NewzIntel.com

Category: Natural Disasters

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese rescuers recover quake survivor in Myanmar’s Mandalay

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

    YANGON, March 30 — Members of the Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) team from China’s Hunan Province recovered a quake survivor in central Myanmar’s severely-hit city of Mandalay at around 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to the Chinese embassy in Myanmar.

    The Yuelu BSR team collaborated with the local fire brigade to conduct demolition and rescue operations after detecting a survivor showing signs of life at the site of a collapsed building in Mandalay.

    The first batch of five team members from the Yuelu BSR team departed from Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, on Saturday. A second batch of nine team members were scheduled to arrive in Myanmar on Sunday to join the earthquake relief efforts.

    According to Myanmar’s State Administration Council on Sunday, about 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in the massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake in the country on Friday.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: What to do in a thunderstorm

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Volunteers and ACT Emergency Service Agency staff attend to jobs as quickly as possible.

    Canberra has already seen its fair share of storms this summer. And with more stormy weather predicted, it’s important to know how and where to get help if you need it.

    Here’s how to prepare your house for a storm, and what you can do if one affects you or your property.

    Keep across the weather forecast

    Visit the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website for weather updates, and the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ACTESA) website ACT ESA website and social media for the latest advice.

    It’s important to note that a thunderstorm forecast is different to a severe thunderstorm warning.

    • A thunderstorm forecast indicates the possibility of storms throughout the forecasting period.
    • A severe thunderstorm warning is issued when a storm is imminent or impacting an area.

    What to do during a thunderstorm

    • Keep at least 8 metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences.
    • Keep clear of flooded creeks, rivers and stormwater drains.
    • Don’t walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water
    • Stay indoors away from windows and keep children and pets indoors.

    Get urgent help if needed

    • For help during storms and floods, ring the ACT State Emergency Service (ACTSES) on 132 500
    • Only call Triple Zero (000) if the incident is life-threatening.
    • If your situation changes and you no longer need help, please call back to cancel your request, so resources can be directed elsewhere.

    It can sometimes take a while to get through to the ACTSES when there are many calls for help.

    Similarly, it can take some time for crews to attend to smaller jobs like a leaking roof, or water that has subsided. Please be patient during this time.

    The ACTSES only makes temporary repairs to homes damaged in storms or floods.

    If you have permanent damage to your home, you will need to contact your insurance provider to resolve the problem.

    If you’ve lost power

    Report power outages to Evoenergy.

    If you have a live power line that has come down and is damaged on the ground, do not go near it. Call Evoenergy.

    The latest updates on power outages can be found on the Evoenergy website or on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

    Alternatively, you can call the Evoenergy hotline on 13 10 93.

    Access emergency accommodation

    If you need emergency accommodation, please contact OneLink on 1800 176 468 or via info@onelink.org.au.

    OneLink provides information and connections for support services in the ACT. This includes services for people at risk of homelessness due to their homes being uninhabitable.

    Find emergency food relief support

    If you, or someone you know is experiencing hardship and cannot feed yourself or your family, support is available.

    Volunteering ACT coordinates information about where to get food relief services including meals and local food pantries.

    Find more information on the Volunteering ACT website.

    For further information please contact the Community Info Hub on 02 6248 7988.

    Dispose of spoiled food

    If you have lost power and have food that has spoiled, simply dispose of it in your home compost or your general waste (landfill) bin.

    Remember that you can also remove any recyclable packaging and place it in your recycling bin.

    Dealing with fallen trees

    Do you know what to do if a tree presents a serious and immediate safety risk?

    • Call 000 if a tree is causing an immediate threat to life
    • For assistance with a fallen tree following a storm event, call the SES on 13 25 00
    • If a tree is touching or has fallen on power lines or telephone wires, call Evoenergy on 13 10 93
    • For trees on public land, you can submit a request online using Fix My Street or call Access Canberra.

    If a tree on your property needs urgent attention, you still need permission from the ACT Government to remove it.

    Contact an arborist immediately and call Access Canberra on 13 22 81 to ask for ‘urgent circumstances authorisation for tree removal’.

    To learn more visit https://bit.ly/4661opO.

    Be storm ready – preparing your home

    Ahead of time, remember to do all you can to prepare your home and family for any possible impacts of forecasted storms.

    Complete or update your 20-minute Survival Plan.

    Take some preventative actions around your home. These include:

    • cleaning your gutters
    • checking stormwater drains
    • trimming overhanging branches.

    To prepare for severe weather:

    • move your car under cover and away from trees
    • secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony
    • secure any temporary repairs that are in place as a result of a previous storm
    • stay vigilant and monitor conditions.

    Remember, if you need urgent help

    For assistance in a storm or flood, call the ACT State Emergency Service on 132 500.

    In a life-threatening emergency call Triple-Zero (000).

    You can find more information on storms on the ACT Emergency Services Agency website.

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


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Mar 30, 2025 Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook Issued on Mar 30, 2025

    Updated: Sun Mar 30 09:02:03 UTC 2025

     .

    D4
    Wed, Apr 02, 2025 – Thu, Apr 03, 2025
    D7
    Sat, Apr 05, 2025 – Sun, Apr 06, 2025

    D5
    Thu, Apr 03, 2025 – Fri, Apr 04, 2025
    D8
    Sun, Apr 06, 2025 – Mon, Apr 07, 2025

    D6
    Fri, Apr 04, 2025 – Sat, Apr 05, 2025
    (All days are valid from 12 UTC – 12 UTC the following day)

    Note: A severe weather area depicted in the Day 4-8 period indicates 15%, 30% or higher probability for severe thunderstorms within 25 miles of any point.

    PREDICTABILITY TOO LOW is used to indicate severe storms may be possible based on some model scenarios. However, the location or occurrence of severe storms are in doubt due to: 1) large differences in the deterministic model solutions, 2) large spread in the ensemble guidance, and/or 3) minimal run-to-run continuity.

    POTENTIAL TOO LOW means the threat for a regional area of organized severe storms appears unlikely (i.e., less than 15%) for the forecast day.

     Forecast Discussion

    ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL
    ACUS48 KWNS 300859
    SPC AC 300859

    Day 4-8 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0359 AM CDT Sun Mar 30 2025

    Valid 021200Z – 071200Z

    …SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK POSSIBLE ON D4/WED…

    …DISCUSSION…
    Medium-range models appear to be in good agreement with overall
    evolution of the synoptic-scale pattern into the Day 7 (Saturday
    April 5) time period, when divergence in solutions increases.

    Earlier in the period however, model consistency lends fairly high
    confidence that a widespread/potentially substantial outbreak of
    severe weather will evolve Wednesday/Day 4, from Lower Michigan and
    the Ohio Valley, southwestward across the Middle and Lower
    Mississippi Valleys, and into eastern portions of Texas and
    Oklahoma. Convection will likely be ongoing or developing early in
    the day, over western portions of the risk area — from Wisconsin
    southwestward to Oklahoma/North Texas. As an upper low shifts
    northeastward across the northern Plains toward the upper
    Mississippi Valley through the day, and the cold front crosses
    Iowa/Missouri/eastern Oklahoma, steep lapse rates atop a
    moist/diurnally heating warm sector will support widespread
    convective development.

    With ascent along the front somewhat modest as stronger large-scale
    ascent focuses northward into the western Upper Great Lakes and into
    Ontario, storm mode may tend toward isolated storms, as opposed to
    more linear development. This, combined with flow that is forecast
    to weakly veer but dramatically strengthen with height, suggests a
    primarily supercell storm mode. In additional to very large hail
    (particularly with southward extent), widespread damaging winds and
    several tornadoes are expected, some possibly significant. Risk is
    expected to continue well into the evening and likely overnight,
    shifting slowly eastward across the Midwest and mid/lower
    Mississippi Valley through the end of the period.

    Day 5/Thursday, trailing portions of the cold front should become
    aligned east-northeast to west-southwest across the Ohio and mid
    Mississippi Valleys and into the southern Plains, as the upper
    system shifts quickly across eastern Canada. While weak short-wave
    ridging will evolve atop the surface frontal zone in the wake of the
    departing system, daytime heating of a very moist boundary layer
    along and south of the front combined with strong flow aloft will
    support reinvigorated convection through the afternoon and evening
    hours, along with attendant severe-weather risk.

    Day 6/Friday, the surface front should remain quasi-stationary, but
    short-wave ridging should increase as a cut-off low evolves across
    the West. As such, much of the Day 6 convection may occur to the
    cool side of the surface front, in the zone of warm
    advection/isentropic ascent. While some severe risk will likely
    evolve, mainly in the form of hail, uncertainty overall (given the
    ridging aloft) precludes inclusion of a Day 6 risk area.

    By the weekend, deviation in model solutions increases, due to
    uncertain evolution of the low/trough over the West. As such, no
    risk areas will be included.

    ..Goss.. 03/30/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Mar 30, 2025 0730 UTC Day 3 Severe Thunderstorm Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    SPC AC 300732

    Day 3 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0232 AM CDT Sun Mar 30 2025

    Valid 011200Z – 021200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF
    THE MID MISSOURI/MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEYS…

    …SUMMARY…
    Severe thunderstorms are forecast to develop after dark from central
    and northeastern Kansas east-northeastward to northwestern Illinois,
    where large hail would be the main severe risk.

    …Mid Missouri and mid Mississippi Valley, southward into Texas…
    Cyclonic flow aloft is forecast to amplify over the western U.S.
    Tuesday, as several short-wave features rotate through the flow. A
    prominent/initial wave is forecast to shift into the
    central/northern Plains overnight, evolving into a closed low over
    the South Dakota/Nebraska area. In response, a surface low over the
    central High Plains early in the day is forecast to deepen/shift
    northeastward into the Mid Missouri Valley area overnight. A
    trailing cold front will shift across the central and southern
    Plains through the second half of the period.

    Diurnal convection ahead of the advancing upper system, and
    attendant cold front, should remain largely suppressed through the
    day by stout capping. A dryline storm or two cannot be ruled out,
    and very limited/conditional potential for hail or a damaging gust
    may exist across southern Oklahoma south into central Texas.

    Greater risk will evolve overnight, mainly with elevated storms near
    and north of a warm front lifting across Kansas/Missouri. Large
    hail would be the primary risk in this area, with shear favoring
    supercells. While the NAM hinders convection south of Kansas
    through the period (due to maintenance of a capping inversion), both
    the GFS and ECMWF suggest that isolated storms may initiate along
    the cold front. While only MRGL risk will be included at this time,
    due to the conditional risk for surface-based/all-hazards risk
    should storms develop along the front, this will need to be
    reassessed in later outlooks with possible SLGT risk upgrade.

    ..Goss.. 03/30/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS03 PTSDY3 PRODUCT

    NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 3 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1930Z

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Mar 30, 2025 0600 UTC Day 2 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    SPC AC 300607

    Day 2 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0107 AM CDT Sun Mar 30 2025

    Valid 311200Z – 011200Z

    …THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM VIRGINIA
    SOUTHWESTWARD TO PARTS OF ALABAMA…GEORGIA AND THE FLORIDA
    PANHANDLE…

    …SUMMARY…
    Strong/severe thunderstorms — with threat for fairly widespread
    damaging winds and tornadoes — are forecast Monday from portions of
    the Northeast southwestward to the central Gulf Coast region.

    …Parts of eastern/southern New York southward to the central and
    eastern Gulf Coast area…
    An upper trough will continue advancing steadily eastward across the
    eastern half of the U.S. Monday, reaching the Atlantic Coast states
    overnight. Accompanying this system, a cold front just west of the
    Appalachians at the start of the period is likewise expected to
    progress eastward with time, crossing the Appalachians during the
    day, and then the East Coast states before moving offshore
    overnight.

    Ahead of the advancing front, thunderstorms — likely accompanied by
    ongoing severe risk — are forecast to be crossing the central Gulf
    Coast region. Ahead of the ongoing convection, and the advancing
    front, moistening/destabilization is forecast to occur east of the
    mountains, with at least meager surface-based CAPE expected to
    evolve as far north as the southeastern New York vicinity. This
    will support development of thunderstorms near/ahead of the front as
    it advances eastward.

    Favorably strong flow aloft will spread across the region ahead of
    the upper system, supporting organized/severe storms. Northern
    portions of the risk area — where CAPE should remain modest — will
    likely experience locally damaging wind gusts as the primary severe
    risk. Farther south, greater instability will support stronger
    convection, including linear bands near the front with
    local/embedded rotation, as well as isolated supercells ahead of the
    boundary. As such, risk for damaging wind gusts will be accompanied
    by potential for hail, and tornadoes appear likely as well given
    ample low-level shear and a relatively moist boundary layer.

    Storms/severe risk should persist to the coast, eventually moving
    offshore overnight.

    ..Goss.. 03/30/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS02 PTSDY2 PRODUCT

    NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 2 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1730Z

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Some floodgates to close due to higher than usual tides

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Some floodgates to close due to higher than usual tides

    Tides will be higher than usual over the next few days, in particular the 2pm tide this afternoon (Sunday 30 March) and the 2am tide tomorrow (Monday 31 March).

    The north westerly wind during spring tides has caused a wind driven surge, so we are closing some of our floodgates.

    Some floodgates will remain open, but this doesn’t mean we have forgotten to close them.

    The forecast will be monitored very closely over the next few days and, if necessary, we will close further floodgates along our seafront.

    Our staff will be out monitoring these high tides and operating the sluice gates on the coastal brooks to stop the sea flooding inland.

    You can sign up to the Environment Agency’s flood warning service.

    The picture on this story is a library image.

    Published: 30 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese rescue team saves survivor in Myanmar

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A survivor was rescued Sunday in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, by China’s Yunnan Rescue Medical Team, following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck the country Friday.

    The elderly man had been trapped for nearly 40 hours under the rubble of Ottara Thiri Hospital. The Chinese team used life detection equipment to find him and rescued him early Sunday.

    The rescue team, which arrived in Nay Pyi Taw Sunday, immediately joined local Myanmar firefighters to search for survivors. Their collaboration is part of ongoing rescue operations after the earthquake.

    China’s Red Cross Society (RCSC) has also sent urgent humanitarian aid to Myanmar. The supplies, dispatched from Yunnan’s disaster relief center, include 300 tents, 2,000 blankets, 600 folding beds, and relief kits for 2,000 households.

    According to Myanmar’s State Administration Council, the earthquake has killed at least 1,644 people. Rescue teams are working to assist those affected by the disaster.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Mar 29, 2025 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    SPC AC 291942

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0242 PM CDT Sat Mar 29 2025

    Valid 292000Z – 301200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PORTIONS OF THE
    CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS INTO THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI
    VALLEY…

    …SUMMARY…
    Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of the
    central/southern Plains into the mid Mississippi Valley, mainly this
    evening through the overnight hours. This may include an organized
    thunderstorm cluster across parts of Oklahoma into southeastern
    Kansas and western Missouri capable of producing very large hail,
    damaging winds, and perhaps a couple of tornadoes.

    …20z Update…
    The Marginal Risk across portions of southeast Texas was to remove,
    as thunderstorm activity has moved eastward. A Marginal Risk was
    introduced across the Florida Keys. Otherwise, no changes were made
    to the Slight Risk areas across the southern/central Plains. See
    previous discussion for more information.

    …Central Plains into the Mid Mississippi Valley…
    As thunderstorm activity progresses eastward through time this
    evening, a corridor of greater damaging wind risk may develop. CAM
    solutions continue to indicate upscale growth across portions of
    northern Oklahoma into southern Kansas and western Missouri. Should
    this line be able to organize and establish a strong cold pool, the
    potential exists for a swath of damaging wind and perhaps some
    significant winds given the steep mid-level lapse. Limiting factors
    include the displacement of the stronger low-level jet winds to the
    south and lagging of stronger mid-level flow across the Red River
    into central Oklahoma. In addition, CAM guidance is split on a more
    organized bowing line or a somewhat broken line of mixed mode
    thunderstorms. Even so, a couple of gusts 70-80 mph could not be
    ruled out.

    …Florida Keys…
    Recent radar imagery has shown a couple of supercells with
    strengthening rotation moving northwestward near the lower Florida
    Keys. The environment in this region is characterized by rich
    moisture and storm relative helicity around 100-150 m2/s2. This will
    support a risk for a tornado with inclusion of a Marginal Risk with
    this update.

    ..Thornton/Smith.. 03/29/2025

    .PREV DISCUSSION… /ISSUED 1134 AM CDT Sat Mar 29 2025/

    …Central/Southern Plains into the Mid Mississippi Valley…
    Water-vapor imagery shows a lead disturbance moving northeastward
    across the central Great Plains towards the Upper Midwest, while an
    upstream disturbance moves from eastern AZ into the southern Great
    Plains tonight. The primary surface low over western KS this
    morning is forecast to develop east-northeastward towards southern
    IA/northern MO by tonight. An attendant cold front will sweep
    southward across parts of the central/southern Plains through the
    period, while a dryline mixes eastward over the southern High Plains
    this afternoon.

    Surface analysis shows lower 60s dewpoints streaming northward on
    southerly low-level flow this morning from north TX to the KS/OK
    border. A substantial cap will likely inhibit robust convective
    development until late this afternoon or early evening, with the
    cold front/dryline intersection over western OK a potential location
    for convective initiation by 23-03Z as large-scale ascent with the
    trailing shortwave trough overspreads the warm sector.

    Moderate to strong buoyancy will likely be present across
    western/northern OK and southern KS, with steep mid-level lapse
    rates atop upper 50s to mid 60s surface dewpoints. Forecast
    soundings favor supercell development with activity that develops
    south of the front across west-central OK. Large to very large hail
    (potentially up to 1.5-2.5 inches in diameter) may accompany these
    storms early in their convective life cycle. Despite increasing
    CINH during the evening, lower 60s dewpoints in place with 500-mb
    temperatures around -15 deg C may aid the development of a tornado
    risk from central into northeast OK as storms mature and eventually
    grow upscale. Severe gusts will probably become more prevalent with
    time as this cluster moves east-northeast into parts of northeast OK
    and eventually into MO later tonight, perhaps with the wind threat
    slowly diminishing late.

    Farther south, a conditional severe threat exists south of the Red
    River from north TX southwestward into parts of the Concho Valley.
    It appears the airmass will remain capped during the day in the
    vicinity of the dryline, with storm development likely delayed until
    late evening into the overnight per recent model guidance. Very
    steep 700-500 mb lapse rates, strong deep-layer shear magnitudes (50
    kt effective shear), and 2000-3000 J/kg MUCAPE will support a severe
    risk with any sustained storms. Models vary between very isolated
    coverage and scattered storm coverage, especially over parts of
    central into north TX. Given consistency in some model guidance
    (e.g., HRRR model run to run, GFS, ECMWF) showing some convective
    signal, have opted to increase hail probabilities to level-2 Slight
    Risk overnight. Large to very large hail is possible with the
    stronger storms (1 to 2.5 inches in diameter).

    …Louisiana/Mississippi…
    A remnant MCV will continue to move northeastward this afternoon
    across the lower MS Valley and Mid-South. Although deep-layer shear
    is expected to remain fairly weak, sufficient low-level shear should
    be present to support some updraft organization and transient
    rotation with the stronger storms. Cells moving
    northeastward and inland over the central Gulf Coast may pose a
    threat for a brief tornado, as well as a localized risk for damaging
    gusts.

    CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

    NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0100Z

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC MD 285

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Mesoscale Discussion 285

    Mesoscale Discussion 0285
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0635 PM CDT Sat Mar 29 2025

    Areas affected…Portions of north and central Texas

    Concerning…Severe potential…Watch possible

    Valid 292335Z – 300130Z

    Probability of Watch Issuance…60 percent

    SUMMARY…The severe risk will increase in coverage over the next
    few hours. Primary concerns are large hail and severe winds gusts.
    Trends are being monitored for a possible watch.

    DISCUSSION…Latest surface analysis shows a north/south-oriented
    dryline extending across portions of north and central Texas, where
    isolated thunderstorms are evolving. These initial
    high-based/isolated storms will be capable of producing large hail
    and locally severe gusts, given steep deep-layer lapse rates and
    around 40 kt of effective shear — characterized by a mostly
    straight hodograph. With time, deep-layer ascent accompanying the
    left exit region of an upper jet streak will overspread the dryline,
    favoring increasing thunderstorm development into this evening.
    Large hail will still be a concern, though a tendency for upscale
    growth into a cluster of storms will favor an increasing severe-wind
    risk as well. Trends are being monitored for a possible watch
    issuance.

    ..Weinman/Mosier.. 03/29/2025

    …Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product…

    ATTN…WFO…FWD…OUN…EWX…SJT…

    LAT…LON 31729924 32589870 33259853 33729824 33959782 33959734
    33819673 33499644 32889652 32109704 31039810 30719877
    30679931 31019983 31269976 31729924

    MOST PROBABLE PEAK TORNADO INTENSITY…UP TO 95 MPH
    MOST PROBABLE PEAK WIND GUST…55-70 MPH
    MOST PROBABLE PEAK HAIL SIZE…1.50-2.50 IN

    Top/All Mesoscale Discussions/Forecast Products/Home

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC MD 286

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Mesoscale Discussion 0286
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0640 PM CDT Sat Mar 29 2025

    Areas affected…Oklahoma…Southeast Kansas

    Concerning…Severe potential…Watch likely

    Valid 292340Z – 300215Z

    Probability of Watch Issuance…80 percent

    SUMMARY…A severe threat, with a potential for large hail, severe
    wind gusts, and tornadoes, is expected to develop across parts of
    Oklahoma and southeast Kansas over the next couple of hours. Weather
    watch issuance will likely be needed.

    DISCUSSION…The latest surface analysis shows a low in far
    southwestern Oklahoma, with a cold front located in western and
    northern Oklahoma. Ahead of the front, a moist airmass is present
    with surface dewpoints in the 50s and lower 60s F. Over the last
    hour, low-level convergence has markedly increased along the front.
    In addition, a shortwave is analyzed by the RAP over the southern
    High Plains. As this feature approaches early this evening,
    large-scale ascent will increase. This, along with the increasing
    low-level convergence, will provide support for thunderstorm
    development along the front from western Oklahoma into south-central
    and southeastern Kansas. Convective initiation is likely between 00Z
    and 01Z, with coverage gradually expanding across the moist airmass
    in central Oklahoma. Within this corridor, RAP forecast soundings
    early this evening have MLCAPE near 2500 J/kg, 0-6 km shear around
    40 knots, and 700-500 mb lapse rates near 8 C/km. This will be
    favorable for supercells with large hail. The more intense
    supercells could produce hailstones greater than 2 inches in
    diameter, with the hail threat maximized from western Oklahoma into
    north-central Oklahoma. Organized storms will also likely have a
    wind-damage threat. As the supercells move eastward into a
    developing low-level jet later this evening, a tornado threat will
    also be likely.

    ..Broyles/Mosier.. 03/29/2025

    …Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product…

    ATTN…WFO…SGF…EAX…TSA…TOP…ICT…OUN…

    LAT…LON 36649837 35529932 34889954 34439942 34189886 34139824
    34469758 35989669 36429620 37079548 37509489 37889456
    38379470 38689534 38069679 37379764 36649837

    MOST PROBABLE PEAK TORNADO INTENSITY…100-130 MPH
    MOST PROBABLE PEAK WIND GUST…65-80 MPH
    MOST PROBABLE PEAK HAIL SIZE…1.50-2.50 IN

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 67

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL7

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 67
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    715 PM CDT Sat Mar 29 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Central and North Texas

    * Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 715 PM
    until 200 AM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5
    inches in diameter possible
    Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

    SUMMARY…Thunderstorm coverage is expected to increase over the
    next few hours as a shortwave trough moves eastward into the region.
    Steep mid-level lapse rates will help support moderate to strong
    buoyancy in the presence of moderate deep-layer vertical shear.
    These environmental conditions could support severe thunderstorms
    capable of large to very large hail and strong wind gusts this
    evening.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 60
    statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles south of
    Brownwood TX to 55 miles north of Dallas TX. For a complete
    depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
    (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    2.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A
    few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    24030.

    …Mosier

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW7
    WW 67 SEVERE TSTM TX 300015Z – 300700Z
    AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    50S BWD/BROWNWOOD TX/ – 55N DAL/DALLAS TX/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM E/W /53ENE JCT – 37SSE ADM/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2.5 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.

    LAT…LON 31079996 33649789 33649581 31079794

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    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low ( 2 inches

    Mod (40%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    Mod (60%)

    For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai observes 2025 Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee field exercises

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    President Lai observes 2025 Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee field exercises
    At noon on March 27, President Lai Ching-te observed 2025 Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee field exercises incorporating expanded emergency medical facilities at the Yuping Post Office in Tainan. In remarks, President Lai thanked all the participants and everyone who helped with the preparations. He expressed hope that we can contribute to future exercises through building on collaboration between the central and local governments, participation by reliable civilian forces, cross-regional integration of resources, and self-initiative of communities and private-sector entities. The president said that to ensure Taiwan’s security, we hope to rely not just on the armed forces, but also on the forces of defense resilience throughout our society, and that in that way we can achieve peace through strength.
    After arriving at the venue, the president first listened to a report on “expanded emergency medical facilities.” He then observed the work done at various operational areas, including a medical command center, a district-level coordination center, a mobile police station, an emergency (including disease prevention) triage station, a moderate-to-severe trauma treatment area, a forward surgical operating area, and a disaster-related mental healthcare work area, for first-hand understanding of the field exercises. 
    A translation of the president’s remarks follows:
    I am very happy to be back in Tainan to take part in the first field exercises of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee. These exercises had scenarios but no scripts. This was also our first time conducting exercises that incorporated expanded emergency medical facilities. Over 1,500 people from the central and local governments as well as private-sector entities took part in the exercises. Just moments ago, I observed all the various activities taking place and saw the well-trained participants fully applying their expertise in a sudden emergency.
    The success of today’s exercises demonstrated the full commitment and professionalism of the participants, while also highlighting several important principles that can be promoted in the future. The first is coordination among authorities at the central and local levels. The Office of the President, the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, and the Tainan City Government team worked together closely, from planning and design to implementation of the exercises. The second is participation by reliable civilian forces, including the Tzu Chi Charity Foundation, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, the Mustard Seed Mission, and SHOWBA Store.
    The third is cross-regional integration of resources. The exercises in Tainan had participants from other counties and cities such as Chiayi and Kaohsiung. The fourth is where communities and private-sector entities take action on their own initiative. Examples include the involvement of the Huweiliao residents’ rescue team, Songan independent flood disaster prevention community, Xinan resilience community, Kainan Community, and Anping District. In the future, whether it is collaboration between the central and local governments, participation by reliable civilian forces, cross-regional integration of resources, or participation of communities and private-sector entities, all parties can act together in concert and conduct comprehensive exercises.
    I want to thank Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) for leading his team and for coming here yesterday to personally inspect the preparations, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Minister without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) for their support in directing the exercises, and Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) for leading his Tainan City Government team. Everyone gave it their all to make sure the event went smoothly.
    I also want to thank the civil society organizations and self-initiating community forces I mentioned earlier, as well as the Tainan City medical organizations that took part, including Chi Mei Medical Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan Medical Association, and other district hospitals and clinics. In addition, the participation of auxiliary police, auxiliary firefighters, auxiliary traffic police, and other community service workers was another wonderful aspect of today’s exercises.
    I established the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee at the Office of the President after taking office. Our committee conducted tabletop exercises last December. And today we have followed those exercises with these small-scale live exercises in Tainan. We are also preparing to conduct urban exercises this April, the objective being to build resilience in Taiwan’s society so it can properly respond when there are large numbers of injuries resulting from natural disasters or major accidents and be prepared in the event of geopolitical changes in the region. It is said that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” and “do not count on the enemy not showing up; count on being ready should it strike.” We have made preparations so that, should a contingency occur, we can reduce the number of injuries. To ensure Taiwan’s security we hope to rely not just on the armed forces, but also on the forces of defense resilience throughout our society. In that way we can achieve peace through strength.
    Also in attendance at the event were members of 13 foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan, including American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office Lutz Güllner, and Finland Trade Center Representative Lauri Matti Raunio.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LegCo Members meet with members of Shatin and Southern District Councils (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
     
         Legislative Council (LegCo) Members met with Shatin District Council (DC) and Southern DC members at the LegCo Complex today (March 28). They held in-depth discussions and exchanged views on issues related to community development and people’s concern.
     
         During the meeting with Shatin DC, LegCo Members discussed and exchanged views with DC members on various issues, including minimization of feral pigeon nuisance to Shatin residents, such as the environmental hygiene problems caused by pigeon droppings; revitalization works of Tai Wai Nullah, its flood discharge capacity, water quality, hygiene and greening; as well as enhancement and modification works of Shatin Park and surrounding facilities, for example studying the feasibility of providing pedal-driven boat facilities, so as to tie in with the concept of “tourism is everywhere” in Hong Kong.
     
         The meeting was convened by Ms Elizabeth Quat. A total of 23 Members attended the meeting including Mr Tommy Cheung, Dr Starry Lee, Mr Chan Hak-kan, Mr Steven Ho, Mr Martin Liao, Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Holden Chow, Ms Yung Hoi-yan, Mr Luk Chung-hung, Ms Doreen Kong Yuk-foon, Mr Stanley Li, Mr Dominic Lee, Mr Lee Chun-keung, Ms Lam So-wai, Ms Nixie Lam, Ms Chan Yuet-ming, Mr Chan Siu-hung, Ms Chan Hoi-yan, Mr Benson Luk, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, Ms Carmen Kan and Professor Chan Wing-kwong.
     
         During the meeting with Southern DC, LegCo Members discussed and exchanged views with DC members on various issues, including expediting the commencement of South Island Line (West) construction project; the progress of public housing developments in Pok Fu Lam South and the redevelopment of Wah Fu Estate, including the relevant timetables and rehousing arrangements for tenants; as well as the progress of various projects to improve the environment of the Southern District, the latest development of the Round-the-Island Trail, as well as the planning of the expansion of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter under the Invigorating Island South initiative.
     
         The meeting was convened by Mr Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung. A total of 20 Members attended the meeting including Dr Starry Lee, Mr Chan Kin-por, Mrs Regina Ip, Mr Kwok Wai-keung, Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Jimmy Ng, Mr Shiu Ka-fai, Dr Hoey Simon Lee, Mr Lee Chun-keung, Mr Lam Chun-sing, Ms Nixie Lam, Mr Yiu Pak-leung, Ms Chan Yuet-ming, Ms Judy Chan, Mr Chan Hok-fung, Mr Benson Luk Hon-man, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, Mr Kenneth Fok Kai-kong and Professor William Wong.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival to open in April  
    Opening Week Programmes
    ______________________
     
    Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991)
    ___________________________________
     
         Kicking off the festival is the opening programme “Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991)” to be staged on April 4 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Renowned musician Ng Cheuk-yin will reimagine beloved songs from classic comedy films with fresh arrangements, while pop singer Alfred Hui, the a cappella choral theatre company Yat Po Singers, and beatboxer Heartgrey (Eric So) will perform together with a live band. Following the performance, there will be a screening of “The Banquet” (1991) (4K digitally restored version), a comedy produced to raise disaster relief funds for flood relief, directed by Tsui Hark, Clifton Ko, Cheung Tung Joe and Alfred Cheung, featuring a cast of legendary stars. The opening programme, blending entertainment with cultural artistry, offers audiences a fresh and inspiring perspective on the vibrancy of Hong Kong’s pop culture.
     
    ImagineLand 2025
    _______________
     
         Another highlight of the PCF is an outdoor music carnival “ImagineLand 2025” to be held on April 5 and 6 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, the Central Lawn & Event Trellis of Salisbury Garden, the Avenue of Stars free of charge. Supported and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the two-day carnival features both daytime and evening programmes. “Go Beyond Concert”, “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” and “Funarts Corner” will be available during the day, whereas film programme “Movie Under the Stars” will be held at night. “Go Beyond Concert” will showcase three stages featuring over 35 musicians and artists from Hong Kong and eight countries and regions including Mainland China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. The event showcases boundless possibilities of music across the performances. Major line-ups of local artists include Ivana Wong, Joey Tang, Yatfung, Cloud, Ashley Lin, Pandora, Chu Wan-pin and more, performing mesmerising popular songs and original works.
     
         In addition to the music concert, “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” will display Hong Kong comics and animation from different eras to highlight the creativity of local artists. Visitors can learn about the history of Hong Kong’s comics and animation while taking photos with comic characters. In addition, “Funarts Corner” will offer workshops on art, music, and crafts for public participation. In the evenings, “Movie Under the Stars” will screen local comedies: “Table For Six” (2022) and “Forbidden City Cop” (1996) on April 5 and 6 respectively, allowing audiences to enjoy outdoor films while relaxing on the lawn.
     
         Other festival highlights include:
     
    Film Screening
    ____________
     
         Apart from “The Banquet” (1991), the Hong Kong Film Archive will hold a “Laughter Double Bill: Hong Kong Comedy Film Spectacular” film screening, showcasing eight pairs of thematically related classic films from the 1940s to the 2000s, including “Black Rose” (1965) (2K Digital Version) and “92 The Legendary la Rose Noire” (1992), “The Judge Goes to Pieces” (1948), and “Justice, My Foot!”(1992), showcasing the comedic sparks of master comedians from different eras while illustrating the evolution of Hong Kong comedy films.
     
    Exhibitions
    _________
     
         “Comic Fun for All: The Magic of Hong Kong Comedy Comics”, running from May this year to March 2026 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, will showcase exhibits related to Hong Kong comedy comics from different periods. The exhibition will also feature the creative concepts and artistic features behind them, showing the unique charm of Hong Kong comedy comics.
     
         Another exhibition, “Legends of HK Film Comedies, 1980s and 1990s”, to be held from May to October at the Hong Kong Film Archive, will feature a wide selection of highlights from different films, offering an amusing window into the past. In-depth analysis of the films by renowned actors and behind-the-scenes filmmakers will also be offered to reveal the essence of Hong Kong humour.
     
    Library Activities
    _____________
     
         To support the PCF’s theme of “More Than Joy”, the Hong Kong Public Libraries will organise a series of activities under the theme of “Happy Reading” from April to August. This will feature book displays with themes “Delightful Comics”, “Into the World of Movies” and “Music Delights: from Classical Music to Popular Songs”. It will also include subject talks on “Hong Kong Comics” and “Hong Kong Style Humor Films”, as well as workshops on “Digital Art – Creative Comic Drawing” and “National Games Comics Path”, all aimed at sharing fun and happiness through comics, music and films. The “Meet-the-Authors 2025” will focus on “Joyful Writing” to explore writing and positivity. In April, Dr Chan Kai-tai, a psychiatrist and lyricist, will speak on “When Words meet Music and Mind: Cantopop and Well-being” to explore how the lyrics of Cantopop promote our mental well-being.
     
    Performing Arts
    _____________
     
         The 2025 Fiesta of Music Office Bands, Choirs and Orchestras-Bands “The Animated Melodies – Our Nostalgic Memories” will be held at Yuen Long Theatre in April, showcasing all-time favourite theme songs from animations such as “Nintama Rantar??” and “The Lion King”, and a medley of works by Akira Toriyama to transport audiences back to nostalgic moments. Another two “Let’s Have Fun with Music” concerts by Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra in May will blend the best of classical and pop music. To heighten the excitement, original animations crafted by local talents will be woven into the concert, making it a truly engaging and enjoyable concert.  Meanwhile, “Vivek Mahbubani Stand-up Comedy – Funny made in Hong Kong” by Hong Kong born stand-up comedian Vivek Mahbubani will feature jokes about the funny things of Hong Kong’s golden standard of “fast, beautiful and awesome” in June. 

         In pop music, “Ko Shan Fest” will be staged at Ko Shan Theatre in June, featuring two concerts curated by renowned producer and music director Carl Wong. Wong will collaborate with bands with diverse backgrounds and styles to reintroduce audiences to the history and culture of Hong Kong band music. Another two “Music & Laughs” concerts will be held in July at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Curated by veteran producer Edward Chan in collaboration with pop music artists and the Symphonic Pops Orchestra and band, the performance invites the audience to explore together: What is comedy? Several popular artists will join this feast and details will be announced later.
     
         Alongside the above programmes, several industry partners will be offering a range of events as part of the festival, which are not to be missed. These include “My Stage@HKCC 2025/26 – Saturday Music Live” by Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups; “2025 Hong Kong Reading +” by the Hong Kong Publishing Federation; “JITN – SHAG” by the Jazz World (Hong Kong) Ltd & Count-in Music Ltd; “Cinema Day 2025” by Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd; “Cherish Tonight” concerts by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra; and the “4th HK Comics Support Programme” by the Hong Kong Comics & Animation Federation.
     
         Hong Kong’s pop culture has drawn inspiration particularly from humour, a constant trendsetter that has left a deep footprint on many aspects of the city’s rich and colourful pop cultural landscape. The PCF 2025, with more than 20 programmes, will not only delight audiences with exciting performances and works but will also offer an insight into the development paths of Hong Kong’s pop culture along the line of “happiness”. By participating in these activities, audiences will be able to discover their own happiness.
     
         For more details, please visit the website: www.pcf.gov.hkIssued at HKT 20:18

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Pop culture festival to open in April

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The opening programme of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2025, Silhouette Resonance x The Banquet (1991), will be held at the Cultural Centre Grand Theatre on April 4.

    Blending entertainment with cultural artistry, renowned musician Ng Cheuk-yin will reimagine beloved songs from classic comedy films with fresh arrangements, while pop singer Alfred Hui, the a cappella choral theatre company Yat Po Singers, and beatboxer Heartgrey Eric So will perform together with a live band.

    Following the performance, there will be a screening of The Banquet, a comedy produced to raise disaster relief funds for flood relief, directed by Tsui Hark, Clifton Ko, Cheung Tung Joe and Alfred Cheung. 

    Another highlight of the festival is an outdoor music carnival ImagineLand 2025 to be held on April 5 and 6 at the Cultural Centre Piazza, the Central Lawn & Event Trellis of Salisbury Garden, the Avenue of Stars with free admission.

    The two-day carnival features both daytime and evening programmes. “Go Beyond Concert”, “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” and “Funarts Corner” will be available during the day, whereas film programme “Movie Under the Stars” will be held at night. 

    The “Go Beyond Concert” will showcase three stages featuring over 35 musicians and artists from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Japan, Korea, the US, Australia, France, the UK and Ukraine.

    Major line-ups of local artists include Ivana Wong, Joey Tang, Yatfung, Cloud, Ashley Lin, Pandora, Chu Wan-pin and more, performing mesmerising popular songs and original works.

    “Comics Fun Experience Gallery” will display Hong Kong comics and animation from different eras to highlight the creativity of local artists.

    “Funarts Corner” will offer workshops on art, music and crafts for public participation.

    In the evenings, “Movie Under the Stars” will screen local comedies Table For Six and Forbidden City Cop on April 5 and 6 respectively, allowing audiences to enjoy outdoor films while relaxing on the lawn.

    The Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival is being held for the third year with “More Than Joy” as its theme and over 20 programmes will offer audiences an insight into the development paths of Hong Kong’s pop culture along the line of “happiness”. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Six Day International Workshop on Land Governance Concludes in Gurugram, Haryana

    Source: Government of India

    Six Day International Workshop on Land Governance Concludes in Gurugram, Haryana

    “India Aims to Ensure Global Access to Land Governance Technologies; SVAMITVA Can Aid Global Policymaking “: Shri Vivek Bharadwaj

    Posted On: 29 MAR 2025 7:28PM by PIB Delhi

    The six-day International Workshop on Land Governance, organized by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, concluded today at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) in Gurugram. The workshop saw enthusiastic participation of senior officials from 22 countries across Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia. During the workshop, participants engaged in detailed discussions and hands-on sessions focused on land governance, with delegates suggesting similar workshops in their own nations under the aegis of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. This International Workshop explored innovative solutions for modernizing land administration and served as a global platform for knowledge exchange, with India showcasing its technological advancements in drone-based land surveys, digital property records, and transparent governance mechanisms under the SVAMITVA Scheme.

    Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, delivered the concluding remarks today at HIPA, emphasizing upon India’s commitment to international cooperation and knowledge-sharing in land administration. He highlighted how best practices in land governance, such as the SVAMITVA Scheme, could aid in better policymaking across the globe. He further reaffirmed India’s belief in South-South cooperation and expressed the nation’s readiness to share its technological advancements for the benefit of partner nations.  Taking feedback and suggestions from participating countries, Shri Bharadwaj stated that the goal of the workshop was to foster global cooperation and facilitate cross-learning while showcasing the transformative impact of the SVAMITVA Scheme. He said that India aims to ensure that the benefits of technological advancements in land governance reach the widest possible global community. Shri Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, MoPR, and Shri Ramesh Chander Bidhan, Director General, HIPA, were also present at the valedictory session.

     

    Six Day International Workshop on Land Governance: An Overview

    The International Workshop on Land Governance focused on modernizing land governance systems, highlighting the critical role of technology in improving property rights and reducing land disputes. Experts shared insights into land laws, administrative frameworks, and best practices, with particular emphasis on India’s pioneering efforts, such as the use of drone-based surveys for mapping rural land parcels. A significant highlight was the on-ground demonstration of drone survey technology in Alipur Gram Panchayat, Sohna Block, Gurugram District, allowing international delegates to witness the precision and community-centric methodology of India’s land surveying approach [Under the SVAMITVA Scheme, recognized as a global model for efficient land administration, till date 2.43 crore Property Cards have been issued and drone surveys completed in 3.2 lakh villages across 67,000 square kilometers, representing an estimated asset base of $1162 billion (as per January 2025 dollar rate), demonstrating the scheme’s scalability and impact].

    The workshop also explored technology-driven land administration, including the deployment of Continuous Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Network and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for updating land records. These advancements promise real-time monitoring of land data, offering significant potential for developing countries. Participants shared experiences on geospatial mapping and property rights frameworks, expressing interest in adopting India’s models to enhance their own land governance systems. Hands-on training, including live drone surveys and demonstrations of GIS applications and the SVAMITVA platform, provided practical exposure to the digital land administration process. The workshop concluded with discussions on the future of international cooperation in land governance, emphasizing India’s leadership in digital land administration and its commitment to assisting other nations through policy collaboration, technology transfer, and capacity building. In addition, the foreign delegates also got an opportunity to explore India’s rich cultural heritage during a visit to Taj Mahal in Agra and several institutional landmarks in New Delhi, including the Survey of India Lab, Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya and India Gate.

    About SVAMITVA Scheme: The SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme, launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, provides ‘Record of Rights’ to rural property owners by issuing Property Cards, which clarify land ownership and reduce property disputes. The scheme has already surveyed 3.2 lakh villages across 31 States and Union Territories, resulting in 2.43 crore Property Cards issued across 1.61 lakh villages. With the support of 567 Continuous Operating Reference Stations (CORS) and high-resolution GIS mapping, it ensures precise land demarcation with accuracy up to 5 cm. The generation of high-resolution 1:500 scale maps has further enhanced the effectiveness of land surveys and property demarcation.

     SVAMITVA is playing a significant role in unlocking rural economic potential by validating property ownership, enabling landowners to access bank loans and integrate into the formal financial system also benefitting gram panchayats from increased property tax revenue for local infrastructure development. The scheme strengthens Panchayati Raj Institutions by supporting improved Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) and facilitating land ownership verification through DigiLocker integration. SVAMITVA also stimulates India’s drone technology ecosystem, creating employment opportunities in related sectors. Additionally, it supports flood risk assessment, infrastructure and emergency planning, and solar potential evaluation for rural households. On the international front, SVAMITVA sets a benchmark in land governance, offering a scalable model for other countries facing similar challenges.

    ****

    Aditi Agrawal

    (Release ID: 2116641) Visitor Counter : 318

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India’s Commitment to Women’s Safety

    Source: Government of India

    India’s Commitment to Women’s Safety

    Initiatives leading towards a big change

    Posted On: 29 MAR 2025 2:11PM by PIB Delhi

    Summary:

    • India has implemented legal reforms, taken financial initiatives (Nirbhaya Fund), and launched Women helpline (181) to enhance women’s security.
    • Multipronged approach to promote women’s rights, legal actions against sexual offenses, domestic violence, dowry, child marriage, workplace harassment, and human trafficking to ensure safety and security of women.
    • One Stop Centres (OSCs), Women Helpline 181, Emergency Response Support System (112), SHe-Box, and Women Help Desks provide legal, medical, and psychological assistance to women.
    • Domestic violence and Gender Based Violence impact mental health; Project Stree Manoraksha by NIMHANS provides trauma-informed care at OSCs.

    Introduction

    Women are making a place for themselves in the world. Now, they are not confined to the four walls of a home but are at the forefront of every sector of society, proving their strength, talent, and leadership in fields ranging from business and politics to science and sports. However, true empowerment can only be achieved when women feel safe and secure in every aspect of life. The Government of India has taken remarkable strides to ensure the safety and security of women across the nation. Through legislative reforms, dedicated helplines, and financial support, a multi-faceted approach is being implemented to create a safer environment for women.

    Nirbhaya Fund

    Ministry of Women and Child Development is actively working towards safety and security of women at every place. Looking at the rising cases of crimes against women in past, the Ministry has established a special fund known as Nirbhaya Fund for financing safety projects across country.

    Under the fund, a total amount of Rs 7712.85 crore has been allocated up to the financial year 2024-25, with Rs 5846.08 crore utilised which is nearly 76% of the total allocation. This fund supports various projects and schemes such as One Stop Centres (OSCs), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), Women Helpline (WHL-181), Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), Women Help Desks (WHDs), Cyber Forensic cum Training Labs, Safe City Projects, Rail and Road Transport Safety Initiatives, and the Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) to enhance women’s safety and security.

    Government Initiatives for Women Safety

    One Stop Centres (OSCs): Established under the Nirbhaya Fund, OSCs provide integrated support to women affected by violence. These centres offer medical assistance, legal aid, psychological counselling, and temporary shelter, all under one roof, facilitating a coordinated response to various forms of violence against women. According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development statistics, there are currently 812 operational OSCs across the country.  and they have assisted over 10.80 lakh women since inception (01.04.2015) till 31st January 2025.

    24×7 Women Helpline (181): Women Helpline 181 provides 24/7 emergency and support services for women facing violence in both public and private spaces. Launched on December 3, 2018, under the Universalization of Women Helpline Scheme, it offers referrals to police, hospitals, legal aid, and One Stop Centres (OSC) while also informing women about government schemes. Funded under the Nirbhaya Fund, it ensures continuous support until a survivor’s issue is resolved. Sakhi Dashboard updates and regular feedback collection help track cases effectively.

    Emergency Response Support System (ERSS – 112): The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) is an integrated emergency service launched by the Government of India with a single emergency number – 112 to handle all types of emergencies. Citizens can seek help through calls, SMS, email, SOS signals, or the ERSS web portal. The ‘112 India’ mobile app enables users to send alert messages with location data and make emergency calls for quick assistance. Each State/UT capital has a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to coordinate rescue efforts with police, fire, and health services. ERSS also provides real-time tracking of emergency vehicles to ensure timely support. This system unifies all existing emergency numbers, including 100 (Police), 101 (Fire), 108 (Ambulance), and 181 (Women & Child Care), under 112 for seamless response.

    SHe-Box Portal: Launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Sexual Harassment Electronic Box (SHe-Box) is an initiative by the Government of India to provide a single-window platform for women to register workplace sexual harassment complaints. It is accessible to all women, regardless of their work sector (organized/unorganized, public/private).

    Once a complaint is filed on, SHe-Box, it is automatically forwarded to the appropriate authority for necessary action. This platform ensures swift redressal and accountability for workplace harassment cases.

    Women Help Desks (WHDs) in Police Stations: Supported by the Nirbhaya Fund, WHDs are established in police stations to make law enforcement more accessible and responsive to women’s issues. To ensure that the Police Stations are more women friendly and approachable, as they would be the first and single point of contact for any woman walking into a police station, 14,658 Women Help Desks (WHDs) have been set up, of which 13,743 are headed by women police officers.

    Psychosocial Support & Awareness

    Violence, especially Domestic Violence (DV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), can lead to depression, anxiety, PTSD, panic disorders, and suicide risk. In India, women can seek help through government initiatives for physical and sexual violence but mental and psychological help is equally important. There is a need for these services to be sensitive to the psychological needs of women facing violence and to be able to provide culturally informed and effective interventions that are context-specific.

    Project Stree Manoraksha, launched by NIMHANS and supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, aims to strengthen trauma-informed mental health care in One Stop Centres (OSCs). It focuses on training counsellors and staff, including caseworkers, administrators, paralegal and paramedical staff, and security personnel. This initiative ensures that women facing gender-based violence receive empathetic, evidence-based mental health care and counselling when they seek help at OSCs.

    Legal Provisions to Safeguard Women Security

    To address crimes against women, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) regularly compiles data, enabling a data-driven focused approach to tackling safety concerns. Additionally, the government has implemented a number of crucial laws to safeguard women’s physical and mental security.

    These laws include:

    Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023: It introduced stringent penalties for sexual offenses, including the death penalty for the rape of girls below 18 years of age. It also increased minimum sentences for rape and expanded the definition of sexual offenses to ensure more comprehensive protection for women and children. Since October 2019, the Central Government has been running a centrally sponsored scheme to set up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including exclusive POCSO Courts. These courts aim to quickly handle pending cases related to rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

    Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005: In India, domestic violence is governed by the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005. Section 3 defines it as any act that harms a woman’s physical or mental health or endangers her safety, including harassment for unlawful demands. The Act applies to women in shared households related by blood, marriage, adoption, or marriage-like relationships.

    The NFHS-5 (2019-2021) report shows spousal violence among married women (18-49 years) declined from 31.2% (2015-16) to 29.3%.

     

    Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: Dowry refers to any valuable items, such as cash, property, or jewellery, given by the bride’s or groom’s family as a condition of marriage. It is illegal under the Dowry Prohibition Act, which penalizes giving, taking, or demanding dowry. Harassment related to dowry is also punishable under laws like the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. If a woman dies under unnatural circumstances within seven years of marriage due to dowry harassment, it is considered dowry death, with severe legal consequences. Authorities such as Dowry Prohibition Officers, police, and NGOs handle complaints, and awareness programs aim to discourage dowry practices.

    Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956: This Act focuses on preventing human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of individuals for commercial purposes. It provides for the rescue and rehabilitation of victims and prescribes penalties for those involved in trafficking offenses, aiming to combat organized exploitation.

    Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA) was enacted to prevent child marriages and punish those involved. Section 16 empowers State Governments to appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) to enforce the Act. CMPOs work to prevent child marriages, collect evidence for prosecution, counsel communities, raise awareness, and sensitize the public on its harmful effects. These officers’ function under State Governments and UT Administrations, which are responsible for implementing the Act.

    Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013: The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 applies to all women, regardless of age, job type, or work sector. It mandates employers to create an Internal Committee (IC) in workplaces with over 10 employees, while the Appropriate Government sets up Local Committees (LCs) for smaller organizations or cases against employers. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) oversees implementation and awareness. To centralize complaint data, MWCD launched SHe-Box, a portal for reporting and tracking cases. The portal went live on October 19, 2024, receiving 9 complaints so far. Inquiries under the Act must be completed within 90 days.

    Conclusion

    The Government of India has taken significant steps to enhance women’s safety and security through legal measures, financial allocations, and support services. While these efforts provide physical and legal protection, a greater focus on psychological well-being is necessary. Initiatives like Project Stree Manoraksha aim to fill this gap by offering trauma-informed mental health care. A multi-pronged approach integrating law enforcement, helplines, rehabilitation, and mental health support is crucial for creating a safer and more empowering environment for women.

    References:

    Click here to download PDF

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Grading of beach water quality released

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (March 28) released the latest grading of water quality for 10 gazetted beaches that are open for swimming.
     
         Ten beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1).
     
    Grade 1 beaches are:

    Big Wave Bay Beach Lido Beach
    Casam Beach Repulse Bay Beach
    Clear Water Bay Second Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
    Deep Water Bay Beach Silverstrand Beach
    Golden Beach Stanley Main Beach

     
         Compared with the grading released last week, Silverstrand Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1.
     
         Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
     
         While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, an EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.
     
         A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the EPD’s dedicated webpage on the beach water quality forecast (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Small towns, big spirit at CFA Torchlight Procession

    Source:

    Mooroopna’s main street lit up on Saturday night as more than 40 CFA brigades from across Victoria, and two from Western Australia, took part in the annual CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships Torchlight Procession.

    The tradition, which dates back to 1873, saw hundreds of CFA members march through the town after sunset, led by CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and VFBV State President Samantha Collins, behind a fleet of vintage and modern CFA appliances. 

    Jason said the procession remains one of CFA’s proudest traditions. 

    “The energy from both our members and the local community always makes for a truly special night,” he said. 

    “It’s a standout CFA tradition that showcases our pride, discipline, and unity as firefighters, and it was great to see that spirit shine through after a big day of competition.  

    “I want to thank the Mooroopna community for turning out in numbers and adding to the atmosphere.” 

    Judges scored brigades on their appearance and parade performance, and it was the team from the Knox Group of Brigades who took out first place this year. 

    While some brigades were chasing silverware, for 4th Lieutenant of the Gapsted Fire Brigade and Junior Leader Craig Hodgetts, it was more about being part of the tradition. 

    With a population of just 173, Gapsted, in the state’s northeast, is one of the smallest communities represented at the State Championships. 

    The team made its long-awaited comeback to the competition in 2019 after more than three decades away and has returned each year since with growing momentum. 

    “Between 1985 and 2019, Gapsted had no representation at the State Championships,” Craig said.  

    “We’re a very small brigade, so I started a junior team to try and build up our senior numbers.” 

    “It’s not about winning. I tell the kids, ‘I don’t care if you come last, just enjoy it. If you make mistakes, laugh about it and move on.’” 

    Craig first competed in the State Championships in 1982. More than 40 years later, he’s focused on inspiring the next generation to carry the tradition forward. 

    “Back in the 80s, every brigade in our area had a team. Now we’ve only got four. It’d be great to see more come back,” he said.  

    “This year, one of my former junior teams made their debut in the seniors, which was the goal all along.” 

    “It was an incredibly proud moment to watch them march under the Gapsted banner.” 

    “Even better was watching them win our town’s first ever senior event, the Dry Hydrant, in the district 22 championships on Sunday the 23rd.“ 

    “We’ll certainly be part of the procession and championships again next year.” 

    Following a successful first year using LED torchlights in 2024, the new LEDs were used again this year. 

    The CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships will take place in Stawell in 2026. 

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Looking beyond GDP to reach the Sustainable Development Goals

    Source: United Nations 2

    Economic Development

    Countries should consider looking beyond Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, as the key measure of economic growth to achieve the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN policymakers have suggested.   

    The initiative is in line with UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s longstanding assertion that “moving beyond GDP is fundamental to building an economic system that gives value to what counts – human well-being – now and in the future, and for everyone”.

    While GDP has become the gold standard by which economic development is judged, it was never intended to encompass the overall wellbeing and progress of any single nation.  

    Neither does it capture the value of human, social or nature capital, explained Özge Aydogan, Director of UN Geneva’s Beyond Lab, which takes a lead thinking about social innovation and sustainability. 

    UN Geneva/Emma Schneider

    Özge Aydogan, Director of UN Geneva’s Beyond Lab.

    “That’s something that GDP measures very poorly – or not at all, in fact,” Ms. Aydogan said, “so, the whole movement around ‘Beyond GDP’ is to look into ways of moving from an extractive economy – which we are on right now – into an economy where capital…is not only created for economic purposes that only benefit a few, but actually for people and planet.” 

    In a bid to integrate untapped human capital, natural resources and wellbeing into how a country’s wealth might be calculated in future, the Beyond Lab has been brainstorming with government officials, researchers and thought leaders in sustainability.

    Regenerative economies 

    But what policymakers still haven’t worked out is what a post-GDP economy would look like – neither have they agreed on the best path to get there. 

    For Ms. Aydogan, an ideal scenario for 2050 would be a regenerative economy – one that isn’t only extracting resources to derive revenue, but rather, creating wealth through untapped virtual assets.

    In practical terms, countries would factor in other wealth-creating assets, such as a country’s natural resources. 

    “You replenish nature, for instance,” she explained, adding that more holistic metrics would not necessarily replace GDP. “What we’re really actually looking into is to complement GDP.”

    © UNICEF/Karin Schermbrucker

    An mother and her baby are among those benefiting from services offered at a UNICEF-supported health centre in Malawi.

    Measuring happiness

    Alternative economic metrics have been around for some time. In 1972, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of the small, landlocked Asian state of Bhutan coined the Gross National Happiness index.  

    It captures four areas: sustainable development, conservation of the environment, preservation and promotion of culture – and good governance.

    Likewise, the Human Development Index is often cited as another alternative to evaluate the overall development and well-being of a nation, taking into account life expectancy, standards of living, and education. 

    An increasing amount of research reveals that the GDP model is insufficient, says Nathalie Bernasconi of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) – and change-makers must find ways to translate the scientific evidence into national policies. 

    They should also create incentives for governments to move away from an outdated, GDP-heavy paradigm that was created in the 1930s, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, by the economist Simon Kuznets to measure economic output and help policymakers respond to the crisis.

    “GDP alone cannot guide us towards this future,” said Ms. Bernasconi, who is Vice-President of Global Strategies and Managing Director for Europe at IISD.

    Not sustainable

    GDP is not necessarily a reliable indicator of sustainability and can even increase after costly accidents such as oil spills, owing to intensive clean-up operations, as was the case with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in 2010.

    Another environmental disaster in Alaska in 1989 – the Exxon Valdez spill – temporarily  boosted GDP in the United States, thanks to job creation and a rise in demand for services.

    But while the tragedy initially inflated GDP, it also caused pervasive harm to the ecosystem and local communities – long-term losses not captured by the indicator.

    “Why do we value dead things? Why value a dead tree, rather than the living tree providing oxygen?” said Bingying Lou of the Beyond Lab, citing an indigenous environmental activist.

    © WHO/Anna Kari

    The SDGs focus on eliminating poverty and providing people with opportunities to prosper.

    Multilateralism can fix debt crisis

    Among those supporting calls to think creatively about reforming GDP and to “recommit to multilateralism” to find solutions for heavily indebted countries held back by classic financial models created after the Second World War, is Ambassador Matthew Wilson of the Permanent Mission of Barbados to the UN in Geneva.

    “Recent months have shown that when you think you’re beyond – something, or someone, pulls you right back in,” he said.

    Mr. Wilson added that while multilateralism has not worked perfectly, the world would be in a worse position without it.  

    We need to be forward-thinking but also active in solving issues like debt and development assistance, the ambassador stressed.

    ‘Status quo not viable anymore’

    Whether politicians will venture away from campaigns focused on how much they have grown GDP and adopt other measurements, remains to be seen, said Ms. Aydogan.

    “We have been taught a certain way to look at the economy,” she said. “But at the same time, the fact that we’re hitting all these planetary boundaries…shows us that the status quo is just simply not viable anymore.”

    To take the discussion one step further, policymakers will convene at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain from June 30 to July 3, 2025, and at the World Social Summit in Doha, Qatar in November 2025.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Join Shaheen in Push to Overturn Citizens United Ruling

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    March 28, 2025

    Legislation would rid American elections of dark money & excessive corporate campaign spending

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and 37 Democratic and Independent Senators to reintroduce a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision, which removed campaign finance restrictions and opened the door for foreign and domestic entities to spend unlimited money to influence elections. The Democracy for All Amendment would also overturn other far-reaching decisions around campaign finance that wrongfully equated money with free speech and unfairly determined that big, wealthy corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people. 

    “It is past time that we get the corrosive influence of big money out of our politics to stop billionaires and massive corporations from boxing out the voices of middle-class families,” said Duckworth. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in supporting legislation that would overturn the disastrous Citizens United ruling and restore power to the people.”

    “The Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates for dark money to directly impact our political system for the benefit of corporations and special interests,” said Durbin. “But our government was intended to be a democracy of the people, by the people, for the people. We must mend the broken campaign finance system that elevates the voices of a few wealthy donors over millions of Americans. It’s time we enshrined the Democracy for All Amendment in our Constitution.”

    The Democracy for All Amendment would empower Congress and states to set reasonable campaign finance rules and limit corporate spending. The amendment would enshrine in the Constitution the right of the American people to regulate the raising and spending of funds in public elections and curb the concentration of political influence held by the wealthiest Americans.     

    Along with Duckworth, Durbin and Shaheen, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are also cosponsors of the Democracy for All Amendment. 

    Both Durbin and Duckworth were strong supporters of the For the People Act—a sweeping package of comprehensive reforms that would end special interest corruption of our politics and make government work for the people. The landmark legislation passed the House of Representatives in 2021 when it was under a Democratic majority, but failed to receive the 60 votes necessary in the Senate in June 2021 due to Republican opposition.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Myanmar quake: More than 1,600 reported killed, as UN aid operation supports rescue efforts

    Source: United Nations 2-b

    Humanitarian Aid

    Latest news reports indicate that over 1,600 have been killed in Myanmar with thousands injured following two powerful earthquakes on Friday which have left hundreds trapped under rubble.

    The earthquakes of 7.7 and 6.4 magnitude struck Myanmar in central Myanmar northwest of Sagaing. The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported on Saturday that hospitals in the area are overwhelmed with extensive damage to health infrastructure.

    The areas affected are Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Naypyitaw, Northeastern Shan and Sagaing.

    Internet communications are down in the main city of Mandalay, with land and air routes heavily disrupted.

    Health partners are preparing to deploy mobile surgical and medical teams, as well as field hospitals to the affected areas, to deliver life and limb-saving medical interventions to earthquake victims.

    News reports indicate that hundreds of people are trapped under rubble in multiple collapsed buildings, including at least 50 construction workers in the Thai capital Bangkok who are so far unaccounted for.

    More than 90 people are reportedly trapped in the rubble of one apartment block in Mandalay.

    Myanmar has been mired in a brutal civil war since a severe military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators by military authorities, who overthrew the government in a military coup in February 2021.

    The military has called on the international community to provide emergency assistance amid the widespread destruction and loss of life. Meanwhile, opposition forces are reporting that some airstrikes have continued following the quake, including one in the Sagaing region.

    UN aid response ramps up

    The World Health Organization (WHO is looking to move Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) into Myanmar amid reports of insufficient medical supplies, including trauma kits to treat injured people, blood bags for transfusion, anaesthetics, assisted devices, other essential medicines, and tents for health workers.

    Marcoluigui Corsi, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar, issued a statement on Saturday expressing his unwavering solidarity with the Burmese people “during this tragic time.”

    “The UN and its partners are urgently mobilizing to support emergency response efforts and stand ready to assist all affected communities wherever they are,” he said.

    Myanmar had already been “reeling from an alarming humanitarian crisis, largely driven by persistent conflict and recurrent disasters. At this critical time, the people of Myanmar urgently need the steadfast support of the international community,” he added.

    Pre-positioned aid

    In an interview with UN News from Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, Mr. Corsi said that around 20 million people have been impacted by the quake.

    He stressed that the UN and partner agencies have a “significant presence” in the disaster-affected areas around Mandalay and the capital Naypyidaw, and crucially, the immediate aid effort can draw stockpiles already in place.

    “I would say that although the logistical challenges for the first few days continue, at least we will be able to deliver and assist.”

    The country is grappling with multiple crises, he stressed, with 19.9 million people in need of assistance even before the earthquake. Only five per cent of the 2025 humanitarian response plan has been funded.

    He reminded that the Burmese had endured major flooding around seven months ago, and a devastating cyclone in 2023, so “we see that the resilience of the people and the resilience of the communities, continue to be eroded.”

    He said that “at this critical time you know the people of Myanmar needs the support of the entire international community – now more than ever.”

    Children face ‘even greater hardship’

    Trevor Clark, the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF’s regional chief of emergency operations, warned that the devastating quake “has left children facing even greater hardship in an already dire crisis.

    “Homes and critical infrastructure are damaged, and urgent aid is needed. UNICEF is delivering lifesaving supplies but requires immediate support to scale up its response.

    He said UNICEF was sending lifesaving supplies including tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, recreational kits and health supplies: “We are ready to bring in even more, but we need the support of our partners.”

    Some $5 million has already been released by the head of OCHA from the Central Emergency Relief Fund and on Saturday UN procurement agency, UNOPS, announced that thanks to donors it was releasing $10 million to aid partners in the emergency response.

    More to come on this developing story…

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Signal-gate: a national security blunder ‘almost without parallel’

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    Depending on what you think of Donald Trump, his administration could fit either of the following two descriptions. Chaotic, vindictive and accident-prone, marked by mendacity, driven by impulse and bent on securing the will of the leader, rather than – as in the US constitution – the will of the people. Or it could be a government masterminded by a man playing 4D chess while all around him are playing chequers. A president whose deal-making skills and focus on outcomes ensure the security and prosperity of America and its allies.

    If you base your assessment on the people Trump has chosen as his key national security advisers then, after the recent Signal chat group intelligence debacle, you’d almost certainly opt for chaotic and accident-prone, at the very least.

    Looking around the Signal chatroom, who do we have? National security advisor Mike Waltz, Vice-President J.D. Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA director John Ratcliffe and a supporting cast of other senior Trump staffers. And, unwittingly, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.

    Heads must roll, say Trump’s critics. But who from this hydra-headed beast should take the fall? Should it be Waltz, who invited Goldberg to the chat group? Or Hegseth, who posted operational details of a US attack, including the when, where and how, hours before it was due to take place? Should it be Vance, whose swipe at America’s freeloading European allies has caused considerable angst across the Atlantic?

    Or perhaps one or another of Gabbard and Ratcliffe, who sat in front of the Senate select committee on intelligence on Tuesday and maintained that no classified material or “war plans” had been revealed to the group – sworn evidence now revealed to be unreliable at best?

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    At present it seems as if none of them are going to pay for their dangerous incompetence. Instead their ire is turned on Goldberg, who has variously been called a “sleazebag” by Trump himself, “loser” and the “bottom scum of journalists” by Waltz and a “deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again” by Hegseth.

    Robert Dover of the University of Hull, whose research centres on intelligence and national security, believes this is a “national security blunder almost without parallel”. He points to the hypocrisy of people like Hegseth who savaged Hillary Clinton for using a private email server to conduct official business when she was secretary of state under Barack Obama.

    Dover also notes the damage the episode will have done to America’s already shaky relations with its allies in Europe. Being disparaged by the vice-president as freeloaders and dismissed by the defense secretary as “pathetic”, he believes, will be “difficult to unsee”.



    Read more:
    Signal chat group affair: unprecedented security breach will seriously damage US international relations

    But credit where it’s due, it appears that US diplomacy may at least be bearing some – limited – fruit. At least, that is, if the two partial ceasefires recently negotiated between Russia and Ukraine actually materialise. That’s a fairly big if, of course. Despite a pledge by both sides that they could support a deal to avoid targeting each other’s energy infrastructure, there’s no sign yet of a cessation of attacks.

    And there has been a degree of scepticism over the recently announced plan for a maritime ceasefire to allow the free passage of shipping on the Black Sea. Critics say this favours Russia far more than Ukraine. Over the course of the war, Ukraine has successfully driven Russia’s Black Sea fleet away from its base in Crimea, giving it the upper hand in the maritime war. But maritime strategy expert, Basil Germond, says the situation is more nuanced, and the deal represents considerable upside for Ukraine as well.



    Read more:
    Russia has most to gain from Black Sea ceasefire – but it’s marginal, and Ukraine benefits too

    Setting aside America’s eventful recent forays into foreign relations, there’s a major domestic fix brewing which many US legal scholars believe could plunge the country into a constitutional crisis.

    Anne Richardson Oakes, an expert in US constitutional law at Birmingham City University, anticipates a potential clash between between the executive and the judiciary which could threaten the separation of powers that lies at the heart of American democracy.

    Oakes observes there are more than 130 legal challenges to Trump administration policies presently before the courts, some of which will end up in front of America’s highest legal authority, the Supreme Court, which is tasked with assessing the constitutionality of those policies. She warns that we’ve already seen evidence that Trump and his senior officials resent what they consider to be interference from the judiciary into the legitimate executive power of the elected president.

    Will there be a stand-off where the Trump administration simply ignores the Supreme Court’s ruling? It’s happened before, says Oakes. In the mid-20th century, in Little Rock, Arkansas, when the governor used the state’s national guard to prevent the court-ordered desegregation of public schools. On that occasion the then president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, sent in federal troops to enforce the court’s ruling and a constitutional crisis was averted.



    Read more:
    US stands on the brink of a constitutional crisis as Donald Trump takes on America’s legal system

    But what if it’s the serving president who chooses to ignore a Supreme Court ruling? This was the case in the 1830s when greedy cotton farmers in Georgia were bent on forcing the Native American peoples off their lands. The Cherokee actually took the state of Georgia to the Supreme Court, which ruled that as a “dependent nation” within the United States they were entitled to the protection of the federal government and that the state of Georgia had no right to order their removal.

    As historian Sean Lang of Anglia Ruskin University recounts, Georgia ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling and sent in troops to expel the Cherokee who were then forced to move to new lands in a journey known as the “Train of Tears”. Lang writes that then US president, Andrew Jackson, a populist advocate of states’ rights and former “Indian fighter”, ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling, “sneering that [Chief Justice John] Marshall had no means of enforcing it”.

    Lang concludes: “It’s a history lesson Greenlanders, Mexicans and Canadians – and indeed many Americans who may fall foul of this administration and seek recourse to the law – would do well to study.”



    Read more:
    Trump’s America is facing an Andrew Jackson moment – and it’s bad news for the constitution

    Trump’s chilling effect

    The Trump administration’s antipathy towards judges who have opposed its policies have extended towards those law firms who have in some way crossed the US president. But the legal system is not the only sector to feel the chilling effect of Trump’s displeasure, writes Dafydd Townley.

    The world of higher education in the US is also apprehensive after the administration went after Columbia University, home to some of the most outspoken protest over US policies towards Israel and Gaza. Columbia has recently had to agree to allow the administration to “review” some of its academic programmes, starting with its Middle Eastern studies, after the administration threatened to cancel US$400 million (£310 million) of government contracts with the university.

    The news media is also under heavy pressure. The administration has taken control of the White House press pool from the non-partisan White House Correspondents’ Association and has blackballed Associated Press for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. We’ve also seen Trump himself bring lawsuits against media organisations he judges to have crossed him. And now the president has called for the defunding of America’s two biggest public broadcasters, NPR and PBL, for what he perceives as their liberal bias.

    Townley, an expert in US politics at the University of Portsmouth is concerned that this all adds up to a deliberate attempt to cripple institutions which underwrite American democracy.



    Read more:
    Donald Trump’s ‘chilling effect’ on free speech and dissent is threatening US democracy

    Popularity falls as prices rise

    Trump’s leadership continues to be very polarising, writes Paul Whiteley, a political scientist and polling specialist at the University of Essex, who has spent years studying political trends in the US. Looking at the most recent numbers, Whiteley finds that while Trump’s approval ratings are fairly steady at 48% approval and 49% disapproval, when you dig down you find that only 6% of registered Democrats approve of his performance, while 93% disapprove. For registered Republicans it’s almost exactly the opposite.

    Whiteley takes his analysis further, looking at measures such as consumer sentiment, which has fallen sharply since January, with talk of tariffs and the return of inflation affecting people’s confidence in the economy. He points out there tends to be a fairly strong historical correlation between confidence in the economy and popular approval of a president’s performance.



    Read more:
    Three graphs that show what’s happening with Donald Trump’s popularity

    Another factor which will surely affect people’s confidence in the government are the job losses flowing from Elon Musk’s work as “efficiency tsar”. Thomas Gift, the director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London, believes that federal job losses as a result of Musk’s cuts are spread indiscriminately among Democrat and Republican states. As a result there may be some Republican voters who are experiencing what he calls “buyer’s remorse”.

    At the same time, rising inflation is flowing into the cost of living, something many people voted for Trump to punish the Democrats for. As Gift points out, both parties are experiencing a dip in support at present as people reject politics for having a generally negative effect on their lives. But from now, it’ll be the Republicans who will feel the sting of popular disapproval more keenly.



    Read more:
    Trump’s job cuts are causing Republican angst as all parties face backlash

    World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK is available as a weekly email newsletter. Click here to get updates directly in your inbox.

    – ref. Signal-gate: a national security blunder ‘almost without parallel’ – https://theconversation.com/signal-gate-a-national-security-blunder-almost-without-parallel-253245

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia

    In early 2021, after a decade of political and economic reforms, Myanmar looked like it was finally beginning to shake off the hangover of decades of military rule. Foreign investment was growing, and standards of living were gradually improving.

    In February that year, however, the military again grabbed power after ousting Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a coup. This sent the country spiralling towards civil war and social and economic collapse.

    In the latest addition to the daily misery of Myanmar’s long-suffering people, a huge 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the centre of the country on Friday. Its epicentre was just outside Mandalay, the county’s second-largest city.

    The Thai capital of Bangkok, more than 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre, experienced extensive damage too. Video images showed a collapsing building under construction and sloshing rooftop infinity pools causing waterfalls down high-rise condominiums.

    Information on the extent of the damage in Myanmar was slower to emerge, given the junta has largely banned social media and communications apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Signal and X.

    The death toll has now passed 1,000 at the time of writing. US Geological Survey modelling, however, suggests there could be more than 10,000 deaths and economic losses potentially exceeding the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    Unusually for the isolationist military juntas of Myanmar, its leader, Min Aung Hlaing, immediately issued a call for international assistance.

    The junta, however, has full control of as little as 21% of the country in the ongoing civil war, with the rest contested or controlled by ethnic armed groups and resistance fighters. This indicates some hard-hit areas of the country may be inaccessible to international aid.

    Compounding these difficulties, the Trump administration has decimated the US Agency for International Development (USAID) activities in the country. This will make it far more challenging to determine the areas most in need and distribute any aid on the ground.

    Natural disasters in Myanmar

    Along with its history of brutal and authoritarian military rule since gaining independence in 1948, Myanmar is also regularly afflicted by natural disasters.

    At least 430 people are believed to have died in floods last September due to the remnants of Typhoon Yagi. In 2023, Cyclone Mocha reportedly killed about 460 of the Rohingya ethnic minority, who are largely confined to government camps in Rakhine state in inhuman conditions.

    The worst natural disaster in living memory, however, was Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which left at least 140,000 dead. On that occasion, the military junta resisted international assistance, likely resulting in many unnecessary deaths.

    At that time, there was no independent media in Myanmar and it was almost impossible to find out what was actually happening on the ground.

    Fortunately, the proliferation of mobile phones in the last decade has allowed information to spread much more widely, even with the junta’s internet blocks and other methods of censorship currently in place.

    When Cyclone Nargis occurred – the year after the iPhone was launched – only around 1% of the Myanmar’s population had mobile phones. By the time of the coup in 2021, Myanmar had a smartphone penetration rate of 114%. (This means the country has more smartphones than people.)

    Foreign assistance has been compromised

    While Min Aung Hlaing has gone farther than his predecessor in 2008 in asking for international help, US President Donald Trump’s actions have ensured that any aid will be far less effective than it would have been two months ago.

    On Friday, the same day the earthquake hit, the Trump administration told Congress it would cut nearly all remaining jobs at USAID and shut the agency, closing all USAID missions worldwide.

    Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International and a former USAID official, called the move “a total abdication of decades of US leadership in the world”. He argued the firings would cut “the last remnants of the team that would have mobilised a USAID disaster response” to the earthquake.

    In 2024, USAID spent US$240 million (A$380 million) in Myanmar, around one-third of all multilateral humanitarian assistance to the country.

    However, since Trump’s inauguration in January, the number of USAID programs in Myanmar has shrunk from 18 to just three. Several NGOs and at least seven US-funded hospitals operating along Myanmar’s border with Thailand have been shut down.

    Myanmar’s exiled independent media outlets, which shine a light on the military’s atrocities, have also seen their funding slashed by the Trump administration’s USAID cuts.

    What happens now?

    The day before the earthquake, Min Aung Hlaing addressed troops at the 80th anniversary of Armed Forces Day Parade. He announced national elections would go ahead in December – a vote that human rights groups are already calling a “sham”.

    There is no conceivable way elections of any integrity can be held in the country under military rule or while the civil war continues to rage.

    Military-backed parties have been overwhelmingly rejected by Myanmar’s electorate in every remotely free or fair election over the last four decades. This includes the most recent elections held in 2020, won by the National League of Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

    While the world should welcome – and urgently respond to – Min Aung Hlaing’s invitation for international assistance, this doesn’t mean the past is forgotten. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost as a result of the military’s unnecessary and destructive 2021 coup.

    If the NLD had remained in government, the country would be infinitely more prepared to deal with consequences of this earthquake. Once again, the military’s brutal rule – and Trump’s draconian aid cuts – will no doubt cause more unnecessary suffering and deaths.

    Adam Simpson 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. Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths – https://theconversation.com/thousands-are-feared-dead-in-myanmars-quake-trumps-usaid-cuts-will-cause-even-more-unnecessary-deaths-253403

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia

    In early 2021, after a decade of political and economic reforms, Myanmar looked like it was finally beginning to shake off the hangover of decades of military rule. Foreign investment was growing, and standards of living were gradually improving.

    In February that year, however, the military again grabbed power after ousting Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a coup. This sent the country spiralling towards civil war and social and economic collapse.

    In the latest addition to the daily misery of Myanmar’s long-suffering people, a huge 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the centre of the country on Friday. Its epicentre was just outside Mandalay, the county’s second-largest city.

    The Thai capital of Bangkok, more than 1,000 kilometres from the epicentre, experienced extensive damage too. Video images showed a collapsing building under construction and sloshing rooftop infinity pools causing waterfalls down high-rise condominiums.

    Information on the extent of the damage in Myanmar was slower to emerge, given the junta has largely banned social media and communications apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Signal and X.

    The death toll has now passed 1,000 at the time of writing. US Geological Survey modelling, however, suggests there could be more than 10,000 deaths and economic losses potentially exceeding the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    Unusually for the isolationist military juntas of Myanmar, its leader, Min Aung Hlaing, immediately issued a call for international assistance.

    The junta, however, has full control of as little as 21% of the country in the ongoing civil war, with the rest contested or controlled by ethnic armed groups and resistance fighters. This indicates some hard-hit areas of the country may be inaccessible to international aid.

    Compounding these difficulties, the Trump administration has decimated the US Agency for International Development (USAID) activities in the country. This will make it far more challenging to determine the areas most in need and distribute any aid on the ground.

    Natural disasters in Myanmar

    Along with its history of brutal and authoritarian military rule since gaining independence in 1948, Myanmar is also regularly afflicted by natural disasters.

    At least 430 people are believed to have died in floods last September due to the remnants of Typhoon Yagi. In 2023, Cyclone Mocha reportedly killed about 460 of the Rohingya ethnic minority, who are largely confined to government camps in Rakhine state in inhuman conditions.

    The worst natural disaster in living memory, however, was Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which left at least 140,000 dead. On that occasion, the military junta resisted international assistance, likely resulting in many unnecessary deaths.

    At that time, there was no independent media in Myanmar and it was almost impossible to find out what was actually happening on the ground.

    Fortunately, the proliferation of mobile phones in the last decade has allowed information to spread much more widely, even with the junta’s internet blocks and other methods of censorship currently in place.

    When Cyclone Nargis occurred – the year after the iPhone was launched – only around 1% of the Myanmar’s population had mobile phones. By the time of the coup in 2021, Myanmar had a smartphone penetration rate of 114%. (This means the country has more smartphones than people.)

    Foreign assistance has been compromised

    While Min Aung Hlaing has gone farther than his predecessor in 2008 in asking for international help, US President Donald Trump’s actions have ensured that any aid will be far less effective than it would have been two months ago.

    On Friday, the same day the earthquake hit, the Trump administration told Congress it would cut nearly all remaining jobs at USAID and shut the agency, closing all USAID missions worldwide.

    Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International and a former USAID official, called the move “a total abdication of decades of US leadership in the world”. He argued the firings would cut “the last remnants of the team that would have mobilised a USAID disaster response” to the earthquake.

    In 2024, USAID spent US$240 million (A$380 million) in Myanmar, around one-third of all multilateral humanitarian assistance to the country.

    However, since Trump’s inauguration in January, the number of USAID programs in Myanmar has shrunk from 18 to just three. Several NGOs and at least seven US-funded hospitals operating along Myanmar’s border with Thailand have been shut down.

    Myanmar’s exiled independent media outlets, which shine a light on the military’s atrocities, have also seen their funding slashed by the Trump administration’s USAID cuts.

    What happens now?

    The day before the earthquake, Min Aung Hlaing addressed troops at the 80th anniversary of Armed Forces Day Parade. He announced national elections would go ahead in December – a vote that human rights groups are already calling a “sham”.

    There is no conceivable way elections of any integrity can be held in the country under military rule or while the civil war continues to rage.

    Military-backed parties have been overwhelmingly rejected by Myanmar’s electorate in every remotely free or fair election over the last four decades. This includes the most recent elections held in 2020, won by the National League of Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

    While the world should welcome – and urgently respond to – Min Aung Hlaing’s invitation for international assistance, this doesn’t mean the past is forgotten. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost as a result of the military’s unnecessary and destructive 2021 coup.

    If the NLD had remained in government, the country would be infinitely more prepared to deal with consequences of this earthquake. Once again, the military’s brutal rule – and Trump’s draconian aid cuts – will no doubt cause more unnecessary suffering and deaths.

    Adam Simpson 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. Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths – https://theconversation.com/thousands-are-feared-dead-in-myanmars-quake-trumps-usaid-cuts-will-cause-even-more-unnecessary-deaths-253403

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: KC Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearms

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo. man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    Darren M. Wood, 28, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Wednesday, March 26, to 5 years in federal prison without parole.

    On Nov. 20, 2024, Wood pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

    On Sept. 15, 2023, officers from the Belton, Mo. Police Department were dispatched on a suspicious activity call for someone sleeping in a vehicle.  Wood exited the vehicle when officers began approaching the vehicle.

    Officers observed a Glock 19, 9mm pistol in the front driver’s seat.  The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber and a fully loaded 15-round magazine. Officers searched Wood and located over $3,000 cash.  Officers searched the vehicle and located 285 blue tablets labeled “M30” which contained fentanyl, 20 alprazolam tablets, 4 clonazepam tablets, and 2 bottles containing liquid promethazine.

    Wood also possessed a black AR-15 style rifle with a loaded magazine and no serial number, which officers located in the vehicle’s trunk.

    This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings It was investigated by the Belton, Mo. Police Department, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    Project Safe Neighborhoods

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: VANDEPEER ROAD, KEILIRA (Grass Fire)

    Source: South Australia County Fire Service

    Issued on
    29 Mar 2025 16:50

    Issued for
    KEILIRA near Avenue Range in the lower South East.

    Warning level
    Advice – Monitor Conditions

    Action
    Monitor local conditions and stay informed if you are in this area. Decide what you will do if the situation changes.

    At this time there is no threat to life or property and firefighters are attending this fire.

    More information will be provided by the CFS when it is available.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on The Impact of The Earthquake in Myanmar on 28 March 2025

    Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations

    1. The Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) extend their deepest sympathies and condolences to the people of Myanmar and Thailand following the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on 28 March 2025.

    2. The disaster has resulted in significant loss of life, injuries, and widespread destruction, particularly in Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and surrounding areas. ASEAN reaffirms its solidarity with the families and communities affected by the earthquake and its impact.

    Download the full statement here.
    The post ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on The Impact of The Earthquake in Myanmar on 28 March 2025 appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Traffic Stop in Southeast D.C. Leads to Federal Indictment, Firearm Recovery, and Drug Seizure

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

              WASHINGTON – Ikea Gartrell, 35, of Washington D.C., has been indicted on federal gun charges in the latest case to be federally adopted as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

              Gartrell was indicted on one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, following her March 1st arrest in Southeast D.C.

              According to court documents, on March 1, 2025, at approximately 4:49 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department personnel conducted a traffic stop in the 900 block of Barnaby Street SE, Washington, D.C. Officers then made contact with the driver, later identified as Ikea Gartrell, who was allegedly found to be operating without a valid license.

              During the stop, it is alleged that an open container of alcohol was observed, prompting officers to ask all occupants to exit the vehicle. A subsequent investigation led to the discovery of a loaded, unregistered firearm on Gartrell’s person. Gartrell was placed under arrest for Carrying a Pistol Without a License (CPWL) and no permit.

              Records indicated Gartrell had a prior felony conviction.

              The investigation is ongoing.

              The ATF and MPD are investigating this case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand.

              This case is part of Make DC Safe Again, a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

              An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ##

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz, Shaheen Lead Colleagues in Condemning the Permanent Elimination of USAID

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, alongside Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s decision to ‘transition’ USAID into the State Department:

    “After months of empty promises to protect lifesaving assistance programs, support key national security interests and consult with Congress about the so called ‘90-day review’ of foreign assistance, the Trump Administration has notified Congress of their plan to fold USAID into the State Department. However, this process was clearly not meant to be a thoughtful review, and this administration has failed to recognize that consulting with Congress is not a suggestion—it is required by law. 

    “Trump Administration officials, including Peter Marocco and Ken Jackson, have been unable to answer basic questions about which programs have been terminated, how the waivers for ‘lifesaving assistance’ are being implemented or how these actions will impact our national security—and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has continued to ignore requests to appear before the Senate to explain and defend this review. 

    “We will not stand by silently as President Trump dismantles American leadership and takes a wrecking ball to U.S. institutions. The administration’s plan to permanently dismantle USAID and fire all of its employees will not only render it impossible for any retained USAID programs to be implemented, but the burden placed on the State Department will cause significant disruption to its core mission. This proposal is illegal, dangerous and inefficient. The American public deserves answers, and we demand them.”

    MIL OSI USA News –