing value from the existing portfolio of investments and pursuing all options to achieve that goal. During 2024, the Company has undergone changes to the Board and management, including the termination of certain consulting contracts, which reduced ongoing cash expenditure and streamlined decision-making. The Company continues to focus on its previously announced evaluation of strategic alternatives with a focus on maximizing value for all shareholders. These alternatives could include acquisitions, divestments, corporate transactions, financings, other strategic partnership opportunities or continuing to operate as a public company.

    The Company’s carbon credit streaming agreements are structured to retain a portion of the cash flows from carbon credit sales, with stream-specific retention varying. Project partners typically receive the balance through ongoing delivery payments under the terms of each agreement. Cash flows are subject to fluctuations based on realized carbon credit prices and agreement terms. As the Company continues to evaluate its strategic direction, it remains focused on optimizing portfolio economics and managing exposure to market volatility.

    Outlook

    Carbon Streaming continues to reposition itself for success and for maximizing shareholder value amid ongoing challenges. In May 2024, as part of its ongoing corporate restructuring first initiated in 2023, the Company announced changes to its senior management and Board after constructive discussions with certain shareholders. The Company continues to evaluate strategic alternatives for the business and remains focused on cash flow optimization through the reduction of operating expenses and a reassessment of its existing streams and royalties. Building on the previous measures implemented by the Company to reduce ongoing operating expenses, further steps have been taken in recent months, including significantly reducing employee headcount, renegotiating and amending vendor agreements to lower costs, eliminating cash-settled director’s fees to the Board and terminating certain consulting contracts. As the Company’s broader strategy continues to evolve, these recent steps are expected to result in significant reductions to annualized ongoing operating expenses when compared to 2024.

    While the Company aims to increase cash flow generation through the sale of carbon credits from several streaming agreements over the next year, there remains ongoing uncertainty regarding the evolving nature of carbon markets, including potential registry delays, project-specific issues, and methodology-related risks, in addition to impacts the industry may face as a result of general economic, political and regulatory conditions. In 2024, the Company has recognized a decrease in the fair values of the Rimba Raya Stream, the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream, the Sustainable Community Stream, and the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream to $nil as a result of the failure of the respective projects to meet their obligations under the stream agreements and ongoing legal disputes. The Company is actively pursuing all available legal remedies to protect its investments and enforce its contractual rights. Given the multiple ongoing litigation matters, the outcomes remain uncertain and could materially impact the Company’s financial position and strategic direction. Please refer to the “Legal Proceedings” section of the Company’s most recently filed MD&A for further information.

    Given the evolving nature of carbon markets and ongoing legal considerations, Carbon Streaming is focussed on maximizing value from the existing portfolio of investments and pursuing all options to achieve that goal.

    For a comprehensive discussion of the risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could impact the Company’s strategy and outlook, including without limitation, changes in demand for carbon credits and Indonesian developments described herein, investors are urged to review the section of the Company’s most recently filed AIF entitled “Risk Factors” a copy of which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    2024 Results Conference Call Details

    The Company’s management team will host a conference call on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. ET to provide a brief company update. Participants may join by dialing +1 289-514-5100 or toll free from North America at +1 800-717-1738. A replay of the conference call will be available on the Company website until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 1, 2025.

    About Carbon Streaming

    Carbon Streaming’s focus is on projects that generate high-quality carbon credits and have a positive impact on the environment, local communities, and biodiversity, in addition to their carbon reduction or removal potential. This approach aligns our strategic interests with those of project partners to create long-term relationships built on a shared commitment to sustainability and accountability and positions us as a trusted source for buyers seeking high-quality carbon credits.

    ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY:
    Marin Katusa, Chief Executive Officer
    Tel: 365.607.6095
    info@carbonstreaming.com
    www.carbonstreaming.com

    Investor Relations
    investors@carbonstreaming.com

    Media
    media@carbonstreaming.com

    Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures

    Adjusted Net Loss and Adjusted Loss Per Share

    The term “adjusted net loss” in this news release is not a standardized financial measure under the IFRS Accounting Standards and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies where similar terminology is used. These non-IFRS Accounting Standards measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance, cash flows and financial position as prepared in accordance with the IFRS Accounting Standards. Management believes that these non-IFRS Accounting Standards measures, together with performance measures and measures prepared in accordance with the IFRS Accounting Standards, provide useful information to investors and shareholders in assessing the Company’s liquidity and overall performance.

    Adjusted net loss is calculated as net and comprehensive loss and adjusted for the revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements, the revaluation of warrant liabilities, the impairment loss on early deposit interest receivable, the revaluation of derivative liabilities, the revaluation of the convertible note, the impairment loss on investment in associate, the gain on dissolution of associate, and the corporate restructuring which the Company views as having a significant non-cash or non-continuing impact on the Company’s net and comprehensive loss calculation and per share amounts. Adjusted net loss is used by the Company to monitor its results from operations for the period.

    The following table reconciles net and comprehensive (loss) income to adjusted net loss:

      Three months ended 
    December 31, 2024
    		   Three months ended 
    December 31, 2023
    		   Year ended
    December 31, 2024
    		   Year ended
    December 31, 2023
    		  
    Net loss and comprehensive loss $ (16,932)   $ (26,092)   $ (67,369)   $ (35,501)  
    Adjustment for non-continuing or non-cash settled items:        
    Revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements   13,190     23,952     58,155     32,897  
    Revaluation of warrant liabilities   (43)     (79)     (642)     (6,530)  
    Impairment of early deposit interest receivable   –     –     307     –  
    Revaluation of derivative liabilities   –     –     (680)     (686)  
    Revaluation of Convertible Note   –     –     –     (558)  
    Revaluation of preferred shares   2,558     –     2,558     –  
    Impairment of investment in associate   –     –     –     1,044  
    Gain on dissolution of associate   –     –     (104)     –  
    Corporate restructuring   343     (6)     2,561     1,748  
    Adjusted net loss   (884)     (2,225)     (5,214)     (7,586)  
    Loss per share (Basic and Diluted) ($/share)   (0.32)     (0.55)     (1.34)     (0.75)  
    Adjusted net loss per share (Basic and Diluted) ($/share)   (0.02)     (0.05)     (0.10)     (0.16)  
                             

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

    This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking information”) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking information, including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated impact of changes to the Company’s Board and management; the impact of the Company’s restructuring strategies, including evaluation of strategic alternatives; the ability of the Company to execute on expense reductions and savings from operating cost reduction measures; statements with respect to cash flow optimization and generation; its sales strategy; supporting the Company’s carbon streaming and royalty partners; timing and the amount of future carbon credit generation and emission reductions and removals from the Company’s existing streaming and royalty agreements; statements with respect to the projects in which the Company has streaming and royalty agreements in place; statements with respect to the Company’s growth objectives and potential and its position in the voluntary carbon markets; statements with respect to execution of the Company’s portfolio and partnership strategy; statements with respect to the ongoing legal process to protect the Company’s investment in the Rimba Raya project and to enforce its legal and contractual rights; statements ; and statements regarding the Company’s intention to strictly enforce its legal and contractual rights under the Sustainable Community Stream and the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream and the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream.

    When used in this news release, words such as “estimates”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “will”, “believes”, “intends” “should”, “could”, “may” and other similar terminology are intended to identify such forward-looking information. This forward-looking information is based on the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. They should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be an accurate indication of whether or not such results will be achieved. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: general economic, market and business conditions and global financial conditions, including fluctuations in interest rates, foreign exchange rates and stock market volatility; volatility in prices of carbon credits and demand for carbon credits; change in social or political views towards climate change, carbon credits and environmental, social and governance initiatives and subsequent changes in corporate or government policies or regulations and associated changes in demand for carbon credits; the Company’s expectations and plans with respect to current litigation, arbitration and regulatory proceedings; limited operating history for the Company’s current strategy; concentration risk; inaccurate estimates of project value, which may impact the ability of the Company to execute on its growth and diversification strategy; dependence upon key management; impact of corporate restructurings; the inability of the Company to optimize cash flows or sufficiently reduce operating expenses; reputational risk; risks arising from competition and future acquisition activities failure or timing delays for projects to be registered, validated and ultimately developed and for emission reductions or removals to be verified and carbon credits issued (and other risks associated with carbon credits standards and registries); foreign operations and political risks including actions by governmental authorities, including changes in or to government regulation, taxation and carbon pricing initiatives; uncertainties and ongoing market developments surrounding the validation and verification requirements of the voluntary and/or compliance markets; due diligence risks, including failure of third parties’ reviews, reports and projections to be accurate; dependence on project partners, operators and owners, including failure by such counterparties to make payments or perform their operational or other obligations to the Company in compliance with the terms of contractual arrangements between the Company and such counterparties; failure of projects to generate carbon credits, or natural disasters such as flood or fire which could have a material adverse effect on the ability of any project to generate carbon credits; volatility in the market price of the Company’s common shares or warrants; the effect that the issuance of additional securities by the Company could have on the market price of the Company’s common shares or warrants; global health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics; and the other risks disclosed under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s Annual Information Form dated as of March 31, 2025 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date of this news release. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Northland water security receives $41m boost

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Water projects in Northland will receive up to $41.5 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to significantly increase the region’s water security and unlock economic growth, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says.

    “These water projects together will significantly improve water storage and security in the Mid Far North and enable economic growth through consistent access to water and irrigation infrastructure for horticulture and land development,” Mr Jones says.

    The funded projects are: 

    • Otawere Pipeline                             $24m loan
    • Kaipara Pipeline                              $17.5m loan

    The Otawere Pipeline project will see Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust consolidate the Otawere Reservoir on Waitangi River and expand its distribution network by 15km.

    “This will provide water to a larger area of the community, and link to other key Mid Far North water storage projects to increase land-change opportunities in Kaikohe and surrounding areas,” Mr Jones says. 

    When it is completed, the infrastructure will enable 1600ha of productive land for Matawii, Waimate North and Mid North. The project will also employ 52 full-time staff during construction.

    Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust will also receive up to $17.5m in the form of a loan to construct a 22km pipeline connecting the trust’s recently completed reservoir near Te Kopuru, to Dargaville.

    “The Kaipara pipeline will extend to around 3000ha of prospective horticulture land between Te Kopuru and Dargaville and to Silver Fern Farm’s processing plant, the largest employer in the area.

    “The plant faces challenges maintaining the continuous water supply it needs to keep operating throughout summer. Extending the pipeline to the processing plant will ensure a reliable water supply and continuous peak season operation,” Mr Jones says.

    As part of this project, Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust and Kaipara District Council will combine the delivery of the Kaipara pipeline with an existing $7.8m Regional Infrastructure Fund flood resilience project, the Dargaville to Te Kōpuru stopbank upgrade.

    The combined approach will lead to potential savings of $3m and a shorter delivery time through efficiencies across both projects.

    “The Government’s investment in water is addressing barriers to development in regions like Northland, where a consistent water source is needed to unlock economic, environmental, and recreational resources for its communities,” Mr Jones says.

    Editor’s note

    • The Regional Infrastructure Fund is a capital fund with the primary purpose of accelerating infrastructure projects, particularly with a focus on water storage, energy, and resilience, that will make a difference in the regions.
    • Funding is approved in principle and announced, after which contracts are negotiated. Some funding may depend on updated information as agreed in contract negotiation. Payments are made once agreed milestones are met. These are set as part of contract negotiations and differ from project to project.
    • The Dargaville to Te Kōpuru Stopbank Upgrades project funding was approved by the Regional Development Ministers Group in July 2024. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Climate News – ‘La Niña weakens with chance of more rain in New Zealand’s north and east’ NIWA Seasonal Climate Outlook April – June 2025 – NIWA

    Source: NIWA

    With La Niña weakening, higher pressure southeast of New Zealand will bring mostly north-easterly winds, with occasional bouts of south-westerlies, according to the latest NIWA Seasonal Climate Outlook for April to June 2025.
    The outlook notes that areas with low soil moisture and river flows need consistent rainfall to reverse the effects of dryness and drought, with below-normal river flows most likely in the north and west of the North Island. 
    Seasonal rainfall is likely to be near normal in most regions, with possible above-normal rainfall in the north and east of both islands.There is a normal to elevated risk of an ex-tropical cyclone passing within 550 km of New Zealand in April, bringing heavy rain. 
    Meanwhile, air temperatures over the next three months are expected to be near average or above average for the west of the North and South Islands, and above average for all other regions of the country. 
    The seas around New Zealand remain warmer than average for South Island waters, with marine heatwave conditions persisting.
    The full NIWA Seasonal Climate Outlook is available (attached) and online, and includes regional outlooks. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: CFA VFBV State Firefighter Championships come to a close

    Source:

    Sale Fire Brigade

    More than 100 CFA urban and rural brigades have left their mark in Mooroopna over March as the 2025 CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships officially come to an end.

    Both weekends saw an exciting showcase of our future firefighters, with the Gisborne Juniors making tracks after a 12-year hiatus, and a Tinamba Mum joining the champs for the first time in her 40s.

    It was great to see new teams hit the track with Mannerim creating a new women’s team made up of surrounding brigade members.

    The corporate tent was lively, featuring displays on the latest updates from many innovative CFA programs, including operational training, infrastructure and Fire Medical Response (FMR), aviation, alongside the Planned Burn Taskforce, community engagement and volunteerism.

    The atmosphere was full of camaraderie, team spirit and determination, while an array of food and beverage trucks kept the competitors well fed, and a collection of CFA vehicles and equipment drew in many interested onlookers. For the first time, CFA had all sizes of its vehicles on display.

    On the second weekend, the annual Torchlight Procession saw several brigades march through the streets of Mooroopna with LED powered lanterns.

    CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan once again rallied his Chief’s Chargers for some healthy and humbling competition and said as one of our proudest and longest running traditions, it was fantastic to see hundreds of members involved.

    “The State Championships are a great opportunity for our volunteers to not only engage with their peers competitively, but to develop life skills, build friendships and support like-minded regional communities.” Jason said.

    Senior runner, Hayley Rennie from Tatura Fire Brigade is one of the many longstanding runners for the brigade who for the first time broke her own record.

    “I have been running for about 12 years, and I am very competitive. I came first in the one person Marshall and broke my own personal record,” Hayley said.

    “We all celebrate our wins together. It is so exciting to see those who have been trying to place first for the past five years, get a first this year.

    “It is also great that we have the women’s events now. We have more opportunities to win and to better ourselves.”

    Results from both weekends can be found below. 

    URBAN JUNIORS – FINAL AGGREGATES

    From the first weekend on 22 and 23 March, congratulations to Melton A as the overall winners for the Urban Juniors events.

    DRY AGGREGATE

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Echuca A

    3rd place: Grovedale

    WET AGGREGATE

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Grovedale

    3rd place: Echuca A

    UNDER 14 AGGREGATE

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Grovedale

    3rd place: Echuca A

    UNDER 17 AGGREGATE

    1st place: Echuca A

    2nd place: Melton A

    3rd place: Grovedale & Melton B

    GRAND AGGREGATE

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Echuca A

    3rd place: Grovedale

    The second weekend on 29 and 30 March involved the Urban and Rural Seniors, and Rural Juniors events.

    RURAL JUNIORS – FINAL AGGREGATES

    Congratulations to Napoleons-Enfield A who are the overall winners for the Rural Juniors event.

    11-13 YEARS AGGREGATE

    1st place: Napoleons-Enfield A

    2nd place: Ascot & District A

    3rd place: Miners Rest A

    11-15 YEARS AGGREGATE

    1st place: Napoleons-Enfield A

    2nd place: Beazley’s Bridge B

    3rd place: Miners Rest B

    CHAMPION TEAM

    1st place: Napoleons-Enfield A

    2nd place: Ascot & District A

    3rd place: Miners Rest A

    RURAL SENIORS – FINAL AGGREGATES

    DIVISION 1 AGGREGATE

    1st place: Leopold A

    2nd place: Eldorado A

    3rd place: Hurstbridge A & Springhurst A

    DIVISION 2 AGGREGATE

    1st place: Moorooduc A

    2nd place: Dunrobin/Nangeela B 

    3rd place: Mannerim A

    DIVISION 3 AGGREGATE

    1st place: Napoleons-Enfield B

    2nd place: Miners Rest A

    3rd place: Springhurst B

    URBAN SENIORS – FINAL AGGREGATES

    Congratulations to Melton A who are the overall winners for the Urban Seniors event.

    Dry Aggregate

    1st place: Tatura

    2nd place: Osborne Park Orange

    3rd place: Melton A

    Wet Aggregate

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Swan Hill A

    3rd place: Warracknabeal

    Female Aggregate

    1st place: Melton B

    2nd place: Tatura

    3rd place: Narre Warren A/B

    ‘A’ SECTION

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Osborne Park Orange

    3rd place: Patterson River

    ‘A’ SECTION WET AGGREGATE

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Patterson River

    3rd place: Osborne Park Orange

    ‘B’ SECTION

    1st place: Swan Hill A

    2nd place: Warracknabeal

    3rd place: Melton B

    ‘B’ SECTION WET AGGREGATE

    1st place: Swan Hill A

    2nd place: Warracknabeal    

    3rd place: Creswick

    ‘A’ SECTION APPLIANCE AGGREGATE

    1st place: Melton A

    2nd place: Osborne Park Orange & Patterson River

    ‘B’ SECTION APPLIANCE AGGREGATE

    1st place: Swan Hill A

    2nd place: Warrnambool

    3rd place: Maffra & Melton  

    Congratulations to all brigades, community members, and supporters who attended and participated in this year’s competitions. A full list of the 2025 Rural Championship and Urban Championship results can be found on the VFBV website.

    The 2025 State Firefighter Championships are supported by the Victorian Government.

    Submitted by CFA media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Myanmar’s earthquake death toll rises to 2,056

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Earthquake-affected residents have a meal in woods by a road in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, March 31, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The death toll from Friday’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 2,056, with approximately 3,900 people injured and nearly 270 reported missing, according to the country’s State Administration Council Information Team on Monday.

    International and domestic rescuers have been racing against time to save more lives in the quake-affected areas.

    The first batch of disaster-relief material offered by the Chinese government arrived in Myanmar on Monday. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Science – Flooding from underneath: New tool reveals shallow groundwater elevations – NIWA

    Source: NIWA

    A new online tool that identifies areas at risk from groundwater flooding has been developed by New Zealand scientists. Groundwater flooding occurs when the water table rises close to the surface, causing issues even before the water visibly floods the ground.
    The Shallow Groundwater Screening Tool, which identifies areas at threat from water table rises, will help hazard and land-use decision-makers understand the scale of the problem and which areas are likely to be the most vulnerable, says lead for the Future Coasts Aotearoa programme, NIWA Chief Scientist Coasts and Estuaries Dr Scott Stephens.
    Groundwater – also known as the water table – rises with sea levels, particularly in coastal and low-lying areas, and it can be pushed even higher by persistent rainfall. Groundwater flooding is often overlooked as a threat, however it is a hazard that traditional flood defences such as stopbanks and seawalls cannot contain because the water comes up from underneath. When the groundwater rises, it can saturate soil and structures, weaken infrastructure, increase liquefaction risk and worsen surface flooding from heavy rainfall. As sea levels continue to rise, groundwater levels in the coast zone and close to tidal rivers will increase accordingly. Persistent heavy rain also pushes up the water table, a phenomenon which contributed to South Dunedin’s flooding in October 2024.
    It’s not all bad – shallow groundwater can also be beneficial for some ecosystems and for buffering droughts.
    The first-of-its-kind online tool, developed as part of the NIWA-led Future Coasts Aotearoa research programme, shows areas that could be exposed to shallow groundwater hazards, right now, based on existing groundwater measurements, says Dr Stephens.
    “Increased flooding events will be a real driver of change in many places. Rising groundwater will destabilise roads and damage buildings. It could make farming uneconomic. Stormwater pipes will be persistently full. Councils and decision-makers need an accurate picture of current shallow groundwater levels to prepare for future risks by identifying what areas could be exposed to shallow groundwater as sea levels continue to rise. This tool will be useful for local, district and regional councils, engineers, infrastructure providers, and rural communities, as well as individual citizens who want to make better-informed decisions for their future.”
    Water resource consultancy Kōmanawa Solutions created the tool. Its founder Zeb Etheridge says that we are interested in the shallow water table because that’s the part of the groundwater system that’s most affected by sea level rise.
    “Two-thirds of New Zealanders live in coastal areas, meaning much of our infrastructure and land use falls within these vulnerable zones. Understanding this issue is critical for future planning.”
    The Kōmanawa Solutions team pulled together 2.4 million real-life readings of groundwater depth from around the country. To fill in the gaps, they used machine learning trained on factors that influence the water table, such as land elevation, soil type and nearness to waterways. Mr Etheridge describes the result as a risk screening tool to manage hazards, guide adaptation planning for existing land use choices, and plan future developments.
    “Local authorities are likely to undertake more detailed assessments of the areas that are shown to be potentially exposed before making any significant decisions,” he says. The tool is designed so that the certainty of detecting risky groundwater levels can be dialled up or down, as can the depth of groundwater that is of interest.
    Further updates from the research team, which includes NIWA, Kōmanawa Solutions, GNS Science, and the University of Canterbury, are in development. These include projections of rising water tables as sea levels rise and land subsidence. The team will also investigate the risk of groundwater becoming saline as seawater infiltrates it.
    The tool can be found at www.niwa.co.nz/shallow-groundwater-tool
    FAQs
    What does the Shallow Groundwater Screening Tool do?
    The tool shows areas that could be exposed to shallow groundwater, right now, based on existing groundwater measurements. The dataset covers the areas of New Zealand where the elevation is less than 100 m above sea level.
    The model results tell us the likelihood of finding shallow groundwater in every 100 x 100 m area below 100 m above sea level and allows users to select a set of model results which suit their particular purpose.
    What is the decision-support gap that this first-of-its-kind tool fills?
    This tool shows us where shallow groundwater is likely to be present, or not likely to be present. We can confirm whether shallow groundwater is present or not present at a given location, either by looking at data from existing local bores or by excavating a trial pit or hand auguring and monitoring where no previous information is available. But the depth to groundwater can vary significantly over relatively short distances and hence we cannot identify areas with potential shallow groundwater at scale without either extensive and costly investigations, or modelling.
    Who should be using the tool?
    The outputs can be used by councils, rural communities, engineers and infrastructure providers as a risk screening tool, to understand which areas could be exposed to shallow groundwater and require more detailed local investigation and assessment, and which areas are unlikely to be exposed.
    The outputs also provide information on how certain we can be that shallow groundwater is present or not present, which can be used for hazard management and development planning. In most instances, we would expect users of the information to undertake more detailed assessments of the areas that are shown to be potentially exposed before making any significant decisions.
    How can I access the tool?
    The tool can be found at www.niwa.co.nz/shallow-groundwater-tool. The spatial layers used in the tool can also be found here.
    This is a publicly available tool that anyone can use. There is a modest charge for the tool’s use that will be reinvested in related science, which could include updates to the tool.
    What is the data and process that underpins the tool?
    We know from both theory and practical experience that depth to groundwater varies with land elevation, proximity to rivers, streams, and the coastline, soil properties, and other environmental variables. The tool uses a machine learning technique to determine which combinations of environmental variables provide the best predictions of depth to groundwater.
    The machine learning model, which uses a method called Random Forest via a novel implementation developed for this study, was trained using all groundwater readings from 79,000 locations (where the well depth or screen is less than 30 m below ground level) with data available, and national datasets of environmental variables like soil properties to provide the best possible prediction of whether shallow groundwater is likely or unlikely to be present on a 100 x 100 m grid for all land below 100 m elevation.
    The model developed to create this product was trained using all accessible groundwater depth information held in Regional Council and Territorial Authority databases and in the New Zealand Geotechnical Database. This comprised readings from approximately 110,000 locations around the country.
    What is the overarching research programme that is supporting the development of the tool?
    The tool and associated research is part of the Future Coasts Aotearoa programme that aims to transform coastal lowland systems threatened by relative sea-level rise into prosperous communities. It’s an Endeavour programme funded from 2021-2026 by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, and is a collaborative effort that includes Kōmanawa Solutions and is led by NIWA.
    What other groundwater research is underway within the programme?
    Having identified the areas in our costal lowlands with shallow groundwater, a key next step is to quantify the assets such as buildings, roads and farmland which are located in shallow groundwater zones. By combining this information with soon to be completed research on the impact of rising water tables on farmland productivity and modelling of water table rise the Future Coasts Aotearoa research programme will provide insights into the scale of the challenges we will face with rising water tables and provide information to support proactive adaptation decisions.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Milestone for SH35 communities with Hikuwai Bridge No.1 replacement

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    Work has started this week on enabling (early) works at the site of a permanent replacement for Hikuwai Bridge No.1, north of Tolaga Bay.

    A temporary Bailey bridge has been in place since 2023 after the bridge was damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle and the connection across Hikuwai River initially severed.

    Now, as part of the recovery, Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) alliance and local contractors,  on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), will build the new bridge.

    The new bridge will feature a modern, two-lane structure, approximately 100 metres in length, and will follow the same alignment as the previous bridge.

    “This modern design provides better flood and earthquake resistance, boosts durability, and delivers environmental benefits. Once complete, it will provide a more efficient and permanent solution for SH35 road users for generations to come,” says TREC project lead Richard Bayley.

    “It is being designed to better withstand debris with a wider central span and rounded piers, reducing blockages and pressure from debris. Larger, deeper piles enhance resistance to flooding and scour effects, while the stronger steel columns will boost structural durability. Improved bearings will also prevent the bridge deck uplifting when inundated and during earthquakes.”

    Enabling works will take around four months to finish before the main construction of the new bridge can begin. The entire project is expected to take between 12 and 18 months, with completion expected by mid-2026.

    To mark the start of enabling works, a karakia was held by tangata whenua and landowners at Hikuwai, late last week. The karakia was led by Kaumatua, Chris Marsh – Board Co-Chair, Te Whare Hauora o Te Aitanga a Hauiti.

    The initial enabling works will involve three key milestones:

    • Site setup: establishment of a site office, along with three compound/laydown areas to store tools, material and equipment.
    • Construction of a temporary road (access road): realignment of the existing SH35 to enable construction of the southern bridge abutment and provide a safer and larger workspace for bridge construction. This road will connect with the Bailey bridge on the southern side and be in operation when the main works on the bridge begin. On project completion and removal of the Bailey bridge, it will operate as a maintenance road only, to service Hikuwai Bridge No. 1.
    • Old bridge demolition: removal of the existing, collapsed structure to make way for the new bridge.

    “It’s been a journey to reach this point, and we’re excited to move forward and create a lasting connection for SH35 communities. We’re also grateful for the community support over the past couple of years during the recovery phase including Kuru Contracting and their construction of local Pourau Road in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. We’ve worked closely with Iwi, local hapū, landowners including Pourau Station, and key stakeholders throughout the pre-construction and design phases and intend to continue this throughout construction, ” says Mr Bayley.

    “We really value the relationships we’ve been building since the cyclone and we want our relationships to last long after our work at Hikuwai is complete.”

    TREC is actively working with local contractors throughout the procurement process and has already appointed Parata Ltd Contractors for the site setup and access road construction.

    Traffic management

    During enabling works, some disruption to traffic is expected and we are working to ensure a smooth flow throughout the area. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we aim to keep any delays to a minimum.

    The new bridge will be constructed alongside the existing road, allowing traffic to continue flowing in both directions using the temporary Bailey bridge.

    The Bailey bridge will remain operational as it currently is, with general access and 50tn max load permitted. Overweight and over-dimensional vehicles will continue to require a permit, with a 10kmh speed limit and a one-vehicle-at-a-time policy in place.

    Construction work will take place Monday to Friday, from 6am to 6pm; some Saturday work may be necessary. During enabling works, traffic management will be in place including a temporary 30km/h speed restriction remaining in place on the southern side of the bridge where the temporary alignment is being built.

    Pedestrians and cyclists are advised to follow on-site signage and look out for trucks accessing the site.

    For regular updates, please subscribe to TREC’s fortnightly Tairāwhiti e-newsletter to stay informed on the progress of the project and wider recovery works on SH35 and SH2.

    Get the latest from Transport Rebuild East Coast(external link)

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, DeLauro, Baldwin Demand Answers on RFK Jr.’s Plans to Gut HHS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Top appropriators press Trump administration for details about its vast, illegal plans to unilaterally weaken and reorganize HHS—calling for the “radical transparency” it has promised but utterly failed to deliver
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-02), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, sent a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding answers about the plans he announced last week to gut staffing levels and reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
    In their letter, Murray, DeLauro, and Baldwin press Kennedy for more information about his plans to gut the Department—warning of how it will jeopardize Americans’ health and well-being and urging him to fulfill the administration’s promise of transparency and detail the Department’s plans. Thus far, the Trump administration has shared only the most high-level details about its massive reorganization plans and significant staffing reductions across HHS—all without so much as consulting Congress.
    “Authoritatively stating that these drastic changes will improve the health of Americans without any explanation insults the American public and defies logic,” write the lawmakers. “If these actions were actually intended to improve the Department’s ability to carry out its mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, you and the Department should be eager to provide additional detail and justification for them. Instead, the Department has operated with a complete lack of transparency—far less than previous administrations of both parties—and is withholding information from Congress and the American public. The obvious conclusion is the Department is intentionally hiding information because its actions will worsen the health and well-being of Americans. We insist that you begin operating the Department under the ‘radical transparency’ you pledged you would in your sworn testimony before the Senate.”
    The top Democratic health appropriators in each chamber note that the Department’s plans fly in the face of the funding bill Congress passed and the President signed just weeks ago, writing: “Just two weeks ago, Congress passed and the President signed a full-year fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill that provided funding to specific agencies and operating divisions within the Department to carry out specific authorized activities, programs, and functions. The Department’s announced reorganization completely disregards how Congress appropriated funding. The reorganization seeks to illegally eliminate agencies Congress explicitly appropriated funding for and illegally move functions and programs for which Congress explicitly appropriated funding for one agency to carry out to other agencies it did not. The magnitude of staff reductions and reorganizations will also very likely prevent the Department from executing its responsibilities under the law.”
    They detail other sweeping actions the Department has taken that weaken HHS’ ability to protect Americans health and set back ongoing lifesaving work—and note that if the steps are truly in the American public’s interest, the administration should be eager to share more details: “The Department has taken the unprecedented step of terminating thousands of grants, including for communities to combat infectious diseases like measles and bird flu, and to discover treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other devastating diseases. The Department has paused funding for grants and prevented organizations from legally drawing down already awarded funds. The Department has imposed gag orders and already delayed billions in funding for lifesaving research at NIH. The Department has attempted to illegally cap and cut funding for research institutions in obvious contravention of annual appropriations law. The Department has been unwilling to provide even basic information about these actions to Congress.”
    “The American people deserve to know what is happening to the federal workforce and agencies tasked with carrying out the Department’s tremendous responsibilities and the taxpayer dollars appropriated to carry those responsibilities out,” the lawmakers conclude, before demanding answers to a series of straightforward questions about the Department’s reorganization and staffing plans—with answers requested by April 4.
    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
    Secretary Kennedy,
    We write with extreme concerns about significant staffing reductions and reorganizations at the Department of Health and Human Services (the “Department”), amidst other unprecedented actions taken by the Department over the last several weeks, which put American’s health and well-being at risk. The stunning lack of transparency surrounding these changes leaves us deeply concerned about what the administration is hiding. Moreover, several actions taken or proposed by the Administration appear to violate federal law.
    Last week the Department announced it was implementing an unprecedented and disruptive reorganization that includes significant staffing reductions and office closures. This will degrade the Department’s capacity and expertise across a wide range of issues that will impact communities and individuals across the country. In the past, the Department has always worked closely with Congress on reorganizations, including those that were orders of magnitude smaller than what it is now being proposed. The Department has demonstrated a complete unwillingness to share even basic information with Congress (including the Committees on Appropriations) and the public about its actions or to provide any justification for them. Authoritatively stating that these drastic changes will improve the health of Americans without any explanation insults the American public and defies logic. If these actions were actually intended to improve the Department’s ability to carry out its mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, you and the Department should be eager to provide additional detail and justification for them. Instead, the Department has operated with a complete lack of transparency—far less than previous administrations of both parties—and is withholding information from Congress and the American public. The obvious conclusion is the Department is intentionally hiding information because its actions will worsen the health and well-being of Americans. We insist that you begin operating the Department under the “radical transparency” you pledged you would in your sworn testimony before the Senate. 
    Congress has an obligation to assess how changes the Department is haphazardly implementing will impact our constituents and the American public. It is our duty to ensure the Department is carrying out its tremendous responsibilities under the law that touch the lives of nearly every American, and this reorganization clearly violates the law. Just two weeks ago, Congress passed and the President signed a full-year fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill that provided funding to specific agencies and operating divisions within the Department to carry out specific authorized activities, programs, and functions. The Department’s announced reorganization completely disregards how Congress appropriated funding. The reorganization seeks to illegally eliminate agencies Congress explicitly appropriated funding for and illegally move functions and programs for which Congress explicitly appropriated funding for one agency to carry out to other agencies it did not. The magnitude of staff reductions and reorganizations will also very likely prevent the Department from executing its responsibilities under the law.
    In addition to the announced reorganization and staffing reductions, the Department has taken a series of other unprecedented and harmful actions over the last several weeks that raise similarly grave concerns. Last month, the administration fired thousands of employees serving in their probationary period across the Department. The Department has offered deferred resignation benefits and voluntary retirement to virtually all of its employees. The Department has taken the unprecedented step of terminating thousands of grants, including for communities to combat infectious diseases like measles and bird flu, and to discover treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other devastating diseases. The Department has paused funding for grants and prevented organizations from legally drawing down already awarded funds. The Department has imposed gag orders and already delayed billions in funding for lifesaving research at NIH. The Department has attempted to illegally cap and cut funding for research institutions in obvious contravention of annual appropriations law. The Department has been unwilling to provide even basic information about these actions to Congress.
    Earlier this month, reports emerged of significant planned reductions at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Department has now announced it plans to reorganize SAMHSA. We are deeply concerned about the impacts this will have on communities across the country trying to address substance use and mental health crises facing millions of families. After opioid overdose deaths reached a record high of nearly 112,000 from August 2022 to August 2023, we are finally making progress, and the trend of overdose deaths is shifting downward. Significant staff reductions and reorganizations will undermine SAMHSA’s ability to work with communities and make life-saving opioid-reversal drugs available. Communities across the country are also grappling with a mental health crisis, particularly among youth. Undercutting SAMHSA’s ability to work with states and communities to address this issue will only set us backward—putting mental health care further out of reach for those who need it. Additionally, we are concerned that staff firings will impact the work of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which has seen a steady increase in contact volume since it launched in 2022. If laying off staff or restructuring SAMHSA will have a positive effect on addressing the substance use and mental health crises affecting communities and families across the country, we think you would be eager to explain the steps you are taking. Despite requests by staff, we have not received any information about these planned staffing reductions and its effects on SAMHSA programs, and the Department has provided no information about planned reorganizations and how they will affect the administration of critical substance use prevention and treatment and mental health programs.
    Earlier this month, there were also reports of planned layoffs at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). We are concerned about the impact these reductions will have on addressing healthcare workforce shortages, preventing and treating HIV/AIDS, supporting community health centers, and modernizing our organ donation and transplantation system. The Department has not provided the number of probationary employees that were fired who were working on these efforts or justification as to how these layoffs will best make use of the discretionary funding increases that Congress provided to HRSA in recent years. As the Department plans further staffing reductions at HRSA, we expect you would relish the opportunity to describe how staff layoffs will advance our shared goal of training more nurses and connecting the more than 100,000 Americans on organ donation waiting lists to lifesaving organ donations. Instead, questions have been met with silence, despite multiple requests for additional information. The Department is now planning to implement a reorganization of HRSA and again, has provided no information about how that will be implemented to improve the health and well-being of Americans.
    There have also been significant changes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To date, the Department has not provided any information on staffing reductions at those agencies, other than strictly the number of probationary employees who were fired. Those agencies are tasked with detecting and responding to dangerous diseases to keep Americans safe and supporting biomedical research into lifesaving treatments and cures for diseases. The Department owes it to the American public to describe how laying off scientists, researchers, fellows, and staff at CDC will keep Americans safe from infectious diseases such as measles, avian flu, and tuberculosis. The Department owes it to the American public to justify how laying off scientists, grant administrators, and other staff at NIH will provide hope to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other devastating diseases, including rare diseases for which NIH clinical trials offer their only hope. The Department owes it to the American public to justify how firing scientists and career staff across the Department to make room for political appointees and fringe conspiracy theorists with no scientific background is an acceptable and appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.
    We are also very concerned that the Department’s plan to dissolve the Administration for Community Living (ACL) will have a detrimental impact on the needs of some the country’s most vulnerable populations. ACL helps to ensure seniors and people with disabilities maintain their independence and participate fully in their communities. Carelessly shoving the administration of these activities into other operating divisions, already overwhelmed due to mass firings, will not help make Americans healthier; in fact, preventative programs administered by the thousands of community-based organizations that partner with ACL have significantly reduced health care costs for individuals at higher risk. These critical programs include nutrition services for older adults, which reduce hunger and encourage socialization; research and resource centers for people with disabilities and their caretakers; family caregiver support and respite care; and prevention of elder abuse and neglect. Dismantling ACL without any thought for the critical work it does shows a disregard for the needs of seniors and people with disabilities.
    The American people deserve to know what is happening to the federal workforce and agencies tasked with carrying out the Department’s tremendous responsibilities and the taxpayer dollars appropriated to carry those responsibilities out. Congress is owed the same. Finally, we remind you of your legal obligation (per section. 713 of P.L. 118-47) to ensure that no federal funds are used to prevent federal employees from communicating with members of Congress.
    To that end, we encourage you to begin operating the Department with the transparency you claim to. At the very least, that means directing your staff to provide the same level of information to Congress as previous administrations of both parties have provided – and to respond to basic inquires and requests for information and to maintain periodic briefings which you have cancelled. In addition, below we have included several questions, many of which have been submitted multiple times to the Department. This is information that should be readily available because it is surely information that was considered prior to making such significant changes at the Department.  
    We request responses to the following questions by April 4, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
    Provide the following:
    The organizational structure of the Department on 1/20/25.
    The planned organizational structure of the Department after the proposed reorganization that reflects any offices eliminated or moved relative to the structure as of 1/20/25.
    A table displaying all programs funded in fiscal year 2024 by Operational Division (as is routinely provided in annual Congressional Justifications) with a crosswalk of where they were funded in fiscal year 2024 to where they will be funded after the proposed reorganization.
    The total expected reduction in staffing at the Department relative to 1/20/25 by operational division and subcomponent (e.g. NIH institute, CDC center, HRSA bureau, etc.) including separately the number of probationary employees terminated, the number of employees who took deferred resignation or other voluntary separation, and those subject to Reductions in Force (RIF). Please also include a list of probationary employees that were fired and then rehired.

    For each impacted agency, operational division, or office in place as of 1/20/25, describe in detail how proposed reorganizations and staffing reductions will improve the ability of the Department to carry out its authorized and funded activities, and how it will enhance the health and well-being of Americans.
    For each impacted agency, operational division, or office in place as of 1/20/25, provide a justification for whether or not the proposed reorganization includes any reprogramming or transfer of funds.
    How will the Department execute fiscal year 2025 appropriations given the recently passed fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill provided funding under a different organizational structure? Specifically, for each program, activity, or function that the Department plans to administer under a different operational division than where it was funded by Congress in fiscal year 2025, describe how the Department would execute those appropriations. For new offices the Department plans to create, including a new “Administration for Healthy America,” describe which appropriations from which Department or agency plans to fund those new activities.
    Regarding probationary employees who were terminated:
    How many had a veteran’s preference?
    How many received an “Achieved Outstanding Results” performance review in their last 12 months?

    Provide a list of new political appointee positions created, or planned to be created under this reorganization, since 1/20/25.
    How many employees who were terminated, subject to RIFs, or who otherwise separated from the Department, worked on the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network modernization effort? How many worked on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline?
    For the National Institutes of Health, provide the number of probationary employees who were terminated, the number of employees who took deferred resignation or other voluntary separation, and the number expected to be subject to RIFs, by Institute, Center and Office (ICO) and job series, including:
    The number of scientists working in the Intramural Research Program, including a breakdown by ICO.
    For terminated employees, the number the Acting NIH Director requested to have reinstated.
    The number of employees who were reinstated by ICO.

    Provide a list of all grants and contracts that have been terminated since 1/20/25 by agency, Operational Division, and Office, including a justification, and any office involved in identifying it for termination.
    Provide a list of all grants and contracts that have any kind of stop payment indicator associated with them, including grantees who are unable to draw down funds.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Picus Security Announces Recognition in Gartner® Market Guide for Adversarial Exposure Validation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Picus Security, the leading security validation company, today announced that it has been named a Representative Vendor in the Gartner® Market Guide for Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV). The AEV category includes technology that validates vulnerabilities and identifies techniques that allow adversaries to exploit an organization. This research helps security and risk management leaders understand the key use cases of adversarial exposure validation and navigate the AEV solution market.

    The AEV market category brings breach and attack simulation (BAS), automated penetration testing and red teaming technologies together, three categories that were previously separate in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Security Operations. Gartner states that by “2027, 40% of organizations will have adopted formal exposure validation initiatives, most relying on AEV technologies and managed service providers for maturity and consistency.”

    The Picus Security Validation Platform enables organizations to simulate real-world attack scenarios, providing continuous, automated validation of exploitable exposures while assessing the effectiveness of security controls. By emulating adversarial tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), Picus assists security teams in identifying critical vulnerabilities, prioritizing remediation efforts and enhancing overall security posture without increasing the skill level required by security defense teams.

    “The flood of analyst inquiries proves that organizations want to validate threat exposures through real-world attack scenarios to justify security investments and prioritize vulnerabilities,” said Picus Security co-founder and CTO Volkan Ertürk. “Organizations have too many vulnerabilities that are disconnected from their security controls and context. The Picus platform uniquely provides evidence-based exposure prioritization and validation, derisking critical vulnerabilities that are not truly exploitable, so security teams can focus on what matters the most.”

    After a comprehensive review of the Gartner Market Guide for Adversarial Exposure Validation, Picus Security found:

    • AEV solutions help organizations strengthen defenses, prioritize vulnerabilities and improve readiness for real-world attacks.
    • The AEV market is rapidly evolving, with vendors offering both specialized and comprehensive capabilities to address diverse security validation needs.
    • AEV technology reduces complexity and lowers the skills barrier required for offensive testing.
    • Integration and automation capabilities within AEV solutions streamline security operations, enhance collaboration among teams and improve the precision and effectiveness of security testing.

    To learn more, download the Gartner® Market Guide for Adversarial Exposure Validation or read our recent blog on how AEV is a force multiplier.

    About Gartner®
    GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

    Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

    About Picus Security 
    Picus Security, the leading security validation company, gives organizations a clear picture of their cyber risk based on business context. Picus transforms security practices by correlating, prioritizing and validating exposures across siloed findings so teams can focus on critical gaps and high-impact fixes. With Picus, security teams can quickly take action with one-click mitigations to stop more threats with less effort. Offering Adversarial Exposure Validation with Breach and Attack Simulation and Automated Penetration Testing working together for greater outcomes Picus delivers award-winning, threat-centric technology that allows teams to pinpoint fixes worth pursuing.

    Follow Picus Security on X and LinkedIn.

    Contact
    Jennifer Tanner
    Look Left Marketing
    picus@lookleftmarketing.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hotter and deeper: how NZ’s plan to drill for ‘supercritical’ geothermal energy holds promise and risk

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Dempsey, Associate Professor in Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury

    Shutterstock/donvictorio

    New Zealand’s North Island features a number of geothermal systems, several of which are used to generate some 1,000 MegaWatts of electricity. But deeper down there may be even more potential.

    The government is now investing NZ$60 million to explore what is known as “supercritical” geothermal energy, following five years of feasibility research led by GNS Science.

    Supercritical geothermal is hotter and deeper than conventional geothermal sources. It targets rocks between 375°C and 500°C, close to – but not within – magma.

    Water at these temperatures and depths has three to seven times more energy for conversion to electricity, compared to ordinary geothermal generation at comparatively cooler temperatures of 200°C to 300°C.

    The investment is staged, with $5 million earmarked for international consultants to design a super-deep well, and further funds to be released later for drilling to depths of up to six kilometres. Consultation is underway, with resources minister Shane Jones hoping to convince Māori landowners to collaborate.

    New Zealand already produces 1,000MW of electricity from conventional geothermal sources.
    Shutterstock/Chrispo

    GNS Science estimates the central North Island might have about 3,500MW worth of this resource, although actually accessing it might be difficult and expensive. The energy consulting firm Castalia was engaged to predict how much would be worth developing, suggesting between 1,300MW and 2,000MW, starting from 2037.

    This would be a lot of extra power. Even better, it would reduce the peaks and troughs in generation that arise from more variable solar and wind sources, which are expected to make up a growing share of electricity generation in the future. Supercritical geothermal is reportedly cost effective, which means the technology deserves serious consideration. But such claims should be subject to scrutiny.

    Successive governments have supported major state energy projects, including the Manapouri power station, petroleum exploration during the early 2000s, early geothermal drilling and the investigation of a pumped hydro scheme at Lake Onslow. The need for energy security clearly motivates such investments.

    But New Zealand has a healthy geothermal industry. In the past two decades, geothermal companies have invested $2 billion in hundreds of new wells and new power plants. The industry already knows how to drill wells and profit from them. So why is the government stepping in now?

    In practice, supercritical geothermal exploration and development faces several research, technical and economic risks. Private enterprise seems unwilling to bear them alone, prompting the government to step in to establish feasibility.

    How to crack soft rock

    One problem supercritical geothermal might encounter is that drilling deeper might find lots of hot rock, but not much water. Drilling experiments in Japan and Italy have shown that reaching 500°C is possible, but in both cases the rock was so ductile (pliable and easily stretched) because of the high temperatures that it couldn’t keep open the gaps needed for water to flow.

    However, the experience was different in Iceland where two wells managed to find water above 400°C. At this stage, it’s not clear whether this is because Iceland has special rocks – particularly basalts, which are less ductile – or because the country is being stretched through tectonic forces at a high rate. New Zealand is less able to count on basalts but it does experience rapid tectonic stretching.

    Deep drilling would test this key hypothesis: is there permeability (gaps for water to flow through) at supercritical conditions? The only way to know for sure is to drill down.

    If there isn’t permeability, the government could either abandon the investment or look into methods to create it. Multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is an option which has worked overseas in the North American shale gas industry. It has also recently been demonstrated in some US geothermal systems.

    Even if we did find permeability, the water produced in Iceland’s supercritical wells was enormously corrosive. A better option then might be to inject cold water into the well, suppressing the corrosive fluids. The injected water would heat up and rise into the overlying geothermal system – flushing the heat upwards.

    However, both water injection and fracking can trigger earthquakes, perhaps a magnitude 4-5 every year or a magnitude 5-6 every few decades. This happened in 2017 in Pohang in South Korea where water injection triggered a magnitude 5.5 earthquake. It resulted in the cancellation of the geothermal project.

    But there are many other geothermal projects where injection has not led to concerning earthquake activity.

    Fierce competition from solar, wind and batteries

    The other risk is economic. Supercritical geothermal might one day be technically feasible, but its potential contribution in New Zealand will be limited if it can’t beat other generation technologies on cost.

    Worldwide, the renewable energy sector continues to be disrupted by unprecedented cost decreases driven by innovations in utility-scale battery storage and solar photovoltaics.

    But the supply chains are largely overseas, mostly concentrated in China. This adds geopolitical complexity to the energy security calculus. Homegrown solutions are a strength.

    Nevertheless, the International Renewable Energy Agency reports cost reductions for solar and battery modules of 89% and 86% between 2010 and 2023. Solar costs drop 33% each time the built amount doubles. Drops in battery cost are enabling large deployments for daily smoothing of the peaks and troughs of intermittent solar and wind generation.

    This shifting cost landscape creates financial uncertainty for energy investors. While cost declines might not continue forever, it’s hard to pick when they will level off. Meanwhile, geothermal costs have been flat for a long time. A billion-dollar geothermal investment might quickly become uncompetitive.

    Despite all these caveats, we shouldn’t overlook the positive signal of the government taking a bet on New Zealand science and innovation. It will be exciting to see what’s happening at six kilometres of depth underground. And although the plan is not to drill for magma, an accidental strike (as happened in Iceland) would lead to some amazing science.

    Lastly, energy security deserves to be taken seriously over the long term. While supercritical geothermal won’t fix our immediate vulnerability to winter scarcity, it could help avoid similar issues in the 2040s.

    David Dempsey receives science funding from MBIE for research into geothermal energy.

    – ref. Hotter and deeper: how NZ’s plan to drill for ‘supercritical’ geothermal energy holds promise and risk – https://theconversation.com/hotter-and-deeper-how-nzs-plan-to-drill-for-supercritical-geothermal-energy-holds-promise-and-risk-252910

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –