NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Briefing Security Council on Worsening Situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, Senior Official Says Actions Endangering Civilians, UN ‘Will Not be Tolerated’

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Holding an emergency meeting following advances by the 23 March Movement, or M23, towards the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and concurrent attacks on United Nations peacekeepers there, the Security Council heard today that urgent action is needed to address a rapidly deteriorating situation while time remains to do so.

    “The United Nations is profoundly concerned by the resumption of hostilities,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations.  On 23-24 January, M23 fired on positions of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).  He reported that, as a result, several blue helmets were “killed in carrying out the tasks entrusted to them by this Council”.  He also noted that M23 has significantly extended its territorial gains over the past few weeks and has opened a new front in South Kivu, from which MONUSCO recently withdrew.

    “At this critical juncture, with the lives of countless vulnerable civilians, peacekeepers and respect for this Council’s mandate at stake, MONUSCO remains committed to the robust defence of its mandate,” he stated.  He stressed that, for its part, the Council “must honour the sacrifices made by the peacekeepers who laid down their lives in pursuit of this noble goal by sending a clear and unequivocal message to M23 and its backers that actions endangering the lives of civilians and UN peacekeepers will not be tolerated.”

    Also reporting on the situation was Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of MONUSCO.  Noting that M23 and Rwandan forces have penetrated the outskirts of Goma — “causing mass panic and flight amongst the population” — she said that roads are blocked and that M23 has declared Goma’s airspace closed.  “In other words, we are trapped,” she said, calling on the Council to “act now” to secure the civilian population, humanitarian-aid workers and all UN personnel.

    Calling on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to continue political negotiations in the context of the Luanda Process, she urged:  “More than ever, we must find a political solution.”  She also called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from Congolese territory and end support for M23, and on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “make significant efforts” to neutralize the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, or FDLR.

    Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, then stressed that if hostilities spread into Goma, “the impact on civilians could be devastating”.  In North and South Kivu, hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured over the last few weeks.  Further, hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, humanitarian access remains constrained and hospitals are overwhelmed.  Against that backdrop, she urged all parties to “protect civilians and the critical infrastructure they rely on”.

    She also urged them to avoid using wide-area explosives and heavy weapons in populated areas.  “This will be particularly important should the hostilities spread into Goma, given the risks of conflict in urban areas,” she observed.  And, to address the escalating humanitarian crisis “before the situation worsens further”, she called on the Council to end the hostilities, ensure respect for international law and provide adequate funding for humanitarian action.

    “The resolution of the conflict in eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] must be political, not military,” stated the representative of Sierra Leone, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Somalia.  The Luanda and Nairobi Processes “remain viable paths to peace”, he said, while underscoring that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo must be respected “by all States and non-State actors alike”.  France’s representative, stating that the presence of foreign military forces threatens civilian protection and contributes to displacement, concurred: “Force is not an option.”

    Along those lines, China’s representative said:  “All external forces should refrain from providing support to M23 and other armed groups to prevent further deterioration.”  He also joined other Council members in pointing out that “attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes”.  The representative of Greece echoed that, also noting that attacks against MONUSCO peacekeepers constitute a basis for sanctions designations.  Also making these points was the representative of the United Kingdom, who observed that “the numbers of those lost and injured is changing by the hour”.

    These attacks, stressed Slovenia’s representative, constitute “an attack on peace itself”.  Recalling the Council’s recent, unanimous decision to renew MONUSCO’s mandate, she underlined the organ’s responsibility to “stand unequivocally behind [its personnel] in these perilous times and ensure they return safely to their loved ones”.  She added: “The international community, and this Council, cannot afford to remain passive in the face of this crisis.”  Panama’s representative similarly stated: “History will not judge us on our intentions but, rather, our actions.”

    The United Nations must take immediate measures to ensure the safety and security of both civilians and peacekeepers, underscored the representative of Pakistan.  Expressing particular concern over a “highly exposed” Pakistani artillery battery near Sake, he stressed that this unit should be quickly redeployed for the safety of its personnel and heavy, expensive equipment.  Stating that peacekeepers cannot be expected to implement the “challenging mandate assigned to them by the Council” without adequate support, he also urged the organ to address the root cause of the conflict — the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

    On that, Denmark’s representative observed:  “The illegal exploitation of natural resources in eastern DRC is a key driver to instability in the Great Lakes region — this must end.”  The representative of the United States also expressed concern over the illicit exploitation of mining areas in territories controlled by M23, as did the representative of the Russian Federation:  “The struggle to gain access towards strategically important Congolese minerals is one of the reasons for the continuation of the crisis.”

    The representative of the Republic of Korea detailed that crisis: “In the past week alone, as [M23] has expanded its territory by 11 per cent, the number of [internally displaced persons] has doubled to 400,000.”  He joined other Council members in calling on Rwanda to cease its support for the group and urged both Kinshasa and Kigali to return to dialogue and fully implement their commitments under the Luanda Process.  He added:  “We recognize the differing interests of the DRC and Rwanda, but further escalation of tensions is simply unacceptable — many lives are at stake.”

    Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, meanwhile, took the floor to stress that the situation in her country is “not a conflict like others”.  Rather, it is “a declaration of war that no longer hides itself behind diplomatic manoeuvres”, she said, stressing that “Rwanda is preparing to orchestrate a carnage in broad daylight”.  She also said that it is “clear that this crisis is directly linked to the economic plunder of our country by Rwanda”.

    On that, she said that over 150 tons of coltan are illegally extracted and transported to Rwanda each month, where they are fraudulently labelled for export.  Yet, while this illicit commerce finances the military activities of armed groups, it is “only one aspect of the aggression carried out by Rwanda”, she stressed.  Others include the systematic targeting of peacekeeping forces, the 24 January assassination of the military governor of North Kivu and the sabotage of the Luanda Process.

    Underscoring that the Council “cannot content itself with declarations of concern or simply ‘remaining seized of the matter’”, she said that the organ’s duty is to “defend human life without distinction”.  It must therefore order an immediate end to Rwanda’s hostilities, impose targeted sanctions against those responsible for the aggression, impose an embargo on the export of all minerals labelled as Rwandan — particularly coltan and gold — and revoke Rwanda’s status as a troop-contributing country.  “History will remember your decision today,” she said.

    Meanwhile, Rwanda’s representative stressed:  “The current crisis could have been averted had the DRC Government demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace.”  While the Luanda Process achieved “significant milestones” — including a ceasefire that came into force on 4 August 2024 — the Government and Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo decided to increase militarization in the country’s east in October 2024.  This included the deployment of heavy weaponry and additional troops — 10,000 from Burundi — along the border.

    “By prioritizing militarization of the conflict instead of embracing the regional mechanisms that have been put in place to foster a sustainable solution born out of dialogue, the conflict has continued to escalate — leading to the prevailing situation today,” he said.  He added that the FDLR has “even moved from being a suppletive force to a strategic ally of the Kinshasa Government”.  Further, he said that the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has publicly vowed to instigate regime change in Rwanda for two years now.

    While stating that “no one should harm peacekeepers”, he expressed concern that MONUSCO is “at the risk of being sucked into a conflict in which it would be a belligerent force”.  MONUSCO should therefore focus on protecting civilians instead of fighting alongside Kinshasa’s military coalition.  Noting that the situation today mirrors that which occurred 12 years ago, he stressed that “the DRC must play a helpful role — after all, this is a Congolese problem, for which the DRC is looking to outsource its solution.”

    “It is with profound regret that this meeting is taking place at a time when a number of peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty,” observed South Africa’s representative.  Urging the Council to “send a clear message that peacekeepers’ lives matter”, she underlined the need to “value and safeguard the contribution of those entrusted to carry out the mandates adopted in this chamber”.  Extending condolences to all victims’ families, the representative of Uruguay reiterated his country’s “steadfast commitment to peace”.

    Angola’s representative pointed to “remarkable progress in the implementation of the Luanda Process”.  “We need speedy and unconditional de-escalation of the conflict and genuine, renewed engagement of the parties to explore the ways of overcoming the pending issues,” he added.  On that, Burundi’s representative said that the Luanda and Nairobi Processes “set out a clear road map to reach a lasting ceasefire”.  Calling on the Council to demand an end to foreign interference and act decisively to guarantee that the Democratic Republic of the Congo can fully exercise its sovereignty and restore peace, he stressed:  “Security and stability in Central Africa and beyond are at stake.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Orezone Intercepts High-Grade Mineralization Below North Zone Life of Mine Pits Including 2.55 G/T Gold Over 23.00m and 1.14 G/T Gold Over 29.50m

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE, OTCQX: ORZCF) (the “Company” or “Orezone”) is pleased to provide additional drill results from its recently announced multi-year exploration campaign at its flagship Bomboré Gold Mine. The new results are centered on the North Zone, with high grades intercepted below both the North Zone Footwall and North Zone Hill resource and reserve pits.

    Selected Drill Highlights:

    • 2.55 g/t Au over 23.00m, including 5.54 g/t Au over 5.00m (BBD1324)
    • 1.14 g/t Au over 29.50m, including 2.30 g/t Au over 4.50m (BBD1320)
    • 1.20 g/t Au over 23.80m (BBD1323)
    • 1.01 g/t Au over 18.70m (BBD1319)
    • 1.80 g/t Au over 15.00m (BBD1318)
    • 1.59 g/t Au over 9.80m (BBD1318)
    • 1.69 g/t Au over 6.85m (BBD1322)
    • 24.74 g/t Au over 2.00m (BBD1323)

    Patrick Downey, President and CEO stated, “These latest drill results further underscore the significant exploration upside at Bomboré, and the potential to materially expand the resource base from the current global 5.1 million gold ounces, to a targeted 7 to 10 million gold ounces longer term. Given Bomboré’s 14km long reserve defined strike length at an average reserve pit depth of less than 40m, we have been aggressive in our pursuit of illustrating this potential. Towards this goal, we are accelerating the Phase I exploration campaign and planning a comprehensive 30,000m drill program through 2025. Recent drilling from only 12 wide spaced drill holes in the North Zone Footwall has successfully extended mineralization 100m to 250m below the reserve pit bottoms along a strike length of over 800m. This has clear implications in terms of extending current life of mine pits to depth and increasing the future production profile at Bomboré.

    The discovery potential of the orogenic gold setting at Bomboré is also highlighted by the multiple higher-grade sub-zones, which we believe may host the potential to transition into an underground mining scenario beneath the existing life of mine open pits. This prospect continues to be an area of focus at North Zone Hill, as well as at P16 and P17 where drilling has recently commenced.

    Together with our ongoing production expansion, which is currently ahead of schedule, this renewed focus on exploration at Bomboré, and testing the overall size and scale of the broader system, represent a truly exciting time for Orezone on multiple fronts.”

    North Zone Footwall – Extending Mineral System to Depth

    Initial drilling last year, targeting the North Zone Footwall at depth, was successful in extending high-grade mineralization 240m below the current reserve pit, with intercepts of 1.02g/t Au over 57.00m (BBD1313) and 1.64g/t Au over 46.00m (BBD1314). Wide spaced follow-up drilling was successful in extending mineralization 100m to 250m below the reserve pits along a strike length of over 800m (Figure 2). This was marked by several broad high-grade intercepts including 1.17g/t Au over 29.50m (BBD1320), 1.20g/t Au over 23.80m (BBD1323), 1.01g/t Au over 18.70m (BBD1319) and 1.80g/t Au over 15.00m (BBD1318).

    While early-stage, the main takeaways from this recent round of drilling along the North Zone Footwall include:

    1)   The potential, with subsequent infill drilling, to materially extend the North Zone Footwall resource and reserve pits to depth. If successful, this would have positive implications in terms of further expanding the production profile at Bomboré.

    2)   Given the initial results at the North Zone Footwall, there are comparable opportunities to extend the mineralized system at depth across the greater 14km long reserve defined trend, where the average reserve pit depth is currently less than 40m.

    North Zone Hill and Higher-Grade Sub-Zone Targeting

    As part of the exploration campaign to test the broader size and scale of the Bomboré mineralized system, a second focus of the current drill program is to further delineate a number of higher-grade sub-zones within, and extending below, the current life of mine open pit resource and reserves. The Company believes that these higher-grade sub-zones may host the potential to transition into underground mining beneath the open pits in the future. This is a well demonstrated mine sequence in-country, and if successful, would not only serve to increase the operating head grade at Bomboré, but also increase the overall production profile.

    With exploration efforts initially concentrated in the northern end of the project, initial testing of this thesis was centered on North Zone Hill, where at open pit drill spacing, there is a defined trend of higher-grade mineralization. As detailed in Figure 3, this sub-zone is marked by multiple high-grade intercepts including 8.75g/t Au over 7.20m (BBD1246), 7.17g/t Au over 7.00m (BBD0903), 13.44g/t Au over 2.80m (BBD1249), and 6.92g/t Au over 6.00m (BBD0911). Initial drill testing down plunge along this trend intercepted a broad interval of 2.55g/t Au over 23.00m, with a higher-grade sub-interval of 5.54g/t Au over 5.50m (BBD1324). Follow-up testing at North Zone Hill in the future will focus on additional step-outs down plunge and on tighter spaced drilling along trend to further resolve the controls on this higher-grade mineralization.

    The Company’s objective to further delineate such higher-grade sub-zones has extended to the P16 and P17S deposits at the southern end of the mining permit, in advance of the start of the rainy season in May. As outlined below, and detailed in Figure 4 and Figure 5, the P16 and P17S deposits host a number of higher-grade sub-zones. Initial testing at these deposits will focus on the down plunge continuity of the high-grade sub-zones and the potential for limb extensions to the East and West. Follow-up drill programs will further reduce the drill spacing towards the base of the pits and down plunge, as well as to test for repeats of the system along strike, a prospect that is well supported by historical drilling.

    P16 – selected high-grade historical intercepts:

    • 10.63g/t Au over 14.0m (BBD0448)
    • 16.50g/t Au over 5.0m (BBD0448)
    • 9.03g/t Au over 12.0m (BBC3241)
    • 6.69g/t Au over 15.5m (BBD0443)
    • 5.91g/t Au over 15.0m (BBD0447)
    • 7.82g/t Au over 9.0m (BBD0213)
    • 58.91g/t Au over 3.0m (BBD0768)

    P17S – selected high-grade historical intercepts:

    • 14.67g/t Au over 6.0m (BBD1066)
    • 16.58g/t Au over 4.6m (BBD0991)
    • 11.52g/t Au over 10.6m (BBD1081)
    • 9.44g/t Au over 10.0m (TYD0041)
    • 8.47g/t Au over 6.0m (BBD1132)
    • 7.08g/t Au over 7.0m (TYC0123)
    • 7.62g/t Au over 5.5m (TYD0035)

    Figure 1: Bomboré Gold Mine Property Map

    Figure 2: North Zone Footwall Long Section Looking Southeast

    Figure 3: North Zone Hill Long Section Looking Northwest

    Figure 4: P16 Long Section Looking North-Northwest

    Figure 5: P17 Long Section Looking North-Northwest

    Bomboré Drill Results

    Table 1: Highlight Drill Intercepts from the North Zone

    Hole Easting Northing Elevation Dip Azimuth EOH
    (m)    		 From
    (m)    		 To
    (m)    		 Length
    (m)    		 Grade
    (g/t Au)    		 Type
    BBD1315 729390 1354119 282 -51 313 414 322.00 325.00 3.00 0.70 HR
    and             336.00 345.00 9.00 1.06 HR
    and             363.00 368.00 5.00 1.02 HR
    and             386.30 393.00 6.70 1.40 HR
    BBD1316 729160 1354057 286 -52 313 300 188.00 191.00 3.00 0.69 HR
    and             271.00 282.60 11.60 0.78 HR
    and             292.00 293.00 1.00 2.68 HR
    BBD1317 729234 1353990 284 -51 313 429 14.00 18.00 4.00 0.44 OX
    and             20.80 24.20 3.40 1.02 OX
    and             45.50 48.60 3.10 0.37 OX
    and             65.00 75.00 10.00 0.75 OX
    and             303.00 314.00 11.00 0.95 HR
    and             328.00 339.00 11.00 0.75 HR
    and             380.10 387.40 7.30 1.53 HR
    incl.             382.25 387.40 5.15 1.92 HR
    and             398.00 401.00 3.00 1.73 HR
    BBD1318 729062 1354011 284 -56 312 317 167.20 177.00 9.80 1.59 HR
    and             254.00 269.00 15.00 1.80 HR
    incl.             261.00 267.90 6.90 2.52 HR
    and             286.00 287.00 1.00 2.95 HR
    BBD1319 729009 1353921 282 -53 313 330 282.00 300.70 18.70 1.01 HR
    incl.             293.70 300.70 7.00 1.23 HR
    and             305.65 309.75 4.10 1.29 HR
    and             318.00 323.00 5.00 1.04 HR
    BBD1320 729492 1354296 289 -56 312 321 88.00 93.30 5.30 1.55 HR
    and             259.00 288.50 29.50 1.14 HR
    incl.             261.50 266.00 4.50 2.30 HR
    and             275.00 281.20 6.10 1.93 HR
    BBD1322 729569 1354228 289 -55 311 456 5.50 9.80 4.30 0.56 OX
    and             58.15 61.50 3.35 0.47 OX
    and             364.00 367.00 3.00 0.75 HR
    and             391.00 402.00 11.00 0.95 HR
    and             409.00 415.85 6.85 1.69 HR
    incl.             411.90 414.80 2.90 3.07 HR
    BBD1323 729136 1353944 282 -56 311 429 4.50 6.75 2.25 0.86 OX
    and             12.80 15.10 2.30 0.54 OX
    and             209.00 211.00 2.00 24.74 HR
    and             244.25 247.00 2.75 0.99 HR
    and             364.00 387.80 23.80 1.20 HR
    incl.             371.00 375.00 4.00 1.79 HR
    and             391.30 394.00 2.70 0.96 HR
    BBD1324 728995 1353667 280 -52 310 312 20.20 23.20 3.00 1.23 OX
    and             193.00 216.00 23.00 2.55 HR
    incl.             196.00 201.00 5.00 5.54 HR
    and             277.95 280.00 2.05 0.91 HR
    and             382.00 385.00 3.00 2.42 HR
    BBD1325 728983 1353576 276 -54 311 381 233.00 237.00 4.00 1.94 HR
    incl.             235.00 236.00 1.00 5.40 HR
    and             243.00 248.00 5.00 1.46 HR
    BBD1326 729674 1354502 286 -52 314 335 6.00 8.15 2.15 0.71 OX
    and             189.00 191.00 2.00 5.42 HR
    and             253.00 254.00 1.00 2.11 HR
    BBD1327 728991 1353806 281 -51 312 468 13.50 17.50 4.00 0.54 OX
    and             21.60 23.80 2.20 1.38 OX
    and             33.55 34.50 0.95 1.48 OX
    and             360.00 362.00 2.00 0.99 HR
    and             372.20 373.10 0.90 8.81 HR
    and             384.70 396.00 11.30 0.86 HR
    BBD1328 728976 1353684 281 -51 313 282 24.00 31.75 7.75 0.58 OX
    and             59.25 63.90 4.65 0.46 OX
    and             172.20 173.10 0.90 5.53 HR
    and             210.25 212.15 1.90 2.44 HR
    and             253.60 257.55 3.95 1.39 HR

    True widths for North Zone drilling are approximately 85% of drilled lengths.
    HR – Hard Rock, OX – Oxide

    About Orezone Gold Corporation

    Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE OTCQX: ORZCF) is a West African gold producer engaged in mining, developing, and exploring its flagship Bomboré Gold Mine in Burkina Faso. The Bomboré mine achieved commercial production on its oxide operations on December 1, 2022, and is now focused on its staged hard rock expansion that is expected to materially increase annual and life-of-mine gold production from the processing of hard rock mineral reserves. Orezone is led by an experienced team focused on social responsibility and sustainability with a proven track record in project construction and operations, financings, capital markets and M&A.

    The technical report entitled Bomboré Phase II Expansion, Definitive Feasibility Study is available on SEDAR+ and the Company’s website.

    Contact Information

    Patrick Downey
    President and Chief Executive Officer

    Vanessa Pickering
    Manager, Investor Relations

    Tel: 1 778 945 8977 / Toll Free: 1 888 673 0663
    info@orezone.com / www.orezone.com

    For further information please contact Orezone at +1 (778) 945 8977 or visit the Company’s website at www.orezone.com.

    The Toronto Stock Exchange neither approves nor disapproves the information contained in this news release.

    QUALIFIED PERSON

    Alastair Gallaugher (CGeol), Exploration Manager for Orezone, is the Qualified Persons under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.  

    QA/QC

    The mineralized intervals are based on a lower cut-off grade of 0.28g/t in the Oxide+Upper Transition zone, and 0.45g/t Au in the Lower Transition+Hard Rock zone. The true width of the mineralization is approximately 85% of the drill length in the North Zone. The half-core drilling samples were cut using a diamond saw by Orezone employees. The samples were prepared by BIGS Global Burkina s.a.r.l. (“BIGS Global”) and then split by Orezone to 1 kg using Rotary Sample Dividers (“RSDs”). A 1-kg aliquot was analyzed for leachable gold at BIGS Global in Ouagadougou, by bottle-roll cyanidation using a LeachWellTM catalyst. The leach residues from all samples with a leach grade greater than or equal to 0.25g/t Au were prepared by BIGS Global and then split by Orezone to 50 g using RSDs. A 50-g aliquot was analyzed by fire assay at BIGS Global.

    Orezone employs a rigorous Quality Control Program including a minimum of 10% standards, blanks and duplicates. The composite width and grade include the final leach residue assay results for most of the drill intercepts reported.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains certain information that may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian Securities laws and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws (together, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “potential”, “possible” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may”, “will”, “could”, or “should” occur.

    Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the exploration program (including the significant exploration upside at Bomboré, and the potential to materially expand the project’s resource base from the current global 5.13 million gold ounces, to a targeted 7 to 10 million gold ounces longer term; implications of extending the current life of mine pits to depth, and increasing the project’s production profile; the potential with subsequent infill drilling to materially extend the North Zone Footwall resource and reserve pits to depth; opportunities to extend the mineralized system at depth across the greater 14km long reserve defined trend; the belief that the higher-grade sub-zones may host the potential to transition into underground mining beneath the existing open pits and that this is a well demonstrated mine sequence in-country, and if successful, would not only serve to increase the operating head grade at Bomboré, but also increase the overall production profile; and historical drilling supporting P16 and P17S deposits’ down plunge continuity of the high-grade sub-zones, the potential for limb extensions to the East and West and repeats of the system along strike); the potential expansion of mineral reservices and resources; exploration activities; interpretations of drilling results; future production; project development timelines (including the ongoing production expansion being ahead of schedule); and anticipated economic benefits.

    All such forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management and the qualified persons believe are appropriate in the circumstances.

    All forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, delays caused by pandemics, terrorist or other violent attacks (including cyber security attacks), the failure of parties to contracts to honour contractual commitments, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, the possibility of unanticipated costs and expenses, accidents and equipment breakdowns, political risk, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic, market or business conditions, the failure of exploration programs, including drilling programs, to deliver anticipated results and the failure of ongoing and uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, and other factors described in the Company’s most recent annual information form and management discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR+. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

    Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7d80c26f-8efa-478f-a74e-2d4f292f47d6

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/182737de-3097-4ef3-b36b-f69e5e9cfb57

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ca17fad-8644-4d58-9376-8aecb7afd1a9

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8cbcbc8e-f7e5-4daf-8f1c-0676b7fa1a59

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da4f18c1-e76f-4817-b50c-53dece8ff50d

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: International Day of Clean Energy January 26th: African Development Bank promotes women’s empowerment through sustainable energy business development

    Source: African Development Bank Group

    When Grace Akingurwaruh signed up to become a seller of coal-efficient, improved-cooking stoves, she had no idea that she’d be successful enough to purchase her first smartphone – a godsend which enables her to remain in regular contact with her customers and get new business.

    Akingurwaruh is a farmer in Hoima, Uganda, a four-hour bus ride from the capital Kampala. The 40-year-old says she was looking for ways to increase her monthly income when a neighbor told her about an African Development Bank-financed training program promoting clean energy businesses like selling stoves that retain heat longer than traditional stoves or open fires.

    “They taught us how to make business, so when we finished the training, I started advertising…At times I can have customers that want to buy five or more stoves to put in their shops. So, I [give them] a discount. That’s why I have managed to sell more than my colleagues,” Akingurwaruh said of how she applied the knowledge she learned in the Green Energy for Women and Youth Resilience project.

    Financed by the Bank’s Africa Climate Change Fund, the programming was organized by civil society organizations AVSI Foundation and CIDR Pamiga in Uganda.

    Akingurwaruh says her roughly 22 percent commission on sales of coal-efficient stoves enabled her to not only buy a smartphone but also a goat – another source of income and nutrition for her family. She is now working as a senior agent for the same company she was linked to through the project and oversees a team of 5 youth agents. She not only sells directly to customers but also earns commissions from the sales generated by the agents she supervises.

    Akingurwaruh is one of more than 2,300 people considered sales agents and retailers and participants in the Green Energy for Women and Youth Resilience project. AVSI Foundation says 75% of these beneficiaries are women and young girls aged 18 or above and that the initiative through its sales training and outreach also provided clean cooking technologies and renewable energy solutions for lighting to more than 55,000 new customers.

    “By connecting civil society organizations like AVSI Foundation to funding opportunities within the Bank, we have delivered sustainable energy solutions that have transformed lives in Uganda. This collaboration has led to the empowerment of communities, enabling businesses to thrive and households to access clean, reliable power,” said Dr. Martha Phiri, the Bank’s Acting Director of the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department.

    About 250 kilometers north of Hoima in the city of Aura, training graduate Gloria Dunia sources coal-efficient stoves from a massive container, then carries them to her roadside stand to sell to passersby.

    “I have been trained on customer service and entrepreneurship, and this has greatly helped me,” Dunia said.

    Overall, the project supported communities in 14 districts across Uganda and 16 counties in Kenya on how to transition to low-carbon development and to scale up climate finance across through the promotion of jobs from micro, medium and small enterprises in the sustainable energy sector.

    The Africa Climate Change Fund also noted the project strengthens the financial service provider capacity to deliver sustainable energy finance as well as improve availability and accessibility of energy products for communities.

    Maria Ossola, the project coordinator with the AVSI Foundation, said that the project permitted them to discover the key role that entrepreneurs and the private sector plays in promoting clean energy.

    “Through the Green Energy for Women and Youth Resilience project, we gained invaluable knowledge about the critical importance of private sector partnerships in achieving universal access to clean energy. We invite like-minded companies and financial institutions to join us in advancing this mission,” said Ossola.

    Clean cooking is one of the African Development Bank Group’s priority areas. In May 2024, the Bank pledged $2 billion over 10 years towards clean cooking solutions in Africa – a move towards saving the lives of 600,000 mainly women and children estimated who die each year from the effects of secondary smoke from partial combustion of biomass, fuel wood and charcoal.

    The Bank is also a key organizer of The Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, scheduled for 27 and 28 January in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It will bring together cross-sector leaders, decision makers in the public and private sector sharing a passion for boosting access to electricity to more homes and businesses across Africa.

    The Government of Tanzania is hosting the event in partnership with the African Union, the African Development Bank Group, and the World Bank Group. At this two-day summit, government officials, business leaders, funders, and community organizations will chart a path towards Mission 300’s ambitious goal of bringing power to 300 millions Africans by 2030.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Press Conference – Krakow, Poland

    Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs

    Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Thanks very much for being here at the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow. We thank Jonathan Ornstein for hosting us here. We thank Zofia, a Holocaust survivor who spoke with us about her journey and her life, and we thank her for the honour of sharing some time with her.

    Tomorrow, we will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Mark Dreyfus and I are here in Poland, here together, to remember the six million Jewish lives lost – taken – in the Holocaust. Six million men, women and children murdered, including a million, near to here, at Auschwitz.

    We are here to say, never again, never again. To stand with others across the international community and say, never again. I would say at this time, we have to stand together – across beliefs, across political difference, across politics – we have to stand against prejudice and hate and antisemitism in all its forms. Because at this time and in this place, we remember where that can lead, and we say, never again. I’ll hand over to Mark.

    Mark Dreyfus, Attorney-General: Thanks very much, Penny.

    The Foreign Minister and I are here in Krakow to represent the Australian Government at Auschwitz, at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. And of course, this is a commemoration of the Holocaust, which is the greatest evil that the world has known. Some 6 million Jews were murdered across Europe. Over a million Jews were murdered at Auschwitz, where we’re going to be tomorrow. That number includes, at Auschwitz, a member of my own family. My great-grandmother, Ida Ransenberg, then aged 60, was murdered at Auschwitz on the 14th of October, 1942. We’re attending the commemoration to remember the dead and to say never again. We are attending this commemoration to condemn antisemitism in all its forms, to condemn antisemitism anywhere in the world, to condemn antisemitism in Australia. And we’re at this commemoration to acknowledge the magnificent contribution that’s been made by Jews to our own Australian community, including the very many survivors of the Holocaust who found their way to Australia, particularly after the war.

    I’d like to acknowledge the meeting that Foreign Minister and I have had with Zofia, a Holocaust survivor who has made a wonderful contribution to the rebuilding of the Jewish community here in Krakow, of which this Jewish Community Centre is a part. It’s a wonderful thing to think that, after what happened in the Second World War, that there is a reborn Jewish community here in Krakow. Thanks very much.

    Reporter: Given the rise in antisemitism, is this year’s anniversary perhaps more important now than in any point in previous decades when this liberation has been remembered?

    Foreign Minister: This commemoration is always important, but you’re right to point to the rise of antisemitism we see in the world. And when we say never again, we have to not only mean it, but bring that to what we do as political leaders. So, I do see, we do see, attending this commemoration as solemn and important, the memory of six million murdered and also the knowledge of what hatred can lead to.

    Reporter: We spoke to some survivors back in Australia, who, the reason they went to Australia and fled there after the war was because it was, in their words, the furthest place from here that they could travel to. But antisemitism is now on our shores. I think it’s been, since December, more than 150 incidents are being investigated. Is there a sense of responsibility that the government has to share in the fact that it’s made its way our shores in such a large amount? 

    Foreign Minister: We all must stand against antisemitism whenever and wherever we see it, and we must all work together to confront it. And you would have heard me say many times, these attacks are not just an attack on the Jewish community – they are that – but they are actually an attack on who we are as Australians. People came to our country and come to our country because of who we are; a country that welcomes people of all faiths, people from all over the world, and we treat each other with respect. We treat each other with tolerance. We are accepting and we ensure that we provide a safe community for all our people. That is part of what it is to be Australian, and as well, we must hold on to it.

    Reporter: Minister, given the rise in antisemitism back home in Australia, why is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese not here for the 80th commemoration?

    Foreign Minister: This is a very senior delegation. This is the Foreign Minister, the Attorney-General and the Special Envoy. And the seniority of the delegation speaks to how seriously we take this.

    Reporter: You mentioned in your opening comments, the need for it to come across political lines. Is that a nod, do you think this debate has been too partisan in recent weeks?

    Foreign Minister: This is not a time or a place for politics. This is a time to be above politics, because this, it is such a solemn and sad occasion, but also a time to recommit ourselves to learning the lessons of the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews, and to say, never again. So, I’m simply saying to all of us in Australia, we must all work together to ensure never again.

    Reporter: This rise in antisemitism can’t obviously be separated from the conflict in Gaza, the kidnapped Israelis and destruction there. Overnight, in the last few hours, Donald Trump has said we should ‘clean out Gaza’ and see the inhabitants from there moved into either Egypt or Jordan. Have you had a chance to speak with any of your partners in the United States. Or is it a proposition you would support or entertain?

    Foreign Minister: I would simply say this; we all want the ceasefire to hold, and we all want a path to peace and security for all peoples in the Middle East.

    Reporter: Mr Dreyfus, thank you for sharing your personal story. A lot of Australian Jews have said that the past 18 months has been perhaps the toughest time for Jews in Australia. How hard has it been for you to live both roles as part of the Government that’s been criticised for that, but also you and your family connection?

    Attorney-General: I understand all too well, perhaps better than most, the shocking rise in antisemitism that we’ve experienced in Australia and indeed, right across the world. Australia has not been alone in what has been a shocking, grotesque rise in antisemitism, unexpected after the horrific events of October the 7th. We’ve all got to work together, and that’s government, community, every part of the community has to work together to make sure that antisemitism, events of antisemitism, conduct that is antisemitic, violence that’s got an antisemitic association, all of that has to end, and all of us have to work together to make sure that it ends. It’s really important. It’s something that affects every part of the Australian community, not just the Jewish community, and I’ve got a real sense that we are working together to make sure that it is brought to an end.

    Reporter: Minister Wong, Mr Dutton has been critical in the media of you being here. He says you shouldn’t be, you’re not the right choice to be here. What would you say in response to that?

    Foreign Minister: This is not a day for politics. It’s not a time for politics. This is a time to remember the murder of six million people, six million Jews, and to say never again and that’s why we’re here. And it is, as I said, a solemn occasion. I simply say again, I think, if we really mean never again, then we need to work together across politics and across faiths. And I have confidence Australians can do that.

    Attorney-General: And if I could add to that – this is an appropriate time, and it is an appropriate place to actually reject attempts to politicise the Holocaust or to politicise antisemitism. Combating antisemitism, remembering the Holocaust, does not belong to the left or the right. It does not belong to the progressive side of Australian politics, or the conservative side of Australian politics. It is the solemn duty of everybody, of all of humanity, to remember the Holocaust, to say, never again. And it’s been grotesque, I use that word again, to see the rise in antisemitism since October the 7th, but it has been equally grotesque to see attempts being made to politicise either commemoration of the Holocaust or combating antisemitism. We need to get politics out of this. It’s a joint effort for the whole of humanity to remember the Holocaust, to remember the six million murdered Jews, and to say, as the Foreign Minister has said, as I’ve said, never again. That’s the task that we’re here for. That’s why this is an appropriate time and place to say there’s been far too much politicisation. It’s time for it to end.

    Reporter: On that note, was there any suggestion that the Governor-General may have come over, as a kind of neutral person?

    Foreign Minister: I haven’t engaged with the Governor General about that. As I’ve said before in a press conference, Mark and I, and the Deputy Prime Minister and I spoke about this, and we believed this was a suitably senior delegation. Thank you very much everyone for your time.

    Attorney-General: Thank you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: News story: PM call with President Trump of the United States: 26 January 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street

    The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump today.

    The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump today. 

    President Trump opened by sending his condolences to the Prime Minister on the loss of his brother. The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his kind words and congratulated him on his inauguration. 

    The Prime Minister paid tribute to President Trump’s role in securing the landmark ceasefire and hostages deal in Gaza. The President welcomed the release of Emily Damari and sent his best wishes to her family. They discussed the importance of working together for security in the Middle East. 

    They also discussed trade and the economy, with the Prime Minister setting out how we are deregulating to boost growth. 

    The two leaders stressed the importance of the close and warm ties between the UK and the US, and the President spoke of his respect and affection for the Royal Family. 

    They agreed to meet soon and looked forward to further discussions then.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ‘singles tax’ means you often pay more for going it alone. Here’s how it works

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alicia Bubb, Research & Teaching Sessional Academic, RMIT University

    lightman_pic/Shutterstock

    Heard of the “singles tax”? Going it alone can also come with a hidden financial burden you may not be aware of.

    Obviously, this isn’t an official levy paid to anyone in particular. It simply refers to the higher costs single people face compared to couples or families.

    Single-person households have been on the rise in Australia. It’s projected they’ll account for up to 28% of all households in 2046.

    People are marrying later, divorce rates remain high and an ageing population means more people live alone in older age. Many people also make a conscious decision to remain single, seeing it as a sign of independence and empowerment.

    This is part of a global trend, with singledom increasing in Europe, North America and Asia.

    So, how does the singles tax work – and is it worse for some groups than others? What, if anything, can we do about it?

    Why does being single cost more?

    One of the biggest drivers of the singles tax is the inability to split important everyday costs. For example, a single person renting a one-bedroom apartment has to bear the full cost, while a couple sharing it can split the rent.

    Being single can mean not being being able to split living costs like groceries.
    Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

    Singles often miss out on the savings from bulk grocery purchases, as larger households consume more and can take better advantage of these deals.

    Fixed costs for a house like electricity, water and internet bills often don’t increase by much when you add an extra user or two. Living alone means you pay more.

    These are all examples of how couples benefit from economies of scale – the cost advantage that comes from sharing fixed or semi-fixed expenses – simply by living together.

    My calculations, based on the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), show that singles spend about 3% more per person on goods and services compared to couples.

    Compared to couples with children, single parents spend about 19% more per person. While government support mechanisms such as the child care subsidy exist, many single parents find them insufficient, especially if they work irregular hours.

    Beyond the essentials

    The singles tax extends beyond our “essential needs” and into the costs of travel, socialising and entertainment.

    Solo travellers, for example, may encounter something called a “single supplement” – an extra fee charged for utilising an accommodation or travel product designed for two people.

    Streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify offer family plans at slightly higher prices than individual ones, making them more cost-effective for larger households.

    Couples and families can easily split fixed costs, such as streaming subscriptions.
    Vantage_DS/Shutterstock

    A global phenomenon

    Reports from around the world paint a similar picture.

    In the United States, research by real estate marketplace Zillow found singles pay on average US$7,000 ($A11,100) more annually for housing, compared to those sharing a two-bedroom apartment.

    In Europe, higher living costs and limited government supports put singles at a disadvantage. And in Canada, singles report feeling the pinch of rising rent and grocery prices.

    The tax systems of many countries can amplify the financial burden of being single, by favouring couples and families.

    In the United States, for example, tax policies intended to alleviate poverty often exclude childless adults, disproportionately taxing them into poverty.

    The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) reduces tax liabilities by providing refundable credits to low-income workers. It’s had some significant benefits for families, but offers minimal support to single, childless individuals.

    Many tax structures disadvantage single-person households.
    WPixz/Shutterstock

    As economist Patricia Apps argues, tax and transfer policies often fail to account for the complexities of household income distribution.

    These systems favour traditional family structures by providing benefits like spousal offsets or joint income tax breaks. Single individuals and single-parent households are left bearing a disproportionate financial burden.

    Who is affected the most?

    The singles tax disproportionately impacts women, who are more likely to live alone than men.

    This can compound existing financial pressures such as the gender pay gap, taking career breaks, and societal expectations leaving them with lower retirement savings.

    For older women, the singles tax adds another layer of difficulty to maintaining financial security.

    And it can seriously exacerbate financial pressures on single mothers. Many rely on child support payments, which are often inconsistent or inefficient, leaving them financially vulnerable.

    Working part-time or in casual roles due to caregiving responsibilities further limits their earning potential.

    Single mothers may be disproportionately impacted by the singles tax.
    Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

    There are unique challenges for single men, too, who may lack the same access to family-oriented subsidies and workplace flexibility. Single men may also face societal expectations to spend more on dating or socialising.

    Alarmingly, men are disproportionately represented among the homeless population, making up 55.9% of people experiencing homelessness, and single men have a higher risk of premature death.

    Growing recognition

    While the singles tax highlights big systemic inequities, there are signs the issue is receiving more attention.

    Some advocacy groups are pushing for better financial protections and child support reforms for single mothers.

    Similarly, efforts to address homelessness have gained momentum, with increased attention to advocacy and services for single men facing housing insecurity.

    There is also the potential to design tax systems to reduce these inequities. Tax systems that treat individuals as economic units, instead of basing benefits on household structures, could mitigate the singles tax and create a fairer system for all.

    Nothing to disclose.

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

    – ref. The ‘singles tax’ means you often pay more for going it alone. Here’s how it works – https://theconversation.com/the-singles-tax-means-you-often-pay-more-for-going-it-alone-heres-how-it-works-247578

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 3 reasons to fear humanity won’t reach net-zero emissions – and 4 reasons we might just do it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Rowley, Honorary Associate Professor, The Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

    UNIKYLUCKK/Shutterstock

    Within hours of taking office last week, President Donald Trump made good on his pledges to wind back the United States’ climate action – including withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement.

    This political show comes barely a week after 2024 was revealed as the world’s hottest year and following the catastrophic Los Angeles fires. The fires directly killed 20 people; potentially many more will die from toxic smoke and other after-effects.

    The science is clear: achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is humanity’s only hope of achieving some measure of climate security. It’s time to think deeply on our chances of getting there.

    Here, I outline a few reasons for pessimism, and for hope.

    Reasons for pessimism

    1. The data doesn’t lie

    The landmark Paris Agreement, signed by 196 nations in 2015, aimed to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. Achieving that requires reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century.

    Yet nearly a decade after the agreement, global emissions continue to rise. The Global Carbon Budget estimates a record-high 37.4 billion tonnes of CO₂ was emitted last year.

    And 2024 was not just the hottest year on record – it was the first year to exceed the 1.5°C temperature threshold.

    It’s not too late to change trajectory. But sadly, the data show the bathtub is fast filling, and the tap is still running hard.

    2. Renewable energy rollout is too slow

    Renewable energy deployment is increasing and the price is falling. But it’s not happening fast enough.

    According to the International Energy Agency, clean energy investment must more than double this decade if the net-zero goal is to be reached by 2050. In particular, clean energy investment in developing countries must increase significantly.

    Richer nations – which are largely responsible for the stock of emissions in the atmosphere driving the climate problem – are failing to help developing countries make the clean energy shift. At the COP29 climate talks in Baku last year, developed nations agreed to give only US$300 billion (A$474 billion) a year in climate finance to developing countries by 2035. It is nowhere near enough.

    Richer nations have not provided the funds the developing world needs to make the clean energy shift.
    PradeepGaurs/Shutterstock

    3. The net-zero smokescreen

    Net-zero emissions is not the same as zero emissions. It allows some industries to keep polluting, if equivalent emissions are removed from the atmosphere elsewhere to keep the balance at zero.

    This means nations that are purportedly committed to the net-zero goal can continue with business as usual, or worse.

    In 2023, for example, then-British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced 100 new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, saying it was “entirely consistent” with his government’s net-zero goal. The same logic has allowed Australia’s environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to approve new coal mines.

    Both decisions came from governments that have pledged commitment to reaching net-zero – yet both are clearly making the goal harder to achieve.

    These are just a few of the reasons to feel pessimistic about getting to net-zero – there are many more.

    Barriers exist to extracting the critical minerals needed in low-emissions technology. Differences in human relationships to nature means we will never reach full agreement on how to respond to environmental risk. And globally, there is rising mistrust in international agreements and institutions.

    But it’s not all doom and gloom. Here’s why.

    Reasons for hope

    1. Renewable energy is cheap

    Renewable energy has become the cheapest form of new electricity in history. The technologies are now less expensive than coal and gas in most major countries.

    The International Energy Agency projects global renewable capacity will increase by more than 5,520 gigawatts between 2024 and 2030. This is 2.6 times more than the deployment over the six years to 2023.

    The growth in rooftop solar is expected to more than triple, as equipment costs decline and social acceptance increases.

    Renewable energy has become the [cheapest form of new electricity in history.
    Quality Stock Arts/Shutterstock

    2. Commitments to net-zero are many

    Global support for the net-zero goal is significant. According to Net Zero Tracker, 147 of 198 countries have set a net-zero target. Some 1,176 of the 2,000 largest publicly traded companies by revenue have also adopted it.

    Without seeing the plans, numbers, laws, regulations and investments required to achieve these ambitions, one should be sceptical – but not cynical.

    3. Tech innovation and climate response are in lock-step

    Twenty-five years ago, smartphones did not exist, email was new and we “surfed” a new thing called the worldwide web with a slow dial-up modem.

    Similarly, our technologies will look very different 25 years from now – and many developments will ultimately help deliver the net-zero goal.

    Smart electricity grids, for example, use digital technologies, sensors and software to precisely meet the demand of electricity users – making the system more efficient and reducing carbon emissions.

    The European Union, United States and China are all investing vast sums to support their development.

    Already, we can use smart meters to monitor electricity generation from our roofs to our cars and home batteries. This allows zero-emissions electricity to both be used and sold back to the grid.

    Tech innovation is not confined to the electricity sector. As Australia’s Climate Change Authority has stated, technology offers pathways to reduce emissions across the economy – in transport, agriculture, industry and more.

    We already have the means to monitor electricity generation and use at home.
    aslysun/Shutterstock

    4. Human talent and capacity

    Many of humanity’s best minds are now focused on reducing climate risk.

    Climate change mitigation is attracting remarkable professionals in roles unimaginable 25 years ago – from engineers developing breakthrough renewable technologies to financial experts designing green investment products, policy specialists crafting new regulations, and climate scientists refining our understanding of climate risk.

    And among much of the public, global support for climate action is strong.

    No time for despair

    The fact that humans caused climate change is an enabling truth: we also have the capacity to make decisions to address the problem.

    Our choices today will make a difference. It will be a bumpy road – but to achieve some measure of climate security, net-zero is a goal we must achieve.

    Nick Rowley 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. 3 reasons to fear humanity won’t reach net-zero emissions – and 4 reasons we might just do it – https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-to-fear-humanity-wont-reach-net-zero-emissions-and-4-reasons-we-might-just-do-it-247992

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Too many Australians miss out on essential medical care every year. Here’s how to fix ‘GP deserts’

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Breadon, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute

    Zhuravlev Andrey/Shutterstock

    Some communities are “GP deserts”, where there are too few GPs to ensure everyone can get the care they need when they need it. These communities are typically sicker and poorer than the rest of Australia, but receive less care and face higher fees.

    At the 2025 federal election, all parties should commit to changing that. The next government – whether Labor or Coalition, majority or minority – should set a minimum level of access to GP care, and fund local schemes to fill the worst gaps.

    People in GP deserts miss out on care

    About half a million Australians live in GP deserts. These are communities in the bottom 5% for GP services per person. Most GP deserts are in remote Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and some are in Canberra.

    People in GP deserts receive 40% fewer GP services than the national average. This means less of the essential check-ups, screening and medication management GPs provide.

    Nurses and Aboriginal health workers help plug some of the gap, but even then GP deserts aren’t close to catching up to other areas.

    And some people miss out altogether. Last year, 8% of people older than 65 in these areas didn’t see the GP at all, compared to less than 1% in the rest of the country.

    Poorer and sicker places miss out, year after year

    GP deserts are in the worst possible places. These communities are typically sicker and poorer, so they should be getting more care than the rest of Australia, not less.

    People in GP deserts are almost twice more likely to go to hospital for a condition that might have been avoided with good primary care, or to die from an avoidable cause.

    Most GP deserts are in the bottom 40% for wealth, yet pay more for care. Patients in GP deserts are bulk billed six percentage points less than the national average.


    These communities miss out year after year. While rises and falls in national bulk billing rates get headlines, the persistent gaps in GP care are ignored. The same communities have languished well below the national average for more than a decade.

    Policies to boost rural primary care don’t go far enough

    Most GP deserts are rural, so recent policies to boost rural primary care could help a bit.

    In response to rising out-of-pocket costs, the government has committed A$3.5 billion to triple bulk-billing payments for the most disadvantaged. Those payments are much higher for clinics in rural areas. An uptick in rural bulk billing last year is an early indication it may be working.

    Older people in GP deserts are much less likely to see a GP than their peers in other parts of the country.
    Theera Disayarat/Shutterstock

    New rural medical schools and programs should help boost rural GP supply, since students who come from, and train in, rural areas are more likely to work in them. A “rural generalist” pathway recognises GPs who have trained in an additional skill, such as obstetrics or mental health services.

    But broad-based rural policies are not enough. Not all rural areas are GP deserts, and not all GP deserts are rural. Australia also needs more tailored approaches.

    Local schemes can work

    Some communities have taken matters into their own hands.

    In Triabunna on Tasmania’s east coast, a retirement in 2020 saw residents left with only one GP, forcing people to travel to other areas for care, sometimes for well over an hour. This was a problem for other towns in the region too, such as Swansea and Bicheno, as well as much of rural Tasmania.

    In desperation, the local council has introduced a A$90 medical levy to help fund new clinics. It’s also trialling a new multidisciplinary care approach, bringing together many different health practitioners to provide care at a single contact point and reduce pressure on GPs. Residents get more care and spend less time and effort coordinating individual appointments.

    Murrumbidgee in New South Wales has taken a different approach. There, trainee doctors retain a single employer throughout their placements. That means they can work across the region, in clinics funded by the federal government and hospitals managed by the state government, without losing employment benefits. That helps trainees to stay closely connected to their communities and their patients. Murrumbidgee’s success has inspired similar trials in other parts of NSW, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.

    These are promising approaches, but they put the burden on communities to piece together funding to plug holes. Without secure funding, these fixes will remain piecemeal and precarious, and risk a bidding war to attract GPs, which would leave poorer communities behind.

    Australia should guarantee a minimum level of GP care

    The federal government should guarantee a minimum level of general practice for all communities. If services funded by Medicare and other sources stay below that level for years, funding should automatically become available to bridge the gap.

    The federal and state governments should be accountable for fixing GP deserts. These regions typically have small populations, few clinicians, and limited infrastructure. So governments must work together to make the best use of scarce resources.

    Some states have introduced schemes where doctors can work in a range of locations.
    Stephen Barnes/Shutterstock

    Funding must be flexible, because every GP desert is different. Sometimes the solution may be as simple as helping an existing clinic hire extra staff. Other communities may want to set up a new clinic, or introduce telehealth for routine check-ups. There is no lack of ideas about how to close gaps in care, the problem lies in funding them.

    Lifting all GP deserts to the top of the desert threshold – or guaranteeing at least 4.5 GP services per person per year, adjusted for age, would cost the federal government at least A$30 million a year in Medicare payments.

    Providing extra services in GP deserts will be more expensive than average. But even if the cost was doubled or tripled, it would still be only a fraction of the billions of dollars of extra incentives GPs are getting to bulk bill – and it would transform the communities that need help the most.

    GP deserts didn’t appear overnight. Successive governments have left some communities with too little primary care. The looming federal election gives every party the opportunity to make amends.

    If they do, the next term of government could see GP deserts eliminated for good.

    Peter Breadon and Wendy Hu do 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. Grattan Institute has been supported in its work by government, corporates, and philanthropic gifts. A full list of supporting organisations is published at www.grattan.edu.au.

    .

    – ref. Too many Australians miss out on essential medical care every year. Here’s how to fix ‘GP deserts’ – https://theconversation.com/too-many-australians-miss-out-on-essential-medical-care-every-year-heres-how-to-fix-gp-deserts-245253

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Elon Musk now has an office in the White House. What’s his political game plan?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Maher, Lecturer in Politics, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney

    Shutterstock/The Conversation

    Elon Musk has emerged as one of the most influential and controversial powerbrokers in the new Trump administration. He spent at least US$277 million (about A$360 million) of his own money to help Donald Trump win re-election, campaigning alongside him around the country.

    This significant investment of time and money raises the question of what the world’s wealthiest person hopes to receive in return. Critics have wondered whether Musk’s support for Trump is just a straightforward commercial transaction, with Musk expecting to receive political favours.

    Or does it reflect Musk’s own genuinely held political views, and perhaps personal political ambition?

    From left to alt-right

    Decoding Musk’s political views and tracking how they have changed over time is a complex exercise. He’s hard to pin down, largely by design.

    Musk’s current X feed, for example, is a bewildering mix of far-right conspiracy theories about immigration, clips of neoliberal economist Milton Friedman warning about the dangers of inflation, and advertisements for Tesla.

    Historically, Musk professes to have been a left libertarian. He says he voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.

    Musk claims that over time, the Democratic party has moved further to the left, leaving him feeling closer politically to the Republican party.

    Key to Musk’s political shift, at least by his own account, is his estrangement from his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson.

    After Vivian’s transition, Musk claimed she was “dead, killed by the woke mind virus”. She is very much alive.

    He’s since repeatedly signalled his opposition to transgender rights and gender-affirming care, and diversity, equity and inclusion policies more broadly.

    However, if the mere existence of a trans person in his family was enough to cause a political meltdown, Musk was clearly already on a trajectory towards far-right politics.

    Rather than responding to a shift in the Democratic Party, it makes more sense to understand Musk’s changing politics as part of a much broader recent phenomenon known as as “the libertarian to alt-right pipeline”.

    The political science, explained

    Libertarianism has historically tended to be divided between left-wing and right-wing forms.

    Left libertarians support economic policies of limited government, such as cutting taxes and social spending, and deregulation more broadly. This is combined with progressive social policies, such as marriage equality and drug decriminalisation.

    By contrast, right libertarians support the same set of economic policies, but hold conservative social views, such as opposing abortion rights and celebrating patriotism.

    Historically, the Libertarian Party in the United States adopted an awkward middle ground between the two poles.

    The past decade, though, has seen the Libertarian Party, and libertarianism more generally, move strongly to the right. In particular, many libertarians have played leading roles in the alt-right movement.

    The alt-right or “alternative right” refers to the recent resurgence of far-right political movements opposing multiculturalism, gender equality and diversity, and supporting white nationalism.

    The alt-right is a very online movement, with its leading activists renowned for internet trolling and “edgelording” – that is, the posting of controversial and confronting content to deliberately stoke controversy and attract attention.

    Though some libertarians have resisted the pull of the alt-right, many have been swept along the pipeline, including prominent leaders in the movement.

    Making sense of Musk

    While this discussion of theory may seem abstract, it helps to understand what Musk’s values are (beneath the chaotic tweets and Nazi salutes).

    In economic terms, Musk remains a limited-government libertarian. He advocates cutting government spending, reducing taxes and repealing regulation – especially regulations that put limits on his businesses.

    His formal role in the Trump administration as head of the “Department of Government Efficiency”, also known as DOGE, is targeted at these goals.

    Musk has suggested that in cutting government spending, he will particularly target diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This is the alt-right influence on display.

    Alt-right sensibilities are most evident, however, in Musk’s online persona.

    On X, Musk has deliberately stoked controversy by boosting and engaging with white nationalists and racist conspiracy theories.

    For example, he has favourably engaged with far-right politicians advocating for the antisemitic “Great Replacement theory”. This theory claims Jews are encouraging mass migration to the global north as part of a deliberate plot to eliminate the white race.

    More recently, Musk has endorsed the far-right in Germany. He’s also shared videos from known white supremacists outlining the racist “Muslim grooming gangs” conspiracy theory in the United Kingdom.

    Whether Musk actually believes these outlandish racist conspiracy theories is, in many ways, irrelevant.

    Rather, Musk’s public statements are better understood as reflecting philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s famous definition of “bullshit”. For Frankfurt, “bullshit” refers to statements made to impress or provoke in which the speaker is simply not concerned with whether the statement is actually true.

    Much of Musk’s online persona is part of a deliberate alt-right populist strategy to stoke controversy, upset “the left”, and then claim to be a persecuted victim when criticised.

    Theory vs practice

    Though Musk’s public statements might fit nicely into contemporary libertarianism, there are always contradictions when putting ideology into practice.

    For example, despite Musk’s oft-stated preference for limited government, it’s well documented that his companies have received extensive subsidies and support from various governments.

    Musk will expect this special treatment to continue under a quintessentially transactional president such as Trump.

    The vexed issue of immigration also presents some contradictions.

    Across the campaign, both Musk and Trump repeatedly criticised immigration to the US. Reprising the themes of the far-right Great Replacement theory, Musk claimed illegal immigration was a deliberate plot by Democrats to “replace” the existing electorate with “compliant illegals”.

    However, after the election Musk has argued Trump should preserve categories of skilled migration such as the H1-B visas. This angered more explicit white supremacists, such as Trump advisor Laura Loomer.

    Musk’s motives in arguing for the visas are not humanitarian. H1-B visas allow temporary workers to enter the country for up to six years, making them entirely dependent on the sponsoring company. It’s a situation some have called “indentured servitude”.

    These visas have been used heavily in the technology sector, including in companies owned by both Musk and Trump.

    An unsteady alliance

    So what might we expect from Musk now that he has both political office and influence?

    Musk’s stated aim of using DOGE to cut $2 trillion from the US budget would represent an unprecedented transformation of government. It also seems highly unlikely.

    Instead, expect Musk to focus on creating controversy by cutting DEI initiatives and other politically sensitive programs, such as support for women’s reproductive rights.

    Musk will clearly use his political influence to look after the interests of his companies. Shares in Tesla surged to record highs following Trump’s re-election, suggesting investors believe Musk will be a major financial beneficiary of the second Trump administration.

    Finally, Musk will undoubtedly use his new position to remain in the public eye. This last part might lead Musk into conflict with another expert in shaping the media cycle – Trump himself.

    Musk has already reportedly fallen out with Vivek Ramaswamy, who will now no longer co-lead DOGE with Musk.

    Exactly how stable the alliance between Trump and Musk is, and whether the egos and interests of the two billionaires can continue to coexist, remains to be seen.

    If the alliance persists, it will be a key factor in shaping what many are terming the emergence of a “new gilded age” of political corruption and soaring inequality.

    Henry Maher 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. Elon Musk now has an office in the White House. What’s his political game plan? – https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-now-has-an-office-in-the-white-house-whats-his-political-game-plan-248011

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with President Trump of the United States: 26 January 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump today.

    The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump today. 

    President Trump opened by sending his condolences to the Prime Minister on the loss of his brother. The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his kind words and congratulated him on his inauguration. 

    The Prime Minister paid tribute to President Trump’s role in securing the landmark ceasefire and hostages deal in Gaza. The President welcomed the release of Emily Damari and sent his best wishes to her family. They discussed the importance of working together for security in the Middle East. 

    They also discussed trade and the economy, with the Prime Minister setting out how we are deregulating to boost growth. 

    The two leaders stressed the importance of the close and warm ties between the UK and the US, and the President spoke of his respect and affection for the Royal Family. 

    They agreed to meet soon and looked forward to further discussions then.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Minister McPhee for National Crime Stoppers Month

    Statement from Minister McPhee for National Crime Stoppers Month
    jlutz

    Minister of Justice Tracy-Anne McPhee has issued the following statement:

    “Every January is National Crime Stoppers Month. This year, the Yukon Chapter is hosting an awareness and information session at the Canada Games Centre on Saturday, January 25, from 11 am to 3 pm. This information session is to raise awareness about the Crime Stoppers tip app, which allows anyone to anonymously report a crime in their community. I encourage Yukoners to attend, learn more about this important organization and discover how we can all make a difference.

    “This independent, non-profit organization empowers Yukoners to take action by anonymously reporting suspicious activities or potential crimes through a secure tip line system, available by phone, online or on the app. Any tips received that help solve a case or lead to an arrest are eligible for a cash reward.

    “Crime Stoppers Yukon plays a key role in raising public awareness and educating the community about illegal activities. This organization is committed to stopping, solving and preventing crimes in the Yukon. Crime Stoppers collaborates with law enforcement and government agencies to provide information on supports and resources to help both offenders and victims. Our government will continue to work with Crime Stoppers Yukon and other organizations to help further reduce crime rates across the territory.

    “Public safety and community wellbeing remain top priorities for our government. We thank Crime Stoppers Yukon for their strong program and for their commitment to making communities safer for all Yukoners.”
     

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Yukon highlighted territory’s mineral potential at conferences in Vancouver

    Government of Yukon highlighted territory’s mineral potential at conferences in Vancouver
    jlutz

    This week, Premier Ranj Pillai, Deputy Premier and Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equity Directorate Jeanie McLean and Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker joined a delegation of representatives from the Government of Yukon, Yukon First Nations, the Yukon Geological Survey, the Yukon Mining Alliance, the Yukon First Nation Chamber of Commerce, the Yukon Chamber of Mines and Yukon businesses to promote Yukon jobs and industry at the Association for Mineral Exploration’s Roundup (AME Roundup) conference and the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

    Cabinet Ministers and Government of Yukon officials highlighted the importance of industry and government working with Yukon First Nations communities and shared upcoming plans for investment in the territory’s economic development through an emphasis on infrastructure upgrades and modernizing legislation. The Government of Yukon attended the conferences to provide information about mineral development opportunities in the territory.

    Investments in strategic infrastructure play a pivotal role in supporting Yukon residents, businesses and the territory’s mining industry. Ministers emphasized Government of Yukon priorities including improving access to Yukon communities through the Yukon Resource Gateway program, ongoing work with the Government of Canada to connect the Yukon and British Columbia’s electricity grids, as well as recent successes including the now-completed Dempster Fibre Line project.

    At AME Roundup, Minister John Streicker led a panel discussion on how industry and governments at all levels must work together to support community safety so that Yukon communities can truly benefit from the economic opportunities that industry presents. Geologists from the Yukon Geological Survey presented the results of their fieldwork to the mineral and investment community.

    Minister McLean joined Doris Bill, former Chief of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, and Gina Nagano, President and Community Safety Specialist at House of Wolf, to lead a vital panel discussion at The Gathering Place on the importance of community safety as a foundation for equitable participation in the mining and resources industry. The session highlighted the critical role of safety and other foundational conditions in fostering inclusive opportunities, with a focus on Yukon-led initiatives such as the Yukon’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ Strategy. Minister McLean emphasized the importance of creating safe and supportive communities to ensure all Yukoners, particularly Indigenous women and Two-Spirit+ individuals, can benefit from the territory’s economic development.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Wanting to ‘return to normal’ after a disaster is understandable, but often problematic

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Richardson, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director, Te Puna Ako Centre for Tertiary Teaching and Learning, University of Waikato

    Media coverage of the recent fires in Los Angeles showed the heartbreaking damage in Pacific Palisades and elsewhere across Los Angeles County. People lost not only their houses but also the thriving communities of which they had been part.

    What was quickly apparent was the desire to rebuild. People often want their lives to bounce back from every crisis or disaster and to recreate what they have lost.

    And this points to a broader issue that emerges after many natural disasters. People want to rebuild and return to normal when, in the face of an increasingly volatile climate, the best option may be to adapt and change.

    There is a tension between a common understanding of personal resilience and the resilience of complex adaptive systems such as cities. People have a psychological and social need for stability and permanence, but all complex systems are resilient only because they adapt when forced to.

    In New Zealand, the same tension emerged in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Ahead of the second anniversary of the devastating cyclone – and as Northland is battered, yet again, by severe weather and flooding – New Zealanders need to ask how we can balance our personal resilience and need for stability while also acknowledging the need for a managed retreat.

    The long history of fires in Los Angeles

    In his essay The Case for Letting Malibu Burn, writer Mike Davis outlines how fire is an inescapable part of Los Angeles history and how after each fire the city has always been rebuilt.

    Davis’ work focuses on Los Angeles but raises important questions about the future of all communities facing increasing risks from climate change.

    The repeated rebuilds in Los Angeles have created an expectation that the city will be rebuilt after every fire.

    But the city also has unique physical features that make such fires inescapable: the combination of the Santa Ana winds blowing from the desert with chaparral vegetation growing in the steep and dry canyons.

    Fire has always been a natural part of the cycle of regeneration in this landscape. What has changed is the encroachment of human dwellings at the foot of these hills and canyons, and into them. Between 1990 and 2020, nearly 45% of the homes built in California were placed in these high fire risk areas.

    Climate change is also making both localised rain events and droughts in the Los Angeles environs more extreme, creating larger and then drier fuel loads.

    From a systems perspective, a managed retreat from the areas of worst fire risk makes sense. The resilience of cities requires them to be adaptive.

    Yet adaptation in Los Angeles is largely not happening. After previous fires, rebuilding has generally occurred within six years and with minimal to no change in building design or placement. People have found comfort in the idea of “bouncing back” like a rubber ball.

    Pricing in the risk

    There is one group within this complex system which is actually adapting in the face of increasing climate change – in Los Angeles and elsewhere, including in New Zealand.

    Home insurers have drastically raised premiums in Los Angeles, or removed cover entirely from many homeowners, to cover ever-growing losses. The insurance bill for these recent fires is predicted to be US$30 billion and the frequency and cost of such climate disasters is increasing.

    Together, the 2023 Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle cost insurers more than NZ$3.5 billion. The cost of insurance in New Zealand rose by 14% in 2024, significantly outpacing general consumer price inflation.

    In system terms, increased insurance premiums represent some of the adaptive capacity of a community that insists on rebuilding in the face of increasing risks.

    In economic terms, you can also think of insurance premiums as a market signal which is pricing the ever-increasing risk of disaster into the cost of living in such fire or flood zones.

    Accepting risk or accepting change in NZ

    The approaching second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle and the ongoing debate over managed retreat demonstrates the same tension in Aotearoa New Zealand between increasing climate risks and our very human need to rebuild and restore what we have lost.

    City and regional councils are facing questions about whether to build (or rebuild) in high-risk areas.

    But with two thirds of our population living in flood risk areas and both flood risks and insurance costs increasing, how many times can New Zealand rebuild in these risky areas?

    In the end, we need to remember that a crucial, and sometimes overlooked, element of psychological resilience is acceptance of change.

    In a world of accelerating climate change and related disasters this is increasingly the more realistic response.

    Anthony Richardson 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. Wanting to ‘return to normal’ after a disaster is understandable, but often problematic – https://theconversation.com/wanting-to-return-to-normal-after-a-disaster-is-understandable-but-often-problematic-247884

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK is deeply concerned by the scale and pace of recent M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces advances in eastern DRC: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    President, MONUSCO peacekeepers and personnel work bravely to deliver this Council’s mandate in the most difficult of circumstances.

    The United Kingdom reiterates clearly today that attacks on UN peacekeepers are absolutely unacceptable, and may constitute war crimes. 

    We also recall that planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MONUSCO peacekeepers may constitute a basis for UN sanctions designations.

    The UK extends its sympathies to the families of the Blue Helmets from South Africa and Uruguay who have lost their lives serving in MONUSCO, and we extend our best wishes for a full recovery to those peacekeepers who have been injured.

    The UK also extends its condolences to the families of all troops from the Southern African Development Community Mission in DRC who have lost their lives in support of DRC’s stability and security.

    As we do so, we fully acknowledge that the numbers of those lost and injured is changing by the hour. It is a critical moment for DRC and for the region.

    President, I would now like to make three points.

    First, the United Kingdom once again condemns the violent actions of all armed groups, including FDLR and M23.

    We are deeply concerned by the scale and pace of recent M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces advances in eastern DRC.

    In December this Council renewed MONUSCO’s mandate. And in the four weeks since, M23’s unacceptable offensive, and that of the Rwanda Defence Forces, through North and South Kivu, has resulted in the capture of several towns and villages.

    As we’ve heard, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced, and violence has intensified as a result.

    We are also deeply alarmed by M23’s declaration that they intend to take Goma, a city where the humanitarian situation is already catastrophic.

    The rising number of displaced people resulting from M23’s territorial expansion has placed further pressure on crowded IDP camps and exacerbates the challenges faced by humanitarian actors.

    This morning, the UK Foreign Secretary spoke with President Kagame and called for urgent de-escalation, outlining the need for Rwanda and the DRC to urgently return to the negotiating table.

    Now, more than ever, it is critical that MONUSCO is able to deliver its mandate. M23 attacks on peacekeepers, with support from the RDF, must stop immediately.

    These attacks prevent the force from being able to discharge its Security Council-mandated mission to protect civilians.

    Rwandan spoofing and jamming of GPS signals, which obstruct UN and humanitarian operations, must also stop.

    We urge all parties to remember their obligations under international humanitarian law.

    Finally, President, the United Kingdom once again extends its thanks to Angola for its leadership on mediation efforts.

    We encourage DRC and Rwanda to return to the negotiating table and to focus on making tangible progress on delivering on their commitments under the concept of operations.

    There can be no military solution. Fighting must stop. Civilians must be protected. And the parties should engage in good faith in the political process.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Statement on Belarus

    Source: Government of Sweden

    Statement on Belarus – Government.se

    Please enable javascript in your browser

    Statement by Maria Malmer Stenergard

    Published

    Joint Statement by Nordic Baltic Foreign Ministers on Belarus, 26 January 2025.

    The Nordic-Baltic countries support the statement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on support to the Belarusian people.

    The Nordic-Baltic countries stand in solidarity with the Belarusian people who strive for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus. A future democratic Belarus has a place in the European family. Our countries will continue to support the tireless efforts of the Belarusian democratic forces led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and independent Belarusian civil society both inside and outside Belarus.

    The Nordic-Baltic countries continue to support the democratic right of the Belarusian people to choose their leaders through free and fair elections. This requires rule of law, political pluralism, and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms as genuine democratic preconditions. None of this is, regretfully, observed in today’s Belarus. Instead, the relentless and unprecedented level of repression, including arbitrary detention and torture, mass human rights violations, severe restrictions to political participation for opponents of the regime and highly restricted access to independent media have deprived the process that took place today of any legitimacy. This is also reflected in the decision of the Belarus’ authorities to invite the OSCE ODIHR mission only 10 days beforehand.

    The Nordic-Baltic countries strongly urge the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, and their effective rehabilitation. Aliaksandr Lukashenka continues to lack any democratic legitimacy.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN officials call for ceasefire compliance after 15 people killed in Lebanon

    Source: United Nations 4

    Peace and Security

    Top UN officials in Lebanon are calling for compliance with the ongoing ceasefire after reports that Israeli forces killed 15 people, including a Lebanese soldier, along the buffer zone with Israel, which Israel was due to withdraw from on Sunday under the agreement.

    The timelines envisaged in the November ceasefire agreement “have not been met”, according to a joint statement by UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and head of the UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, and force commander Aroldo Lázaro.

    The agreement between Israel and armed group Hezbollah had been reached after more than a year of fighting, stemming from the Israeli war in Gaza.

    “As seen tragically this morning, conditions are not yet in place for the safe return of citizens to their villages along the Blue Line,” they said, referring to the buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon.

    Israel warned Lebanese civilians not to return to their homes in the south this weekend, stating it would not withdraw due to alleged violations of ceasefire terms. 

    Violations of resolution 1701 recorded daily

    “Displaced communities, already facing a long road to recovery and reconstruction, are therefore once again being called on to exercise caution. Also, violations of UN Security Council resolution 1701 continue to be recorded daily.”

    That landmark resolution, adopted in 2006, called for the creation of a buffer zone between the countries and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

    By the terms of the November ceasefire agreement, Israel was meant to have fully withdrawn its forces from the area by Sunday.

    ‘So much at stake’

    The Special Coordinator and UNIFIL chief said “compliance by both parties with their obligations under the November agreement and the full implementation of resolution 1701 constitute the only way to bring closure to the recent, dark chapter of conflict and open a new one, heralding security, stability and prosperity on both sides of the Blue Line.”

    At the same time, the UN will continue to engage all actors towards this end and remains ready to support any action consistent with resolution 1701 and the efforts of the Implementation Mechanism to achieve the objectives of the November Understanding. 

    “With so much at stake for both Lebanon and Israel, recommitment is urgently needed from all sides,” they said in the statement.

    Much has changed since ceasefire

    The UN officials said much has changed in Lebanon since the Cessation of Hostilities Understanding came into force on 27 November 2024.

    Violence has dramatically decreased, and in many areas of southern Lebanon, hundreds of thousands of people have been able to return to their towns and villages.

    The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have shown resolve in deploying to positions from which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are withdrawing, the UN officials said.

    Supported by UNIFIL, the Lebanese forces are helping to restore services and facilitating humanitarian access to communities most affected by conflict, they said.

    The ongoing government formation process, following the election of a president and the designation of a prime minister, is a critical step in building trust between Lebanese citizens and the State, they explained. These developments also augur well for prospective support to the full extension of state authority over all Lebanese territory and for the country’s recovery, reconstruction and growth.

    UNIFIL troops stand ready

    The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) remains very concerned about reports of Lebanese civilians returning to villages where Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are still present and of casualties due to Israeli fire, according to a statement by the mission on Sunday.

    At Lebanese Armed Forces request, UNIFIL peacekeepers are deploying to areas indicated by the Lebanese forces across the mission’s area of operations to monitor the situation and help prevent any further escalation.

    “However, the management of crowds remains outside our mandate,” according to UNFIL, which is tasked with supporting the implementation of resolution 1701.

    ‘IDF must stop firing on civilians in Lebanon’

    “It is imperative to avoid further deterioration of the situation,” the UN peacekeeping mission said, calling on the Lebanese population to adhere to the directives of the LAF, which aim to protect lives and prevent an escalation of violence in southern Lebanon.

    “The IDF must avoid firing at civilians within Lebanese territory. Further violence risks undermining the fragile security situation in the area and prospects for stability ushered in by the cessation of hostilities and the formation of a Government in Lebanon,” UNIFIL said.

    The UN mission emphasised the critical importance of fully implementing resolution 1701 and the cessation of hostilities arrangements through established mechanisms, which includes the complete withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon, the removal of any unauthorised weapons and assets south of the Litani river, the redeployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in all of south Lebanon and ensuring the safe and dignified return of displaced civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU launched the All-Russian competition “Family History. Immortal Memory”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    The opening ceremony of the All-Russian competition “Family History. Immortal Memory” was held on Russian Students’ Day, January 25. The State University of Management is the organizer of the competition.

    Opening the official ceremony, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Olga Petrova noted the significance of the fact that the competition is starting in the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. “This is a continuation of the Year of the Family, because the values that they lay down are fundamental family values, these are the meanings and traditions that connect us, generations to generations.”

    Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev emphasized that the day for the start of such an important competition was not chosen by chance. “The competition will be interesting and useful for the younger generation, and I would like the date of the great Victory to become close and dear to them,” the rector noted, adding that the competition will last until mid-summer and include many events.

    Member of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, GUU graduate Biysultan Khamzaev emphasized Russian Student Day in his speech. “Everyone remembers their student days and I would like today’s youth not to miss this moment, so that they would later remember their university days with warmth. Happy holiday to everyone. And this year – the year of the great Victory of our ancestors – the competition starts. Guys, spend your time creatively, study, but also do not forget our veterans.”

    The award ceremony was followed by. Biysultan Khamzayev presented letters of gratitude “For contribution to the development of higher education, long-term conscientious work and assistance in the implementation of parliamentary activities” to Vladimir Stroyev, Vice-Rector Pavel Pavlovsky, Deputy Director of the Institute of Industry Management Andrey Lipatov, Head of the Patriotic Education Department of the Department of Youth Policy and Educational Work (UMPiVR) Almaz Akhayev, specialist of the youth policy department of the UMPiVR Marianna Loretsyan. “For special achievements in studies, conscientious attitude to the educational process and active civic position” – to students of the Institute of Public Administration and Law Ramazan Rakhmanov and the Institute of Industry Management Magomed Khadziev.

    The opening ceremony of the competition was also attended by Deputy State Secretary of the Union State Elena Bogdan, Vice-Rector of the Russian State Humanitarian University Irakli Balkvadze, Vice-Rector of the Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushinsky Denis Palatnikov, representatives of the Kherson University and Vitebsk State University.

    The All-Russian competition “Family History. Immortal Memory” is a competition for students and teachers who would like to tell the stories of their families during the Great Patriotic War. The main goal is to preserve the connection between generations: today’s youth and their grandfathers and great-grandfathers who defeated fascism. The initiator of the competition was the State University of Management and personally the rector Vladimir Stroyev. The strategic partners of the competition were the Association “I am proud” and the “People’s Front” of the DPR. RUDN, RTU MIREA, and RSUH participated in the work on organizing the event.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 01/26/2025

    является организатором конкурса….” data-yashareImage=”https://guu.ru/wp-content/uploads/Семейная-история-бессмертная-память-1.webp” data-yashareLink=”https://guu.ru/%d0%b3%d1%83%d1%83-%d0%b4%d0%b0%d0%bb-%d1%81%d1%82%d0%b0%d1%80%d1%82-%d0%b2%d1%81%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%be%d1%81%d1%81%d0%b8%d0%b9%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%be%d0%bc%d1%83-%d0%ba%d0%be%d0%bd%d0%ba%d1%83%d1%80%d1%81/”>

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: eInvoicing for government

    Source: Australian Department of Revenue

    Australian Government’s commitment

    The Australian Government has extended its commitment to increase Peppol eInvoicing adoption in the Budget 2024–25External Link (information found on page 180 of Budget Paper No.2 PDF document). By leading the implementation of eInvoicing, the Government aims to improve cash flow, disrupt payment redirection scams and boost productivity across the economy.

    For these and other benefits to be realised, governments across the country need to use eInvoicing and encourage the businesses they interact with to use it too.

    In July 2022 many Australian Government entities were mandated to be able to receive eInvoices and 16,000 Australian businesses were registered on the Peppol network. By January 2025 this number has jumped to over 410,000, with 129 Australian Government entities and more than 300 state and territory government entities and local councils also getting on board.

    With the network growing, we now need to focus on increasing the volume of transactions supporting the government’s supply chain.

    Australian Government entities

    Building on the 1 July 2022 mandate to receive eInvoices, the next stage for Australian Government entities is to increase the uptake of eInvoicing in Australia in line with the recommendations agreed to in the Government response to the Statutory Review of the Payment Times Reporting Act 2020External Link:

    • 13.1 – Promote the adoption of eInvoicing by all businesses.
    • 13.2 – Adopt the full functionality of eInvoicing across Commonwealth agencies.

    The main role for the government is as a buyer of goods and services and supporting businesses by paying eInvoices more quicklyExternal Link:

    • If you’re already able to receive eInvoices, but eInvoicing is not yet fully integrated with your finance or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and automated workflows, consider uplifting your accounts payable capability. Also include eInvoicing in your procurement and contract templates as the preferred way to receive invoices.
    • Consider your accounts receivable volumes and processes and investigate how you may embed eInvoicing as your default channel when sending invoices to businesses or other government agencies.

    To find out more about how the ATO is helping agencies meet their obligations, or to join our GovTEAMS community for peer support and to tap into more detailed information, email einvoicing@ato.gov.au.

    Check the full list of eInvoicing-enabled Australian Government entities.

    State and territory governments

    The ATO is also working with state and territory governments who are then furthering eInvoicing adoption in their jurisdictions:

    To connect with the eInvoicing lead in your state or territory, email us at einvoicing@ato.gov.au.

    Local government

    For more information about eInvoicing and to find out how we can help your council, email us at einvoicing@ato.gov.au.

    Getting started and getting the most out of eInvoicing

    Many government entities are using eInvoicing, including here at the ATO.

    If you’ve not yet got onboard, adding eInvoicing as a channel to government finance systems is essentially the same as for medium and large businesses.

    To make sure your eInvoicing capabilities are appropriate and you’re maximising the efficiency and productivity benefits for both you and your suppliers, read our:

    For more technical advice or for tailored help to increase the volume of eInvoices you receive, contact eInvoicing@ato.gov.au.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: California depends on prison labour to deal with climate disasters — Canada must avoid a similar model

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jordan House, Assistant Professor, Labour Studies, Brock University

    As wildfires continue to burn in and around Los Angeles, the fact that many of the firefighters battling the blazes are inmates from California’s prison system has drawn significant attention in news coverage.

    While the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) claims their fire camp program is voluntary and provides prisoners with meaningful opportunities, research demonstrates otherwise.

    Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argue that the program exploits incarcerated individuals, labelling it as “modern-day slavery.” One ex-prisoner described it as “involuntary servitude.”

    An inmate shares his experience fighting California wildfires (ABC News).

    The use of prison labour is particularly concerning, given Black Americans are incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of white Americans in state prisons. In 12 states, more than half of the prison population is Black.

    California prisoners are denied access to minimum wage provisions, prevented from forming labour unions and denied access to other workplace safety regulations. They’re also more likely to be injured or to die on the job than non-incarcerated firefighters. Their wages are capped at US$29.80 per day, compared to non-incarcerated firefighters, who earn up to US$358 daily, not including overtime.

    While serving in a fire crew gives prisoners the chance to shave time off of their sentences and have records expunged, neither of these benefits is guaranteed. Both are contingent on the CDCR or county jails deeming the service in a fire camp to be “successful.” This leaves prisoners vulnerable to being denied these benefits, despite risking injury or death.

    Prison labour in the Canadian context

    Some Canadian coverage of the L.A. fires has noted that provincial prisoners in British Columbia also work in a wildfire suppression program. However, little has been said about how that work relates to the larger system of prison labour in the country.

    Like their counterparts south of the border, Canadian prisoners are engaged in various forms of labour, including wildfire management, but are denied basic rights as workers.

    In 1975, Donald Griggs, then-superintendent of Ontario’s Monteith Correctional Complex, told the Globe and Mail that prison labour had been used in response to fires from time immemorial: “When a fire got bad, the jails were emptied and the men were shoved out on the fire line.”

    By the late 1960s, programs for prisoners to support wildfire suppression had become more formalized. During that time, for example, prisoners at Beaver Creek, a federal prison in Ontario, participated in regional bushfire response efforts. Working in the program offered prisoners, who were paid $1.25 an hour, a chance at some “action.”

    By the mid-1970s, some Ontario prisoners earned up to $50 a day battling wildfires. Today, however, most prisoners don’t earn anything close to those wages. Federal prisoner pay maxes out at $6.90 per day.

    In the rare situations where prisoners are relatively well-compensated, prison labour still offers employers unique benefits. Prisoners’ lack of freedom and limited ability to refuse work is touted as an advantage. Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) officials have argued that, compared to volunteer firefighters, prisoners “are always in one place and available for duty.”

    Prison labour in British Columbia

    Canada’s most prominent use of prison labour to manage wildfires is in B.C. While prisoners served in direct firefighting roles in the past, today provincial prisoners, who make between $2 and $8 per day, play a critical support role for wildfire-fighting crews by maintaining equipment and fire camps.

    Notably, all the participating prisoners have “open custody” status, having “behaved exceptionally well during previous experience on other community work crews.”

    In Canada, prisoners are supposed to work as part of their rehabilitation, not as punishment. However, the reality often prioritizes the needs of employers over the rehabilitation of prisoners. A review of the CSC’s Federal Work Release Program, which was established in 1992 and included a firefighting component, notes:

    “It is not necessary that the work be directly related to the offender’s correctional plan…work release is a very flexible program that allows correctional managers to respond to community projects and local needs for labour.”

    This is particularly concerning given that ex-prisoners often struggle to secure gainful employment upon release, despite their participation in employment programming.

    Prison labour as a response to climate disasters

    While the idea of keeping people incarcerated to maintain a labour force to fight disasters might sound like something out of science fiction, it’s not mere speculation. Responses to climate catastrophes like the L.A. fires demand huge amounts of resources and labour.

    Former U.S. vice-president Kamala Harris, as California attorney general, led a campaign to defy a U.S. Supreme Court order to reduce the state’s prison population partly because decarceration would “severely impact fire camp participation.”

    In Canada, prison labour has similarly been used in disaster responses. Most recently, CORCAN, the federal prison industry program, has been contracted to build temporary housing for people displaced by the 2024 wildfires in Jasper, Alta.

    Just as Black, Indigenous and racialized people in the U.S. are more likely to become incarcerated, these are also the populations that suffer disproportionately from the impacts of wildfires. Studies have shown that Indigenous communities in Canada are the hardest hit by wildfires, while Indigenous Peoples make up the fastest growing prison populations.

    Much like the U.S., Canada also disproportionately incarcerates Black, Indigenous and racialized people, while also depriving incarcerated labourers of access to minimum wage rights, workplace safety provisions and the right to unionize.

    The root cause of many of these disasters — climate change — is disproportionately driven by the world’s wealthiest elites. The use of prison labour to fight wildfires only further perpetuates the systemic inequalities exacerbated by climate injustice and reflects a continuation of indentured servitude.

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

    – ref. California depends on prison labour to deal with climate disasters — Canada must avoid a similar model – https://theconversation.com/california-depends-on-prison-labour-to-deal-with-climate-disasters-canada-must-avoid-a-similar-model-248099

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Online platforms risk becoming ideological echo chambers that undermine meaningful dialogue

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Alexander Martin, PhD Student, Science and Technology Studies, York University, Canada

    The migration to Bluesky, especially after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, reflects a growing dissatisfaction with centralized platforms and their handling of political content. (Shutterstock)

    There has recently been a shift online from centralized platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to decentralized alternatives like Bluesky. In particular, many users unhappy with the politics and antics of X owner Elon Musk are moving to Bluesky.

    Users migrating from X have cited a rise in bots and hate speech as the reason for leaving the site. Journalist Cory Doctorow termed this the idea of “enshittification,” a process where platforms get worse by focusing on profit and spreading harmful content.

    Under Musk, X has seemingly shifted to promote more extreme accounts, making the platform less welcoming to others. These users are looking for more control, transparency, and less manipulation.

    However, this migration raises an important question. Is this shift towards platforms like Bluesky limiting cross-ideological conversation and increasing political polarization? If so, what does this mean for the health of democracy in the digital age?

    The migration to Bluesky, especially after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, reflects a growing dissatisfaction with centralized platforms and their handling of political content. Understanding this trend is essential, as it could shape how future political debates and movements unfold online.

    Social media and political discourse

    Social media platforms are now central to political discourse. Amid recent political movements, including Donald Trump’s rise, social media has emerged as a key player in shaping political narratives. Figures like Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are increasingly close to Trump.

    Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, as did other tech companies. Both Zuckerberg and Musk made appearances at Trump’s inauguration, signalling support for Trump’s ascent to power. This demonstrates the tech industry’s close proximity to political power and centralized social media’s potential to amplify certain political agendas.

    The shift from X to Bluesky is part of a larger trend. Left-leaning users are moving to Bluesky because of concerns over political bias and misinformation on X.

    Musk’s acquisition of X in 2022 changed its content moderation policies. This change amplified conservative voices and pushed away users who already felt marginalized. This resulted in an initial exodus to another decentralized social media site called Mastodon, where the user count surged from 3,400 to 113,400 in a single day.

    Commentators have pointed out that many users want a platform with less bias, few manipulations and more freedom of expression.

    Bluesky’s open-source, federated structure provides a space where users have more control over their online experience. This has helped Bluesky grow rapidly, with the platform gaining 2.5 million new users in just two months and seeing a 500 per cent increase in traffic following the U.S. election.

    The platform’s appeal lies in its promise of transparency and user autonomy, qualities that users increasingly value as centralized platforms like X and Meta face scrutiny over political bias and misinformation.

    Tara McGowan discusses the migration of liberals from X to Bluesky.

    May fuel more polarization

    While Bluesky offers an alternative to X’s perceived political bias, it may also deepen political polarization. Its decentralized nature gives users control over what they see, which could reinforce ideological silos.

    Research being done on Mastodon shows that this model can contribute to the democratization of social media by offering more control. As left-leaning users flock to Bluesky while right-leaning users stay on X and Meta, the divide between these groups deepens, further entrenching political silos.

    One of the main reasons for the migration to Bluesky is dissatisfaction with content moderation practices on centralized platforms like X and Meta. Under Musk’s leadership, X has scaled back content moderation and reinstated controversial accounts, raising concerns about the spread of misinformation.

    Similarly, Meta has relaxed its content guidelines by introducing community notes, similar to X. This makes it easier for harmful content to spread. With the community notes, the platform decides what content is considered factual. While this gives users more freedom, it could also enable the spread of false and misleading information.



    Read more:
    Meta is abandoning fact checking – this doesn’t bode well for the fight against misinformation

    Bluesky offers a decentralized model that gives users more control over the content they see. Users can curate their own feeds, creating a more personalized experience.

    Though this model faces challenges, like bot activity and misinformation, it moves away from algorithm-driven approach of platforms like X and Meta. In an era where users worry about bias and censorship, Bluesky’s model offers a potential solution for those seeking more transparency and control over the content they see.

    However, all misinformation threatens the integrity of public discourse. As users gravitate toward platforms that reinforce their existing beliefs, they become more vulnerable to misinformation campaigns.

    This has the potential to undermine public trust in political institutions and the democratic process. Unchecked false information could have serious consequences for democratic participation and the legitimacy of the political process.

    A threat to democracy?

    Bluesky’s decentralized model offers an alternative to traditional centralized platforms that are increasingly seen as biased or manipulative.

    However, this migration also highlights the dangers of political polarization and echo chambers. As users move to platforms that align with their beliefs, space for cross-ideological dialogue shrinks, weakening public discourse.

    This growing division could make it harder for people to have informed, open debates about important issues that matter most. Moving to decentralized platforms like Bluesky may provide more control over the content, but it still requires careful attention to how platforms shape political narratives and the future of democratic engagement.

    Alexander Martin 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. Online platforms risk becoming ideological echo chambers that undermine meaningful dialogue – https://theconversation.com/online-platforms-risk-becoming-ideological-echo-chambers-that-undermine-meaningful-dialogue-247982

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Jan. 27 came to be International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Robert Jan van Pelt, Professor, School of Architecture, University of Waterloo

    When, in the late 1980s, I began my research on the architectural history of the Auschwitz death camp, Jan. 27 wasn’t marked on any official calendar as a special day of commemoration.

    Since then, as a historian who has focused on the history of the Holocaust in general and the history of Auschwitz in particular, and who has with collaborators curated the Auschwitz exhibition now showing in Toronto, I have seen changes in terms of how the Holocaust generally, and Auschwitz in particular, is publicly remembered and commemorated.

    Jan. 27 is now identified as an annual International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. On Jan. 27 1945, the Red Army liberated some 7,000 remaining prisoners in Auschwitz, located in south-central Poland. How was this date chosen, and what issues or reflection might it raise?

    Poland

    With 1.1 million murdered victims — of whom one million were Jews — Auschwitz was the most murderous of the German death camps. It had already become by the mid-1970s a powerful symbol of the Holocaust.

    Yet during the Cold War, European nations commemorated the dead of the Second World War on dates that were anniversaries of the end of the war. In Poland, a profoundly Roman Catholic country, the observances of the victims of the war were held on All Saints Day or, since 1955, the Sunday closest to the Ides of April, not Jan. 27.

    In the early 1990s, the Polish government led by President Lech Walesa decided to make the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the liberating Red Army at the gates of Auschwitz into a major international commemoration in 1995.

    Seventeen heads of state, including German Federal President Roman Herzog, attended the occasion on Jan. 27, 1995. It was, in a sense, a “coming-out” of the now firmly democratic Polish Republic. At that time, Warsaw was eyeing membership of NATO and the EU, which had been formally established by means of the Maastricht Treaty two years earlier.

    In the 1995 commemoration, Jews were largely invisible — in fact, Walesa forgot to mention the Jews in his speech.

    Dates in the Hebrew calendar

    Among Jews, primarily in North America and Israel, Holocaust commemorations are typically associated with three dates in the Hebrew (lunar) calendar:

    1. The ninth day of the Jewish month of Av: Since time immemorial, Jews commemorated on this day the destruction of the First Temple (in 586 BCE) and the destruction of the Second Temple (in 70 CE).

    2. The 10th day of the Jewish month of Tevet: This day, King Nebuchadnezzar II began the siege of Jerusalem that was to lead to the destruction of the First Temple. Traditionally on this day, Jews say the prayer of the dead for family members whose date of death is unknown. As the date of death of most of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust is indeed unknown, the 10th of Tevet became quite prominent in Israel as a date of Holocaust commemoration.

    3. The 27th day of the Jewish month of Nisan: This day, established in 1953 as Yom Hashoah (Shoah Day) by the Israeli government, coincides with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which is a point of great pride to Jews. Thus, Yom Hashoah was meant to commemorate not only the depth of the catastrophe, but at the same time one of the few points of light within the Holocaust.

    In American society, a custom arose in the 1980s to hold a commemorative day of the Holocaust in the period that stretches from the Sunday preceding Yom Hashoah to the Sunday following Yom Hashoah, creating a clear link with the Jewish practice. In Canada, Jews mobilized to introduce provincial days of remembrance, insisting that they would follow Jewish practice and be held on Yom Hashoah.

    Germany

    Months after the 1995 Polish commemoration, the leaders of the allied nations and Germany gathered in Berlin on May 8, 1995 to observe the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. German President Herzog noted that while many Germans still remembered May 8 as a day of defeat, in fact that day had opened a door to a future of peace and co-operation in Europe.

    However, some Germans believed that it was now time to move on and stop talking about the the Nazis, the war and the Holocaust.

    Herzog decided something had to be done to force continued engagement with the Nazi past, and to shut up revisionists who stressed German victimhood. He proclaimed Jan. 27 as Day of Commemoration of the Victims of National Socialism. It was a politically astute move. He knew that in any discussion about the meaning of the Third Reich, the name “Auschwitz” was the ultimate trump card that could not be beaten.

    Sweden, U.K., EU, UN

    In 1998, Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson declared Jan. 27 to be an official day of Holocaust Remembrance. This move was to lay the groundwork for a larger Swedish-led inter-governmental educational initiative founded to combat rising antisemitism.

    In support of this project, which lead to the Stockholm Declaration and the establishment of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), the British and Italian governments adopted Jan. 27 as a day of commemoration in 1999 and 2000.

    A few years later, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia — plus Malta and Cyprus — joined the EU. Until then, it had consisted of countries that had been either stable liberal democracies since 1945, or had become such in the 1970s.

    Most of the new members had been communist-ruled. There was nervousness about the baggage they would bring — especially persistent antisemitism. On Jan. 27, 2005, the European Parliament called on the European Council, Commission and member states to make Jan. 27 European Holocaust Memorial Day, to be observed across the EU.

    The effects were profound: Aleida Assmann, a prominent historian of collective memory, observed that pan-European importance of the Jan. 27 day of commemoration since 2005 confirmed the Holocaust as a common “europäischer Gründungsmythos” or European foundation narrative

    Later in 2005, the General Assembly of the United Nations made Jan. 27 an annual International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The resolution establishing the date invoked the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirmed “that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.”

    What to think of Jan. 27?

    While deeply committed to the study of the history of Auschwitz and profoundly engaged with the commemoration of both the Holocaust in general and Auschwitz in particular, if forced to choose, I have a clear preference for Yom Hashoah over Jan. 27.

    Jan. 27 as a day of commemoration emerged from initiatives taken by non-Jews at the highest political level, without much consultation with Jews.

    A few of my now-deceased Auschwitz survivor friends told me that the entire Jan. 27 date should be cancelled as it has no or little meaning for Jews, and it certainly had no meaning for them as Auschwitz survivors, because they had been taken away from Auschwitz in a death march before the arrival of the Red Army.

    Yet now it exists, and better to work with it. All the good reasons why Auschwitz became a symbol of the Holocaust are still valid — especially the fact that it ties a very complex series of events to a real place that everyone can visit.

    But I would like to invite all who gather on Jan. 27 to remember the Holocaust to consider also its profoundly political origins. And I hope that they will decide to also attend a similar event a few months later, on Yom Hashoah.

    Robert Jan van Pelt is curator for the Auschwitz exhibit at the ROM.

    – ref. How Jan. 27 came to be International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust – https://theconversation.com/how-jan-27-came-to-be-international-day-of-commemoration-in-memory-of-the-victims-of-the-holocaust-248104

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada’s claim that it champions human rights is at odds with its mining practices

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Véronique Plouffe, PhD candidate in Feminist and Gender Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    Canada presents itself as a gender equality and human rights champion both at home and abroad. But it’s also a global leader in mining, an industry with an abysmal human rights record.

    Under the previous Conservative federal government, Canadian foreign aid was more directly aligned with mining and commercial interests. But when Liberal Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015, it appeared to signal a return to more “progressive” values.



    Read more:
    Justin Trudeau’s resignation creates a progressive void in Canada, part of a long-established cycle

    The launch of the Feminist International Assistance Policy in 2017 was a powerful symbol in this direction. But despite Canadian mining companies being accused of environmental and human rights violations in various countries, the Liberal government continues to actively support mining abroad.

    Canada is a global mining powerhouse, home to almost half of the world’s publicly listed mining and mineral exploration companies.

    According to 2023 data, Canadian mining companies operate in 95 foreign countries and the value of Canadian mining assets totalled $336.7 billion. Half of Canadian foreign mining assets are located in Latin America and the Caribbean.

    Canadian mining in Peru

    Peru is a key mining partner; 71 firms operate in the country and Canada has nearly $10 billion of mining assets in the South American country. Canada has the largest number of mining exploration projects in Peru at 24, and ranks third (after the United Kingdom and Peru itself) in terms of mining exploration investments.

    At last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Lima, Trudeau announced investments to create “a better future by focusing on a healthier planet and equal opportunities for all.” These included initiatives to support women’s and girls’ rights as well as improving access to the justice system for Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian communities.

    Trudeau also announced the creation of a Canada-Peru Dialogue of Critical Minerals and Mining Sustainability.

    But can Canada be both a human rights champion and a global mining leader? While Canada describes its mining industry as sustainable and socially responsible, human rights organizations paint a different picture.

    Backing Boluarte government

    Canadian mining companies have been accused in Peru of environmental contamination, criminalizing community leaders, land dispossession and the violation of Indigenous self-determination. Canada has also supported Peruvian mining law reforms in favour of foreign mining investment.

    Canada’s support of the current and highly unpopular Dina Boluarte government, which ousted left-wing president Pedro Castillo in 2022, points to the ongoing prioritization of mining interests over human rights, even those of Canadian citizens.

    Castillo meanwhile had proposed a plan to renegotiate mining contracts with multinational companies so that more profits stayed in Peru.

    The impact on women

    Reports have shown that women bear the brunt of mining’s negative impacts, which include gender violence, economic and food insecurity and health problems.

    Women human rights defenders confronting extractive industries also face gender-specific risks and challenges. Indigenous women are often at the forefront of resisting extractive projects.

    Despite the bold ambitions of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy to promote a “more peaceful, more inclusive and more prosperous world,” critics have highlighted several weaknesses and challenges.

    Among them: insufficient funding, its instrumentalist approach (when women are used for broader economic and political goals), as well as its emphasis on neoliberal capitalist growth and the private sector.

    Some have also highlighted its lack of coherence with other policy areas, including trade and security, its support for Israel and its treatment of Indigenous women in Canada.



    Read more:
    Canada’s inaction in Gaza marks a failure of its feminist foreign policy

    Structural causes not addressed

    My ongoing research with civil society organizations in Peru suggests that Canada is providing much-needed and highly appreciated support for women’s rights, LGTBQ+ and Indigenous women’s organizations, namely through its Women’s Voice and Leadership Program. The positive impacts of such initiatives should not be overlooked.

    But even though these projects — often short-term — may benefit some people and some organizations, they often fail to tackle the structural causes of poverty and gender inequality. They also neglect to take into account Canada’s role in creating and maintaining global inequalities through its disruptive mining activities.



    Read more:
    The role of Canadian mining in the plight of Central American migrants

    For years, Canadian civil society organizations have been demanding greater accountability and regulation for Canadian overseas corporations. Despite promises to hold companies accountable for abuses abroad with the creation of the Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, the Trudeau government has been criticized for failing to deliver on these pledges.

    With the possible election of a Conservative federal government in the coming months, it’s unlikely that tightening regulations for private Canadian companies operating in other countries will be a priority.

    Despite its feminist ambitions, taking a closer look at Canada’s role in countries where it has significant mining interests reveals a more complex and nuanced image of Canada in the world.

    Véronique Plouffe receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

    – ref. Canada’s claim that it champions human rights is at odds with its mining practices – https://theconversation.com/canadas-claim-that-it-champions-human-rights-is-at-odds-with-its-mining-practices-246757

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump’s ‘free speech’ vision comes at expense of press freedom

    Pacific Media Watch

    Among his first official acts on returning to the White House, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship”.

    Implicit in this vaguely written document: the United States is done fighting mis- and disinformation online, reports the Paris-based global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

    Meanwhile, far from living up to the letter or spirit of his own order, Trump is fighting battles against the American news media on multiple fronts and has pardoned at least 13 individuals convicted or charged for attacking journalists in the 6 January 2021 insurrection.

    An RSF statement strongly refutes Trump’s “distorted vision of free speech, which is inherently detrimental to press freedom”.

    Trump has long been one of social media’s most prevalent spreaders of false information, and his executive order, “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship,” is the latest in a series of victories for the propagators of disinformation online.

    Bowing to pressure from Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, whose Meta platforms are already hostile to journalism, did away with fact-checking on Facebook, which the tech mogul falsely equated to censorship while throwing fact-checking journalists under the bus.

    Trump ally Elon Musk also dismantled the meagre trust and safety safeguards in place when he took over Twitter and proceeded to arbitrarily ban journalists who were critical of him from the site.

    ‘Free speech’ isn’t ‘free of facts’
    “Free speech doesn’t mean public discourse has to be free of facts. Donald Trump and his Big Tech cronies like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are dismantling what few guardrails the internet had to protect the integrity of information,” said RSF’s USA executive director Clayton Weimers.

    “We cannot ignore the irony of Trump appointing himself the chief crusader for ‘free speech’ while he continues to personally attack press freedom — a pillar of the First Amendment — and has vowed to weaponise the federal government against expression he doesn’t like.

    “If Trump means what he says in his own executive order, he could start by dropping his lawsuits against news organisations.”

    Trump recently settled a lawsuit out of court with ABC News parent company Disney, but is still suing the Des Moines Register and its parent company Gannett for publishing a poll unfavourable to his campaign, and the Pulitzer Center board for awarding coverage of his 2016 campaign’s alleged ties with Russia.

    Trump should immediately drop both lawsuits and refrain from launching others while in office.

    After a campaign where he attacked the press on a daily basis, Trump has continued to berate the media and dismissed its legitimacy to critique him.

    During a press conference the day after he took office, Trump reproached NBC reporter Peter Alexander for questions about Trump’s blanket pardons of the January 6th riot participants, saying, “Just look at the numbers on the election.

    “We won this election in a landslide, because the American public is tired of people like you that are just one-sided, horrible people, in terms of crime.”

    An incoherent press freedom policy
     The executive order also flies in the face of his violent rhetoric against journalists.

    The order asserts that during the Biden administration, “the Federal government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate.”

    It goes on to state, “It is the policy of the United States to ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.”

    This stated policy, laudable in a vacuum, even if made redundant by the First Amendment, is rendered meaningless by Trump’s explicit threats to weaponise the government against the media, which have recently included threats to revoke broadcast licenses in political retaliation, investigate news organizations that criticise him, and jail journalists who refuse to expose confidential sources.

    Instead, the policy appears designed to amplify disinformation, which benefits a President of the United States who has proven willing to spread disinformation that furthered his political interests on matters small and large.

    “If Trump is serious about his stated commitment to free speech, RSF suggests he begin by ensuring his own actions serve to protect the free press, rather than censoring or punishing media outlets,” the watchdog said.

    “The United States has seen a steady decline in its press freedom ranking in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index over the past decade to a current ranking of 55th out of 180 countries, with presidents from both parties presiding over this backslide.

    “While Trump is not entirely responsible for the present situation, his frequent attacks on the news media have no doubt contributed to the decline in trust in the media, which has been driven partly by partisan attitudes towards journalism.

    “Trump’s violent rhetoric can also contribute to real-life violence — assaults on journalists nearly doubled in 2024, when his campaign was at its apex, compared to 2023.”

    Pacific Media Watch collaborates with RSF.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A new building of the St. Petersburg HSE has opened in the historic building of the Rope Shop

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The famous monument of constructivism — the Rope Shop of the Krasny Gvozdilshchik Plant — has become the new building of the National Research University Higher School of Economics — Saint Petersburg. About four thousand students will study in the building on the 25th Line of Vasilievsky Island.

    Press service of the National Research University Higher School of Economics

    The grand opening ceremony of the new building, timed to coincide with Russian Students’ Day, took place on Saturday, January 25. The event was attended by government officials, members of the HSE – St. Petersburg Board of Trustees, industrial partners, students and teachers. The symbolic red ribbon was cut by the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Knyaginin, Rector of HSE Nikita Anisimov and Director of HSE – St. Petersburg Anna Tyshetskaya.

    The new educational space “Rope Workshop” is more than 20 thousand square meters of modern classrooms, coworking spaces, rooms for practical and project work, museum and exhibition spaces. The building will accommodate students of the joint School of Informatics, Physics and Technology with VK, the School of Design, as well as educational programs in the areas of “Media Communications”, “Sociology”, “State and Municipal Administration”.

    “Today is a significant event not only for St. Petersburg, but for our entire country — the opening of the new building of the Higher School of Economics. I would like to thank the government of St. Petersburg for the attention paid to the city’s education system. Today, the Higher School of Economics is one of the leading Russian universities. It has very high quality and standards of education, a very strong teaching staff and, accordingly, high competition for admission. I am sure that students from all regions of our country, as well as from other countries, will study in the new building of the university. It is important that the areas that will be presented here are very relevant and in demand by the leading sectors of the domestic economy,” emphasized the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov.

    Vice-Governor of Saint Petersburg Vladimir Knyaginin congratulated the students of the Saint Petersburg HSE on the holiday and noted the importance of integrating the educational space into the urban environment. “I am pleased that engineers, builders, designers, architects treated the heritage with care, and we really have a pearl of constructivism that will work for the city, for students, for all of us. The Higher School of Economics in Saint Petersburg is growing with such wonderful objects, and I am looking forward to the opening of the Patriotic Institute building. It seems to me that these will be two wonderful architectural masterpieces, newly opened to the city, its residents and tourists,” Vladimir Knyaginin noted.

    HSE Rector Nikita Anisimov emphasized that Russian Students’ Day is an important holiday for everyone, and celebrating it in St. Petersburg is especially symbolic, because it is here that the traditions of Russian education were formed. “Dear students, teachers, graduates, friends, honored guests! I sincerely congratulate you on our common holiday: St. Tatyana’s Day, Russian Students’ Day. The day when we open our hearts to the future. You, students, are our future. Of course, we pass on our experience, our knowledge, our opportunities to you, but the future is yours. The spirit of education has always lived and will live within the university walls. The traditions of this day were laid here, in the capital of the Russian Empire, in St. Petersburg, in the city where we are opening this building today. Remember – our university is always open for you 24/7, this is your home. Happy holiday!” HSE Rector Nikita Anisimov addressed the students.

    Director of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg Anna Tyshetskaya congratulated those gathered on the occasion and noted that the opening of the building in the historic building of the Rope Workshop will become an incentive for the development of new areas. “Together with our partners, we are presenting a new approach to organizing the educational process. The key concept is the integration of the competencies of the Higher School of Economics and leading technology companies. In addition to standard classrooms and laboratories, we have created spaces that unite the educational and business environment. The new building will house an IT cluster, media communications, and design. In 2025, several new areas of training will open, including a program in architecture. Thus, a new technological and creative educational cluster is being formed on Vasilievsky Island,” emphasized Director of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg Anna Tyshetskaya.

    The restoration of the famous constructivist monument, where the students of the HSE in St. Petersburg will study, was carried out by the Setl Group company. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the holding company, Maxim Shubarev, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Research University Higher School of Economics – St. Petersburg. “It is pleasant to realize that the restoration of the Rope Shop allowed us not only to return an iconic cultural heritage site to the city, but also, thanks to our long-standing partner, the Higher School of Economics, to fill its space with the spirit of science and education. The architectural monument has become an Alma Mater and today opened its doors to students of this respected educational institution. I hope that the amazing and rich history of this building will create a special atmosphere here that motivates knowledge, and will contribute to new discoveries, achievements and creative processes,” said Maxim Shchubarev.

    After the ceremony, HSE St. Petersburg Director Anna Tyshetskaya gave guests a tour of the Rope Workshop. The first floor of the educational space houses the workshops and studios of the School of Design. In 2025, the educational program “Architecture” will open here in partnership with leading design companies and museum institutions of the federal level.

    Part of the Rope Workshop space will be occupied by representative offices of industrial partners of the HSE St. Petersburg: VK, BIOCAD, t2, Yadro, 1C, Yandex, Gazprom Neft, Lesta Igri, RBC and others. The integration of the business environment into the educational process will allow students from the first year to work on real cases and tasks of leading Russian companies.

    As part of a strategic partnership with VK, a new School of Informatics, Physics and Technology will begin operating in 2025, where information systems developers, system architects, ML researchers and ML developers will be trained. The programs were designed under the guidance of leading experts from HSE – St. Petersburg and VK and will allow future specialists to gain relevant knowledge and practical business experience.

    In addition, in 2025, the new building will open the “Programming and Engineering of Computer Games” program. The leading game developer in the CIS, “Lesta Igri”, will act as an industrial partner. On the day of the opening of the Rope Workshop, the Director of Business Development of the group of companies, Gaukhar Aldyyarova, and the Director of the National Research University Higher School of Economics – St. Petersburg, Anna Tyshetskaya, signed an agreement on strategic partnership aimed at developing research activities and training specialists.

    The Yakov Chernikhov Museum of Architecture is located under the unique metal trusses of the Rope Shop. The cultural and educational space is being created to popularize Russian architecture and the legacy of Yakov Chernikhov, whose work is inextricably linked with Leningrad. It is planned to hold open educational events for residents of St. Petersburg and tourists on the museum site.

    After the tour of the new building, guests, students and teachers took part in a large-scale cultural and educational marathon. The celebration in honor of Russian Students’ Day was opened by musician, presenter and blogger Alexander Pushnoy. He moderated the discussion “Artificial Intelligence in Education, Creativity and Content”. VK and industry experts, designers, scientists, teachers and students of the HSE St. Petersburg discussed the role, application and benefits of AI in various professional fields. The event was broadcast exclusively on VK Video. About two thousand people will be able to attend master classes, lectures, expert discussions with leading representatives of science, business and the media sphere throughout the day.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, Post-doctoral researcher, African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town

    Urban agriculture takes many forms, among them community, school or rooftop gardens, commercial urban farms, and hydroponic or aquaponic systems. These activities have been shown to promote sustainable cities in a number of ways. They enhance local food security and foster economic opportunities through small-scale farming initiatives. They also strengthen social cohesion by creating shared spaces for collaboration and learning.

    However, evidence from some African countries (and other parts of the world) shows that very few young people are getting involved in agriculture, whether in urban, peri-urban or rural areas. Studies from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria show that people aged between 15 and 34 have very little interest in agriculture, whether as an educational pathway or career. They perceive farming as physically demanding, low-paying and lacking in prestige. Systemic barriers like limited access to land, capital and skills also hold young people back.

    South Africa has a higher rate of young people engaging in farming (24%) than elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this number could be higher if young people better understood the benefits of a career in farming and if they had more support.

    In a recent study I explored youth-driven urban agriculture in Khayelitsha, a large urban area outside Cape Town whose residents are mostly Black, low-income earners.

    The young urban farmers I interviewed are using community gardens to grow more than vegetables. They’re also nurturing social connections, creating economic and business opportunities, and promoting environmental conservation. My findings highlight the transformative potential of youth-driven urban agriculture and how it can be a multifaceted response to urban challenges. It’s crucial that policy makers recognise the value of youth-led urban agriculture and support those doing the work.

    The research

    Khayelitsha is vibrant and bustling. But its approximately 400,000 residents have limited resources and often struggle to make a living.

    I interviewed members of two youth-led gardens. One has just two members; the other has six. All my interviewees were aged between 22 and 27. The relatively low number of interviewees is typical of qualitative research, where the emphasis is placed on depth rather than breadth. This approach allows researchers to obtain detailed, context-rich data from a small, focused group of participants.

    The first garden was founded in January 2020, just a few months before the pandemic struck. The founders wanted to tackle unemployment and food insecurity in their community. They hoped to create jobs for themselves and others, and to provide nutritional support, particularly for vulnerable groups like children with special needs.

    The second garden was established in 2014 by three childhood friends. They were inspired by one founder’s grandmother, who loved gardening. They also wanted to promote organic farming, teach people healthy eating habits, and create a self-reliant community.

    All of my interviewees were activists for food justice. This refers to efforts aimed at addressing systemic inequities in food production, distribution, and access, particularly for marginalised communities. It advocates for equitable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food.

    One of the gardens, for instance, operates about 30 beds. It cultivates a variety of produce: beetroot, carrots, spinach, pumpkins, potatoes, radishes, peas, lettuce and herbs. 30% of its produce is donated to local community centres each month (they were unable to say how many people benefited from this arrangement). The rest is sold to support the garden financially. Its paying clients include local restaurants and chefs, and members of the community. The garden also partners with schools, hospitals and other organisations to promote healthy eating and sustainable practices.

    The second garden, which is on land belonging to a local early childhood development centre, also focuses on feeding the community, as well as engaging in food justice activism.

    Skills, resilience and connections

    The gardens also help members to develop skills. Members gain practical knowledge about sustainable agriculture, marketing and entrepreneurship, all while managing operations and planning for growth.

    Read more: Healthy food is hard to come by in Cape Town’s poorer areas: how community gardens can fix that

    This hands-on experience instils a sense of responsibility and gives participants valuable skills they can apply in future careers or ventures. The founder of the first garden told me his skills empowered him to seek help from his own community rather than waiting for government intervention. He approached the management of an early childhood development centre in the community to request space on their land, and this was granted.

    Social connections have been essential to the gardens’ success. Bonding capital (close ties within their networks) and bridging capital (connections beyond their immediate community) has allowed them to strengthen relationships between themselves and civil society organisations. They’ve also been able to mobilise resources, as in the case of the first garden accessing community land.

    Additionally, the gardens foster community resilience. Members host workshops and events to educate residents about healthy eating, sustainable farming and environmental stewardship.

    By donating produce to local early childhood centres, they provide direct benefits to those most in need. These efforts have transformed the gardens into safe spaces for the community.

    Broader collaboration has also been key to the gardens’ success. For instance, the second garden has worked with global organisations and networks, like the Slow Food Youth Network, to share and gain knowledge about sustainable farming practices.

    Room for growth

    My findings highlight the need for targeted support for youth-driven urban agriculture initiatives. Policy and financial backing can enable these young gardeners to expand their efforts. This in turn will allow them to provide more food to their communities, create additional jobs, and empower more young people.

    At a policy level, the government could prioritise land access for urban agriculture projects, especially in under-served communities. Cities can foster an environment for youth initiatives to thrive by allocating spaces within their planning for urban farming.

    Read more: Africa’s megacities threatened by heat, floods and disease – urgent action is needed to start greening and adapt to climate change

    There’s also a need for educational programmes that emphasise the value of sustainable urban agriculture, and workshops and training on entrepreneurship and sustainable farming techniques. Community organising could further empower young farmers. Finally, continued collaboration with national and international food networks would help strengthen such initiatives.

    – Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study
    – https://theconversation.com/urban-food-gardens-produce-more-than-vegetables-they-create-bonds-for-young-capetonians-study-243500

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: What France loses by closing its military bases in Africa

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Thierry Vircoulon, Coordinateur de l’Observatoire pour l’Afrique centrale et australe de l’Institut Français des Relations Internationales, membre du Groupe de Recherche sur l’Eugénisme et le Racisme, Université Paris Cité

    Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced on 31 December 2024 that all foreign military bases in his country would close by 2025. On the same day, the Ivorian president said France would hand over control of the Abidjan military base to his country’s army.

    These announcements followed the planned withdrawal of French forces from Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Researcher Thierry Vircoulon discusses the potential implications of these decisions for France.

    What advantages could France lose by withdrawing its troops from African countries?

    France’s military presence in French-speaking Africa has evolved in strategic importance over the past 65 years. Over time, the significance of this presence has diminished. By the end of the 20th century, some French military bases had been closed and the number of pre-positioned troops had reduced from 20,000 in 1970 to 6,000 in 2022.

    Military bases have been a strategic asset for France, initially securing newly independent and fragile regimes in the aftermath of independence. They also played a key role in conducting external operations. These bases served as logistical hubs that enabled French military interventions and the evacuation of French nationals during crises.

    For instance, Operation Sagittarius, which evacuated European nationals from Sudan at the start of the war in April 2023, relied on the resources of the French base in Djibouti.

    Without these logistical points, projecting military strength becomes much more challenging and, in some cases, impossible. The closure of these military bases implies the end of major French military interventions, such as Operation Licorne (2002-2015) or Barkhane (2014-2022).

    In recent years, the cost-benefit analysis of these bases has been questioned in Paris. They have become a political and strategic issue. On one hand, these bases symbolise the old post-independence security pact between Paris and the leaders of some countries, making them appear as a legacy of neocolonialism.

    On the other hand, from a strategic point of view, having a pre-positioned military presence in Africa serves little purpose when the main threats to France come from elsewhere (for instance, eastern Europe and the Middle East). As a result, the strategic value of France’s military bases in Africa has diminished in recent years.

    What impact could military withdrawal have on France’s political and diplomatic influence in its former African colonies?

    The closure of the bases would signal the end of France’s capacity to intervene – whether justified or not – in certain conflicts across Africa.

    This would weaken its influence in the region, particularly as conflicts intensify across the continent, with more and more African countries seeking security providers. Addressing, stabilising or resolving these conflicts requires a combination of diplomacy and military intervention.

    It’s important to distinguish between countries that have chosen to sever military cooperation agreements with Paris (such as Chad and Senegal) and those that have simply closed military bases but maintained the military cooperation (like Ivory Coast).

    The announcement of base closures by African leaders, rather than by Paris, symbolises a rejection of French policy. This marks a significant loss of influence for France in the countries involved.

    Could this withdrawal reduce France’s influence in managing security crises in Africa?

    As part of the informal division of security responsibilities among western nations, France has long been considered the “gendarme of Africa”.

    Between 1964 and 2014, France conducted no fewer than 52 military operations across the continent. At the start of the 21st century, it played the role of lead nation in European military interventions in Africa. Other western powers recognised France’s expertise in managing African crises. In most cases, they either supported or simply followed its policies.

    This was reflected in France’s diplomatic responsibilities within the European Union and at the United Nations. French diplomacy is well represented in the Africa division of the European External Action Service. The French delegation is tasked with drafting UN security council resolutions on Africa. The peacekeeping department at the UN is led by a French diplomat.

    People protest against the presence of French soldiers in Mali, and more broadly in west Africa, as part of Operation Barkhane in Toulouse in 2021. Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    The end of France’s military interventionism will have diplomatic repercussions beyond Africa. They are already being felt in Brussels, Washington and New York.

    In Niger, the United States did not follow France’s hard line stance after the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023. Instead it attempted to engage with the junta. This effort ultimately failed.

    In Chad, while Paris was complacent towards the dynastic succession from Idriss Déby to his son, Berlin took a critical stance. This led to a diplomatic crisis and the expulsion of ambassadors from Chad and Germany in 2023. In Italy, prime minister Giorgia Meloni publicly criticised French policy in Africa, causing tensions between Paris and Rome.

    How will the reduction in military presence affect France’s ability to protect its economic interests, particularly in the mining and energy sectors?

    In 2023, Africa accounted for only 1.9% of France’s foreign trade, 15% of its supply of strategic minerals, and 11.6% of its oil and gas supply.

    France’s top two trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa are Nigeria and South Africa – former British colonies which have never hosted a French military base.

    Since the beginning of the century, relations between France and African countries have been marked by a clear separation between economic and military interests. France not only has diminishing economic interests in Africa, but these are concentrated in countries that do not host French military bases.

    – What France loses by closing its military bases in Africa
    – https://theconversation.com/what-france-loses-by-closing-its-military-bases-in-africa-247898

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira, Post-doctoral researcher, African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town

    Urban farms like this one in Nouakchott, Mauritania, have many benefits. John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images)

    Urban agriculture takes many forms, among them community, school or rooftop gardens, commercial urban farms, and hydroponic or aquaponic systems. These activities have been shown to promote sustainable cities in a number of ways. They enhance local food security and foster economic opportunities through small-scale farming initiatives. They also strengthen social cohesion by creating shared spaces for collaboration and learning.

    However, evidence from some African countries (and other parts of the world) shows that very few young people are getting involved in agriculture, whether in urban, peri-urban or rural areas. Studies from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria show that people aged between 15 and 34 have very little interest in agriculture, whether as an educational pathway or career. They perceive farming as physically demanding, low-paying and lacking in prestige. Systemic barriers like limited access to land, capital and skills also hold young people back.

    South Africa has a higher rate of young people engaging in farming (24%) than elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this number could be higher if young people better understood the benefits of a career in farming and if they had more support.

    In a recent study I explored youth-driven urban agriculture in Khayelitsha, a large urban area outside Cape Town whose residents are mostly Black, low-income earners.

    The young urban farmers I interviewed are using community gardens to grow more than vegetables. They’re also nurturing social connections, creating economic and business opportunities, and promoting environmental conservation. My findings highlight the transformative potential of youth-driven urban agriculture and how it can be a multifaceted response to urban challenges. It’s crucial that policy makers recognise the value of youth-led urban agriculture and support those doing the work.

    The research

    Khayelitsha is vibrant and bustling. But its approximately 400,000 residents have limited resources and often struggle to make a living.

    I interviewed members of two youth-led gardens. One has just two members; the other has six. All my interviewees were aged between 22 and 27. The relatively low number of interviewees is typical of qualitative research, where the emphasis is placed on depth rather than breadth. This approach allows researchers to obtain detailed, context-rich data from a small, focused group of participants.

    The first garden was founded in January 2020, just a few months before the pandemic struck. The founders wanted to tackle unemployment and food insecurity in their community. They hoped to create jobs for themselves and others, and to provide nutritional support, particularly for vulnerable groups like children with special needs.

    The second garden was established in 2014 by three childhood friends. They were inspired by one founder’s grandmother, who loved gardening. They also wanted to promote organic farming, teach people healthy eating habits, and create a self-reliant community.

    All of my interviewees were activists for food justice. This refers to efforts aimed at addressing systemic inequities in food production, distribution, and access, particularly for marginalised communities. It advocates for equitable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food.

    One of the gardens, for instance, operates about 30 beds. It cultivates a variety of produce: beetroot, carrots, spinach, pumpkins, potatoes, radishes, peas, lettuce and herbs. 30% of its produce is donated to local community centres each month (they were unable to say how many people benefited from this arrangement). The rest is sold to support the garden financially. Its paying clients include local restaurants and chefs, and members of the community. The garden also partners with schools, hospitals and other organisations to promote healthy eating and sustainable practices.

    The second garden, which is on land belonging to a local early childhood development centre, also focuses on feeding the community, as well as engaging in food justice activism.

    Skills, resilience and connections

    The gardens also help members to develop skills. Members gain practical knowledge about sustainable agriculture, marketing and entrepreneurship, all while managing operations and planning for growth.



    Read more:
    Healthy food is hard to come by in Cape Town’s poorer areas: how community gardens can fix that

    This hands-on experience instils a sense of responsibility and gives participants valuable skills they can apply in future careers or ventures. The founder of the first garden told me his skills empowered him to seek help from his own community rather than waiting for government intervention. He approached the management of an early childhood development centre in the community to request space on their land, and this was granted.

    Social connections have been essential to the gardens’ success. Bonding capital (close ties within their networks) and bridging capital (connections beyond their immediate community) has allowed them to strengthen relationships between themselves and civil society organisations. They’ve also been able to mobilise resources, as in the case of the first garden accessing community land.

    Additionally, the gardens foster community resilience. Members host workshops and events to educate residents about healthy eating, sustainable farming and environmental stewardship.

    By donating produce to local early childhood centres, they provide direct benefits to those most in need. These efforts have transformed the gardens into safe spaces for the community.

    Broader collaboration has also been key to the gardens’ success. For instance, the second garden has worked with global organisations and networks, like the Slow Food Youth Network, to share and gain knowledge about sustainable farming practices.

    Room for growth

    My findings highlight the need for targeted support for youth-driven urban agriculture initiatives. Policy and financial backing can enable these young gardeners to expand their efforts. This in turn will allow them to provide more food to their communities, create additional jobs, and empower more young people.

    At a policy level, the government could prioritise land access for urban agriculture projects, especially in under-served communities. Cities can foster an environment for youth initiatives to thrive by allocating spaces within their planning for urban farming.



    Read more:
    Africa’s megacities threatened by heat, floods and disease – urgent action is needed to start greening and adapt to climate change

    There’s also a need for educational programmes that emphasise the value of sustainable urban agriculture, and workshops and training on entrepreneurship and sustainable farming techniques. Community organising could further empower young farmers. Finally, continued collaboration with national and international food networks would help strengthen such initiatives.

    Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira 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. Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study – https://theconversation.com/urban-food-gardens-produce-more-than-vegetables-they-create-bonds-for-young-capetonians-study-243500

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What France loses by closing its military bases in Africa

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Thierry Vircoulon, Coordinateur de l’Observatoire pour l’Afrique centrale et australe de l’Institut Français des Relations Internationales, membre du Groupe de Recherche sur l’Eugénisme et le Racisme, Université Paris Cité

    Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced on 31 December 2024 that all foreign military bases in his country would close by 2025. On the same day, the Ivorian president said France would hand over control of the Abidjan military base to his country’s army.

    These announcements followed the planned withdrawal of French forces from Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Researcher Thierry Vircoulon discusses the potential implications of these decisions for France.

    What advantages could France lose by withdrawing its troops from African countries?

    France’s military presence in French-speaking Africa has evolved in strategic importance over the past 65 years. Over time, the significance of this presence has diminished. By the end of the 20th century, some French military bases had been closed and the number of pre-positioned troops had reduced from 20,000 in 1970 to 6,000 in 2022.

    Military bases have been a strategic asset for France, initially securing newly independent and fragile regimes in the aftermath of independence. They also played a key role in conducting external operations. These bases served as logistical hubs that enabled French military interventions and the evacuation of French nationals during crises.

    For instance, Operation Sagittarius, which evacuated European nationals from Sudan at the start of the war in April 2023, relied on the resources of the French base in Djibouti.

    Without these logistical points, projecting military strength becomes much more challenging and, in some cases, impossible. The closure of these military bases implies the end of major French military interventions, such as Operation Licorne (2002-2015) or Barkhane (2014-2022).

    In recent years, the cost-benefit analysis of these bases has been questioned in Paris. They have become a political and strategic issue. On one hand, these bases symbolise the old post-independence security pact between Paris and the leaders of some countries, making them appear as a legacy of neocolonialism.

    On the other hand, from a strategic point of view, having a pre-positioned military presence in Africa serves little purpose when the main threats to France come from elsewhere (for instance, eastern Europe and the Middle East). As a result, the strategic value of France’s military bases in Africa has diminished in recent years.

    What impact could military withdrawal have on France’s political and diplomatic influence in its former African colonies?

    The closure of the bases would signal the end of France’s capacity to intervene – whether justified or not – in certain conflicts across Africa.

    This would weaken its influence in the region, particularly as conflicts intensify across the continent, with more and more African countries seeking security providers. Addressing, stabilising or resolving these conflicts requires a combination of diplomacy and military intervention.

    It’s important to distinguish between countries that have chosen to sever military cooperation agreements with Paris (such as Chad and Senegal) and those that have simply closed military bases but maintained the military cooperation (like Ivory Coast).

    The announcement of base closures by African leaders, rather than by Paris, symbolises a rejection of French policy. This marks a significant loss of influence for France in the countries involved.

    Could this withdrawal reduce France’s influence in managing security crises in Africa?

    As part of the informal division of security responsibilities among western nations, France has long been considered the “gendarme of Africa”.

    Between 1964 and 2014, France conducted no fewer than 52 military operations across the continent. At the start of the 21st century, it played the role of lead nation in European military interventions in Africa. Other western powers recognised France’s expertise in managing African crises. In most cases, they either supported or simply followed its policies.

    This was reflected in France’s diplomatic responsibilities within the European Union and at the United Nations. French diplomacy is well represented in the Africa division of the European External Action Service. The French delegation is tasked with drafting UN security council resolutions on Africa. The peacekeeping department at the UN is led by a French diplomat.

    The end of France’s military interventionism will have diplomatic repercussions beyond Africa. They are already being felt in Brussels, Washington and New York.

    In Niger, the United States did not follow France’s hard line stance after the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023. Instead it attempted to engage with the junta. This effort ultimately failed.

    In Chad, while Paris was complacent towards the dynastic succession from Idriss Déby to his son, Berlin took a critical stance. This led to a diplomatic crisis and the expulsion of ambassadors from Chad and Germany in 2023. In Italy, prime minister Giorgia Meloni publicly criticised French policy in Africa, causing tensions between Paris and Rome.

    How will the reduction in military presence affect France’s ability to protect its economic interests, particularly in the mining and energy sectors?

    In 2023, Africa accounted for only 1.9% of France’s foreign trade, 15% of its supply of strategic minerals, and 11.6% of its oil and gas supply.

    France’s top two trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa are Nigeria and South Africa – former British colonies which have never hosted a French military base.

    Since the beginning of the century, relations between France and African countries have been marked by a clear separation between economic and military interests. France not only has diminishing economic interests in Africa, but these are concentrated in countries that do not host French military bases.

    Thierry Vircoulon is a research associate at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales and an expert on the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

    – ref. What France loses by closing its military bases in Africa – https://theconversation.com/what-france-loses-by-closing-its-military-bases-in-africa-247898

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Negosyo napamura nang husto mga produkto sa pagtanggal ng single-use plastic

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace

    QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Kapag sinabing “environmentally friendly” ang isang produkto, iniisip na mahal, sosyal, at pangmayaman ito nang marami. Pero ang isang negosyo, may sikreto kung bakit abot-kaya ang kanilang sustainable cleaning products — ang pagtanggal ng single-use plastic (SUP) mula sa produksyon.

    Hulyo 2022 nang magsimula ang kwento ng Sabon Express, sa layuning mahikayat ang publikong gumamit ng boteng matatagpuan na sa kanilang bahay sa tuwing bibili ng sabong panlinis. Ani Mellany Zambrano, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ng kumpanya, talamak kasi ang bentahan ng household cleaning materials sa plastic sachet at mga boteng itatapon lang din.

    “Our campaign is towards [a] refill revolution,” sabi ni Mellany sa panayam ng Greenpeace Philippines. “So ‘yun ‘yung pangarap namin, na ‘yung mga Pilipino ay magiging responsable sa paggamit ng mga plastic na bote at mga lalagyan. Hindi ‘yung wala lang tayong pakialam na we are after convenience, na bumibili tayo, bumibili, kumukonsumo, at nagtatapon ng plastic.”

    “So ang gusto natin is bumili tayo consciously, magkonsumo tayo at maging responsable tayo na hindi tayo makadagdag sa lumalalang plastic pollution.”

    Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace

    “Sachet country” kung ituring ng ilan ang mga bansang Third World gaya ng Pilipinas. Aabot sa 164 milyong sachet ang ginagamit sa bansa araw-araw, bagay na naiipon sa mga landfill, kanal at karagatan. Ito ay dahil sa walang-tigil na produksyon ng SUPs ng mga malalaking korporasyon at kawalan ng batas para  rito. 

    Marami rito’y pinaglagyan ng personal care (19%) o household cleaning products (17%). Hindi ito nabubulok at bumabara sa mga estero, bagay na nagpapalala sa baha tuwing may bagyo. Nadudurog lang ito hanggang sa maging microscopic. Pwede itong malanghap, mainom, o makain bilang “microplastic” na siyang nagdudulot ng pagkabaog at cancer.

    ‘Di gaya ng mararangyang bayan, limitado ang kakayahan ng mga Pinoy na bumili nang bultuhan. Dahil dito, pumatok ang konsepto ng “tingi” na siyang sinakyan ng mga dambuhalang kumpanya lalo na’t hindi ito mabigat sa bulsa. Nakapako kasi sa P645 kada araw ang minimum wage sa Metro Manila — ang pinakamataas sa buong Pilipinas — samantalang P1,205 kada araw ang kinakailangang kita ng pamilyang may limang miyembro para mabuhay nang disente.

    Plastic packaging: salarin sa mahal na produkto?

    Isa sa appeal ng plastic ay ang “mababang presyo” nito. Pero alam n’yo bang malaking bahagi ng binabayaran ng consumer sa mga produkto ay packaging?

    Karaniwang 10% hanggang 40% ng kabuuang retail price ng iyong binibili ay dahil sa lalagyan nito. Gayunpaman, dedepende ito sa uri ng packaging material na ginamit, laki at bigat ng produkto, at production process. Ito’y nasa porma ng plastic na bote, galon, sticker labels, shrink plastics o sachet na madalas itinatapon matapos ang isang gamit.

    Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace

    Sa pagtalikod ng Sabon Express sa SUPs at pag-engganyo sa customers magdala ng sariling bote at lalagyan, nagawa tuloy nilang makapaglabas ng produktong mas mura kaysa sa mga ibinebenta sa malls at supermarkets. 

    “Every time na bumibili kayo ng inyong mga produkto na gumagamit ng mga single-use plastics… at itinatapon niyo, hindi lang kayo nakakadagdag sa polusyon kundi actually nagsasayang po kayo ng pera,” prangkahang pagbabahagi ni Mellany.

    “Kami po as manufacturer, ito po ay tapat na sinasabi namin sa inyo. Kayo po actually ay nagsasayang ng minimum 30% to a maximum of 70% [ng presyo ng produkto] sa packaging na itinatapon ninyo… So, imagine ninyo po ‘yung mase-save po ninyo [oras na umiwas kayo rito] at imagine din po ninyo yung perang itinatapon ninyo every time po nagpa-patronize kayo yung single-use plastic.”

    Sa halagang P20, makabibili ka na ng 400 milliliters na dishwashing liquid sa Sabon Express. Ang kailangan mo lang gawin, magdala ng sariling bote o lalagyang ire-refill. Malayo ang presyo nito kumpara sa mahigit-kumulang P100 halagang dishwashing liquid (355 ml sachet refill pack) na mabibili gaya ng kilalang brand na Joy.

    Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace

    Ang Sabon Express ay isang case study ng University of Portsmouth sa United Kingdom bilang bahagi ng research at campaign nito sa pagbubuo ng isang Global Plastics Treaty. Una nang sinabi ni Mellany na naging katuwang nila ang Department of Science and Technology (DOST) sa pagtitimpla ng kanilang mga produkto.

    Gayunpaman, aminado si Mellany na wala pang insentibo mula sa gobyerno para itulak ang mga negosyong maging plastic-free. Malaki raw sana ang magagawa ng pagpapababa ng buwis para mga negosyong gaya ng kanila para maeengganyo ang iba pa. Bukod pa rito, mainam daw kung mapapadali ang pagproproseso ng business permits atbp. dokumento.

    ‘Kulturang tingi’ pwede palang eco-friendly

    Isa ang kulturang “tingi” ng mga Pilipino — o pagbili ng mga produkto sa maliitang sukat — sa isinisisi ng ilan sa pamamayagpag ng mga plastic sachet atbp. SUPs sa bansa. Pero alam n’yo bang environmentally-sustainable ang pinagmulan nito bago i-hijack ng mga korporasyon gamit ang mga plastic na pakete? 

    Tradisyunal na nagdadala ng kani-kanilang mga bote, garapon at bayong ang mga Pinoy noon sa mga palengke at sari-sari store na siya nilang pinupuno ng produkto sa tuwing bibili. Ang “reuse and refill” practice na ito ang nais ibalik ng mga negosyo gaya ng Sabon Express, bagay na kanilang minomodernisa sa pamamagitan ng mga makabagong kagamitan.

    Kaugnay nito, nagdisenyo sila ng mga agaw-pansing vendo machines para mapadali ang proseso ng refilling sa kanilang mga tindahan. Hindi inumin o pagkain ang iniluluwa nito kundi dishwashing liquid, fabric conditioner, liquid detergent at hand soap. Puwede itong sahurin gamit ang mga lalagyang dala ng customer kontra plastic pollution.

    Tumatanggap ang kanilang mga makina ng P5, P10, at P20 barya.

    Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace

    “Our dream is to be visible in all supermarkets, convenience stores, public markets, grocery stores,” patuloy ni Mellany. 

    “Pangarap po namin na laging merong Sabon Express dispensing machines or vendo machines na makakapag-offer ng murang produkto para sa mga Pilipino, para sa mga consumers na magdadala ng sarili nilang [containers]… para mabigyan po ng pagkakataon ‘yung lahat ng Pilipino na makabili ng produkto na high quality pero very affordable.” 

    ‘Plastics Treaty’ at insentibo sa sustainable MSMEs

    Bahagi ang Sabon Express, sampu ng iba pang progresibong negosyo, sa lumalawak na koalisyong Champions of Change. Layon nitong pagbuklurin ang mga Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) atbp. negosyong lumalaban sa krisis ng SUPs. Nabuo ito sa inisyatiba ng Greenpeace International, Plastic Pollution Coalition and the Break Free From Plastic.  

    Lumaki ang grupo sa hanay ng mga entrepreneur habang hindi pa rin napagkakaisahan ng mga kasapi ng United Nations ang isang Global Plastics Treaty. Itinutulak dito ng Greenpeace ang hindi bababa sa 75% na pagbabawas sa produksyon ng plastic kasabay ng SUP bans. 

    Ayon kay Mellany, malaki ang maitutulong ng isang malakas na tratado sa pagsugpo ng plastic pollution para makapagbalangkas ng polisya ang mga bansang aayon at raratipika rito.

    “A more concrete [example of this would be] sana… ma-incentivize ‘yung mga MSMEs na kagaya namin at magkaroon ng solid support ng government sa mga negosyo [na plastic-free],” paliwanag niya nang matanong kung ano ang nais niyang makita sa kasunduan.

    Video grab from Rico Ibarra / Greenpeace

    Dagdag pa niya, responsibilidad ng mga negosyong maging kampeon ng kalikasan upang matiyak na malinis at mapakikinabangan ito ng mga susunod na henerasyon. Aniya, walang “satellite Earth” na malilikasan ang mga tao kung saka-sakaling tumindi ang krisis.

    Napipintong plantsahin ng huling pagpupulong ng Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) ang isang Global Plastics Treaty sa darating na 2025. Nananawagan ang Greenpeace Philippines sa UN member states na pagkaisahan ang isang tratadong magtitiyak ng karapatan sa kalusugan at ligtas na kapaligiran habang hinihikayat ang publikong suportahan ang mga negosyong tumatalikod sa plastic wala pa mang kasunduan. 

    Pumirma rito para ipakita ang suporta.

    ###

    Support a strong Plastics Treaty!

    Help build a plastic-free future.

    SIGN THE PETITION

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI China: China issues over 734 mln USD of relief funds for disaster-affected people

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

    BEIJING, Jan. 26 — The Ministry of Emergency Management said on Sunday that 5.272 billion yuan (about 734.96 million U.S. dollars) of relief funds from the central budget had been fully distributed, benefiting 30.92 million people.

    These funds are intended to support local governments in helping those affected by natural disasters to deal with living difficulties during the winter and spring seasons.

    The ministry has also provided guidance and support to localities to better implement relief measures, accurately distribute relief funds and materials, and enhance the coordination of policy and resources.

    Regarding the sharp temperature plunges expected over the next few days, the ministry said it would step up monitoring of disaster developments in various regions to ensure that every affected person stays safe and warm during the winter.

    MIL OSI China News –